Less Than Three

by Brian Wilson

This angsty, coming-of-age novel revisits the emo subculture of the early 2000s and the chaotic group chats where hearts were broken and outsiders found their people.

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2026

About the author

Brian Wilson is a writer from Northern Ireland.

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

🎵❌IT'S ME, HI, I'M THE PROBLEM, IT'S ME🎵❌!!!!!!! Less Than Three written by Brian Wilson unfortunately wasn't for me. I know many readers will probably love this book, but ultimately for me it failed to capture my attention. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, it felt like there was no plot whatsoever, and to me it felt like the writing was all over the place. 📢Please don't let my review discourage you from picking up this book📢, in fact if you love the emo subculture of the early 2000's, mark your calendars for April 24th, 2026 so you won't miss out on Less Than Three by Brian Wilson. As someone who was born in 2002, I so badly wanted to love this book, but it just didn't connect with me the way I wanted to, but that's completely okay we can't love them all. The year of the early 2000's was a great time to be alive, social media such as Snapchat, Instagram, and musically (now known as TikTok) really took off, I remember making my first social media accounts and making musically's late into the night with friends on summer vacation, but the problem I had with this book was that it never mentioned any of those things, it mainly just focused on group chats and feeling like the odd one out, which will resonate with many readers, but unfortunately it wasn't at all for me. I mean, does anyone remember silly bandz? I loved those things, I loved wearing them and trading them with friends, and seeing all of the silly shapes and words they would create, but I didn't feel any of that nostalgia with this book, it just didn't mention anything I remember growing up with in the early 2000's, maybe I'm just being a tad bit too harsh, but in my opinion this book didn't have what I was looking for in years I wanted to remember living my best life. Now, I'm twenty-four years old, and man life is so hard, adulting sucks big time, I thought being in your twenties was supposed to be the best time of our lives, but to me it just seems so hard and not what I pictured.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND VICTORY EDITING NETGALLEY CO-OP FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

Life for our sixteen year old main character Emily is the true definition of meh, her parents are constantly fighting, and nobody in school acknowledges her existence, but that all changes when Emily is accidentally added into a group chat on instant messenger by her cousin and former best friend Catherine, that's also the group chat where Emily meets the mysterious G who constantly talks about music and they form a personal friendship, you will also read about G's diary entries where well he complains about everything. Emily and Catherine were inseparable as children, but now they haven't seen each other in over four years because of a falling out. Emily has never really been into music, but she enjoys listening to Rihanna, The Pussycat Dolls, and the Black Eyed Peas, I mean this girl really needs to broaden her music taste, but thanks to this group chat the members introduce Emily to new music. This group chat is for goths- their profile pictures consist of black clothes, black hair, and thick eyeliner- something Emily was warned by her mother to stay away from. Despite not having any friends before being accidentally invited into this group, Emily has one friend and that's the ChatterBot on instant messenger who always messages Emily first. I'm just going to leave this review short and to the point, mainly because it didn't work for me, but I don't want to take away from other readers enjoyment, so do yourselves a favor and read Less Than Three if it sounds right up your alley, because you might love it more than me, hence I'm the only person who gave this book a two star rating, but to me that's okay because every single reader is different.

[Richard Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story set in the emo culture of NI in the mid day 200s focusing on a group of friends. After being added to a group chat, Emily’s life gets turned upside down and suddenly she has friends, a social life and is experiencing a whole new genre of music.

Despite this being set in the emo subculture, the themes of this book, such as finding somewhere to belong resonates universally teenagers to adults. Teens will be able to relate to the angst of the characters while adults can reflect on what they went through at a similar age. The music, styles and trends may change but the trials and tribulations of adolescence (finding friends, falling in love, expressing yourself) will always remain relatable.

Wilson’s style is captivating and this narrative will make you laugh, cry and keep reading until there is nothing left. It’s wonderful having a novel set locally but this narrative could be set anywhere due to the relatability of its themes. Through use of instant message style narrative, text conversations and traditional prose gives a wonderful insight to the characters and showcases what life was like for teenagers in the mid-noughties.

Even though this is a debut novel, it feels so polished and leaves us longing for more from Brian Wilson.

[Rika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read «Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo’s Mainstream Explosion 1999–2008» by Chris Payne, I found myself longing for a sense of nostalgia for my emo teenage years in the mid-2000s. So, naturally, I was really hyped when «Less Than Three» by Brian Wilson was recommended to me – of course, I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect read to get through on my way to and from the My Chemical Romance gig, LOL

I’m a bit torn about «Less Than Three». When I started it, I wanted to like it because it captured so much of what shaped my early teenage years. Ending up in MSN group chats with random people. Having these strangers introduce me to new music (which took several hours to be sent via MSN). Watching as these strangers suddenly become your closest and best friends. Watching music videos on YouTube. LIME-fucking-WIRE!!

Perhaps, however, I was a bit too optimistic that «Less Than Three» could be my next 5-star read. Unfortunately, my main problem was, first and foremost, G. Somehow, I never warmed to him, and over time he became more and more problematic and unpleasant. And even though today, in my early thirties, I take a much more nuanced view of G’s character, I have to be honest with myself and admit that, at Emily’s age, I’d probably have fallen for G’s shit in exactly the same way.

Although I’ve taken my time writing this review after finishing the book, I’m still not 100% sure about my rating. However, it’ll probably end up being somewhere between 3.5 and 4.0. Because even though my main criticism – primarily of G’s behaviour and the reaction it provoked in Emily – might sound like my biggest problem, I still had a good time reading «Less Than Three». It was a bit like taking a little trip back in time to the most formative years of my life. And I think that’s what counts.

Thanks for putting up with my first review in English, lol

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

an ode for the elder emos <3

This book threw me right back to being fifteen, “meeting” friends of friends on msn, waiting hours to download one song (for me the turning point was Pressure by Paramore), and dealing with things way heavier than anyone our age should ever have had to figure out and handle on out own.

All of us elder emos knew an Emilayy, a Damnation and a G… all of us grieved, or knew someone who did. And I think all of us were failed by adults. This book doesn’t speak of this, it takes us straight back there, in a way that makes probably won’t make sense to anyone who wasn’t there then, but to those who were? It’s fucking brilliant because it’s all so real.

Three cheers for the demolition lovers, always and thank you for reminding me of those wild years <3

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

a love letter to a very specific time in the mid to late 2000s and to all those who swore it was never a phase. wilson is obviously very knowledgeable about this time period and the people within the niche, and this was a really nostalgic and enjoyable read for someone who was also there. could relate to the MC being a total bitch to her parents and drowning out all social interactions with my chemical romance through her headphones. the MSN messenger conversations may as well have been lifted from my own digital footprint. very fun read, if you were born after 2008 it may come off as your parents telling you about when they were young but as a childless former emo girl, I had a blast reading this

[Caitlin Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

First, thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC of this book!

Oh man, this book is the absolute finest nostalgia trip. That said, I’m interested if it’ll click with those who didn’t “come of age” in the early 2000s — I had the benefit of being the same age as the protagonist (16 in 2006), so this was all incredibly familiar to me, but I wonder if those reading it who didn’t also live it will find it as fun and delectable as I did. I loved the themes of found family, found self, and first love, paired with the AIM culture and music scene of 2006, it was all really well put together.

I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Mari Wilmot · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you think this lasts forever: think again."

Perks of Being a Wallflower for the millennial/elder emo. This brought back so many memories of high school. Trying to find your place while dealing with life. Stuck somewhere between childhood and adulthood. Navigating relationships that are all consuming, only to realize with time are beyond toxic. This was so well written and nostalgic and tragic. If you grew up around early 2000s emo culture, this is for you. It was never a phase. 3

[lauramurphv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a similar genre of emo in my youth, this felt like true escapism. It dredged up some old, long-forgotten feelings, made me laugh, cringe, and at times hit a nerve. I empathised with so many of the characters; they echoed who my friends and I were at that age, how we saw and felt about the world. The diary entries and group chats were particularly candid. All very relatable stuff.. Well written, captivating and transportive prose. A truly excellent debut!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nostalgic I really enjoyed it. Really took me back!