The Point of It All

by Laura Kay

A sharply funny, deeply tender tale of first love and chosen family set against the backdrops of London and New York City, perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Coco Mellors.

"I’ve never read a book that captures the joy, agony and complexity of true love as honestly as The Point of It All does. It absolutely knocked me out."—Clea DuVall

On the morning of her wedding, Holland finds herself in a hotel room with the one person who has always made her feel most like herself. The ceremony is about to start. The guests are waiting. And suddenly, the life she has carefully constructed feels dangerously easy to step out of.

Ros and Holland meet as teenagers and fall into the kind of love that feels invented just for them—intense, electric, impossible to outgrow. Over the years that follow, they orbit each other across cities and continents, through other relationships, career highs, private griefs, and public reinventions. Sometimes they’re inseparable. Sometimes they’re strangers. But neither of them ever quite escapes the pull of the other.

Sweeping, sharply funny, and deeply tender, The Point of It All captures the particular ache—and magic—of queer longing across a lifetime, asking what we owe our first great love, and whether growing up ever really means growing apart.

At once intimate and epic, this is a love story about timing, yearning, and the one person who might just be the point of it all.

Genres: Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Romance, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 16, 2027

About the author

Laura Kay is a writer and editor living in London. Her journalism and personal essays have been published in The Guardian, Diva Magazine and Stylist among others. Her debut novel, The Split, was published by Quercus in March 2021. She has since published three further novels in the UK, the US and other territories. Her fifth novel The Point of It All will be published in March 2027.

Reviews

[cyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This book definitely went in a different direction than I expected but i still had a good time reading it. I think the story brushed past some big plot points really fast and it made the story have less tension. I don’t want to get into spoiler territory so i’m not going to get too specific but there are two really big moments that could cause conflict in the story that instead lead into a time jump. I would’ve really appreciated seeing the characters work through inner conflict but instead the story just keeps moving with no time to sit in uncomfortable moments. Both of the main characters make really bad choices a lot and neither of them really reflect on them. One character does the same action twice and never really has to reflect on why she’s doing it and how she’s hurting people and that kind of bothered me because she basically gets through with very little consequence. I almost don’t want to two main characters together because it seemed forced a lot of the time. I wanted more depth from this book and it just was not there for me but if the plot sounds interesting to you i would encourage you to pick it up.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was absolutely incredible.

The author just has a way with words! Everything was so beautiful and raw and real!

I annotated so many lines in this book. I was so captivated by this story!

These characters felt like real people and everything was very realistic on what they were going through. At times it felt like it was happening to myself because of how connected I felt to these characters. Ros specifically.

I loved Ros. She was definitely my favorite. Maybe because we technically met her first, but I felt so protective over her. I was always rooting for her happiness. I related to her in some ways, so that made it easier to connect too.

I hate to say it. I didn’t really like Holland as a person. I was not very impressed with her. She was very privileged, but she liked to act like she wasn’t privileged. She really seemed to play with people’s emotions too, which I didn’t love. There is more to my opinion on her, but I will save it until the end of my review because it would spoil the book.

I loved Clem as well. She was awesome. I wish she was in it more than she was. Julian was a great character too! I wasn’t sure how I would feel about him, but he ended up fitting into the story very well.

The book didn’t go where I expected it to go, but I didn’t mind how it went! Here are slight spoilers, but I thought it would be more we would wait the entire book for Ros and Holland to end up together, but they actually got together quite early on in the book.

I was never bored for a second while reading this.

Unfortunately I had an issue with end of this book. It did not ruin the book for me, I still absolutely love it and think everyone should read it! But I was kind of upset. What I did like was how the last couple of lines of the novel really tied the whole novel together. Everything connected and went right back to the beginning, which did give me chills once I finished the book.

This goes into spoilers and what I don’t like about Holland. She seems like a selfish person. I want Ros to be happy, so if she is happy, then I am happy. But I also hate how Holland treated her. Holland cheats on her, thinking life with Ellis would be better, gets very upset when Ros leaves her, but wishes for Ellis to take care of her when she is sad. Then after being with Ellis for so long, she keeps wanting Ros back, so once Ellis is done with her, she’s like okay well now I’ll go back to Ros! You can’t just go back and forth with people when it suits you best. That made me so angry with her. I know this book is a love story between Ros and Holland, and I do believe they love each other and know each other more than anyone else in the world. But I almost wish Ros didn’t take her back. It would have made for a sad ending, but I think Ros is too good for Holland. The problem is Ros always would do anything for Holland, even when Holland took that for granted. So I knew there would never be a world where Ros turns her down. I mean Ros stayed with Holland for how long even though she was cheating on her! I would never do that, I don’t care how much I love someone. Ros kind of just let her off the hook because they still talked a bunch even when they broke up and she moved away. I know they had to co-parent, but still. Again, this did not ruin the book for me, I still really enjoyed it, but I would have preferred for it to have ended differently. I think I just loved the author’s writing so much that I could get past it, even if all of that annoyed me.

This is really a must read novel though! I will be checking out other books by this author! I feel like this story will stick with me for a while.

[hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the characters were well crafted and I enjoyed weaving between them in the narrative rather than them each having very separate, discrete chapters. I liked that we covered a lot of time, and despite knowing about the wedding aspect from the synopsis, I was still engaged and surprised in how we ended up there. This book is easy to fly through as the writing is not too dense or flowery to parse. Overall, it was a beautiful story about love that isn't cookie cutter or too perfect. It's messy and sometimes wrong, and it did a good job putting into words some of the feelings people have in relationships.

My critiques have more to do with the synopsis/pitch. I thought that the scope and structure worked together with a more vignette style where big moments might not actually be captured in the text but between the lines. I do feel like this meant it was less 'epic' than pitched, which is not a critique of the book but rather the description. I liked the idea of spending just a little time with large gaps between, but could understand readers feeling disappointed by what's missing because it was pitched as 'epic.'

A similar critique I have of the original pitch is that while there are a couple funny one liners in dialogue and the text, I wouldn't describe this book as 'funny.' I was anticipating something much more sarcastic or satirical since 'sharply funny' was the first descriptor in the pitch. Again, not at all a critique of the actual book as I found the overall dramatic tone well suited, and those occasional jokes provided welcome levity.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this even more than I expected to! I think Laura Kay describing it as being for “chronic yearners” put a lot of pressure on it for me. I love heartbreaking yearning but I also tire of the purple prose and overwrought style that can be typical in these ~sapphic yearning stories~ But The Point of It All did not fall into that for me! It’s hard to describe, but this felt like a classics 2000s movie to me. There’s even a reference to The Notebook that was perfectly apt. The Notebook but make it gayer and possibly even sadder?? I don’t know, but I do know that it was a hit for me.

Following Ros and Holland through their lives in snapshots let the story flow while still allowing the reader to glimpse every heart wrenching moment of their lives together. For us to understand just how intertwined they are. The span of it never feels too big for this reason. It feels like following an epic modern love story with all the mess and heartbreak that comes with that.

Epilogues can be a hit or miss for me. I’m fine with a little mystery! This one started off a little too cheesy to me but I won’t lie, that last page really got me.


Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher:

Oof, this was a NOVEL. Go into it knowing the happily ever after is across a lifetime. We’re talking quarter century time jumps within a few chapters. There’s other partners and a child. While none of those things are necessarily dealbreakers on their own, all three together was…not exactly setting this book up for success with me.

The first of the three parts on the MCs early life was easily my favorite, which probably says something considering I read that entire section in one sitting and then waited about a month to finish the rest. Based on where we left the characters, combined with how much book was still sitting there, I knew the time jumps were going to be massive, and I simply was scared to go on that journey.

I wouldn’t have picked this one up on my own, but I can absolutely see the appeal for readers who do like those elements. If lifetime spanning relationships, significant time jumps, and live experiences like other partners, and children are things you actively enjoy rather than things you merely tolerate, this might be much more your speed than it was mine.

Thank you to the publisher for the physical copy.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is simple, yet complex, flowing flawlessly from that precarious time of figuring it all out as young adults and extends throughout lifetimes. It starts with two friends, Roslyn (Ros) and Holland, and travels back and forth between New York and London, through friendship, love, and family. The way that Laura Kay captures both Ros and Holland as individuals, and as a couple, pulls you in. Each one grows, shifts, changes, settles, moves, adjusts, and loves throughout each stage of their lives, sometimes alone, sometimes together. I laughed. I cried. And at the end, the tissues were collected to hold so many feelings that came all at once. Sometimes the story is beautiful in simply being told, and Ros and Holland’a story is filled with beauty, with a quiet love that goes the distance. It is one that I will carry with me long after reading it.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy for review. All thoughts are my own.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I marathoned this book in a single sitting and it has completely consumed my thoughts ever since. That is the true hallmark of a powerful story it leaves a permanent footprint on your soul and forces you to keep questioning it long after the final page. Laura takes us on a sweeping, lifetime journey alongside Ros and Holland. Best friends, enemies, soulmates, partners honestly, call them what you want, because no single label is big enough to hold them. We follow them from their teenage years to the twilight of their lives and throughout it all, time feels entirely relative because their connection is the only constant.
They are meant for each other in both the best and worst ways possible; they build each other up, tear each other down, find love together a million times over, and completely undo one another. Every single time I thought, "Oh look, they’ve finally stabilized," the story would pull a hard U-turn and send me screaming right back onto the emotional roller coaster.
While I loved the journey, I did find myself wishing the book had been a bit longer and slower. The characters needed more space to breathe and a bit more logic to explain the wild decisions they kept making before taking those final leaps. I also wished the physical intimacy had been more elaborate. Their deep love and yearning for each other are undeniable but their connection always cuts to black after a kiss. Having those intimate interactions fully written out would have allowed me to connect with their bond on a whole different level. I usually avoid lifetime-spanning books because watching the end of characters you love is such a bittersweet moment! I honestly wish the final should have been left to the imagination, much like the spice scenes.
The contrast between the two leads is wild and my feelings about them are incredibly polarized. Ros was absolutely wonderful brilliant, endlessly patient and deeply empathetic. Her willingness to sacrifice everything for her love and family was the absolute highlight of the book for me. Holland, on the other hand was infuriatingly chaotic.
Holland, on the other hand, was a walking masterclass in "how to throw away every single blessing you have and still learn absolutely nothing." But even with all my gripes and Holland induced high blood pressure, I loved this book. If you are looking for a spiritual or indirect sequel to Her Name in the Sky, pick this up immediately. Despite the highs and the lows, it is impossible not to get completely invested in seeing where this messy, beautiful journey leads.

[Janet Fiorentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Point of It All” is a reminder that sometimes the best kind of love is the kind you have to fight for.

Holland and Ros meet as teenagers and immediately connect, but their relationship is anything but simple. The novel follows the twists and turns of their lives, capturing their relationship through a series of snapshots rather than giving us a traditional, straightforward love story. I really enjoyed this approach, and Lesley Kay does a wonderful job capturing the distinct voices of Holland and Ros. Their personalities—and the way they see their relationship—really come through.

That said, I sometimes wished we had been given a little more time with some of the bigger moments in their lives. There were events that felt as though they deserved more attention, but perhaps that would have taken away from the “slices of life” approach Kay was going for. Instead, we get glimpses of the moments that shape Holland and Ros and their relationship over the years.

What I appreciated most was the book’s message about second chances. Love isn’t always easy, and happily-ever-after doesn’t necessarily mean everything falls neatly into place. Sometimes it means making mistakes, growing up, choosing each other again, and putting in the work to make a relationship last.

Overall, “The Point of It All” is a thoughtful look at love, timing, and the choices we make when someone is worth fighting for. It would definitely make for an interesting book-club discussion—especially about whether love alone is enough to make a relationship work, or whether commitment and hard work matter just as much.

Three and a half stars out of five.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate how much life we get within these pages. I was curious how we could remain engaged spanning such a life time but if anything i wanted more life. We have so few examples of queer elders or queer couples existing beyond 40 that I felt as if I was being fed by something I didn't know I was starving for.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Kay, and Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy! I have thoroughly enjoyed and the opinions shared represent my individual thoughts and feelings :)

I bought the representation hook line and sinker and think the language chosen to describe this book as "Sweeping, sharply funny, and deeply tender, The Point of It All captures the particular ache—and magic—of queer longing across a lifetime, asking what we owe our first great love, and whether growing up ever really means growing apart."

Love the non-traditional dynamic and arc of life - because its real - its messy- its not always going to be wrapped up with a bow. Wishing this could be a screenplay, would watch it every week!

Please don't read this before reading this book but i felt super devastated in the epilogue that Ros is dead. Like I understand time has past, i understand everyone is happy and moved on and that this was for Holland to take back her voice but i was so beyond upset that we went from porch swing to shes dead.

[Victoria H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know how to rate this. It might be a 5 for me, but not a book that I'm probably going to reread, because it was quite tough emotionally.

One one hand, the writing is superb. It's elegantly crafted, and I found myself constantly marveling at the natural and interesting dialogue making up the conversations, the sophisticated construction of sentences... it was all so lovely.

I got so invested in Ros and Holland's romance that it was hard to remember that this is not a romance novel with a guaranteed formulaic happily ever after. On the other hand, the romance pretty much was the plot, and it was *complicated*. Very complicated. I was rooting for them to get together throughout almost all of Part 1 and then they're such flawed people in such a flawed relationship and their lives fly by and eventually I find myself not really rooting for them anymore. Trying to avoid spoilers, they get their happiness, but I'm not really sure I trust it? I'm not really sure I trust them to maintain it.

I was given this book for free as an e-ARC via NetGalley in the expectation that I would leave an honest review.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My thoughts on this book really waffled the whole way through, but ultimately, I landed on a 4/5 star rating. There is very little I can say about this book without spoilers so please only continue if you've already read the book.

I like yearning as much as the next girl but I really feel like decades-long yearning is just one giant miscommunication trope. I can appreciate that life is messy and non-linear and people fade in and out of each other's lives but I really struggled with the characters' (especially once they became adults) inability to clearly convey their feelings and emotions to each other and that is the the reason I removed a star. I did really enjoy the story and the writing is very accessible lit-fit (big fan of that).

I would recommend this book.

[Aleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️. This was a lovely and unexpected delight! I have not seen any early buzz for this and received a copy via email from the publisher (thank you!), thought it sounded good and may help curb the book slump I felt was looming nearby. I couldn’t stop turning the pages!! First love, it was always you, coming back to each other in every lifetime - but make it *~lesbian~*.

Obsessed. The vibes were soooo much like my favorite of this year (Almost Life) but of the couple actually was together moving through life instead of constantly missing each other.

The Point of it All is a beautiful portrayal at love in its finest form, through all of life’s good, bad and ugly tragedies, through parenthood and being consumed by work, through infidelity, death, grief, and time spent apart…proving that at the end of the day, love in its rarest and purest form really is the point of it all.

♥️😭🫶🏼

*many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

[Heather Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for inviting me to read and review this book by debut author, Laura Kay. I don't know what to say, but WOW!!! This was my kind of story, no big climax, but everything and nothing happens at the same time. Spanning decades of every day joys, sorrows, and struggles helps readers feel not so alone. It's the point of it all.

Kay has the knack of developing her characters, each with a unique and genuine personality. I could picture them walking down the street, at the museum, and sharing a meal at the dinner table. All because I was right there with them. It's the point of it all.

I was up late finishing it and even though I wanted more - the year of epilogue was most frustrating, along with the how and why. At the same time, I appreciated not having all the answers because....It's the point of it all!

[Melissa DeLong-Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What we had was the point of it all, I'm sure of that."

God, this was painful in the very best way. There were so many moments throughout when I wanted to shake Holland, or Ros, or both of them. The book is told over a lifetime, with all the good and bad that comes from being with a person (platonically or romantically) through your very best and worst moments. All of the characters in this story felt very real – they were flawed and unique, and certainly never boring – and the love between them was looming so large that it cast shadows over everything else.

This is another that will be added to my bookshelf!

*Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!*

[Estee · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started this book I had high hopes for it. I liked the characters and their young adult story. It wasn’t a bad book for me it just didn’t get into feelings and emotions very deeply even though life was happening. And life is emotional. I like to read sadness when something sad happens!

I also am not sure how I feel about this great love. It is almost the mythological ‘great love’ story that I am against. If it was a heterosexual couple would this be a great love story? Is there a difference? Should there be?


Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

[jude goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to simon & schuster and netgalley for this advanced copy of the point of it all. i did not love this book at first. it felt a bit contrived. the book is the dance between ros and holland, lifelong friends, lovers and parents to julian. by the middle of the book i was rather hooked and even though it was kind of obvious how their relationship would go, it was a good serious ride to take with them.
i liked the writing and the flow very much. and found myself very eager to get back to it. this is a heartfelt story with well developed characters and while it's about a lesbian couple, it's truly more about two people and their lifelong relationship.

[K. L. Laettner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this story and found it to be a quick read. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I found myself setting the book aside and forgetting about it, then picking it back up- I like my reads to be a bit more thrilling, engaging, even, and that’s why this didn’t receive five stars. It had enough to keep my thoughts almost focused, yet never quite finding myself completely involved. It was a nice story, and ended the way I thought it would. It left me teary eyed once, but I find it’s a book I wouldn’t read again if given the chance. The writing was good, the characters fleshed out nicely, but overall, I guess I’d call it predictable.

[Jillane · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m a sucker for a lifelong love story and i love lesbians, so i enjoyed being on this journey with ros and holland. i wish we could have lingered in certain moments to feel the emotional weight though, spent more meaningful time in the corners of their lives. there’s something really real in here though about the complexity of family, and the choices we make to stay in relationships (of any kind!) with other people. i just wanted to be moved more by this.
thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the e-arc!

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story of 2 women and their strong bond that carries on over the years. Many relatable themes in this book but most of all I love the up and down, back and forth of their relationship. There were some moments that made me laugh and some that made my heart ache but I absolutely love how the book ends! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[kassadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! i’m honestly struggling to pin down how i feel about this one. i loved the writing style, and the author really succeeded in pulling me into the story (i couldn’t put it down). unfortunately, i think this one just wasn’t for me; i’m a sucker for a love story, but the third act really lost me and i found myself struggling to root for the characters at all.

thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[s. · Rating 1 out of 5]

thank you to simon & schuster for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

honestly don't understand the good reviews on this one. i can't think of two less compatible characters. one of the fmc's is incredibly selfish and just a terrible person overall, which made it hard to want to keep reading. also includes one of the worst tropes to ever exist in a romance novel.

➵ 1 star

[Ashton Rohrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book and loved every page. The characters were so much fun, authentic, and easy to understand, and I truly couldn’t get enough of them. I was so invested and looking forward to seeing how it all turned out, but unfortunately, the ending left me more than a little let down. It felt rushed, and I couldn’t help but feel like the story had the potential to be so much more.

[Patty Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ros and Holland became best friends as teenagers in London. We follow them from the end of high school, university and beyond. This was a very well-crafted story of friendship, found family, parenthood, but most importantly, love.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Laura Kay for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

[Brittany Gerberich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently heard the term “rom traum” and The Point of it All is a perfect example! If you love complex, non perfect characters, you’ve gotta pick this book up!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me this E-ARC.

[Nawal Qadir]

(w)

[Abbey]

Review to come.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Simon & Schuster for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.*

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen. I know that we all make mistakes but MY GOD Holland is a selfish person. I simply could not get over it. Bottom line. 2.5 stars.

[nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a poignant story. Beautifully written, phenomenal character development with people you want to root for. I was so sad when the book was over. Would definitely recommend.