Liza Shashenkova’s Reviews > Everything I Know About Love > Status Update

I am currently devouring this on a road trip from London to the South of France and believe I’ve uncovered the inspiration behind Alderton’s Good Material. I am utterly immersed in the chapter on therapy and heartbreak (she is good!). A crucial reminder that we cannot control destiny; we can only ride the wave (and whatever we do, never kid ourselves that we can to avoid heavy drinking sessions and denial).

Not really a fan of the little tidbits about her random dates or failed house parties. It reminds me of the first 25% of the book which didn’t add much value. But her themes around adulthood—especially thatq inevitable phase of feeling lost and empty inside - are beautifully honest, offering a kind of soft, reassuring comfort to anyone who has lived through the same. Has kept me entertained during flu season.

I actually started this one ages ago but I found it so fundamentally dull and soulless (a huge disappointment after her other novel I read this year) that I could have given up but as Dolly moves into her early 20s it is really starting to pick up! Actually how her friendship with her childhood friend Farly becomes rocky is very relatable. Guess many are resistant to inevitable change in those nearest to them.