You'd think as a librarian I'd have realised that this was a biography/memoir as I was reading it, or I would have looked up the author or something, but no! It made a lot more sense when I realised that's what it was, because as a novel it wasn't hanging together very well at all!
I felt it was sort of okay...I know that sounds a bit wishy-washy, but basically there were some parts that I really enjoyed reading, and I felt were written very well, but then there were other parts that were either so self-indulgent they were dreadful, or they were sickeningly 'knowing' and/or sentimental to the point of being annoying.
I couldn't relate to Dolly's life...all the drugs, all the one night stands, all the chaos and wild parties and lack of control. I didn't like her much, or want to know any more about her, and I very nearly abandoned the book only part of the way in. But her best friend, Farly, intrigued me. I felt that I much preferred Farly, and I wanted to know more about her rather than about the writer.
Whilst I was reading I didn't understand the weird additions to the books - of strange (satirical) invites to hen parties of baby showers, and lists of things - they interrupted the text somehow. I felt that the book became easier to read as Dolly got older, and began to understand herself better. Yet whilst there were moments of real insight that felt good, at other times I felt like I was being bossed about by someone younger than me claiming to share everything she knows about love, and everything else in life.
So. Conflicted. It had good bits, and terrible bits. Maybe if I was 10+ years younger I'd identify more.

Everything to know about love according to this witty author has given the down-to-earth and realistic approach to her love life and also life itself. Through her straight-forward writing it was such an easy read and find yourself agreeing to the many things Dolly has encountered during her life. For her twenty-nine years of life she has truly been on an adventure for self discovery and in true honesty - it was great to tag along down memory lane as she documents her life till this day. She is definitely as "sister from another mister" and it truly felt I was sat down with a friend and she was giving me advice for the later years of life and what to encounter! A lovely page-turner of a book, where you shared her ups and smiling and you turned a page to her downs where your heart breaks for her! A great read and can't wait to see what next for this author!

I wasn't familiar with the author's work as a journalist/podcaster before but I think I will be getting familiar very soon. Everything I know about Love is a mixture of stories, anecdotes, lists and everything is sprinkled with a heavy dose of humour to keep you flipping through pages of quite illuminating observations. Sometimes I think young girls might be the best audience for these kinds of books, to give them an older person's perspective on love and friendship. Although Alderton is only 29, which seems an odd age for an autobiography, being in a stage between 'what do you know, you're too young' and 'all the wisdom of age', might strike the right note for girls in their late teens/early twenties.

I was hooked on this book from the first page: 'Everything I Know about Love' opens with a chapter about what it was like to live in the suburbs as a teenager in the era of MSN Messenger. I related to that so much: the way that early teenage years were spend hounding boys through messages and exchanging contacts with friends like treading cards.

The book goes on to explore all aspects of love, growing up in the early 2000s and into the 2010s. It covers drinking, casual sex, relationships, online dating, and friendship, all written in a way which is easy to relate to.

It's a fun read, with lots to recommend it.

I read the entire book not realising that it was autobiographical - doh! So it stands its ground as a novel or an autobiography! I'm not familiar with the author, although understand that she's quite a well known journalist.

I won't give anything away other than to say that it's an enjoyable read that sparked reminiscences (some good, some bad) of my own life here and there. That's always a sign of good writing I think!

I don't think the current young generation will understand some of the references, and their way of behaving is so different from my generation - but anyone over 30 will get it completely I think.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

A compulsive read, Doll's behaviour is at times shocking, sad and at other times, funny .A really well written memoir of a young person who seems to just want to enjoy life and her struggle to achieve just that. .The book provides another generation with a reason why the young of today behave as they do.

I have been a huge fan of Dolly Alderton's writing for a few years now and was beyond excited when I heard that she would be releasing a sort of autobiography/memoir. Her writing is so funny and poignant, I love how brutally honest she is, especially about herself and her own shortcomings. Really it's a story about female friendship and how that can often be among the greatest loves of your life, and certainly among myself and my group of late 20-something, early 30-something female friends I find that to be true. It more than surpassed my expectations, and I can only hope that she'll write more essays soon. Frankly, I'd read her shopping list, I think she's that good.

And I'd also like to add, despite having a 3 month old baby, I managed to devour this book in 2 days, and was thrilled to have it keep me company during the 2am breastfeeding slots!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early release copy.

This is a hard book to review as the quality of the writing is quite good, but the subject matter - a memoir-esque take on the relationships of the writer’s teen, student and early 20s years is awful. There are pages and pages of drunken antics, interspersed with some interesting anecdotes or reflections, however as a whole the narrative is incredibly self-indulgent and irritating.

This seemed to be a book of two halves. I thought the book had finished in what appeared to be a series of essays in a this young woman's life. I realised that, although it appeared to finish it was only 50% of the way through. I found the second half a much easier read on the whole as it seemed more coherent and explored the realms of true friendship. The first half seem to jump about in a somewhat disturbed manner of a rather out of control individual who is trying too hard to fit in with drink, drugs and sexual conquests with dubious characters. The Dolly in the first half appeared to belong to one of those groups one would not want to meet with their loud high spirits with little regard for anyone else. There seemed to be quite a bit of repetition in content with an odd recipe thrown in for good measure. Having daughters of a similar age it was a little disturbing but some pieces I could relate to. There is a very poignant piece with how the young sister of one of Dolly's friends died in her late teens of leukemia and how this made these rather wayward individuals take a second look at their own lives. There were some slightly amusing elements but also some aggressive assertive letters from a friend about how one should behave at hen parties/weddings/baby showers. I feel, really I was probably too old to fully appreciate this book and a younger person may well enjoy it more.

enjoy reading non-fiction titles so much (!) but it’s true that it takes me longer time to go through them. I guess fiction is easier to get hooked on. This didn’t happen with Everything I Know About Love, though. Dolly Alderton’s first book is funny (and serious), silly (and smart), sweet (and sour) happy (and sad), and above all, it made me feel whole.

First of all, Alderton can write and what I mean by this is that some of her paragraphs felt so real that I decided to write them down in my own journal. I could relate to her feelings and to so many of her cultural references (internet / MSN messenger / living in a damp flat in London…etc). This is a bit selling point of the book because, as the chapters go by, the author’s experiences become your own and she has the power to make you feel exactly what she is feeling: it doesn’t matter if you are from London or Barcelona, if you are 20 or 44, if you are timid or outgoing or if you are a party girl or spend your nights relaxing at home– We’ve all gone through what Dolly’s explaining in her memoir.

The author has tried it all (really) and, in the book, she vividly recounts falling in and out of love, wresting with self-sabotage, getting drunk, going into therapy, getting dumped, finding a job… – in fact, she recalls what is like to become a grown-up *with all its highs and lows*.
Throughout the chapters, Alderton made me laugh. And she made me cry.
I also started recognising some of her behaviours in myself and understood the importance of loving oneself and this was her best lesson. The author taught me things that I already thought I knew – and it was a great discovery.

‘This is a book about bad dates, funny nights out, messy days, good friends and – above all else – about recognising that you and you alone are enough’ and I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

If you only read a book next year, you have to make it this one!

A book which takes the reader through all aspects of relationships in life from school to adult. How people react differently to situations and the way that groups of friendships change and develop. It is a very descriptive book however one downside is the way it jumps from one area to another.

I only got through the first 20% of this book but I couldn’t bring myself to read anymore. It’s well written and engaging but I found it a bit too self indulgent and a bit like I was wasting good reading time on it when I could have been reading something else.

Not for me - sorry!

⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars.

This was a different book with a very simple and to the point writing style, almost diary entry style.

I do wonder about the intended audience however; as someone who was a teen in the 80’s, there were chunks I couldn’t relate to.

Also it’s written in an almost memoir style, which felt too descriptive and lacked elements of humour that I was hoping for.

Not for me sorry.

I was able to review this book with thanks to Netgalley

What can I say, where do I begin.....I loved this book. Sassy, Funny, Sharp and writing spot on. I had never heard of Dolly Alderton before I read Everything I know About Love but I can say she gained another fan.
I was laughing out loud at her antics and adventures on her quest to find true love. Took me back to a time when I was young, carefree and single and facing the exact same feelings and insecurities.

This is an honest account of life as a young female in a big city and the challenges that life throws at you. A brilliant read about the value of true friendship and how being in love is not just about having a partner. The book is well written and doesn't attempt to be over clever - simply just brilliant

I recommend getting copy of this book when it is published as it truly is ace.

As a woman who grew up in the early 90s, I enjoyed this ramble through Dolly Alderton's brain, detailing her obsession with MSN as a teenager and the things she has learnt about love since.

There were some side notes that I didn't really care for - the faux emails about weddings and baby showers which were presumably supposed to be amusing but came across (to me at least) as a little passive agressive and snobby at times - but in general it was a fun, light read with a strong, loving female friendship group at it's core.

Dolly may not have a huge amount of experience with romantic love, but platonic love she gives and receives in spades and it was a joy and a delight to read about.

When I started reading I thought this book wasn’t for me, after all, what do I have in common with a young girl? But I persevered, and I’m glad I did. Funny, yet full of wisdom and good advice - more than once I copied a few lines down, to remind myself at a later date.
Dolly is an interesting character - I’m glad I met her!

A good read, an interesting insight in to Dollys life, lots of parts I could relate to, some laugh out moments and even got a bit emotional at some parts, really enjoyed this

Not my usual choice of book didn't seem to have a lot of depths for me think this novel would be more suitable for young people liked the relationship between Dolly and Farly and enjoyed there stories and how they were there for one another liked that Dolly eventually worked out what was wrong with her life and liked how she took control not really for me though

Hey world, it's the girl who has spent the last two days glued to the pages of this book. It's not like I didn't know who Dolly Alderton was before, I didn't even know she was somebody you could know. When I received an advanced reader's copy of this from NetGalley, a quick google search put me right.

Turns out she's a journalist and former Sunday Times dating columnist who also has her own podcast The High Low and now also memoir. In Everything I Know About Love she shares the trials and triumphs of becoming a grown up with all the falling in love, getting drunk, going on bad dates and getting dumped.

Does this ​sound familiar? You might say yes, because it sounds like everyone else's life or you might say because it also sounds like everyone else's memoirs. I've read books like this one before, but not many have managed to grip me from beginning to end like this one has. So what is it that makes Dolly Alderton's stories different?

First of all, she can write. Her vignettes are humorous without being obtrusively funny, they're heartbreaking without being manipulatively whiney. At the same time she reflects and observes in a witty and intricate ways and never comes across as preachy - something that I consider my personal memoir pet peeve.

But then it's also what she's writing that made this an entertaining read. Part of me was amused about how it brought back my own memories - I had forgotten how MSN used to be the place were the cool kids used to hang out after coming home from school. Though a few years older than me, her student years sounds a lot like the lives' of people I know personally - from being obsessed with male attention to relying on drugs to extend an average night out.

What all those (sometimes relatable, sometimes crazy) anecdotes have in common is that they're full of love. Dolly has felt a lot of it, sometimes platonic, sometimes obsessive, not always healthy. What this has taught me though, is that there will never be a point where you'll know everything about love. And how joyful that is.