I read this book in one sitting!! It went along fast. This book made me cry and laugh! The writing style was great!

The list device got tiresome--perhaps a bit of typical narration thrown in with the lists would've made it less tiresome. The main character isn't very sympathetic. I am sorry to say I learned no truths about love.

The concept of this book is great, a story told in the form of lists. However, I really didn’t like the main character. He was just so whiny and insufferable and all he does is complain. The book was all over the place and I had a really hard time finishing it. The ending was super WTF and needed to be flushed out rather than rushed along to end the story.

This is a witty and engaging account of a married man and the joys and pitfalls of love. Written in diary and list form, it is engaging and thoroughly enjoyable!

I voluntarily read and review an advanced copy of Twenty-One Truths About Love. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One of a kind! The list format was the most original idea I have ever seen attempted in a novel. It is amazing how well it worked. A timid man who found his spine, Dan was a character with whom it was easy to relate. Again, I am impressed and amazed at how emotions, conversations and actions were conveyed through lists alone. This was a great storyline to begin with, made all the more interesting by the list format. (I could maybe see a series following other characters...since I would hope that Dan's life will calm down a bit now!) VERY COOL!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Matthew Dicks for the ARC!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

I really wanted to like this book, but I gave up after the first few chapters.  It is written in lists.  The main character writes lists, but I felt annoyed after the first chapter of lists.  I wanted a bit of story telling.  I admire the author's creativity, but the list format does not really work for a novel.  I've read novels that were entirely of letters, but those you are able to get a story out of.

This is a unique way of imparting the philosophy and memoir of a very talented author. Dicks manages to engage the reader and deliver a solid plot with lists, and more lists! Yet there is a cohesion and plot line within this unusual delivery system.

We read lists about Dan’s transition into fatherhood and a new career (?) as a bookstore owner. The reader understands his complicated relationship with his wife, his child, his father, his wife’s dead husband, amazing to learn so much from these lists.

Bravo, such a clever way to produce a fascinating novel.

Thanks Netgalley for such a great read

Twenty-One Truths About Love is an extraordinary way of telling a story but not in typical story form. It is humorous yet gives an inside view of the author's feelings about his marriage, life, and career. I read this book straight through as the humor was so addicting.

Such an endearing book! I was sure that reading a book written in list format would drive me crazy, but it was quite the opposite. Dan is an infuriating narrator, and I promise that you will want to reach through the pages to slap him across the head more than once in this book. But, you will find the predicament Dan finds himself in to be relatable and his strategy for solving his problems hilarious. I can't wait to read more by this author!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Now this book is adorable. I absolutely loved the storytelling through listmaking - how inventive and clever! I also felt as though Dan's internal monologue was brilliant, his stream of conscious entirely relatable, and that the book was overall enchanting. It's a quicker read, and definitely lighthearted. I highly recommend this - especially to those that often don't find that they like reading - this will surely draw you in!

This was a very cute idea and I am very fond of lists - however I found it very difficult to read this way.

This was a lovely and surprisingly sweet book. The list writing style of writing was unique and captivating. The narrator was honest, reflective and I felt pulled along on his journey and rooting on for his strange successes. It was touching, insightful, and captivating. Thank you for allowing me early access to this novel.

Daniel Mayrock is struggling to find his way as a man, a husband & a potential father. His story is told entirely in lists...lists he makes himself as a form of therapy. I loved getting this perspective on a character, his lists show his sense of humor & his feelings of inadequacy through his own personal thoughts. Funny, sad, uplifting but always relatable. A must read!

I received this book "Twenty-one Truths About Love" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I thought the concept of the book was different. Not sure I really liked it. I will say it was okay. Since it was a different type of book I will add the star to make it 2 stars.

1. I love lists
2. I love books
3. I loved this unique style of story-telling
4. I love quick reads
5. I thought I knew how the book would resolve
6. I was wrong
7. I didn't enjoy the ending
8. Everything wrapped up in a perfect little bow
.
.
.
(Slight spoilers below)
8. I don't appreciate people getting away with things with no consequences
9. White Male Privilege

I loved the concept of this book - a story written completely in lists. And the format did work to tell a story. But the narrator’s pessimistic tone and self-defeating actions wore on me and made me feel annoyed not sympathetic towards him. I couldn’t finish the book.

I think this is going to be one of those love it or hate it books for many people. I am in the love camp because the concept was original and I will always appreciate an author that isn't afraid to be creative and different. When this effort is well-executed, even better. Matthew Dicks gives us a flawed hero and unveils him in all his imperfection throughout a series of lists, that are sometimes mundane, sometimes funny, other times thought-provoking, and even heart-breaking. I feel like this book will be best enjoyed in paper format; there is something about ebooks that makes we want to speed through, and this is the kind of book that forces you to slow down in order to enjoy it. I also see this book as a great option for book clubs: with all the lists, it begs for discussion whether it's about the isolated pieces or the story that unfolds.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll answer a couple of questions a potential reader may have about this book: first, is it really written entirely in the form of lists? Second, why lists? Well, our narrator, Dan, was seeing a therapist before the book takes place, and the therapist wanted Dan to keep a journal as a therapy tool. Dan didn't want to keep a journal, and the compromise was making lists. He no longer sees the therapist, but the list-making stuck. His lists often border on journal-ish entries, which is why this works. Also, it's not a bad idea- the thought of keeping a journal has always intimidated me, though I've always wanted to keep one, so I may try this instead. But I digress...
Dan is kind of an idiot. He's not horrible, but he's not the most likeable person either. What he is, however, is very human, and very relatable. He's in his late thirties, has quit his teaching job, and opened a book shop, which isn't doing as well as he tells his wife it is. He lives in fear that he'll never be as good as his wife's deceased first husband, and lives in the shadow of his successful brother. His father left when Dan was a child, and he hasn't spoken to his father since, which understandably messes with his head. He worries about the family finances constantly, while keeping their financial problems a secret from his wife, trying to think of ways to make money without her knowing about it. Then his wife becomes pregnant, and he gets desperate- what will he do?
I ended up really enjoying this book- it's a quick, easy read, it's funny at times, and at times makes you want to either smack Dan upside the head, or hug him and tell him things will be okay (sometimes both). The characters are surprisingly well developed for people who only appear on lists, and Dan does grow, despite remaining an idiot for much of the book. The format of the story is unusual, but it totally works here. A kind of addictive read, hard to put down, but easy to pick back up if you do.

WOW! This was such a fun "story" to read! Matthew Dicks' character Dan lives his life through his lists, and those lists all added together compose a delightful tale of a man, his self-esteem, his marriage, his family, and his friend. I have never read a book written in such an untraditional way, and I loved it!

This story will appeal to all who identify with those that are struggling a little bit with past decisions made, and wondering how to cope with the life ahead of them. This is a story of love and friendship. It would make a great vacation read, as it's easy to put the book down after reading several lists, and pick it up again without having to reread.

I was given an advanced readers copy in exchanges for my honest review. This book, or list, was the strangest thing I have ever seen and I loved it!! A book about a husband, trying to protect his wife from the down and puts about life, work and money becomes a strange book you absolutely can not put down. Daniel has decided to open a bookstore and after his wife, Jill, gets pregnant he sees the money flying out the window. He meets some rather interesting characters through his adventures and becomes a dad to a beautiful little girl who he would give the world. Not a conventional book at all but I could not put it down! Great jon!