It is very hard to review a book on the basis of just the first chapter but it was a very good opening. A woman meets a man for a blind date in a seaside hotel bar, they talk, often rather obliquely, then walk to the home she has just moved to.

This doesn’t sound much, but Rooney succeeds in intriguing the reader. Things are understated or left unsaid. I was hugely frustrated not to be able to read more and will order the book on release.

things that i liked from the first chapter:

- the natalia ginzburg quote (opening with a quote of hers will always be a win in my books)
- rooney's quiet, cold even, tone
- the ambiguous atmosphere between the two characters
- the pacing and direction of the dialogue

all in all, i actually really loved this chapter. it reminded me a bit of rooney's short story mr. salary (which is permeated by a similar air of ambivalence). this a promising start and i will definitely be reading this once it comes out.
i just hope that i will find the characters less annoying than in NP and that once in italy we will actually have scenes involving italian characters (there is a tendency in novels by english-speaking authors to set there stories abroad and feature very few characters from that place, focusing instead on another 'expats').

This extract is much too short to write a review (and the rating is based on what I think I will end up giving). But it does work as an appetizer, giving a flavour of the story we are going to get and confirming it will be written in typical Sally Rooney style. I am pretty sure I will buy or borrow the book.

I’m excited for this book, not because I loved Rooney’s first two (although the Tv adaptation of Normal People was excellent) but because there are few authors with a real buzz about new works lately.

The opening to this one is odd for me. It felt passive and I loathe that Rooney has once again chosen to write someone very much like her (late 20s, early 30s Irish female protagonist and would you credit it she is a novelist) but the first chapter did leave me wanting to know more.

I think I’m going to adore the setting/sense of place.

I’m a fan of the cover design.

What I love about Rooney's writing is how she uses details to set a scene and create the atmosphere. Those seemingly insignificant details like Alice glancing at beer sliding down the glass, or the way she casually looks at her nails, or the way she Felix stands or looks at her. This is why I love her writing - she uses the little things to captivate your attention, and it always works. She lets the movements, the looks, the sensory descriptions tell the story.

Chapter one takes us on a somehow awkward date between Alice and Felix. They have a few drinks, have generic conversation, and there's not much to it really.

But, I am, as always, intrigued to know more about Alice. I was looking forward to reading the entire book, but a little teaser is okay for now.

As for the rating, it feels kind of weird rating an excerpt, but I'll give it five stars, simply because I love Rooney's writing. Don't let me down Rooney!

It's curious because Sally Rooney's writing reminds me of José Saramago's, yet this is my first time reading something from the author. Since there are such mixed reviews about her other books, specially Normal People, I'm grateful I got to read a sample of her new novel, which seems to have a lot of potential. If the rest of the book is anything like the first chapter, people are going to love it.

This seems like it has a lot of potential. I read and enjoyed Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, and I have a feeling this will resonate just as profoundly. Excited to read more!

So I was lucky enough to be given the first chapter to read and that chapter did not disappoint.

The character of Alice, presented as slightly reserved and yet at the same time bold, mixed with upfront Felix.

With the style written in the third person detailing the meeting between these two characters. I’m hooked…. Let’s see what happens next.

Intriguing start. It's not the most exciting opener but it does have moments that are unexpected, and it's well written like all of Sally Rooney's books. Even though it is a slow beginning, I know Rooney has the ability to tell amazing stories so I'm very interested to see what happens next. A tantalising taster for what's sure to be one of the best novels of the year.

An extraordinary piece of story telling that just leaves you mind blown! Sally Rooney just dazzles in this small extract of her most anticipated new book.

It feels weird to give feedback on such a small excerpt of a novel I know I will love, and fully intend on reading the day it comes out! Can't wait to delve further into Rooney's world, it feels much like her other novels, but I love them so much. Thanks for the first chapter!

While I was only able to read the first chapter, it was short of nothing but intrigue and need to read more. The female lead is full of mystery and back story which clearly has affected her even now and the location hints to secrets which will be uncovered. Eager to read more!

Ooooo what a teaser! One chapter is never enough of a Sally Rooney novel.

Now you have got me wanting more. Great beginning to what I’m sure will be an epic novel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for sharing an ARC of Chapter 1 of Sally Rooney's new novel, which I was excited to read having enjoyed Normal People and Conversations With Friends.

Rooney's writing is once again immediately captivating. In the first chapter, she describes a date at a hotel bar between Alice, a writer, and Felix, who works in a warehouse. Rooney writes in the third person with a mixture of intimacy and detachment: she describes Alice and Felix and their responses to each other with tremendous attentiveness, but only from the outside. The characters are thus only revealed to us gradually, and by not allowing us to know exactly what either of them is thinking, Rooney creates an increasingly unsettling atmosphere as the evening unfolds. As with Rooney's previous novels, power dynamics and sexual politics are not far from the surface, though neither is explicitly discussed.

The blurb indicates that this is not the last that Alice and Felix will see of each other, and I am looking forward to reading the whole novel to find out what happens next.

Sally Rooney does it again - it looks like her new novel has lots of parallels with her life. As usual, her description of human interactions and relationships is great. I really wish this was more than one chapter! Will be getting the book as soon as it comes out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.