WOW..this book was so beautiful and so sad. Lots of trigger warnings and super heavy topics on top of a toxic relationship. Adelaide is such a real character and I was so invested in her story, I cannot stop thinking about it! I will say this book will not be for everyone, but I HIGHLY recommend.

Wow! This book. I mean this as a compliment, I don’t know that I’ve read a book where I’ve immediately needed to discuss with my therapist like this one! Funny, sad, beautiful writing- this book really has it all. While I can see why it’s important to the characters, this would be a five star read for me without the HP references.

This is an incredibly written debut novel. I absolutely was hooked from the first chapter. The layout of the book and timelines was really great to read. Big trigger warning should be placed at beginning of book, but it made it easier to read reading the big trigger/event first, and felt I was able to enjoy the story knowing the semi-ending.
I feel the description does not do this story justice. It is not a rom-com or a love story. It's a character-driven story of self-awareness, self-preservation, and relationships. I fell in love with Adelaide and wanted only good things for her. It hurt my heart reading about her unconditional love and who she gave it to.
Genevieve Wheeler was able to loop together a beautiful story, with lovely characters and friendships. It truly was a pleasure to read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy. I loved it.

4.5 stars!

Wow! I was not expecting the emotional toll this book would take. I went into this book mostly blinded by the awesome cover. I’m actually a little shocked this is a debut. I looked her up because I wanted to see what else she had out there that I could get my hands on!

This is the type of book that you have to read in the right mood. I’m saying this because it’s heavy. There’s such a toxic relationship but also a lot of really heavy topics. There’s a lot of mental health in this book, which I appreciate. I will always love books that shine a light on mental health, as a psychology major. It’s just so important.

Adelaide has not had an easy life. In fact, her mother and sisters all suffer from some form of mental illness. Her one sister has bipolar disorder that really took a lot out of the whole family. It’s never easy but she always made herself shrink into herself or the background to stay out of the way. This is where her problems start. When they say that your childhood is essential to your mental health in adulthood, they are not lying.

She’s also got several instances where she’s just been abused or taken advantage of. She’s struggling to find herself and then starts to just act the completely opposite. Instead of being afraid of men, she starts to chase after them. Regardless, she doesn’t think much of herself and that’s a problem when she meets Rory. I will say now, this isn’t really a love story. Their relationship is so toxic and hard to read about. This book gets really raw and pushes your comfort zone. Yet, I could not put this down. I started it and finished it the next day.

The mental health aspect is one that’s really explored, in many ways. She really doesn’t shy away from it and shines a light on it. There are some things I was not expecting but now make so much sense. I do wish that we would have spent a little less time with Rory and more time on her journey afterwards.

Overall, I loved what this book offered. It was addicting but hard to read at the same time. If you struggle with any of the things I’ve mentioned before, this might not be for you. This is not a love story or romance in any way. There’s some really controversial statements, as well. I might be a bit biased based on my psychology degree but I think it was a really emotional and inspiring story about Adelaide’s journey. I do think it could be a very polarizing book.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was not for me. It was very difficult to get into, partly because of the jumping timeline and locations, but also the sheer number of characters introduced. Even by the end, I couldn’t keep up.
While this was advertised as a story of Adelaide and Rory, I didn’t like either of their stories. There were so many tragic parts and with the way the story was told, there was a lack of depth. Both people were deeply mentally unhealthy and it was painful to read about. You have to really like classic literature and tragic stories to appreciate this novel. 1.5⭐️, 2🌶, ⚠️

I don't think I have ever related to a character more than I did to Adelaide in this novel. Wheeler has made such a compelling story with a main character that I think everyone will see a bit of themselves in. I can't wait for this book to come out, it will be on my reread list for sure.

Adelaide is a beautiful book about love and sacrifice.

Adelaide loves hard and sacrifices too much of herself, especially to a man who doesn't appreciate her.

I loved the writing in this book it pulled me in and the emotions described were so gripping. This reminded me of Ann Polantino who wrote Dear Edward. Any fan of her would love this book.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I honestly feel everyone should read this book! 5 stars.

My feelings about this book are, frankly, complicated, as are my feelings toward Adelaide herself. I wanted to immediately fall in love with both the story and its main character, but I never felt fully connected to Adelaide or invested in her life. I think that has a lot to do with the storytelling itself, which felt a bit disjointed, and while I applaud the author for risks she takes in the style of her welting, I felt a bit of whiplash as the story unfolded. All that being said, I think this book will be one that is beloved by many, just maybe not me. Adelaide is an intriguing character, complex and flawed, but with a heart that is sincere, as she searches for love. For anyone looking for a romance, this is not a lighthearted love story. There are deep, raw emotions in this book, as well as tragedy and sadness.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for this wonderful e-arc. I cant stress this enough... I LOVED THIS BOOK! nothing and I mean nothing has captured my attention like this book. The topics are a bit dark but this book was so good. Just read it, I promise you wont be disappointed.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥.“


This was a HARD book to read- hard because I have never felt more seen by a book- but an incredibly amazing one. This is not a romance. This is a contemporary women’s fiction about just how messy, emotional, complicated, and heartbreaking every day life can be, especially when it comes to toxic relationships and dealing with mental health.

Right away I connected with Adelaide, an American in her 20s living in London (my dream!), through her love of reading and books. “𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬—𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲—𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.” Reading is her constant and escape throughout the hard times. When she has trouble sleeping she listens to Harry Potter audiobooks to soothe her. That is something that I myself do almost every single night.

Throughout this book Adelaide definitely goes through it. She bends over backwards repeatedly for a man who does not prioritize her and suffers physically, mentally and emotionally in order to make sure his needs are met. I wanted to shake her, but it was only because it can be hard seeing someone behave in a way that you have also behaved.

The brightest aspect of her life is her circle of friends. They are absolute angels. I think all of our hearts would feel a little bit safer with an Eloise in our lives.

There is a happy, yet realistic, ending to this book. I am so proud of our main character for overcoming all that she goes through and learning to take care of herself.

I loved Adelaide and am so thankful to have received an advance copy. I will be revisiting it for years to come.

—

The writing style in this book took a little getting used to but once I got the hang of it I loved it! I have not read Normal People but from what I hear the writing is similar/comparable.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a tough book and read for me. The writing was beautiful and well done, and it’s hard to believe it’s a debut book. But it was painful to read coming out of a decade long abusive relationship. Adelaide’s pain was so visceral and she is for the most part an example of someone being emotionally/mentally unwell most of the story and in the end it really was a story about mental and emotional health. Perhaps I should rate it higher as it was very well done, but it wasn’t a book I could say I enjoyed to be honest as it was just too close to home.

Please check out the trigger warnings before reading (abusive relationship, depression, suicide, anxiety, rape, etc.)

I’m not sure what genre to classify this as, as there is some romance, but a majority of the book is not-romantic-romance and incredible cringe worthy and sometimes sad. Seemingly romantic coincidences are featured in the book, even though they mostly end up being not of the healthy kind to notice.

thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Genevieve Wheeler for the ARC copy to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲 - 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿
Release day - April 18 2023

4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This may be one of the most complex books I’ve read in terms of where my emotions were. There were instances that I was happy, sad, angered, and down right uncomfortable between the pages of this book. I hated this book but loved it at the same time and to me anything that can provoke that much in terms of how I feel reading, it must be doing exactly what the author intended and that’s why I gave 4 stars.

There were some things I disliked about the book - Rory being the main thing - he was so narcissistic and terrible to Adelaide who didn’t deserve any of it. He was downright an awful person. I didn’t like the books lack of quotation marks, it blurred the lines between thought and spoken word.

There were also things I really loved about the book - although it was hard to get through at times, I felt like this read as if it was a memoir. I also loved the representation of the strong, healthy, relationship between Adelaide and her girlfriends. By the end I loved that Adelaide was choosing to take her past and turn her life into more instead of settling for what she thought she deserved.

If you’re very sensitive to topics like abuse, rape, self doubt, and suicide i’d read with caution or maybe avoid this one.

Thank you to @netgalley, St. Martins Press, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.

Adelaide is a good person who just wants to be loved. She’s sure he’s out there right now and she’s going to find him. Along comes Rory, who catches her eye. He has some drawbacks, like ghosting her for days, but she works hard on her thinking to make him perfect.
This book is about a young woman who doesn’t trust her own feelings or instincts, isn’t true to herself, making herself appear to be a person she thinks people will love, and is determined to make Rory the love of her life, no matter what. Courageous at times, and sadly needy at others, the years that Adelaide wastes being unfair to herself is the most unfortunate aspect of her story. It’s an emotional read that captivates you to the end.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is April 18, 2023.

I really enjoyed this book, it had me reflecting on my 20's in a different way and thinking about the defining moments that I had similar to Adelaide and her life before and after Rory. The relationship that she put all of her hopes and dreams into while getting little to nothing in return.

This book is beautifully written and while there are a lot of content warnings, it'll leave you deep in your feelings, hoping that Adelaide will come out of her cocoon of grief and trauma and develop into the beautiful butterfly that she is.

I can't wait to read more from Genevieve Wheeler!

An absolutely breathtaking book. I thought the first half was beautifully written and developed, but the final third of this book is something really special. It handles the subjects of love, friendship and mental health in a fresh and really lovely way. I loved this book.

Ughh...I don't even know where to start! This was a heavy read. The author is an excellent writer, but 90% of the book was about Adelaide's relationship with Rory who was emotionally abusive and honestly a waste of time for Adelaide. I would have loved to have read more about how Adelaide's future unfolded as she overcame and/or learned to live through her obstacles and found true love and herself. Instead, most of the ending was wrapped up in a couple of chapters and a short epilogue that acknowledged her future love and plans.

Adelaide is an easy 5 stars from me and it should feel relatable to anyone out there that has a heart that is a little bit fragile.

Adelaide is a 26 year old American living in London; she's finishing up grad school, has some great friends, and finds herself hopelessly in love with a real life version of a Disney prince. Unfortunately for Adelaide, her prince is emotionally unavailable and leads her into a world of pain and heartache. The story is written beautifully and elegantly portrays the anguish of unrequited love.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, I have already ordered a copy for it's April 18th release.

This is a story about finding love, experiencing toxic relationships, heartbreak and grief while navigating mental illness and finding yourself along the way. …It’s a heavy one!! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
First of all, kudos to you @geewheeler for writing such a powerful debut! 😯👏🏼

This book won’t be for everyone, but what I appreciated about this book is how raw and honest it was. You really get to understand the ripple effect of mental illness on someone’s life and in love. Adelaide Williams will be such a memorable character for me, she is selfless, and full of so much love.. I just wanted to hug her through the pages 😭

The ending was done well! I can’t say too much without spoiling it, but let's just say it felt realistic and I was satisfied 🙂

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞:
The pace of the book felt slow, it felt like not much was happening, yet so much was happening emotionally (if that makes sense). I wasn’t sure if I was going to even finish it, but so glad I pushed through.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫:
✔ honest representation of mental illness
✔ strong female friendships 🫶🏼
✔ heartbreak and grief
✔ a strong main character that you will root for!

⚠️TW: A lot - message me if you would like to know.

oh my gosh! I absolutely loved this one! A mid to late twenties coming of age filled with so much heart, loveable and real characters, as well as dysfunctional and toxic romantic relationships. This book covers some very heavy topics (suicide ideation, grief, anxiety/depression, and death of a loved one), but it is done so with care. All the feels and stars for this one!

This is an important book to read, and the book hooks you from the first page, but I found it difficult to get through, mainly because of the relationship with the main characters. Something about Rory felt off, which is exactly what we're supposed to feel, I guess, but that led to an inauthentic feeling for me through the story. The themes are heavy and the question the book asks--"When love asks too much of us, how do we find the strength to put ourselves first?"--is both timely and so crucial to understand, I applaud the author for writing a book so steeped in mental health and well-being and for writing so honestly.