Oh. My. God. I cannot love this book enough. Frustrating, sad, heartbreaking and so relatable.

"She was always going to jump into this lake, no matter how dark or dangerous it turned out to be; she was too intrigued by its shimmering surface to even consider turning away. There was no world in which she wouldn't dive headfirst in love with Rory Hughes. This was the only way."

MY HEART.

I'm feeling very anxious lately and I'm not sure this is the story to read because reading how Adelaide is treated by Rory is anxiety inducing on its own. Rory does not deserve one bit of love in his life. He needs to be in a relationship where he gets back exactly what he dishes out. I never believe anyone should be strung along. If you're not into someone like they are into you just be honest for f*cks sake. This story is a shining example of loving someone with your whole heart and getting minimal effort in return.

This book hooked me right from the start. The main character was extremely relatable. The writing kept me on the edge of my seat. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.

This was one of my most anticipated novels of the year, and it did not disappoint. This definitely isn’t a light, rom-com-style read, but the way the author writes about depression, grief, first loves, and heartbreak is so poignant, realistic, and relatable. This is a book I’ll be thinking about for a while. If you’re looking for an emotional read that feels real, raw, and even painful at times, but also leaves you with hope, Adelaide should be on your list. A beautiful debut!

This book was not for me, and I think it has been improperly marketed. Though I will admit that it elicited strong emotions in me. In fact, I found the discussions and writing in the last 20% of the book dealing with mental health to be enlightening and accurate. It was by far the best part of the book. Unfortunately, by that time, I was so put off by Adelaides decisions, that I had lost any empathy I had for her. I think a discussion of mental health earlier in the book would’ve gone a long way to provide more understanding in Adelaide’s motivations and subsequent decisions.

I did love the parts that included her friends, and I thought the character study of friendship was interesting and endearing.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

In Adelaide, the twenty-six year old American living in London takes us through her rocky relationship with Rory, her personal Prince Charming who proves himself to be less than charming. I could not read this book fast enough once I really got into it. I may have wanted to tell you at the characters in this book at more than one point but I felt so much for them. I really felt like I knew Adelaide and her friends/the loves of her heart once this book was over.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

If I had to describe this book it would be beautiful and eventful!! I wasn't able to put this book down I just wanted to read more and more. First off the cover is stunning!! The amount of mental health represented in this book is actually very wholesome. It's vey relatable for teens and others who are going through something similar just like the story line in this book. The book contains a few tough topics such as tramuatic experiences like (BPD, and depression) I can't recommend this book enough, I feel everyone some day must pick this book up and give it a go!

What an absolutely stunning book, I understand all the great reviews I’ve seen before diving it to read it myself.
Adelaide is the type of book that will break your heart and feel like a warm hug all at once.

Adelaide and Rory’s relationship takes you on a long journey - through their present together, their individual pasts that have helped shaped who they are, and begins to reveal what the future may hold for the two.
This also is not your typical girl meets Prince Charming, Prince Charming is perfect, girl falls in love type of romance story. At times, it felt more like reading Adelaide’s personal diary and a coming-of-age story filled with flawed and extremely realistic characters. Genevieve Wheeler took the time to give everyone such complex emotions, it’s hard to believe they aren’t real, which is also why I think it’s so easy for many of us to see ourselves within these pages.

On top of the relationship throughout the book, there is a depiction of what true female friendship is, it also highly touches on mental health (check trigger warnings), shows that it’s okay to ask for help, a wonderful exploration of grief, and shows what it’s like to love and be loved in return.

Like many others have mentioned in their reviews, a young Brianna would have also loved to read a book like this. But current day Brianna cannot wait to read what Genevieve Wheeler writes next.
Adelaide is worth the hype, pick up a copy today!

"Adelaide" by Genevieve Wheeler is a wonderful novel about love, mental illness, friendship. A compelling story about a young woman, struggling on many arenas, desperate to make relationships work, despite their quality. This story was honest, lovable and interesting. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I found this book to be beautifully heartbreaking. From the beginning I wanted Adeleide to love herself and put as much energy into herself as she did for others. But it was clear she would need help in order to see this. I am glad that she had a supportive group of friends and was able to get the help that she needed. Well written, three dimensional supporting characters and beautifully written phrases throughout the book. I read this nearly in one sitting, reading it on my phone while on the train to finish. Lovely read.

This well written book tells the emotional story of Adelaide, a young woman living in London who navigates dating, growing up, friendships, jobs, etc. Adelaide falls in love with Rory at first sight, and life is not the same for her again. This book touches on difficult topics like grief, mental illness, substance abuse with grace and sensitivity. The characters in this book are very flawed but that is what makes them so endearing. Parts of this book are hard to read as it's hard to watch Adelaide make some very bad decisions, but it's all worth it in the end. I loved this touching and moving story.

Adelaide is an emotionally charged debut novel by Genevieve Wheeler; with a protagonist that you will both root for and shake your head at-but ultimately hope she finds her way. Adelaide moves to London for a graduate program and we get a peek into her dating approach. She unexpectedly falls in love with the Disney-prince-esque Rory and the reader is fully immersed in their relationship. The angst, uncertainty and rush of love will ring familiar but there are a lot of under currents impacting Adelaide and Rory's relationship including secrets from both their pasts with whispers of mental health concerns. Overall, this was a great debut and while the style (without quotation marks) may not be for every reader, it did not detract from the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is a captivating tale that captures what it means to grow up while dealing with love and loss.

Genevieve Wheelers writes an enrapturing story that will captivate readers from the first moments in the story. It is not only well written but the pace keeps you engaged without ever feeling bored in the slower moments.
Without giving too much away Adelaide is an exceptionally relatable character especially so within the climate of today's society where mental health is more talked about but at times can still feel solitary in your struggle.

This story allows you to immerse yourself in what the character experiences and draws you into the themes of love, loss, and overcoming the things you once thought you could not. Highly recommend

Thank you St. Martin's Press ​and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
A great debut! Wheeler skillfully developed not only Adelaide but also the other characters, making them feel real and relatable. The writing style was delightful, adding to my overall enjoyment. However, it's important to note that this book delves into dark and sometimes depressing themes, which may be triggering for many readers, particularly those who have encountered someone like Rory in their lives. This book deserves a resounding 5 stars!

Wow, this book was incredible. I was so engrossed in Adelaide’s story. The writing was superb. Don’t let the cover fool you-there are some heavy topics and themes, but it was so well done. I read this in practically one sitting. Might be my favorite book of the year so far!

Adelaide Williams is a 20-something American, living in London, when she meets her Prince Charming through a dating app. Adelaide swears Rory Hughes has been placed in her life by fate and falls completely and unabashedly in love. The only catch, he cannot, and will not, love her back. And when Rory receives unexpected news, the ever-supportive Adelaide begins to crumble as she tries to hold him together.

As she gives and gives, and receives nothing in return, Adelaide finds herself in a dark place. While mental illness is often represented poorly in literature, making it appear as if people cannot function in their daily lives, Wheeler portrays a high-functioning, educated woman who also happens to be struggling with depression in a more realistic and relatable way. As someone who has dealt with mild depression and anxiety, I appreciated this representation and connected with Adelaide in a deeper way.

This debut is beautiful and heartbreaking and messy and was nothing I expected. It was raw and honest and emotional, and one that will stick with me for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Genevieve Wheeler for an advance copy of this debut. It is one not to be missed.

This was painful, but in a good way. Adelaide’s experiences hit a tad too close to home. I read this in one sitting and shed a few tears. I definitely recommend trusting the trigger warnings, though.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book hurts.

First and foremost? Whoever decided to categorize this as "romance" on Goodreads should probably be fired. There is never a moment when the reader is ever really rooting for the couple featured in this story. And that’s kind of the point. We know from the very beginning that things are not going to end well. We see what this tumultuous relationship has done to Adelaide’s mental state from the very beginning. So, to categorize this in that way is incredibly misleading (and potentially harmful) to readers.

Knowing that this book is also (loosely?) influenced by the author’s personal experiences (and was, perhaps, part of a coping mechanism) makes my heart hurt even more. I’ve read some reviews where readers were upset with the way Adelaide handled herself and her relationships; again, I feel like that’s kind of the point. If anything, it made me even more sympathetic to what she was doing through.

In short, this book is about a damaged, yet hopeful woman named Adelaide, who throws herself entirely into a relationship with her (in appearance only) “Disney prince,” Rory. For his own reasons (and I credit the author for humanizing what could easily have been a wholly unlikeable character otherwise), Rory is absolutely not Prince Charming. He seems to keep Adelaide at an arm’s length for the majority of their relationship, offering her just enough to hold onto without ever really investing himself.

She is forever made to feel like she’s being too much... and that is something that makes me incredibly upset for her. The intimacy and acceptance she craves from Rory is never possible. There’s never a moment where he opens himself up to the idea of fully committing. And, honestly, thank God for that! Because she deserves to be with someone who doesn’t make her feel bad for being herself. At one point, one of Adelaide’s friends has to explicitly tell her:

"Remember, Adelaide. You're allowed to take up space, too."

I hope that’s a takeaway for people reading this book. Everyone is allowed to take up space; to be themselves; to be loved and accepted for who they are.

That said, there are many, many trigger warnings that could be applied here. Proceed carefully.

I absolutely loved this book. The blurb drew me in and the story itself did not disappoint. There were so many relatable themes in this one book with an amazing and complex main character. ADELAIDE addressed grief, romance, mental health and so much more. It was a story about what is it to be flawed and growing.

This is a truly captivating book which comments on intergenerational mental health, the complexity of grief and moving on, and lovesickness in its most destructive form. Adelaide is one of the most compelling characters I’ve ever read about with her hopelessly romantic outlook and deep well of emotion. Wheeler’s prose is as dreamy as it is tense paralleling Adelaide’s wavering mental stability, and the weaving of past, present and future creates a rich story. A story as brilliant and heartbreaking as its protagonist, Adelaide is a FANTASTIC novel. (Side note: she would adore ‘Better Man’ by Taylor Swift).