I struggled with this one. I couldn't care about the character or hope that things would change for them. I wanted so much to love it, but I found myself putting it down and having to force myself to pick it back up. I finished it, but this one just wasn't for me.

I can see this appealing to a lot of other readers, and I have recommended it to a few friends.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book, but I must say that it is not a typical romcom love story. The author touches upon many topics such as grief, friendship, and mental health.The characters however are great and I need to read more books by this author!

Overall, I enjoyed this story. My only complaint is it was difficult to see a point to some of it . It could have been edited more.
The writing was nice, the characters interesting. I'd give this author another chance if I saw another book

I absolutely loved this book and it will absolutely stay put in my Top for 2023. Adelaide is the book younger me needed. I really enjoyed Genevieve’s writing, it seemed so effortless and smooth. I devoured this book and have MANY thought provoking highlights that are still stuck in my head a few weeks after finishing. Did I cry when I finished this one? You bet your ass, I did. I felt every single bit of Adelaide’s heartbreak throughout. She so badly just wants to be loved the way she’s loving so it’s just so sad for that to not be reciprocated. And it also puts me right in my feels because; damn, younger me has surely been there before. This was a BOTM and to everyone who chose this for their box, OPEN IT NOW! This is your PSA to not wait on this book.

This was a very modern and engaging story by Genevieve Wheeler. At least, it was engaging and relatable to a woman in her late 20's trying to balance all the messiness of life while dealing with intense mental health issues, but probably for a lot of other people as well.

Adelaide has a lot going on, and as a people pleaser she isn't the best at balancing her commitments or taking care of herself. This may sound like a story you've heard before, but it's not. Adelaide's story is unique and yet probably the same story as so many people across the world right now. The book was told from a third party omniscient point of view, which allows the reader to gain specific insight to more than one character's feeling or experience during a situation. It helped cement the characterization of the characters. This story also doesn't have an obvious "good and bad guy" which I liked. The characters in this story are all flawed, some in more obvious ways than others, but still not all good or bad. There are times were I was upset with Adelaide and was wondering why I was reading her story and then other names where I wanted to body slam Rory for his treatment of Adelaide. Is Adelaide the bad guy, Is it her parents, her high school ex, her roommates, the elusive Rory Hughes, the people who invented dating apps. I mean the list goes on of options for who could be blamed in this story. But really, no one person is at fault. This book was a huge reminder that life is messy.

The one thing that bothered me quite a bit throughout the book was that there was a lot a lot of foreshadowing. It was way overused and took me out of the story a bit. The foreshadowing wasn't super subtle so it was obvious where the story was going to go. We were given the destination but not necessarily the path to get there. Which I suppose is the interesting part, but it was used very frequently. I did enjoy the literary references. They were fun and added to the character building.

This book did make me really sad though. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just felt deeply for the characters, especially Adelaide. A lot of what she said and described feeling resonated with me. My heart hurt a little reading this. But not all of it was sad. There were some really nice moments with Adelaide and her friends. Those relationships were solid and it was really refreshing to read. I think it was important to have that to have that juxtaposition with her romantic life.

This is a beautiful, heartbreaking look at mental health. Raw, honest, emotional and often heartbreaking, Wheeler brought Adelaide to life in a way that will stick with me for a while. While there is a relationship, this book is NOT A ROMANCE! Be sure to check trigger warnings before reading.

The characters were not likable. Adelaide was rather flat. After reading her story, I’m still not sure of her personality. I agree of the reviews that compared this to Normal People by Sally Rooney.

dnf at 25%

I saw such rave reviews for this book and wanted to be as sucked into it as everyone else but I just wasn't. I did enjoy the writing style and the way emotion is conveyed is done so well. The characters felt real but I struggled to connect with them.

That being said I do think this is a case of a book just not being for me.

Adelaide was a difficult read for me.
While I personally have been fortunate enough to never have dated a Rory, I’ve seen many friends be less fortunate.

Rory was a selfish jerk and just a very toxic relationship and it was incredibly difficult to read through.

I actually ended up DNFing this book because it was difficult.

However, I did enjoy how raw this book is. It’s real. It’s emotional. It’s very needed.
It was just too hard to continue to read through personally.

Read the trigger warnings. Read cautiously but enjoy it. It’s a very well written and beautiful story even thought I couldn’t finish it.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. Adelaide is a dark romance that involves a women with mental health, specifically depression. I enjoyed the book a lot and liked that it was different than other stories. I highly recommend this book.

Trigger warning: Suicide

I absolutely adored this book. I could not put it down and wanted to know what happened to these incredibly well drawn out characters. I found this book to be very similar to the book Ghosts by Dolly Alderton. I adored that book but this one hit even harder. This is NOT a light hearted romance novels and there are huge triggers for mental illness and abuse both physical and mental. There is trauma and loss here, but also so much love and hope. Not an easy read as we watch Adelaide make mistake after mistake with Rory, who has his own demons and traumas. For Adelaide, her past has made her give and give and give with her whole heart. Rory’s traumas have made him into a human parasite who looks like Prince Charming. Watching their relationship from start to finish made me realize how much I do not miss the dating scene from my 20’s. It did however, make me so nostalgic for the incredible friendships made during this time in my life when people saw you as you really are/were before you get sucked into the vortex of marriage, motherhood, and career. I adored Adelaide’s friends who were family. They never judged her and always had her back. I hate to use the cliche of propulsive read - but it really was. Highly recommend this book - so much to talk and think about.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion of the book.

I really should have been able to get through this quicker, but I would find myself, at times, not super excited to read about Adelaide being over the moon for the worst boyfriend in the world. This went on for a loooong time.
Things picked up in the last quarter of the book when something else finally happened.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #adelaide in exchange for an honest review.

Overall a good book. I also received this as my book of the month as part of a book club. I enjoyed the writing due to how it flowed and I think this is a great “Good find yourself after a breakup” book.

Would say this is similar to “really good actually” not working style but in theme

As someone who has struggled with mental illness for the majority of their life, this book was so important.
Adelaide is in her mid 20’s, checking herself into a mental health facility. We get her backstory and what has brought her to this place in her life: a relationship with an abusive boy at 16, an extensive family history of mental illness and the trauma that stems from this. I related to this from my core.
I felt such a connection to Adelaide, and could relate to her on a large part of her story. I love books with mental health representation- and this one was well researched and accurate.
When good things happen to Adelaide, she can’t help but wonder if it’s a mistake or going to be taken away from her. That uncertainty, the inability to relax and enjoy good things- some people really live that way. (I am one.) I appreciate the author bringing attention to this, and the fact that many high-functioning, educated women in their 20’s are a good portion of those struggling with mental illness- I often feel mental illness is poorly represented as people that cannot function in their daily life.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this beautiful book.

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for my advanced copy,

This book hurts. Not necessarily in a ‘hurts so good’ kind of way, but in a deeper way. A book that makes you think, “how have you seen into my deepest parts, too? Why do they look just like yours?”

The side characters are rich, with their own fulfilling lives, and Adelaide—my heart breaks for her. Rory, too, but I wanted to wrap Adelaide up and tell her to love herself too. Love herself first. The last 25% of this book was painfully honest, raw, and vivid. I didn’t know I’d felt some of these emotions until I saw them spelled out on paper, line by line and word by word.

I would definitely read all associated trigger warnings before diving in, but I think it’s worth it. It’s not a romance. It has a happy ending, but also not. It’s worth it anyway.

This story was very raw and real. It was not what I was expecting. I think I would have enjoyed this book at a later time since it was a heavy read.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

First, I felt like the description of this book was a little misleading. I had gone into it thinking that it was going to be a romance heavy story but instead was met with a very different vibe. Adelaide covered a wide range of topics including mental health, suicide, and other topics that evoke strong emotions while reading. This is definitely not the book for those who struggle with these topics.

Essentially, Adelaide is an American woman living in London where she meets her "Disney prince", Rory. Right off the bat, we see that Rory is anything but a Disney prince. He frequently disappears for days, doesn't answer her messages, and is constantly very negative. About 70% of the book is Adelaide being in love with Rory but he seems completely unsure of her. Throughout the book, Adelaide struggles with feelings of self doubt and clearly doesn't feel like she is enough in all aspects of her life. This was probably the most relatable part of her storyline. However, as a character, Adelaide was an extremely frustrating perspective to read. Perhaps this had to do with her blind love for Rory who clearly wasn't putting in any effort while she bent over backwards for him. By the end, I literally was cheering when Madison confronted her about Rory's behavior and how Adelaide spent all of her time prioritizing him even as he treated her like trash. I struggled to get through this book but am grateful that I pushed through because I do think it was a provocative and thoughtful read in terms of putting others' needs before your own and neglecting your own self care. It just wasn't at all what I was expecting to read based on it's description.

ADELAIDE by Genevieve Wheeler is a challenging, compelling story about a woman navigating ex-pat life in London, while dealing with metal illness alongside the highs and lows of everyday life and love.

Adelaide is a very relatable, lovable character and Wheeler writes her deftly- I felt for her every loss and misstep, rooted for her success, laughed at her jokes and was crushed by her heartbreak and hardship. Wheeler also handles the various topics in her story- including suicidal ideation along with mental illness and other challenging parts of life - with remarkable grace and insight. I thoroughly appreciated these aspects of the story. Plot-wise, I wish more time was spent developing Bubs’ character and showing his and Adelaide’s interactions. The ending was enjoyable but felt rushed and a bit disappointing after all the work Adelaide does to get there! Still an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

This book is going to be the poster child for Sad Girl Summer and has already received a ton of buzz, but let me add my voice to those praising Wheeler's debut, Adelaide. The writing is stunning and the story is devastating. Because of the way the book opens, you know Adelaide and Rory's relationship is heading to an ugly end, but the journey to get there was heart wrenching.

I deducted a star because I found a lot of Adelaide's actions to be mind-boggling and had a hard time relating to some of her feelings and choices, but even that I can't complain about too much because it came together well at the end. Also, a few of the author's repeated stylistic choices got tiring by the end. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the author's future works.

I felt for Adelaide as a fellow heartbroken female. I loved how she rose higher than her downfall. The character development was real and well done, and the storyline kept me laughing and sad at the same time.