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.

when I picked up ADELAIDE for the first time, i never would have guessed that i would feel so deeply seen by this book. i knew going in that i was in for an emotional read, but never would’ve guessed how much this book would’ve touched my soul.

Adelaide herself is one of my favorite MCs to date. i saw so much of my younger self in her. she is someone i wanted as a friend, someone i rooted for, someone i cried for, and certainly someone i wanted to shake and yell, YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS!

Adelaide is someone who loves SO deeply, and finds herself in the middle of a “relationship”
where she would give and give and give, and get nothing in return. she saw the red flags, yet that small glimmer of hope was strong enough for her to keep going.

ADELAIDE is a book for anyone who has dealt with mental illness, a toxic relationship, and struggled with self worth. i think many readers can connect to this story and Adelaide, no matter the capacity in which you have dealt with these things.

i didn’t know how much i needed this book until the very last page (ESPECIALLY that epilogue 🥲) this book brought up a lot of hard feelings and memories but it was a deeply cathartic and healing reading experience. sometimes we need these stories to remind ourselves to lean on those who love us, that we are all deserving of love, and that it will all be okay 🤍

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler is a character driven story about Adelaide’s struggle with depression amidst a breakup. I don’t mind character driven stories but I did not connect with any of the characters which made it hard for me to get into. I didn’t hate the book but I didn’t love it the way others have. The portrayal of mental health was so important and well done and I would recommend it to others.

This book frustrated me in the way only a good book can. Adelaide is a frustratingly good person, in a way that is self-destructive and leads her to give too much of herself away. Her main love interest is the single most infuriating man. This is a story about grief, mental illness, healing and more. While at times I wanted to scream at both main characters, there were so many amazing passages and I saw myself reflected a lot in the way that Adelaide is unable to process literally any of her emotions/ experiences.

I do wish the healing aspect of the book was a bit longer, the last 25% of the book felt a bit rushed. One star off for having a Harry Potter reference in 2023.

TWs: suicide, mental illness, past sexual assault from a partner, death of non-main character, discussion of miscarriage/reproductive issues, ED.

This was a phenomenal contemporary fiction debut! I hesitate to call it a romance, because the focus of the story is Adelaide's personal growth rather than her romantic connections. I saw so much of myself in Adelaide and adored how Genevieve Wheeler crafted such an authentic character. I don't think I have ever disliked a book boyfriend as much as I disliked Rory, and even when Adelaide first met him I failed to see the appeal. This book depicts a very unhealthy relationship, and as a reader I felt it went on longer than it made sense to, but I respect that Adelaide wasn't able to recognize it was toxic. This is a very heavy read with some serious mental health content, so I would advise readers to proceed with caution.

so raw and emotional and exactly what i needed at the time. beautifully written and such a genuine representation of so many women's experiences.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisheer (all thoughts are my own)

Adelaide is a beautifully written story that captures the important message of friendship, love, and the impact that past trauma has on our lives - no matter the time that has passed. I felt deeply for Adelaide as she tried to navigate London as a young 20-something professional. There were many points while reading the book where I wished I could shake her and tell her that her “Disney Prince” was a walking red flag, I guess that is an example of how we don’t always see what others do, especially when we are trying so hard to perceive our situation through rose colored glasses.

Overall, it was an engaging read and well-written. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's deep, tragic, thoughtful, provoking. The writing was a bit unusual: no indication of dialogue is a little strange to me, but it made you definitely feel as if you were in Adelaide's head. I liked the jumping timelines and the focus on how past actions really dictate our future, specifically when dealing with romance.
I kind of hate everything about Rory though. He was very hard to feel emphathetic towards.
Overall a really good read.

I was thrilled to get this ARC from Netgalley as Adelaide was one of the books I almost picked for my Book of the Month book. I loved this book so much. I devoured it in a little over a day. I don't even really know how to best describe this book. Its's real, it's raw, and it's very much heart breaking.

There's a whole lot of triggering things in this book so proceed with caution (rape, emotional abuse, miscarriage, death of a loved one, suicide).

I can see how this book would be great for some bit it was way too sad for me! I need some lighter happier things to happen amongst the emotion.

Wow. It took me a while to get into this book, but my difficulty was due to the Adelaide's seeming unconscious hypocrisy. A self-avowed feminist, she nonetheless pours her entire heart and soul into her relationship with Rory--who she believes to be her soulmate--although he is mainly too self-absorbed to be bothered. He has experienced a lot of trauma, and is about to encounter more, but he doesn't deserve Adelaide.

Fortunately, she has some good friends who do appreciate her and who help her when she hits rock bottom.

This novel will rip your heart out, but put it back in. I want Adelaide to be my friend.

Warning: mental illness is a significant character in this book, as is trauma and suicide ideation. But it ekes out a happy ending, most amazingly. #Adelaide #NetGalley

I was provided a free advanced copy of this from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Adelaide is the person who dives into life and love full force. She's living her dream as an American in London, with great friends and an advancing career! But even when she thinks she's found her Disney Prince, she has to learn the hard lesson that you can't make someone love you.
This is a difficult book to review. On one hand it is a beautiful depiction of mental illness, the highs and lows of one sided relationships, and grief. But also, it's a very raw journey, and can be tough to get through at times.
Overall I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the realness of it. But I can understand how others may not. It could definitely do with some trigger warnings.
Since I'm late in posting, this one has already been published, so if it sounds like something you would enjoy, check it out!
#NetGalley #Adelaide

4 stars!

What a wonderful, soul-wrenching book. I enjoyed "Adelaide" by Genevieve Wheeler quite a bit. Be aware going in, though, that it is *deeply* depressing as it deals with some of the heaviest topics imaginable. Think "Normal People" by Sally Rooney levels of depression. Don't go in thinking this is a romance. It's *about* a relationship, but it's *not* all that romantic. It's complicated, a punch in the gut, heartbreaking, and intricate, and it will make you reflect on how you may have been treated in your past relationships. Were you the doormat who couldn't stop going back to someone who didn't deserve you? Have you ever been someone who loved another person so deeply, only to receive nothing or nothing but the bare minimum in return? I know I have been! "Adelaide" is the book for you if you can relate to these feelings. It feels like a lived-in story, wholly birthed from reality. That didn't stop me from wanting to slap Adelaide and tell her she deserved better! SO MUCH BETTER! Caitlin Kelly does a decent job narrating this book, but her character voices don't change all that much. I'll be thinking about this book for months to come.

Thank you to NetGalley, Genevieve Wheeler, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

I've never felt so seen by a book. As a 24-year-old ex-pat with mental health issues trying to find love and navigate adulthood in a foreign country.... wow.

Adelaide Williams is a 20-something American living in England, trying to find love and navigate her adult life while experiencing extreme highs and lows and feeling everything so so so deeply. I've never felt so seen by a character, never had my feelings so well articulated. I felt this book deep in my bones.

This book is not a romance, though it does have a happy ending. This is a book about a woman falling apart and picking up the pieces.

CW: Suicide, bipolar disorder, depression, miscarriage

I absolutely LOOOOOVED this book, completely devoured it. Adelaide is such a well developed character and the evolution of her as a person was so fascinating to see. This book may just be one of my favorite books of 2023 thus far.

What a stunning debut novel! I see big things from Genevieve Wheeler in the future. This was an awesome book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an impressive debut! The book is a character study that takes a look at the interior life of the title character, Adelaide. The novel follows her as she navigates young adulthood, non-reciprocal "love" affairs, family dynamics, mental health, and building a career as a young writer.

With beautiful prose and vulnerable storytelling, Adelaide takes a compassionate look at love, the lack of it, and the consequences of attempting to prove your worthiness to receive it. There were moments when the author seemed to pluck thoughts from my mind and put it on the page, a sign of great writing!

However, the book was slow and repetitive at times, which could be grating on some readers. (One could argue this was intentionally employed to showcase Adelaide's unhealthy patterns.) Additionally, the movement of the story/characters was confusing at times.

Overall, a great novel for lovers of literary character portraits.

Toxic love is hard to read about sometimes… I think we all want to forget times we participated in a relationship like this. Adelaide was frustrating but I think a lot of women will see a version of themselves in her.

This was a difficult yet heartfelt book to read. Approximately 1 in 5 people live with mental illness which makes Genevieve Wheeler's book extremely relevant. It is not a book about romance but of relationships, both good and damaging. It is about inner strength and support networks. It is mostly a realistic story and an honest portrayal of life with pain. Thanks #NetGalley

Honestly, the trajectory of Adelaide and Rory’s relationship was tough to read, which I guess makes this book very realistic. It was definitely a darker book than I expected. However, a promising debut from Genevieve Wheeler.