An achingly lovely book- Adelaide was such a lovable character and also SO painful to read through. If you've had some troublesome relationships that haven't left your mind- you're going to relate to Adelaide. This one took me awhile to read, not because I didn't love it but because it was just so heavy and relatable. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for the e copy. This is one of the first books that I then went and got the physical copy too <3

This is such an amazing debut novel and I was blown away by Genieve Wheeler’s writing! Wheeler made it so easy for everyone to find a little bit of yourself in Adelaide. Throughout the whole book I was cheering for Adelaide and hoping she would see that Rory didn’t care about her the same way she cared about him. I wished I could tell her myself that she could do so much better than him. I thought the way the story was written was unique and not like a lot of other books I read which I really liked! I can’t wait to read future books by Wheeler!

This was a strong 4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I became engrossed with this story as soon as I picked it up.

It perfectly captures the fact that loving someone can almost destroy you.

I highly recommend this book and suggest researching all trigger warnings. Wonderful debut!

I absolutely ADORE this book. It is my favorite of the year so far, and the only one I’ve considered buying a print copy of for my shelf.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that if you love “Normal People”, you’ll love Adelaide. I see the connection, even though I disliked Normal People. But where Normal People only exists to depress me, Adelaide (both the book and the character) bring lightness, fun, and a whole personality to a story of intense emotion and heartbreak. Also, Adelaide’s friends?!?! Perfection.

The preface totally grabbed me, and the twist of Nathalie’s death yanked my chair from underneath me. I was engaged the entire time. I felt every emotion as if the events were happening to me, or to a close friend.

My only real (minor) gripe with the book is that I feel that alcohol played such a heavy role in the story. Being drunk often was treated as a cute, quirky personality trait rather than something that maybe needed kept in check, with how often it was mentioned. But that’s merely my perception.

Genevieve writes really beautifully and I cannot wait to read more of her work in the future!

I enjoyed receiving this book as an ARC. At times I had so much compassion for Adelaide and other times I wanted to shake some sense into her. But, we've all acted like Adelaide or had a friend like her. No one could make us see our horrible relationship (situationship) or we couldn't convince our friends to leave their bad relationship, either. It's a lesson people have to learn on their own.
After a certain point though, the pacing was a tad slow.
Also, the cover and NetGallery description for this book were a bit too light and breezy. I believe they both should reflect the more darker tone of the book so as to not upset readers going into this book thinking this is a light read.
Overall, I would recommend this book.

However, I have a few nit-picky critiques (warning: spoilers ahead).
- A bit after Nathalie's death, the pace was too slow. Painfully slow. Up until their breakup and her breakdown.
How Adelaide compared being with Rory to her heart being slowly grated is how I felt with my patience. I couldn't help but skim after chapter 20. The pacing really needed to pick up there.
- After he told her to leave his apartment and walk to the bus in the rain, AT midnight, I was like girl? Seriously? You need some self-respect. But I do have great empathy for feeling so crazed in love and not leaving when he obviously doesn't care about you.
- I knew she was going to end up with Brennan the moment she saw him coming out of the shower (the other meetings were good clues), but I am amazing at picking up plot twists that no one else sees coming.
- I really wish we could have seen more of her relationship with Brennan. It would've balanced out the book nicely.
- And if the omniscient narrator could add forewarnings about Adelaide and Rory's doomed relationship (and Nat's death and her friends' futures) then I don't understand why that same narrator wouldn't add some foreshadowing comments about Brennan, as well. Didn't quite add up there.
- Great emphasis about mental health at the end. However it left the book off-balance once again. Would've liked that thread weaved a bit more throughout the novel.

I was not expecting to love this book, but I listened to it and it was so well-written and narrated so perfectly that I listened to it a second time. Adelaide is a character that I adored, but I was frustrated by her lack of inner strength and sense of self-worth so many times in this book. She surprised me with her resilience and courage in the end. Rory is the key to bringing about this change and while I detested him and the hold he had on Adelaide, I enjoyed seeing her move her beyond that experience to become the person she wanted to be. It's a thought-provoking story that may be triggering to some, so check the trigger warnings, and I enjoyed discussing it with a fellow book lover.

This book was not at all what I expected but I loved it more for that. I'm just going to admit it, I really hated Rory and Adelaide together from the beginning. I found myself screaming "oh my gosh just break up with him already" at my book way too often, in a great way though. This book kept me hooked and I enjoyed it for that. It was refreshing to have a couple in a book not be "goals" and instead a brutally honest portrayal of a woman madly in love and a man who refuses to commit. I was rooting for Adelaide the whole time and honestly just wanted her to finally love herself enough to leave. This book was the perfect mix of enraging, heartbreaking, and touching. I will definitely be reading Genevieve Wheeler again and absolutely loved this book.

Don't let the pretty pink, floral cover fool you. This is not a Romance. Overall my impression is that it's a challenging story, that has pace and is well written, but essentially these characters just weren't for me. They really lacked depth; because of the characters the story itself felt unrealistic within a realistic context. I was surprised by this because I have so much in common with Adelaide in a general way, so I thought I'd feel a certain level of kinship, but mostly I just felt uncomfortable.

I have mixed feelings about the story itself. I think I will always struggle with stories that have such heavy content, but don't seem to offer much in the way purpose. Unless you just enjoy reading about someone else's sad and depressing life, being frustrated at their choices, with no apparent silver lining. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't good, does that make sense?

The book revolves around a toxic relationship. One that brings its central character to her knees. The writing is what kept me motivated in reading, along with my hope for some kind of breakthrough for the main character. Said main character, Adelaide, wasn't very likeable to me. Her willful ignorance, people pleasing, and over bearing optimism that borders appearing false are not qualities I find endearing. Reading her acknowledge, rationalize, and ignore red flags in her relationship is mostly just exhausting and didn't invoke compassion for her, just pity. Her friendships felt too unrealistically supportive and something about the entire book felt very...white.

At the end of this one I felt a lot like I did after reading A Little Life. Just tired.

Adelaide is one of those books that once you start reading you won't want to put it down. It's not a love story, or an easy read, but I loved every minute of it. Fabulous debut from Genevieve Wheeler, and I can't wait to read more from her.

Well written and engaging story of a girl named Adelaide. She is going to school in London and gets a job so she is able to stay there. She starts dating Rory and thinks she has found her Prince charming. unbeknownst to her, he is still in love with his ex. It goes through the saga of their relationship and what she finally decides to do.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Adelaide feels like the most millennial book I’ve ever read. The protagonist, Adelaide Williams, is a 20-something living and working in London when she falls for the elusive Rory Hughes.

Rory Hughes, Adelaide’s “Disney Prince” is supposed to be the man she falls head over heels in love with and they live happily ever after.

But Rory Hughes isn’t a Disney prince - he’s flaky, self-centered and probably a narcissist, but when he makes time for Adelaide, her entire world is turned upside.

Running from her own past trauma and inability to find her own self-worth, Adelaide frantically spirals out of control in her relationships with Rory and her friends and co-workers, and within her own mental capacity until she is forced to reckon with herself.

Adelaide isn’t for the faint of heart - and I would actively encourage anyone who might feels a kinship to her character to potentially skip reading this. I think the best way to describe this was like reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but for the grown up millennial. Was it absolutely beautiful? Yes. Did it make me question my own mental stability - possibly.

Proceed with caution - but if you do read, it’s one for the ages.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Genevieve Wheeler for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*4.5 STARS*
Adelaide Williams is a 26 year old American living the dream in London. She falls head over heels in love with
Rory, a charming Englishman, and we are taken through their tumultuous love story from beginning to end.

This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, loss, grief, friendship, and more. The gripping details of walking through the mental health journey of both Adelaide and Rory are relatable for so many and is an interesting perspective into relationships that many can find parallels to. This is NOT your typical love story!

The writing is really interesting and refreshing. It reads as both a memoir and a conversation with a friend. It broke my heart and engulfed me in a hug all at the same time.

My only complaint is it felt a little too drawn out in spots and ran a teeny bit long for me. Overall I loved it.

Truly a beautiful debut by this author!

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

I finished Adelaide last week and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I’m certain it will be one of my favorites of this year.

🌸 It’s a sobering read that’s simultaneously heartwarming and speaks to issues so many people are facing today. It’s so realistic that while it’s fiction, I often felt like I was reading a biography or memoir.

🌸 I think this will be a fit for fans of Sally Rooney, as the story touches on heavy subjects while still managing to tell a love story that ultimately feels optimistic.

🌸 I imagine a lot of people, particularly the people pleasers who always put others before them, will see parts of themselves in Adelaide. I really admire how Wheeler was able to make a story that is so specific (grad students in London in 2018) feel so universal.

Adelaide is out today. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read 47% of this book and normally would give a book 20% to capture my attention. I could not relate with the main character or storyline. Adelaide portrayed herself as being a modern day feminist, that has a distaste for patriarchy, gender inequality and stated that birthdays resulted from capitalism. The hypocrisy of telling the man that has sex with her yet consistently ghosts her that he can c_ _ on her where he likes is astounding to me. That if she were only perfect he would like her seems to contradict a strong, feminist woman. Thanking him for letting her fall in love with him! Texting him nude photos to keep his attention is an act of desperation, in my opinion. I was allowed a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Twenty-six-year-old Adelaide Williams is an American living in London. She’s making her way in her career and has a solid group of friends, but when she meets Rory Hughes - her life completely changes. He’s charming and interesting and he feels like The One she wasn’t even looking for. Problem is… he’s a flake. They have amazing times together but he never calls her his girlfriend. He will take a week to respond to a text. He doesnt make advance plans and she hasnt met his friends- but adelaide is a fixer, and she quickly becomes engulfed in Rory’s life, even though it means losing pieces of herself.

I’d call this a millennial sad girl novel, and it really worked for me. It’s an excellent debut and it felt very honest and raw. The author addresses mental health in a real way and very much captured that feeling of what it’s like to be young and in love and desperately wanting to grow up and find yourself.

My One criticism is that there was a bit of time hopping drove me crazy- we’d be in the present day and instead of a new chapter than said something like ‘then’, she’d throw us into the past where adelaide and rory first crossed paths. Once i got used to it it was fine, but its worth mentioning.

There were a lot of times where i wanted to throttle rory. I can acknowledge that yes adelaide was at fault too- but rory really was hard to read. I was rooting for her the whole time, and i think despire her flaws it was a very realistic story. I know people like adelaide, and i have been a version of adelaide myself. Loved it!

Adelaide is an incredible debut about finding yourself in your twenties and learning when (and who) to walk away from while doing so.
If you're looking for a romance with a happy ever after this is not it. It is a love story in a sense because this young woman is slowly learning to love herself. But the road to self love for Adelaide is full of strife, and grief, heartbreak and loss. It is as devastating as it is ultimately uplifting. And it deals with some heavy topics.
What I loved most about this book is how relatable it is. I am much removed from my twenties and yet I completely understood Adelaide's need to please-her friends, her work colleagues, and a boy who can't figure out how to love her back. Highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially women of all generations.
4.5 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

Adelaide just stole mine. She is an American woman living in London, struggling with figuring who she is, who she wants to be, who she wants to surround herself with, all while dealing with issues from her childhood and her own mental health struggles. And this is all while being in a relationship with a man who just will not or cannot love her back. The emotions and angst jumped from the page in its realness, relatability and honesty. It was witty, raw, heavy and also full of hope. Instead of it being a romance, it was the story of Adelaide’s journey of self-love and self-reflection. I loved every minute of it.

This book is for sure in the running of my top book of 2023. The empathy and understanding the author inspires for Adelaide is unmatched. Beautiful story that is entirely relatable.

I found this book to be a bit of a slog. The main character is pretty tiresome and it was hard to finish.

This book was fantastic. As someone who has suffered from depression, I really appreciate and identify with Adeline's story!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!