This was a difficult read, but I felt that the author did a helluva job writing it. I’m someone why hasn’t fully come to terms with their history with eating disorders, so it was especially heartbreaking for me. I loved the dual POVs, I love how the characters addressed trauma, and I love the parts that took place in Hungary. I’m going to have to sit with my feelings on this book for a while.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you Emma Noyes, Berkley, and NetGalley for this ar.c in exchange for my honest review. Guy's Girl will be available October 24, 2023!

I want to start by saying I really appreciated the Author's note in the beginning of the book. I can only imagine how challenging it can be to write your own experiences into a book, fiction or not. This book was beautifully written and truly made me feel a spectrum of emotions. The story of Guy's Girl is centered around Ginny and Adrian, two imperfect people that have to learn to love themselves before they are able to love anyone else.

*Trigger Warning this book is centered around the reality of the struggles of having an eating disorder. I will be mentioning this in my review.

I thought Emma Noyes did a great job at bringing awareness to what life looks like for someone that has an eating disorder. The emotions and thoughts we get from Ginny's character throughout the book are raw and truly make you think. My heart broke for Ginny's character. I wanted someone to notice her struggling sooner. While her best friends love her, I think that's truth about being friends with guys. They only noticed that she was eating and that was enough. Adrian's struggle was that he truly believed that loving someone can only hurt you. Their struggles are different, but the message is still the same. You have to learn to love yourself, before you can love anyone else. Showing someone you love them can come in many different forms, like being the one to notice when someone is struggling to love themselves and seeing the light in themself that others see when they look at them.

"Guy's Girl" is beautifully written. It's deeply emotional and very informative, I highly recommend giving this book a read!

Wow. This was actually my first book by this author. I know she writes YA but I’m blown away with this being her debut adult book.

This story is beautiful. It is an uncomfortable read but that’s the point. It was real and raw and emotional. The authors note at the end really got me.

I don’t want to go into the story because I didn’t know much about it going into it and I think other readers should do the same. I loved Ginny’s journey and this story.

I applaud Emma Noyes for sharing her own experience in this book. Although the passages in which she describes the purging in detail were difficult to read, I powered through because I understood how important those scenes were to her. Although the blurb for the book made it seem like a completely different book, I still ended up really liking it and the characters.

This book was so incredibly real to me. I could feel every emotion. It was so well written. I will be buying this immediately when it publishes! I’m amazed at how much I’m in love with this book.

Holy Cow!

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I went into this book completely blind (and I haven't read any of Noyes' other novels, so I really didn't know what to expect), and left it feeling like I had a hole in my heart in the best way possible.

'Guy's Girl' is a bittersweet story that feels like so much more than just your average romance novel. Every interaction felt completely raw and real, and even though I spent most of the book agonizing over Ginny and Adrian, I couldn't seem to put it down.

Noyes delivers an honest and important story in 'Guy's Girl', and I for one will be encouraging every person I've ever met to pick this book up.

This is a tragic yet heart warming love story about two broken people. Both main characters are struggling in their careers and their relationships. This was an eye opening story dealing with grief, eating disorders, and toxic relationship. The storytelling is captivating and makes you cheer for two very complicated characters.

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but this cover is so gorgeous that I know I was going to love the book.
The characters were very well thought out and the plot developed perfectly. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to my patrons and will definitely be checking out other books written by this Author.

This book broke my heart a thousand times. The extremely graphic detail of the FMC's binge/purge lifestyle was *almost* too much, but I loved Ginny's story and her connection with Adrian was adorable. If you enjoy New Girl vibes, this is a good one to read! One girl, three guys - one of them is her confidant, one of them is an ex, and one is the "Schmidt" of the group, with everyone else constantly telling him to shut up about everything he thinks he knows. It was a sweet story and I loved "meeting" Adrian's grandparents in Budapest! I went into this story completely blind, and I'm glad I did! I enjoyed this book so much more than I anticipated I would.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early e-arc to read and share my thoughts!

4.25 stars out of 5 (rounded down)

This is the first book I have read that features a main character that has an eating disorder. It was heartbreaking to read, but unfortunately, it is a story known by many. Noyes does a great job of showing the painful realities of an eating disorder, and knowing she wrote from personal experience makes it all the more impactful. I was rooting for Ginny the whole time.

The love story was messy and sweet and realistic. Adrian and Ginny are both hurting in different ways and I was invested in both of their stories and healing. I didn't feel like they had the best chemistry, but honestly, I don't think romance was the main point of this story. If anything, their friendship was the sweetest part. They both found comfort and safety and hope in the other, and at the end of the day, thats really what love is.

This book was so raw emotionally and I appreciate that the author shared her soul in this book. I never really understood anorexia or bulimia before but this gave me a glimpse of what it was like to have the disease and the thoughts that go through your head and why you do the things that you do. It made you love Ginny so much as all you wanted to do was take her pain away and let her see that she is beautiful just as she is is.

Ginny's relationship with Flinch was toxic and I may have wanted to scream at her through the book to just keep away from him you deserve so much better.

I liked her roommates, family, and Adrian's grandparents and how they cared for her and rallied to help her and support her. This was beautiful especially how the grandparents opened their home and loved on her unconditionally even when they spoke a different language.

Adrian had his own demons to face as he felt he was not capable of love. He was wonderful to Ginny and when he finally ran to confess his love to her it was magical. This was an endearing story of sharing your ugly parts with someone and them loving you just as you are.

Guy’s Girl by Emma Noyes is the story of a group of friends fresh out of college who live in New York City. The book focuses on Ginny, who has anorexia and bulimia, and who also has a crush on one of the guys in the friend group.

I loved everything about this book. I loved Ginny and as the book went on I became a huge fan of Adrian’s. His character was complicated, but once you hear his story you can certainly understand why. What he did for Ginny in Hungry on vacation will make every reader cry tears of love for him. The side characters were also written so well
New York City settings are also a favorite of mine. The character of Heather, Ginny’s older sister, was amazing. The storyline flowed perfectly and the author nailed the ending.

I honestly cannot wait to see this book get the love and praise it deserves once it’s published. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I can’t wait to read the author’s next book!!

This was my first Emma Noyes book, and it's safe to say that I will be reading more of her work after finishing this! In Guy's Girl, we follow Ginny and Adrian as they navigate their first few years out of college. While Ginny struggles with eating disorders and Adrian works to understand himself and his emotions, the two come crashing together. Despite the sparks and initial attraction, they must fight for each other as they also deal with friends, family, and jobs while living in New York City. In essence, this is the perfect New Adult novel.

*Content warnings: Eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia) and anxiety are discussed heavily throughout this book.*

I appreciated how candidly Noyes spoke of anorexia and bulimia. By personifying these eating disorders, she showed how powerful and destructive they can be to a person. I learned so much from Ginny's thoughts; I felt her pain through the pages of the book. This is such a sensitive subject, but Noyes handled it well by giving it the care it deserves.

Adrian was such a unique character - I loved him so much. I appreciated his background as an immigrant. Many contemporary romances that I have read thus far don't have immigrant main characters, so this book was a breath of fresh air. It was fascinating to learn more about Hungary through his story.

Adrian and Ginny were so cute together and I loved their romance. I liked how their personalities balanced each other out and how they took the time to truly listen to each other. There was a little spice, but it fit nicely within the plot.

My only confusion with this book is its title. The story was not really about being a "guy's girl." Yes, Ginny moved in with a group of guys and faced rejection, but I thought the main message was more about healing and self-discovery. I'm curious why Noyes named it that.

Overall, 4.5 stars! Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley, for this ARC!