I think this is closer to a 4.5 instead of a full five, but the more time that goes by since I finished this, the more I love this book. I saw a review on Goodreads that said "She is delulu but aren't we all?" and I think that really sums up the book. I always enjoy stories where we really just spend a bulk of the time in the MC's head in an almost stream of consciousness narrative structure as the MC navigates everyday problems (many of which created by the MC herself). This book really felt like I was listening to a friend make absolutely ridiculous life choices but you just lover her anyway.

Gray is a fresh and exciting author whose debut has a lot of truly relatable and endearing specifics. I found her MC to be appropriately flawed and at times annoying, but in a way that I appreciated were character choices and authentic. I would absolutely read more from her and am excited to have gotten an early look at this new talent.

I am OBSESSED with this book. Thank you to @henryholtbooks for the ARC—from the Taylor Swift epigraph to the wrap-around cover, I loved GREEN DOT. Gray’s voice is so unique; she really captures the verbal cadences of millennial women and the way in which technology saturates contemporary relationships. Not since Drake’s Hotline Bling has a millennial dramatized with such emotion the transference that happens between our generation and our phones. Due to the crucial role the latter play in our affairs of the heart, the phone itself becomes a kind of love object.

The Taylor Swift epigraph was 100% perfect. My only gripe was that I wish it was the only epigraph to the novel. I get what the Ginsburg is going for but the Taylor Swift is such a genius move here that it deserved to stand alone.

GREEN DOT perfectly depicts the type of relationship one has in their early-to-mid-twenties; Hera has so many anxieties about adult life and she pours herself into her doomed relationship with Arthur in order to avoid confronting how she will make meaning in her life. It’s SUCH a stage and Gray shows it perfectly—Hera decides that if she can lose herself in Arthur, she will be happy, but he is ever out of reach. And, of course, that is why he has been selected for Hera’s “blank space”; he is appealing because he makes concrete the relationship that Hera already has to fulfillment, purpose, and happiness: inconsistent and fleeting. I adored how, at the end of the novel, Gray turns Arthur into the green dot in a different way—he becomes merely a blip in Hera’s past, once she realizes that she has been using his unattainability as a distraction from bigger, more interesting questions about her life trajectory.

Overall, I highly recommend GREEN DOT. Readers who love millennial fiction will enjoy it immensely.

I enjoyed this sparkling little novel. The wit and humor was well-developed, and the main character (even though a bit un-likeable at times) was a star. For the first time I felt I understood most of the pop culture references an author was making, which I loved. The portion of the book that took place in England, while it felt important to the plot, fell flat for me. I look forward to seeing what Gray does next.

it is very hard to read a whole book without sympathizing with its main character once.

this is actually not because the character in question spends this entire book sleeping with a married man, and a large portion of it sleeping with a man married to a pregnant wife, and a slightly smaller portion of it sleeping with a man married to the mother of a newborn. i have sympathized with characters who have done worse. although not by much.

it's because this character is SO unfeeling, so shallow, and so cruel in the worst way — the way that comes from just not caring about the interior lives of others. i don't know if this character has no interior life or is just uninterested in showing it to us, but it is not on page. not even implied.

i liked the writing of this at first, but eventually the constant slang and pop culture and devil-may-care mentality got old. it reminded me of greta and valdin at first, and then bad greta and valdin, and then not at all.

time passes in this book without reference, feelings grow without reason, and the plot just bumbles on. it's a frustrating read, unfortunately.

"Green Dot" details a young woman's mental and emotional decline as her inappropriate relationship with a married man progresses. I felt for Hera because I understood her feelings but was also frustrated with her actions. But I understand that, as a reader, I am able to have more objectivity and am not emotionally tied like she was. I think Madeleine Gray captures Hera's feelings and actions effectively, making this a relatable book.

This book is hard to read, but it is to Madeleine Gray’s absolute credit that I was on Hera’s side the entire time, despite being a 40something wife and mother who’s seen way too many of my friends, marriages break up due to cheating while pregnant. You never hate her, even when you hate what she is doing. Gray’s writing allowed me to re-see the world through Hera’s jejune eyes.and remember what it felt like to be 25. I even cried for her when the inevitable happens. I will devour everything this woman writes moving forward.

4.25

I really enjoyed this book! It was excellently written. It’s the funniest book I’ve read in a while and made me laugh out loud several times. The humor reminded me of Melissa Broder, but in my opinion funnier. It also had a good balance of seriousness, though.

It was a very frustrating book. It’s essentially 300 pages of Hera (the main character) making the same horrible choice over and over. It made its point though and the ending brought it up from 4 to 4.25.

I definitely don’t think this book is for everyone, but I enjoyed it and will definitely read more from Madeleine Gray.

I discovered this book while traveling in Australia - the title and the cover really caught my eye - and I was thrilled to get a copy from NetGalley upon my return to the States. I love a workplace drama (though drama may be overselling the worklife of Hera, a 24-year-old who reads comments online at a media outlet and escalates incendiary comments through an established color coded scale). It's a ho-hum existence until she has a meet-cute with Arthur, a journalist who sits a mere few feet away, and they start a non-stop dialogue over IM in their office - suddenly work isn't so boring. Alas Arthur is married - Hera breaks the 4th wall as she tells her story, admitting all the doomed clichés - and hopes - of such a relationship. I really enjoyed this book - the story is told in a fresh, compelling voice and I really felt for Hera. Look forward to more from this author.

Oh, Hera. I felt so bad for you throughout this book. A relationship like this never, ever ends well. However, I remember being young and naive, particularly with regard to dating older men. Sometimes we just need to learn these lessons the hard way. However, I did worry a bit for Hera when we read her internal monologues about whet her future would look like with Arthur. Some of the things she thought were so very unhealthy for all involved.

This book was witty and fun in its own way. I was eager to find out what happened next. It was very well written amd kept me engaged the entire time.
I typically turn my nose up at pandemic references, but this time it felt appropriate and not like it was thrown in the book as an afterthought or simply for the sole reason of including the pandemic in a book.

This was a wonderfully relatable debut novel! Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I heard buzz about this upcoming release a couple months ago and was able to get my hands on this recent publication via Netgalley. This book is incisive, hilarious, and slightly unhinged. I loved it. The tone of the writing is cutting yet honest and it draws you until you can no longer put the book down.

The plot follows our protagonist Hera, a young woman in Sydney in her mid twenties, trying to find her footing in life. She takes a job as a content moderator at a large newspaper and crosses paths with Arthur, an older senior editor who she eventually begins an affair with. The affair intensifies until Hera demands Arthur makes a choice: her and their future, or his wife and their past.

I can’t tell you how funny the writing in this book is. Hera is truly delulu but aren’t we all? She knows she’s making terrible decisions, and yet she speaks directly to the reader and recognizes her idiocy. Hera was both real and endearing, a little bit psycho and a lot emotional, and you really couldn’t help but root for her happiness. The length was perfect and despite the subject matter, this book was fun. From the way the author described the soul sucking atmosphere of corporate America to the niche Australian cultural references, I couldn’t put this book down. While karaoke scenes are typically botched in romance novels, Gray manages to turn this scene into a win. Additional praise for the sad but funny girl inner monologue.

I recommend this to all my chronically online ladies or anyone who enjoys reality tv. This book published on February 27th. Thanks to NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for a copy of the novel.

The very first thought I had after finishing Green Dot was: "That book really messed me up."

And yes, Green Dot really messed me up, but in that very specific way in which I am okay being "messed up" by a book...

In this book, we follow Hera, a twenty-something woman who is just trying to get through life without succumbing to the existential dread of being in your early 20s, when she enters into a relationship with an older, married coworker. This isn't a spoiler. This fact, that Hera's story is about her illicit relationship, is established from the get-go. She is telling her story from the future, post-relationship. And this is important. This is what *makes* the story, because she has the perspective of knowing exactly where her story is heading. She frequently pauses to speak to the reader, to say, "Yes, I know that this was wrong. I know that this was stupid. But bear with me as I try to explain..."

I could not stand Hera's choices. They infuriated me. But...I LOVED Hera. I loved her fiercely, like a little sister I wanted to save from herself. I loved her like I would love a younger me. Because even though I can't imagine a younger me making her specific choices, I know that younger me absolutely made stupid choices in the name of love. I could relate to her heartache, to her longing for stability, to her loving someone who was not the right person for her.

I absolutely recommend this book. Not because it is a story about cheating, but because it is a story about young adulthood, a story about family and friendships and work angst and love and heartbreak and growing up. And it's beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

as a certified lover of the “millennial women fumbling through life” genre it pains me to say this but i think we need to shut this genre down until we can figure out wtf is going on.

because THIS BOOK? what was the reason? where were the editors (if there were any at all)?

this book reads like someone gave chatgpt the following prompt: millennial white woman struggles post-grad & has illicit love affair, include references to being chronically online ad nauseum (emphasis on twitter references from 2016), fatphobic remarks (with no nuance), include a laundry list of offensive metaphors & analogies that don’t sufficiently explain the situation at all.

cringeworthy writing aside, when i started reading i was highlighting like crazy, not because the quotes were meaningful in any way but because they were deeply offensive.

examples of egregiously offensive quotes (that made literally zero points):

1. the author compares waiting to be called in for a job interview to an abortion clinic waiting room, but suggests that getting an abortion is actually EASIER than going through the job interview process (ma’am?!?).
2. “max didn’t know that inside my skinny body was a fat person waiting to break free.” (HUH???)

i understand the protagonist is meant to be insufferable but my god, could she not have come up with other analogies (& ones that actually work)? if nuanced, these books can work so well, but sadly there was no nuance to be found here.

i’ll admit when books are simply just not for me but i am actually THE target demographic for this book & reading it incensed me. the second half of the book had some gems but having to trudge through the first half of the book was just too much.

this book is trying far too hard to be “edgy” & therefore elicits the opposite effect.

thank you to the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? It’s better to live without expectations

Why this book? We all know why 👀

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Bed

Any preconceived notions? The affair might be your run-of-the-mill affair

Identify most with? “I am not good at being on my own, without distraction.”

Three little words? “Zelda was GASLIT.”

Goes well with? So much wine, dinner with friends, parks, hotels

Recommend this to? If the synopsis intrigues you then read the book. Tbh, it’s been difficult for me to give über specific recs lately.

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/01/green-dot-by-madeleine-gray-review-witty-tale-of-obsessive-love

I leave you with this: “I know that sometimes the best audience for your jokes is yourself.”
“But women have been forced to harm themselves in the process of making men accountable for millennia. I have been in training for this moment. I will not be quitting, and I tell him as much.”
.
I think I wanted more from this book, but maybe I shouldn’t have expected the male character to not be the stereotypical man who cheats on his wife and such an idiot. It became annoying when Arthur kept telling Hera he’ll leave his wife and then putting it off. I don’t have patience for this behavior in real life and I have less patience when reading about it, I guess, because it took me longer than I anticipated to finish this book.
Barring that, there were some funny moments and there’s a lot of good quotes - I couldn’t share them all here due to the character limit for posts. I wanted more of a friendship between Hera and Mei Ling, or I just wanted more Mei Ling because she was the most interesting character in my opinion. Honestly, a lot of Hera’s relationships, romantic or otherwise, were very superficial - even her longtime friendships came off that way - and I was left wanting for more emotional depth, but maybe the characters weren’t meant to go that deep.

And I think I may be done with narrators in their twenties for a while. Call me ageist, I don’t care. I want to read about different experiences. These sad girl narrators are all starting to sound the same.

Green Dot is available now.

“So I decide. Standing in this dank alleyway I decide I’ll settle for a sliver of the love I want, in the hope that one day soon, there will be space for it to become more.”

I enjoyed this book a lot, while simultaneously wanting to shake some sense into this woman for the whole book. This novel provides a look at how disheartening and soul-crushing entering into the workforce can be, while being unable to escape the necessity of it. However, the main experience this novel explores is falling in love with a married man and what being the mistress feels like. It was difficult to read sometimes because we are in her head, which meant we were in delulu town for a while. The writing was fantastic (I loved the unexpected breaking of the 4th wall). It was funny, heartwarming, irreverent, and tense. I will definitely be getting a physical copy of this book!

DNF at 23%....the writing style was too quirky and hard to follow.. I just had a really hard time paying attention. I also didn't realize going into this one that the plot focused on an affair. That is a very triggering topic for me.

I really enjoyed (hmmm…maybe not enjoyed but appreciated) this book. It’s very well-written, and packs an emotional punch. I was drawn into Hera’s poor decision making and empathized with her despite her pain being mostly self-inflicted. And the anxiety it inspired in me was truly evidence of its power.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Hera is 24, lives with her dad (whom she adores,) and realizes she needs to start living the adult life. The job, though, is an online moderator which is monotonous, and leaves her wondering if this is all that there is for her future. She's bisexual, but she finds herself attracted to a manager in the office who is much older than she. They begin a flirtation over IM, which (as it usually does) progresses to a physical relationship. She is so in love, she feels Arthur is in love with her, but then...she finds out he's married. This is a tale as old as time, but what's unique is that the author really made you feel every single bit of this affair. The highs and then lows, the inability to move on, and hanging on to the fact that Arthur (wait for it...) promises to leave his wife.
I loved this novel because Hera, with all her angst, worry, and love rings true to life. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Henry Holt & Company, NetGalley and the author for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
@NetGalley @HenryHolt&Company #MadeleineGray #GreenDot

4.25*
Green Dot follows Hera, a 24 year old woman living with her father, who, upon entering the workforce for the first time, starts a relationship with a married coworker.

I really enjoyed this book! Hera was a such a relatable, funny, but flawed character. Her voice was so distinct and her character so fleshed out that she felt like a real person. I really felt the increasing desperation and heartbreak that Hera feels as the book goes on. The writing was really well done. I thought it was really funny and had just enough pop culture references without feeling like too much. I also liked the inclusion of the Covid pandemic without it completely taking over the story.

I really enjoyed Green Dot and would recommend it to people who enjoy LitFic, and I look forward to more by this author!

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for a copy of this arc for review!

Hera is a 24 year old woman, living in Sydney and beginning her post-graduate life. She starts her new job as an online comment moderator, disliking her boss, but quickly falling for her coworker, a slightly older journalist, Arthur. Hera’s level of infatuation skyrockets, and soon she is all-consumed by this affair.

Hera tries to navigate this new phase of life as a working adult and her affair with Arthur. They mostly communicate through an app where Hera can see Arthur’s “green dot” indicating his online status.

Some of Hera’s behavior as she find her way in adulthood is relatable, but not all of it. She’s a bit unhinged at times, a bit naive at others, and has questionable judgment, but I couldn’t look away! I was entertained throughout Green Dot, not lacking in tense moments.