If you’ve spent more than five minutes on social media, you’re familiar with the name Dolly Alderton. Beloved by Gen Z, Dolly’s books have taken bookstagram by storm — so it’s only natural I’m the very last to experience her work! (We’ll just agree that I’m fashionably late.)

GOOD MATERIAL takes a standard formula: couple breaks up and goes through the motions of trying to move on, and turns it upside-down. The book is told through Andy’s perspective. A male POV is common enough in romance as part of a dual narrative, but on its own? Virtually unheard of!

And I think that’s what led to my lack of enjoyment here. Andy just isn’t a great guy. 35, a failing comedian, moving from friends’ couches to an elderly man’s spare room. He blocks-unblocks-blocks his ex (& her new boyfriend) on social media, he starts sleeping with a young 20-something but isn’t allowed to spend the night. There’s absolutely nothing that had me rooting for him. Maybe that’s the point and the joke is on the reader for voluntarily spending 300 pages with this man-baby.

The final 15% however…those last chapters made the book for me. The reader finally gets Jen’s take on the relationship and suddenly the break-up makes much more sense. Unfortunately to reach the payoff the reader first has to spend an entire book with Andy (I’m glad I reread the blurb before posting — Andy was so forgettable I called him Adam throughout this review 🤷🏻‍♀️).

While my foray into Alderton’s work wasn’t a massive success, I’m intrigued enough to try her other books. Though GOOD MATERIAL wasn’t a hit for me I know it will absolutely find an audience and reappear on numerous Top Reads of 2024 lists in December.

I’m sure it’s been said somewhere before, but this feels very much like an elder millennial version of High Fidelity in all the best ways.

Naturally, since the focus was on such a neurotic and self-centered MC, it was hard to like Andy most of the time. I was still able to root for our guy, especially towards the end of the book when he starts to be more self aware.

It would have been very easy to end the book when Andy is about to start his new show and he sees Jen in the audience. We still would felt closure and resolution and it could have left things a bit more vague on their path moving forward. But no. Doll-doll gives us a little treat. And we deserved it for listening to Andy whine for months on end. The last 10% of the book switches to Jen’s POV and we get to see the build up leading to the uncoupling and her processing through the break up along with her version of The Madness.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the arc in exchange for my honest review. Pub date is 1/30/24.

CW/TW: grief, abandonment, codependency, toxic relationships, sexism, infertility

This one was rough for me and I struggled to get through it from the very beginning.

I found the main character to be completely insufferable and I hated being in his head. Andy was selfish, self-pitying, and infuriating. He spent the entire book wallowing and there was absolutely no growth and development. He was rude, entitled, and even kind of creepy at times. I did not like any part of his personality of his journey and it was painful to read his story. The last 20% the book shifts perspectives and it at least become bearable to read. But this section is so short there is little exploration of the character growth and it all moves very quickly.

This is one of the worst books I've read in awhile and I do not recommend it at all.

This is my first Dolly Alderton book but it certainly won’t be my last.
The writing was so incredible. Alderton’s voice for Andy was so strong and I loved how we saw his inner turmoil so clearly. The highs and lows, the emotion. There’s that saying that we only love men written by women and this is incredibly true for Andy. He contained multitudes and it was refreshing to see the POV of a guy spiraling after a breakup. It was easy to sympathize with him as well as see his faults.

And then the last 15% of the book. I don’t want to give too much away but I absolutely loved how it ended. It felt perfectly tied up and gave me even more perspective into Andy and his failed relationship with Jane.

Alderton has been recommended to me many times and I will immediately be picking up her backlist.

This one was a DNF for me, but I am still very thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital and audio access to give this one a try.

~ARC provided through NetGalley~

This book.

Dolly Alderton is on every "Top 10 Books to Read in your 20s" list with her essay collection "Everything I Know About Love," but her real shining stars are her novels. Her latest novel, "Good Material," explores the high emotions and madness that ensues after a significant break-up. Since Dolly is such a girls-girl writer, I expected the story to be told from the female perspective; however, most of the novel is told through the point of view of Andy, a comedian trying to figure out his next steps after his partner Jen breaks up with him seemingly out of nowhere. What I love about all of Alderton's work is that she really seems to understand the nuances and struggles of modern dating. "Good Material" hit to close to home--especially at the very end for me--and I know I'll be turning it around in my head for the next several weeks. I don't think I've ever encountered a book that so perfectly captured the modern dating experience like this. This book is for every woman who has had the misfortune of dating a bozo, aka a man who fails to see or acknowledge her full human complexity. Really loved it.

Pairs Well With:
- Liking who you are single more than who you are in a relationship
- No feelings in the group chat
- Houseboats

It's Dolly's world and we are just living in it, hoping, PRAYING, to be assigned well-rounded, gorgeous side-character storylines. This is what I wanted Emily Henry's 'Happy Place' to be.
In 'Good Material,' Dolly charts the aftershocks of a breakup. Already teetering towards Mid-Middle Age, Andy is dumped by Jen, sees his once-promising (ish) comedy career circling the drain, and never sees his friends because of wives, kids, jobs (insert Mid-Middle Age responsibility here).
Held together by nostalgia, bitterness, and a new Keto-diet and personal trainer, Andy embarks on a excavation of his relationship, trying to piece together what went wrong before he is left behind on the ash-heap of history forever.
I have big anxiety about reading books that center stand up comedy (see: why I didn't pick up booksta darling, Romantic Comedy). But Dolly writes with so much empathy and wit, that even the cringe warms your heart.
Thank you Knopf! Out 30 Jan.

Doesn't reinvent the wheel of the discourse surrounding modern day dating, but still heartfelt. I enjoyed hearing a male MC--even if he could be annoying at times--though I would've preferred hearing the female MC's perspective for a larger portion of the book.

I was looking forward to reading Good Material but unfortunately it didn’t hit the mark for me, I was not interested in the characters, neither Andy nor Jen so I didn’t finish the book.

You are in your early thirties and you are supposed to have figured out what you want in life but you haven't. Your girlfriend just broke up with you, your career is in a downward spiral and you can't figure out your next move. In the tradition of Bridget Jones this novel is funny and deep at the same time. I loved it.

Wow, I loved this. Will be requesting multiple copies for my library for sure! Good Material follows Andy over a ninth month period while he recovers from being unexpectedly dumped by his (ex) girlfriend of 4 years, Jen. Funny, introspective, with an ending that felt very fulfilling.

Is it possible to give this more than five stars?

I finished this book three days ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since. I loved how simple the story was but how complex the emotions it captured were. I loved the emotional journey of this story and how much I learned by being inside Andy's head as he struggled and navigated his grief for the life he thought he would have.

One of my favorite things about this book is that we got Jen's perspective at the end. It was so necessary for us as readers to see inside her thought processes and be able to understand and analyze the breakup in a new way. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.

I had never read a book with a male protagonist written by a woman before, but it was absolute perfection.

This was my first Dolly Alderton but it won't be my last!! It's wild to find a favorite book of the year within the first two weeks, but you can bet you'll see this on my yearly favorites list!

This book is THE High Fidelity for millennials that delivers humor and heartache in equal measure. Dolly’s writing style is grounded in realism and offers insight into the modern pre-middle age break-up. Andy and Jen had been dating for four years when Jen suddenly ended things with Andy. Andy is reeling. He has been in a relationship for most of his life and he thought this one was the one. Blind sighted by the proclamation and living in denial that it’s over; Andy stumbles through the breakup the same way he always has (Only now his friends are married with kids, and it takes three weeks to schedule a night to go out with the boys and get drunk and wallow.) This book follows Andy though his struggles, which sounds like a generic character driven book until you realize there is a twist, and that twist is what makes this book so amazing. This book left me with the warm and fuzzies and now I’m the one who is reeling from it all. This book is perfect for fans of (500) Days of Summer, How to be Single and of course High Fidelity.

I really enjoyed Alderton’s Ghosts, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, I found it tedious. I appreciate Alderton taking on a man’s voice/POV (think Wally Lamb in She’s Come Undone), but the character, Andy, was such a nudge and into his own pity party, I could not stand him. I’ve seen reviews that say that end of the book was great, but it did not do anything to save the novel for me.

The book follows Andy, a mid-30s comedian who is flailing through his career and gets dumped by Jen, his girlfriend. Andy does not take it very well and we see him drink himself into a stupor, hang with his buddies and try to figure out where he went wrong. Honestly, I did not care at all, nor did I want to know what happened next. Part of the book, near the end, is narrated by Jen, which was a bit odd and out of the blue. The book did not work for me. However, I love Alderton’s writing style, so I will check out her next book.

4.5/5

thank you to Knopf books for the eArc! ♡

to absolutely no one's surprise, i absolutely loved this book. if i were half as talented a writer as dolly alderton, i might be able to capture the full scope of my love for this book and be able to speak of its genius in a coherent way. but alas, i will do my best.

at its core, this book is a coming of age story, and alderton is able to capture the intricacies of love and heartbreak with an authenticity that is both difficult to capture and replicate. we are never given the illusion that moving on is linear or that closure is easy. anyone that has had their heart broken knows that it would be easier to move on if grief did just follow the 5 stages and there is so much comfort in the way that andy and jen navigate this. nothing about the way this book is crafted is reductive. alderton never shies away from the harsh realities about the work involved in making a relationship succeed or the emotional labor that goes into recovering if it doesn't and i found myself wincing internally when i found moments that were painfully familiar. with her signature wit and charm, alderton had me going between wanting to cry (in a good way) and wanting to laugh, which is really all i can ask for.

if you loved alderton's memoir "everything i know about love" and her debut novel "ghosts," are looking for a book that will give you the same wistful nostalgia of movies like 500 days of summer, La La Land, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, are recovering from heartbreak, or are like me and you just love reading about love in any capacity, then i would so highly recommend this book. i would NOT recommend if you're currently trying to avoid reaching out to an ex. seriously, there were some close calls in the aftermath of this book.

suffice to say, dolly alderton remains one of my favorite authors of all time and i will definitely be tuning in to her works again in the future.

I enjoyed this "break up" book from the perspective of a lead male character. The emotions expressed by the main character are important for men to voice, and are seldom found in books or popular media. A realistic break up story can be difficult to make enjoyable. The author makes it engaging with wit and tenderness, as the plot chronicles the long journey from break up, through post-break up grief, to positive personal growth.

I absolutely adored Ghosts so had to read this. And it was good in that it was in her wheelhouse which is writing about relationships but different in that it was from the male's POV. Andy is wallowing in a breakup from his girlfriend, Jen. He is a comedian, not a headliner or anything but the kind who tries to get stage time while also doing other odd jobs, like selling products in markets and stuff. He's in his 30's and we find out all about their breakup and some of their time together, (about 3 years or so) when she seemingly suddenly drops the bomb that she wants to break up so he has to move out of her apartment. We feel pretty bad for Andy as we are hearing his side, he does seem to make her look like an entitled selfish brat (but one that he was hopelessly in love with) and there is a scene where not long after they break up up he sees her with another man who is like Andy 4.0. And then there is a lot of Instagram stalking.

It's a character driven story about Andy growing up (because people are now seeming to do a lot of growing up in their 30's as opposed to their 20's) and figuring out how to live his life and Jen figuring out why she has always felt like an outsider among her friends, how she's never quite taken to the relationship --> marriage --> kids -->domestic life game. We see them both grow and wonder if they will grow together. I enjoyed this and if you liked Ghosts you probably will too. Just be patient and try not to be so critical of Andy.

The book takes a turn when we get a hella long chapter from Jen's perspective and all the pieces kind of fit together* and we see Dolly's strength in writing. She really knows how to write women (I mean, obviously she should since she is one, but she's gifted in describing relatable experiences as a woman) and it just makes the stuff coming from Andy's side feel a little clunky. So far the readers seem to not like him much. I didn't dislike him; this was a very rough year for me and my reading was about half as what I usually do and I finished this book happily - that's saying something (for me). I just think Dolly Alderton soars when she stays with the female point of view, but I'll read all the novels she puts out.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @aaknopf for an early copy of Good Material by Dolly Alderton. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐.5/5
Release date: November 7th, 2023

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Good Material is my very first read written by Dolly Alderton, and sadly also my first almost-dnf for this year. 80% of this novel is told from Andy’s perspective as he navigates through his life without Jen, his ex-girlfriend, after their break-up. I struggled to finish this as Andy may be one of the most infuriating main characters I have ever encountered. While I get that he is going through a breakup with his long-term girlfriend, he comes off as immature, obsessive, and stuck with his memories with her. He’s like the embodiment/depiction of how women are portrayed in media going through a breakup, only Andy is much, much worse.

Halfway through the novel, I didn’t see any character development in him. His innermost thoughts only include him comparing himself with others, self-pitying, and Jen. While a part of me does pity him as he feels like he has no one to talk to, I can’t help but also feel so annoyed with his character. It was only until the last 20% of the book that things got interesting. We get to see Jen’s POV, and how she realized that it was better for both of them to separate. We also got to see Andy’s acceptance of reality and how he starts anew with his career; it was the character development I was searching for and I wished there were more of it. I also honestly wished that the entire novel was just told from Jen’s perspective – hers was so much better that I wouldn’t have struggled to finish the entire book.

Good Material is an overall interesting story, but I can’t help but fixate on how annoying the main character is. Though it ended beautifully with Andy’s growth and Jen’s much better POV, I don’t think the struggle going through 80% of the book with Andy’s whining was worth it.

I couldn't stand the main character. Honestly not interested in hearing the inner thoughts of a male comedian. Will not be finishing this one.

I really enjoy Dolly Alderton’s work- her nonfiction and fiction novels. I was excited for Good Material but it didn’t quite hit for me like her others did.
I was surprised, and impressed, how well she wrote from a male’s perspective. I did remind myself several times it was written by a female because it was truly convincing.
I don’t think this was bad per se, just not for me. The novel focuses on a guy, Andy, who was broken up with seemingly out of the blue by a women he was in a long-term relationship with. I do think many people don’t discuss, or write, about being single in your mid-thirties. So I commend Dolly for taking on the topic! But I’ve not really experienced any similar heartbreak to what this character did and about halfway through I was kind of done with his wallowing?
Will continue to pick up Dolly Alderton’s future writings despite the fact this wasn’t my favorite.