IIIIIII dunno how to feel about this one. George was an @$$ — yes, he (and the story) started with so much potential, but he (and the story) soon just kind of went…nowhere. I kept waiting for some huge tragedy or lucky break, or just a sudden growth or maturation. And it never came. (I guess maybe there was a little growth toward the end, but not much or there just wasn’t enough book left to really see it.)

This is the sort of book that you keep reading to see what “the point” is but it just falls flat. At least for me. Maybe it’d make for good book club discussion.

"The Book of George" was better than it had any right to be. It was the first book I read in 2025 and a great way to kick off the New Year.

I was intrigued but a little gun-shy to pick up “George.” It’s pitched as a “big-hearted excavation of millennial masculinity.” While I (a millennial) love millennial stories, I generally don’t care for male-led narratives. But I was intrigued by the timing of George’s story; it follows him from his teen years into late 30s, including 9/11. ⁣
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HOWEVER! My hesitation was for naught. “The Book of George” is a really engaging character-driven novel that I devoured as I lay in bed with a head cold. Is George infuriating? Yes, but in an entertaining way. The Seattle Times compared the book to a sitcom, and I think that really sums it up. Kate Greathead really did the impossible and made a novel about an emotionally immature man so much fun to read. ⁣It is genuinely funny, and I don’t say that about many books.
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If you love character-driven, coming-of-age novels and/or millennial tropes, I can’t recommend “George” enough.

I enjoyed this fresh take on commitment issues told from the POV of a male which we don’t often see. His issues are not glorified but rather made light of and the MC has at least enough self awareness to recognize that he is the problem. Despite being frustrating, you can’t help but laugh and feel some empathy for poor George. I really enjoyed Greathead’s writing style and I would love to read more from her. Thanks so much to Netgalley for the eGalley!

2.5 stars. Solid disclaimer that I do occasionally struggle with literary fiction. This one kind of blew over me. The writing was good and the scene setting was well-crafted, the story just didn't feel gripping in any way. I just wandered through George's life ping ponging off small moments.

I couldn't connect to the character or the story...I simply found that I didn't care much about the outcome. George's privileged life and his lackadaisical attitude about any responsibility left a rather sour taste in my mouth. He just didn't seem to have any motivation to succeed in anything and nothing that he faced really felt like it lent itself to a solid turnaround. His relationship with Jenny was a disaster and insanely toxic for her. Why she stuck with it for so long is beyond me.

When it really comes down to it, I just couldn't connect and I didn't care what happened to George so I really couldn't care about the story either.

In The Book of George, Kate Greathead explores the life of George, a charming yet frustrating man in his thirties who struggles with motivation and self-awareness despite numerous opportunities. Through a series of vignettes, this character-driven novel offers a biting yet humorous look at modern manhood and the complexities of failure, relationships, and self-discovery.

Kate Greathead's The Book of George is an introspective look into George's life from his teen years into his late 30s and how he too fell victim to a cycle of stagnation and self-sabotage, shaped by both societal expectations and his own inability to adapt. Greathead’s portrayal of George is empathetic and frustrating. He is not a bad person, nor is he without intelligence or ability. However, his stagnation and lack of ambition become increasingly difficult to witness.

I won't lie—I struggled with how to rate this novel. The beauty of The Book of George lies in its subtle, nuanced writing. Greathead masterfully captures the small disappointments, the gradual retreat from the world, and the passive acceptance of mediocrity with remarkable precision. I found myself disconnected from George’s journey, yet completely engrossed in the way his story was told. The third-person narration is poetic and captivating, a stark contrast to its withdrawn and frustrating protagonist. While I admired the craftsmanship of the novel, I ultimately found myself disengaged from its central character’s trajectory.

In the end, The Book of George is a novel that lingers—whether in frustration, reflection, or reluctant admiration. It captures a modern existential crisis, reflecting a growing demographic of men who struggle to transition from youthful potential to realized success.

A captivating and thought provoking story that explores the complexities of identity, family, and self discovery. I loved the humor and I think everyone knows a George.
Many thanks to Henry Holt & Co and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh, my goodness, I've met so many Georges in my life! Lucky for me, I never married him. Your heart will go out to Jenny, even as you wonder why she puts up with him. I love the person Kate Greathead has created with her character, George. So irritating, so self-centered, but still you can't quit watching him. Like a bad wreck, but with a sense of humor.
Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was just a blah book. Characters really never developed, plot lines and characters just dropped, and there was really no redeeming qualities at the end of the book. George was absolutely insufferable, but Jenny wasn't any better than George. In a strange way, I wanted them to end up together.

Other than that, really thought this book was going to be funny, but it was more frustrating. Find this book at your local library to check out and read, if you really want to read it.

This one was hard to get into! I was a deep character introspection on male millennial George and his perpetual failure to thrive in adulthood after a promising and doting childhood.

There is so much cringe here. So much. I deeply enjoyed the writing style, development, themes, but this was NOT a fun hang. George is deeply unlikeable throughout the book, and even his biggest cheerleaders will scream in frustration for his life choices.

However, I think for many that enjoy contemporary literature with biting cultural commentary will enjoy this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt for the review copy of this novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Book of George by Kate Greathead!

The book fell short as it wasn’t into enough. I realized I didn’t have a want to read a book about a guy.

Oof. I don’t mind an unlikable character but they at least have to be interesting. There is nothing at all interesting about a man spinning his wheels for hundreds of pages. I do like the author’s prose and would check out her other books.

I really wanted to like this, but I struggled to get through it. The character felt too pretentious, and the plot felt flat to me.

I got such mixed reviews on this. I have dated a George so I almost felt perfectly victimized by it but was also so bored as I felt I was reading my own life.

This is certainly a complex and polarizing novel. My friends and I constantly discuss how women are born accepting pain, and men find their own ways to try and experience it, then shout “I’m the victim.” George is that man. He’s mediocre but he’s been told his masculinity is all he needs. I understand the attempt at the dissection here, but I don’t think people are ready or even care for that dissection, as we’re tired of hearing about mediocre men. I personally think the execution could’ve been a lot better.

"The Book of George" by Kate Greathead is a Character Study of Millennial Masculinity!

When I began this immersion read, I thought I'd made a horrible mistake by requesting "The Book of George". Seriously. I even set it aside for two months deciding if I wanted to pick it up again. Eventually, I did and you might say, George began to grow on me.

George is quite a character and you may recognize him. He's good-looking, smart, witty, and has great potential but he's his own worst enemy. He has tons of opportunities but motivation has never found a home in his life. He's happy one minute, sullen the next, snarky, makes snide remarks, pushes those closest to him away and if anyone knows what a mess he is, it's George. And, he's the first one to admit it...

So why did I enjoy the heck out of this story?

I love the satirical side of this characterization. Let's face it, George is not a star but you can't help rooting for him. For some crazy reason, you care about him. He's that relative, friend, or co-worker who does something eye-rolling or off-putting that you explain away by saying, "Oh, that's just George, being George!" Right?!

Do you recognize George now?

The best of my immersion read was the audiobook and the excellent narration of Blair Baker. She hit all the right notes in all the right places and she nailed the voice of George. I think it's also worth mentioning that this is a book about a man named George written and narrated by women. They brought George to life in a way that made him feel familiar to me.

I enjoyed "The Book of George" much more than I thought I would when I began and I know this won't be a book for everyone. After all, George is an acquired taste. For me with its satiric humor and ridiculous George moments, it was just what I needed! 4.25⭐

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co., Macmillan Audio, and Kate Greathead for a DRC and an ALC via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Congrats to Kate Greathead, whose very funny novel The Book of George manages to ask and answer: what if you had a book kind of like The World According to Garp, except Garp’s mother was terrible, and Garp started off okay and then fell lower and lower as his laziness and obtuseness undercut his privileges—also what if he had a cancer scare based on a tiny ball of toilet paper getting stuck in his bum? A different flavor of the toxic masculinity satire of Rejection and, not coincidentally, The Great Man Theory.

The authorial voice made the story a simple read. However, the actual story was a bore. Things happened to George, and the passiveness of his character made me uninterested in his story. I couldn’t care to finish it.

This was an interesting book that described the life of a man named George from childhood to his late 30s. George is ultimately a sympathetic character but can often be thoughtless (sometimes even downright rude). Greathead does a nice job of walking that line.