Good material by Dolly Alderton was my bookclub’s pick for the month of August and I was so excited to read it as this is my first book by Dolly Alderton. I also was intrigued that it was told from a man’s perspective. I’ll share my thoughts in this post but before then, here is a synopsis of the book.
Synopsis
“Andy’s story wasn’t meant to turn out this way. Living out of a suitcase in his best friends’ spare room, waiting for his career as a stand-up comedian to finally take off, he struggles to process the life-ruining end of his relationship with the only woman he’s ever truly loved.
As he tries to solve the seemingly unsolvable mystery of his broken relationship, he contends with career catastrophe, social media paranoia, a rapidly dwindling friendship group and the growing suspicion that, at 35, he really should have figured this all out by now.
Andy has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend’s side of the story.
Warm, wise, funny and achingly relatable, Dolly Alderton’s highly-anticipated second novel is about the mystery of what draws us together – and what pulls us apart – the pain of really growing up, and the stories we tell about our lives.”
My thoughts
This is my first Dolly Alderton book, and now I’m wondering if I should’ve started with her earlier works. The cover drew me in. It’s so stunning. Also, the idea of reading from a man’s POV intrigued me. However, I quickly realized that being stuck inside the head of a 35-year-old man who is insufferable was a challenge. The book is essentially about Andy, a struggling comedian going through a tough breakup.
I struggled with this one and had to listen to the audiobook while reading because it was a bit hard to get into. Although Andy was an entertaining hot mess and I love mess, I was tired of reading his intrusive thoughts. It felt like he was just moaning for 70% of the book and I honestly got fed up. I’m glad I stuck with it though, because the last 20% of the book really picked up and It gave a much needed clarity on their relationship. Also, while getting to know Andy, I was hoping to hear from his ex gf Jen and at some point wished it had a dual pov but at the end, I realized it worked better the way it was.
The book explores themes of heartbreak, modern relationships, and friendships. My takeaway? Do not settle, it’s never worth it. Also, I know Heartbreaks are undeniably tough, and breakups happen but It might be helpful to do some introspection on your role in the breakup. I found Andy somewhat funny and laughed out loud a few times, but not funny enough to be a comedian. I struggled with rating this one because I didn’t enjoy most of it but overall, I liked it. (If that makes any sense)
My rating
To read other reviews, click here.
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