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Breakups can make anyone go a little crazy but that doesn‘t mean I want to spend a lot of time reading about the mindset of a wallowing and completely unself-aware man trying to figure out his life after the unexpected end of his relationship. Hearing the other side of the story was clever but too little, too late to make this a pick.

Read in 2024. For most of the story you hear Andy talk about his break up with Jen. At first I felt bad for Andy as he tells his side of the story. He‘s struggling with his career of being a stand up comedian & he‘s having a hard time understanding why Jenn broke up with him. Then the very last part of the book you hear Jenn‘s side of the story. It made me understand more about why you heard so much about Andy‘s story. To me it spoke to the bigger

This one was on a few Best of '24 lists, but I'm left a bit underwhelmed. It was alright, but nothing stand out, and ultimately I suspect forgettable. I like the idea of reading about the aftermath of a relationship from one perspective, then flipping to the other side, but the balance here was out of whack. I would have preferred more of Jen, less of Andy. While I liked where Andy ended up, it took a lot of pages of just not much to get there.

This one took me a bit to get into, but it did start to pick up mid way through. Alderton has a nice blend of introspection and humor in her writing that makes her characters feel real.

Soft pick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#botm

#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

February

I really liked this one even with all of Andy‘s hapless male foundering. It was funny, smart, and I loved all the British-isms. But the ending just floored me and turned this from a 3-star to a very high 4-star read. #botm

Jen breaks up with Andy. The majority of the book is spent with Andy as he tries to deal with the loss. I liked Andy and sympathized with his struggle. Heck, I can be an Andy myself. But I can also be a Jen. I appreciated what she had to say.

I often find that if I‘m not really enjoying a book, it‘s worth it to finish it to see if the ending saves it. Honestly, the ending did just that. It made the reading of the book a rewarding experience.

I so enjoyed this one. Dolly Alderton writes from a man‘s perspective after his break-up with Jen and it felt completely believable and funny. I felt for him and felt sorry they didn‘t make it.
Then the perspective changes and we learn Jen‘s take on things. All the pieces fell into place. A light and hopeful read. Recommended! #ToB25Longlist

This was lovely. The male character is very annoying at times, endearing at times though. His heartbreak feels real. What got this book for me was the end - the narrative from the female character was so relatable and real. Loved her :)

This one was just ok to me. I found the central story of a man struggling to get through a breakup fairly dull. And by the time we got to the former girlfriend‘s breakup aftermath, I just didn‘t care. Where it shines is with some of the supporting characters and stories, like the flatmate Andy ends up with and the houseboat bit. I don‘t think I would have made it through in print. #TOBlonglist