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violethazel's review against another edition
4.75
there were moments of immense wisdom and truly fantastic parts to read, but they were scattered between lots of stories and stuff that didn't seem to have much point. hold on through those, and you will find gems, but do bear that in mind. heavy trigger warning for eating disorders and alcoholism.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Grief, and Alcoholism
allydoessomereading's review against another edition
3.75
Moderate: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Grief, Alcoholism, Self harm, Child death, Death, and Terminal illness
milaju's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug use, and Eating disorder
alysereadsbooks's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual content
lara_r's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Eating disorder, Medical content, Alcohol, Death, Chronic illness, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Pregnancy
linnybear's review against another edition
4.0
I stuck through it mainly for the writing, but then I cried as I read the chapter about Florence, and I thought how important the ending chapters would be to the younger me. Just proving the author's point that you don't need constant validation from anyone (especially a man), that you are enough, and showing it through her own experiences.
It's not something groundbreaking that wasn't said before, quite frankly it has been said many many times but in this book it doesn't sound cheesy or condescending. And I actually quite liked how it wasn't really about love as much as it was about friendships, loss and making peace with yourself. I'd be happy human being if fiction authors write friendships exactly like in this book.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Eating disorder, and Grief
sidekicksam's review against another edition
2.5
But (and there is a massive big but with this book for me), the overall tone of the book just made it very difficult for me to either love Dolly or to appreciate any of her stories. The excessive drinking and the egocentric attitude in her relationships with her friends (and not in her teen years, but as a 20-something) made her seem bratty and self-indulgent in my eyes. The satirical e-mails in between chapters definitely emphasized Alderton's ability to write (I liked her writing well enough), and though I also understood the recipes she included, with the naggy tone of her stories and the satirical tone of the e-mails, they felt out of place to me.
Perhaps it is because I don't have a close group of girlfriends that are my whole world, or because I am not single, or because I had a very different upbringing that the book didn't resonate with me. But alas. Personally, though I do consider the message of friendship evolving and that being ok an important one for people to read about and learn, I would expect a memoir to reflect on bigger personal growth or a truly outstanding story. This was not that for me, and for that I am sorry.
I would recommend picking up Conversations On Love, in which Dolly also contributed. And for memoirs I really appreciated: Educated (Tara Westover), I'm Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy), Taste: My Life Through Food (Stanley Tucci) and Finding Me (Viola Davis).
Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
gzaborski's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Cancer, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Drug use
breenareads's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Sexual content, Drug use, and Cursing
Moderate: Cancer and Death
ciwanski's review against another edition
4.0
I felt so understood by this memoir and found myself laughing and crying throughout. Her depiction of female friendship is so accurate and I can’t help but hate her (in a jealous, admiring way) for having so much of it.
Her language is candid and easy going. As a novel where so many stories are set in bars having conversations with strangers or friends, so too do you feel like you’re sitting at the bar having Dolly share her life story with you. At least for me, it felt like a two way conversation with lots of nods, “mhms,” and reminiscing on my own life experiences.
I highly recommend this to all 20 something year old women — especially to the single ones.
Graphic: Eating disorder and Alcoholism
Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Death, and Sexual content