Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Sve što znam o ljubavi

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Sve što znam o ljubavi by Dolly Alderton

50 reviews

hannahbailey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

3.0

Whilst an easy and enjoyable read, I did come away from the book frustrated. Alderton was on the edge of something great here -- she's a natural born storyteller both in her writing and the speeches she recounts throughout the book -- but instead this memoir fell into the self-indulgent trap. From what I gathered through this text, the author has led quite a privileged life so far and I felt that she didn't do enough to acknowledge this. At no point does she recognise that growing up in/near London, attending private school, her whiteness and financial stability are at least part of the reason as to why she's successful now. Whilst this wasn't the theme of the memoir, which was love and relationships, I felt that ignoring these privileges made the book seem shallow. A quick google reveals she has since acknowledged her privilege in interviews. A quick google also reveals her real name is Hannah 😭

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annarchy's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective

4.75

“I was grateful for understanding in that moment that life can really be as simple as just breathing in and out. And I was thankful to know what it was to love the person walking next to me as much as I did. So deeply, so furiously. So impossibly.”

Everything I Know About Love felt like a hug from my best friend after a horrible breakup. Dolly Alderton has crafter this little memoir, which reflect her relationships with friends, partners, and herself from a young girl up to her 30th birthday.

Reading this book, I felt like a grew up with Dolly. She is funny and so honest. I didn’t want this book to ever end. It is definitely a comfort read for me.

As someone about to enter my twenties, this felt like the right book at the right time (although I feel like a person at any age could learn something from it). Dolly and I have a great age difference and experience with relationships, yet I could relate to her in so many ways. Her discussions of anxiety, grief, and above all friendship deeply resonated with me.

On that subject, I feel the overarching theme of this memoir is female friendships. It was a magnificent portrayal of a girl and her girlfriends against it all.

Ultimately, I think this book is an ode not just to Florence (perhaps my favorite chapter), but also to Farly. Dolly and Farly’s friendship was the greatest love story in this book.

All in all, this was a very heartfelt and beautiful read. I am in love with Dolly Alderton’s writing style, so I am excited to check out her other works. I recommend this to anyone who needs a bit of reassurance and hope, or perhaps to know that they are not alone in the treacherous pursuit for a partner in the virtual age. Especially, if you are entering or going through your twenties, I believe this book can be your little world of comfort.

This review is a bit of a mess, just like Dolly herself, and that is okay :)

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claranasman02's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

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lhodgson26's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This has been on my TBR list for ages and after recently watching the BBC adaptation it only made me want to read it even more as it was outstanding and so was this book. I just love Dolly's writing as it is so honest but in a way where you just get trapped in her life and the relationships she has. As someone in her mid twenties I connected a lot with Dolly and the struggles of being in your twenties. The beauty with the book was how the friendships she had were really more important and valuable then any of her relationships. This felt like a really special book to read and the BBC drama really did it justice. I also enjoyed how they were slightly different so wasn't too sure what to expect especially with the tragic death of Florence.

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jessicohen15's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

3.25

Read this on my period and it had me reflecting on my romantic and platonic relationships hard. Just called my therapist to make an appointment after ghosting her for a full college semester. I took a lot of good from Alderton’s wisdom, many perfect anecdotes for my notes app, but can’t help but feel sad after finishing because it’s a memoir. Real life, not a fantasy and a reminder that life is flawed and not wrapped up all nicely with a bow on top. Go after life. That’s my takeaway.

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savvylit's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

3.0

There were several portions of EIKAL that were written in list form. In that spirit, this review will be a list too.

The good:
+ The female friendships! The most entertaining, heartwarming, and insightful portions of the memoir were about Dolly's friendships.
+ The "everything I knew about love at age ____" sections. Genuinely funny and relatable. I loved seeing how her views on dating and life changed from her teens to age 30.

The bad:
+ The humor, which trended towards clichés.The strongest parts of this book were when Alderton wasn't trying so hard to be funny.
+ The recipes. I know food is an important part of Dolly's life but the inclusion of an occasional recipe felt unnecessary and uninspired.
+ The fake party invitation emails. Again, clichéd humor that felt a little forced.
+ The length. This memoir was simply too long.

After feeling very underwhelmed by both this memoir and Samantha Irby's Meaty, I think I have officially decided / realized that confessional blog-style memoirs are not for me!

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