Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Everything I Know about Love: A Memoir

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Everything I Know about Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton

227 reviews

beanie_bob's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.25

I’m thoroughly impressed with how organically the narrative grew with Dolly as she took us through her journey of teenager to twenty-something to thirty. It feels like we spend so long in the drunken, risky, exciting, enviable, sad era of her twenties but before I knew it she was growing up.

Sometimes when I hear myself talk I think ‘wow, I sound so much older than I feel’. I feel 15 all the time. I feel unreal and babyish and shrunk down. And then I’ll have something to say about relationships or expectations or communication, and I’ll be a little bewildered that I have anything ‘grown up’ to say at all.

Last year I must have picked up on the ripple effect of this book; girls online everywhere were talking about girlhood, about the vitality and richness of their female friendships. This book had been making the rounds. I cannot argue with Dolly; the greatest love I’ve ever had has been with my friends.

I can understand how someone could get tired of this book and DNF around 25%. It’s all very white, middle-class, and British. I don’t know how well her party girl bit would have been received otherwise. But I think there is an audience for this.

I’m reminded a lot of Fleabag, but less sad. And Bridget Jone’s Diary. Give this a go if you like either of those.

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grace33's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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cassidy_rain's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

5.0

“Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learned in my long-term friendships with women.”

Yep, I absolutely loved it. This will make you laugh, cry, and feel nostalgic in the best possible way. Dolly has a way of writing that makes you feel like her best friend; like you were involved in her memories and stories she’s telling. It almost feels like reading a diary. I love the lists and recipes added in between chapters. It’s witty and fun and raw. Being in my late twenties I could definitely relate to this and it really got me in my feels honestly.

This is a memoir about love, yes. But also about friendship, growing up, finding yourself, and really just life in general. It touches on all kinds of love: romantic, familial, platonic, and self-love. I love that she puts so much emphasis on platonic love throughout the story. She always finds a way to tie everything back into the love she has for her friends. And what a fun group of women she has surrounded herself with. I loved reading about her personal growth and realizations as the book went on as well.

I’ve heard good things about the audiobook so decided to give it a try on a recent roadtrip (I don’t typically listen to audiobooks). It is narrated by the author. If you like audiobooks I think you’d like this! I would have personally enjoyed it more if I read a physical copy. There’s lots of characters and the switching ages/timelines between stories/chapters was a little confusing to me while listening. I also found the beginning a bit slow, but I think this was mainly due to me not reading it in my preferred format. It definitely picked up a lot as it progressed.

I think this book is gonna stick with me for a long time.

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hanlov's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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rachelann88's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

2.0

Didn't change my life, wouldn't recommend to most people. Memoir of a women in her teens and twenties. Conversation around relationships, alcohol, and self-identity.

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