You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
shainapoulin 's review for:
Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir
by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I liked this book, but I think my expectations were too high going into this. Many of Dolly’s observations about love, life, and friendships were deeply resonant yet also a bit unremarkable at times, reading this as a woman in her late twenties. I probably would’ve gotten more mileage out of this in my late teens or early twenties, when I was similarly lost and searching for myself in places and people, specifically men.
The final few chapters were the most interesting to me, likely because I am approaching my thirties, which is something I feel conflicted about. Like Dolly, my entire life, even as a child, all I wanted to do was be an adult. I love being independent, free to conduct my life in whatever way I please, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder “is this all there is?”
In my childhood imagination, being a grown woman sounded so glitzy and glamorous. I imagined myself in my own place, with my own cat, with a career, possibly a spouse if I was lucky. I have achieved everything my adolescent self dreamed, but I forget to appreciate it sometimes when all I can see are the less glamorous parts of adulthood - weekly therapy to remedy my childhood trauma, the ever-increasing cost of living, the humdrum routines of everyday life. On a windy summer day like today, sitting and drinking coffee while reading on my balcony, I know my younger self would be amazed at how far we’ve come. I’m so lucky to have another day, another chance on this earth to make life meaningful and my own, yet the pressures of aging and achievement still weigh on me, making me dread my upcoming thirtieth birthday, which makes me feel guilty.
It should be a celebration - not everyone lives to see their thirtieth birthday - but it’s another reminder that life is passing me by, time marching forward without my permission. A reminder that one day, there will be no more birthdays, that life will be over as quickly as it started, and everyone I love will be gone someday. I realize that sounds dramatic, but it’s something I think about. The passage of time is deeply frightening, but the wisdom you gain as you experience life and relationships is worth the tradeoff.
Like Dolly, sometimes I wish I could rewind time, and live as my twenty-one-year-old self with my twenty-seven-year-old brain, just to get it right. But I can’t. And that’s okay. While the doors of the past are closed, there are so many more that will open for me in the future. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve only felt that my world has gotten bigger, richer, and more vibrant. And that makes me feel very at peace with the gift of aging. 3.5/5 ☆
The final few chapters were the most interesting to me, likely because I am approaching my thirties, which is something I feel conflicted about. Like Dolly, my entire life, even as a child, all I wanted to do was be an adult. I love being independent, free to conduct my life in whatever way I please, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder “is this all there is?”
In my childhood imagination, being a grown woman sounded so glitzy and glamorous. I imagined myself in my own place, with my own cat, with a career, possibly a spouse if I was lucky. I have achieved everything my adolescent self dreamed, but I forget to appreciate it sometimes when all I can see are the less glamorous parts of adulthood - weekly therapy to remedy my childhood trauma, the ever-increasing cost of living, the humdrum routines of everyday life. On a windy summer day like today, sitting and drinking coffee while reading on my balcony, I know my younger self would be amazed at how far we’ve come. I’m so lucky to have another day, another chance on this earth to make life meaningful and my own, yet the pressures of aging and achievement still weigh on me, making me dread my upcoming thirtieth birthday, which makes me feel guilty.
It should be a celebration - not everyone lives to see their thirtieth birthday - but it’s another reminder that life is passing me by, time marching forward without my permission. A reminder that one day, there will be no more birthdays, that life will be over as quickly as it started, and everyone I love will be gone someday. I realize that sounds dramatic, but it’s something I think about. The passage of time is deeply frightening, but the wisdom you gain as you experience life and relationships is worth the tradeoff.
Like Dolly, sometimes I wish I could rewind time, and live as my twenty-one-year-old self with my twenty-seven-year-old brain, just to get it right. But I can’t. And that’s okay. While the doors of the past are closed, there are so many more that will open for me in the future. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve only felt that my world has gotten bigger, richer, and more vibrant. And that makes me feel very at peace with the gift of aging. 3.5/5 ☆