ellieb_reads 's review for:

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

4.0

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Dolly Alderton delivers again! Everything I Know About Love was my favorite read last year, so I was so excited to pick up Good Material from the library, but also a little nervous it wouldn’t measure up. While it wasn’t the perfect 5 stars I gave to her memoir, this book was a really great read. Andy’s post-breakup meltdown is completely relatable and manages to be both hilarious and heart-wrenching. I was impressed with the book’s ability to make me feel empathy for Andy, who is kind of insufferable, and that it did so without making Jen the villain. My favorite part of the book was the end, hearing Jen’s perspective on the relationship and her struggle to fit herself into the traditional “get married, have kids” box because everyone else in her life is on that path. I adored this section, and it made me wish that the book had alternated between Andy and Jen’s voices throughout instead of just the end. I found Jen’s much more compelling and would have loved for that to be a bigger part of the narrative. I also think Andy’s short-lived rebound didn’t really add to the story. You could have lifted that entire section from the book and I don’t think it wouldn’t have been missing anything. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I’ll continue to evangelize for Dolly Alderton’s work!