Adelaide

Product Information

My problem with this story is that it shouldn’t have been set up (marketed) as a love story. It set up false expectations by doing so. There is an important message here about dysfunctional mental and emotional health masked by overachievement and charm. Readers (me) may not want to go there, if not being told this is what this story is all about. I believe, we deserve to know what kind of story we are really getting into when we choose it, and this one wasn't really what I thought it was going to be. Just remember, you run yourself ragged for other people, Adelaide. You deserve someone who’s going to show up for you, too.' Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. This is a stunning exploration into the journey to finding oneself through love, sex, friendship, and mental health.

Please look up the trigger warnings (or ask), if you have any concerns, but with that, I wholeheartedly recommend this book 💗 The premise of this was intriguing, but this was painful to read. And not because it was emotionally moving - because it wasn’t (at least not for me). Now, I’m not trying to gloss over the severe mental health and suicide ideations in this because those are heavy and sensitive topics, but this was the furthest thing from a romance or love story, in my opinion. If anything, it was more centered around friendship? (I know this is a women’s fiction but the entire book is about a romantic relationship). There was nothing to show that this was brought upon by “fate”. The relationship depicted was extremely toxic, unhealthy, and showed many red flags.But the book isn't only despair and heartbreak – there’s a hopeful note to it. It shows us that light follows darkness, that we can survive the people who aren’t good for us. And that sometimes, if we do the work afterwards and take care of ourselves, we end up all the better for them.

The idea of fate also comes up throughout Adelaide. Why do you think this is? How does Adelaide’s interpretation of fate inform her decision making, and even distract her from the rest of the scene? Is fate in the eye of the beholder? Why or why not, and how does Adelaide support your own interpretation of fate? This is a very raw and honest portrayal of mental health and what it is like to be a young individual in today's age and what we go through during our 20s and how sometimes we lose ourselves trying to love someone else because we believe they need love more than us

Rachael’s Review

The story follows Adelaide as she falls in love with the wrong person. It’s beautiful and sad and relevant to every person out there who has given themselves up to someone incapable of reciprocating their love with the same intensity. Does he respond to texts? Honor his commitments? Make advanced plans? Sometimes, rarely, and no, not at all. But Adelaide is convinced that if she just tries and fights and loves a little harder, he’ll fall for her as deeply as she’s fallen for him. (He has to… right?) Because it’s clear to Adelaide that their fate was written in the stars. Why else would they have attended the same play last fall, or that Yankees game in 2016? Their paths never crossing until just the right moment.

Trust me on one thing…this is not a romance or a love story. Adelaide is sweet, kind and a bit obsessive. That comes across early on and despite the fierce loyalty of those close to her, there’s something about her that always feels a bit desperate. I liked how the story situationally transitions between her past and present, providing insight about and context for her reasoning and logic. But still, Adelaide only had one speed, overdrive, in all things, especially drinking, partying and her determination to make Rory love her. Speaking of Rory, if Adelaide had been healthy, she would have recognized that he didn’t deserve her. Despite her issues, it was impossible not to adore Adelaide and appreciate her essence. It took a Rory for her to finally hit the proverbial wall and fall apart, getting the much needed help I believe she needed for most of her life.At one point that semester, Adelaide threw on a navy dress covered in tiny white anchors and joined her friends at an open-air pub along the River Thames, eyes peeled for the Oxford versus Cambridge boat race. They drank bottomless pitchers of Pimm’s and lemonade and basked in that elusive little thing called the sun. Late that afternoon, tipsy and tanned, she saw him.