Thank you to Penguin for sending me a proof of Good Material. God, I adore Dolly Alderton with my whole heart. This is a superb novel. It is a beautiful, thoughtful and emotional exploration of a breakup and trying to find the root of who you are. You spend the majority of the book in the head of Andy, a failing comedian who has just been broken up with by Jen, who is desperate to find out what exactly went wrong. It was reminiscent of the writing of David Nicholls - the obvious comparison would be One Day but it particularly reminded me of the brilliant Us as you follow this man so eager to find out what is wrong that he can't quite see what is right in front of him. This made me both laugh out loud and cry quite deeply on public transport so be warned. Alderton is brilliantly witty as ever whilst also being able to get into the nooks and crannies of the millennial mind. I can't wait for people to read this excellent book.

I have never read a book by Dolly so I thought I would give it ago. I found it very interesting into how a man deals with a broken heart, we only ever read about women so it made a change. I did get slightly addictive to finding out if their relationship would flourish again.. but I won't say anymore and spoil it for others. Over all I liked the way Dolly wrote the book, I really enjoyed it. I love a book that makes me laugh!

This book explores the complexities and pitfalls of relationships from the male perspective. Not only does she nail the complications we have with each other and the world but the compulsively readable examination of break ups. Still being utterly profound in its revelations, this book is easy to read while embedded with Dolly’s wit and humour. The duality of such laughter and moments of sadness within this book made such a compelling read and informative insight into the support system surrounding men in relationships. And despite many of us having read books about breakups and relationships, Dolly manages to bring such intricacy to the complexities of love. She takes us through the mania and desperation of searching for control in these times, without disregarding either perspective. Neither person is perfect with multifaceted perspectives on the same issues. These characters are inspiring in their complexity. I believe every reader will find a little bit of themselves in both Andy and Jen. I could not recommend this book enough. Thank you so much to Penguin and Fig Tree for sending me an arc to review ✨

I knew I was going to love this book from two pages in and it didn’t disappoint from start to finish. It’s absolutely hilarious, yet poignant, warm and heartbreaking all at once. The insights into love, relationships and heartbreak are completely spot on. The characters are so well written, they jump off the page and I felt like I really knew them. Andy is brilliant, the perfect blend of post break-up self hatred and self absorption. Jen features fleetingly for much of it and yet feels fully formed. Morris is also absolutely brilliant. I’ve not stopped recommending this and virtually squeal with delight when someone brings it to the counter. A really great book, so well written and I can’t wait for what Dolly does next, she’s a really special writer.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton. Publisher:: Penguin Uk Published on 9/11/23 NO SPOILERS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I first heard of Dolly Alderton when “Everything I Know About Love” was on tv. I watched it, loved it, read the book then listened to the audiobook I loved it that much. I equally love this book. Written from the perspective of a man post break up, it was just as relatable and engaging as the previous one. I particularly liked the ending which shone a whole new light on to the story. A perfect read for that post Christmas/New Year slump, it made me laugh (and shout in exasperation) out loud in places. Thanks to the author, publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.