Good material

Tender. Sweet. Funny. It's book magic. Andy is a fledgling comedian living in London whose career hasn’t yet hit the bigtime. His girlfriend Jen just broke up with him after a trip to Paris. I mean, really. He’s lovesick and can’t let go. Rereading their texts looking for clues, driving himself mad cyberstalking her, and holding on with exceedingly high hopes for a reconciliation. To Jen, they’re finished, the end. Alderton does an excellent job writing from a male perspective. How she got into Andy’s head, the nuances of his emotions, his quirks, are so well done, you’ll forget you’re reading a book written by a female author. Oh, Andy, down on his luck, a wee bit depressed, adrift, and things are only going downhill. His friends, each in their own relationships, try to comfort him, but they unintentionally make him feel worse about his plight. All that being said, this story is far from grim, there is an abundance of humor, I just can’t say more without spoiling it. In due time, our endearing Andy stumbles his way through trying to figure out lies ahead. Alderton has a firm grasp on the vibe of her 30-something generation and she incorporates a delightful storytelling structure with a unique deviation that works like a charm.

Dolly Alderton has been a favorite of mine for years now; first reading her non-fiction articles and Everything I Know About Love, and her podcasts. I couldn't wait for Ghosts when it was announced, was very unsurprised to have loved that one, and was equally if not more excited for Good Material. It almost feels tired at this point to say she's her generation's Nora Ephron, but I suppose it's repeated often because it's so true. Her writing is intelligent but not pretentious, engaging, and ACTUALLY funny. She makes observations on life and feelings that are accurate but not cliche, doesn't try too hard, and in a way that has a tendency to knock me over with how it puts words to feelings in ways I hadn't known how to describe before. All of that to say, I had high expectations for Good Material, and while it was different than I expected, I ended up loving it. I went in pretty blind, so was surprised right away that it was a male main character, but quickly adapted and was pulled in right away. I haven't read many books with female authors writing male MCs, but was pleased with how realistic Andy seemed to be. I'll admit at about half way through the book I had to read the synopsis again to see if something else was supposed to happen, for some reason expecting more plot, and got tired of Andy after awhile, then reminded myself that that's kind of the point; to be inside his head after the breakup and hear the obsessive thoughts and unanswered questions we all have and the rawness felt in the first weeks and months after a breakup. I just sat in silence after I finished the book because Dolly Alderton is just that masterful. Good Material is one of the rare books where you finish it and almost feel like the author pulled one over on you, thinking it's a really solid book, you think you know what's happening...and it is what you think, but then something just hits you like BAM right at the end that changes your whole perspective and makes what you just read even better. Like a twist you didn't see coming, but not actually a twist, but leaves. you with a "whoa, what just happened" feeling. I immediately knew I needed to reread it and see if it reads different after knowing Jen's experience. A reread will definitely be happening. Once again, Dolly has made me even more of a fan of hers, and I can't wait for whatever she comes out with next. All of the stars. *****One more paragraph below mentioning the end of the book - no details, but moved bc some may find it spoilery**** Throughout the book, it was probably a solid 4-4.5 stars, but Jen's POV at the end was completely brilliant and brought it up to a full 5 stars. For some reason I wasn't expecting it, and it brought the entire book full circle. While Andy's experience was relatable in many ways, getting Jen's perspective was somehow almost more impactful than everything we got from Andy during the first 85% of the book. It had so many relatable feelings being a woman who's not old, but not young, in today's world. Andy's part of the book took on new facets after reading Jen's, becoming more impactful, and Jen's section wouldn't have been as powerful without Andy's, and how she started appearing as a character and not just through Andy's recollections.

I honestly did not like this book through the first 80%. I just kept hoping it would get better and that's what kept me reading. The ending was good, but not the most groundbreaking. So I don't necessarily mind books where the main characters are bad people or unlikable, so long as the author's in on it and the reader can freely root against them. Great example is the book Bad Summer People where everyone is awful and part of the fun is seeing how it'll come back around for the characters. This book is not like that. This book takes a character whose entire premise is that they have nothing going for them, they're 35 and make quite literally every wrong decision at every turn and yet still think they're the hero or at least that they're deserving of good things happening to them without ever putting in the work. So for 80% of the book I just felt like I was annoyed and exasperated. The side characters have no personality or plot, and the ex girlfriend is just a stand-in for all the past rejection of the main character, even when she gets to explain her side of the story it feels like a classic case of mansplaining her motivations because just having her say her peace at the beginning apparently isn't enough to believe she was telling the truth. Light spoiler aheads: - I found Andy exceptionally unlikable, and even the ending where we hear Jen's perspective makes it seems like he's exhausting. Her explaining why they were good together just felt like something you'd do in your early twenties, not your mid thirties. - honestly no one, other than his friend's wife Jane was likable, maybe Andy's mom? They have no depth. - the side characters didn't add any value or insights. They're like NPC, though maybe that's because it's from Andy's perspective and he's pretty self absorbed

The author is a masterful storyteller, as evidenced by the way she subtly alters the reader’s perceptions of the main characters. We start out with the point of view of Andy, a heartbroken young man, devastated by (to him) the unexpected and unfathomable breakup of his longtime relationship with Jen. Then very subtly as the author shares Andy’s innermost thoughts, it becomes obvious to the reader that Jen may have had some very valid reasons for dumping Andy: he’s a selfish man-child, aimlessly going through life with the idea that he wants to be a successful standup comedian, but he won’t be bothered to make the effort to improve his increasingly stale material. Then the author switches the point of view to Jen. In the ensuing pages we learn that Jen, while enjoying Andy’s companionship, really has never had any interest in being in a permanent relationship. While a very engaging and fun read overall, I thought the book bogged down in the long and tedious process of getting to know both characters, but especially in the longer story of Andy. How many different ways do we need to be shown how Andy is a Loser? The ending is also somewhat pat—the lovers reunite for an overnight, only for Andy to finally realize Jen doesn’t want/need him. Only then he is inspired to write new material, which wows the audience. Meanwhile, Jen decides that it’s really okay to be alone, quits her prestigious job, and goes off to Find True Meaning. Will either finally achieve their hearts’ desire? Meh. I gave it 4 stars for the quality of the prose, but if I could separately rate the plot, it’d be 3 stars.

I’m very impressed with the authors ability to portray both sides of the breakup without really taking a side. I’ve dated so many giant manchildren like Andy and the arguments in this book are so realistic. It’s amazing how she can really nail both sides. This actually a near perfect portrayal of a breakup and would be a good read for anyone going through one.

Relationship grief, the good, the sad and the funny. The writing is great and the Audible to go along is fun. Especially if you’re an American and enjoy UK narration of UK writers… This is great to read and listen. I’m not a new Dolly Alderton reader so I was excited and ready to dive into Good Material. I hate comparing authors, but she has this very Sally Rooney kind of vibe to her writing. I love her honest approach to human emotion and friendships.. I do admit a story of a breakup told by the thirty-five year old man (that needed to grow the F dawgs up) kind of got to me after a while. But he was funny and I felt his grief. Loved the creative ending.

I found the first 80% whiny, though the writing was good and the characters relatable. The last 10% was really wonderful. I’m not sure I would recommend it, though I’m glad I read it.

I thought this book started out very good, it really grabbed my attention and felt really real. For me? It did start to drag a bit about half way and for a few pages I felt like it was at a stand still but then it grabbed me again and kept me completely engaged until the end. Over all I loved this book!