Good Material: A novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK • From the best-selling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a story of heartbreak and friendship and how to survive both
“Like Nora Ephron, with a British twist….Delivers the most delightful aspects of classic romantic comedy—snappy dialogue, realistic relationship dynamics, humorous meet-cutes and misunderstandings—and leaves behind the clichéd gender roles and traditional marriage plot.”
—The New York Times
Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.
Now he is. . .
Without a home
Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking
Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story…
In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.
“Like Nora Ephron, with a British twist….Delivers the most delightful aspects of classic romantic comedy—snappy dialogue, realistic relationship dynamics, humorous meet-cutes and misunderstandings—and leaves behind the clichéd gender roles and traditional marriage plot.”
—The New York Times
Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.
Now he is. . .
Without a home
Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking
Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story…
In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Good Material* by Dolly Alderton offers a heartfelt, honest look at modern relationships, heartbreak, and moving on, capturing both male ...
thenextgoodbook.com
What’s it about?
When Jen dumps Andy after four years together he is totally heartbroken. He didn’t see it coming and he desperately wants to understand why.
What did it make me think about?
Oh please Andy- let’s get over this!
Should I read it?
Dolly Alderton is a talented writer. At page 170 I found that I really liked Andy- and I really wanted Andy to get over it and move on, but I wasn’t so sure about the book! But Dolly Alderton kept writing, and I kept reading, and this novel slowly started working for me. It is a very easy read, so although I got frustrated with the main character at times, it was never hard to pick it back up and keep going. I won’t say any more (in an attempt not to give anything away) but I think many readers would enjoy this look at modern relationships and heartbreak.
Quote-
” ‘I mean obviously she’s met someone else,’ I say.
‘There’s no other explanation.’
‘Sorry, why is there no other explanation?’ Jane asks.
‘Because people don’t break up with people who they’ve had absolutely no prior problem with just so they can be single. No one likes being single that much.’
‘I’d like to be single,’ Jane replies. ‘I think most women would. It’s men who don’t know how to do it.’
‘I hate today,’ Avi says sulkily.”
What’s it about?
When Jen dumps Andy after four years together he is totally heartbroken. He didn’t see it coming and he desperately wants to understand why.
What did it make me think about?
Oh please Andy- let’s get over this!
Should I read it?
Dolly Alderton is a talented writer. At page 170 I found that I really liked Andy- and I really wanted Andy to get over it and move on, but I wasn’t so sure about the book! But Dolly Alderton kept writing, and I kept reading, and this novel slowly started working for me. It is a very easy read, so although I got frustrated with the main character at times, it was never hard to pick it back up and keep going. I won’t say any more (in an attempt not to give anything away) but I think many readers would enjoy this look at modern relationships and heartbreak.
Quote-
” ‘I mean obviously she’s met someone else,’ I say.
‘There’s no other explanation.’
‘Sorry, why is there no other explanation?’ Jane asks.
‘Because people don’t break up with people who they’ve had absolutely no prior problem with just so they can be single. No one likes being single that much.’
‘I’d like to be single,’ Jane replies. ‘I think most women would. It’s men who don’t know how to do it.’
‘I hate today,’ Avi says sulkily.”
waiting till ksen finishes to review in case she sees this
edit: 2.5/3 stars. i just like dolly, i think her writing is charming. i see what she was trying to do here with subverting the typical break up novel and telling the story from the male perspective, but the character felt very one note and whiney. read it very quickly because it was super easy to chug through, but very little action in the novel and generally felt flat.
edit: 2.5/3 stars. i just like dolly, i think her writing is charming. i see what she was trying to do here with subverting the typical break up novel and telling the story from the male perspective, but the character felt very one note and whiney. read it very quickly because it was super easy to chug through, but very little action in the novel and generally felt flat.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.