adelaide: she is me and i am her
- paigenherbooks
- Jun 1, 2023
- 4 min read
4/5
Adelaide was as if the author had injected my life and some of my extremely niche (but apparently not so niche) experiences into this novel and then made it feel as if Adelaide and I were on Facetime and she was detailing her recent life updates that I had missed. This book felt personal. It was reflective and moving. It shocked me in a lot of ways with the similarities between the main character and myself. From things such as her being a communication major to her office at work being called the "war room" to her loving to read, and just her perception of life as well as her relationship with Rory. Adelaide was the therapy session I didn't know I needed.
Synopsis: A young American expat living in London, Adelaide is enjoying a life of close friendships and exciting career prospects when she meets Rory Hughes, a man who instantly charms her with his British accent and “Disney Prince” looks. The only problem is, Rory treats her terribly, quickly proving himself to be evasive and noncommittal. The epitome of an emotionally unavailable man. But loyal and generous to a fault, Adelaide wholeheartedly believes that Rory will change, that he’ll evolve beyond his selfishness and trauma to reciprocate the love she gives him so freely in spades.
Adelaide follows the story of Adelaide, a young woman in her 20s, who lives abroad and falls for a dashing young man, Rory, who teaches her quite a lot about life, love, and resilience. The story starts off with Adelaide in the hospital, she checked herself in for suicide watch...and then our story begins. We dive deep into what led to the events of Adelaide feeling this way. We see the highs and lows. We fall for charismatic Rory and feel for Adelaide when she starts to realize that he doesn't love her. The story is engaging, it's fun, and full of life and vibrance that I haven't seen in a realistic fiction novel in a while. It's current and easy going, it's again as if I'm on Facetime with the girls and they're telling me all about their abroad adventures. It was simply just a good, heartwarming story with lessons intertwined within that overall created a novel that will leave its mark on those who read it.
This book was like therapy.
Not to get too deep and personal buuuuut I'm going to. This book was very reflective for me. The things that Adelaide experienced made me not only feel less alone but really made me sit back and reflect on my last relationship. It was freeing in a way to be able to objectively look at these things and not have this book be soul-crushing, which if I was still involved with that person it would have been. To be able to watch Adelaide do the things I did and understand and see, really see all the "red flags" and all of the "bad nights" was so freeing, and eye-opening as well as almost like taking accountability. I have grown enough since my last relationship that I would never, ever again let someone treat me that way nor treat me the way that Rory, treated Adelaide. It was freeing to see our main character walk away from that experience feeling the same way.
This story was raw and real.
It hit on things that I and millions of other women have experienced day in and day out all the while making it feel as if I was right there as if I was part of the girl gang and we were all just getting through it.
This book was I think the final seal on closing that chapter of my life. I was over it before, and have been for a bit, but to see the mental and emotional growth in relation to how the story made me feel was actually wild. This novel is one that I think every girl should read, regardless of age, background, feelings, current relationship status, or anything.
Everyone could profit from reading a story like this.
To see the themes that are presented within this novel, the main one being "you can't love someone enough to make them love you." I think as women we find ourselves doing just that so so so often. That we overcompensate and try to love harder in hopes that our partners will love us back, and it's simply not true.
Love shouldn't hurt.
Love is patient and kind, love is authentic and fun.
Love is dancing on an empty dancefloor without a care in a world, love is staying up all night drinking $5 bottles of wine and talking about everything, love is "drive safe" texts and getting up extra early to go get breakfast on a beautiful spring Friday morning. Love is having tough conversations but holding hands all throughout and letting them through every wall you've put up.
Love is kind.
Love should be easy. Adelaide shows this in a beautifully hopeful yet realistic way that I absolutely adored.
To be honest, there's not much more to say.
I think this book is one that you might just need to read to totally understand. A short read that packs a punch. Adelaide has earned its spot on my shelf and her highlighted pages will forever echo within my psyche, so to the author I say, thank you. Thank you for writing a novel that made me feel less alone, a novel that taught me a lot, and made me reflect as well. For being like a long hug after a long, long day.
here's to reflective & coming of age stories, cheers.
xoxo,
paige :)
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