Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir

I bought this book as a gift for a friend, and it was a huge hit! The author’s raw and honest reflections on love, relationships, and self-discovery are beautifully written. she said every chapter felt like a conversation with a close friend. It’s emotional, funny, and full of wisdom. definitely a must-read for anyone looking for a real take on love. Highly recommend!

This book was a great read. I felt like I learned a lot about myself from this book.

Everything I Know About Love is meant to be a candid exploration of one woman's experiences with love, friendship, and growing up. While it promises a relatable and humorous account of navigating the complexities of relationships, it ultimately fell short for me due to the protagonist's self-indulgent and often unlikable behavior. I picked this up because I feel young and stupid and I wanted a book that would tell me how to be better, or at least offer some empathy and relatability to the stupid issues that are consistent for women in their twenties. I did not find that here. The memoir is structured as a series of personal anecdotes that offer glimpses into the author's life, from teenage years to adulthood. Through the lens of her own experiences, Alderton delves into the highs and lows of romantic relationships, the bonds of friendship, and the trials of self-discovery. The writing is witty and conversational, making it easy to dive into her world. And I really wanted to like it. However, the main stumbling block for me was the characterization of the author herself. While it's not uncommon for memoirs to feature flawed protagonists (because, duh, real people aren't perfectly likable), Alderton's self-absorption and ignorance bordered on depressing for me. Her actions and choices often come across as thoughtless and inconsiderate, making it challenging to sympathize with her struggles, and I struggle to believe that the hallmark of people in their twenties is being thoughtless and inconsiderate. That would be wildly depressing. What could have been charming or relatable selfishness instead veered into a territory of willful ignorance that kind of put me off. That said, there are moments of insight and genuine humor in the book, especially when Alderton reflects on the ups and downs of female friendships. These moments provide a glimpse of the book's potential, offering relatable and thought-provoking content that many readers may find valuable. While some people may appreciate the raw honesty and unfiltered portrayal of the author's life, others may, like myself, struggle to connect with a protagonist who often comes across as self-absorbed and oblivious to the impact of her actions on others. It's a book that might resonate with those who can forgive its flaws and appreciate its moments of insight, but it may leave others frustrated by its central character's shortcomings. I think if you're truly trying to improve, this might disappoint you- but if you're well past that point and have matured, you'll probably find this book funny and relatable.

This book was a great read. I recommended to lots of my friends. I love the author Dolly Alderton so was delighted to read this fantastic novel.

Just got into reading books and loved this one. Great book for women navigating their 20's. I love the way she drops in little recipes and surprises here and there. Loved the book would recommend to friends.

How do I even begin to explain what this book means to me? this book talks about love in all shapes and all sizes. Love in the nature of friendship, and love in the nature in romance. It makes you look at yourself and understand these parts of you as a person, the good and the bad. The things that make life worth living. It’s womanhood, the shared tears and laugher with your closest friends. The memories of good and bad experiences but with a view of how they have made you who you are today, and what you will be. The easy and the difficult, the fun and the hard. It’s a book about navigating life and all the shit that comes with that.

Dolly has become an auto buy author! She is such a fantastic writer and this book really showcases a fun and unique way of looking a love in our lives.

While I was enjoying Dolly Alderton’s novel, “Ghosts”, I ordered her memoir, “Everything I Know About Love”. I was eager to continue reading Alderton’s wry and witty way of looking at the word, particularly our culture of love and romance, sex, and gender differences. It’s both hilarious and heartbreaking…like life! I’ve had two, equally great, experiences reading memoirs; one is reading about and relating to a familiar experience, place or time (e.g., Mary Karr), the other is reading about experiences, places, and times that I am completely unfamiliar with. The latter is how I found Alderton’s memoir and I was fascinated! Her coming of age, in and around London in the 1980s to the early 2000s, was a world, a sub-culture, and a dynamic that I found at times repellent, incomprehensible, educational, and always entertaining. One huge “take away” that Alderton rhapsodizes about herein (and which I find to be true), is the importance and value of female friendships. The amazing thing is that Alderton is only 30 at the end of this memoir! I suspect more to follow! After all, now she has two successful books under her belt!