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Article  •  3 January 2024

 

What readers are saying about Dolly Alderton’s new book, Good Material

‘Dolly has done it again.’

Since her first book, Everything I Know About Love, was published in 2018, Dolly Alderton's writing has won the hearts of readers around the world.

Her witty, humorous, and always-relatable writing has made her books longstanding favourites with readers and her newest novel, Good Material is no exception.

Following Andy, a 35-year-old comedian in the throes of a rough breakup, the book explores concepts of love and the highs and lows of romantic relationships.

However, while there are many tear-jerking moments throughout the novel, it’s not all doom and gloom. With funny moments and glimmers of positivity throughout, readers finish the book feeling like they have loved, learned and grown alongside Andy.

About the book

Good Material book cover.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Every relationship has one beginning. This one has two endings.

Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.

Now he is. . .

1. Without a home
2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
3. Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking

Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak at a time when everything he thought he knew about women, and flat-sharing, and his friendships has transformed beyond recognition, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of their broken relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him.

Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story.

Reader reviews of Good Material

  • This is such a good read as at times it’s tender, at others it’s very amusing but throughout it is very perceptively observed. I really like the author's turns of phrase, she can be poignant but also droll, very witty and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny which is a clever combination as it keeps you turning pages. – Ceecee on Goodreads
  • Dolly has done it again. Another beautifully told masterpiece of a story about a breakup, heartache, life and how human we all are.
    I laughed, I felt extremely emotional, I related to so much of it.10/10
    Zoe Giles on Goodreads
  • It is simultaneously poignant and hilarious. It is insightful and tender. It is, quite simply, Dolly Alderton. – @readmyblurb on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
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  • This book is heartfelt (but never saccharine), thought-provoking, and hilarious. You’re equal parts laughing with/at Andy, while also feeling completely like, yup, been there, as he struggles through that most relatable of human experiences – the devastating breakup. Even if you haven’t been through a breakup like this, I still think you’d find this book enjoyable because it’s just so thoroughly entertaining, while still being full of substance. – @jackiesbookshelf on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
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  • 10/10, standing ovation, LOVED IT! For fans of Nora Ephron, Marian Keyes and Nina Stibbe.
    I spent most of Christmas reading this book. It tells the story of a breakup but mainly from sad ex-boyfriend Andy’s perspective, which is not easy to pull off, but Dolly does it. It made me laugh out loud but I also cried three times. – @poppyandherbooks on Instagram 
 
 
 
 
 
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  • It’s really no secret that I am a massive fan of all Dolly Alderton’s writing. She’s like the big sister I never had when it comes to her advice and nonfiction and an excellent novelist as well. Good Material* is her second novel and it follows Andy in the aftermath of a breakup from his longterm girlfriend, Jen. The emotions, the consequences, the seemingly impulsive+weird things we do after experiencing a major upheaval. All this is told with the humour and charming flair Dolly is known for. – @whatsophieread on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
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Interested? Start reading it, here.

 
 
 
 
 
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Feature Title

Good Material
Every relationship has one beginning. This one has two endings.
Read more

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