Everything I Know About Love audiobook

all i have to say is that i love my best friend.this was so profoundly and beautifully written while also being light and humorous. dolly alderton is obviously an incredibly talented writer & i am so happy i read this for one of my first books of 2022.⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ “she knows where to find everything in me and i know where all her stuff is too. she is, in short, my best friend.” rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑this was my first full read of 2022, and i am so happy i started with this. this review is going to be more personal than my other reviews, so here is a tiny disclaimer.there’s a certain addictiveness about dolly alderton’s writing. she’s funny, witty, and obviously an extremely good writer. i flew through the pages (while the initial 100 pages were rough + could have been cut down a bit, the rest of the book was so beautifully written that i couldn't help but give this five stars). what i loved the most about this book is her friendships, especially the one she has with farley. i adored the way she spoke about her best friend, about how they are two halves of a whole and how they have left ‘no pebble unturned’. it did not take me long to realize that this memoir is not about men or relationships, it is more of a love letter to her best friend and the friendships she has in her life. i really appreciated that. i cried big ugly tears and sent quotes to my own best friend because alderton encapsulated exactly how i feel about her; i love her to pieces and pieces, till death do us part, all the clichés.this is my favorite part out of the entire book: "i want to know what that feels like, to be truly committed to someone, rather than having one foot out the door.""you're too hard on yourself," she said. "you can do long-term love. you've done it better than anyone i know.""how? my longest relationship was two years and that was over when i was twenty-four.""i'm talking about you and me," she said. another thing i loved that she touched on was on the lull of life, which feels fitting to read about, especially during a pandemic where things are inevitably less ‘exciting’ than before. there’s a quote on getting older in your 20s that really resonated with me: “you are realizing the mundanity of life. you are finally understanding how little point there is to anything. you are moving out of the realm of fantasy 'when i grow up' and adjusting to the reality that you're there; it's happening. and it's wasn't what you thought it might be. you are not who you thought you'd be.” this hit me way harder than i thought it would. because i think it’s true in a sense: your twenties are most likely going to be much more anticlimactic than you thought it would be. i think the pandemic has especially left me disillusioned regarding some aspects of my life. but also, i do think that life is about appreciating the mundanity that is so despised, and realizing that usually, the small fleeting moments in life are the ones that truly matter. whether it’s mundane or special, that’s up to you.

Bloody hell, pals. This book is sweet and silly, smart and serious. I would highly recommend. I don't read an awful lot of auto-biographical stuff but I knew of Dolly already, through her PanDolly and High-Low podcasts with Pandora Sykes and her amusing dating column in the Sunday Times. And when it popped up on NetGalley, I wanted it. I wanted it real bad. So, yes: this is a NetGalley freebie but thoughts are my own, of course: what is the point otherwise?So. Everything I Know About Love. That title isn't really a misnomer, not exactly, but it does set you up to think that it's about capital L Love - you know, Carrie Bradshaw's ridiculous, all-consuming, can't-live-without-it Love. But Dolly herself would be the first person to tell you that she has very little experience of that Love, actually. (Pun intended.) Would she like more? Yes. But has she been without love? That's a definite no there, my friend. This book is full of love, in its wild and various guises, but it shines most brightly in Dolly's over-whelming and supportive (but not always healthy) love for her friends, a tight knit group of woman who live with, live for, fight with and fight for each other. I won't lie; I was very jealous. Dolly, her best friend Farley and their extended group of wonderful women have something very special - and Dolly never, ever forgets that. I was eager for this book, you know. I was hungry. And I gulped it all up in three big bites, staying up later than I really should to finish it off. I think the fun here for me was, admittedly, partly because because Dolly and I are both English and close in age. There were many similarities for us, although she is definitely a lot posher. I don't mind saying that I'm a bit older than her, so I did miss some of those cultural things, especially the pure sheer devotion to local MSN - I used it, too, but I talked to people in America who were a little ahead of us here. But there's always interest for me in people who started to come of age as the internet did. (That's probably self-absorbed, but there it is.) And you know how they always say that New York is the fifth character in Sex and the City? Well, if London isn't a main role here, it was definitely a scene-stealing extra, popping up frequently and joyfully. Having lived in London for almost fifteen years now, I feel like the city was beautifully painted, mostly via a vividly ramshackle Camden Town. The reoccurring lists in this book were a real highlight for me. Dolly writes a literal list of what she knows about love at different ages and, my god, if they weren't exactly the lists I would have written at the same times. If they haven't aged and mellowed just like I have. If they haven't sharpened and become less likely to take your bullshit just like I have. They were perfect, truly. And one last thing I wanted to mention: Dolly writes a beautiful meditation on the difference between intensity and intimacy that left me reeling. A crazy, all-consuming relationship she has almost entirely over text which ends in a flurry of drama felt almost rude, the way it was pointing a big finger straight at me. I saw myself there and it made me put my Kindle down, as I was laying in bed next to the love of my life, and think about just that. I have been there, Dolly, I have lived that existence, confusing intimacy and intensity, trying to stretch the fizz of excitement into something more sustainable. But champagne goes flat and what you're left with after the bubbles have gone isn't entirely palatable. I loved it at the time and I'm so glad it's over. Thank you for writing about it so wonderfully, Dolly. Thanks for the wild ride.

Was it meant to make me as sad as it did? Did it just hit too close to home when I, myself, am experiencing a sort of existential crisis?Either way Dolly writes beautifully and honestly and it’s impossible for her words to not strike chords within you.

I received an ARC of the book for free from the publisher (Harper Books) in exchange for an honest review. Since I received an ARC, my quotes from the book are tentative. I found this to be a very relatable memoir. There were some passages that really spoke to me. For example, a paragraph from the chapter, Tottenham Court Road, perfectly describes me right now. She writes:“When you begin to wonder if life is really just waiting for buses. . . and ordering books you’ll never read off Amazon. . . You are realizing the mundanity of life, You are finally understanding how little point there is to anything. You are moving out of the realm of fantasy ‘when I grow up’ and adjusting to the reality that you’re there; it’s happening. And it wasn’t what you thought it might be. You are not who you thought you would be” (pg 167-168).That passage really hit home. I am definitely still coming to terms with the face that I am “grown up.” At another point she states, “Online dating is for the brave” (pg. 324). All I can say is amen to that! This book is not just relatable, it is also very humorous. There are some funny moments. I particularly liked the satirical emails she interspersed throughout the book. On the flip side, there are some more heartbreaking moments that added contrast. I liked the balance between the two because it really showcases the ups and downs of life.Lastly, I really liked the author’s writing style. It was very accessible and conversational, as if you were two friends catching up. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it. It isn’t just a book about love. It’s also about female friendship and growing older which will resonate with a lot of women.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton is an interesting memoir focused on dating, relationships, and love. Alderton tells stories of different dating experiences and relationships. She discusses friendships and how friends’ relationships affected her friendships. Alderton discusses her journey to finding love and discovering how to be content while single. She discusses how she went from always dating to always being single. One of the most interesting parts to me was her best friend’s relationship and how she felt throughout it. Everything I Know About Love is very entertaining and relatable. I wasn’t sure how much I would like this book, but I really enjoyed it. Alderton discusses many struggles for young adults. This memoir is very personal and Alderton talks about her accomplishments as well as mistakes. I recommend Everything I Know About Love to anyone that thinks an honest memoir about love, relationships, and growing up sounds interesting.Thank you Harper Perennial for a finished copy of Everything I Know About Love.Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...

So glad I read this book when I did as I really needed & it’s perfection for any girl in their 20s who are a little lost

this was the perfect book to start 2021 with. it was a funny, relatable and refreshingly honest account of dolly’s journey through her twenties. it is very middle-class vibes though.

Al principio me rayé mucho porque no conectaba nada con Dolly... pero después madre mía, la amo, es la mejor. Me he reído y me emocionado mucho (Florence, being a bit fat being a bit thin, homecoming...). Me ha encantado de verdad, ha sido como una pequeña terapia para mí 🥺❤️ creo que tiene reflexiones muuuuy acertadas y 100% voy a intentar hacerle caso en ciertas cosas. Muy contenta con esta lectura la verdad 💕💕💕

“Nearly everything I know about love, I've learnt from my long-term friendships with women.” As I've stated in my past reviews: I'm not a big fan of biographies. I found myself to never really like the author (or the protagonist, however you want to say it). This one I got for my birthday and I gave it a fair shot. And I actually enjoyed it!Multiple times I found myself thinking "god I HATE her" and like 2 pages afterwards I'd realize I hated her so much 'cause she reminded me of myself. Dolly might be more extreme than me with alcohol escapades and sex and drugs but in general her bad sides are a lot like my bad sides. While I sometimes found this trying to be funny and she and her friends trying to be different too hard, other aspects I really liked.But what I loved and didn't expect at all from this book was that it's actually about her female friendships. I could relate to her friendship to Farly soo much. It made me realize how I, despite being single, am so lucky and so incredibly loved. I'm glad I gave it a chance!

Love, friendship, life, confusing, confining, freeing, adventurous, redeeming, reliving--a WONDERFUL memoir encompassing everything a memoir should be, honest. I’m usually not impressed by memoirs, but this hit different. I knew nothing about Dolly Alderton until coming across reviews of fellow Goodreads friends. Alderton is a journalist, writer, producer, a pretty cool person. She writes about her roaring 20's, the mistakes, mishaps, beauty, and adventure of a time we can all look back on and smile (and cringe a little). Alderton writes with honest integrity about her addictions and insecurities. From alcohol and drugs to understanding the journey of self acceptance. It's a trajectory, as Alderton explains, it ebbing and flowing throughout life--that is honesty. Because I am enough. My heart is enough. The stories and the sentences twisting around my mind are enough. I am fizzing and frothing and buzzing and exploding. I’m bubbling over and burning up. My early-morning walks and my late-night baths are enough. My loud laugh at the pub is enough. My piercing whistle, my singing in the shower, my double-jointed toes are enough. I adored her revelations about friendships. We never discuss how much relationships change when our best friends move on, get married, have kids. There is grief and a new revised version of the friendship. The love we have for each other stays the same, but the format, the tone, the regularity, and the intimacy of our friendship will change forever. Some might assume this book is only for singles or for those on a quest for love, but it's really about finding our truths, exploring our pains, accepting our pasts, and holding steadfast to our friendships. ..know that love happens under the splendor of moon and stars and fireworks and sunsets, but it also happens when you’re lying on blow-up air beds in a childhood bedroom, sitting in the emergency room or in the queue for a passport or in a traffic jam. Love is a quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily forget is there, even though its palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall This quote resonated with me... More often than not, the love someone gives you will be a reflection of the love you give yourself. If you can’t treat yourself with kindness, care, and patience, chances are someone else won’t either Overall a great read. 4.5/5 stars (I look forward to watching the show based on the book)

this book is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. i cannot tell you how much i learned from it. i did not only find dolly to be unimaginably relatable in several ways (a thing that was very likely to happen, seeing as though both dolly and i are virgos lol) but also so very inspiring and someone i will inevitably find myself thinking of when being approached at a bar or when seeing a funny street sign. she's the kind of friend i so desperately wish i had. this book made me laugh, it made me cry, to be honest it made me feel all sorts of things.from nights spent drinking, chain smoking and making bad decisions to finally accepting herself for exactly who she is and shining light on all of her imperfections, dolly stays so painfully honest through it all, explains so profoundly what it is to be human and clarifies that it's impossible living a life without making mistakes.this book is honestly so full with lectures and talk on love and life and as a 17 year old i found it so incredibly helpful in so many ways. i will seriously never forget this book. dolly's words and beliefs will forever be engraved in my mind and soul.