Review: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Blurb: No official blurb so a quote from Waterstones.com will have to do!

“A spot-on, wildly funny and sometimes heart-breaking book about growing up, growing older and navigating all kinds of love along the way.”

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Title: Everything I Know About Love

Author: Dolly Alderton

Publisher: Penguin Books, owned by Penguin Random House

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

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Review:

Typically, I’m not really one for non-fiction, especially biographies, but I picked this one up after a break up and was most definitely not disappointed. Dolly takes us through her life, listing all of the heartbreaks, trials and tribulations that she’s encountered on the way, giving advice as she goes. There’s everything from love and personal growth to grief and friendship and all aspects offered me a lot of comfort for various reasons.

First off, Dolly’s is the voice of the older sister that I always wanted. So honest about her experiences and candid about her advice to those in similar situations. Both during a break up and then later, after losing my dad, I felt comforted by reading about her experiences and how she dealt with them, offering the understanding of having been there already and the hope that it gets better with time. The tone of this book was informal and conversational, making you feel as though you were long time friends swapping stories which I particularly enjoyed. I felt as if, by the end, I knew the people she mentioned and that I was priviledge to their wonderfully tight-knit group which gave off such a comforting vibe – simply like being wrapped up in a warm hug. I loved the lists of everything she knew about love at different ages. Whether I related to them personally or have yet to truly understand some of the points, it was wonderful to see the change we go through as people as we experience more of life and also gave me a few hints of what’s to come – and that it’s totally normal! In this book, Dolly gives a voice to all of those thoughts in the back of your mind and shows you that there’s a way to get past them and flourish, but also to learn from the mistakes. The inclusion of recipes was a perfect touch as I feel like sometimes all we want in a low moment is that homey classic, a perfectly scrambled egg. For me, this only added to Dolly’s relatability. Alderton writes so smoothly and with such humour that this book was a joy to read and I’m currently anxiously awaiting her first novel due out next year.

My favourite thing about this book is the lasting impact it’s had on me. I feel like I’ve gone from being unsure about myself and how I’m perceived (particularly by men that I’m potentially interested in) and whether I’m moving too slowly through life, to just doing what I feel is best for me, concentrating on myself and feeling more in touch with who I am. Additionally, the ending of this book really had me thinking about all of the wonderful people in my life and how grateful I am for their advice and influence, leading me to reach out to them and let them know. An overall very positive take from a book, more so than I had expected!

As for what I disliked about this book, I find it difficult to think of anything. More recipes would have been a nice touch but they were an added extra to begin with (a brilliant one at that!) and while interesting, wouldn’t make this book more enjoyable on a large scale anyway.

Overall, I would genuinely recommend this book to anyone who is feeling a little unsure of their place in the world, is going through some sort of loss (relationship or otherwise) or just wants some proof that they’re not struggling alone.

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Rating: 5/5

Recommend?: Yes! 100%!!

Have you read this book? What did you think? Is there something similar that you’ve read? I’d love to know!

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