Adelaide Williams, by all accounts, is quite a lovely person. She's twenty-six and living out her American dream in London surrounded by equally-lovely, salt-of-the-earth friends, a blossoming career, and a lively social life. What more could Adelaide want, really?
The resounding answer, so it turns out, is Rory Hughes.
At first glance, Rory is Adelaide's English, Disney Prince. In a meeting that couldn't have been orchestrated by anything other than fate itself, Adelaide and Rory enter each other's orbits in London's booming nightlife, and Adelaide becomes convicted that Rory--this perfectly-imperfect, dashing man--is The One. However, as their whirlwind romance continues, Adelaide starts to wonder: is this how true love is supposed to feel?
And here we have it, readers, my first contender for a top book of 2023. "Adelaide" is a marvelous, beautifully-honest, poignant novel about a young woman finding her place in the world, and love's place in her world. Whether you're someone who's seeking out "The One" or someone who's already found them, I promise you will love "Adelaide" (the story and character) in capital letters.
By the end of the story, I wanted 100 more pages with Adelaide and her offbeat, empathetic reflections. To the girls who feel everything that reverberates through the world and can't turn off that switch, this book is for you. For lovers of "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" and "Eleanor Elephant is Completely Fine," "Adelaide" is a novel that will sweep you off of your feet and into the world of a girl who has so much to offer the vibrant world around her, and so much love to give.
Rating: 5 Stars
Publication Details: Out 4/18/2023, St. Martin's Press
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
