Adelaide

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler, read by Caitlin Kelly.

Named Most Anticipated by: Bustle · Popsugar · Goodreads · Zibby Magazine · SheReads · Book Riot
And featured in Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire

*Nominated for the 2023 Goodreads Best Debut Novel award and longlisted for the Book of the Year award through Book of the Month*

'Achingly beautiful, and heartbreakingly relatable.’ DANA SCHWARTZ

On an otherwise ordinary day, 26-year-old American expat Adelaide Williams walks into a London hospital and asks for help. Something’s not right. She doesn’t feel like herself any more.

For the past year, she's been dating Rory Hughes, the charming man she met when she was least expecting to fall in love. Does he respond to texts? Honour his commitments? Make advance plans? Sometimes, rarely, and no, not at all. Despite everything, Adelaide is convinced he’s The One.

But when tragedy strikes unexpectedly, their relationship crumbles, and Adelaide realises she doesn't want to live without him. Because how can you move on from a love that’s changed you forever?

An emotional, relatable debut from a fresh new voice that captures the timeless nature of what it’s like to be young and in love – with your friends, with your city, and with the one person who cannot, will not, love you back.

‘A beautifully-written, deeply-felt exploration of what it means to love and be loved… A remarkable debut.’ Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost
‘Wheeler’s debut is searingly raw… Her whole soul is poured out onto the pages, and you’ll find it hard not to feel your own heart crack and stomach turn… Vulnerable, tender, and impossible to put down.’ Kirkus, Starred Review
‘Heartfelt’ Booklist
'A fearless portrayal of unrequited love... Wheeler's debut is engrossing and poignant, full of grit and vulnerability’ Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies
‘The complex heroine animates every page’ Publishers Weekly
‘Poignant’ PopSugar
'If you’ve ever loved the wrong person or the right person at the wrong time then your heart will ache' Serendipity

Critics Review

Wheeler’s prose gives spiky life to all those big feelings of love and grief
The Times (Book of the Month)
Perky, quirky and emotion-packed...her love of London, here presented in full Richard Curtis glory
Daily Mail
This story of love, friendship and heartbreak can't fail to give you all the feels...A very raw, real picture of a destructive relationship, which every woman out there might relate to
Heat magazine (Book of the Week - 5 Stars)
Beautiful and raw, Adelaide is a visceral portrayal of love and loss in your twenties. Wheeler is a master at rendering not only the life-altering events but also those moments in between - the impromptu nights out that turn into magic; the days your skin feels too thin for the world. It made me want to call up my best friends and sob and laugh and drink wine, and remember how it feels to piece myself back together after heartbreak. I loved it.
Ella Berman, author of Reese's Book Club pick Before We Were Innocent
Open-hearted and tender writing with characters so convincing I was sure I could hold a conversation with them off the page.
Lottie Hazell, author of Piglet
Impossible to put down. I saw myself and all of my past mistakes reflected back at me on every page. Genevieve Wheeler writes with brilliant clarity and specificity. I feel like I’m longtime friends with every one of her characters. I’ve been recommending this book to every one of my female friends who knows what it is to love too quickly and too deeply, with the wrong person. Adelaide is achingly beautiful, and heartbreakingly relatable.
Dana Schwartz
A triumph. I was totally hooked could not put it down. Genevieve Wheeler has a real bloody gift for story telling.
Nell Hudson
Adelaide is an eternally relatable tale of longing, loss and love. But it’s also about trying to navigate life in the eye of a psychological storm. We understand and empathise with every decision Adelaide makes, every emotion she feels, every time she grows and learns. It’s equally heart-breaking and heart-warming and in that sense leaves us with the impression that we have witnessed a slice of real life. Wheeler manages to explore all of this in a tightly plotted, engrossing story that so many of us will enjoy.
Emily Slapper
Adelaide is a beautifully-written, deeply-felt exploration of what it means to love and be loved. In it, Genevieve Wheeler perfectly captures the exquisite pain of being head-over-heels in love with someone whose feelings don’t match yours and poignantly celebrates the people on our journeys who make life worth living. A remarkable debut.
Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost
Wheeler’s debut is searingly raw... Her whole soul is poured out onto the pages, and you’ll find it hard not to feel your own heart crack and stomach turn as Adelaide tries without avail to win the love of someone who simply can’t give it. Wheeler deftly relates Adelaide's journey of unbending friendship, grief, and passion, and for many readers, her tale will strike a resonant chord. Vulnerable, tender, and impossible to put down.
Kirkus, Starred Review
Genevieve Wheeler's Adelaide puts the heartbreak of loving the wrong person and the healing powers of friendship on magnificent display. With whimsical prose and a charming London backdrop, this deeply relatable novel infuses even the most painful moments with hope. I savored every single page of this beautiful book.
Hannah Orenstein
Adelaide is a fearless portrayal of unrequited love — the kind that thwarts us, flattens us, and ultimately has something to teach us. Wheeler's debut is engrossing and poignant, full of grit and vulnerability. I devoured it.
Carola Lovering
Emotional and poignant, Genevieve Wheeler has made a remarkable debut with her fresh, modern voice. I was charmed. Adelaide exposes the raw edges of early adulthood and unrequited love, ultimately showing us that the true magic of life is that it's always worth living.
Sarah Addison Allen
I fell head-over-heels in love with Adelaide. Featuring an unforgettable main character, this debut bursts with warmth, while offering an unflinching look at heartbreak and mental health. Genevieve Wheeler’s writing had me cackling, crying, and nodding in recognition so vehemently that I almost gave myself whiplash.
Laura Hankin
A millennial love story that explores friendship, mental health, and the complexities of love.
SheReads, Most Anticipated Books of 2023
Heartfelt... fans of The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig (2020), will identify with Adelaide’s journey.
Booklist
The complex heroine animates every page.
Publishers Weekly
Poignant
PopSugar
If you’ve ever loved the wrong person or the right person at the wrong time then your heart will ache — and you’ll wish you could give a big hug — to our heroine Adelaide.
Serendipity
An incredible debut exploring mental illness, grief and how to know when to put yourself first
My Weekly magazine
A raw read about love, friendship and heartbreak
Closer magazine
A relatable novel that serves as a reminder of our first taste of heartbreak
That’s Life Monthly magazine
November new release recommendation
Take a Break Special
A very raw read about love, friendship and heartbreak, which pretty much every woman will relate to
Bella magazine
Heartachingly honest, this emotionally raw debut delves deep into the nuances, naïveté and brutal pain of young love, unrequited love, and toxic relationships
LoveReading
a beautifully written story with a good level of psychological insight
TripFiction
This story broke my heart...a must-read for fans of 'Everything I Know About Love' by Dolly Alderton
The Debut Digest

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