Adelaide

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