ADELAIDE by Genevieve Wheeler

 

My thoughts

This book gave me very mixed emotions. I liked it but didn't love it. I didn't really look at it as a deep love story. It was about love yes. But a love story no. Some of the language to me seemed to be thrown in periodically for some unknown reason. Maybe to reach a word limit..

Adelaide is a very kind and caring person. She's had a bit of horrible things to happen to her early on. One being an abusive relationship at the age of seventeen. Why she kept going back was beyond me but it does happen. It happens to the best of us. Adelaide treated people with so much kindness and caring and seem to always put everyone's feelings before her own. When she meets Rory Hughes she falls completely and utterly in love. She's done some dating sure. Quite a bit actually. But there is just something about Rory that keeps her wanting more. 

I did not like Rory. Not at all. Not in the beginning or the end. To me he was a very childish, self-centered, self loving, jerk. He treated women horribly. He dated Nathalie for a few years and could not quite commit to her. He ran away when it came down to moving in together. It took a bit for Nathalie to get sick of his way of treating her before she finally walked away. Rory would have days of not getting in touch. Of not answering texts. Of just being a jerk. He treated Nathalie and Adelaide both this way. Adelaide would do so much for him and he did nothing in return. I think all he wanted was the sex and the gifts. The food and the attention. Treat him like a big child and he was fairly happy. He milked losing Nathalie until I was sick of hearing about her. Let her go already. 

The best things sometimes are not always what we want out of life. Sometimes we have to step back and take a good hard look at things and see that this was just not meant to be. Move on. Be happy. But Adelaide had so many problems that she ended up seeking help for. Thank goodness she did. She got the help she needed and moved on in life. She did find a happiness. She found herself. She finally saw that she was worthy of being loved. Of being someone's treasure. Of being put first in someone's life. She went through so much. She had some of the best friends a person could ever ask for. 

While this book did not give me a lot of emotions it did make me shed some tears near the end. When things finally started going in the right direction. When Adelaide finally figured out who she was and what she wanted. It's sad that so many go through this kind of thing. It does happen though. This book touches on rape. Deals a great deal on mental health. And it points you in the right direction. At least that is what I got out of it. I applaud this debut author for writing this story. I hope she continues on her path of being an author. I believe she can do it. I believe she has a gift.

I got this book for Mother's Day from my most treasured person. My daughter. Thank you sweetheart. It's a good one. Parts do drag but overall it's a good one.

Four stars and I do recommend it. 

Synopsis

For twenty-six-year-old Adelaide Williams, an American living in dreamy London, meeting Rory Hughes was like a lightning bolt out of the blue: this charming Englishman was The One she wasn’t even looking for.

Is it enough?

Does he respond to texts? Honor his commitments? Make advance plans? Sometimes, rarely, and no, not at all. But when he shines his light on her, the world makes sense, and Adelaide is convinced that, in his heart, he’s fallen just as deeply as she has. Then, when Rory is rocked by an unexpected tragedy, Adelaide does everything in her power to hold him together—even if it means losing herself in the process.

When love asks too much of us, how do we find the strength to put ourselves first?

With unflinching honesty and heart, this relatable debut from a fresh new voice explores grief and mental health while capturing the timeless nature of what it’s like to be young and in love—with your friends, with your city, and with a person who cannot, will not, love you back.