Beautiful World, Where Are You: A Novel

I appreciate Sally Rooney as an author and artist of developing realistic character and generational angst. This book, however, was depressing. The character of Felix really disgusted me, probably because he was so relatable - in the way he shamed Alice's personality and strength and she adapted because of her insecurities and loneliness. Was anyone else outraged by the way he continually picked at her and shamed her for being herself? He was clearly not at the same intellectual level as Alice and they had little in common but sex drive and mental pain. Perhaps I am that ignorant book fan who thinks I know more about her than I could IRL and am abhorrent for pointing out the obvious. If anything is redeeming from the depression and cringe, I'm thankful after reading this that I have matured past the need for anyone like Felix in my life.

Was tempted to dnf this book about a quarter of the way through, but kept going because I liked Normal People so much I was willing to give it a chance + wanted to meet a monthly reading goal. Circling a lot of similar themes as her other works but this one is missing some of the magic. oddly boring and hard to become invested in any characters. I don't understand them at all. Can I say that I'm very tired of this trope of women who call themselves feminists and talk intellectually about women's rights and then fall madly in love with uninteresting mediocre men who treat them (and everyone else) badly? The characters were all so disaffected, so cool and distant, no emotional depth. I don't understand them or their motives, a single choice they make or why.

3.5 Stars — I enjoyed this book, but it was very ordinary — and maybe that’s why I liked it? The characters were so raw, real, and flawed — maybe that’s why I liked it too? All in all, not my favorite book, but I can’t say it was bad.

4.5
I don't know what to say about this book that will do it justice. I love Sally Rooney's writing and how dry it is. To some, it might be boring or hard to understand, but to me, it is like shortbread cookies. Dry, but it has a charm that makes you feel at home. Like shortbread cookies, I couldn't stop devouring this novel. I don't know if I found the characters loveable, but I loved them nevertheless. I can't explain how this book made me feel, just that I loved every second.

If you like her first two books, your love for her will carry you through this one too. She's doing a number of things in the book, and possibly as a result of that, this novel felt like it needed editing down in a way the first two did not. Parts of it felt like a plea to respect the humanity of the author, which is definitely something we should be careful to do, both for Rooney and other authors.