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Good material

  • Based on 19,643 reviews
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Description

From the bestselling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a story of heartbreak and friendship and how to survive both. Andy's story wasn't meant to turn out this way. Living out of a suitcase in his best friends' spare room, waiting for his career as a stand-up comedian to finally take off, he struggles to process the life-ruining end of his relationship with the only woman he's ever truly loved. As he tries to solve the seemingly unsolvable mystery of his broken relationship, he contends with career catastrophe, social media paranoia, a rapidly dwindling friendship group and the growing suspicion that, at 35, he really should have figured this all out by now. Andy has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story. Warm, wise, funny and achingly relatable, Dolly Alderton's highly- anticipated second novel is about the mystery of what draws us together - and what pulls us apart - the pain of really growing up, and the stories we tell about our lives. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PENGUIN


Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2023


Edition ‏ : ‎ International Edition


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0241523672


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 74


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.3 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.02 x 0.98 x 9.21 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,624,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)


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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Great book!
Format: Hardcover
A great book about break ups! Very relatable read told from 2 different perspectives. Very beautiful cover as well.
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2026 by Khanh Nguyen

  • Still thinking about it weeks later.
Format: Kindle
Dolly Alderton has been a favorite of mine for years now; first reading her non-fiction articles and Everything I Know About Love, and her podcasts. I couldn't wait for Ghosts when it was announced, was very unsurprised to have loved that one, and was equally if not more excited for Good Material. It almost feels tired at this point to say she's her generation's Nora Ephron, but I suppose it's repeated often because it's so true. Her writing is intelligent but not pretentious, engaging, and ACTUALLY funny. She makes observations on life and feelings that are accurate but not cliche, doesn't try too hard, and in a way that has a tendency to knock me over with how it puts words to feelings in ways I hadn't known how to describe before. All of that to say, I had high expectations for Good Material, and while it was different than I expected, I ended up loving it. I went in pretty blind, so was surprised right away that it was a male main character, but quickly adapted and was pulled in right away. I haven't read many books with female authors writing male MCs, but was pleased with how realistic Andy seemed to be. I'll admit at about half way through the book I had to read the synopsis again to see if something else was supposed to happen, for some reason expecting more plot, and got tired of Andy after awhile, then reminded myself that that's kind of the point; to be inside his head after the breakup and hear the obsessive thoughts and unanswered questions we all have and the rawness felt in the first weeks and months after a breakup. I just sat in silence after I finished the book because Dolly Alderton is just that masterful. Good Material is one of the rare books where you finish it and almost feel like the author pulled one over on you, thinking it's a really solid book, you think you know what's happening...and it is what you think, but then something just hits you like BAM right at the end that changes your whole perspective and makes what you just read even better. Like a twist you didn't see coming, but not actually a twist, but leaves. you with a "whoa, what just happened" feeling. I immediately knew I needed to reread it and see if it reads different after knowing Jen's experience. A reread will definitely be happening. Once again, Dolly has made me even more of a fan of hers, and I can't wait for whatever she comes out with next. All of the stars. *****One more paragraph below mentioning the end of the book - no details, but moved bc some may find it spoilery**** Throughout the book, it was probably a solid 4-4.5 stars, but Jen's POV at the end was completely brilliant and brought it up to a full 5 stars. For some reason I wasn't expecting it, and it brought the entire book full circle. While Andy's experience was relatable in many ways, getting Jen's perspective was somehow almost more impactful than everything we got from Andy during the first 85% of the book. It had so many relatable feelings being a woman who's not old, but not young, in today's world. Andy's part of the book took on new facets after reading Jen's, becoming more impactful, and Jen's section wouldn't have been as powerful without Andy's, and how she started appearing as a character and not just through Andy's recollections. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024 by Rachel

  • Great ending, if you can get there
Format: Kindle
I honestly did not like this book through the first 80%. I just kept hoping it would get better and that's what kept me reading. The ending was good, but not the most groundbreaking. So I don't necessarily mind books where the main characters are bad people or unlikable, so long as the author's in on it and the reader can freely root against them. Great example is the book Bad Summer People where everyone is awful and part of the fun is seeing how it'll come back around for the characters. This book is not like that. This book takes a character whose entire premise is that they have nothing going for them, they're 35 and make quite literally every wrong decision at every turn and yet still think they're the hero or at least that they're deserving of good things happening to them without ever putting in the work. So for 80% of the book I just felt like I was annoyed and exasperated. The side characters have no personality or plot, and the ex girlfriend is just a stand-in for all the past rejection of the main character, even when she gets to explain her side of the story it feels like a classic case of mansplaining her motivations because just having her say her peace at the beginning apparently isn't enough to believe she was telling the truth. Light spoiler aheads: - I found Andy exceptionally unlikable, and even the ending where we hear Jen's perspective makes it seems like he's exhausting. Her explaining why they were good together just felt like something you'd do in your early twenties, not your mid thirties. - honestly no one, other than his friend's wife Jane was likable, maybe Andy's mom? They have no depth. - the side characters didn't add any value or insights. They're like NPC, though maybe that's because it's from Andy's perspective and he's pretty self absorbed ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024 by Not-So-Sporty Spice

  • Not the Author’s Best
Format: Hardcover
The author is a masterful storyteller, as evidenced by the way she subtly alters the reader’s perceptions of the main characters. We start out with the point of view of Andy, a heartbroken young man, devastated by (to him) the unexpected and unfathomable breakup of his longtime relationship with Jen. Then very subtly as the author shares Andy’s innermost thoughts, it becomes obvious to the reader that Jen may have had some very valid reasons for dumping Andy: he’s a selfish man-child, aimlessly going through life with the idea that he wants to be a successful standup comedian, but he won’t be bothered to make the effort to improve his increasingly stale material. Then the author switches the point of view to Jen. In the ensuing pages we learn that Jen, while enjoying Andy’s companionship, really has never had any interest in being in a permanent relationship. While a very engaging and fun read overall, I thought the book bogged down in the long and tedious process of getting to know both characters, but especially in the longer story of Andy. How many different ways do we need to be shown how Andy is a Loser? The ending is also somewhat pat—the lovers reunite for an overnight, only for Andy to finally realize Jen doesn’t want/need him. Only then he is inspired to write new material, which wows the audience. Meanwhile, Jen decides that it’s really okay to be alone, quits her prestigious job, and goes off to Find True Meaning. Will either finally achieve their hearts’ desire? Meh. I gave it 4 stars for the quality of the prose, but if I could separately rate the plot, it’d be 3 stars. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024 by Avid Reader

  • enjoyed it
Format: Kindle
Was not sure what to expect from this read but I really did enjoy it and appreciate that both perspectives were shared. A very realistic view of what may happen before during and after a break up.
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2026 by Ebony

  • Fun light read
A fun read about the ups and downs of romance.
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2026 by Daphne O

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