a searing and daring novel about the life of a 21 year old writer and her friend as they grapple on their sexuality, relationships, and life, in general. this is my second sally rooney book (in order of my reading), her actual debut technically. the writing is a little juvenile, in relation to Normal People, but i must say that the characters in this book are more interesting, albeit terribly annoying.

rooney tackled perfectly the thought process—the vulnerability, pretentiousness, and the stubborn nature—of new adults. i seem to relate somehow to frances because of how impulsive she is. sometimes, she discards herself like trash to explore new things, objectifies herself to resist and question moral grounds, thinking that's what intelligent people do. but i do think it's all rooted to her defiance in acknowledging that what she really needs is true love and affection which, based from her relationship with her parents, is not something she has acquired liberally.

i mean, isn't that how some new adults have lived their lives? sometimes older, insecure people, who seem to be bored with their monotonous, tedious lives, tend to search for fun, depend their emotional well-being to the hands of someone who is younger. and if you're young, you take the challenge, you like being adventurous, sometimes you don't even care about the morals. it's just for the good times.

i do not condone the characters' actions in the book, but all i'm saying is that sally rooney nailed these characters. i hate how accurate they are, and that sometimes one character's action reminds me of a person i know or a memory of what i did in the past.

i read this when on my 26th birthday, 5 years past frances' age, but some events of the past are just hard to forget, and this book made me remember some. yeah, some.