Book recommendation: Everything I Know About Love

If you’re a girl on social media, you have likely heard the line, “nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt from my long-term friendships with women.” The words come from Dolly Alderton’s bestselling memoir Everything I Know About Love —and they sum up the heart of the book perfectly.

Part memoir, part love letter to friendship, Alderton traces her 20s with honesty and humour. From disastrous dates and wild nights out to the deep comfort of female friendship, she writes about the messy process of finding out who you are in a world that constantly tells you who you should be.

The sections that particularly appealed to me and made me pause and reflect were the sections on self-image and general mental health

What makes the book stand out is its relatability. Alderton doesn’t pretend to have all the answers; instead, she captures the ups and downs of early adulthood with refreshing candour. There are hilarious stories (that will feel familiar to most), touching reflections on heartbreak, and quiet moments of wisdom about growing up, settling down, and redefining what ‘love’ really means. It is a book that most teen girls/women in their early 20s should read — it is always reassuring to know that you are not alone in what you are going through. The sections that particularly appealed to me and made me pause and reflect were the sections on self-image and general mental health, where Alderton is open about her struggles in a way that feels both comforting and deeply relatable.

For students, it’s a particularly relevant read. Whether you’re navigating flatshares, first jobs, or the complicated business of relationships, Alderton’s writing will feel both reassuring and entertaining. It’s also a great reminder that friendship can be just as transformative — and as essential — as romantic love.

The book can occasionally feel bloated and self-indulgent, but I do believe it matches the hype surrounding it and is a good, comforting read

Everything I Know About Love is the kind of book you’ll want to underline, screenshot, and immediately text your best friend about. It’s funny, heartfelt, and painfully real, making it an ideal companion for anyone stumbling their way through adulthood.

That being said, no book is without its imperfections. There will be times that you are frustrated by Dolly, and might even start to dislike her, as she can be selfish in her friendships. The book can occasionally feel bloated and self-indulgent, but I do believe it matches the hype surrounding it and is a good, comforting read. The random emails and recipes are boring and could have been left out — I skipped almost all of them. Whilst I see they were added in to break up the more intense, emotional chapters, it still felt, at times, tedious and unnecessary, but as it goes on, the book forms a grip on you. At times, it is clear it is written by a millennial, but through small yet meaningful moments, the book beautifully shows that love exists in so many forms. Just because you don’t have a romantic partner doesn’t mean you’re not loved or not capable of loving. It’s about having the wisdom to recognise that love can be found in our friends, family, and in ourselves.

It is a documentation of a woman’s life, growing up and navigating London, and a reflection on her experiences from childhood into her 30s. It is deeply personal and honest, making it such a beautiful and thought-provoking look into family & friendship, heartache and identity. Throughout, I felt as if I was sitting down with Dolly and she was sharing her stories and life lessons with me, and I could not recommend this book enough.