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Well-written for sure (5 stars). It put some nicks in my general sense of hope in what relationships can be. But one of the things I loved about the story was the coverage of people at the alexithymia end of emotional range. Helped me develop more empathy for flat affect.

I'm fully sold on Sally Rooney's writing and not motivated to look for flaws, just grateful when there's new stuff to read. This one is set in present day and gets texting, dating apps, and phone sex right. This book particularly fascinated me by the way it upended traditional binary gender stereotypes. Men expressed their feelings and opinions with skill and offered to change. Women sometimes self sabotaged and confused matters. The book asks what we can hope for in life (something I'm pondering right now, too).

I enjoyed the seesaw structure of the book, the way it shifted back and forth between the characters' dating lives with each other and the detailed, often philosophical, platonic email exchanges between the two female characters.

Writing about my favorite parts of 1Q84 would spoil the surprise for others. And I believe the book's strength is weird "left field" turns and ironies.

Giving it three stars and don't have energy to go into why other than to say the book is just Way Too Long. I know this is lazy and misses the point of a review.... kind of like douche-level reviews of hiking trails such as "hill was too high, no restaurant on top". But there it is.

Science-based, whole-hearted, and actionable. I love Rick Hanson's work!

Not a place to start with Sally Rooney, but an enjoyable short read if you're a fan and want more!