As powerful as Tia Williams #SevenDaysInJune, #TalkingAtNight is a stunning debut that brings a whole new level of passion to 'first love' romance and the idea of soulmates. It's tender, beautifully written, impossible to put down and deeply affecting, and Claire Daverley deals with tragedy, loss and heartache with gentle care, but my God, the yearning! I 100% bought into Will and Rosie and desperately wanted their completely believable but unconventional girl-meets-boy love story to have a HEA.

This is a beautifully written, if a bit slow burning novel.

I really enjoyed it, the first I have read from this author.

Beautifully written but I just wanted to feel a bit more emotion. I wanted to sob but I felt a bit disconnected from it. I loved Will, he was my favourite character by far. The story moves along at a good pace. All in all, a gorgeous tale of two people trying to find themselves and trying to connect with each other.

Claire Daverley’s debut is a love story that feels tender, poignant and quiet. The characters aren’t perfect, and their lives aren’t the most exciting, although they are peppered with tragedy which left me reeling. The story always feels real, almost raw. It gently explores issues of grief, mental illness and trauma, but it never feels too heavy. This has been compared to Sally Rooney, and I can see the similarities, but this is a little different and the author has a voice of her own. It’s definitely impressive, and I’m intrigued to see what she does next. 4.5/5.

I’d heard lots of good things about this but I never expected to love it as much as I did. It is truly such a gorgeous book and I don’t think I could have loved it more!

It is the story of Will and Rosie who first meet as teenagers but, torn apart by tragedy, go their separate ways. We watch them grow up, deal with life’s ups and downs but with a connection that never goes away they move in and out of each other’s lives.

It is a story of love, from the intensity of teenage love to second chance love, and love in all its forms - romantic, familial and friendship - as well as how our perspective on love changes as we age. But it is also a story of life and all its complexities as it covers some difficult issues, with two characters at its heart who feel enormously real, flaws and all.

Daverley has a remarkable ability to convey so much emotion through her often understated but beautiful prose that this is a book that had me by the throat from the off, took me through a gamut of emotions and left me somewhat bereft when it finished.

I don’t know why it took me so long to pick this up! I fell straight into it and didn’t want to put it down. The comparisons to One Day feel right, and perhaps that’s why it felt comforting and familiar. The writing style is great too. Exactly what I wanted in a summer read, and I can finally see why it got so much hype!

A thoroughly enjoyable will they/ won't they romance story, touched with the devastation of losing someone close. This is the story of Rosie and Will, they meet as teenagers and their path is a rocky upward climb which we follow over the years.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I know this book will probably draw comparisons to Sally Rooney’s “Normal People” and after reading I can definitely see why.

It’s deep and a little heavy in places but still an engaging read.

If you’re a fan of Normal People, this will definitely appeal. If not, it may be still worth a read regardless if you like books with plenty of emotion involved.

I got to about 40% in and had to dnf. I should have known this book wasn’t for me as soon as I saw it was written in the third person & had zero speech marks.
The pace was too slow & I felt like nothing was happening.
This books likely to be for fans of:
- One Day
- Normal People

Probably all other Sally Rooney books!

I loved this heart-wrenching tale of a first love that our protagonists, Will and Rosie, never quite escape. The premise will remind readers of Normal People by Sally Rooney and One Day by David Nicholls, but from a fresh new voice in Claire Daverley. This is not a ‘happy’ romance like many – it deals with some heavy themes, including Will and Rosie sharing a profound loss – but this story of a deep, intense connection that simmers under the surface through the years will speak to any reader who enjoys a tale of unrequited love.

I really wanted to love this book, the premises sounded incredible but sadly I just didn't gel with it. I've seen a lot of people compare this with books like Normal People - another book I didn't like - so perhaps the writing style just isn't for me.

soooo good for those who loved one day / normal people / love rosie<3 cried greatly and i love the idea of people growing and finding themselves after a tragedy before finding their way back together! read it as part of a work book club and it was so fruitful to discuss after

Talking at Night is a heartbreaking book about loss and recovery. Will and Rosie meet when they are 17. He is a friend of her twin brother and they have very little else in common. Their friendship develops and there is an instant connection between them.Unfortunately, fate conspires to keep them apart despite their feelings and the novel follows their lives through the ups and downs.
It really is a book that draws you in due to your investment in the characters. It is sensitively written and covers many difficult topics. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed the basis of this one but found it a little slow moving and not for me. Having said that I know it’s been a huge hit and lots of people have recommended this one.

At first I wasn’t sure about the writing style, but then I grew utterly consumed by the story. I was in floods of tears by the middle. Adored the ending. Book hangovers are real!

I devoured this book in 3 sittings, once I'd got in to it I couldn't put it down. Well written. The story of Rosie and Will. I feel like I warmed more to Will than Rosie but thoughly enjoyed it. Thank you

Literary love stories are basically my favourite genre of all time, so obviously I was excited to read Talking At Night. It tells the story of Rosie and Will, who meet when they're teenagers and form a connection, only for it to be interrupted by tragedy. To start with, I thought this was a brilliant, pretty flawless debut: it prioritises Rosie and Will's relationship without sacrificing development in other characters and situations, and it had so many lovely little sentences. My enthusiasm did wane as the book continued, though: partly because their story felt a little drawn-out, partly because there were too many weird abstract metaphors to describe their connection. Anyway I still absolutely flew through it
and enjoyed it but it didn't quite live up to the expectations the first third set for me.

This book was ok. Unfortunately it didn’t blow me away and I’m not sure I’ll remember the plot or characters.

Rosie and Will's love story isn't a straightforward narrative; it's intense, raw, and flawed. Yet, there's an undeniable sense that these two individuals are meant to be together. The depth of their connection unfolds through a timeline that traces their journey from teenagers to adults, fostering a strong connection between the readers and the characters.

Despite the story delving into sad and dark topics, the author handles them with great skill. The emotional resonance is palpable, and as a reader, your heart is consistently tugged and broken throughout the entirety of the narrative.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A romantic and cute-sy read following Rosie and Will. The book does seem inspired from Normal People - there are a lot of similarities (which did put me off initially) - but there are some unique elements too.

The prologue starts with a fall. A family member of Rosie has passed away. We then start the novel which switches from Rosie and Will’s POV. They meet as teenagers about to finish school soon. Will is the friend of Josh, Rosie’s twin. Rosie has a controlling mother (a lot like Marianne), and Will has a reputation for missing classes and sleeping around. Yet the two find themselves connecting and spending time together until a tragedy affects their lives…it’s never the perfect time for Rosie and Will yet they find themselves drifting back into each other’s lives.

This was a beautifully written although a rather slow and at times tedious novel. I found the protagonists to be rather passive and the story overall lacking a gripping voice. Once we move out of the typical teenage-era of parties and going to the “dance” parts and into adulthood, I was more hooked. But still I think my issue was that I found the characters passive at times and wish the ending had more closure, it was too open-ended for my taste. Regardless there were some nice moments and the writing was good with some stunning observations.