A truly beautiful novel suffused with the longings of first love. Stunning prose and pitch perfect plotting. Characters that felt authentic and broke my heart. A narrative that was compelling and vivid world building. Books like this don't come around often and I adored it.

This honestly was a wonderful read, although it was generally quite sad it told a real story of grief and the reality of how that can impact a person, their behaviours and feelings.

Rosie and Josh are twins, Will is in Josh’s maths class at school and often tutors him to help him out. Rosie meets will an a bonfire, they make eye contact and spend some time talking that evening. Little do they both know that night stirs something within them that sets the scene for a beautiful but heart breaking journey.

Rosie and Will share a grief so deep it physically hurts them. Will has had enough heartbreak in his life and yet this additional, shared grief seems to hit harder than others. They are brought together, as friends, more then friends and then drawn apart again multiple times throughout this book. Each time you can feel the intensity of their connection, their words and actions towards each other.

Both embark on a journey of discovery and attempt to learn to live without each other and the pain they share. Yet no matter what happens they always seem to find their way back to each other.

I was genuinely not prepared for the journey this book would take me on, I at one point actually said ‘omg no’ out loud and had to pause before I could read on. Will is such a beautiful character and honestly I just wanted something good to happen for him. Rosie was so personable, her heartbreak really reached me and I felt every angle of this story really deep in my heart.

The book flowed really well and the structure was easy to follow. I loved the style of writing. The only thing I found a challenge was that there were no punctuation marks for the dialogue and at times this was really difficult to follow and make sense of.

Things I liked:
- The story was beautiful.
- The depth of the characters and their stories gave us enough to keep us informed.
- How present and very real grief was portrayed throughout.
- I loved the moments of Rosie and Will together, their chats, how much they thought of each other.

I would love a physical copy of this as this will stay with me for a while.

The story was long journey from their tenagee to adulthood, the story great, have two point of view from Will and Rosie. Will have childhood trauma afraid not enough, leaving behind make him cool and distance dosnt want serious permanent thing. Rosie always following rules, thinking about what people judge. When they meet and talking there are sparks, they talking without looking at time, enjoy each other company but they are so different. Rosie broke it up because of her twin brother, her afraid and she think Will all wrong kind of person from her. When sudden grief happend, it bound them make them close but not as a couple. Rosie chose not to be with Will and Will chose to move. Rosie decision make me wonder why? Why decline things who given to her? Not everyone have chance to met and have chance with her soulmate. At the end of chapter i singing (War is overr)..

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#TalkingatNight #ClaireDaverley #MichaelJoseph #PenguinRandomHouse #NetGalley #ARC

Such a beautifu; story of first love and life and two people that were just meant to be a couple but for the trials of life. I fell in love with Will, what a lovely caring person, who had not had the best start in life but came good. So sorry for Rosie who just wanted to please people at the forfiet of her own happiness

A very moving story, at one point I just yelped with sadness while I was reading. I will look out for more books from Claire

Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

I read Talking At Night as my final book of 2022 and devoured it from beginning to end. Following Will and Rosie from their adolescence to adulthood, this book captures exactly what it feels like to fall in love and for that connection to both stick with you and haunt you, even when you try your best to ignore it.

So beautifully written with characters and chemistry that will stick with me for a long time. I'm sure this will be one of the biggest books in 2023!

Not really for me. Although well written, the lack of speech marks stopped the flow of the story and I never settled into it. Thank you though Neygalley for the opportunity.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s so well written and the relationship between the two main characters is beautiful. Absolutely recommended.

It took me a while to get into the writing style of this but once I did, I fell in love with it. I've seen comparisons to Normal People and One Day which both ring true for me. There's an ache throughout all of this, a longing for things to be different. For the tragedies of life to have not gotten in the way. It all tugged at my heartstrings. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll be seeking out this author in the future.

It starts the night of the bonfire. Teenagers Will and Rosie hadn’t really been friends before that but that night, they’d spoken all night. He’d never met a girl like that before, who wanted to talk. Will is friends with Rosie’s twin, Josh and it’s through their friendship that the two get to know each other. But then tragedy strikes and everything changes.

Weeks, months and years go by and Will and Rosie speak sometimes but can go a long time without a word. But no matter what, they will always be linked, not just by the tragedy that happened so long ago, but by everything in between.

This is a story of a love over the years, of a never forgotten connection between two people. It is definitely a journey that’s for sure. It tells a very in depth story of love and loss and all the human emotions it takes to deal with those things and how sometimes it can take a long time to move forward.

It was quite a sweet story that I enjoyed although I think at times Rosie’s character was kind of frustrating. I really just wanted her to stop people pleasing and do what she wanted but obviously without her quirks, there would’ve been no story.

Huge thank you to @michaeljbooks for my proof copy! Talking at Night releases 6th July.

“He has found it to be true, what people say: that time can heal, but he has also found that it cannot wipe muscle memory.”

Will and Rosie meet as teenagers. They're opposites in every way, but over secret walks home and late-night phone calls they become closer, destined to be one another's great love story. Until, one day, tragedy strikes and any possibility of them being together shatters. But that tragedy, and their history, is what will connect them forever.

I absolutely adored the whole childhood friends to (sort of) lovers? (It’s complicated). It actually reminded me of Normal People in more ways than one, so if you are a fan of that then you might enjoy this!

Although Talking at Night starts off pretty slow, a couple hundred pages in it, it takes a turn you won’t expect and it really gets going from here. It’s a slow burner but please stick with it. There’s a lot of sadness in this book, so I’d recommend looking up the content warnings beforehand, or feel free to message me!

The characters were so well written and developed that you really get to know them, the long spanning timeline also really helps with that. From starting as teenagers, the characters grow to adulthood and even though they are undoubtedly flawed, and infuriating at times they are also so incredibly endearing.

I’m not sure how else to describe this book that does is justice but the last 100 pages is what made it for me. The writing is beautiful and the story is so painfully touching that I just sobbed for ages afterwards. I loved it so much. I still can’t believe this is a debut?!

This certainly isn’t a run of the mill romance. I loved the characters and complicated relationship between Rosie and Will. There were times I wanted to give Rosie a good shake and was worried about the way things were going. If I have any criticism it would be that it’s a little too drawn out. Overall a great read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC.

Talking At Night is Claire Daverley’s debut novel. A powerful love story between Will and Rosie, two teenagers that meet at college and, despite a terrible accident when they are young, they cannot let each other go, circling around each other as the years progress. The story takes place over two decades and is told from both their points of view as they deal with the incident that links them together but also tears them apart, unable to truly give up on each other.

Daverley’s prose is poetic and captivating throughout as she produces a beautiful character-driven novel about being unable to let your first love go, filled with missed chances and deep undeniable longing. The novel doesn’t shy away from serious topics, showing that both characters struggle with the event that happened years ago.

All in all, Daverley’s offering is a beautiful love story filled with characters that feel realistic as they deal with the realities of life.

This was an unusual character read about two teens who both have issues in their lives, Rosie has a difficult relationship with her mother and tries to resolve it by being good and toeing the line but not without impact on herself; Will’s mother left when he was younger and he was raised by his grandparents but when his grandfather died the impact of losing another person brought out his destructive side. They get to know each other through Rosie’s brother Josh but the person that brought them together also proves to be the thing that keeps them apart.

I liked the dual perspective of this and both were great characters although my favourite character has to be Will’s grandmother. This is told over a number of years but is quite slow paced which might not be for everyone but if you stick with them you’ll find Rosie and Will are quite memorable characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for sending me this advanced copy for review.

I already know Talking at Night is going to be my most recommended book of 2023. I couldn’t put this book down and found myself thinking about the characters for days after finishing it because it resonated with me so much.

The story follows the very realistic and frustratingly beautiful love story of two characters, Will and Rosie, from their teenage years to adulthood. It’s raw and intense and deals with a number of issues and dark themes, which constantly broke my heart and then mended it along the way.

The writing style isn’t something I would normally enjoy but it made perfect sense for this story, highlighting how Will and Rosie’s thoughts often flowed between them without them having to communicate at all.

I really can’t believe this is Claire Daverley’s debut novel because it’s honestly a masterpiece to me!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Compulsive reading – even though it is heavily character focused and has a lot of dark themes with grief and self-destructive behaviour, this ticks along at a pace. Like an improved version of David Nicolls’ One Day, the circling of Rosie and Will around each other builds with ebbs and flows that feels realistic to two flawed individuals. This is not my usual read but I couldn’t put it down, finishing in a single day, even with eyes burning and an occasional tear shed. Not a light hearted read but very worth the time.

TW: grief, suicide, death, alcohol and drug abuse, OCD and mental health struggles, cancer

A wonderfully captivating character-driven novel that is sure to make it to a lot of “best of the year” lists.

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley is a powerful and tender love story that will leave readers feeling a range of emotions. The chemistry between Will and Rosie is undeniable, and their secret walks and late-night phone calls are a reminder of the intense connection that can be formed between two people. And how the heart-wrenching tragedy they face both haunts and keeps them connected throughout the years.

The story of Will and Rosie is one of missed opportunities, but also how the different paths we choose can lead us to self-discovery. Daverley’s writing is poignant and emotional, capturing the raw intensity of young love and the longing that comes with said missed chances.

The characters are well-developed and relatable, making it easy for readers to become invested in their story. The setting, the nineties music, sideways glances, sunsets, bonfires, amongst others, adds to the romantic and nostalgic feel of the novel.

Overall, Talking at Night is a must-read. It’s truly an achievement that Claire Daverley managed to capture the complexities of love and relationships, interwoven with complex themes of family and mental health. It will leave you feeling hopeful, heartbroken, and ultimately satisfied.

Talking at Night by Claire Daverly

This is a beautiful read. I found i was drawn to both Will and Rosie.
It’s a timeless romance that had me pulling at my chest. It spans across teenagers years and through young adults into more complex relationships.
It’s a reflective, thoughtful and, heart shattering read. It highlights how love can be found but it’s not enough if you don’t take the opportunity.

Absolutely brilliant, I got lost in this book. Loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

It took me a while to get into this book but when I did I couldn't stop reading and enjoyed the writing style which was well written.

I enjoyed reading about the characters and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.