I found this hard to get into but by the 25% mark I was hooked. Grays writing is beautiful and profound, I found myself reading and rereading all the lines on relationships between men and women and sending screenshots to my friends. Some lines have stayed with me. Green Dot is also full to the brim with dark, wry humour. I loved it. I laughed out loud, a lot. Highly recommend.

Hera is 24 and in the throws of finding love where she shouldn’t
The temptation of wanting something that promises nothing - “that I could make a man love me so much that he would leave what he had always known ….. purely to attain my company forever.
Then I would have a life which didn’t require me to make decisions anymore - I would be his and that would be enough”
It’s so funny and fresh and so spot on about life and work in your 20s.
It will make you laugh but it’s also deeply moving and well observed.
Hera is the styling funny female we all need to meet in 2024 - despite all her flaws you can’t help but be rooting for her.
Reminiscent of the TV series Fleabag or a Sally Rooney character - it’s about learning that life is hard and that in finding happiness you’ve got to learn to love yourself first.
Thanks @gray_madeleine_ @orionbooks & @netgalley for the fabulous debut read

To quote Rebecca Liu in <a href="https://www.anothergaze.com/making-millennial-woman-feminist-capitalist-fleabag-girls-sally-rooney-lena-dunham-unlikeable-female-character-relatable/">‘The Making Of A Millennial Woman’</a>:

"Being a millennial feels like being stuck in a permanent state of on-the-cusp adolescence. Sulky, prickly, and painfully hyper-visible, our every movement is tracked by a set of watchful guardians eager to land the next rage-inducing viral headline. […] One of the few things associated with millennials to have received a positive public reception is a particular form of millennial art. This art revolves around an archetypical Young Millennial Woman – pretty, white, cisgender, and tortured enough to be interesting but not enough to be repulsive. Often described as ‘relatable,’ she is, in actuality, not."

Or Emmeline Clein in <a href=https://lithub.com/from-fleabag-to-persuasion-the-rise-of-the-mussy-haired-self-hating-sarcasm-machine/>‘From Fleabag to Persuasion, the Rise of the Mussy-Haired, Self-Hating Sarcasm Machine’</a>:

"A single woman is drinking alone, crying over a man. […] These days, she’s sobbing in a bathtub, wallowing in her romantic regrets. Luckily, she still has her incisive eye and sarcastic tongue. Narrating in voiceover, our heroine begins telling us her romantic history, why she’s crying, and we’re meant to laugh."

I'm rather weary of these Fleabag-esque female characters. Like, ha, here we go again : [insert twenty-something messy mc whose inner monologue consists of endless quirky one liners making fun of herself, of course she's self-deprecating, and others, she can barely make herself a cup of coffee let alone carry out normal interactions with others without making things weird cause she's just like that and falling for a guy who is emotionally unavailable, but then again so is she].
I'm tired of these books featuring these 'relatable' yet (supposedly) 'unlikeable' female characters who are mired by their own ennui, unable to adjust to adulthood, or to do the things people their age seem to do. The narrator here is someone whose voice is so generic as to be perfectly unmemorable. Her quirkiness and inner monologue feel derivative, painfully so. The book tries and fails to be self-aware ('wink-wink') as it goes on to depict a tired dynamic between a young woman and a married man...alas this is no <i>Luster</i>.

As per usual do not let my negative opinions dissuade you from giving this a read or at the very lest checking out some more positive reviews.

Loved it. Such a difficult tone to strike, knowing without being arch, tender without being sentimental. Green Dot is a superior example of the Funny Sad Girl Novel, the genre that just won't quit. Captures the feeling of being in your twenties as Prep did for teens or Writers and Lovers for your thirties, if you liked either of those books I reckon you'll love this. Occasionally it feels a bit academic / extremely online / braced for its own discourse but the humour lifts it out of any such moments.

Green Dot is a messy, raucous rollercoaster of a novel, and I truly enjoyed every page. Hera is a perfect protagonist, flawed and relatable and consistently making terrible decisions - I found her very relatable, and she felt incredibly real. I went through so many emotional responses throughout this novel. The way that Gray depicts Hera's love is truly believable and heart-wrenching.

Arthur was a bizarrely likeable character despite being a complete sleaze, a liar, and a cheat. His actions are abhorrent but I felt almost sympathetic to him - it seemed he had genuine love for Hera but, as is usually the case, it seems unclear whether he will ever be willing to make the required sacrifice to be with her.

Whilst this is quite a slow burn of a novel and not an action-packed storyline, I was totally engrossed by the gorgeous writing style and the poignant quotes littering the prose. I've never read a female character quite like Hera, and could really relate to her worldview in a lot of scenes.

In conclusion, this is a brilliant book if you're into twisted love stories, adultery, and holding men accountable! Gray examines the scenario quite critically as she narrates the story, in a successful attempt to highlight the issues at play in Hera and Arthur's dysfunctional and seemingly doomed relationship. She successfully raises questions of morality; who is really to blame, or is everyone involved at fault to a degree? A lot of interesting questions of morals are raised, this is a novel that will stay with you even after you finish!

This is one of the best books it’s true what the early reviews are saying it’s a utter gem, it’s a microscope view of Hera’s life one that she is doing her best to get through. I loved every single second of this book.

Hera is a twenty something realising that she has to join the world of work. I loved the first few pages of her cynicism about job applications and office life.
Unfortunately, from there she falls into a relationship with a married man and becomes a shadow of herself.
I guess that's the point, that love destroys her but I just wanted to scream at her.
On the one hand it's a great book. All the soul searching, first true love, learning to be an adult stuff. On the other hand I'm so disappointed that the funny, cynical Hera disappears so quickly.

I really wanted to love Green Dot as I'd heard so many great things about it, but I was left feeling a little ambivalent about it. I suspect that I'm a little jaded and reading about twenty somethings trying to find their way in life isn't really my thing anymore.

I'm a chronic DNF'er, and usually abandon a book if it isn't grabbing me, but even though this took a good 40% to grab me, something kept me reading. I found parts of Hera endearing, and sympathised with her feeling like everybody else had their life sorted apart from her, and really liked her relationships with her Dad and friends. The depictions of her job and awful, awful supervisor did make me smile too.

I think my main issue was that Arthur felt a little 2D, I would have liked something from his point of view, even if it was one chapter to give a little depth to him. I wanted to see what happened (even though the beginning gives it away), and did find myself keen to get back to the book, to see if Hera would wake up to the reality of her situation and run away as fast as she could.

Green Dot is a debut novel following 24-year old Hera, a literary and contemporary read following a disengaged young woman who’s not motivated to explore her potential. Stuck in a boring job, she finds herself crushing on a married colleague as a form of escapism. But then he displays interest and before she knows it the two are in the midst of a full on passionate affair.
You know things aren’t going to end well, yet you can’t keep reading. Initially I thought this might not be my kind of book, but I found the voice so engaging and relatable despite me being a decade older than her. The author does a great job of presenting how addictive and difficult it can be to move on from a dead end relationship when you still feel so much love for that person. I loved the Green dot imagery of Hera constantly watching the green light to see if he’s online.
The book is reflective and quite sad at times. You want her to move on even her friends say the same but you don’t want to patronise her. Hera is so self-aware. I can see some people found this to be another white-woman-in-her-twenties-dating-an-older-man, but this one wasn’t as cringe. Even though as an older woman I could see the illusions and lies Hera is falling for but again there is something self-aware about it with a melancholic air. It does get a little repetitive in the latter half but again the writing is so good and compelling, I can’t recommend this one enough.

Please see link to the LoveReading site for the full review. I have included Green Dot as both a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month. Thank you.

I went into Green Dot without much idea of what the story was about. I usually read thrillers or crime novels, and I’m trying to branch out and read other genres. Published on 1st February 2024, the story is mostly set in Sydney, Australia and follows Hera, a woman in her mid twenties as she tries to find some purpose in life.

I found the book easy to read and it just about held my interest to keep me reading. I didn’t like Hera’s character at all and her questionable decisions made me want to shake her! She’s very immature and entitled and seems to take for granted her lovely father and good friends, totally sidelining them in favour of a married man she’s having an affair with. I would have liked to know more about Hera and her relationship or lack of with her mother. This was brought up a few times but never really explained. I really liked Hera’s dad and thought he was so lovely, but the only relationship really explored in the book is Hera’s relationship with a married man.

I thought the title was quite clever, it wasn’t immediately apparent what it referred to. It fits well with Hera’s fixation on the green dot and the importance she places on it.

Not that much happens in the book, basically Hera obsesses/lusts over a married work colleague and embarks on a lengthy affair with him. She seems convinced he’ll leave his wife for her, and she totally prioritises him over her friends and family. Eventually, she sees sense but it takes her long enough.
Some parts of the book are quite funny, there’s a reference to the comedy series Black Books, which made me laugh, and other pop culture references throughout. There are some Australian slang words I didn’t know the meaning of, but I thought the book could have been set anywhere.

I felt the book dragged on a bit. I was so fed up with Hera and her nonsense. I was glad to finish it but the ending was predictable and a bit boring.

Overall, I didn’t hate the book but I didn’t enjoy it that much either. Hera was too annoying for me and I was disappointed that other characters weren’t fleshed out more.
I think others who like this sort of genre will enjoy the book, but it wasn’t really for me.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a review.

I don't want to ruin the star rating for this book, hence an 'average' rating of 3 stars. I really wanted to read it, but was unable to do so due to the formatting.

There is a repetitive 'This text file is provided by Allen & Unwin for purposes of review only' that appears once and sometimes twice at every change in chapter and, since the chapters are often only a paragraph long, it's rather intrusive, making it impossible to concentrate on the story.

A sham, as I've heard so many good things.

Hera is stuck. Three degrees under her belt, she is struggling to move on from student life to having a grown-up plan for her life. Her first proper job as a comment moderator is pretty soul-destroying, until she meets Arthur. Quickly becoming infatuated with her coworker, we follow Hera while she navigates all the issues that come along with falling in live with a married man.

This was a pretty quick read and while I think I enjoyed it, the urge to reach into the book and shake Hera, and very often her friends for not doing the same, was a regular occurence!

‘If I said this to Sarah and Soph, they’d probably tell me to find joy in myself. They’d tell me a man won’t solve my depression, but what do they know? I’m trying alternative medicine. I’m a fucking pioneer.’

Hera is a 20-something Australian woman with three art degrees and absolutely no plan. Distressed about her prospects in life, she gets a ‘proper job’ in an office and her soul is crushed even more than she anticipated - and her bar was low. Her days become a drone of comment moderation and sad sushi lunches…until she becomes infatuated with Arthur, a 40 year old married man who occupies the desk opposite her.

Green Dot is the latest in the genre of contemporary lit featuring unlikable messy female protagonists and facetious stream of consciousness style repartee. I absolutely sped through this one- it’s fast paced and witty, and I really enjoyed Hera’s absolute irreverence for the corporate world and society in general. Hera, while suffering from a chronic case of the delulu’s, is genuinely funny and the narration made me feel like I was part of an extended ‘in’ joke.

While enjoyable, we end up in repetitive territory once Hera’s thoughts are singularly turned towards Arthur and we lose a bit of the novel’s sparkle. A word of warning - if you like your characters likeable, stay away from Green Dot. Readers of Green Dot are here to witness Hera’s downfall from ‘cool queer socialist 20-something’ to ‘hapless other woman’, and the rest of the cast of characters are of background quality to highlight Hera’s self-absorption. This is a book for fans of messy lives.

Recommended for fans of - Sorrow and Bliss, Delphi, and Fleabag (and apparently also Sally Rooney, but I haven’t read anything of hers to confirm nor deny)

This book tells the story of a coming of age about Hera the female main character and she’s wrapped up in an affair with an older married man.
The beginning was ironic,funny and charming and i loved how the narrative was honest about the whole situation and the protagonists.
Of the things I would have liked to have seen more depth in the story, the friendships and perhaps knowing more about the protagonist's mother. For the rest,I found the story consistent with its beginning.

Thank you so much Netgalley,Madeleine Gray, Orionbooks and Wnbooks for giving me the possibility to read green dot

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I love messiness, I love drama, I love humour. In Green Dot, where 24-year-old Hera embarks on an affair with a 40-year-old married man Arthur, I get all of this. I was reading this obsessively, and flew threw it in about two days. This was really well written, and the dialogue was so good - the relationships in this novel felt so real and I loved that! I'm also very impressed that if the author wanted, she could have made this dark and sad because the plot is very dark and sad, but the writing was really funny and light that I just had a lot of fun reading it.

I loved this book! So funny, but filled with a lot of emotion. The writing hooked me straight away, and I really struggled to put this book down. I found the main character, Hera, to be super relatable and I was really rooting for her. Although at times this book made me angry, I did really enjoy reading it and the anger was rectified usually pretty quickly with wit and humour.

A debut novel .. I had high hopes!

Hera is finally facing up to the fact that she can no longer be the perpetual student; with a couple of degrees under her belt she still has no thoughts of a career but, at twenty four, she does realise that she needs to get a job and stop freeloading off her father. She finally secures an office job .. boring in the extreme but it's where she meets Arthur, the love of her life ....

I begin reading each and every book in a postive frame of mind, ready to throw myself into the scenario but I really struggled with this one. The main character really annoyed me from the off, coming across as a bit of a spoilt brat who really, really needed to grow up. Then there was the language. I'm no prude - you couldn't read as many books as I do and be offended by swear words but there are some I draw the line at and they were present in this one. I wouldn't have minded if they were necessary, but it seemed they were used just for the shock value. I really did consider giving up, but I've only ever not completed two books and didn't want to make it three. From then on it was quite a reasonable read; not the laugh-out-loud funny it was promoted as but more of a 'I can see where this is going, why can't she' type of read. A big disappointment and not an author I would read again. For me, 2*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book is a compelling exploration of the messy journey through your twenties, centered around the theme of an affair. Madeleine Gray captures the awkwardness of this period with a genuine and relatable touch.

The main character Hera navigates the challenges of adulthood, confronting bad relationships and her own vulnerability. It's rare that I want to reach into a book to grab a character and shake her but Green Dot did this which shows just how much the book resonated. I also enjoyed the banter between work colleagues captured here as it really transported me back to my own twenties as well as the description of that "end of the night" period where you don't quite want to make the journey home alone.

The title of the book was very clever. Again, it's very relatable in terms of this type of obsessive relationship that is a rite of passage for this age group.
With a perfect blend of humor, heartbreak, and realistic dialogue, "Green Dot" is a well-paced narrative and I found the story engaging from start to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Loved, loved, loved Green Dot by Australian author, Madeleine Gray! Green Dot is a highly nuanced love story told from the perspective of Hera, who is the ‘other woman’, the mistress, if you will. It’s the first book I’ve read with a lead character giving this POV, so it was really interesting. But I mainly loved it due to the fantastic dry, witty writing style of Madeleine Gray.

Green Dot has one of the most succinct opening sentences I’ve come across in a while in terms of plot summary. The above is indeed what this story is all about: Hera Stephens, our narrator, and her relationship with Arthur. Her older, married colleague. She often talks directly to us through the story, which really works to draw you right in.

Set in Sydney, Australia (and a little in London) in 2019 and later 2020 where the pandemic is woven really effectively into the story (something Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld also did so well – and yes, if you enjoyed that book, you’ll love Green Dot). We first meet Hera when she is job hunting after her PHD. Having rinsed academia for as long as she can, she now has to face the horrors of finding a job to pay the bills.

Hera’s world consists mainly of her dad, her dog, Jude and friends Sarah and Sophie. When she does get a job as a comment moderator on a newspaper, she ends up sharing a bank of desks with Arthur, a journalist. Due to the aforementioned forced nature of her taking this role, she looks for anything to make the days more interesting and sparks up (mainly through the internal message system) a friendship with Arthur.

Their friendship develops and while her move into mistress isn’t unwitting – she finds out Arthur is married and still continues – she is in too deep when the truth is revealed to her, so you can see why she keeps believing Arthur when he says he will leave his wife.

The reason Green Dot works so well is that you are so invested in Hera. Despite her character being in morally ambiguous territory with a lot of her actions, how she flexes her behaviour – love delusion, basically – for Arthur, and is so aware of the insanity of what she’s doing but does it anyway, is actually such a relatable trait. And the reason you are always on her side. She finds herself in this situation but it is ultimately a cumulation of all areas of her life.

Side note: I love that Green Dot has a pop-culture reference to the Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bexter video which is amazing timing as surely this would have been written way before Saltburn made the song viral? I also think if you enjoyed Saltburn, you will love Green Dot. There are lots of other great pop-cultural refs scattered throughout too, case in point: 'I’ve been re-watching Fleabag but haven’t we all'.

I laughed so many time when reading, this is such a funny, clever, heart-warming and heart-breaking book. You’ll fall for Hera’s story – you’ll be so frustrated by her, want to help her, want her to stop and want her to succeed in equal measure. She is absolutely someone I would love to go for a drink with. Green Dot is a fantastic exploration of a complex love situation. And a woman working out just what she really wants from life. Loved it!