I Love You, I Love You, I Love You is a slow-burn romance that never really catches fire. The premise—two best friends clearly in love but too hesitant to act on it—has potential, but after fourteen years of longing and dithering, the tension fizzles rather than builds. Ella is a likable enough protagonist, and the ‘90s/early 2000s references add some charm, but the story leans too heavily on telling rather than showing, making it hard to feel fully immersed in her world. Lowe, as the object of obsession, never quite feels like a real person, which makes the romance feel more like an idea than something worth rooting for. It’s a breezy read, but one that left me wanting more depth, more stakes, and maybe a little less pining.

Have just finished this book with tears rolling down my face. I adored every single part of it. An absolute must read

I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill is about Ella and Lowe, who meet as teenagers and become 'friends'. Throughout the book they are drawn to one another like magnets, not being able to get their heads together to b together , not being able to let go either. The book is told over the years as they get older and shows how their interactions change as tehri lives do. I wasn't sure what to expect but this book really hit home for me, and will stay on my mind for a long timer after. The 90s reference were fun too.

I reviewed this title on my BookTube channel as part of my December Reading Wrap Up https://youtu.be/ERYRfcjlWag

I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill is a raw and heartfelt exploration of love, heartbreak, and mental health. The novel follows a young woman as she navigates the complexities of relationships and emotional turmoil. Dockrill’s writing is bold and unflinching, offering an authentic portrayal of the highs and lows of love and self-discovery. With its strong character development and emotional depth, I Love You, I Love You, I Love You is a poignant read for those drawn to stories about personal growth and the challenges of emotional vulnerability.

A glorious stroll through the nostalgia of the 2000’s which I mostly experienced through the eyes and angst of my step kids - and my purse as I shelled out for tamagotchis & furby’s.

All that misplaced dramatic girl loyalty of ‘I can’t fall for him because my mate has claimed him’ even though he’s obviously not into her..

Loved the cultural references throughout and the ‘will they won’t they’ premise of whether they would stay in the friends zone.

Great story telling and looking forward a to more from this author.

This was a great nostalgic read, following the story of Ella and Lowe as they connect and have missed opportunities over the years of their adolescence and young adulthood.

This is a really lovely, light-hearted read - especially for the millennials! I enjoyed the way the characters were developed, and Ella’s thoughts and actions took me back to being a teenager and then a young adult again. It’s definitely a different kind of love story, but worth reading.

I loved it, it’s such an intense emotional story . The all encompassing power of first love pours off the page, the unrequited feeling was so strong and real. The storytelling is honest, powerful and so beautifully written. I love the narrative voice and the feeling of anticipation at what may lie ahead. Brilliant

A book for anyone who wants a nostalgic visit to their first love and teenage selves. The book is set both in the present and the past. It follows the life of Ella, her friendships and relationships. I was roughly the same age as Ella was as a teenager so the things her and her friends liked, disliked and referred to took me back to a time of my first love and navigating my teenage/early adult years.

This came along on holidays with me based solely on the cover and the blurb, with me thinking it was going to be a fairly light read. I started it with some dubiousness, thinking perhaps this might be too fluffy and not for me. How wrong I was.

Cut to a couple of days later. I’m sitting by the pool with tears streaming down my face as I finish it. Almost despite myself, I fell for this book in a big way.

Ella and Lowe have been best friends since childhood, having clicked almost immediately. As they grow up together, Ella’s love for Lowe goes deep but she harbours it secretly, burying it deep inside.

As the years pass, while their friendship ebbs and flows, Ella’s feelings do not. Will she ever get over her first love? Will she ever find out if he feels the same? Is it True Love?

What differentiates this book is the humour. It is so funny and so sincere, Ella is impossible not to love, as is Lowe. It’s empathetic and warm-hearted and I defy anyone not to laugh and cry out loud at least once. I thought I was too old for this, how wrong I was.

This is very much a book for fans of David Nicholls and Nick Hornby. It’s as nostalgic as Talking at Night, but it’s so much sharper and funnier and more joyful and life-affirming. Loved it. 🫶 4-4.5/5⭐️

Many, many thanks to @harpercollinsire @courtneysbooks for the advance reader copy. 😘

Thank you As always a fantastic book by a consistently brilliant author. I always regret their ending and always look forward to the next book thanks

I DNF'd this book.

I couldn't get on with the main character. I was hoping for more nostalgia - which was the best part from me. But it was too sweary-sweary and not very relatable.

I have enjoyed the author's other books!

I was really excited to read this book it sounded right up my street.

I expected it to be light hearted and funny, a little when Harry met Sally type of thing but it was quite slow paced and much deeper than that.

I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t what i expected

I love this book, I love this book, I love this book.

This book really does have everything. characters that you just want to be happy, get really frustrated they cant work it out and get it together , and a beautiful firendship that these days feels so rare.
Built on their past Ella and Lowes friendship is a mystery but also solid. The nostalgia moments are really relateable to anyone who grew up in the 90s making it fun to read as well as addictive and teasing.

Can you ever really be just friends with the love of your life? This is the question which has haunted Ella for fifteen years - since the moment she first set eyes on Lowe. They have an instant connection but, when Ella's friend announces her intentions to pull Lowe, Ella dutifully steps back, appointing herself to the role of his best friend instead. As the years pass and they see each other through family breakdowns, grief, and plenty of teenage angst, Ella's love for Lowe never wavers, and the pain of seeing him with other girls never lessens. I Love You, I Love You, I Love You is a coming of age story which beautifully captures the singular pain and delight of first love.

Laura Dockrill is better known for her YA fiction, and it shows in the best way. The dialogue - and young Ella's high speed, neurotic inner monologue - feels very authentic to this millennial reader, and this book provides a hit of pure nostalgia for those of us who were teenagers in the aughts, but in a natural, unself-conscious way that many authors struggle to capture. Through Ella's story, I was drawn right back to being fifteen and my world revolving around my friends, music and boys, torn between wanting desperately to fit in and navigating my own emerging beliefs, ideals and idiosyncrasies. Though not the main focus of the story, Dockrill portrays the magic of teenage girl friendship - and the wonderful weirdness of all girls schools - with a warmth and humour reminiscent of the great Louise Rennison.

Though the cover and the title might imply romance, this book is so much for than that.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

I love this book with my entire heart.

As a thirty-two-year-old woman, I definitely felt the nostalgia with this one. The story follows Ella Cole in dual timelines; when she is a teenager and meets Lowe Archer for the first time and in the present when she is in her early thirties and has just bought a house with her partner Jackson.

Teenage Ella has a 'love at first sight' moment with Lowe but in order to protect herself, she puts herself in the friendzone. The two are the best of friends over the next decade, always there to support each other, but each time he gets a girlfriend, Ella's heart breaks a little. Their story is absolutely beautiful to read.

Lowe's band that he plays in becomes more and more famous and something happens (no spoilers here from me!) and the two don't speak for a ten years. Following his band's break up, they then reconnect.

The way that this book is written is stunning. There is real depth when it comes to teenage Lowe and Ella's families which adds another dimension and Dockrill's humour just bounces off the page. I really resonated with Ella's teenage years and this novel encapsulates what it's like to have a first love.

I love that all of the male love interests of Ella's were genuinely nice, no villains in this story, they just weren't Lowe. I cared so deeply about these characters. I laughed and even shed a tear at some parts. It gave me everything I want in a novel.

As I always do, I did a little research on the author after reading and discovered that there are autobiographical aspects in there with Ella and Lowe's relationship and Dockrill and her husband. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was in The Maccabees as I played 'About Your Dress' on a loop as a teenager in 2007 and I'm pretty sure I had a line from First Love as my MSN screen name for a while. CRINGE.

Anyway, read this book. It's bloody brilliant. I will 100% be buying a physical copy too.

I went into this read just expecting a typical rom-com but it was so so much more and I could not put it down.
Amazing characters that were so relatable, strong & resilience you can't help but be transported back to your own teenage years.

It's the perfect mix of romance, an emotional rollercoaster but with funny and lighthearted aspects.

A simply beautiful story that you will struggle to forget.

I thought this was going to be a light and easy read but it was not the fluffy, holiday read I expected. It's actually a deep and sincere book that is written super well and is very warm hearted all the way through.

I absolutely loved this book. It took me right back to my teenage years ad was such a trip down memory lane. highly recommended.