Not sure if it’s just me, but I always find the distance between 3 and 4 stars seems like the greatest between all the star ratings. For that reason, Ordinary Love is a solid 3.5.

There's lots to like here. Rutkoski is telling two stories-- a story of an abusive marriage and tumultuous separation, and a decades-spanning love story. The problem is it's a very slow-burn tale that I feel would have benefited from losing a hundred pages.

I thought the portrait of this particularly insidious form of abuse was very powerful. The way someone can make a casually callous comment, subtly manipulate their partner, so that they end up wondering if they are being too picky, too sensitive. As the reader, we watch in horror as Jack slowly isolates Emily from her family and friends, her support network gradually falling away.

One of the ways this abuse manifests is she can never be sure what he will do and she is constantly trying to anticipate his reaction. This goes beyond dealing with the reaction itself because she must also deal with the constant anxiety. One part of the book captures this perfectly— she imagines Jack's reaction to a change in Halloween plans, her mind catastrophizes the whole thing, and it isn’t what she thinks… but it’s the fact he put that anxiety in her, that never knowing when he will blow up and punish those around him.

Alongside this is the broody and melancholy love story between Emily and Gen, who met as kids, became lovers, and were later pulled apart by life and misunderstanding.

In fact, the almost constant misunderstandings and miscommunications between them was one of my main grumbles and what really made the story drag. It felt like one simple conversation could have saved years of hurt, and there was enough sighing and sad silence between them to rival Sally Rooney. Still, it has to be said they had chemistry and were very sweet and sexy together.

I'm convinced a shorter book would have been an easy 4 stars for me. It just went on too long, everything dragged out beyond the point of being interesting.

Ordinary Love is anything but ordinary.

This beautifully crafted novel explores the lifelong bond between two girls, Emily and Gen, who fall in love as teenagers but struggle to maintain their connection as life pulls them in opposite directions.

Through a dual timeline, we witness their youthful romance and the present-day realities that shape them, as they navigate distance, personal struggles, and the echoes of their past.

Marie Rutkoski masterfully portrays how former partners’ lives can diverge so drastically - Emily finds herself in a marriage marked by psychological abuse, while Gen achieves athletic success and public recognition.

Despite their stark differences, the novel suggests that, in their own ways, they complete each other.

The push and pull of their journey back to one another is at times tentative, at others agonizing, with every step forward seemingly followed by a step back.

Rutkoski’s storytelling is both emotionally rich and exquisitely nuanced.

The novel addresses themes of pain, anxiety, and abuse with sensitivity, ensuring these elements inform the characters' choices rather than overshadow the story.

The writing is deeply engaging, and full of moments that will have readers racing through the pages, desperate to see if Emily and Gen can find their way to resolution.

What sets Ordinary Love apart is its refusal to follow conventional romance tropes.

While many love stories tread familiar ground, this one carves its own path, offering a poignant meditation on love, identity, sacrifice, and the courage to embrace the unknown.

It’s a romance, yes but it’s also a story of self-discovery, friendship, and resilience.

A heartfelt and thought-provoking read, Ordinary Love is an unforgettable exploration of love’s endurance and the way people shape each other’s lives, even when apart.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ordinary Love is one of the best books I have read in recent months. I found myself not wanting to stop reading but also trying not to finish it too quickly as I knew I would miss these characters!

Emily and Gen are each others first loves in high school but their relationship does not stand the test of long distance and they break up once they are at college in different states. The following years see Emily, give up her dreams of working in law, marry Jack and have two children, settling in a very comfortable life in New York City. Meanwhile, Gen is a very well known Olympic medal winning athlete. After not talking for years, the two meet again by chance at a party and they begin to reconnect. At the same time, Emily has left Jack due to his psychological abuse of her and their children.

Ordinary Love is a sexy and sensual read but also contains the dark themes of abuse and power in relationships and a woman’s fight in divorce. I loved the development of Gen and Emily’s relationship, both times, the use of the flashback to earlier times help flesh out the characters and also creates tension in the present timeline. There were some moving full circle moments involving Emily’s father and Gen’s grandmother. A fabulous queer romance novel.

The story follows Emily from her time at high school onto her adult life in a very unhappy marriage. I found that it was an utterly real description of an abusive marriage . As a teenager, she had a relationship with another girl Gen, and during the novel we see what happens to both girls and what happens when Emily unhappy and her marriage meets Gen again is an adult. The relationship between Emily and Gen the romance of a lifetime is told beautifully in this novel. I was very quickly invested in Emily in particular and her happiness. Ultimately, the story is of pursuing your own happiness, even if this does not seem at the beginning the easiest option.
The author has a beautiful flowing writing star which was a pleasure to read. There were times when the pros bordered on poetry for example I adored this. Paragraph “Emily‘s body was marked within invisible lines Stella at her ribs Connor almost to her shoulder. These lines would shift up until her children were adults are no longer measured themselves against her. “

I’d recommend this novel for lovers of primarily character based novels if you like the novels of David Nichols such as Us then you like this novel I also thought that there was a There is a feeling of The Secret history to this book so if you love the novels of Donna Tatt I think you’ll love this book too
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 12th of June 2025 by little Brown book group UK.
This review appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com. After publication will also appear on Amazon UK.

This book provoked many emotions, triggered fears and also delivered a wonderfully romantic story of two friends turned to lovers, and lost for many years to each other.
I thought it was brilliant. I was able to empathise deeply with the predicaments of the main characters.

Thank you very much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to have read this ahead of publication and exchange for this very honest review.

I will be recommending this book to many people. I love a saga which spans many years and which shows the whole life of the characters and their timeline, their interactions, and their difficulties. This book delivered on all levels.
Excellent

'Ordinary Love' was a real page-turner. A story about two girls who fell in love in high school and then parted ways. One became an athlete, the other one got into a heteronormative life with a rich husband and kids. The story explores identity, abuse, love, forgiveness, human complexity etc.

It was an easy read, but I think that the writing felt a bit heavy at times and faux deep. It was overall an enjoyable book to read.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to start an official petition to increase the maximum star rating on Goodreads, in honour of Ordinary Love. To say something as trivial and cliché as ‘five stars from me, this is possibly the best book I’ve ever read’ doesn’t do justice to how moving, intricate, tender and beautiful this novel truly is.

The story follows a fractured structure, reflecting the flux status our protagonist finds herself in when she finally leaves her emotionally abusive husband and her first love comes back into her life. A sensitive and startlingly accurate portrayal of emotional abuse is depicted alongside one of the most gorgeous descriptions of desire and love. I felt like the characters were so real that I miss them now the book’s over. This novel is one for the ages.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy for an impartial review.

How moving was this book?! An absolute emotional rollercoaster as we follow Emily's journey from her first and only girlfriend to her marriage to a narcissistic man to single parenthood and a lifetime journey of self-discovery.

The characters were fantastic. They were relatable, especially Emily, and I could feel her emotions in full force throughout the story. The connection between her and Gen was Palpable, and I truly hoped for a happy ending for them both.

Really just a stunning story that shows that if two people are meant to be, they will always find their way.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

Wow! At last, a book about queer women that is relatable, realistic, and very well written. Marie Rutkoski portrays a relationship that spans decades of lasting love despite the different roads in life taken by the young lovers, Emily, and Gen. They both make bad decisions, which have enormous consequences. Gen embraces her sexuality but is unable or unwilling to commit to one woman (I think her character and appearance may be loosely based on Shane from The L-Word - or was that just my own fantasy?!!). Emily takes a more traditional route and falls into a relationship with a man and, unfortunately, a coercively controlling marriage, which she stays in for her children. Both women had endearingly strong and ultimately supportive groups of friends - many of these characters seemed like people that I know in my own life! Marie Rutkoski also did something that I think is rare - she described sexual experiences between women that were not gratuitous but were accurate and wonderful. celebration of sexy!
Finally, to quote Emily and give a sample of the quality of this beautifully written book:
'No one, given the choice, prefers an enclosed space with no window, but there was something special about the combination of this hallway and the kind of light I saw, loaned by a window from an adjoining room. The light wasn't reliable or enduring' that wasn't its nature. Shut the door and it's gone. But it was beautiful. It glowed. No matter how things ended, Gen, I'm grateful for you. You were my borrowed light.'

A very emotive and well written book about the complexity of relationships. Marie Rutkoski sensitively handles the love story between Emily and Gen and the obstacles and hurdles they encounter. When Emily and Gen first drift apart Emily meets and subsequently marries Jack and has two children with them. Jack is fabulously wealthy but unfortunately also emotionally controlling and abusive towards Emily. Eventually Emily has the courage to leave him for good and then Gen re-enters her life and the story unfolds further. This book was a revelation to me as I would normally not read this type of story but Marie Rutkoski drew me in with the her depiction of all the characters and her empathy to their situations.

This story was beautiful! It was woven with the raw and brutal feelings that come with love, the betrayal that can come along with it, and learning to be selfish for once.

I was asked by NetGalley to review this book. Boy did this pack a punch, have a box of tissues by your side - you will need these.

The love of two teenage girls, but then things change as they go to college.

This story explores emotional abuse, the direction one takes in life, love and loss- so moving and so well written.

A beautiful book recommended - publication date - June 12 2025.

I have just finished this book and it is very fresh in my mind. It was an easy read and a book that was not too taxing to read nor follow. I enjoyed the authors descriptions of place but found in some instances I wanted to hear more of the characters experiences in the places they were. In saying this though, I do echo other reviewers in that I found it a bit too long.

I did not feel a connection to either of the characters which was a loss in terms of being fully invested in their story.

The novel follows Emily as she attempts to rekindle a love she had as a teenager, that never truly went away. She loved and had a teenaged relationship with her friend Gen. They meet again as adults. Gen is a successful Olympian, wealthy and popular- some of her life is lived in the public eye, for instance her celebrity girlfriends of which there have been a few. Emily has a family, an ex-husband who controlled her and her life and was abusive to her. A bully, he held his wealth and affluence over her. The author very delicately laces this power/money/status dynamic throughout the book and it is very interesting. Mostly in terms of how Emily feels. She could have become a lawyer but hadn’t the opportunity Purdue her studies as she met her husband young, he swept her off her feet and then he took over in terms of influencing her future.

There is great warmth but also complication in rekindling a romance, especially with adulthoods responsibilities. There is great author fully captures these challenges.

All in all this was a good read. I do wonder if there is more to relate to and possibly more to connect to for an American reader. As a British person, I did enjoy reading the details about the American high school experience for instance and laying in the back of pick up trucks etc! I would still recommend this, it would be great for people looking for a well paced, page turner about the complications and realities of love.

Ordinary Love explores the emotional complexity of love, regret, and self-acceptance as Emily reconnects with her former lover, Gen, after years apart. Emily’s life has been marked by a difficult marriage to an abusive, narcissistic man, and now, as a mother navigating divorce, she faces the choice between the life she knows and the one she once dreamed of. The novel captures the tension between past love and present responsibilities, with deeply drawn characters that make you feel every step of Emily's journey. It’s a poignant and heartbreaking exploration of love's enduring power.

I really enjoyed Ordinary Love.

It’s not just another romance - it’s a thoughtful, well-written story that feels authentic. The characters are complex and fully developed, and their emotions come across as genuine.

What stood out to me was how naturally the book explores love and identity without feeling contrived. It’s a quiet, honest portrayal of relationships, with all their tenderness and complications.

Marie Rutkoski’s writing is graceful and engaging, drawing me in without being overly sentimental.

If you’re looking for a love story that feels real and nuanced, this one is worth reading.

CW for DV in the context of cohersive control.

When Emily catches sight of Gennifer Hall at a party, she is transported back to the moment they fell in love as teenagers. Their connection was electric, and they thought it was forever. Twenty years later, Gen is an Olympic runner, the career she strived for, while Emily is living a picture-perfect life: Manhattan townhouse, two young children and a wealthy husband, Jack. But Jack's controlling behaviour is spiralling, and Emily has lost sight of who she once was. Now, despite Emily's fracturing marriage and the pressures of Gen's career, they are drawn back together by a magnetic attraction. After years of heartbreak, missed chances and misunderstandings, will they finally get a second chance at first love?



Ordinary Love flips back and forth between the past and the present, between Emily as she was and Emily as she’s become, all the while reflecting on and striving for who she is, at her core.

I related to her experience of seeking to please those around her, shaping her life to fit others’ expectations. I related to her experience of feeling her queerness validated, simply because she learned to believe she belonged.

And it was hard to read about her relationship with Jack, not because I could relate, but because her self doubt was so real, and the gaslighting gaslit me sometimes.

I love second chance romance, but sometimes I wonder WHY the MCs are into each other. Not so with Ordinary Love! The chemistry between and Emily and Gen was palpable; the breadcrumbs of past and perspective that the author dropped were delicious; and the sex was really great.

I found the ending a little rushed, which might have been intentional, given the parallel piece of feedback within the text, but might also be, just, rushed. The END end was great. Hopeful. Happy for now. It felt honest. But the getting there lacked the depth of the previous 375 pages and I wanted more of the substance.

Overall, Marie Rutkoski’s writing is moody and melancholy, heartbreaking and hopeful. The MCs are great (not Jack, he’s an arsehole, but he’s a great arsehole in the story telling sense). The supporting cast are full bodied and I would very much like to be in Gen’s friendship group thanks.. Ordinary Love is insightful, informative and really, REALLY unputdownable.

Thank you NetGalley and Litte, Brown Book Group for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

A subtly devastating novel — it starts slowly (and I initially thought the characters felt a little flat) but give it time and it'll sink its claws into you

A riviting read with characters, who are realistic in the portraying the suffering of being in a loveless relationship whilst longing for a lost eternal love with all the hopes and frustrations endured to achieve just the freedom of a happy life.

I found novel, about teenage girlfriends who reconnect in their early 30s in very different circumstances, to be a really enoyable read. The characters are well drawn and the slow progress of one woman's perfect marriage towards coercive control is realistic and sympathetic. Recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A good story, but the book was much too long. I found myself getting bored with the main characters, and struggled with the second half of the book.