Ah, this definitely hooked me in! I wasn't such a fan of the POV of the opening chapter, so I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but once it switched to Ivan and Margaret I was gutted when the sample chapters ended!

Looking forward to reading the rest of the book, I wasn't sure from the first chapter but it drew me in and I wanted to keep reading, particularly about Ivan. The prose is classic Sally Rooney with no speech marks and lots of missing function words, this requires concentration so it won't be an easy read.

I'm a big fan of Normal People and I love to play chess, so this book caught my attention. Unfortunately, the sample is so short that I don't know enough to rate the book. I got a tease of the book, but not enough to grab my attention. I would read the book if it was in the library, but I'm not sure if I would pay full price for it.

The book is mainly written in a stream of conscious style which definitely succeeds in giving proximity and making the reader feel very close to the action, at times it was too much and felt almost claustrophobic. I don't think I want to know every thought and insecurity going through their heads.

In the sample, Margaret makes a decision that seems very sudden and not really developed. We see it from her POV because if it came from Ivan's it would seem like a male wish fulfilment fantasy.

A new Sally Rooney you certainly don’t want to miss.
The first 50 pages have already packed a punch, Rooney’s characters are like no other - two brothers who couldn’t be more different, and you feel for both immediately. Rooney’s way with words let you dive right into the story, full of grief, love and family dynamics.
I cannot wait to read the entire novel. Thank you faber for the sampler.

I really liked it, and it left me wanting more. Sally Rooney is one of my favorite writers and she never disappoints with her books. I'm eager to get the physical copy and keep reading because they can't leave me like this, just when it was getting really interesting. Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy.

Sally Rooney has a wonderful way with writing. The pace just makes it feel like you’re watching a performance in your mind. It’s very clever. I was a little confused at first with peters Story and introduction, but I really quite enjoyed Ivan’s chess exhibition! I think the pacing of Peters was my issue and maybe timeline wise I was abit confused. But I am very interested in reading the rest of the two brothers navigating their grief and their lives

Although this sampler only contains the first two chapters of the book, it was enough to remind myself why I love Sally Rooney so much. Her writing style is so captivating and particular. I can't wait to read the full book when it comes out! Thank you Netgalley and Faber for the opportunity to read the first 50 pages of the book.

Sally Rooney never misses. Her style of writing is so sharp and distinct, and completely shines in this sampler just as it does in her previous projects. So much character exploration and depth in just the first 50 pages. Cannot wait to read the rest of it and become deeply infatuated.

This story focuses on two brother, Peter, and Ivan Koubek. Peter a Dublin Lawyer and Ivan a young competitive chess player. As the story moves forward, we learn more about these brothers and their lives, they are both interesting characters that I enjoyed getting to know.

I found this to be one of those books I did not want to end as I wanted to know more about these brothers, the author does a wonderful job of presenting their characters to us and the writing was excellent. I do not want to say too much about the rest of this book as I really do feel you need to just open the first page and then become immersed in this family story, before you know it you will be turning the last page.

This is definitely another fabulous book from Sally Rooney and a credit to her, the depth of characterisation carries the book and immerses the reader into these two young men’s lives, ones you wish to know more about.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

I am dying to finish reading this book now I have started it! I have loved Sally's writing ever since normal people, i read it while watching normal people which is why I think I enjoyed the writing style, although I do think Sally's no speech marks makes it harder to get into I do believe it forces the reader to full read and enjoy every word!

I've got 17 days until I get to read the full book!

Although this sampler contains the first two chapters of the book it gives the reader a taste of what’s to come.

Two siblings who are total opposites, They are both struggling with the death of their father . Peter is a successful lawyer and Ivan a competitive chess player.

I struggled with the writing style to begin with but soon found it refreshing and straight to the point.

I will look out for the book when it’s released o find out the full story.

Oh how I wish this was more than just a sampler. Sally, like always, grabs me since page 1 and I can tell I'm gonna love this book.
Her writing has definitly improved, difficult as it could be to believe that she could get better than she already was.
I just love how she can write the most complex and yet mundane human emotions in such an amazing way.
There's really not much to be said from this sample, except it seems great, I'm definitly intrigued and I can't wait to have the complete book in my hands.
I predict a 5⭐️ reading for me.

This was an interesting sampler, I haven't read any of Ms Rooney's books before, but watched the TV adaptation of "normal people" which I quite enjoyed. I was therefore slightly put off by the density of the text and lack of punctuation for the dialogue, whether this would grow on me as I became more involved in the story I don't know, but I think I'll wait for the inevitable tv version.
Thank you to netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advance copy of this book.

Intermezzo (Sampler)
By Sally Rooney

A sample copy containing the first 2 chapters of Sally Rooney's upcoming, and highly anticipated new title which promises grief and relationships with big age gaps and some intriguing chess talk, set in Dublin, with the customary Rooney Trinity references. If the first 2 chapters are anything to go by, it's all there, however for me, 2 chapters are rarely enough to give me a good grounding in a Rooney novel. It can often take me till halfway to find my feet, but that's a generational thing. As a Gen Xer with Gen Z kids I need to feel my way into the dialogue, but happily this book is told, so far, from the perspective of a millennial and his much younger Gen Z brother. I am not hooked yet, but I have enough reason to feel optimistic about this one. I won't be queuing outside Dubrays, but will patiently await my library hold to come in.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the sneak peek

I am glad this is about two siblings, who are worlds apart from each other. The contrasting qualities and POVs will serve as an engaging bridge into their story. Obviously, hard to judge a book by its sampler, but I came to this with little expectations, no matter how much I enjoyed Rooney’s earlier books (a mix between 3-5 stars, really). As the sampler went on, I enjoyed the details about Peter and Ivan’s life - now, I have high expectations. The whole story must be compelling.
I liked the contemporary setting. As for Rooney’s prose, it is pretty cool. I must admit I loved some of the good to best examples of the crisp, fast-paced, incomplete sentence prose when I first encountered them, but gradually grew tired of the style, and nowadays I can only stand that kind of style if serves the narrative and themes. The first chapter is very much in that crisp style, and the dialogue and characters’ inner thoughts blend into the descriptive paragraphs. It is beautiful and works well in this story, especially for certain POVs.
Looking forward to the entire novel. I feel it will be something special, and open a new chapter in Rooney’s career. We will witness the transitioning to another level in her writing.

I'm still not sure what to make of this book. Fifty pages felt like a mere appetiser. The story revolves around two estranged brothers, Peter and Ivan, grappling with their father's death and their own complex relationships. The writing is a bit of a roller coaster, switching between poetic prose and straightforward narratives, much like the characters themselves. I did stumble upon a rather racy scene, though. Overall, it's a fascinating exploration of family dynamics, but I'm eager to delve deeper

I haven’t read any Sally Rooney books so I was really looking forward to this sampler, unfortunately for me I didn’t quite like the writing style but with it only being a short sample there wasn’t enough to really get into it. I would be willing to give the book a proper try though as it does sound interesting

I will always be a Sally Rooney stan. I just can’t wait to read this book!! These first few pages made me even more excited to read the full book. Release day seems to be so so far long!!!

This was an incredible sampler and I can't wait to read the full book! The writing was so captivating and I love how different the writing was for the two brothers. I love the way the story is being set up and can't wait to see where it goes!

Unfortunately, I did not realise that ALL of Sally Rooney's books lacked quotation marks and I just don't really enjoy that in the novels I read. Thank you so much to Faber for this sampler.