unfortunately a miss for me. i found it hard to get into and it all seemed like a stream of consciousness. didn't really understand the point of anything.

Hooked, sold. This coming from someone who's not a Sally Rooney fan.

I received a sampler from NetGalley in return for my honest opinion (which was quite short, but to the point)

Sally Rooney just knows how to write poetically. The writing was GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to read the rest of this, it was gripping straight away and reminded me of exactly why I love Sally’s books in the first place. So many emotions! Hard to rate more than 4 stars with only a sample but I’m very excited for this.

Sally Rooney honestly never fails to amaze me. Her ability to write such complex characters and plots whilst making the entire book just so real is amazing!

I really enjoyed getting a little teaser into the next book ahead of its release and it makes me so so desperate to read the rest of this book! Luckily for me, it’s just one week away!

The only downside this Sampler had was its formatting. It sometimes made it incredibly hard to figure out what was speech or the plot as we know Sally doesn’t use quotation marks so my only thing was the formatting!

Rooney’s writing is sophisticated, and the characters are intriguing, complex, and suitably counterpointing/contrasting. While the stream-of-consciousness narrative and exploration of personal relationships were typical, this book offers a glimpse of a new, understated and introspective side to her writing style.

Some readers might initially find it a little slow, but it soon gathers apace and reveals a story of real emotional depth and intensity. Rooney has excelled herself with this one.

My thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for granting this ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, especially since it's my first Sally Rooney novel. I'm really excited to continue!

Read this quickly, again not my type of book not sure if it just the authors writing style or maybe the format of the sampler but i found this very hard to get into

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. i really liked it, it left me wanting more. Sally Rooney is one of my favorite authors and she never disappoints with her books. i’m so excited to get the physical copy and keep reading on September 24th!

huge thank you to Netgalley and Faber Books for the sneak peek!

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber for providing me with a sampler of this book.

I’ve actually never read a Sally Rooney novel before (I know I know cringe - I promise they’re on my never ending TBR) but wow this has me intrigued. I’m not going to lie the whole no punctuation thing has thrown me for a loop but I’m weirdly into it.

This sample has definitely got me intrigued and I can’t wait for more!

Thank you Netgalley and Faber for providing me with this sample.

Oh my goodness, I already know this will be one of my favorite reads of 2024. The way this book pulled me!!
Sally Rooney is one of my auto-buy authors - her writing style is so beautiful, it is truly unmatched.
I cannot wait to finish this story and to love this book forever.

To be honest, I am mildly disappointed.

This book is about two brothers that are ten years apart in age and it follows them in the months after their father’s funeral. Rooney is great at writing dialogue and interpersonal dynamics but I found myself detached from these characters.

I enjoyed reading Ivan and Margaret’s chapters and the depth to the writing was so well written. While, Peters chapters weren’t as well developed and it lacked substance. I believe a lot more could’ve been done with the brother’s relationship as I wasn’t really invested.

I’m rating this book 3 stars because I did enjoy some parts but overall sadly it wasn’t for me. If you enjoy reading lit fics about personal relationships I would still recommend this.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm intrigued :) My first Sally Rooney, believe it or not, and this made me want to read more. She's a good writer.

I was really excited for this sample as I enjoyed sally rooneys normal people! This sample has me wanting more and I can’t wait the entire book!

Sally Rooney is back and better than ever! This sampler offers a glimpse into the first pages of Intermezzo and I already can't wait to read the rest! Will be wondering about Ivan until publication day.

Thank you for approving this arc read. Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I believe the lack of quotation marks was a big factor in me not enjoying this read. Also it was hard to follow the storyline.

The notification that my request for this sampler had been approved, genuinely, made my entire day. Thank you to the publishers.

What can I even say, I preordered this book weeks ago and now I'm only even more excited to receive my copy. A new Rooney book, to me, feels like uncovering the intricate secrets of everyday life hidden in plain sight - like taking a peek behind the wallpaper in your room. She remains an author of incredible skill when it comes to creating an evocative atmosphere and tapping into the unexplainable.

While Ivan's chapter was a lot more organized, Peter's felt like a catapult straight into this new side of Rooney. The narration was extremely stream of consciousness and quite chaotic which I can only attach to the Peter's internal, emotional mess. It fluctuated between present time and memories almost seamlessly, like there's no real present for him – like he's experiencing everything that is happening and has happened all at the same time. His father's passing seems to plunge him into extreme melancholy while walking all these familiar streets and meeting people that have had different roles in his past. Something that I thought was really interesting was how by having this type of continuous prose, everything is given the same level of importance. The memories, conversations, thoughts - it all coalesces into one. Everything feels just as significant.

One moment that really caught my attention was when Sylvia texts Peter and he thinks of the ringtone that used to go off when they texted in the past, when their relationship was different. He's almost viscerally reminded of that specific period of his life and the elements that framed, and he wishes he could still hold his old phone and hear that familiar ringtone: ''Just to hear that sound once again, he thinks. To feel that his life has been preserved somewhere and not forgotten, gathered around him, packed protectively around him still''. Everything seems to just come spilling out of him and he's desperate to have some kind of control.

Both points of view are aiming to explore relationships, but they do so in vastly different manners which I really enjoyed. It only made it even more apparent how starkly different Peter and Ivan seem to be. I'm intrigued to see what avenues of relationships Rooney decides to explore this time and, especially, where Ivan and Margaret's relationship will go. Although I think we can already get a glimpse from their age difference and what this means to each of them.

I was really sad once I realized the sampler was over - which is extremely positive. I thought it gave a good idea of what the book will be like and I'm just incredibly excited to get my hands on it and continue tagging along Peter and Ivan's journey for a while.


Again, thank you to the publishers for giving me this opportunity. I enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy

I really enjoyed this sampler and it is classic Sally Rooney writing which I love. Can’t wait to read the full thing!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC. Like other Sally Rooney novels this delves deeply into characters, this time those grieving and uses the same idiosyncratic writing style which for me takes some time to get used to. Half formed sentences, running dialogue and management of multiple characters voices all make Rooney iconic and this novella is no different. A good read, fans will love this I am sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Faber for the sampler. Of course the sampler has left me counting down the days to publication. This seems to be Sally Rooney at her best. Inner thoughts and feelings of characters, so precise and sharp, I found myself reading and rereading.

‘I know that you are a person with desires, and so am I, even if I am helpless to do anything about this knowledge.’ Ivan and Margaret’s initial encounter is sweet, sometimes awkward, although never uncomfortably so, with perfectly built suspense and intrigue. I need to know what happens next. Five stars! Full review on Goodreads to come.

Huge huge thank you to Faber for allowing me to read this sample of one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I was on cloud nine after receiving the email as I've adored Sally Rooney's work for years and Normal People is probably what brought me back to my bookworm roots as an adult.

Straight away you can tell this is going to be something special and I can't wait to read this in the evenings, savouring every single word.

Unsure what to make of Peter as of yet but very intrigued to see where his arc will go; immediately feeling very protective over Ivan, there's such an innocence to his interactions with Margaret that's so compelling and I can't wait to dive in deeper.