The reasons why every 20-year-old woman needs to give Dolly Alderton a chance
Every year for my birthday, I ask my mom for a book or two. A few months ago, a girl in my sorority asked everyone for book recommendations, and loads of girls, including myself, responded to her text with their all-time favorite books. I enjoy staying up-to-date on the newest “must-read” book releases, as well as popular authors, so I had either heard of or read a lot of the titles shared already. However, there were a few titles being thrown around that I hadn’t heard of, so I looked some of them up. Out of the various books that I looked up, one book in particular caught my eye: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton. I was immediately drawn to the royal blue cover with bold, bright pink and green letters spelling out the title and Alderton’s name. I clicked on the Goodreads link to read a description about the book and only became more interested. On Goodreads, it describes Alderton’s memoir as a “wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking, internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss and love along the ride.” So, when I was curating a list of a few books to ask for as a birthday gift, Everything I Know About Love sounded like the perfect book to start off my twenties with.
I ended up being correct in my assumption. Everything I Know About Love was the absolute perfect book to start off my twenties with. So, here are the reasons why Alderton’s bestselling memoir is a “must-read” for all women in their twenties.
If you haven’t already looked up or seen the cover of Alderton’s memoir – please do so right now. In my humble opinion, the cover is flawless. Although the title of the memoir is Everything I Know About Love, the cover of the book reads, Everything I know about parties, dates, friends, jobs, life, love. But, here’s the catch: “parties, dates, friends, jobs and life” are all crossed out. I absolutely adore that Alderton did this because I feel that it encapsulates the overarching theme of her book so well. At the end of the day, Alderton’s crazy stories aren’t meant to be about the drinking, hookups and insane situations that she’s gotten herself into – they’re about love.
Alderton’s emphasis on female friendships and their overall importance warmed my heart immensely. Throughout my life, I have been incredibly fortunate to have always had a really amazing circle of female friends. I strongly believe that there is something so unique and special about having solid female friendships. Although friendships with men can be incredibly fulfilling as well, in my own experience, friendships with women have always had a very special place in my heart. Throughout her memoir, Alderton perfectly demonstrates the beauty of female friendships. She describes what it’s like to “build a home” with her friends and the talent of knowing them inside and out to the point where you know exactly what they’re going to order when you sit down at a restaurant.
Additionally, Alderton does not hold back for one second during her memoir. The stories she tells about her youth throughout her twenties gives the reader so much insight into her life. She writes about her happiest moments, her worst moments and every little thing in between. If any young woman is feeling lost, alone or even embarrassed because of something going on in their life, sure enough, Alderton has been there too. At no point does Alderton pretend to be someone she isn’t. She lays everything out for the reader and is authentic and raw while doing so. Her stories make you laugh, cry, gape in disbelief and most importantly, they make young girls feel seen and related to.
My favorite aspect of Everything I Know About Love is the fact that at the end of her memoir, Alderton has not ended up with her one true love. Although I do wish the best for Alderton and would’ve been happy had she ended up with someone by the end of her memoir, I feel that it is so beautiful that at the end of the day, Alderton has her family and friends, and that is enough. There is so much pressure in today’s society for women to find a man in their twenties, which is a common theme throughout the memoir. Part of me was expecting that the last chapter would include some sort of passage about how Alderton met her “prince charming” and everything ended up perfectly. However, in the end, Alderton’s love story is still continuing, and she appears to be content and happy spending time with her friends, family and herself.
All in all, every young woman needs to give Everything I Know About Love the attention it deserves. I promise that it will touch you immensely and provide the comfort, insight and laughs that every woman needs during her twenties.