I love when queer women make bad choices. Natalie is eighteen, freshly independent, and painfully naive when she starts an all-consuming relationship with Nora, an older woman who is connected to her own life in surprising ways. Fischer perfectly captures that enraptured feeling of first love, especially with someone older and more experienced. There are parts of this book that are also deeply melancholy; bits and pieces that made me exhale and set the book aside for a minute or two. A little bit heart-wrenching, this one will be perfect for Sally Rooney fans and sad gay people alike.
The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer, (List Price: 27, Algonquin Books, 9781643752723, May 2023)
Reviewed by Gaby Iori, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina