I found this an interesting read. I loved the dialogue and the style of writing, I also loved the setting in Belfast. I got how the women's lives intersected and overlapped but the main thrust of the storyline didn't quite grip me. Well written so I would look out more of the authors work.

This book was awful. I felt it had potential but it just didn’t deliver. The characters were one dimensional and unlikeable. Not for me

Absolutely loved this book!

The writing style was really good and I look forward to reading any other books from this author in the future :)

I had previously read and enjoyed 'Tennis Lessons' by the same author so I was eager to read this.

Lily is consumed by grief, after the death of her mother. She's stick in a cycle, and can't seem to shake herself out of it. Her neighbour Siobhan is also consumed, but by an affair with a married man. Lily starts to pay a it more attention to Siobhan, who in turn barely notices her.

Enjoy Dickey's prose, a mixture of the colloquial and the poetic. Tennis lessons was the same, and it really marks her out as a writer of some talent. It's a book about grief, obsession and making your way through your twenties. You'll also enjoy it if you like your humour dark. Having lived in Belfast, I love reading books about the city.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

I am giving this story a 3 star rating. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review!

I absolutely loved Tennis Lessons by Susannah Dickey. I raced through it and recommended it to everyone. However, this new book disappointed I'm sad to say. I found it slow and uninteresting at times, and I was really struggling to pick it back up so it took me a really long time to get through it. I didn't connect with either main character and the two plots felt disjointed in places, particularly towards the end. I really don't like giving low ratings but I don't think I can give this more than 2 stars unfortunately.

I read and loved Tennis Lessons last summer. Susannah Dickey is a great writer with her own unique style. She has a masterful turn of phrase and there’s a delicious darkness to her writing that leaves you feeling uncomfortable but wanting more. Alas, her new book Common Decency didn’t work for me.

Two women, Lily and Siobhán live in the same tower block in Belfast. They’re both going through a messy time in their life - Lily is navigating all-consuming grief and depression in the aftermath of her mother’s death. Siobhán is entangled with a married man who is using her for his own convenience when it suits him. Lily becomes obsessed with Siobhán, her fixation serving as a type of distraction from her own grim, lonely lot. Siobhán is oblivious. A third woman living in the same block, Caz, becomes inadvertently embroiled in the odd goings-on.

The story has all the makings of a great novel but it didn’t come together. The characters were too similar in many ways - Lily’s mother sounded a lot like Siobhán bizarrely. The episodes did not knit together well. None of the characters were likeable. Siobhán’s relationship with Andrew was interesting in a car-crash sense (hard to look away) but it wasn’t enough to save the book. The epilogue was incongruous and just left me shrugging, I didn’t care.

I do enjoy Dickey’s writing so I’ll read her next work. This one just didn’t do it for me.

*Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC via @netgalley. Common Decency was published in July. As always, this is an honest review.*

Although I enjoyed Susannah Dickey's sense of humour, I felt that the plot could have been more exciting. The novel mainly consists of dialogues, so that it often feels like not much is happening. Brilliant wit but a bit lacking in storytelling for my tastes.

I read Susannah Dickey's previous novel Tennis Lessons and loved it and Common Decency is every bit as good. I really love how Dickey writes, she is a wonderful storyteller.

Common Decency tells the story of Lily and Siobhan, two women who live in the same rundown apartment block in Belfast. The women have some fleeting interactions in their apartment complex but we learn of each of their lives and backgrounds separately. Dickey writes both of these women so realistically and with compassion and care. They aren't always likeable yet its impossible not to care about them when reading. There are so many themes running through the book, grief, friendship, obsession and the impact childhood has on adults. Its quite dark but interlaced with some sharp humour. It is difficult to describe this book and do it justice but I was captivated from the opening chapters and felt a so many emotions when reading it. The ending was perfection. I really love how Dickey writes and I am already looking forward to whatever she writes next.

4.- 4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this! It’s nice to see twentysomething disaffection expand a little as a genre, and I appreciated the breadth and depth of these alternating narratives of two fairly unhappy women, and the subtle intersections of their lives that were woven throughout the novel. Your enjoyment of this will depend on how you feel about books where everybody talks in ways that no one ever talks in real life—worked for me but perhaps not for everyone!

With thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for the ARC!

I was so happy to be approved for this ARC. When you read the premise you’ll see why:

In an apartment building in Belfast, two women wrestle with the sorrows & spectres of love & loss. Since her mother's death, Lily has withdrawn from the world, trapped between grief & anger. Upstairs, Siobhán is consumed by her affair with a married man. Her days revolve around his sporadic texts & rare visits. She barely notices the strange girl who lives below her. But Lily is keeping a close eye on her neighbour, whose life seems so much better & more fulfilling than her own. When resentment evolves into something darker, she decides to teach Siobhán a lesson...

Oh this was a true banger of a read! I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in the space of two days. I loved the change in perspectives, seeing their paths merge and how they perceive (or don’t perceive) each other. Lily is obsessed with Siobhán, whereas Siobhán barely acknowledges Lily. I found that dynamic so interesting.

I particularly enjoyed Siobhán’s chapters. Her being a teacher and, despite things being difficult in her personal life, having to almost put on a mask, ignore it for a while and put the students’ needs first. Her sense of humour also had me snorting at times.

Dickey’s explorations on relationships, grief and how we perceive others are incredible, and gave me so much to think about as I was reading. It’s a story of how we may think someone’s life might be perfect but really everyone is going through their own shit. And I suppose with social media, we are constantly thinking there are people living better lives than us. But it’s merely a highlight reel. Books like this (despite this one not being social media based) remind us that we are all flawed human beings that all have our own worries and concerns. I really enjoyed how this book gave me that food for thought.

The only thing that slightly bothered me was that I wasn’t entirely sure about the ending. I’m still kind of processing that one and haven’t made my mind up on it yet lol. Definitely just a me thing I think! It doesn’t take away from an incredible read that I genuinely couldn’t put down. If you’re an Irish fiction lover, this will be so up your street.

Huge thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I need to read Tennis Lessons now!

god, i do not have coherent thoughts about this book.

Susannah Dickey's prose is excellent. i was fresh from reading her debut Tennis Lessons when i requested this ARC because i was incredibly captivated by how Dickey strings together words and sentences. her control over the language is amazing and the way she describes ordinary things in life resonates with me.

i am left devastated by this book. i have no idea how to put my complicated thoughts into words. not to sound like a depressed person but god it is so comforting to read similar life experiences and observations in a book. there is something so comforting and satisfying to have the thoughts in my brain translated to words on page, and to read it over and over again— as if the repetition of these words will help me feel better about myself, to see them outside and separate from myself, knowing someone else feels exactly the same way.

idk i don't think i will be able to justify this book with a review, you will just have to read it for yourself. Susannah Dickey is my new favorite author now. i will read anything she writes.

Really not sure what to make of this book. I liked the authors writing style but the story felt very disjointed and never really same together for me. I didn't connect with the primary character's and many peripheral characters in place that often felt surplus to requirements. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this novel! It was a good read and I like the characters. I would recommend this one to read.

I read and loved Susannah Dickey's debut Tennis Lessons so was really excited to be approved for this. And it did not disappoint for me!

This is told from both the perspective of Lily and Siobhan, two women in their twenties who live in the same building. Lily has recently lost her mum and aside from going to work, has effectively dropped out of life. Siobhan lives in the apartment above her, is a teacher and is having an affair with a married man.

Lily becomes transfixed on Siobhan, while Siobhan takes little notice of Lily. This is not something Lily takes to kindly and decides she should teach Siobhan a lesson.

I really loved this and think it should very much be included in the 'messy women' category we see so much about on social media at the minute. In brief flashes these women were loveable and then they did something stupid that rendered them completely unlikeable again. Which is the kind of story I'm a sucker for.

Also will always be thrilled to read a book set in Belfast! Can't wait to read more of what Susannah Dickey has to share.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the opportunity to review this book!

'Common Decency' is very much a contemporary novel based on the parralel lives of the two main characters, Lily and Siobhan, who live in the same flat complex. Essentially strangers to one another that is until Lily starts paying close attention to the movements of the upstairs tenant and inserts herself duplicitously in a way that proves nocuous to the unsuspecting Siobhan, who is more concerned about the fickle attention of her love interest, a married man.

this was a fascinating novel and nothing like i've read before. the ending took me by surprise! looking forward to reading more by dickey

Great book, I loved this read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

A great read! I was really invested in Siobhán and at times just wanted to give her a good shake. I would definitely recommend Common Decency.

Gripping and realistic storytelling. Use of language is emotive and the overall novel is enjoyable. The themes touched on in this book are poignant and so well handled, nurtured and offered forward. The characters are real and vital - I would recommend this.