I’m really torn reviewing this book.

I had high expectations. Very high. Lots of advertising, social media discussion etc - setting it up to be THE romantic read of the moment. I was excited to read it, still breathless from One Day all these years later.

And perhaps this is where my standards are too high. The storyline itself just doesn’t feel fresh anymore.

Execution-wise, this is well written on the whole - but it didn’t keep me turning the pages throughout the night. I couldn’t fall in love with, root for or even make relationships with the characters. It is a lovely story, but perhaps highlighted for me that the “winner” behind this story will be for a slightly younger audience for myself, for whom the storylines are fresher?

I also feel like I’m the only person frustrated by the “Sally Rooney-Esque” style of writing, with no speech marks etc. Sometimes difficult to read.

Enjoyable, but not the page turner I expected.

I’m hesitant to write this review because I’ve got a strong sense of right book wrong time with this one. Talking at Night has all the elements of a book I should love, but unfortunately, it just didn't land. The beginning, with the initial introduction to the characters and the set-up of the plot was super intriguing to me, and I couldn’t wait to keep reading.

However, the storyline just became more and more implausible as it went on. I am a keen defender of the miscommunication in Sally Rooney’s Normal People and the justifications Marianne and Connell have for not being together, but here I just couldn’t seem to get behind Rosie and Will’s actions. It made them very unlikeable in my eyes, which affected my investment in them as a couple.

What I will say is that if you’re a fan of Normal People then this is absolutely the book for you. Rooney’s novel has become a sort of yardstick in literary fiction, and so many titles are compared to it, but I believe that if Daverley did not take direct inspiration from that novel, then certain elements of it subconsciously influenced this book.

I can’t wait to revisit this although it wasn’t a hit for me the first time around. I can still so clearly see its merit. I will be eagerly awaiting its release in paperback.

An utterly gorgeous love story, full of tenderness and passion. It feels like something you’ve read before but in all the right ways, you feel at home and immersed in the world Daverley has created. This is definitely one for fans of NORMAL PEOPLE, but Daverley has her own distinct and unforgettable voice. I’ll be thinking of this one for years to come.

A lovely soppy book with lots of romance and mixed with sadness. I wish I'd read this sooner. It will stay with me for a very longtime. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I first saw this book at the Michael Joseph showcase before it was released and the trailer they showed for it piqued my interest immediately. It turns out that the book was even more than I was hoping for and I enjoyed every bit of it. I purposely read it in smaller sections than I would usually as I wanted to digest and enjoy every bit.

I loved Will and Rosie and I was so frustrated with them both all at the same time. For two people that talked to each other so often and at such length, they were terrible at communicating their feelings. Out of the two, I think Will was more honest with himself about his life, his feelings and where he wanted to end up. Rosie was far too heavily steered by outside influences rather than following her own heart.

I didn't expect this story to be so emotional and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. There were beautiful moments and ugly moments and they all fit together to depict real life. Loved all of this book so much and I highly recommend it!

Talking at night is a powerful love story between will and Rosie a couple who meet as teens and despite a terrible accident when they are young they can’t let each other go I absolutely devoured this book it’s achingly beautiful the writing was Devine and it’s definitely one I will hold for a lifetime

Talking At Night

I have really taken my time with this review.. because I don’t think anything I say or suggest will do this book any justice.

It’s easily become my favourite 5star read of this year it was so beautiful, raw, honest and soul destroying but in a good way, it is an amazing perception of many reps from grief, OCD, depression, suicide, LGBTQ, Loss, cancer, honestly I could go on because it had everything and it was just stunning lyrical and I didn’t want the story to stop I felt apart of Rosie and Wills life by the end of you feel true love doesn’t exist I suggest you pick this up it’s just an honest in-site to how reality affects us day to day and how time doesn’t slow down for us or wait around it’s beautiful and I can’t quiet believe it’s Claire’s only Novel I hope she gives us more! She’s just an excellent writer!

I loved this book. It’s so well written and the characters are so well developed it is just lovely. Highly recommended by me.

A very intense and far-ranging book, with a teenage romance marred by tragedy that Will and Rosie never quite get over. There's a lot of very elegant and dense exploring of topics and there should maybe be trigger warnings for aspects of the story that catch you by surprise, but at the end you are just desperate for some sort of resolution as the 'will they won't they' stretches a little bit thin at times. An absorbing read.

Talking at Night starts off as a sweet coming of age romance between two very different teens, who seem destined to be together. However, when tragedy strikes, their relationship becomes more complicated and a future together looks uncertain.

This book jumps between the viewpoints of the main characters Will White and Rosie Winters, describing their on off relationship, from their teens to their 40s. I must admit I found Rosie slightly entitled and her  indecisiveness frustrating at times and I really felt for Will. Was she really worth it?

This book is beautiful but heartbreaking and frustrating at the same time.

This was an ok read. I thought it had a slow start and I wasn't really in a rush to read it. But overall, had some cute characters and was decent.

Hard hitting “one that got away” romance. There was a cloud of sadness penetrating this book but it was so well written that it was still enjoyable to read. Entirely 3D characterisation and honest storytelling. Thanks NetGalley!.

Excellent debut novel, kept me engaged till the end, thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading more from this author

400 pages of sadness. That's how I would sum up this book with one sentence.
I struggled to stay invested in this story. Partly because the pacing was too slow for me. But also because it was non stop sadness. One thing after another.
I carried on in hopes they found peace and happiness in some way. That they managed to find themselves together or apart but were in a better place.
The ending was what it was. By that point I just wanted them to decide to either be together or never speak again.

This was a really beautiful & well written story that just held me all the way through.
Heartbreaking yet heartwarming the story draws you in.
Will & Rosie are A level students at the same school although Will is a year older.
Their backgrounds are very different as are what they want to do after they finish school.
Will & Rosies on off love story goes back & forth over the years as they navigate life’s heartbreaks.
A story of missed opportunities & complicated family issues.
Love can be flawed & messy at times but if you are dealing with grief & mental health problems too it can get even more complicated.
This is a poignant & emotional complex love story that held me throughout.
I loved this captivating story.

Wow.

Best book I have read this year.

So many feelings, such aching and hoping things will turn out for the best.

A story set across many years of the on/off relationship and friendship of Rosie and Will and how a tragic accident changes their lives forever.

Fantastic writing, full of feelings and emotions.

Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful, heartbreakingly epic love story. I loved the narrative style and its insight into both Will and Rosie. It reminded me of Normal People or One Day, which scared me because I was devastated at the thought of there being a sad, tragic ending.

I just so felt for the main characters and couldn’t take much more heartbreak and missed chances for them. I particularly loved Will and how earnest he was, to a fault.

What made this better than Normal People or One Day though, was the fact that it ended hopefully - I’m no critic, but I sometimes feel authors think there has to be some tragic or desolate or profound ending to a novel of this vain when really there is no shame in a happily ever after. There was a tangible sense of relief at the end for me - as I inched closer to 100% on my kindle, I really didn’t know what to expect.

No epilogue, but I truly don’t think this needed one ❤️

What to expect:

- grief, trauma, bereavement
- death and suicide attempt (in past)
- OCD, mental illness
- opposites attract
- second chance (and third and fourth chance…) romance
- soulmates

I feel sorry for any book I now read after finishing this one because they are going to have a very tough act to follow. Talking At Night is like the book baby of Sally Rooney’s Normal People and David Nicholl’s One Day which are two of my all time favourite books so naturally I fell in love with it straight away.

Set over a long but unspecific period of time we follow Rosie and Will who go to school together but don’t really meet properly until Will starts to tutor Rosie’s brother after school and they instantly connect.

After something catastrophic happens which tears the two of them apart dramatically, we follow their separate lives as they repeatedly intertwine over the years.

This book was beautiful, I was sobbing on the bus at one point and had to put it down. It’s that kind of special book that makes your heart actually ache (in a good way!)

I adored Rosie and Will and their story - it was so beautifully written (even if there were no speech marks, i’m blaming Sally Rooney for that!)

If you like a quiet but emotional character driven love story then I highly recommend this one!

Unfortunately I could not really get into this book. It read to begin with like a YA title, and as other reviewers have mentioned, is reminiscent of books I would have read in my teens and twenties.
These days I am looking for something rather more mature and less simplistic.
Although it was not for me personally, I can understand its appeal to a younger demographic.
I urge you to read it for yourself.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Talking at night.

What a lovely book. The writing style of this book was quite unusual but that didn’t stop me getting sucked in from the start. We meet Rosie & Will in their last year at school as they prepare for their exams. An unlikely pair who meet when Will tutors Rosie’s twin brother. Rosie is a piano playing, high achieving all round good girl, Will White is not. He’s a bad boy with an even worse reputation. But the first night they meet they stay up in the middle of the night talking. They form an unlikely friendship & we watch this friendship grow & change shape & breakdown time & again throughout this story. It is a raw & honest love story that covers so much more than that. Family bonds, loyalty to our parents, meeting other people’s expectations, grief, loss, depression & many other things. I found this book fascinating & I’m so glad I picked it up.

One of the most heartbreaking, heartwarming, tender, beautiful novels I’ve read in a long time. Such a deeply romantic, sensitive and elegant portrayal of a relationship against the odds, with realistically flawed characters and carefully crafted twists and turns, I was drawn into Will and Rosie’s journeys from the very start, utterly invested in their happiness, Wonderful!