What happens when you need to start over in your mid 30s after a 10 year relationship ends? This is exactly what Willow has to figure out when it happens to her.

For the last 10 years Willow has slowly lost herself and she didn't even realise, so when Dom decides to tell her he wants to make his company (a company she helped start) bigger and better and move to New York alone, shes very hurt and shocked as she thought they were moving to marriage and babies.

Willow has the opportunity to write a piece of journalism for an online magazine about the difference between a settled millennial and a single self loving Gen Z, but is everything we see online really as it seems and how can she write this piece now she isn't in a settled relationship and feels in limbo.

This book really captured not only starting over in your 30's but also the way friendship change as we grow up and also how you each fit into each others lives when you are all at different stages.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins, for this ARC.

I'd recently read Really Good, Actually, and this is the mature, grown-up, sensible version of that story that I enjoyed so much more.

It's the standard "what if the life that you've built for so long, and expected to continue, sidelines you and begins to break down", but it's told well. Willow is a likeable character because she bears a lot, but learns to adapt to her new life in a way that is wholly believable and quite wholesome.

Willow's support network is strong and also features characters that aren't just there to support her, but are characters in their own right. It's also lovely to see Willow exploring her own passions again, but without compromising her morals.

It doesn't reinvent the genre, but it tells it well.

Emma Gannon crafts a great novel. I enjoy the writing style. The characters are brilliant. It was a great read!

A very quick and easy read about Willow. Very funny in places, and it's written really well. Would definitely recommend

Olive was one of my favourite books the year I read it, so I was very excited to read another fiction book by Emma Gannon.

I liked the messages in this book and how this showed friendships can become strained. How some people gradually lose themselves in a relationship and are unable to empathise with how their single friends may feel.

Unfortunately, I found Willow an incredibly frustrating character. She spends a lot of time wallowing in self-pity and is a massive hypocrite. While she does experience some growth, I felt it could have been handled in a more satisfying way. The way her friends’ storylines were wrapped up also felt rushed and random.

This hasn't put me off reading more books by Emma Gannon as I still enjoy her writing but unfortunately this story wasn't for me.

While I'm not 100% the audience for this, I picked it up because I've loved Gannon's non-fiction work. I'd imagine this is painfully relatable for a lot of people. It has some sharp reflections on relationships ending and learning to be an individual person again, even as you're surrounded by coupled up friends. About the pressure to be in a couple, yet how you can lose yourself in a relationship. How lonely modern life can feel at times until you hit on the thing that gives you a spark. Really interesting meditation on modern life.

A fantastic read, I read this so quickly and have recommended to all of my friends! I really enjoyed the exploration of solitude, self love, friendship and life after a long term relationship ends. Highly recommend!

“I felt like I was in a kid’s doll house, playing pretend grown-ups, always worried I’d knock something over and ruin the whole thing.”
Willow is in her 30s, plodding along at work and in her long term relationship, wondering when she’ll be married with babies like her friends around her.
When all of a sudden, she finds herself single, jobless and trying to start again. Table for One explores loss, grief and finding your own path. With a varied cast of characters and relatable issues, it’s an extremely readable story with really moving parts. Willow takes you along all the highs and lows as she tries to navigate who she is now and who she once was.

✨Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!✨

I enjoyed Olive a lot, but sadly this didn't hit those same heights. I felt there was a lot of this book that was either predictable or ridiculous.

Willow wasn't as strong a character as I had wished she would be. I wanted her to be the one to break off the relationship with Dom. I wanted her to be a better friend to her group, especially to Pen. I wanted her to be kinder to Naz. It all just left me wanting a bit more.

She was also incredibly two-faced. Things that were fine when she did it were the absolute work of the devil if done by her friends. She looked down on Naz so much for being single and happy. Willow may not be a likeable person, but she did make for compelling reading.

Some of the actions of Willow's friends toward the end of the book really made me cringe.

However, I loved Willow's aunt. I loved that she had someone in her life who truly cared for her.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Enjoyable enough read, but largely forgettable. Dom is annoying, and Willow shows absolutely zero self-awareness.

I found it hard to get into the story and thought it was a bit drawn out.

Thanks to Emma Gannon and NetGalley for this ARC!

Unfortunately the word that sums this read up for me was “unremarkable”. It very much fades into the kind of books I would expect to show up under “holiday reads” signs in bookshops. The protagonist is often hypocritical and didn’t at any point feel like a character I connected with very much. Unfortunately there are so many books like this one out there at the moment (with authors like Dolly Alderton and Sally Rooney) and unfortunately there wasn’t really anything in this that set it apart for me.

Disclaimer: e-Arc provided by HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via Net Galley for Review. All thoughts are my own. My thanks to HarperFiction, for providing me with the arc for review.

Plot
Willow thinks her life is perfect - living with her boyfriend of ten years, working in their business and a great friend group. When suddenly, her boyfriend dumps her and she is left to face life alone.

Thoughts
I think this book is pitched wrong?! The descriptions I’ve seen online say it’s all about a woman embracing life alone, but it’s much more about the end of her relationship and how that impacts her life.

The book alternates chapters in the presence and in the past - looking at her relationship with her ex, friends and the aunt who raised. Willow is reflecting on her life, to figure out where to go next.

Overall, I like the character relationships, but found the plot a bit boring.

A good positive read. It reminds us that we all need time alone to be with ourselves. Willow is "old" one, in ger 30s and she is following the life of social media gen Z sensation Naz who is in her early 20s. It's good how Willow reflects as I think us women do, looking back. As someone in their 40s it was reminding me of my 20s and 30s and I'm sure in my 50s I'll look back. Basically it's a live you own life, not others and make yourself happy kind of book

This is the first book I’ve read by the author and I absolutely loved it! Willow is one of those characters you immediately warm to, and I found myself unable to put down the book until I knew how things worked out for her - I also loved all of the strong female characters around her and the strong message about independence and empowerment which came across.

There were moments of laughter, heartache and rage, and at times it was painfully relatable - a fantastic and insightful read!

I loved this book!! I loved how it kept me wanting to read on and on and that I didn’t want to put it down. I was in a bit of a slump and this has definitely brought me out of it. I love how hopeful it was and how it makes you feel like anything is possible (in a realistic way)!

I loved the characters and felt like I was really rooting for them all. I loved how I could imagine them as real people and I feel all their choices and storylines were believable.

This would definitely be a fab book for someone who is newly single and maybe needs some guidance and encouragement!

I’d definitely recommend this book!

Table for one? Yes, please!

After years pushing forward in her relationship, and going through the motions in her career, Willow is suddenly left on her own and having to start again.

Throughout the book, Gannon highlights the difference between loneliness and being alone, how there’s no one path for everyone, and that love comes in many shapes and sizes.

Written beautifully, Table for One is the perfect for read for anyone who thinks their life isn’t where it ‘should’ be.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

ARC REVIEW:

First of all I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Emma Gannon’s team for the chance to be an ARC reader for this book.

Table for One by Emma Gannon follows the modern love story of Willow as she explores the trials and tribulations of relationships (whether that be friendly or romantic). The art of growing through these friendships and being able to read this as Willow was navigating them was soooo refreshing! It was so interesting reading the opposite a typical romance where the two characters end up together. Instead she fought for her self, picked herself back up after she was broken and reinvested herself in avenues she had forgotten about.

The *only* reason I have rated this book 4.5 is due to the fact when Willow was going through her break up, and obviously was upset, I personally (again this is just my opinion) was quite annoyed with the way she treated her friends. The break up was not their fault yet she took her frustration out on them. Again, I completely understand why she was frustrated and that sometimes people can release frustration on others but it just irked me a little 😅.

I totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to delve into a fresh perspective of love and relationships. It was really really enjoyable!!

Here are some of my favourite quotes…
* “Maybe I can. I can become half-woman, half-mattress. Maybe Channel 4 can make a documentary about me.”
* 'At least I'm in Costa del Eastbourne.”
* “Your family can look different, too.”
* “Working title: Table for One.”

Emotional and surprising, this is a love story about loving yourself and about familial love, rather than romantic. My only complaint is that I wish the protagonist Willow had realised for herself how terrible her partner was without him having to dump her and fire her from their startup.

Willow is a thirty-something-year-old woman who has everything worked out (well at least to society’s standards). She has the partner, the career and the house. However, when her boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her, Willow lands on a trajectory with no clear direction. What makes it harder is all her friends’ lives appear to be moving forward, while Willow finds herself moving in the opposite direction.

We follow Willow as she navigates her heartbreak- and, more importantly, rekindles a very important relationship – the one with herself.

Table For One is the perfect book for anyone in their thirties who is feeling like they should have it all figured out but don’t. It’s a heartfelt and relatable reminder that it’s okay to hit pause, to slow down, and to get back to the things you enjoy. Emma Gannon writes with warmth, but also humour, making even the heavier moments feel light and comforting.

Themes explored in the book include the impact of social media, and the fact that sometimes people are hiding behind a curated narrative, the power and complexities of female friendships, relationships, and the pressures placed particularly on millennial women to follow a timeline.

From a personal perspective I did struggle a little to connect with some of the anti-relationship sentiments (maybe that’s because I’m a married millennial lol). However, the overall message- that self-love and remaining true to your identities and values, as well as the fact you don’t need to have it all figured out or stick to an imaginary timeline - really resonated.

A lovely story about rediscovering yourself, family, friendship and strong women. I really enjoyed it. It was a warm, gentle and comforting read and one I recommend.