You know when you pick up a book and realize pretty quickly that it’s just not for you? That was The Book of George for me. I can see how some readers might enjoy it—maybe even relate to it—but I just couldn’t.

The story revolves around George, a guy who seems permanently stuck in a loop of wasted potential. He has big dreams but no real drive, a girlfriend he isn’t sure about but keeps around anyway, and a complicated relationship with his mother. The book tries to capture something universal about people like him—men who can’t seem to grow up, yet expect the world to wait for them while they figure things out.

I think my biggest issue was how provoking some of the content felt. George’s thoughts, especially his wish for his father to be dead, really threw me off. I get that the book is trying to be sharp and maybe even darkly funny, but instead, it just felt… uncomfortable. I couldn’t find it in me to sympathize with him, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to.

Maybe if you enjoy reading about deeply flawed, self-absorbed characters, this book will work for you. But for me, it just wasn’t a good fit. Some books challenge you in ways that make you think, and some just leave you feeling off. The Book of George was the latter for me.

DNF'd at 12%
I LOVE coming of age books, I saw this all over my insta but unfortunately this one just wasn't my cup of tea.
Characters felt 2 dimensional, not sure where the story was leading/who I was supposed to be rooting for. It just felt really flat and boring and like I was reading a journal.

First up, this is definitely a contender for best cover of 2025 - I’m obsessed 🤩 But it’s also a great read too!

What’s embarrassing is that all the marketing around this is ‘we all know a George’ like George is a bad thing, and as I was reading this I realised that I AM a George - I like the idea of doing things but never follow up, let the husband organise our lives and just take a back seat etc 😂 So maybe I had a little more empathy for George than we’re meant to, although I do think he’s kind of likeable in a hopeless way! But really, it’s the women around him who all deserve the appreciation, and I loved exploring their characters through the lens of George. I did end up feeling bad for some of the people in my life after this - turns out I must be quite frustrating!

Whilst this wasn’t quite the five star story I’d hoped for, it was an easy and compelling read, and great fun. I really enjoyed the audio narration too for my fellow audiobook fans!

A fairly accurate portrayal of a hapless man, from birth to middle-age. We all know (and love) them. Narration was pretty standard.

Review for audiobook

Much like a few of the characters, I found myself saying "oh George" quite a few times.
George is charming, and entertaining... at times.
I liked him.
But that's because I'm not dealing with him.
He was also infuriating. 😁
I think we all know a George.
This book hits home several times.
The narration was spot on.
Enjoyable.