Ada is a 20-something Australian expat living in London, trying to break into the acting world. She hooks up with Perth-based Sadie on the last night of the Edinburgh Fringe and somehow ends up with her as a houseguest for the coming months. Their connection is hot but not exactly romantic. But that's ok, because there's this sweet guy in Liverpool who saw Ada in her play and now thinks he's in love with her. She doesn't need to tell Sadie, who is leaving soon, does she?

This book all felt strikingly familiar to me as a queer, non-monogamous Australian who has been based out of London for the past 20 years. I feel like this was a beautifully observed story about what it feels like to live outside the norm, where there's rarely a social script to follow. I usually don't like books that are partly told through transcripts of messaged conversations, but in this case, it amused me.

I struggled quite a bit to get into this book, but once it got going I found it an enjoyable read. I don't think it will be for everyone though, the writing style is not my favourite and does make the book drag a bit.

Go Lightly follows free-spirited, chaotic Ada, who falls for Sadie and Stuart at the same time. It's a very internal book, mostly interested in how Ada thinks and feels and responds to things in the moment, and the stream of consciousness style definitely achieves a very vivid sense of her shifting wants and priorities and thoughts as she flits between wanting Sadie and wanting Stuart.

There was a lot to like about this book - great internal observation, sharply drawn main character - but it just didn't quite hit for me. There was so much promise in terms of issues set up to explore, particularly around her sister and family, and Ada's childhood need to 'perform' facial expressions to ensure people knew how she felt and subsequent fear that she was a psychopath, but none of it was ever really explored in any depth. The story as a whole was much more about the two romantic relationships, and unfortunately I didn't find I ever got to know Sadie enough for this to really propel me through the book (though I had a read on Stuart from first DM slide and was sadly vindicated, as I knew I would be - we've all had a Stuart in our lives).

My strong feeling is that I'm just not quite the audience for this book - I was drawn by the Dolly Alderton comparison, but that didn't ring true for me in the reading, All that said, this could be a great read for fans of Imogen Crimp's A Very Nice Girl and maybe Sally Rooney's early work. Readers who want to live in a single character's head with all the 'slice of life' that brings will probably enjoy this one.