I read Conversations with Friends a few weeks ago, but wanted to review it after watching the HULU adaptation. I am really curious about how I will feel about Sally Rooney’s latest Beautiful World Where Are You, which I definitely plan on reading, seeing as how there’s no adaptation to flesh things out for me.😆 
There’s something about her books that people seem to love or hate. Maybe it’s the lack of quotation marks, or the character driven plot, or (I suspect mostly) the sense of intellectual, slightly condescending, navel gazing particular to young adults that can put people off. However, I can bring my mind back to those days and headspace, I usually find my rhythm quite quickly without quotation marks, and enjoy a character driven story.
As with Normal People, I honestly landed in the middle (liked, but didn’t LOVE) until I watched the show that absolutely brought it to life. Francis and Nick felt a little dispassionate, aloof, and unknowable. I didn’t really feel for them until I watched the show with such excellent performances that portrayed their passion and vulnerability. Though I DO think the book is compulsively readable, almost ominous in the way I wanted to know how their illicit relationship would unfold. There is something so truly intimate and hypnotic about Rooney‘s writing. Her talent is undeniable.

“my body felt completely disposable, like a placeholder for something more valuable. I fantasized about taking it apart and lining my limbs up side-by-side to compare them.”

I’m certainly late to the party on this one, but if you haven’t read Conversations, I’d definitely recommend the experience paired with the show!