annotation guide:
I'm a bit past halfway through this book & it has quickly gained a spot in my top 5 books of all time. i've been struggling with reading for the past few weeks, but this incredibly crafted memoir reminded me why love reading & the analysis that comes with it.
i've devised 3 main categories that the majority of this book centers this itself around.
🌷romantic love
❤️self love
🤝platonic love
i tabbed for each of these main subjects, along with tabbing green for a self destructive mindset && blue for any quotes that stuck out to me.
i hope all of that makes it slightly easier to decipher
what my annotations mean while reading them!! now on to some of my thoughts...
from these 3 respective categories, alderton tells her story of love and everything she's learned from it, we begin with her warped idea while growing up that she had to be taken seriously, as an adult would. this shapes into her perception of herself all the way until adulthood. the validation she seeks from adults is so similar to the generalized validation we have all pursued in some way from a person or people in our lives.
this need for validation transfers into other aspects of her life, especially the romanic one. how this affects her view of her person, and additionally her body image is another factor i found myself deeply relating to.
i also deeply admired alderton's relationship with her best friend, the way they constantly overcame their respective issues together, never once deterring loyalty. their relationship makes me reflect on my friendships and the ones that ultimately matter most to me. farly and dolly make me yearn for this type of long lasting love in my future :)
while I'm not fully finished yet, I think everyone needs to pick up this book & experience it for themselves <3