This has three storylines that could independently make books I'd love, but it felt like they were very piecemealed together, alas. ( )

How to Fall out of Love Madly follows three women: Joy, Annie, and Celine as they navigate the realities of being an unmarried professional woman in her early 30s. Joy is an HR professional who harbors an unrequited love for her roommate. Annie has a boyfriend who doesn't seem all that interested in being a decent human let alone a good boyfriend. Celine comes into their orbit when she starts dating Theo, the very same roommate Joy is in love with. None of the women seems entirely satisfied with how they relate to the world, especially romantically, despite the fact that all three are smart, interesting, kind women who should have their pick of men. And I loved this book in large part because I saw myself in all three women. I'm a bit past my early 30s and happily married now, but my GOD did this take me back to the awfulness of dating when people around you are starting to couple up permanently and you really start to look around for your person. The questions the three ask themselves about the value of settling vs. holding out for "the one", about the value of steady companionship even if its not the best companionship, about what does it really mean to be an adult woman in a society that still overly values youth, all of those resonated with me in a way that made my geriatric millennial self feel seen. Highly, highly recommended. ( )