Madeleine Henry (1)

A special thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Allegra Cobb is a straight-A Princeton grad, a former national yoga champion, and is a second-year analyst at a top bank. Working on Wall Street fresh out of college would seem to be a dream come true, but the reality is that Allegra spends long days with charts and graphs, pretending to drink the corporate Kool-Aid, and dreaming about quitting to pursue her passion of being a full-time yogi just as show more soon as her year-end bonus is secure in her bank account. But doing so is easier said than done—she is constantly being pressured from her father and has unknowingly slept with the man who is now leading her department on their biggest deal to date.

When Allegra forms a fast and intense friendship with the Insta-celebrity yogi guru that she looks up to, she thinks that the life she's always wanted is a double-tap away, only she's not sure she can hold it together until bonus day. Allegra needs her chakras aligned ASAP!

This was sharp, original, and savvy. What Henry accomplishes in her debut is nothing short of amazing. I loved what appears to be the juxtaposition of the ruthless and competitive world of investment banking against the rejuvenating and peaceful realm of yoga when in fact, it turns out to be just as cutthroat.

Allegra is an interesting character with incredible persistence and quick wit. She is determined and fearless with a resolve to strengthen her connection to yoga and her body as well as to make connections with those who also share her passion. The supporting cast is just as strong and developed as the main characters with the right amount of humour and sass.

Henry will surprise and delight her readers. This is a smart and cheeky read with complex and interesting characters. A must read this summer! show less

I. Bawled. Absolutely bawled. Wept. This is the most cathartic book I've read in some months just by how it took control of my emotions and wrung everything out.

I'm such a cynical hopeless romantic when it comes to love stories. I want to buy into them, but if love solves al lthe problems, I have a hard time buying it. I also hate instalove. But THE LOVE PROOF built a romance that I bought wholeheartedly. The element of instalove felt right and was ultimately even explained.

The sheer nuance show more though, and the observations about love, wow. Without getting spoilery, this raises really important questions about how people change when we fall in love with them, as a result of and in conflict with our love or entirely separate to our love. It shows how love can support, but also can take away even with the best intentions in place.

Both our main characters were so good and so solid as individuals, but also had an ache of loneliness that I could feel through the pages, that had my insides squirming with how much the dull pain throbbed. The physics was fascinating, and though this might be because I'm not a scientist, had just enough detail to feel believable.

I really enjoyed Madeleine Henry's previous book, but this was a whole new level. I am blown away. I can't even place my finger on why this was so powerful, why this brought up all the emotions I've been feeling recently, but her writing made everything seem so right and so truthful and so meaningful.

My only complaint: are we really going to be still using personal cars in 2048? Sigh.

Thank you, Madeleine Henry. My eyes are still red two days later, but I feel human again. show less

Oh MAN I enjoyed this one. When do we ever get a banker heroine? Never! Maybe because all our bankers are off being way too busy to contemplate writing novels.

This did stress me out so much though--every time there was an impending deadline I found myself reading faster in order to get to the point where the deadline was met because things being not done makes me anxious.

Allegra is excellent. Her pursuit of her dream is really heartening, and the interaction she has with her dad are show more something that I related to in that there were only certain levels for them to connect on.

The romance subplot was absolutely perfect--it barely touched the heart of the story and didn't distract from the plotline but was terribly sweet to the extent that I reread a few pages to melt a little but further.

Can't wait for more from Henry. show less

Goodness gracious did I enjoy this book! Read it in two sittings. It's a romance, but there is nothing sweet or gushing about it, in fact it's a bit heartbreaking. It's also chocked full of super interesting bits of science. Science things from everyday life that really make you stop and think. This book is uplifting, it's sad and it teaches you things. What a great combo right?! I was provided an advanced copy by the publisher.