Last April I went into this book completely blind as to who this 'Dolly Alderton' woman even was and why her new memoir 'Everything I Know About Love' was being so wildly raved about all over my Instagram. I did the classic cliché we're constantly told we should never do. I bought the book due to its front cover.

From page one I was absolutely engulfed in nostalgia. Regardless that I grew up a decade later than Dolly, I still resonated with the culture of MSN which included logging off and back on to get the attention of the boy you fancy. She goes on and within the book grows up to tell anecdotes of her crazy university years, which are far from what mine are panning out like at current. Dolly attended Exeter University, which I had down as my insurance choice for university, and I have to admit at the open days I attended I never imagined it would be capable to accommodate such rebellion within its quaint campus and countryside feel. This is the part of the book where Dolly starts to engage in meaningless flings that she believes are passionate and become all-encompassing to her. She gets into some very low points of alcoholism, smoking, weight-loss and drug-taking in the hope of it being a distraction from her loneliness post breakup.

As Dolly grows up more, she starts to see her friends committing to serious relationships. Here comes wedding invites and hen do's galore, which she writes parody versions of in the book. This part of her life includes her best friend Farly getting into a long-term relationship in which Dolly feels herself being pushed out of the equation and becomes resentful towards this new partner. We've all been in a similar situation of being jealous of a best friend’s partner stealing the limelight from ourselves. When Dolly opens up about her feelings on love and relationships to her therapist and best friends, she learns important lessons about how to feel happy for others in love and how to embrace her own company and independence.

The last sections of the book are my favourite. When Dolly moves out to live on her own and realises, she is 'enough'. She appreciates all her friend's support and understands how the love she feels for them is even better than falling in love. She knows all the little details about them. 'Nearly everything I know about love, I've learnt in my long-term friendships with women.' One of the passages she has written in the 'Homecoming' chapter, about love being loud and jubilant but also quiet, I hope will be one of the readings at my wedding someday as I cherish it so much.

I just adore Dolly’s writing. Her storytelling is beautiful and the underlying message she conveyed on the varying types of love that can be found in many different types of relationships is an important one. I love her gradual shift from what she believed love to be at a young age to what it has become to her now. Whether it be family, friends, flings or soulmates, Dolly writes of how all types of love are paramount to an individual's own life story. Reading this book has taught me to appreciate all the loves I have in my life and I cannot wait to experience many more as I get older.