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    Everyone Knows How Much I Love You: A Novel
    Everyone Knows How Much I Love You: A Novel
    Everyone Knows How Much I Love You: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    Everyone Knows How Much I Love You: A Novel

    Written by Kyle McCarthy

    Narrated by Kristen Sieh

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook


    In this “tale of toxic friendship at its most riveting” (People), a young woman finds herself inexorably drawn to repeating the worst mistakes of her past.

    “Masterly, mendacious, and a total thrill ride . . . Not since a certain Mr. Ripley have I been so consumed in another’s covetous desires.”—Justin Torres, bestselling author of We the Animals
    At age thirty, Rose is fierce and smart, both self-aware and singularly blind to her power over others. After moving to New York, she is unexpectedly swallowed up by her past when she reunites with Lacie, the former best friend she betrayed in high school. Captivated once again by her old friend’s strange charisma, Rose convinces Lacie to let her move in, and the two fall into an intense, uneasy friendship.

    While tutoring the offspring of Manhattan’s wealthy elite, Rose works on a novel she keeps secret—because it stars Lacie and details the betrayal that almost turned deadly. But the difference between fiction and fact, past and present, begins to blur, and Rose soon finds herself increasingly drawn to Lacie’s boyfriend, exerting a sexual power she barely understands she possesses, and playing a risky game that threatens to repeat the worst moments of her and Lacie’s lives.

    Sharp-witted and wickedly addictive, Everyone Knows How Much I Love You is a uniquely dark entry into the canon of psychologically rich novels of friendship, compulsive behavior, and the dangerous reverberations of our actions, both large and small.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateJun 23, 2020
    ISBN9780593167298

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    Reviews for Everyone Knows How Much I Love You

    3.5/5

    36 ratings15 reviews

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    • 4/5

      Mar 4, 2021

      I rushed to my computer to get this book as soon as I read a review in The Swarthmorean, our small-town newspaper - yes, that Swarthmorean, which figures in a major plot point. I'm actually surprised she called our town by its real name, because it signaled a work of autofiction and made me wonder, of course, how many of the other details came from McCarthy's life.

      The Swarthmore descriptions were all amazingly accurate. I too was in a car accident on that "fishhook" that is Yale Avenue. The Swim Club; the manager of the Swim Club, "pleasantly weathered by sun and cigarettes." That she was. Evocative descriptions: one of the book's major strengths.

      I read it as obsessively as Rose thinks about her best friend Lacie. But I never quite got Rose. She's very unlikable, seducing both of her best friend's boyfriends. I can appreciate a book even if the characters are unpleasant, even immoral, especially if the writing is so beautiful. But why? She's supposedly obsessed with Lacie, borrowing her clothes and reading her diary. But to me the obsession was more pronounced with the boyfriends. Why all the sex with Ian, unless she's just a sex addict? Why seduce Leo?

      This is what makes me wonder if the explanation is that Rose is Kyle. Sometimes the most difficult motivations to understand are those within one's own psyche.

      I do look forward to reading more of McCarthy's work, once she's purged the autobiographical instincts.
    • 3/5

      Nov 10, 2020

      This book is about a toxic female friendship and obsession. It is a slow burn, and at times the descriptive writing felt like it bogged down the story instead of add to it. After you get into it , I had to know how the relationship with the characters panned out. Overall, worth the read . Unique writing style.
    • 3/5

      Oct 26, 2020

      Everyone Knows How Much I Love You is a book about obsession. Rose, a writer, has moved to NYC and accidentally runs into her former high school friend, Lacie. Their high school friendship was an uneasy and uneven one that ended in betrayal. Now, against her better judgment, Lacie agrees to help out Rose and invites her to live in her apartment. Unbeknownst to her, Rose has been writing a novel about their high school friendship and falling out. For a while life together is fine, but obsession runs deep and Rose, once again, begins to lose herself in Lacie’s life, making some of the same near-deadly mistakes she made in high school. We know it will not end well. Friendships can be messy, especially high school ones, but Kyle McCarthy takes her novel to a new level and I think it works. I found it appealingly creepy and sad.
    • 2/5

      Sep 29, 2020

      I received this book through Library Things Early Reviewers. Thank you for the book and allowing me to read and review it. The book had all the makings of a great psychological thriller, but ended up telling the story of an obsessive relationship between two women and a man. Both women were friends years ago and find each other again in New York. They reconnect and move in together. Turns out one was obsessed with the man years ago and the other is currently his lover. A romantic game of cat and mouse ensues between the three. I thought the writing style was a little strange and the character development and relationships were unresolved. The reader never knew who was lying and who was being truthful. The book was actually a biographical version of one of the characters attempts at writing and being published. I did plod along with the story, but it definitely was not one that I could not put down. In fact it took me longer to read than expected. It was easy to put down for a while and pick back up as the characters did not hold my interest enough to make me want to read it during every spare minute, like some books. On the whole, the book was OK and less than I expected.
    • 4/5

      Oct 9, 2020

      Everyone Knows How Much I Love You from Kyle McCarthy is a difficult novel for me to rate. Some things just didn't work for me while others did. What made me round up is the writing itself, it is wonderful.

      I am not a fan of deciding how I feel about a novel based on "liking" or "disliking" a character. I have loved novels with characters I despised and didn't care for novels with characters I liked quite a lot. I am more interested in whether I am able to understand them, ideally on their own terms as well as mine. And also whether I feel invested in their story, even if my investment is hoping they get their just rewards. My problem here is that while I did care somewhat, I never felt I understood the why behind Rose's actions. So I was caught up in what was happening but without the depth I usually expect from a novel. That is the difference between watching people like Rose in real life and reading about them in a novel, I don't have glimpses into their psyche in real life but I expect to in a novel. I didn't feel I was given that, so it was really just like casually watching acquaintances do bad things to each other. Not sure all that makes sense, but I just felt like I should have been able to understand why, even if from Rose's perspective, she did the things she did. Not her surface rationalizations but her deeper motivations.

      Having said all that, I still found the exploration of toxic friendship intriguing. I felt like I was filling in possible rationales myself rather than learning the actual ones, but even that made the book enjoyable. I also think a large part of that is the fact that McCarthy's writing is superb. One way to try to explain it is this: while I may have been missing the underlying psychology of the characters, the scenes I witnessed were very good.

      I do recommend this for two reasons in particular. First, like I mentioned, the writing is very good. Second, when the biggest issue a reader has with a book is something to do with the characters, there is always the element of the dynamic between that reader and the text. Perhaps it is less the novel and more the dynamic between myself and the novel that made this less than I had hoped. Another reader may well connect and find exactly what they want here.

      Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
    • 3/5

      Sep 22, 2020

      Not the most satisfying novel I have ever read. Whatever point(s) the author was trying to make went completely over my head. My 3 stars is probably a little generous in terms of how much I truly enjoyed reading this book.

      Thirty year old Rose has just moved to NYC. She is writing a novel but to pay the bills she is tutoring privileged kids of the city's hoity toity folk. Much to her delight, she has reunited with her childhood best friend, Lacie, after years of estrangement. You see Rose did something bad while they were in high school. Even though Lacie appears a bit apprehensive about rekindling their friendship, they become roommates. Aww, isn't it great when you get a second chance?

      The author got to work early on giving the reader some pieces of the puzzle when it came to Rose. So I was getting a feel for her and that's what led me to start asking the question, where is the author taking me? Well, the answer is nowhere, at least in my view. Again, I feel like I didn't pick up on the author's intent when it came to the story and character.

      There are some thriller and suspense elements to the story but I think the book best belongs in the fiction or literary fiction category. It's a character driven novel which normally I like, but Rose didn't do much for me. This might not make sense to anyone but myself, but I would describe Rose as being somewhat interesting but not fascinating. Might have to look and see if the author has given some interviews discussing the book because I would welcome more insight.

      I would be open to trying another book by this author even though this wasn't a great read for me.
    • 3/5

      Sep 15, 2020

      Thank you, Ballantine Books for a review copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this. Fantastic writing. And for me this one was more about enjoying the writing than about the plot or even the characters. Unlikable, dark, female lead character. Kind of twisted story about a toxic female friendship, but different from the usual ones because the main character is also an accomplished young writer writing...a novel about a toxic female friendship. I read this on the heels of finishing My Dark Vanessa and the two have a lot of similarities in atmosphere and the main characters. In fact I sort of muddled Rose and Vanessa together in my mind reading them back to back. I tore through this one in only a couple days. Author is a graduate of the Iowas Writer's Workshop and it has that feel to it. A lot of readers will enjoy this one!
    • 3/5

      Sep 9, 2020

      This book was just ok for me. A little on the cliche side with toxic female friendship and obsessive friendship dynamics, almost Single White Female reminiscent, with a dysfunctional and at times unlikable protagonist. A slower read, maybe good for the beach.
    • 4/5

      Sep 7, 2020

      Rose is a bright young woman, although less young than she used to be. She went to Harvard, based on good grades and a brilliant one-act play she wrote during her junior year of high school. She got her MFA and even an agent who expressed excitement about her novel-in-progress, but now she's thirty and she still hasn't managed to get her novel published. She's decided to move to NYC, like all the bright young things before her, but she's finding it hard to find work, eventually settling for a job with a tutoring company, and harder to find a place to live. Then she runs into her childhood best friend and, although their friendship ended badly, she manages to get Lacie to let her move into her spare bedroom. Their friendship at first in tentative and careful not to touch the reasons that they hadn't spoken in over a decade, but slowly Rose and Lacie relax into enjoying each other's company. But Rose isn't telling Lacie everything, like what her novel is about or what she does when they aren't together.

      This is a fun mash up of a familiar kind of debut literary novel written by people with MFAs who are now living in Brooklyn, and the kind of psychological suspense novel that is based in the often fraught territory of women's friendships. I'm not entirely sure the combination worked, but it was good to read a thriller that was well-written and where the actions of the characters came from who they were rather from the necessities of the plot, even if that came at the expense of much of the suspense.

      What you think of this book will be largely determined by your love of unlikeable main characters behaving badly, not in a fun, isn't-she-reckless kind of way, but intended to cause discomfort. What I'm saying is that Rose, for all her initial presentation as a young woman whose early promise failed to translate into success and who is just trying to get by and build a life for herself despite her insecurities, is a terrible person whose ability to justify her own behavior is both impressive and more than a little scary. If that sounds like a fun afternoon, then this book is for you. If you want to like the characters you read about, there are other books out there.
    • 4/5

      Sep 7, 2020

      I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

      You know that feeling when you drive by an accident and can't look away even though you know that what you see will be sickening and sad? If you are the type that looks anyway, then Kyle McCarthy's "Everyone knows how much I love you" is a book for you to read and enjoy.

      It is appropriate that a story that is about a train wreck waiting to happen starts with a car wreck that happened a long time ago. Rose and Lacie, friends since grade school, (along with the men in their collective lives) are drawn to each other over and over again in ways that are dark, disturbing, and in McCarthy's wonderful language, quite delightful and delicious.

      This is, quite simply, a marvelous read.
    • 4/5

      Sep 7, 2020

      Usually this is not my type of book, with an unlikable protagonist who just causes train wreck after train wreck with her dysfunction. I've read books similar to this and hated every minute of it because I hated the protagonist so much. Not so with "Everyone Knows How Much I Love You." This book was deliciously miserable.

      Main character Rose is 30 years old but is still trying to get her life together. She's trying to find an affordable place to live in NYC, attempting to get a job as an SAT tutor by lying about her experience, unexpectedly reconnecting with her childhood best friend Lacie, and rehashing old memories that are a mix of good and bad must mostly bad because of her own terrible behavior. And apparently Rose hasn't learned a thing from the consequences of her old behaviors because the older Rose still has the same issues with even bigger consequences.

      I hated Rose, but I was absolutely riveted by her capability for destruction. As the book went on, I was both dreading and eager to see what else she was going to f*** up. It was as if I was covering my eyes with my hands but still peeking out between the fingers because I couldn't help myself.

      Nicely done, Kyle McCarthy.
    • 4/5

      Sep 1, 2020

      I knew after the first couple chapters of this book it was going to be good. I had to put the book down because I was cringing on the inside from what one of the characters did. Its kind of like driving by a car accident, You don't want to look but you just cant help it. So of course I picked up the book and continued to read.
      This book is kind of disturbing, in a way that the main character is someone you want to grab and shake, and ask what are you doing.
      Very entertaining in a unsettling way.
      A women runs into her childhood best friend in a park. As teenagers they had a falling out that ended there friendship.
      As adults one of them tries hard to get back into the others life.
      Very hesitantly, The other invited her to move in and the cringing begins again.
      This is a exciting, gripping, disturbing book. You don't want to miss.
    • 4/5

      Aug 28, 2020

      I got this as an Early Reviewer book from LibraryThing and was not disappointed! In fact I could not put it down. Rose is a talented but troubled 30 year old woman working on getting her first novel published. In fact her novel is likely more a slice of her own life centered around Lacie, her childhood best friend whom she has recently reconnected with. Rose seems to fall in love with the boys/men who are already in love with Lacie. At the end of high school Rose and Lacie have a falling out after Rose intentionally swerves the wheel of a car causing a horrible accident while driving home after a late night with Lacie's boyfriend, Leo. Rose has a crush on Leo and when he tells her that he doesn't "owe" her anything just because they've slept together, Rose goes berserk. Fast forward twelve years later when Rose and Lacie meet for the first time since the car accident. The two are reunited by Lacie's newest boyfriend, Ian, whom Rose also knows. Rose ends up moving in with Lacie and again falls in love with Lacie's boyfriend. Why Lacie would invite Rose to live with her knowing that she has some kind of past with her boyfriend makes no sense. And it does not end well. Rose gets what she deserves. For some reason Rose can't help sabotaging important relationships.
    • 4/5

      Aug 23, 2020

      I got this book free for my review from Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. I gave it 3.5 stars because it does hook you in and you can't really stop reading it, although I kinda wanted to. It's like watching a train crash in slow motion. I know it's intentional, but the main character is one of the most selfish, horrible characters of any book I've ever read. Partly because she doesn't even get it, doesn't realize how horrible she really is. Good book if you want an easy, quick read. But prepare to be horrified by Rose's behavior!
    • 4/5

      Jul 5, 2020

      Unreliable and at times repulsive, Rose is a complex character. A former school friend, Lanie, who she betrayed in high school is now her roommate in a very intense, uneasy friendship. Rose is writing a book with Lacie as the main character and in flashbacks to high school, the reader probably won’t be surprised to find out that Rose’s memories aren’t reliable. The book is all about Rose and it’s a compelling story. We know lots about her but not so much about Lanie. This debut novel is adept in creating suspense in a psychological thriller.