Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney- I loved this book!

This is a novel set in modern day Ireland about a young woman who starts an affair with a married man. It's all about her, her best friend/ex, and this married couple who their lives become intertwined with. It sounds kinda boring and not the kind of book I would normally read but I was blown away!

It's such an incisive look at class, gender, relationships, and most of all power dynamics. The main character feels disempowered by her life circumstances and attempts to gain that back however she can, mostly in small ways. It's absolutely fascinating and every moment has something to unravel. It's also quite dryly funny.

I've heard this book can be a bit divisive but I quite enjoyed it. This is the scene that I can't stop thinking about. I'm not sure if it works out of context but it's extremely jarring while reading. (From around 2/3rds thru) When I saw Nick look over at us, I turned to Bobbi, smiling, and moved her hair aside to whisper something in her ear. She looked at Nick and then suddenly grabbed my wrist, hard, harder than she had ever touched me in my life before. It hurt me, it drew a little gasp from my throat, and then she dropped my arm again. I cradled it against my ribs. In a deathly calm voice, staring directly into my face, Bobbi said: don't fucking use me. She held my eyes for a second, with a terrifying seriousness, and then she turned back to the cashier.