The novel can be, at times, a bit tiresome and repetitive as she waits for Arthur. Hera’s distinctive, raw and brashly authentic voice, however, is charming enough to hold a reader’s attention. Gray skillfully blends a rom-com-like breeziness with incisive, nuanced commentary on societal expectations, modern disconnection, responsibility in relationships and selfhood
Gray's prose circumvents any hint of banality; the language is too raw, too funny, too simultaneously irreverent and vulnerable ... Hera commits increasingly risky transgressions, her fate remains unpredictable and thrillingly full of possibilities, however unlikely most of them are.
Green Dot’s potency lies in its narrator’s distinctive voice, ruthless self-scrutiny and droll observations on the absurdities of young adult life ... Gray brilliantly satirises the indignities of office life on the bottom rung: the rigid hierarchy, pettiness, empty gestures. Such conditions are clearly a petri dish for existential despair and sexual entanglements ... Although ironic and flippant, Green Dot avoids nihilism, and is ultimately about the search for meaning through love. It vividly illustrates how someone can lose their perspective, principles and dignity in its name, ignoring overwhelming evidence of the probable conclusion.
There’s a lot to love about this novel ... Hera reads like a gen Z Bridget Jones – endearingly messy and a little bit lost ... Hera’s snark is fresh and compelling, and her voice carries the novel. She’s a quintessential twentysomething whose unfiltered commentary and self-examination is in line with the sardonic self-reflection of the meme generation ... But despite these many enjoyable aspects of Green Dot, there’s something unsatisfying about the way Hera accepts her life’s lack of momentum. The way the book reflects critically on issues of disconnection, anxiety and economic instability, and the irreconcilable relationship between success and happiness, are all incredibly timely themes, but much of this is left unresolved. This doesn’t feel accidental. Perhaps Hera’s refusal to participate in the grim, circular economy of work, success and despair makes her a hero of our depressing times. But beneath the novel’s humour and sass lies an incredibly bleak worldview that feels at odds with the novel’s lighthearted tone and romcom trappings.
Good...funny ... If Hera kept one foot on the ground as more of an observer, Green Dot could make loads of sardonic observations about modern office life and modern relationships, though maybe that would get repetitive and be uninvolving. There are still a good number of both but Gray realises that a better story, gripping and truthful, comes from her heroine metaphorically bungee-ing from Sydney Harbour Bridge, drying herself off, climbing onto the roof of the opera house and doing it again.
The book opens at a gallop with Hera’s distinctive voice – smart, funny, self-deprecating, verbose and precocious ... Gray handles Hera’s coming-of-age story skilfully, subtly transforming her from a silly and childish, irresponsible and slightly unkind character to someone the reader understands and cares about deeply, someone with real feelings and a real heart that is being broken ... Despite Gray’s arch and exuberant writing style, there is a bleak undercurrent to the book ... The best part of the book – Hera’s acidic voice – is at times its biggest weakness, as her monologues can feel too lengthy. Hera’s family back story could also be more fleshed out but there is still so much to enjoy in this debut novel, not least a smart and modern sense of humour, Gray’s stylish and intelligent writing and some beautiful depictions of true love in the form of Hera’s relationships with her loving father.
Extremely funny ... There is only one real issue with this book, I think, and that is that it is so droll, bawdy, sexy, hilarious and good fun, everything you read thereafter seems dull in comparison.
Gray’s writing style is droll but if Hera’s internal monologue sounds gauche and affected, it is useful to remember what the average 24-year-old sounds like ... It seems predictable that criticism of Green Dot will focus on whether Hera’s behaviour is alienating or anti-feminist – in short, whether she is likeable. I occasionally found her dislikeable, but the novel reminded me overwhelmingly of a line a gynaecologist delivers to Hannah in Girls: ‘You could not pay me enough to be 24 again.’
The emotional pacing of the affair is expertly executed ... It is a powerful story sadly marred by some quite bad writing ... It often seems like the book has been co-written by someone much less sophisticated than the novelist, who elsewhere observes her characters with acute psychological insight ... Where the book really shines is in its exploration of the toxic relationship between boredom and lust.
It’s a testament to Gray’s well-honed plotting and writerly sleight-of-hand that, though Hera gives readers a pretty good idea of the entire arc of what will happen between her and Arthur on the first page, we still wonder until nearly the final one, and keep those pages flipping to find out. Hera’s friends and colleagues are worthy supporting characters, past family difficulty is exposed with a light hand, and laughs and emotional wallops coexist comfortably, all making for a more-than-promising debut.
Hera is vibrantly written, and Gray thankfully provides her narration with enough distance for self-clarity ... Gray’s unflinching bildungsroman is great fun
