Book Review: Table for One by Emma Gannon

The Single Life

Jul 15, 2025

I read this in one sitting. I think that says it all.

The story wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was what I wanted. This is the first time I’ve read a book written by Emma Gannon and I can tell you that it certainly won’t be the last.

Table for One follows Willow whose life has become stagnant and unfulfilling. It is the age old story of girl-meets-boy, girl helps boy fulfil his dreams while neglecting her own, girl waits for boy to be ‘ready’ to take the next step, and then boy decides he no longer wants to be with girl now that he is a success.

Then there’s Naz. She’s a Gen Z influencer whose brand is built on celebrating single life and the idea that single people are happier, particularly single women. Willow is given the opportunity to get a little of her pre-boy life back by reigniting her former career as a journalist. Willow meets Naz and watches her go about her happy single life while writing an article about her. She is conflicted about Naz and her life choices, but Willow eventually begins questioning her own life and what would truly make her happy.

But is Naz really happy? Or is she just another influencer pretending her life is perfect for her audience?

Now, as a very happily single thirty-something woman with absolutely zero desire to be in a relationship, I was intrigued by the concept of the novel from the get go. I started reading with a pre-conception of what the novel was going to be. I was expecting a celebration of single-life. Instead, what I found was more complex.

We have:

The newly single from a long-term relationship
The long-time single, now newly in a relationship
The supposedly happy, supposedly single
The life-long single
The happily coupled
The friends

But we also have a meaningful conversation about possibly the most important type of relationship: the one we have with ourself.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say I wasn’t expecting the story to go in the direction it did. I do have a little criticism, though. I wanted a bit more self-reflection from Willow and a bit more page-time for a few of the secondary characters—Carla, Pen, I’m looking at you. The second half of the novel was over a bit too quickly and I felt there was room to dig a little deeper.

Willow wasn’t always the most sympathetic character and I did get annoyed with her at several points in the book. This isn’t a bad thing. A character who is perfect 100% of the time feels inauthentic, so I actually prefer a character whom I don’t always like.

Having said that, I still enjoyed the book. Anything I read in a single sitting gets my tick of approval.

At it’s heart, Table for One is a novel about self-discovery and giving yourself space to find fulfilment outside of societal norms.

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