Sally Rooney: Beautiful World, Where Are You timeline

Alice Kelleher and Felix Brady, both in their late twenties or early thirties, meet up in a hotel bar for a first date over drinks. Alice, a novelist originally from Dublin, and Felix, a warehouse worker. She invites Felix to her spacious four-bedroom rectory home, where she lives rent-free. Shortly after arriving at her house, they both seem to realize the evening didn’t work out and he leaves without anything further happening between them.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
Alice writes a philosophical letter to her friend Eileen Lydon about her musings on Dublin, conservatism, the environment, and life. She mentions her unsuccessful date with Felix, describing it as him "despising" her, while it appears more like self-deprecation and an exaggeration of her lack of social skills rather than a factual representation of the situation.

Eileen is at work in Dublin when her childhood friend, Simon, buys her coffee and asks for her opinion on a situation between two mutual friends. He also mentions his plus one for Eileen's sister's upcoming wedding. Simon offers to attend the wedding alone for her, suggesting their relationship is not entirely platonic. It is revealed later in the chapter that Eileen has had a crush on Simon, and they had a few romantic encounters after his breakup.

Alice and Felix reunite at a convenience store, joking about their failed date. He invites Alice to a get-together at his place where he introduces her to his friends, who are impressed by her writing success. They talk about their past struggles, and Alice invites Felix to Rome, offering to pay for his trip, which he accepts.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
Alice updates Eileen about Felix, saying that he's 29 and their relationship isn’t platonic, however nothing has happened yet. She shares her disillusionment with contemporary novels and how they ignore the lived realities of most people. Alice admits to being guilty of this and doubts she'll write another novel. She reminds Eileen that she is deeply loved and encourages her to visit after the wedding.

Eileen receives a call from her mother about a relative not being invited to Lola's wedding while on her way to a friend's party. She texts Lola and receives an insult in response. At the party, she argues with a guy named Gary about what defines "working class". Eileen leaves the party and goes to Simon's place, where she confesses that she loves him. The next morning, they attend Mass (he is catholic) together before parting ways.

In Rome, Alice and Felix confess their “worst moments” to each other. Alice admits that she bullied another girl in high school, which she now feels “all sick and panicky” about. After a pleasant dinner, Felix comes into Alice’s hotel room and shows her a video of a cute raccoon online, which sparks up conversation. He tells her that she “obviously fancies him” and she confesses that she does like him.

While Felix and Alice are seeing each other, he is still on dating apps messaging people asking them if they’re available. After texting a bit on tinder, he goes to visit Alice at her house, saying that he’s “not looking for anything serious at the moment”. After scrolling through Netflix, he falls asleep and wakes up to a dark house. He goes into the kitchen and they start kissing.

Eileen talks to her mother about her sister’s behavior and jokes about marrying Simon. At a party, Eileen gets upset when she hears about Simon's relationship with a younger woman. Simon tells Eileen he's willing to break things off if she wants to be together, but Eileen decides to remain friends. She considers texting him, but goes to bed without sending a message.

(This chapter is written in epistolary)
Eileen writes to Alice, expressing her concern with Alice going on yet another worktrip. She also accuses Alice of not mentioning being in town after going through the Dublin airport. Eileen seems cynical when saying she believes that nothing they do makes a difference. She ends by confirming she and Simon will stay in separate bedrooms during the upcoming visit.

Alice meets Felix and his friends at a nearby bar, where she asks Felix about people's assumptions of their relationship. He admits his reputation for being unreliable and owing money around town. Later, he cancels their dinner plans and heads out with coworkers instead. Alice eats dinner alone, until Felix arrives at her place, drunk at 2 AM. He warns her that he won't chase her and will wait for her to come to him, to which Alice compares him to a hunter waiting to kill a deer.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
Alice shares with Eileen how fame affects her happiness. She talks about lost languages, including the discovery of Linear B by Michael Ventris, who tragically died in a car accident before its publication. She mentions her upcoming trip to Rome with Felix, and invites Eileen to come stay with her.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
Eileen questions Alice's decision to go to Rome for work despite her mental struggles. She discusses the current political situation and theorizes that humans lost the instinct for beauty with the proliferation of plastics in 1976.
Eileen wonders why Alice is being coy about Felix and admits to feeling uncomfortable about Simon dating a younger woman. She offers to visit Alice in June after her sister's wedding.

Eileen and her mother prepare Lola in the bridal suite before her wedding. They laugh and joke around. After the ceremony, Eileen spots Simon, which floods her mind with memories of them when they were younger, back when she had a huge crush on him. Meanwhile, Simon thinks about how he’s always loved her. They stare at each other for a moment. Eventually, they are standing together, pondering the same questions about their relationship.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
Eileen writes to Alice while on a train with Simon to go visit her, explaining about the wedding. She also explained how she could envision her life to be entirely different – and better – if she would have married him 10 years ago when they first confessed their love for each other. She also writes how she loves her mother and Lola, despite them never getting along, and perhaps never will.

Eileen and Alice embrace each other at the train station. The three of them head over to Alice’s place, where she begins cooking. Felix shows up later on, eating dinner with them. Alice tells Simon that she’s rich now and that she paid off her mothers mortgage, even though she’s not on speaking terms with her mother nor her brother since they had a falling-out while she was hospitalized.

Before going to work, Alice says she loves Felix. He says “you do, yeah” in response. Later that day it’s revealed that Alice might want to purchase the house instead of renting it to live there permanently. At a party, Alice accuses Felix of criticizing her personality. He says that he cares for her, but that she might be better off with someone else.

Simon shares that his mother is unhappy with his job and Eileen talks about her difficult past, including her parents' disapproval of her friendship with Alice due to their class differences. Alice and Eileen argue, but Felix helps Alice calm down. Simon confesses his love to Eileen, and she whispers something back to him. In the end, Eileen and Alice apologize to each other.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
18 months later, Alice writes to Eileen during the pandemic, discussing her celebrity status and her upcoming book, as well as expressing her gratitude for Felix and Simon. Eileen responds, thanking Alice for her birthday gift and revealing that she and Simon are expecting a baby. Eileen shares her concerns about raising a child in today's world, but ultimately expresses her happiness with Simon and their relationship.

(This chapter is written in epistolary).
Eileen writes to Alice, reflecting on the Late Bronze Age collapse and how it affected everyday people. She gives her approval of Felix if he's nice to Alice, otherwise he's her enemy. Eileen shares with Alice her personal experience of keeping a daily journal of good moments, even if they were small. While she eventually stopped doing it, she recently rediscovered the feeling of finding beauty when thinking about Simon and Alice's messages.