The book in one sentence: A young person’s search for love in the wrong places and people leads her to uncover who she really is and what it means for her.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Read if: You’re looking for a palate cleanser from heavier fiction or nonfiction reads or a poolside companion.
Book length: About 300 pages.
Difficulty level: You don’t have to try too hard, the writing is lean and straightforward, true to YA contemporary nature.
I read this book because I was intrigued by its reviews, not its premise. It’s not really the kind of book I’d gravitate towards since I don’t read much YA (unless it’s fantasy/adventure) or romance. Alice Oseman’s writing has received plenty of praise on Goodreads, Instagram, and YouTube, so I thought I’d give it a try.
I found the book boring in the beginning, and I found it really hard to care about the main character, Georgia. Her motives seemed very flat and unrelatable (finding someone to love or kiss), and I was ready to put the book down about a third of the way. Things take a very interesting turn a little past the halfway mark when we get deeper into Georgia’s friendship with her roommate, Rooney.
I’ve read other LGBTQ books, but this is the first one I’ve encountered that focuses on an aromantic-asexual character. It was a learning experience for me to also learn about these orientations: it lightly touches on some interesting topics like how people can often interchange sexual and romantic attraction when they are two distinct things.
What I do like about this book is that relationships are not the end goal. She only learns to love herself, which is something we could always use more of. What I did not like about this book is that I found the characters flat. Their conversations were entertaining to read, in the same way that some memes on Instagram yield a small chuckle as you scroll past them.
Overall, it is a fun and light read, mildly engaging, and easy to finish.
Not interested in reading this one? I got you. You may find something else from this list of 12 amazing books!