You Gotta Read This!
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4/30/2021 0 Comments Loveless by Alice OsemanTitle: Loveless Author: Alice Oseman Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books ISBN13: 9780008244125 Genre: YA/New Adult, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Teen Romance Topics/Themes: Self-discovery and identity, finding the true meaning of love Diversity Tags: LGBTQIA+: Asexual, Aromantic, Lesbian, Pansexual Main Characters Recommended Age Level: 17-21 Awards / Recognitions:
Summary (from GoodReads): It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean? 18-year-old Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight. But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever. Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along? Professional Reviews: “There is so much more I could say about Loveless, but to sum up, I completely adored it. From the heartfelt treatment of sexuality, to the diverse cast, to the intense connection I felt with it, this is undoubtedly going to be a long-term favourite of mine. And Alice Oseman might just be a new favourite author.” – Eleanor Maher, “Bookstacked” Book Review, 2020 https://bookstacked.com/reviews/book-reviews/loveless-review-alice-oseman/ “Loveless is a beautiful tale of self-discovery and self-acceptance, as well as a celebration of friendships. Alice Oseman offers one of her best works to date, unafraid to show the intricacies of human connection and the importance of valuing those around us to create a community of support and love in a world that always seems to go against us.” – Ankara C., “The Nerd Daily” Book Review, 2020 https://thenerddaily.com/review-loveless-by-alice-oseman/ Personal Insights: I feel like this is an incredibly important book because it is one of the only ones I have found that has an asexual/aromantic teen as the main character (other than the two I mention in the Readalikes below). As it gets referenced in the book as Georgia is discovering her own identity, asexuality is a term that not a lot of people are familiar with, nor one that many understand even though it is considered part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. While this book may technically be considered a teen romance story (and there is an incredibly adorable romance budding between secondary characters), the beauty of this story is that it shows that true friendship can be just as powerful of a kind of love, and just as fulfilling as romantic love. It was fascinating when I was looking at the recommended readalikes on Goodreads and Novelist, because every single one recommended was for a teen romance, or, even more jarring, a smutty romance book (complete with a bare-chested male on the cover). Which is completely antithetical to the message this story is trying to convey, and shows just how little the publishing world understands or factors in this specific identity. Just one more level of awesomeness, this book is also, #ownvoices! Alice Oseman came out as asexual shortly after publishing this book, so it’s very cool to know that the experiences that Georgia is facing come from very real experiences. Also, can we take a moment to appreciate this amazing author?? She is currently only 26 years old and has published numerous and very successful novels and graphic novels. Her first book, Solitaire, was published when she was only 17, and her graphic novel series, Heartstoppers, was just announced earlier this year to have a Netflix adaptation in the works! She is definitely an author to keep on your radar in the world of LGBTQIA+ fiction in the near future. You can check out a great article by Alice Oseman here where she talks about her life experiences with identifying as asexual here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z2fk3j6 As far as content goes, I wanted to make a note that this story is set in England, where the drinking age is 18. While the main character is 18, I would almost want to classify this book as “New Adult” if not the upper end of YA. I say that because the use of alcohol and partying is very much an integral part of the story, and for American readers, there is a different culture around alcohol (not to mention age of legality), so some might have a little harder time relating to the story in that regard. Notable Quotes: “Give your friendships the magic you would give a romance. Because they're just as important. Actually, for us, they're way more important.” “I've learnt some things. Like the way friendship can be just as intense, beautiful and endless as romance. Like the way there's love everywhere around me - there's love for my friends, there's love for my paintings, there's love for myself.” “In the end, that was the problem with romance. It was so easy to romanticise romance because it was everywhere. It was in music and on TV and in filtered Instagram photos. It was in the air, crisp and alive with fresh possibility. It was in falling leaves, crumbling wooden doorways, scuffed cobblestones and fields of dandelions. It was in the touch of hands, scrawled letters, crumpled sheets and the golden hour. A soft yawn, early morning laugher, shoes lined up together by the door. Eyes across a dance floor. I could see it all, all the time, all around, but when I got closer, I found nothing was there.” Readalikes (Summaries found on GoodReads)*These recommendations are based more on the fact that they were the only two other books I could find with asexual main characters rather than any similarity in tone/pacing/content.*
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