ARC Review – ‘Flowerheart’ by Catherine Bakewell

TITLE: Flowerheart
AUTHOR: Catherine Bakewell
GENRE: YA Fantasy, LGBTQ+
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 352 pages (hardcover)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Harper Collins on March 14th, 2023
RRP: $19.99 USD (hardcover)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Tamora Pierce, this standalone YA debut is a stunning cottagecore fantasy romance about a girl with powerful and violent magic, which she must learn to control—or lose everything she loves.

Clara’s magic has always been wild. But it’s never been dangerous. Then a simple touch causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father’s chest.

The only way to heal him is to cast an extremely difficult spell that requires perfect control. And the only person willing to help is her former best friend, Xavier, who’s grown from a sweet, shy child into a mysterious and distant young man.

Xavier names a terrible price in return, knowing Clara will give anything to save her father. As she struggles to reconcile the new Xavier with the boy she once loved, she discovers their bargain is only one of the heavy secrets he’s hiding. And as she hunts for the truth, she instead finds the root of a terrible darkness that’s taken hold in the queendom—a darkness only Clara’s magic is powerful enough to stop.

I enjoyed this one! Lovely, lush writing, the focus on flowers made it vivid and dreamy (except when the flowers evoked body horror, that was viscerally terrifying!) and I liked how it was a cozy low-stakes fantasy. No cliche Chosen One versus Dark One, this is a charming alternative which focuses on the heroine’s struggles with her magic and a potion wreaking havoc in her community. 

The casual queerness is very welcome, it shouldn’t be groundbreaking, but I’m always happy to see it. There’s no homophobia in this world, it’s not unusual to be attracted to/married to someone of the same sex. Transgender characters aren’t as common because Robin mentions being happy to have a transgender mentor who understands them, but again, no transphobia or angst over it which is a relief.

I love the overall theme of overcoming negative self-talk, pushing past your anxiety and having confidence in yourself to achieve your goals. There’s also an emphasis on experiencing your emotions both good and bad, rather than bottling it up or suppressing it, and how crying can be healing which I appreciated.

Disclaimer: digital copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC Review – ‘Belladonna’ by Adalyn Grace

TITLE: Belladonna
AUTHOR: Adalyn Grace
GENRE: YA Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 416 pages (hardcover)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Little Brown and Company on August 30th, 2022
RRP: $28.56 AUD (hardcover)

Blurb from Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine. 

Belladonna is the first in a new series by New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace, who is well-known for her duology All the Stars and Teeth. Her previous series was set in a fantasy world with intricate magic, mermaids, and pirates, but Belladonna positions itself in a more down-to-earth Victorian-inspired setting. However don’t make the mistake of picturing Bridgerton as this Gothic-inspired murder mystery with paranormal romantic fantasy elements is more along the lines of Crimson Peak meets Stalking Jack The Ripper.

Book Review – ‘Killer Content’ by Kiley Roache

TITLE: Killer Content
AUTHOR: Kiley Roache
GENRE: YA Thriller
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 336 pages (paperback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Penguin Books Australia on November 30th, 2021
RRP: $16.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying! In this paperback original thriller a group of famous TikTokers find themselves turning on each other when one member of the group turns up dead at their beachfront Malibu mansion.

35 million followers. One dead body.

The six teenagers who make up the Hype House seem to have it all. A beach front Malibu mansion, millions of TikTok followers, model good looks, and sponsorship deals up to $30,000 per post. Everything’s pretty much a Gen-Z paradise. Except that one member of the house has just turned up dead in the infinity pool. And the rest of them are suspects.

When the group TikTok account starts posting cryptic messages about the murder, the police limit their investigation to the members of the house. Now old joke videos are filed as evidence and past rivalries start to look like motives.

As investigators dig into these influencers’ lives beyond their glossy internet personalities, they discover all five had reasons their lives would’ve been easier with Sydney Reynolds dead. But only one of them killed her.

Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it. 

KILLER CONTENT is an entertaining YA thriller primarily set in a Malibu mansion where a teenager ends up dead, putting her fellow teen housemates under suspicion. 

The premise is unique and timely as it follows a group of TikTok famous teens who move into a glamorous location together to boost their collective fame and fortune. I’m not into TikTok myself (I’m old-school, okay, I can’t learn another platform), but given how much money can be made if a TikToker has a large enough following and can hook the right sponsors, it makes sense that the teens in this book are so obsessed with curating the perfect image to appeal to their fanbase. Love it or loathe it, social media has a massive, inescapable impact and I’m enjoying how fiction has gone from using teens hooked on apps as an easy punchline to developing them as legitimate three-dimensional characters with nuance and narrative arcs. 

Kat is the most relatable as a girl who got into the lifestyle by accident when her account blew up and she decided to explore where this could take her, but I also enjoyed Gwen who is allowed to be a shallow, girly-girl who likes nice things and uses her good looks climb the social ladder and acquire that rich cushy lifestyle she’s always dreamed of; plus I have a soft spot for Cami, the uptight type-A curvy girl who didn’t fit into the image prized by society and became driven to make a name for herself regardless so that she could be seen and validated. Of the two boys, Tucker is the stereotypical frat-boy douchey character and Beau is the sweet cinnamon roll too pure and precious. 

Chapters alternate between the different characters and different time periods, flitting from before and after the discovery of the dead body, fleshing out various social dynamics and revealing the secrets concealed by different group members. I do wish that the writing for the different chapters was tweaked to make it more distinctive so I didn’t have to double-check whose POV I was reading from as the girls’ voices blended together at times. And you’ll need a strong ability to suspend disbelief during the police investigation scenes because that wasn’t realistic at all (surely the kids would be allowed to return home, not remain confined in the mansion with a killer among them)!

An enjoyable and compelling teen thriller that delves into the shiny idealized world of social media influencers and explores the fallout when a desire for fame pushes someone to do the unthinkable. 

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review – ‘Luminous’ by Mara Rutherford

TITLE: Luminous
AUTHORS: Mara Rutherford
GENRE: YA Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 384 pages (paperback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Harlequin Australia on January 5th, 2022
RRP: $19.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.

If you’ve read Mara Rutherford’s Crown of Coral and Pearl duology, you know she has a knack for charismatic scene-stealing villains and her newest book LUMINOUS is no different. We’re introduced to Darius, a powerful mage and the king’s right hand who rules the land by proxy, who is super compelling and I have to admit I was rooting for him throughout the book. Sure, he’s the bad guy, but I really enjoy when an author makes them understandable (not by trying to justify what they’re doing, but giving them believable motives than just ‘born evil’) plus I’m a sucker for the ‘Friendly Enemy’ trope. 

Our heroine Liora has spent her life hidden away in a small village in the middle of nowhere to keep her safe from Darius, who collects magic-users for his own purposes. Liora’s repressed her magic as much as possible, but after she’s revealed to be a witch, she’s drawn into danger as a diabolical plan unfolds that threatens everyone she loves and the only way out is to rely on her magic. 

In a lot of ways, I found her to be a pretty typical YA fantasy lead – sheltered and naive, in love with her best friend, low on self-esteem yet recklessly overconfident. However I did like her self-awareness in recognizing her selfish tendencies at times when she wanted to be special, hoped to be noticed and prioritized her magic over a quiet dull life because that felt relatable. 

I also liked Liora’s dynamic with her sisters and that she stood up to her father when he tried to stifle her, but the romance with Evran fell flat for me. His lack of communication and unwillingness to trust her even when he knew that she was hurting because of his abandonment made it seem toxic. PSA: don’t ghost people for their own good, that’s nonsense! There are two minor female characters introduced that I enjoyed and wished played a bigger role, but the major focus is on Liora’s coming-of-age arc. 

This fast-paced standalone fantasy is a fun read with a bunch of entertaining plot twists. It had enough material to fill a duology and felt a bit too easily resolved at the end, but it kept me engaged all the way through. 

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review – ‘The Coldest Touch’ by Isabel Sterling

TITLE: The Coldest Touch
AUTHOR: Isabel Sterling
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 384 pages (hardcover)
PUBLISHED: on December 7th, 2021

Blurb from Goodreads:

Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.

Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.

At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.

The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death? 

I’ve  wanted a book with a sapphic vampire/human relationship for YEARS which is why I’m so thrilled Isabel Sterling came through with THE COLDEST TOUCH! It’s my first read of 2022 and what a way to start the year. ❤

Claire wants nothing more than to get rid of her strange new ability to see how people die – it’s ruined her life as she’s isolated herself from everyone she loves to escape the pain of seeing and experiencing their deaths. When the mysterious new girl at school (love that trope being genderswapped!) says she can explain what’s happening, Claire seizes at this last chance to get her life back. What she doesn’t know is that Elise represents the Veil, a group that governs the paranormal world, and they need her ability to maintain order whether she likes it or not. 

This book was EXCELLENT, it hooked me in from the first page and didn’t let me go, it was a one-sitting read! The fast-paced plot, intriguing world-building and lovable characters made it super enjoyable. I loved that Claire’s friends played a big role (including her ex-boyfriend, which I thought would be awkward, but turned out so sweet) and the focus on her fractured family dealing with grief over losing her brother and how they come together by the end.

And it was great how Elise had important goals outside of the growing romance with Claire that she never lost sight of, plus her relationship with her boss Wyn who treated her like a kid sister was fantastic. My favorite character has to be the adorable cat Richie who stole every scene she was in!

As a standalone, there was no nasty cliffhanger and it felt so satisfying to reach the last page and sigh sappily at our couple getting their happy ending. I would love to read any further books about Claire and Elise, there are plot threads set up that can be explored, but this feels complete and fulfilling as is. 

Disclaimer: digital copy provided free from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review – ‘Aurora’s End’ by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

TITLE: Aurora’s End
AUTHORS: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
GENRE: YA Sci-fi
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 512 pages (paperwback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Allen & Unwin on November 2nd, 2021
RRP: $19.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

The squad you love is out of time. Prepare for the thrilling finale in the epic, best-selling Aurora Cycle series about a band of unlikely heroes who just might be the galaxy’s last hope for survival.

Is this the end?

What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases, and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course.

Wait. . . . Not. So. Fast.

When we last saw Squad 312, they working together seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient superweapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong, naturally.

But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the te4am has one last chance to rewrite thirs. Maybe two. It’s complicated.

Cue Zila, Fin, and Scarlett (and MAGELLAN!): making friends, making enemies, and making history? Sure, no problem

Cue Tyler, Kal, and Auri: uniting with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay. That, too.

Actually saving the galaxy, though?

Now that will take a miracle. 

AURORA’S END is out in Australia! If you’ve read the previous two books and somehow missed that the final installment in this trilogy was releasing this week, GO GRAB IT ASAP, your torment is at an end! (if you’re located elsewhere, it may not be available yet, but your time is coming next week)

This writing duo is in fine form – if you feel like a clever cookie for working out how Squad 312 gets out of the impossible cliffhanger from book 2, that won’t last long before the authors throws another dastardly curveball at you. It was hilarious how quickly everything went wrong again for our heroes even after extricating themselves from certain death, and they just keep careening from one disaster to another throughout this breathlessly manic and fun-filled series of perilous adventures. 

The highlight for me is that Zila goes from being more of a background character to featuring quite prominently in the finale and gets ample time in the spotlight! Her arc in this book is my favorite, it felt like it was written just to cater to me personally, I’m so happy!

And if you fell in love with Saedii in book 2, you’ll definitely be thrilled with how much she features here. I enjoyed her acerbic remarks and haughty, ferocious personality, she livens up every scene she’s in and has such a great dynamic with Tyler.

I did think some of the romantic scenes were a bit overdone and often ill-timed (when you’re battling your mortal enemy, don’t drop your guard to goggle at your boyfriend!) and if you were tired of hearing Scar talk about her spectacular ass or her ta-tas, well, there’s a lot more of that. Your mileage may vary on how effective you find the conclusion to the Ra’haam plotline; I was super excited at where I thought it was leading, but the ultimate approach in the final pages to dealing with this galaxy-threatening ancient evil left me deflated. Still, the journey to that ending was enjoyable overall.

Packed with entertaining characters, wildly unpredictable plot twists and a unique, chilling villain, the Aurora Cycle is a riveting and addictive sci-fi series. If you haven’t read the first book, check out AURORA RISING. If you’ve read the previous books, you’ll need AURORA’S END in your life. 

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC Review – ‘Vespertine’ by Margaret Rogerson

TITLE: Vespertine
AUTHOR: Margaret Rogerson
GENRE: YA Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 400 pages (hardcover)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by on October 5th, 2021

Blurb from Goodreads:

The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

I absolutely adored Vespertine, it’s a must-read for fantasy lovers! This is the first in a series and I’m so thrilled that we have more to come in this universe because I’m in love with the characters, world-building, plot and EVERYTHING ABOUT IT TBH.

Artemisia is a very unusual nun, having been the victim of a traumatic prolonged possession by a malevolent spirit throughout her childhood and growing up without any social skills as her frightened family locks her up out of human contact for their safety. This could have created a tragic, self-pitying main character, but instead Artemisia out of self-preservation regards her upbringing as nothing out of the ordinary and represses all notion that what happened to her is something to brood over and her matter-of-fact attitude about quite horrific suffering infuses the book with a great deal of black humor.

It also leads to funny moments where she has absolutely no idea of how to make small talk and is more afraid of socializing than mortal danger or when she recalls trying to make friends with a fellow nun by throwing a spider at her to help her stop being afraid of them! It made sense at the time…just like lurking under the bed as though she were a demonic entity when she first encountered her roommate…

When Artemesia winds up becoming host to a revenant in a desperate attempt to protect her convent from attack, it leads to the most delightful dynamic I’ve ever read in the history of fantasy. The revenant is typically bloodthirsty and intent on causing chaos and destruction, but it’s also hilariously snarky, grouchily protective and reluctantly allies itself with Artemisia in the hopes of wearing her down long enough to possess her completely. 

The bond that grows between them as they come to understand and care for each other is just so beautifully and believably written with a helping of angst and conflict over their differing motivations. Artemisia is utterly unheeding of her own personal safety and wellbeing, putting the revenant in the odd position of being a mother hen, nagging her to look after herself while insisting it doesn’t care at all, and then there are times when she will give it the respect and consideration that no other human would in her position, leaving it flustered and out of sorts. I loved their banter and their arguments and every moment of interaction is pure gold. The funniest thing is how the revenant is better at pretending to be human and relating to humans than Artemisia, which is such an unusual and intriguing dynamic to explore!

Although she has the best intentions and demonstrates this by protecting innocents around her with the newfound abilities granted by the revenant, her perceived possession leads to the Clerisy determining she is the number one most wanted on their list and pursue her at all costs. There is a breathless tension as Artemisia struggles to retain control of the revenant, save the lives of humans at risk from other deadly spirits and also protect herself from the relentless pursuit of those determined to capture and exorcise her.

This book will effortlessly transport you to a world of magic, wonder and danger with complex, amazingly written characters and intricate mythology, easily digestible fantasy politics and a thrilling race against time to avert a grave danger to the entire realm. It’s so good you will finish this and immediately want to re-read it!

Disclaimer: digital copy provided free from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review – ‘Dark Rise’ by C.S. Pacat

TITLE: Dark Rise
AUTHOR: C.S. Pacat
GENRE: YA Fantasy
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 464 pages (paperback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Allen & Unwin on September 28th, 2021
RRP: $19.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember, and they keep their centuries-long vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns.

Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.

As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own. 

First in a new trilogy, DARK RISE is a phenomenal YA fantasy novel which proves to be effortlessly immersive and wholly addictive. 

The cold open sets us in the middle of a conflict we have no context for, but immediately grips the reader with the mystery of what the prisoner fears so much that he begs for death and what his relationship was with his tormentor before his betrayal. It fades into the background as the author introduces the protagonist, but this plot thread is woven throughout the story and sets up epic reveals which blew my mind! The genre savvy may predict a plot twist or two, but I believe it’s the journey that matters, not the destination, and we’re treated to a phenomenal voyage of excitement, heartbreak and nail-biting suspense.  

Our hero Will embodies the typical Chosen One stereotype and with a Dark King and clashes between the forces of Light and Dark, it sounds derivative and uninspired, but don’t be fooled! This standard fantasy set-up exists solely to be knocked down and our understanding of these characters and the nature of their struggle is reshaped and re-contextualized a number of times. The author skillfully subverts classic tropes and gives this gang of misfits so much heart and depth and nuance, it will overwhelm you with emotion. 

Will and Violet’s friendship was so beautifully unexpected when I thought they were poised to be enemies; while this is Will’s coming-of-age story, I loved how important Violet was and the care given to fleshing out her background and ambitions. It’s rare to see a ride-or-die platonic friendship between male and female characters, I was thrilled by that dynamic! For those hoping for on-page queer romance, I’m afraid it’s not present in this book, but slow-burn fans will love the glancing touches, unnecessarily close proximity and delicious tension. The last few pages will leave you SCREECHING. 

I can’t recommend this book highly enough! It features complex, well-written characters, cool mythology and fascinating world-building plus a bunch of genius twists that have me beyond excited for the next book. Read this and flail with me!

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Release Day Review – ‘Sugar Town Queens’ by Malla Nunn

TITLE: Sugar Town Queens
AUTHOR: Malla Nunn
GENRE: YA Contemporary, Coming-of-Age
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 312 pages (paperback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Allen & Unwin on August 3rd, 2021
RRP: $19.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

From LA Times Book Prize Award Winner and Edgar Award Nominee Malla Nunn comes a stunning portrait of a family divided and the bonds that knit our communities.

When Amandla wakes up on her fifteenth birthday she knows it’s going to be one of her mother’s difficult days. Her mother has had another vision. If Amandla wears a blue sheet her mother has loosely stitched as a dress and styles her normally braided hair in a halo around her head, Amandla’s father will come home. Amandla’s mother, Annalisa, always speaks of her father as if he was the prince of a fairytale, but in truth he’s been gone since before Amandla was born and even Annalisa’s memory of him is hazy. In fact many of Annalisa’s memories from before Amandla was born are hazy. It’s just one of the many reasons people in Sugar Town give Annalisa and Amandla strange looks–that and the fact her mother is white and Amandla is brown.

But when Amandla finds a mysterious address in the bottom of her mother’s handbag along with a large amount of cash, she decides it’s finally time to get answers about her mother’s life. But what she discovers will change the shape and size of her family forever. 

This YA coming-of-age story centers around Amandla, a 15 year old biracial girl living in a South African township called Sugar Town. Born to a white mother with a black father who isn’t in the picture, Amandla has it tough growing up below the poverty line and trying to cope with her mother’s mental illness. 

Normally I wouldn’t pick up this kind of book as I assumed it was going to focus on misery porn, but I was completely mistaken. Yes, it addresses serious real life issues of poverty, racism and classism, but these are treated as factors that make up the background of Amandla’s life, it doesn’t dominate who she is or what she does. Amandla’s focus is on solving the mystery behind her mother’s past to try and bring her closure and help heal her spirit as it’s clear that Annalisa is suffering from unresolved trauma, and in the process, she discovers family she never knew existed in the wealthy Durban city. 

Amandla grows closer to some of her relatives, but also stirs up conflict and hostility as it transpires that deeply ingrained racism led to her mother being ostracized and worse. There are dark family secrets to be uncovered and a lot of heartache along the way, but what makes this book shine is that it highlights how strong the love is between mother and daughter, between Amandla and her best friend Lil Bit, and in the found family that develops as unexpected allies come together to help her reconnect with her roots. The author showcases how Amandla is blessed with love and support from many corners that the chief antagonist in this story lacks, for all their prestige and privilege. Instead of being a tough dreary slog, this ended up being heartwarming and uplifting and had many sweet moments that made me smile and a particularly hard-won victory that made me cheer. 

For a thoughtful, life-affirming story about the bonds of family and community, overcoming prejudice and proudly owning who you are, check out this book. You may shed a few tears (I certainly did!), but it’s a wholly rewarding reading experience not to be missed. 

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Review – ‘Love Is For Losers’ by Wibke Brueggemann

TITLE: Love Is For Losers
AUTHOR: Wibke Brueggemann
GENRE: YA LGBT/Contemporary
WORD/PAGE COUNT: 384 pages (paperback)
PUBLICATION DETAILS: by Pan Macmillan AU on April 27th, 2021
RRP: $17.99 AUD (paperback)

Blurb from Goodreads:

In this wry and hilarious queer romantic comedy, fifteen-year-old Phoebe realizes that falling in love is maybe not just for losers.

Did you know you can marry yourself? How strange / brilliant is that?

Fifteen-year-old Phoebe thinks falling in love is vile and degrading, and vows never to do it. Then, due to circumstances not entirely in her control, she finds herself volunteering at a local thrift shop. There she meets Emma . . . who might unwittingly upend her whole theory on life.

This is a laugh-out-loud exploration of sexuality, family, female friendship, grief, and community. With the heart and hilarity of Netflix’s critically-acclaimed Sex Education, Wibke Brueggemann’s sex positive debut is required reading for Generation Z teens. Think of this as Bridget Jones’ Diary, if it were written by Bridget’s daughter. 

LOVE IS FOR LOSERS is such a precious gem of a book, I want to hug it close and push it onto everyone to read. 

It’s narrated in the first person by Phoebe, a snarky, cynical teenager who is utterly self-aware about what a misanthrope she is and owns it. We witness every petty, immature thought that crosses her mind and while this is going to put off some readers, I LIVED for it. (only natural this resonated on a deep spiritual level since I myself used to be a petty, immature teenage girl) 

Phoebe has good reason to be a pent-up ball of insecurity and bitterness. Her best friend has ditched her for a boy just as her mother abandons her for yet another lengthy humanitarian mission. Sure, it’s selfish for Phoebe to begrudge her for caring about saving lives, but who wouldn’t be hurt in the same position? 

Fortunately, being in Phoebe’s head isn’t as miserable as you might think, I adored her sardonic inner monologue and biting, acidic observations about the people around her and society at large. She has a quirky, scientifically oddball way of analyzing things and it’s funny to read her conclusions.

This is a coming of age story that follows Phoebe in her transition from a loner who avoids people to…much the same, she’ll never be a people person, but  more vulnerable and allowing a select few people into her heart. A tentative friendship with fellow thrift shop volunteer Emma blooms into sweetest, most adorable slow-burn romance ever. And aside from dealing with normal teenage issues like crushes and exam stress, there’s also an examination of deeper themes of grief and depression which brought me to tears late in the book. 

Another winner for Pride Month, it’s a must-read! If the witty protagonist, female friendships and sapphic romance don’t reel you in, do it for the designer cats! (honestly died laughing every time they showed up on page)

Disclaimer: physical copy provided free from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.