Q U I C K S T A T S
Characters-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Setting-⭐⭐⭐. 5
Writing style-⭐⭐
Overall rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
// Content Warning: Internalised aphobia / Verbal aphobia / Deliberate aphobic attitudes / Accidentally aphobic attitudes due to ignorance/ Lack of knowledge about a-spec identities / Frank discussions of sex and masturbation / Two brief incidents of exclusionary attitudes / References to past emotionally abusive relationships / References to past bullying / Experimentation (consensual and non-consensual) / Queerphobia // (copied from author's website)
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Age group: Young Adult
Genre(s): Contemporary
Pub date: July 9th 2020
P R E M I S E
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?
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?
M Y R E V I E W
Experiment: Buy a paperback (or hardback) of loveless and plug your headphones into your computer (or any device really) and listen to lo-fi beats.
Result: Instant relaxation.
This story follows Georgia through her first year of university and coming to terms with her sexuality, alongside her best friends Pip and Jason. Georgia is desperate for the full university experience; hook ups and falling in love, but is completely revolted when coming close to doing anything intimate.
The characterisation was wonderfully written and their growths as individuals was remarkable. The shared love for Shakespeare (and drama) was heart warming and I loved reading about Georgia coming to terms with being an aromantic asexual and her friends supporting her through the entire journey. The enemies to lovers trope was well played and despite it being between two prominent side characters, it was too good to not mention (giving the character names would make it a spoiler).
I loved Alice Oseman's graphic novel series called heartstopper and it didn't really showcase her writing as much (the genre speaks for itself). But when actually reading her works, the writing was rather mediocre and didn't have a ring to it. I really liked this book and the way the author had executed the plot, but as a whole it felt a little underwhelming.
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N
Aromantic asexual main character
Questioning main character
Gay side characters
S I M I L A R B O O K S
Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann
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