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bookishkitkat's review
1.5
1.) Hannah is great and deserves so much better than Sam.
2.) I hate amatonormativity. The amount of messaging that conveyed that still being a virgin by a certain age is bad and freakish is quite frankly alarming. And it is never challenged AT ALL throughout the book. It’s only reinforced.
3.) Casper is the only legit character, why didn’t we get more of him?
4.) I appreciated the realistic sex scene. We need more of those.
5.) Also liked Hannah’s relationship with her grandma.
6.) If this is allo culture I hate it. I’ve literally never been more glad to have had a supportive queer friend group in high school with the ability to talk about things that weren’t boys or sex. I would have felt so out of place as an aro-spec ace person. Are straight allo friendships actually like this? No judgement, just genuinely curious. If so, I hope our culture has progressed enough to have those conversations be healthier. Because damn. Some of that stuff was really toxic.
7.) My hot take is that I kind of agree with Stella (even though she’s toxic overall)
2.) I hate amatonormativity. The amount of messaging that conveyed that still being a virgin by a certain age is bad and freakish is quite frankly alarming. And it is never challenged AT ALL throughout the book. It’s only reinforced.
3.) Casper is the only legit character, why didn’t we get more of him?
4.) I appreciated the realistic sex scene. We need more of those.
5.) Also liked Hannah’s relationship with her grandma.
6.) If this is allo culture I hate it. I’ve literally never been more glad to have had a supportive queer friend group in high school with the ability to talk about things that weren’t boys or sex. I would have felt so out of place as an aro-spec ace person. Are straight allo friendships actually like this? No judgement, just genuinely curious. If so, I hope our culture has progressed enough to have those conversations be healthier. Because damn. Some of that stuff was really toxic.
7.) My hot take is that I kind of agree with Stella (even though she’s toxic overall)
kmdegarmo's review against another edition
4.0
So the beginning was a bit boring and typical teenager-like which I rolled my eyes at. However, once Sam and Hannah met, it was a whole other book! I really loved the back and forth between Sam and Hannah and the awkward situations that kept them apart. Definitely for older teens with the content but worth the read.
suey's review
1.0
Yeah, I shouldn't have read this one, but I did anyway. I was hoping things would start turning around, but no.
theawkwardbookw's review against another edition
4.0
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One night at a party, Hannah and Sam meet accidentally in a bathroom. They strike up a conversation but are quickly interrupted before they even learn each others names. As time goes on, they can't stop thinking about one another but believe they will never see each other again. Until they do... repeatedly... and its more than awkward.
This was super cute and fluffy, just what I needed at the time. It was a very fast read that had me giggling at the awkward encounters these characters went through. I really loved the alternating perspective between Sam and Hannah. I loved catching a glimpse into each of their minds and how each situation was interpreted differently by each character. Hannah annoyed me at times for never standing up for herself when it came to Stella, her bitchy best friend who thought she could walk all over everyone. Sam also got on my nerves as well because he was so naive about EVERYTHING. I did really love them together once it finally happened though. I thought they were super cute and I loved their easy banter. I think a lot of the drama that they faced could have been easily avoided if they had just communicated with each other. In my opinion, they definitely felt more like 16 year olds rather than 18 like they were supposed to be. Robin was definitely my favourite character, I thought he was hilarious and every scene he was in had me laughing. I really like how honest this book was about sex and loosing your virginity. There was no romanticizing about it, it was very real and how it USUALLY happens. I also loved how the relationship between Stella and Hannah was so toxic, I think it did a great job in portraying how dangerous this type of relationship can be.
One night at a party, Hannah and Sam meet accidentally in a bathroom. They strike up a conversation but are quickly interrupted before they even learn each others names. As time goes on, they can't stop thinking about one another but believe they will never see each other again. Until they do... repeatedly... and its more than awkward.
This was super cute and fluffy, just what I needed at the time. It was a very fast read that had me giggling at the awkward encounters these characters went through. I really loved the alternating perspective between Sam and Hannah. I loved catching a glimpse into each of their minds and how each situation was interpreted differently by each character. Hannah annoyed me at times for never standing up for herself when it came to Stella, her bitchy best friend who thought she could walk all over everyone. Sam also got on my nerves as well because he was so naive about EVERYTHING. I did really love them together once it finally happened though. I thought they were super cute and I loved their easy banter. I think a lot of the drama that they faced could have been easily avoided if they had just communicated with each other. In my opinion, they definitely felt more like 16 year olds rather than 18 like they were supposed to be. Robin was definitely my favourite character, I thought he was hilarious and every scene he was in had me laughing. I really like how honest this book was about sex and loosing your virginity. There was no romanticizing about it, it was very real and how it USUALLY happens. I also loved how the relationship between Stella and Hannah was so toxic, I think it did a great job in portraying how dangerous this type of relationship can be.
sarahelisabeeth's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
openmypages's review
3.0
“Unless you’re a pool player or a magician, wearing a vest outside your own house is surely not an acceptable thing to do.”
“All billionaires are ugly. Why do you think they become billionaires in the first place? Do you think if Mark Zuckerberg looked like me he would have bothered to invent Facebook? No, he would’ve been too busy banging hotties.”
——————————————————
This story has fun “10 Things I Hate about You vibes.” Considerably more graphic sexually, than I am used to reading, it glorifies losing your virginity as a young teen. it also has lots of examples of teenagers being absolutely horrible friends to another.
But if you can look past that, it’s quite cute and there’s lots of fun witty banter. There were several times where I laughed out loud. I’d love a follow up book to see where these two end up.
“All billionaires are ugly. Why do you think they become billionaires in the first place? Do you think if Mark Zuckerberg looked like me he would have bothered to invent Facebook? No, he would’ve been too busy banging hotties.”
——————————————————
This story has fun “10 Things I Hate about You vibes.” Considerably more graphic sexually, than I am used to reading, it glorifies losing your virginity as a young teen. it also has lots of examples of teenagers being absolutely horrible friends to another.
But if you can look past that, it’s quite cute and there’s lots of fun witty banter. There were several times where I laughed out loud. I’d love a follow up book to see where these two end up.
gaelledesousa's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
Vraiment très sympa, pleins de légèreté. Pas mal de moments m'ont fait sourire. Les personnages sont vraiment attachants. J'ai eu un véritable coup de coeur pour la toute la partie de l'histoire qui s'est déroulée pendant le festival. Ce livre est absolument approprié comme lecture d'été au bord d'une piscine ou sur le sable!
Vraiment très sympa, pleins de légèreté. Pas mal de moments m'ont fait sourire. Les personnages sont vraiment attachants. J'ai eu un véritable coup de coeur pour la toute la partie de l'histoire qui s'est déroulée pendant le festival. Ce livre est absolument approprié comme lecture d'été au bord d'une piscine ou sur le sable!
hazelstaybookish's review against another edition
3.0
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Hopeless romantic that I am, I'm all for love stories. In fact the more awkward, the better. Not to mention the funnier, in this case especially. I went into A Totally Awkward Love Story (also known as Lobsters in the UK) expecting a fun read, and that's exactly what I got with Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison's novel.
Although the pink, cutesy cover suggests a heartwarming "puppy love" kind of story, A Totally Awkward Love Story is a little more mature, with it being so much about losing your virginity and having sex. There's no extremely graphic content, but I wouldn't exactly recommend this to anyone below fourteen years old. About two virgins having a fateful meeting at the wetroom of a friend's party and bonding over hot grape juice, A Totally Awkward Love Story is about finding your 'lobster', that person who may or may not be The One.
"I sort of put losing my virginity on the back burner until finishing finals. Although "losing" is such a random word for it. It's not like you're going to find it under your study guide, is it?"
The book is told in dual POV for every chapter, which really works to have an equal feel for the two protagonists. Hannah and Sam are both the only inexperienced ones in each of their circle of friends, leaving them without confidence and feeling more anxious about being virgins. I think it's pretty cool that Sam is a virgin since it's rather rare to see male love interests in YA who haven't had sex yet. Moreover, both characters felt really authentic and relatable in their insecurities. While I can't say much about Hannah's character arc, I did admire the development I saw in Sam.
What stands out for me with this book is how hilarious it was. It got some loud laughs out of me, which is something I always like in a book. The authors don't hold back on the funny/awkward moments, living up to the book's title, There's just something about British humor that I adore. There's also delightful banter between friends, which speaking of, is a major aspect of the book. Although the friendships in A Totally Awkward Love Story are very far from perfect (one of them is pretty toxic), I thought they were portrayed well. Major props to the genuine characterization of teenagers who drink, party and have sex.
"In the end, losing your virginity isn't really about you. It's about everyone else. It's about telling everyone else you've done it so you can get on with doing it again. Properly this time."
In spite of all this, I'm not a huge fan of drama, which this book had a generous amount of. Also, the dirty scenes, grounded as they were, still left me uncomfortable. While I did appreciate the straightforward approach of the narrative about sex, I wanted some more focus on the anticipation of getting into (or not getting into) college. I actually really liked that the book tackles this and wish it had been more notable.
Being a teenager is never easy. Sometimes it's just awkward and it helps to read a book that reflects just this. Overall, I think A Totally Awkward Story gives a great glimpse into the love life and sex life of modern teens. Funny and genuine, this one deserve a thumbs up.
Hopeless romantic that I am, I'm all for love stories. In fact the more awkward, the better. Not to mention the funnier, in this case especially. I went into A Totally Awkward Love Story (also known as Lobsters in the UK) expecting a fun read, and that's exactly what I got with Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison's novel.
Although the pink, cutesy cover suggests a heartwarming "puppy love" kind of story, A Totally Awkward Love Story is a little more mature, with it being so much about losing your virginity and having sex. There's no extremely graphic content, but I wouldn't exactly recommend this to anyone below fourteen years old. About two virgins having a fateful meeting at the wetroom of a friend's party and bonding over hot grape juice, A Totally Awkward Love Story is about finding your 'lobster', that person who may or may not be The One.
"I sort of put losing my virginity on the back burner until finishing finals. Although "losing" is such a random word for it. It's not like you're going to find it under your study guide, is it?"
The book is told in dual POV for every chapter, which really works to have an equal feel for the two protagonists. Hannah and Sam are both the only inexperienced ones in each of their circle of friends, leaving them without confidence and feeling more anxious about being virgins. I think it's pretty cool that Sam is a virgin since it's rather rare to see male love interests in YA who haven't had sex yet. Moreover, both characters felt really authentic and relatable in their insecurities. While I can't say much about Hannah's character arc, I did admire the development I saw in Sam.
What stands out for me with this book is how hilarious it was. It got some loud laughs out of me, which is something I always like in a book. The authors don't hold back on the funny/awkward moments, living up to the book's title, There's just something about British humor that I adore. There's also delightful banter between friends, which speaking of, is a major aspect of the book. Although the friendships in A Totally Awkward Love Story are very far from perfect (one of them is pretty toxic), I thought they were portrayed well. Major props to the genuine characterization of teenagers who drink, party and have sex.
"In the end, losing your virginity isn't really about you. It's about everyone else. It's about telling everyone else you've done it so you can get on with doing it again. Properly this time."
In spite of all this, I'm not a huge fan of drama, which this book had a generous amount of. Also, the dirty scenes, grounded as they were, still left me uncomfortable. While I did appreciate the straightforward approach of the narrative about sex, I wanted some more focus on the anticipation of getting into (or not getting into) college. I actually really liked that the book tackles this and wish it had been more notable.
Being a teenager is never easy. Sometimes it's just awkward and it helps to read a book that reflects just this. Overall, I think A Totally Awkward Story gives a great glimpse into the love life and sex life of modern teens. Funny and genuine, this one deserve a thumbs up.
daydreamingreads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alyxisreading's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Fatphobia