Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Loveless

I've got to admit that I struggled quite a bit with this book. Not because it was a bad book, but because I felt really disconnected from the story and the characters.

There's a lot of discourse surrounding adults reading YA and then getting frustrated when they can't relate to the characters. I'm not going to do that right now. I can't objectively be upset with a YA for having characters that I no longer relate to (or really, never related to because I was never someone who went to uni or struggled with my sexuality). However, it did feel like it was written for a very, very niched-down audience, and I was not the target.

None of these characters were particularly likable to me (aside from Sunil, who is a gem). I realize that there was a lot of growth that needed to happen throughout the story, but even by the end, I felt myself getting more frustrated with them than impressed by their development.

There were some really tender moments in this book that made my heart soar, and that's why I gave this a higher rating than I originally intended. However, for the most part, I felt like this was a very time-consuming story that wasn't intended for me and that's perfectly alright. I know that the target audience will benefit quite a lot from a book like this!

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bookishlybecca's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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paperstxrs's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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cluckieduck's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

We all deserve joy

This was a lovely, sweet hug of a book.

It’s interesting to read the reviews (positive and negative) and I feel strange adding my own since I’m not the intended demographic, but I think about what it would have been like to read a story like this when I was a teen and how impactful it might have been.

Love is love, and we all deserve joy.

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lqvekanej's review

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hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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estellagwood's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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luananki's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i’m so incredibly happy i finally read loveless. this one was my first book with an aro-ace mc and i’m very grateful for that because i needed it.

i don’t know how to put my thoughts into words but it was a big relief to read georgia’s thoughts about sex and how alone she felt with everything but also how she questioned if some of her thoughts were even related to her being ace because same!!

i appreciate the setting - very glad to read more books where the characters are in university because the world is missing more of that. i also appreciate all the other characters. they all played such an important part in the story and i was able to relate to most of them at least the tiniest bit.

i could list all the things i appreciate about each of them but i’m gonna leave it at that. this also protected me from falling into a reading slump so yay to that!!

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_kael_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

PoV: Main character (Georgia)
Focus: Romantic & Sexual Orientation/Identity, Friendship, Self-discovery

Probably spoilers/could give bias:

the plot is nothing new, but

it's interesting for the aroace (aromantic and asexual) perspective. I heard from the ace community that it has good representation. If this is one way of what it means to be ace, then it seems validating and makes you feel seen and heard. Though I can see why some people think it is more aro than ace. I think it's a good intro for the aroace perspective, but it is just one perspective, not all. Since, like I hear, it is a spectrum.

The plot is spearheaded by Rooney. I didn't think she'll be a major part of the book at 1st TBH, but it made sense. Maybe it was written that way bc that's what Georgia first felt too. Even if the main character is kinda passive, the writing is still very interesting. Her thoughts, emotions, etc. It gives a new perspective.

The characters seem realistic in a way that you feel like you can pass by them on the streets. The average day-to-day person.

I wish I could know more about Sunil and Jess though. I also found Georgia's cousin interesting.

Warning for some people, the short story at the end of the book could be not for some since it has sexually explicit content. It is nice that there are aro ace resources at the back. I have only checked the AVEN one and thought it was really helpful in explaining some things :)

I laughed, liked/loved a lot of parts and lines from the book, and found some parts sad too. Sometimes it brings up sad memories. I found it a light and heartwarming read majority of the time still. I was surprised at how thick the book was at first, but I found it such a page turner :DD When I open the book, I feel immediate immersion. I think I annotated the entire book lol. I also loved the friendship topics of this book. Friendship goals. I wish everyone thought like that too. I would recommend this book to people so that they can understand asexuals more. ^^

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