Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Loveless

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Loveless by Alice Oseman

41 reviews

anjh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this book was very good. very well written. i related a lot to Georgia’s descriptions of asexuality but also very much appreciated the aro rep too. i think Alice Oseman’s writing really conveyed the feeling of the process of figuring out your LGBTQIA+ identity through confusion, self hatred, denial and sadness.

i also really loved how the book showed that love isn’t just a romantic thing, but can also absolutely and very much be a platonic thing which is just as strong and just as meaningful, if not more so. it also showed the importance of friendships and how romance can get in the way of these.

this book was also v gay which i appreciated, very much recommended for anyone questioning/figuring out their identity or already identifying as queer (tho please read the content warnings as always!!)

Content Warnings

totallywickedruth333's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

This book is sooo good! I have read all of Alice Oseman’s books and I really like them all but this one is my favorite. It might take a while to read, but it’s worth it. I am a theater kid and I love their idea of

making a Shakespeare medley. I think the scenes with Rooney and Pip are cute

and the characters are really interesting. Overall I think this is a really good book!

Content Warnings

librarymouse's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

I kept having to put down this book and take a moment because every one of Georgia's milestones in discovering her aro-ace identity were nearly beat for beat my own. I feel so lovingly, astoundingly, kind of uncomfortably seen by this book, and by Alice Oseman.
Her wonderful additions of mentor characters at different stages of their self acceptance journeys was everything I wished for (and still wish for, tbh)
I love this book. I knew, going into it, that I was not alone - not the only ace or aro-ace person in the world, but after reading this book, I feel less alone in a far more profound way.
I want to try going dancing now, again, with friends and without the weight of sexual or romantic expectations like Georgia. I think I'd like it too.

Content Warnings

proza's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative inspiring reflective fast-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

This book was a really enjoyable read.
It's safe to say that my AroAce self-discovery experience is not exactly the same as Georgia's, but they are quite similar in many ways and there were so many aspects of it that felt so relatable to me, and reading those parts made me feel seen and valid.
This book also provided me with the vocabulary I needed to express my feelings and my desires, and for that I am very greatful to Alice Oseman.

Now I'll go over the other parts of the book.
The general plot – while predictable at times – was enjoyable. All main characters were extremely likeable, and they each felt like their own individual people with unique personalities.
I feel like Oseman used the first-person perspective remarkably well; Georgia's narrated the story using her own voice and it made me understand her perspective and motives much better.
That being said, the story is fast from perfect. I felt like most of the problems and obstacles that Georgia went through were resolved much too quickly and easily (one example would be

how Jason forgave her way too quickly and seemed to forget she ever hurt him after her apology

), and that other characters reacted to things in a way that felt out of place for them.
Another problem I think I need to cknowledge is that the book only presents one AroAce experience , and I think that it doesn't clarify the fact that there are other ways to be aromantic or asexual well enough. It is important to remember that there are infinitely many ways to be AroAce, and that all of them are completely valid.

Overall, I think that while it has many flaws, it is a very good book that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I am glad to have read it.

Content Warnings

adaora_ble's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-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

3.75

The story takes us through the first year of 4 Durham fresher, 3 of whom are old friends and it tackles expectations around sexuality, romance, what we're supposed to be doing at uni and fitting in and growing up and I think it handles it all in a really great way. The stakes aren't huge but they're real and personal and for anyone who's ever felt a little bit on the outside for any reason it's very relatable.

The characters make mistakes and assumptions and they don't say what they mean even when they want to and they think people are one way when they're actually another and they make all the mistakes that we can except young adults to make and certainly some I've made myself at uni.

Very glad I didn't read this in my actual first year at uni since I was in the covid year and we barely had any irl events and if we did you had to sit in a group of 6 and not move so reading this would have made me very jealous even if the characters aren't always having fun at said events.

I think it can be hard to write a book about a certain period in your life that you've moved in from and have it remain real to the people who then grow into that age bracket because times change and it's easy to make something that doesn't age well or becomes outdated but between this, Radio Silence and Heartstopper these thoughts, feelings and situations all feel very real and it think it reminds its readers of a very important lesson on the significance of friendships that sometimes gets forgotten in a world where everything seems to be gearing towards romance.

This book may be part of the Osemanverse but it's very much a standalone book and can be read as such, and I definitely recommend it if you like books about friendships, coming of age (when they actually are coming of age) or Shakespeare.

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tbd24's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted tense 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

3.5

fun little YA about finding out you’re ace and also starting university and friendships. There were little things i could be persnickety about but I don’t feel like it because overall I had a nice time reading this.

Content Warnings

arlaubscher's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

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laracroft2001's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

Nice to see a book with such a diverse range of characters. Exploring their identities and sexualties is something we definitely need to see more of in this day and age and Osmen did an amazing job of describing these characters and the journeys they're all going through as they find their place in the world. As someone in their early 20s this is truly a relatable book

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theaceofpages's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

"I was really quite lonely, and I wanted to be loved. Was that such a bad thing? To want an intimate connection with another human? I didn’t know."

This was a bit of a tough book to rate. I can tell why some people hate it, but I loved it.

So. First from a technical aspect. I can tell why some people don't like this book. The writing is a little frustrating at times. And the pacing was a little annoying. It started off kind of slow and repetitive. Until she realised she was ace. Then it picked up! I liked the pacing in the middle of the book but then the end felt rushed. And the ending was not the greatest?

I'm happy Georgia found happiness but it felt too neat, but at the same time incomplete? I don't know if that makes any sense.

The representation however? So good! And I think that this is exactly why the book is so popular. That confusion and desperation to feel like you belong. That's you're normal. A lot of her feelings and emotions are definitely high school me. Although I went the opposite route and told myself that I didn't want a relationship because I needed to work on myself as it's not fair for someone to have to deal with the wreck I was. But that the right person would come along eventually and if it happened, it happened. So I never really went through that "oh my goodness I need to find someone" experience. Despite that, I still related to her. And both those experiences simply stem from a lack of representation. I'm glad people can at least find things online and in books now, even if it's still not taught in schools. But yes. Seeing someone who's emotions are the same as mine in a deep level for the first time is great, even if they manifest themselves differently! But I do also think that this is where a lot of the hate comes in from ace readers. One of the biggest complaints about the book I've seen is that it doesn't represent their experiences. I'm pretty sure it was clear that there are multiple experiences through other characters, especially Sunil's explanations! And they are also not aro and Jess is aro but not ace, so there's that. I've also seen that some people are unhappy with how other identities are represented. I mean, I kind of get it, but all the characters are well-developed. We also need to remember that the book focuses on an aroace person - and a lot of us have a lot of confusion about why romantic and sexual love are placed on such a pedestal and are such a focus for some people. That being said, I loved the focus on friendship. It's so often underplayed and represented as lesser, even though it can be just as if not more powerful than romantic love.

I feel like Georgia is the type of person who would actually look up what asexual means so I feel like her discovery was a bit drawn out. I would have loved it if she had found the term, panicked, and then tried to convince herself that nope, she can have those things! She got got on my nerves a bit at times, but it's okay. Her cousin seems cool. I liked that that was a way to show how verbally aggressive parents can be. Although, again, why does no one in this book seem to do any research? I love Sunil! Can we please have more about them? I just resonated so deeply with a lot of what they said. I just want to be their best friend and give them a big hug. I definitely preferred them to Georgia. I'd LOVE a book about them. And how they learned to accept themselves. And about how they help others accept themselves too. It's sad that everyone uses he/him pronouns though (although they are okay with either)

Be aware that this book contains a lot of internalised aphobia (as well as some external aphobia, including from parents and LGBT spaces) and can be rather painful to read at times. I had to take breaks to process at times.

Content Warnings

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-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

Ever since I read Alice Oseman's Heartstopper comic online, I really wanted to dive into her other works. I was especially excited for Loveless, as there aren't many books out there that focus on an aromantic asexual (aroace) main character.

I'll admit my first impression within the first couple of pages was low. I had a hard time getting into Oseman's writing style, which I found a bit juvenile at times, and had me questioning the placement of the book in my local library (it was in Adult fiction since the main character is 18 and entering college, as well as presumably due to the mentions of drinking). However, it was easy to get into the rhythm of the tone and feel of Georgia's voice as the narrator.

I also felt unsure about relating to the story. I identify as aromantic aceflux at this point in time, but my journey was not typical. Whereas I feel like Alice Oseman, who might've been pulling from her own experience, wrote Loveless with a more common lens. I was also much farther into my journey than Georgia who didn't even know what aroace is at the beginning of the book. However, I held on and found I loved the relationships between Georgia and her friends. The feelings Georgia has about being "broken" or "loveless" are very much relatable and caused some mistiness in my eyes.

Even though I have known about my identity for most of my life before I recently started using specific labels, and though it's been a long while since I entered college, I felt connected to Georgia on a deep level and rooted for her at every turn and twist. I definitely recommend Loveless if you are even a bit curious about the aroace identity. Except for my own personal hang-ups, I think this could've been a solid 5-star book.

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