Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Loveless

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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octarinedream's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

It's rare for me to find a book I really see myself in. I can find books engaging for sure, but it rarely feels personal. This book felt so personal; it felt like the words jumped right out of my mind and onto the page sometimes.

It was challenging a lot of the time, but it gave me hope that things would be alright in the end. I didn't realise how much I needed that.

It was inspiring, well-informed and heartfelt. I barely stopped crying from part four onwards.

Asexuality and aromanticism can feel so isolating sometimes, like you can't be deserving of any love, so it's empowering to see a story that so thoroughly rebukes that, not by telling me that with empty platitudes and motivational quotes, but by showing me and letting me actually believe it for once.

I'm so, so glad this book exists. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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imaginefishes's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

While a little juvenile-sounding at times (maybe on purpose due to the state of mind of the main character Georgia), all I can say is that this hit hard for me as an aromantic bisexual to read and realise the shared experiences I have with others (even if they’re fictional characters). It felt real, and authentic, and it protrayed the messiness (despite mild idealisation) of university life.

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bimess_'s review

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sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

After taking into consideration many of my fellow poc who are on the aroace spectrum, I do not recommend this book to anyone who's figuring out their sexuality. To anyone that expects for the side characters (specifically the poc characters) to have any development outside the main character, they don't.

I did want to know more of the sidecharacters. Especially Pip since I'm a latine person myself. I don't think it was even mentioned which country her family is from either which angers me.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed the book because I had a similar inner war with myself. In terms of being aro and bi simultaneously.

It's true Oseman could've done more. My hope is for this book to be saved and given a sequel that focused on Pip and Sunil. Since they're the ones who had the potential to have powerful stories. But again, Oseman is white. So I'm weary of this as well. Perhaps an adaptation of their stories would be better.

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the_true_monroe's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is doing wonders. It is a beautiful story overall and the character development is amazing- I love so many of the characters and found myself tearing up at moments of platonic love. But also, having asexuality and aromanticism the forefront of a young adult novel by such a popular author is lifechanging. I was the same age as Georgia when I began to realize I was asexual, and had so many similar thoughts and experiences but I am just picturing the people both (1) younger than her who will be able to find the words for what they were feeling before they get into sticky situations or feel too much self hatred and (2) people older than Georgia reading this who may have been through so much pain and confusion due to feeling like something was wrong with them since they could not feel certain ways. We need more stories like this, not just with an asexual/ aromantic focus but with an emphasis on platonic love and how it is not a lower level than romantic love.

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matheo's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful

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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this_is_lee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative 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

This was such an important and informative read. I loved what each character represented, and I adored the storyline. There will always be so much to learn from often misrepresented identities, which is why this book is so valuable.
Alice Oseman is such a great writer that creates real, messy, and beautiful characters that face relevant issues to today.
Overall a truly stunning book.

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The Alice Oseman literary universe has always been a comfort for me to escape into, and the newest addition to the family, Loveless, proved just as amazing.
Loveless follows university freshman Georgia, as she discovers herself to be aromantic and asexual, learning along the way that meaningful connections are not strictly romantic.
All aspects of this book are amazing! The characters are messy but real, and I felt attached to each member of their found family. I also really loved the idea of using a university setting to explore identity and sexual orientation, and the plot progression really worked well into this.
Overall, this book is SO IMPORTANT, and I cannot stress enough how much I think you should read it (check trigger warnings!)

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