Reviews

I loved this, but it is a bit of a hard one to recommend.

On the one hand, it is is funny and entertaining, and very close to actual teen life these days.

On the other side, it also covers a lot of harder topics as well, which might be problematic for some readers.

I loved the main character, who isn't very good at dealing with emaotions, and struggles when her best friend has a boyfriend, and she isn't the most important person for her anymore. Her mum is away with "doctors without boarders" which isn't always easy.

The book is very open and direct about sex - and I had a good giggle and the teen reaction to an adult talking to her about sex. It felt very realistic, and the "ewww, don't say that!" had me snort at times.

There's also other topics included. Falling in love for the first time, stress about exams, arguing with the BFF, being overwhelmed by emotions, family troubles, and death do all play a topic.
I will put some of the main themes in a spoler tag at the end, if you want to know what exactly is covered, to see if it is a fit.

Despite a lot of hard stuff being covered, it is overall still a quick and entertaining read. I loved the tone, and breezed through the book in no time at all. I loved the strong female characters, and the mixed cast. From young to old, from nice to grumpy, from outgoing to shy. I love the inclusiion of a character with down syndrom, and it just not being a big deal.

So even if it isn't all roses and sunshine (because life just isn't, is it?) it is a fun book, and not a depressing one. It is about finding your way in life and growing up.

Topics that might be problematic for some:

Spoiler

+ Best friend asks for advice, as the sex with new boyfriend isn't good
+ Side characters brother died of cancer
+ Main character grew up wothout a dad, learns he died from a bomb
+ Mum goes missing for a while, and Phoebe thinks she might be dead (she is not!)
+ Co-worker has lost her husband and gets drunk and needs help cleaning out a very messy flat
+ Other go worker dies of a stroke, including funeral later on
+ Falling in love with another girl, dealing with love overall

obviously_lene's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative lighthearted 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? N/A

4.0

m_sworld's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

willow_reads1's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

I genuinely wish I had this book back when I used to love the diary style format. The way queerness was talked about without any pain or fanfare. There were no big coming out scenes, no realizations that led to the mc hating herself. It was just like realizing you have a crush. I just feel like there aren’t enough books just showing queer love instead of pain. Obviously those can be important too, but so are the ones showing that we just exist. I also loved how the author let the mc be a teenager. She gets things wrong, she upsets people, she can be self-centered at times, she doesn’t always know how to deal with her emotions. I love books like these where they are very character-driven and where we see a lot of the MCs thoughts and emotions so it’s really no surprise I liked this book. I did find some of the jokes iffy in it. I don’t know much about the author, but just some jokes the mc made kind of made me do a double take. Like I get she’s a teenager and they do make iffy jokes, but still. Overall I had a lovely time reading this and very much so enjoyed it.

julia19_'s review against another edition

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funny 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

greengaybles's review against another edition

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5.0

I absolutely adored this book. It’s charming and funny and sweet and everything I needed this week. I laughed out loud many times and related so hard to Phoebe even though she was wildly frustrating. A lot of books that are written in a diary style don’t really feel like diaries, but this one does. It’s lovely and I highly recommend it.

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