Scan barcode
sophieamreacher's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Sweet, a little cringey, very YA but I enjoyed it, I wish I had read this when I was younger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
whatamidoing_rn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
5.0
Probably being a bit lenient with the 5 stars but I don’t care because I really enjoyed this book and the fact I felt seen and all that jazz.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Grief
Minor: Toxic relationship
ksuazo94's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Sexual content, and Grief
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Biphobia
malachinelson's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Confinement, Biphobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual content
cassie12_21's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
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? It's complicated
4.75
New Adult. Takes place in uni. I loved this book, it was a struggle for me to read because it made me realize that I’m AroAce. I would give it 5 stars but some of the book was a bit cringy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
crufts's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Even before we read the first page, we all know Loveless is a book about an asexual/aromantic character coming to terms with herself. Despite knowing the basic plot, I was captivated by Alice Oseman's story about Georgia Warr and wanted to know what happened next so much I could hardly put the book down. Why was it so good? Well...
(1) The characters
Much of the conflict in the novel is interpersonal conflict. Now, the author could have achieved this by picking some character to be the Big Bad Designated Asshole who continually berates Georgia for her ace/aro status.
But instead, Oseman did something much more subtle and clever: 99% of the conflict is from Georgia's well-intentioned friends.
(1) The characters
Much of the conflict in the novel is interpersonal conflict. Now, the author could have achieved this by picking some character to be the Big Bad Designated Asshole who continually berates Georgia for her ace/aro status.
But instead, Oseman did something much more subtle and clever: 99% of the conflict is from Georgia's well-intentioned friends.
"You know you'll find someone--" [said Pip.]
"Don't say it," I said. "Please do not say it."
So she didn't.
Everyone is really doing their best to help Georgia - but they all have their own assumptions that get in the way. Georgia, too, makes mistakes in her attempts to understand herself. Even so, I was rooting for her and all of the other main characters.
(2) Realistic and believable internet-speak / modern lingo
(2) Realistic and believable internet-speak / modern lingo
I wouldn't usually notice this, but I recently read Val McDermid's Northanger Abbey (review linked here) where the supposed "modern lingo" was completely out of touch.
In contrast, the chatspeak used in Loveless was exactly the kind of thing you might see in real life around 2015-2025. It blended in naturally:
In contrast, the chatspeak used in Loveless was exactly the kind of thing you might see in real life around 2015-2025. It blended in naturally:
G - we are very opposite people, yes
R - very refreshing
G - love that for us
R - Tasty
G - delicious content
R - 10/10
Meanwhile, the characters use normal English in their spoken dialogue, rather than randomly dropping in internet keywords ("lol", "omg", etc).
(3) Short, snappy, to-the-point chapters
Each chapter is concise, brisk and single-minded. Without fail, each one brings some kind of turnabout or change to the story, culminating in the sweeping character development we see by the end.
(4) Detailed description of internal thoughts and feelings
The major roadblock in the way of anyone figuring out that they're ace/aro is that people generally do not describe romantic or sexual feelings in detail. Instead, people tend to say "I'm in love!" or "He's hot!" and assume that the listener understands what they're talking about.
But an ace/aro listener would think "Clearly that means they like that person a lot and want to spend time with them, or they can objectively identify that the person is conventionally attractive", which is... not really what the speaker is saying.
In contrast, Loveless is specific even to the level of bodily sensations, so we can understand exactly why Georgia is struggling:
(3) Short, snappy, to-the-point chapters
Each chapter is concise, brisk and single-minded. Without fail, each one brings some kind of turnabout or change to the story, culminating in the sweeping character development we see by the end.
(4) Detailed description of internal thoughts and feelings
The major roadblock in the way of anyone figuring out that they're ace/aro is that people generally do not describe romantic or sexual feelings in detail. Instead, people tend to say "I'm in love!" or "He's hot!" and assume that the listener understands what they're talking about.
But an ace/aro listener would think "Clearly that means they like that person a lot and want to spend time with them, or they can objectively identify that the person is conventionally attractive", which is... not really what the speaker is saying.
In contrast, Loveless is specific even to the level of bodily sensations, so we can understand exactly why Georgia is struggling:
Then it hit me. The disgust. A wave of absolute, unbridled disgust. ...
The idea of trying to get with any of these people... was, honestly, unnerving. It made me feel itchy. Shivery, maybe. It filled my stomach with weird, horrible dread, and a warning siren went off in my brain. It felt like my antibodies were fighting it off.
(5) An ace/aro character who loves romance
Our protagonist, Georgia, is a heart-eyed connoisseur of Shakespeare's romances and sappy fanfics. She "loves love". She wants to want to kiss someone, and yet doesn't actually want to kiss someone.
Wanting and not wanting at the same time.
This was a fascinating "contradiction" to explore, and (as the novel reveals), is not really a contradiction at all.
(6) The aftermath of realizing you're ace/aro
When Georgia realizes that she is absolutely, definitely, unquestionably ace/aro, the novel doesn't just end there. It goes on into the messy aftermath, and especially the sense of grief that Georgia feels from losing her dreams of a certain lifestyle.
This was pretty heartbreaking to read, so kudos to the author's writing skills.
(7) The washing/dryer machines joke
I figuratively died laughing when I read this.
Were there any flaws in Loveless?
Just one comes to mind: I found it suspicious that non-binary Sunil is introduced with he/they pronouns, only for the narration and all of the characters to ignore the "they" thereafter. Sunil himself makes no objection to this and is seemingly unconcerned to be referred to as entirely male.
Overall, this had the undesirable effect of making Sunil's non-binary status come off as window dressing that had been slapped onto the character without actually thinking it through.
But, but, but...
In another Storygraph review of this book, I noticed someone quoting a paragraph where Sunil appears to be stating that he prefers to be called "he" rather than "they". This paragraph isn't in my library's copy of the book, so maybe it was added in a later edition.
Either way, we have another problem: Why on earth would Sunil ask to be called "they" if he doesn't actually like it and prefers to be called "he"?
Sunil is not a nervous first-year just dipping his toes into Pride Soc for the first time. No, he's the Pride Soc President! If he wanted to be solely called "he", he would have said so when he introduced his pronouns!
Overall, this was a minor quibble at worst and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel. Loveless has laughter, it has tears, and it has friendship. What's not to love?
When Georgia realizes that she is absolutely, definitely, unquestionably ace/aro, the novel doesn't just end there. It goes on into the messy aftermath, and especially the sense of grief that Georgia feels from losing her dreams of a certain lifestyle.
This was pretty heartbreaking to read, so kudos to the author's writing skills.
(7) The washing/dryer machines joke
I figuratively died laughing when I read this.
Were there any flaws in Loveless?
Just one comes to mind: I found it suspicious that non-binary Sunil is introduced with he/they pronouns, only for the narration and all of the characters to ignore the "they" thereafter. Sunil himself makes no objection to this and is seemingly unconcerned to be referred to as entirely male.
Overall, this had the undesirable effect of making Sunil's non-binary status come off as window dressing that had been slapped onto the character without actually thinking it through.
But, but, but...
In another Storygraph review of this book, I noticed someone quoting a paragraph where Sunil appears to be stating that he prefers to be called "he" rather than "they". This paragraph isn't in my library's copy of the book, so maybe it was added in a later edition.
Either way, we have another problem: Why on earth would Sunil ask to be called "they" if he doesn't actually like it and prefers to be called "he"?
Sunil is not a nervous first-year just dipping his toes into Pride Soc for the first time. No, he's the Pride Soc President! If he wanted to be solely called "he", he would have said so when he introduced his pronouns!
Overall, this was a minor quibble at worst and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel. Loveless has laughter, it has tears, and it has friendship. What's not to love?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia
this_is_lee's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
bookishflower's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This was PERSONAL, my word! 😭 Georgia is a bit too close to home! I cried throughout this. I want what Georgia and Rooney have. 10/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
More...