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lydiascho's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
bluebeereads's review against another edition
4.0
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
Seriously, what is with contemporary this year? If this keeps up I'll need to make a separate top 15 for contemporary alone at the end of this year. It wouldn't be fair for all the other books in non-contemporary genres. This book, The Flywheel, is another great addition to my favorites shelf.
The Flywheel is about Delilah, also called Del. After her father left for a much needed break from running their cafe The Flywheel and a couple of unfortunate incidents, Del is left to do the job alone. As if that's not enough, school hasn't been easy either since a misjudged crush on one of the cool girls made her the punchline of every joke. During the course of the story Del has to deal with a lot of bad luck but luckily enough she's not completely alone. She has her best friend Charlie, who has his own problems to deal with and Rosa, the beautiful flamenco dancer from across the street on who Del has a huge hopeless crush.
This book screams diversity and that's so awesome. At the surface the story may not seem like anything too original but it actually is. It's quite new to me and I loved it! The writing was great and I loved all of these characters. Well... Almost all of them. I'm not very fond of Del's parents and some of the girls at her school, of course. I loved Del's friends, especially Charlie. He's so great! If Del wasn't gay, I would ship them so hard. Speaking off, Del was such a great character. So strong. I really admired her strength throughout this book. Seriously.
If I had to point out one negative thing, it's that some things kind of didn't get resolved at the end. Or not enough. Sharing these would mean going into spoilers, so don't open the spoiler if you haven't read the book yet.
The Flywheel definitely on the list of must-read contemporary novels from this year. I'm definitely curious about what the author will bring next! I highly recommend this one, for sure.
This review is also (or -soon- will be) posted on Istyria book blog.
Seriously, what is with contemporary this year? If this keeps up I'll need to make a separate top 15 for contemporary alone at the end of this year. It wouldn't be fair for all the other books in non-contemporary genres. This book, The Flywheel, is another great addition to my favorites shelf.
The Flywheel is about Delilah, also called Del. After her father left for a much needed break from running their cafe The Flywheel and a couple of unfortunate incidents, Del is left to do the job alone. As if that's not enough, school hasn't been easy either since a misjudged crush on one of the cool girls made her the punchline of every joke. During the course of the story Del has to deal with a lot of bad luck but luckily enough she's not completely alone. She has her best friend Charlie, who has his own problems to deal with and Rosa, the beautiful flamenco dancer from across the street on who Del has a huge hopeless crush.
This book screams diversity and that's so awesome. At the surface the story may not seem like anything too original but it actually is. It's quite new to me and I loved it! The writing was great and I loved all of these characters. Well... Almost all of them. I'm not very fond of Del's parents and some of the girls at her school, of course. I loved Del's friends, especially Charlie. He's so great! If Del wasn't gay, I would ship them so hard. Speaking off, Del was such a great character. So strong. I really admired her strength throughout this book. Seriously.
If I had to point out one negative thing, it's that some things kind of didn't get resolved at the end. Or not enough. Sharing these would mean going into spoilers, so don't open the spoiler if you haven't read the book yet.
Spoiler
I don't like how Del's dad never found out about everything that happened. I would've liked to see him find out and actually... make him pay for leaving for so long. Leaving his daughter alone. Sure, Del should've been honest about everything in the first place, but still. He's the parent. I also don't like how open the romance between Lauren and Charlie. I wanted to know what happened between them!The Flywheel definitely on the list of must-read contemporary novels from this year. I'm definitely curious about what the author will bring next! I highly recommend this one, for sure.
This review is also (or -soon- will be) posted on Istyria book blog.
abbyjean's review against another edition
5.0
So so so good to read a LGB+ YA novel that doesn't involve the woes of coming out. This book addresses some really important issues for gay youth and has a beautiful plot and wonderful characters to boot. Loved every minute of this wonderful read.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I'll start with this being on Barnes and Noble's "23 of Our Most Anticipated LGBTQA YA Books of 2017" list. Then I'll add in that it was originally published (titled "The Flywheel") in Australia in 2014 to much acclaim. This already sets it up as one to look for! This is an intensely readable book, one that you will just fly through, although that would be my only issue with the book as well - it's a little shorter than I would have liked. Although the characters were well-developed, I wouldn't have minded MORE of them. More backstory, more information about Delilah's discovery of her sexuality from a younger age, more on her parents' marriage earlier on. All the events of the book are laid out well, and the account of the bullying in school and her counselor's reaction just made my heart break. The bullying depicted in this story make it so apparent why a student in Delilah's situation might in fact drop out of school. The romance between Delilah and Rosa is as sweet and tender as any YA romance I have read. Highly recommend for all school library collections. Stated as Grades 9 and up, but I would be okay with younger - only some minor sexual content.
I received a digital ARC of this title for review- all opinions are my own.
I received a digital ARC of this title for review- all opinions are my own.
pandacat42's review against another edition
4.0
***Received ARC from Netgalley for honest review***
While not a big fan of some of the substance use, I'm aware it happens. I enjoyed the story and thought the crush Delilah had on Rosa was sweet. I thought Charly was an idiot, but Delilah influenced him in making a big decision.
While not a big fan of some of the substance use, I'm aware it happens. I enjoyed the story and thought the crush Delilah had on Rosa was sweet. I thought Charly was an idiot, but Delilah influenced him in making a big decision.
thereadingwren's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
I had a lot of expectations for this book, mainly because it was an LGBT Australian story. I adored the little Aussie things, vegemite and chip sandwich (it’s amazing, don’t judge) and ‘servo’. The plot itself was also interesting, teenager trying to run a cafe while it all falls apart around her.
But none of the good makes up for the awful. Del, the main character, is extremely unlikable. She is a ball of indignant rage. Yes, there are legitimate reasons for her anger sometimes,but that doesn’t excuse her entitled way of dealing with her anger. She blames everyone else for everything and doesn’t seem to actually like her friends. And the way she approaches her love interest is horrible. She basically wants the love interest to come out and be totally out and proud about the relationship. Del doesn’t understand how terrifying coming out can be for some people, she keeps pushing and pushing. All in all, Del is unlikable.
And do we really need the trope of the lesbian gets drunk and fools around with her male best friend??
All the characters were unlikable, I found myself not rooting for a single one of them. I couldn’t have cared less for them. I also got sick of how angsty everything had to be, constantly. It was tiresome.
I do wonder if this would have fared better if I was still a teenager, going through similar bouts of rage and pride.
Also, I read this whole thing in one day. I’m really proud of that!
I had a lot of expectations for this book, mainly because it was an LGBT Australian story. I adored the little Aussie things, vegemite and chip sandwich (it’s amazing, don’t judge) and ‘servo’. The plot itself was also interesting, teenager trying to run a cafe while it all falls apart around her.
But none of the good makes up for the awful. Del, the main character, is extremely unlikable. She is a ball of indignant rage. Yes, there are legitimate reasons for her anger sometimes,but that doesn’t excuse her entitled way of dealing with her anger. She blames everyone else for everything and doesn’t seem to actually like her friends. And the way she approaches her love interest is horrible. She basically wants the love interest to come out and be totally out and proud about the relationship. Del doesn’t understand how terrifying coming out can be for some people, she keeps pushing and pushing. All in all, Del is unlikable.
And do we really need the trope of the lesbian gets drunk and fools around with her male best friend??
All the characters were unlikable, I found myself not rooting for a single one of them. I couldn’t have cared less for them. I also got sick of how angsty everything had to be, constantly. It was tiresome.
I do wonder if this would have fared better if I was still a teenager, going through similar bouts of rage and pride.
Also, I read this whole thing in one day. I’m really proud of that!
limeywesty's review against another edition
5.0
Hardie Grant's Ampersand Project have delivered another sentimental debut that is as valuable as it is enjoyable.
Seventeen year old Deliah drops out of high school when her girl-meets-girl romance sours. Preferring chaos to teenage prejudice, Deliah makes it her mission to save her Dad's crumbling cafe the Flywheel whilst he 'finds himself' overseas. Gough's book doesn't undermine its issues by representing them as angst, but fills a gaping void in LGBT Lit for teens.
This book will change someone's life through love and understanding. Five star Australian YA.
Seventeen year old Deliah drops out of high school when her girl-meets-girl romance sours. Preferring chaos to teenage prejudice, Deliah makes it her mission to save her Dad's crumbling cafe the Flywheel whilst he 'finds himself' overseas. Gough's book doesn't undermine its issues by representing them as angst, but fills a gaping void in LGBT Lit for teens.
This book will change someone's life through love and understanding. Five star Australian YA.