Reviews

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

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bagellotti's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

madgerdes's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

awaywithforestfae's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

What a stunning and heartbreaking book to read! To me it felt like if Call Me by Your Name was sapphic, and set in small-town Ireland. It also made me think of "Good Luck Babe" by Chappell Roan, but from the other girl's perspective.

I really enjoyed the discourse of queer identities in the 80s in such a rural area, especially mixed with Catholic guilt and upbringing, family values and societal expectations. The way the main character's thoughts processes were written revealed her alternate perspectives threatening to tear her in two.

Family as a central theme was really interesting, especially the way Lucy and Susannah's families (amd particularly, mothers) were contrasted. I think it helped to create tension between the two characters as well, making them relatable to each other, yet truly at odds with each other.

The way yearning and desire was written within the novel was particularly intriguing as well, the lengthy desciptions of Susannah and all the small things about her that only one in love with her would notice. In the highs it filled my heart with love, and in the lows with sadness.

I think writing the book as Lucy's in depth thought processes was definitely the right choice, as it allowed us to feel along with everything. It felt very honest as well, jumping back and forth in a similar way to real thoughts. It did mean, however, that the book came across as quite rambly and slow at times, when she was repeating the same thing over, or spending a long time thinking about one thing, which made it harder to read. But I don't think the book would work so well if written another way.

The summery vibes were truly immaculate, and I was glad that there was substance behind this, as I've read many books that are only vibes and nothing else! But the backdrop of summer worked really well in reflecting the summer glow of the girls' relationship with each other, creating a beautiful symphony.

Using a somewhat flawed perspective, as well as complicated and somewhat unlikable side characters is a risky thing to do. This led to me hating "My Best Friend's Exorcism" by Grady Hendrix. But within this novel, the characters didn't feel too sickly and horrible to read, instead they felt complex and real, reflecting the time and place, but with some heart in there too. I think the balance was struck really well, and added to the friendship and family dynamics.

All in all, I'd recommend this to those that like slow queer lit fic, complex characters and deep character thought processes. Someone who wants vibes, but also something to think about throughout, and at the end.

emmaxworley's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5? The whole ‘growing up gay in a small town’ thing: I get it, and I liked it. Its coming-of-age arc and sapphic yearning was mostly done well.

I was often waiting for something exciting to happen that never came. Instead, just more hopeless romantic passages (it’s not my thing but it’ll be someone else’s).

The second half was a struggle to get through but I did it only for the gays.