Reviews

It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place. Despite her fierce friendships, she's always felt this way, and the conventional path of marriage and motherhood doesn't appeal to her at all. Not even with handsome and doting Martin, her closest childhood friend.

Lucy begins to make sense of herself during a long hot summer, when a spark with her school friend Susannah escalates to an all-consuming infatuation, and, very quickly, to a desperate and devastating love.

Fearful of rejection from her small and conservative community, Lucy begins living a double life, hiding the most honest parts of herself in stolen moments with Susannah.

But with the end of school and the opportunity to leave Crossmore looming, Lucy must choose between two places, two people and two futures, each as terrifying as the other. But only one can offer her real happiness.

Sunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp.

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth is a perfect fit for readers who adore poignant and introspective coming-of-age stories, particularly those who appreciate nuanced explorations of first love, LGBTQ+ experiences, and the struggles of self-discovery in a small-town setting.

Oh my god what an absolutely stunning book. It is very beautifully written, and Howarth does a fantastic job of describing the feelings and complexities of coming to terms with your sexuality. It had all the right amount of Irish-ism and was extremely thought provoking. Lucy did annoy me at times and as much as I loved her relationship with Susannah, I really didn't think they should ultimately end up together because I feel like they are too toxic for each other. I feel like they learned so much from each other and were right for each other at the time, but ultimately shouldn't end up together.

I found it so interesting that Lucy was always so drawn to Crossmore and always wanted to go back, even though adversely, it was so homophobic and the village would never fully accept her for who she is. I ultimately hated her mother but I also understood her so well, how stand offish and cold she was. I hated how she basically just kicked Lucy out after school, she was treated so differently to her brothers, like she wasn't worth while.

And finally, Martin is king and will forever be king 👑

kjm19's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

3mmalouis3's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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