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A review by nzlisam
Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou
4.0
Eye-opening, timely, emotional, with jaw-dropping twists!
When fourteen year old Stevie is ostracised and bullied by the popular crowd, her best friend since childhood, Lottie, turns her back on her and sides with them. Unhappy and alone, Stevie is taken under her wing by fierce, fearless, loner Dee, and the two hatch a plan to strike back – give the bullies a taste of their own medicine. But when other students decide to exact their own revenge, things soon escalate into violence and vigilantism. Stevie is helpless to stop it, and does she really want to?
Love Heather accurately portrayed a wide range of serious relevant social issues that teenagers will unfortunately likely encounter more than one of in their high school setting, and/or home environment. Covers everything from vicious physical, verbal, and cyber bullying, targeted exclusion from a clique and the sudden cessation of a long term friendship, hate crimes and harmful pranks, sexual harassment and assault, transitioning and gender identity, divorce and adjusting to a parent's new partner, mental illness, attempted suicide, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and feelings of isolation and abandonment. Whew! This may sound like a lot to process, but the author handled, and weaved together, all the topics seamlessly.
The biggest twist, and the ending, threw me for six. My immediate reaction was dissatisfaction that some elements weren't fully realised/explained, but I've since done some research, and concluded that A: I'm wrong, and B: am far too influenced by dramatic portrayals in pop culture.
Laurie Petrou did a masterful job of not only showing the effects of Stevie mourning a breakup with a friend she considered a sister, but also the loss of closeness and family unity she shared with Lottie's parents. The Sherman's was a second home for Stevie, a sanctity she often escaped to when her own parents were in the midst of divorce.
I had no trouble identifying with the subject matter. When I was twelve I was ditched by my best friend of two years, and I think most of us have experienced this, and the feelings of loneliness, shame, anger and embarrassment associated with being betrayed by someone you care about. I am also a teenager of divorce, so can completely relate to what Stevie was going through having to deal with her parents new relationships. Stevie had my upmost sympathy from the beginning, and I was fully invested in her well being, and happiness. On a lighter note, we both shared an interest in teen movies from the 80’s and 90’s. The title Love Heather pays tribute to the cult 1988 movie Heathers, a teen staple during my high school years.
I felt the adults in Stevie's life were an accurate portrayal. Yes they made mistakes, and failed to see the warning signs, but just like teenagers, adults have numerous worries, responsibilities, and issues, and furthermore, they aren’t perfect. This novel would be an excellent opportunity for adults and teens to read this together, open up discussion, and compare notes of instances Stevie and the adults surrounding her could've breached the gap, and reached out to one another. And also suggest things they could've done differently along the way.
Content wise, there's strong language, name calling and slurs of a sexual nature, as well as all the trigger warnings laid out in paragraph two. It's written, and marketed for a YA audience, Stevie was only fourteen, and above are things teenagers are exposed to on a daily basis (I don't like it any more than you do, but that's the reality), so 12 plus.
I'd like to thank Netgally, Crooked Lane Books, and Laurie Petrou for the e-ARC.
Love Heather is available now!
When fourteen year old Stevie is ostracised and bullied by the popular crowd, her best friend since childhood, Lottie, turns her back on her and sides with them. Unhappy and alone, Stevie is taken under her wing by fierce, fearless, loner Dee, and the two hatch a plan to strike back – give the bullies a taste of their own medicine. But when other students decide to exact their own revenge, things soon escalate into violence and vigilantism. Stevie is helpless to stop it, and does she really want to?
Love Heather accurately portrayed a wide range of serious relevant social issues that teenagers will unfortunately likely encounter more than one of in their high school setting, and/or home environment. Covers everything from vicious physical, verbal, and cyber bullying, targeted exclusion from a clique and the sudden cessation of a long term friendship, hate crimes and harmful pranks, sexual harassment and assault, transitioning and gender identity, divorce and adjusting to a parent's new partner, mental illness, attempted suicide, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and feelings of isolation and abandonment. Whew! This may sound like a lot to process, but the author handled, and weaved together, all the topics seamlessly.
The biggest twist, and the ending, threw me for six. My immediate reaction was dissatisfaction that some elements weren't fully realised/explained, but I've since done some research, and concluded that A: I'm wrong, and B: am far too influenced by dramatic portrayals in pop culture.
Laurie Petrou did a masterful job of not only showing the effects of Stevie mourning a breakup with a friend she considered a sister, but also the loss of closeness and family unity she shared with Lottie's parents. The Sherman's was a second home for Stevie, a sanctity she often escaped to when her own parents were in the midst of divorce.
I had no trouble identifying with the subject matter. When I was twelve I was ditched by my best friend of two years, and I think most of us have experienced this, and the feelings of loneliness, shame, anger and embarrassment associated with being betrayed by someone you care about. I am also a teenager of divorce, so can completely relate to what Stevie was going through having to deal with her parents new relationships. Stevie had my upmost sympathy from the beginning, and I was fully invested in her well being, and happiness. On a lighter note, we both shared an interest in teen movies from the 80’s and 90’s. The title Love Heather pays tribute to the cult 1988 movie Heathers, a teen staple during my high school years.
I felt the adults in Stevie's life were an accurate portrayal. Yes they made mistakes, and failed to see the warning signs, but just like teenagers, adults have numerous worries, responsibilities, and issues, and furthermore, they aren’t perfect. This novel would be an excellent opportunity for adults and teens to read this together, open up discussion, and compare notes of instances Stevie and the adults surrounding her could've breached the gap, and reached out to one another. And also suggest things they could've done differently along the way.
Content wise, there's strong language, name calling and slurs of a sexual nature, as well as all the trigger warnings laid out in paragraph two. It's written, and marketed for a YA audience, Stevie was only fourteen, and above are things teenagers are exposed to on a daily basis (I don't like it any more than you do, but that's the reality), so 12 plus.
I'd like to thank Netgally, Crooked Lane Books, and Laurie Petrou for the e-ARC.
Love Heather is available now!