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A review by joana_stormblessed
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend the audiobook.
What is it about ?
Little and Lion follows a pair of step-siblings, Suzette and Lionel. At the beginning of the novel, Suzette comes home to LA from being away at boarding school for a year and we know that she has been gone because of her brother for one reason or another. As the summer begins, it seems that Lionel and Suzette are on good terms and he needs his sister and her support as he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Suzette picks up a new job at a flower store and she starts having a crush on her coworker and it turns out that this is the same girl that Lionel is also falling for. However Suzette also reconnects with her old crush Emil and they start developing their relationship as well. In parallel, Suzette also has romantic unfinished business left at school with her old roommate.
This book is about family and friendships. It is about discovering yourself and coming to terms with who you are. It is about handling the everyday struggles of life such as trying to understand (and know if you want to label) your sexual identity, dealing with a mental illness, dealing with racism and so much more. The synopsis of this book made it sound that it was about 2 step-siblings falling in love with the same girl, but that is underselling this amazing book.
What I thought:
This book was truly great! It is mostly focused on the characters, which, once again, is something that I really love in books. There is no "major plot" driving this whole story, it is about these characters coming to terms with who they are, their secrets, their weaknesses and figuring out how to do this thing called life.
I loved the narration of the audiobook and the writing style of this book as well. But truly I loved the diversity in this novel (I will definitely forget some of the diverse aspects of the book but I hope to get as possible):
- Suzette is a black, Jewish, bisexual lady.
- Lionel has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder
- The girl they both crush on (whose name I cannot remember) is pansexual
- Emil is half black half Asian
- Many more characters identify as LGBT
- There are other characters of color in this novel.
It taught me that life isn't all black and white. Things can, and do, change and we have to figure out who we are and what we stand for in the middle of all this. It has taught me to be there for those who matter to you and sometimes that means being there in a way that they might not want you to, but you have to do what is best for them.
What is it about ?
Little and Lion follows a pair of step-siblings, Suzette and Lionel. At the beginning of the novel, Suzette comes home to LA from being away at boarding school for a year and we know that she has been gone because of her brother for one reason or another. As the summer begins, it seems that Lionel and Suzette are on good terms and he needs his sister and her support as he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Suzette picks up a new job at a flower store and she starts having a crush on her coworker and it turns out that this is the same girl that Lionel is also falling for. However Suzette also reconnects with her old crush Emil and they start developing their relationship as well. In parallel, Suzette also has romantic unfinished business left at school with her old roommate.
This book is about family and friendships. It is about discovering yourself and coming to terms with who you are. It is about handling the everyday struggles of life such as trying to understand (and know if you want to label) your sexual identity, dealing with a mental illness, dealing with racism and so much more. The synopsis of this book made it sound that it was about 2 step-siblings falling in love with the same girl, but that is underselling this amazing book.
What I thought:
This book was truly great! It is mostly focused on the characters, which, once again, is something that I really love in books. There is no "major plot" driving this whole story, it is about these characters coming to terms with who they are, their secrets, their weaknesses and figuring out how to do this thing called life.
I loved the narration of the audiobook and the writing style of this book as well. But truly I loved the diversity in this novel (I will definitely forget some of the diverse aspects of the book but I hope to get as possible):
- Suzette is a black, Jewish, bisexual lady.
- Lionel has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder
- The girl they both crush on (whose name I cannot remember) is pansexual
- Emil is half black half Asian
- Many more characters identify as LGBT
- There are other characters of color in this novel.
It taught me that life isn't all black and white. Things can, and do, change and we have to figure out who we are and what we stand for in the middle of all this. It has taught me to be there for those who matter to you and sometimes that means being there in a way that they might not want you to, but you have to do what is best for them.