A review by katymul
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book made me feel like I would as a high school teacher, watching helplessly as one of my students endured a situation that I saw as frightening and they did not. Sometimes I was being a silly wherry hen, and I hoped for that as I read through to the thrilling conclusion, but the psychological dread of "maybe maybe if this goes perfectly then everyone will be okay???" that built over the first two thirds of the novel was almost unbearable.

But I mean all of that in the best way! The story is psychological rich, charming and heartbreaking in roughly equal measure, and unravels its central, entwined mysterious with patience and stunning realness. An impressive and wonderful read.