Part of me doesn’t know where to begin with this review: there are so many amazing things to talk about!
From the Blurb:
Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush — but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.
As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.
But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her — asexual, aromantic — Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.
Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?
Loveless has perhaps one of the most realistic representations of being a teen in the UK (or just being an 18-year-old in general) that I have ever read. I saw myself in Georgia, Pip, Jason and Rooney in a variety of ways. They were so familiar to me as someone who grew up and went to university in the UK. Their expressions, actions, thoughts and experiences resonated so deeply within me. I was truly blown away to read something so close to home.
The theme of this novel is sexuality and love, and with this theme comes a cast full of diverse characters. From the openly-gay Pip, to gay asexual Sunil, to questioning Georgia, there are so many aspects of the LGBTQ+ community explored and I adored every one. The openness and kindness with which Oseman treats her subject is beautiful and gives her readers a safe space to consider their own sexuality.
Not only this, but the theme of love is explored with immense passion. For the first time, romantic love isn’t the be all and end all — platonic love is given the limelight, which I hope to see much more of in the future. Reading about the importance of friendship, and the different types of friendships a person can have, made my heart sing.
Although I didn’t identify with Georgia in terms of sexuality, I saw myself in her in so many other ways. Her life as a hopeless romantic, as someone desperate to fit in and to make lots of friends spoke to my soul. Her lack of action irritated me at times, but I felt an immense connection with her that kept me rooting for her success.
Our other characters are equally as fantastic. Each has their own issues to work out which only serves to make them more realistic. Not only that, but their connections with each other were beautiful to read about. It isn’t always plain sailing amongst the relationships of Loveless, but whenever something goes wrong the offender takes stock and seeks to apologise in a meaningful, heartfelt way. I couldn’t help but think Alice Oseman is teaching some amazing lessons about owning up to your mistakes and setting things right — as well as about sexuality and relationships.
The arc of Loveless unfolds before your eyes in an unsurprising yet overwhelmingly satisfactory way. I knew the path I was on and was happy to settle into the comfort of it. The book reminded me of the teen films I still love to watch, like ‘Wild Child’, that give me a sense of deep-seated comfort, with just a hint of nostalgia.
There is so much more I could say about Loveless, but to sum up, I completely adored it. From the heartfelt treatment of sexuality, to the diverse cast, to the intense connection I felt with it, this is undoubtedly going to be a long-term favourite of mine. And Alice Oseman might just be a new favourite author.
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