Love is for Losers (Phoebe Davis Thinks . . ., 1)

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There's a fair bit of focus on GCSEs, which I imagine many people will relate to, but I appreciated that it wasn't too full on. I felt really sad about the relationship between Phoebe and her mum so I was glad to read more about their interactions. A laugh out loud look at first love, loss and trying to avoid the girl of your dreams. What a stupid expression that is in the first place: To fall in love. Like you fall into a ditch or something. Maybe people need to look where they’re going. As far as Phoebe Davis is concerned, love is to be avoided at all costs. Why would you spend your life worrying about something that turns you into a complete moron? If her best friend Polly is anything to go by, the first sniff of a relationship makes you forget about your friends (like, hello?), get completely obsessed with sex (yawn) and bang on constantly about a person who definitely isn't as great as you think they are. So Phoebe isn't going to fall in love, ever. But then she meets Emma . . . Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann is a hilarious, life-affirming novel about all the big stuff: love, sex, death, family, heartbreak, kittens . . . and kisses that turn the whole world upside down. About This Edition ISBN: So Phoebe makes fun of people and thinks she’s superior to them because she’s above emotions, etc., etc. A ty jo, ono se mi to překvapivě hodně líbilo. Teda s tím přirovnáním k Sex Education bych byla trochu opatrná, sice jo, společné prvky tu jsou - obojí je britské, v otázce sexu dost otevřené a do určité míry je to obojí queer, ale čekat od té knihy přesně to samé, to by byla chyba. Oproti Sex Education je ta knížka méně vyspělá, lehce naivnější a ani zdaleka nemá tak skvělé postavy.

Phoebe maintains an air of apathetic snark reminiscent of Jaye Tyler from 'Wonderfalls' — I found myself barking out loud at her biting commentary on a regular basis. The writing. This story was written in a diary format which suited it perfectly. Phoebe is an authentic, sarcastic and insecure teenager and this is really emphasised by it being written as a diary. I enjoyed the fact that Phoebe showed similar characteristics to my own peers at age 15 which meant the story was really relatable. But it also gives us Phoebe slowly giving in and forming a little chosen family and falling in love.

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Ještě jsem chtěla pochválit, jak otevřeně a pozitivně se tu píše o sexu, to se v té YA tvorbě pořád zas tak často nevidí. Among the thrift store clan was Emma. It was pretty cute watching Phoebe trying to fight her attraction and ardor for Emma, but it was inevitable. I won't say the romance blossomed into something solid from the start, because not only did Phoebe find love a bad bet, she also was coming to terms with her sexuality. Initially, Phoebe is confused, awkward and outright rude, and disrespectful to lots of people. But slowly and gradually she starts opening up to people and becomes more welcoming towards others.

Is it just me or can everyone see that title? And the gorgeous cover? How are you not reading this then?? There are a lot of fun, sharp jokes here, but there is a lot of depth in this story too. I liked how themes of grief and abandonment were explored. There is a slow burn queer romance. There is a thrift store. And there are cats. Designer cats. Because it had some promising aspects! The relationship among the charity shop workers and how they formed a little found family, for one. Even though Phoebe pretended to hate them (we get it, you’re not a people person), the way they visibly grew on her throughout the book felt organic. And the book let her use the word lesbian, multiple times! So the groundwork was there, it was just a shame Phoebe, the misanthropic edgelord, was the way she was. (Listen, she may be 15, but I don’t take that as an excuse. You can not be a little shit at 15.) Despite her dislike of others, Phoebe herself is lovable, vulnerable and feisty and most definitely not afraid to speak her mind. She thinks 'love is for losers' and is not afraid to berate her best friend Polly on how ridiculous her relationship with 'Training Wheels' Tristan is; she can't believe that anyone would want to even contemplate 'doing it' with him but although she doesn't truly understand, she does try to offer her own brand of advice. Of course, 'love is for losers' until she meets and falls for Emma. You can't help who you fall for, but Phoebe still spends all her time trying not to feel the way she does and the slow burn of this queer romance is played out perfectly.David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true.

All in all, Love Is For Losers is almost perfectly executed and while it will naturally divide Green Day fans, it has already been made clear in no uncertain terms that those that don’t get it or don’t want it are more than welcome to leave it. Those that do however will find a great collection of songs that see Billie Joe Armstrong and his new band clearly spreading their wings and embracing the pure delight that comes with unleashing a new project. Tuhle knížku jsem se vůbec nechystala číst, kdyby mi od YOLI nepřišlo reading copy, tak o ní pořádně ani nevím. Nakonec jsem se rozhodla ji zkusit, protože ji anotace přirovnává k Sex Education a protože při prolistování mi bylo jasné, že půjde o hodně rychlé čtení, jelikož je kniha vedena jako deníkové zápisky. A já zrovna rychlé, oddechové čtení chtěla, tak jsem po ní sáhla. Lest you think that LOVE IS FOR LOSERS is a sad sort of book, though, it isn't. Even though abandonment, depression, and grief are explored, there's also all sorts of delightful things in this book. Things like thrift stores, cats and kittens, first love, positive female role models, female friendships, personal growth, and a pretty accurate look at the world from a teen's eyes. I'll understand why some people might be put off by Phoebe as a character, and if she had been handled less competently I might have ended up putting the book down, but I like she grew as a person over the novel and began to develop a sense of empathy from the coaching of her friends and family. She even begins to adjust her behavior and slowly learns to be more forgiving and accepting of others. Today I thought about the phrase “falling in love” again, and I finally totally get it. You fall. You trip, and boom! It’s entirely unintentional, not like a parachute jump (which is called “jump,” not “fall,” for a reason). This was such an easy read and it was fun to get caught up in it. It's got a great blend of sarcasm and sunshine, and even though Phoebe hates love, you'll find yourself rooting for love anyway.As far as Phoebe Davis is concerned, love is to be avoided at all costs. Why would you spend your life worrying about something that turns you into a complete moron? If her best friend Polly is anything to go by, the first sniff of a relationship makes you forget about your friends (like, hello?), get completely obsessed with sex (yawn) and bang on constantly about a person who definitely isn't as great as you think they are. However, in my defense, I believe it would've been impossible for anyone to put a book down when the first line goes like this - Did you know that you can marry yourself? How strange/brilliant is that? I enjoyed getting to know the characters of the charity shop, and seeing them through Phoebe's eyes. They're actually a fun, diverse bunch and I loved how they all interacted. I also really appreciated how much Phoebe and Pat loathed each other. LOL. Those two were a lot of fun in the same room honestly.

The girls have good chemistry and they are amazing friends first. But it was so obvious they liked each other! It was still adorable to watch how they danced around it.Despite the hilarity there is also a lot of depth to the novel with themes of grief and abandonment being explored in detail. Brueggemann isn't afraid to write the antithesis to how most YA novels deal with these and, through the perfectly believable character of Phoebe, it works - it absolutely does. Phoebe does her own thing and doesn't conform and that is liberating to read.