'Love Frankie' by Jacqueline Wilson was featured in '15 of the most exciting new books to discover at your local bookshop this winter' on Caboodle from National Book Tokens.

Jacqueline Wilson was my favourite author as a child, so I had to give this new LGBT story a read. Engaging and age appropriate for the intended audience, whilst also dealing with important issues and subject matters. The characters are very relatable and likeable, and I believe this would help to give other young people figuring out similar emotions some comfort.

I really love this book, besides the serious issues being dealt with is a pleasant and easy read. The characters are all well worked out and the story wants you to keep going.

My daughter is a huge Jacqueline Wilson fan, and she loved this book, whizzing through it in just a few days. She gave it a rating of 9.5 out of 10! Perfect for slightly older readers, especially ones that are already fans of Wilson's novels.

I haven’t read a lot of Jacqueline Wilson’s vast output. I think I was already reading lesbian science fiction aimed at much older readers by the time her books began to be widely known. What I’ve read has always hit a chord, though. So when I heard she was writing LGBT+ romance, I knew that I had to try to get an advance copy. The book’s announcement was accompanied by Wilson’s rather low-key official coming out, giving this story additional levels of meaning, and it’s a great shame that its release has been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic, because a lot of isolated teens could do with reading it ’round about now.

Frankie is the middle of three sisters living with their mother, who is newly single and was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Frankie tries her best to care for her whole family, and for her dog, while also maintaining an appearance of normality at school, as well as with her best friend, boy-next-door Sam, who goes to a different school. Frankie’s mother’s condition has led to Frankie being the target of bullies, who believe her to be an alcoholic rather than ill – and Frankie is afraid to disclose the truth when her mother is yet to tell the head of the school she herself works for. When one of the bullies, Sally, reaches out to Frankie and discloses that her own home life is less than ideal, the two form an alliance, and Frankie starts to realise that she is attracted to Sally.

Sally’s parents are better off than Frankie’s and give her more freedom than either Frankie or Sam, and so the three end up having a series of misadventures over the parts of the Christmas holidays that they each spend at home. Frankie fears that Sally prefers Sam, or one of the popular boys at the school the girls go to, to herself, especially since Sally is a lot more outgoing and popular than Frankie. Meanwhile, Frankie’s older sister seems to be boy-mad and determined to get into all sorts of scrapes involving the local nightlife, leading to Frankie worrying that all this stress will affect their mother’s health.

I liked this book a lot, although I wish we’d seen more of the problems at home that Sally alludes to, rather than just giving us glimpses of a slightly problematic family who think everything can be solved with gifts and wild parties. The ending was a little ambiguous, but suited the characters perfectly. I’d love to revisit them all when they’ve had a few months more to grow into their lives.

I did love Frankie. Really interesting characters and storyline 
I felt as though I knew every one of them

Read July 20

This is the book I would have wanted as a kid. I never went through with it but I always imagined writing to Jacqueline Wilson and asking for a girl meets girl story. Eventually – when I’d technically grown out of her books but was still buying them – we got ‘Kiss’ which was about Sylvie and her best friend Carl, who later reveals that he’s gay.

Now we do finally have my longed for lesbian themed book and I’m a little disappointed. I know Jacqueline’s speciality is children’s books and I’d guess this fit into the 11+ category (possibly! Ageing books is not my thing) but it could have done with being pushed a bit further and been longer in order to tie up all the loose ends.

I guess it's the fact that there is so much story. We have Frankie who is working out her sexuality, actually it would have been nice to have had more of her exploring her feelings. She was a bit 0-60. “I have feelings for one girl, I must be gay.” I did love the way she owned it though! Then we have her best friend Sam who has a crush on her. Her mum has MS which after causing a fall kids at school think she has a drink problem and start bullying Frankie about it. Her father left them for another woman - leading to a very awkward Christmas holiday scene. And on top of all that the girl she falls for is Sally, one of the kids who bullied her about her mum.

This is such a strange review for me to write! Firstly, I have to admit that I’d never heard of Jacqueline Wilson before picking up this book and was astounded to find out what a staple she has been in the book industry for decades now, penning books left and right and with all sorts of topics! Nevertheless, it made me really intrigued for Love Frankie. And while I did enjoy the story, it also left me a bit unhappy because I think I am so used to happy endings in fiction for adolescents that the opposite never even occurred to me.
But let’s break this down, shall we?
The good. 
What I thought was handled incredibly well were the friendships Frankie has. It’s true what they say, you’ll never have friends quite like you do when you’re a teen and Frankie’s relationship with her best friend Sam was #goals whereas her friendship and potential romance with Sally is tumultuous and confusing.
I also thought that Sally as a character was really intense. She walked a fine line manipulating everyone around her to like and even love her while making sure she was the one in control – it definitely wasn’t anything I’ve ever read in adolescent literature before. Sally had me infuriated for most of the book (she’s definitely one of those characters that you love to hate for most of the book, begging for a redemption arc), the way she toys with people and Frankie in particular was heartbreaking but also rang very true and showed that the hot and cold aspect we’re so used to from older fiction can also happen to younger adolescents with disastrous consequences. It’s hard making a romance with a former bully work; it’s even harder to do so when that former bully is still somewhat of a tormentor to others. But Wilson did a fine job of showing that while Sally wants to change, she’s also confounded by her own actions at times.
On the not so great side, there’s a lot of repetition in this story. Frankie in particular goes back and forth on her feelings for Sally which is understandable, but in general, there is just a lot going on in this book and while some aspects might have not been necessary to mention every chapter, others were a bit neglected. Frankie deals with a lot – her mother’s MS diagnosis, her father leaving and dating someone new, Frankie’s struggles at school where people are bullying her and her squabbles with her siblings on top of her best friend maybe having romantic feelings for her all of a sudden. It’s a lot to deal with and the narrative showed how overwhelming it can all be, especially when you fall in love with your former nemesis in the midst of all that. The ‘teen speak’ was also trying a bit too hard and at times made me wonder if Frankie is thirteen going on thirty but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment too much.
I will say, though, this was unlike anything I’ve ever read when it comes to addressing queer love and figuring out your identity. Especially in books addressed to younger readers, first loves are usually soft and quiet; Frankie’s and Sally’s relationship feels more like a rollercoaster where you wonder when and how the ride will end. It was different than I expected but that’s not a bad thing. 
Focusing on the more painstaking and confusing parts of first love, Love Frankie offers a realistic portrayal of heartbreaks and friendships and navigating tough topics. Whether you’ll grab your hair in agony or cry silent tears for Frankie’s broken heart, this one will stick with you for a while!

This story of 13 year old Frankie falling for mean girl turned best friend will do well, I think. The language does feel like it's aimed younger than Frankie's Year 9, but that said the intensity of teenage friendship and first love is pitched just right.

My daughter loves Jacqueline Wilson's books and was so excited to read this one and it didn't  disappoint! She really enjoyed it. It is so great to her enjoy and be glued to a book like she was with this one! 
Jacqueline Wilson always does a fantastic job of dealing with real life issues in her books including Health, money worries  and relationships with others in a realistic way.
 A fantastic read. 

Thank you to netgalley and Penguin/Random House for the  ARC copy.

Jacqueline Wilson can always be relied on to write a book that can be related to by the target audience.  This more than fulfills the brief.  With a teen age main character, a difficult home life, bullied at school and beginnings of romance, lots of issues are covered in a natural, non-preachy way that will help teens to realise they are not the only ones.

This was a lovely nostalgia trip back to my childhood and teenage years of reading Jacqueline Wilson books, and  as a bisexual reader I was so happy to hear that she had finally written a gay protagonist. I enjoyed this one a lot - it kept a lot of familiar tropes from Wilson's earlier work which made it feel familiar, but I appreciated that it wasn't a totally neat and tidy ending. Parts reminded me of Wilson's other books such as Bad Girls, Kiss, Secrets, Midnight, etc, with the same kinds of realistic and flawed characters - for example, Frankie can be quite dismissive and judgemental of other girls (especially those who are more feminine) - and complicated relationships. Wilson has for a long time been a master of writing intense, complex female friendships, and so her progression into writing about a budding romance between two teenage girls feels completely natural and suits her writing style perfectly, I wish I had had this book when I was twelve - it has all the great hallmarks of an excellent Jacqueline Wilson novel but also a sweetly written f/f romance.

What a joy it is to return to Jacqueline Wilson's writing! I was such a huge fan as a child and was so excited to be approved for this. It has her classic feel but also feels incredibly timely.

Jacqueline Wilson writes such amazing books for children m I wish we’d had her when I was young. This deals with important issues like being a carer as a child, trying to deal with your sexuality as a teenager and of course trying to survive school life as a teenager. A brilliant read that also deals wonderfully with relationships, bullying and of course what love is. An absolutely brilliant story and should be read by parents as well as teenagers.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Somehow when I was growing up, Jacqueline Wilson’s books passed me by completely, meaning that, although I have obviously heard about them as an adult, Love Frankie is the first of her books that I have read.

Written in a style aimed at the younger end of the YA scale, Love Frankie is a book that I think lots of girls entering their teens will relate to. Alongside the bigger issues of coming out and being a carer for her mum, Frankie suffers the same trials and tribulations of everyday life as any other teenager, making this an enjoyable, relatable read for any teenager. Navigating secondary school is hard enough without having to care for a sick parent, or coming to terms with your sexuality. Jacqueline handles Frankie’s reality sensitively and I think for those who are dealing with similar issues to Frankie, this book serves as reassurance that they are not alone.

Frankie is a character that strikes as both old before her time and painfully young, something which resonates with my memories of being 14.

Having read this, I can quite see just why Jacqueline Wilson’s books have been so popular for so long.

Fans of Jacqueline Wilson will not be disappointed with this story about Frankie and her journey of self-discovery.
Technical issues prevented me reading to the end but at the outset you could see that there were going to be misunderstandings as Frankie enters her teens. Relationships shift and change between those that were once platonic or bullying to something altogether surprising.

Frankie is nearly fourteen and teenage life certainly comes with its ups and downs. Her mum is seriously ill with MS and Frankie can feel herself growing up quickly, no thanks to Sally and her gang of bullies at school.
When Sally turns out to be not-so-mean after all, they strike up a friendship and are suddenly spending all of their time together.
But Frankie starts to wonder whether these feelings she has for Sally are stronger than her other friendships. Might she really be in love?
Frankie doesn’t want Sally to just be her friend. She wants her to be her girlfriend. But does Sally feel the same?
The must-have new novel about falling in love for the first time from bestselling, much-loved children’s author, Jacqueline Wilson. 

What a blast from the past! I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I read Jacqueline Wilson – I used to bloody love her books, I had shelves full, they’ve been passed on to my niece now who apparently is having a great time reading them herself. (Seriously, when she called to tell me she was starting her first one I was so proud I thought I was going to burst.)
Anyway, when Netgalley emails you to tell you that there is not only new Jacqueline Wilson but its a YA/ older middle grade book, I kinda had to get in on that.

Now, first things first, this isn’t a romance in the sense that the other two in this post are romances, and there isn’t a showmance, there is an enemies to lovers type of plot, but you know, with children. Just thought I’d mention it in case you’re looking for a teen romance story, this isn’t it, this is a very cute coming out story (if you’ve read this, you’ll know the exact scene I’m thinking about when I say that!). Many of the coming out stories I read are from older kids in their mid to late teens, our main character here, Frankie, is thirteen, so it was nice to see someone so young being so sure of who they are and her exploration of falling for someone for the first time.

This book was like stepping back into my pre-teen life. It was actually kinda weird not reading this under a duvet with a torch way past my bedtime! Her writing style hasn’t changed, I was instantly transported back, I would have LOVED this as a kid, I mean, I enjoyed it and I’m not even the target audience! Frankie, Sally and Sam all seemed young which was actually kind of refreshing, there are a lot of YA/middle grade books where the characters sound older than their years and even more where the kids are all super smart and precocious, so having kids that just sound like kids was nice.

If you’re an old school Jacqueline Wilson fan, let me know if you’re planning on picking this one up!

A very important story for kids to read!! And told perfectly. My daughter is also reading this, shes 9 and considers it a "big girls book" , but shes understanding  the message and that's what's important. Many thanks netgalley

I've been reading Jacqueline Wilson books since I was much younger (ahem), and her 1992 title 'The Suitcase Kid' was one of the first I remember reading. I definitely identified with the main character in that, as I was going through similar circumstances at the time. With this new book, although I'm a bit older than Frankie, I can empathise with her situation and actually, it's written so well that I'm now at an age where I can see the perspective from the adults' point of view. 

Frankie is the middle girl in a trio of sisters, trying to look after her Mum after she fell ill, their Dad left them and now her best friend wants to be her boyfriend. Her conversations with her slightly scary big sister and her Sylvanian Family obsessed little sister are lovely, and actually reminded me of my nieces. 

Frankie's having a tough time at school and then her sworn enemy becomes her friend, and then she feels like she wants her to be more than that - being fourteen is tough, and Frankie deals with all of her feelings really well. Wilson allows kids to be kids, and to be bratty sometimes and have a tantrum and let it all out, and then she lets them be forgiven for it. There are no good guys or villains, just relatable stories and a great way to bring up more sensitive topics with the kids close to you.

didn’t grow up in the UK in the late 90s, so I had no idea who the author Jacqueline Wilson (or her most infamous character, Tracy Beaker) is but my flatmates were delighted when they discovered I was reading this book. Not only were they big fans of her books when they were children but also because Wilson has recently come out as a lesbian. Apparently, this is the first time she has featured a queer protagonist in her books, which they were very excited about.

I really enjoyed this book because it mixed all the highs and lows of your first teen crush with an interesting look at a family struggling with divorce, financial issues and a parent who has MS. Even as someone who hasn’t been a school kid in many decades, I really enjoyed reading this YA book. Some of the words and phrases used by the teen characters didn’t feel like something they would actually say, which I found a little jarring at times, but overall I think Wilson did a great job of capturing that rush of first hormonal love and the struggle to realise that you don’t fit in with the heteronormative world.

I especially liked the relationship between Frankie and her boy next door/best friend Sam, who would really like to be more than friends but is very accepting and supportive of the fact that Frankie isn’t interested. As for Sally, she’s pretty awful and I found it difficult to warm to her. I found the ending surprising and not that believable, so it wasn’t that satisfying for me. However, I still really enjoyed it and hope that Wilson will have another go at writing more queer books like this one.