Let's be honest, everything Alice Oseman writes is pure gold, and this is no exception. Characters and relationships are one of her biggest skills and she has done divinely here.

2.5 stars rounded to 3

"It was all sinking in. I'd never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?"

This is the story of Georgia, off to university with her two best friends, navigating a new town, a roommate, her own identity, and the meaning of love.

What I Liked:
- The exploration and explanations of the ace/aro side of the spectrum. They definitely helped me understand, and I've never read an Own Voices ace/aro novel, so as an allosexual person I'm gonna leave that facet to the Own Voices reviewers to explore.
- The friendships! Both new and old, they were full of heart and cosy comfy vibes - if a touch two-dimensional in places.
- It was a suuuper easy read, I read this in a few hours.

What I Didn't Like:
- Full disclosure, YA is not usually my thing. And it's mainly because I don't identify with 16-20 year olds. I found the YA tone irritating in places, but I think it would be perfect for people who do like YA! Or who fall into that age group.
- Am sorry to say it, but Georgia was one of the whiniest, most insecure characters I've ever read about. Reading her endless woe-is-me narrative was painful at times. Thankfully her friends provided much needed respite and comic-relief for both Georgia and myself.
- I hate miscommunication between people, especially miscommunication that lasts, and this book was full of it. I know some people love that trope, and you do you, but I just found it frustrating.
- Overall, the MC just wasn't a very nice person, oft-selfish, and I found it hard to relate to her.

I think this book will be so so important, having an Own Voices aro/ace story about the exploration of self-identity and self-acceptance absolutely matters. Unfortunately YA just isn't for me.

To be released: 09/07/20.

Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Collins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Loveless sees university fresher Georgia discover herself and her sexuality while away at Durham University, 300 miles from home. For as long as she can remember, she's never really had the same feelings for people that it seems all teenagers have, and when she tries to kiss her long time crush at the sixth form prom after party, it's a complete disaster. At least at Durham, she has her best friends Pip and Jason with her, even if they're in a different college, and on a different course. In her own college, she meets roommate and feeling English student, Rooney, who is out every night, and is very vocal in romantic endeavours. More and more, Georgia starts to think there's some inherently wrong with herself, and tries to find romance, in whatever way she can - sometimes leading to disastrous events. The more she pushes herself, the more it's apparent that romance and feelings just isn't for her, and she discovers new terminology which may make her feel seen for the first time in years. Will she discover herself, or will she lose her friends in the process?

This book was one I wasn't even sure if I was going to read. I'm more than happy to admit I absolutely hated Alice's debut, Solitaire, way back in 2016, and I actually think how much I disliked that book was one of the pushing factors for me starting to blog and reviewing books, the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, I have heard loads of positive things about her recent books, and when I saw that I was auto-approved for Loveless, I decided to give it a go. I can 100% say that this book was leaps and bounds much better than Solitaire was. Loveless was raw, and difficult at times, but I really resonated with Georgia, so much. You might not know this, but I went to Durham University, for my PGCE, and am from Durham, so seeing so many different aspects of the city done right was absolutely gorgeous! Because I was post grad, and part time, I was never really in college, but was part of Van Mildert College when it came down to it. I also found myself thinking more about sexuality when reading this book too, because some of the things Georgia was going through, and coming to terms with, resonated with me, and I'm not sure where I stand now, when it comes to identity, if I'm being honest. Maybe it's nothing, but maybe it could be something I need to think about a bit more?

Some of the characters did grate on me a bit, especially Pip, who was far too dramatic and over the top for me, but I appreciated her and Georgia's friendship. My favourite character was definitely Rooney, Georgia's roommate. I didn't really get her at first, but the more we saw her be vulnerable, and open herself up to Georgia, I really felt for her, and just want to give her the biggest hug. Jason and Sunil were really good secondary characters, too, but Georgia and Rooney took the prize for favourite. Now, I think I might give some of Alice's other books a try, and I definitely think this book is one that others will enjoy so much!

If I was rating Loveless on the ace rep alone, it would be a solid 5*s. I've never seen it handled so well and thoroughly in a book before, where it is made clear that asexuality is very much not a "one size fits all" term, and that the spectrum is actually less of a spectrum and more like a very complicated graph. You can tell this is an own voices novel, as so many very ace specific scenarios are covered. Someone handing you a photograph, asking you who you find hottest, and you awkwardly choosing the guy who looks the most conventionally attractive? Check. The increasing difficulty of family get-togethers where your eternal singleness is the butt of way too many jokes? Check. The intense fear of loneliness and grief over dreams you can never really achieve? Check, check. While the rep wasn't perfect (a hard thing to achieve!), and I had a couple of "hmmm" moments, it was certainly the best I've seen by quite a long shot, and by far the most painfully relatable.

Now, onto the story itself, and the characters. Here I have more mixed feelings. I feel like the pacing was a bit off in the first half - with the exception of Solitaire, this is the only Alice Oseman book that's taken me longer than a day to read. The first half is very much "Welcome to Durham University!!!", and some things felt a bit repetitive (Rooney is clubbing, Pip is angry at Rooney, Georgia is agonizing over her sexuality in the same way over and over). I feel like these things could have been put across just as well if not better in fewer pages. (For some reason, this book is about 50 pages longer than Oseman's other books, and you can actually feel it). I also have mixed feelings about Georgia herself - she's essentially your basic YA nerd girl, a bit bland to be honest (especially in the beginning), but I loved her character arc. It's fun when characters monumentally mess up but also thoroughly understand the extent of their mistakes. In this kind of book, it's actually also really important to see a character act as they shouldn't, as it will help younger readers (and indeed older readers!) not make those mistakes themselves. Georgia never at any point uses her confusion around her sexuality as an excuse for her poor behaviour (or if she does, she allows herself to be put in her place by the other characters), and goes about apologising to her friends in a really respectful and understanding way. Also, I love the idea of platonic grand gestures as a twist on the romantic grand gesture trope.

My favourite character by far was Rooney. She's very much the opposite of Georgia - and not the kind of character often given the spotlight in a YA contemporary book. She's extroverted, a party animal, but also thoroughly committed to her Shakespeare society, hard working, and deeply troubled by her past relationships with people at secondary school and sixth form, to the point she doesn't think herself capable of being loved. (The whole thing with Beth was honestly heartbreaking).

There were moments in the book I thought were amazing, and moments which didn't work quite as well, and meh moments too - a real mixed bag. But for the ace rep, Rooney, and the handling of the characters' mistakes, I'm giving Loveless 4*s!

***

My ratings for previous Alice Oseman works:

Solitaire: ***
Radio Silence: ***.5
I Was Born For This: *****
Heartstopper v.1: *****
Heartstopper v.2: *****
Heartstopper v.3: *****

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. Alice Oseman has returned with another fabulous YA novel with diverse characters, an emotional plot and fantastic wit.

Alice Oseman is a talented writer and makes all of her characters feel three dimensional and by the end of the book, they feel like people you know. The protagonist in this book, Georgia, felt so realistic and relatable. Her feelings as she started university and didn't know anybody her dorm mirrored my experiences vividly. The journey Georgia goes on to self-discovery is beautifully written and gives much needed representation to the aro-ace community who have gone far too long without the representation they deserve.

The friendships Georgia develops during the story were one of my favourite parts. She has such good friends, Pip, Jason, Rooney and Sunil made the book an absolute delight to read. You know that the characters have been written well when you feel emotional when there's conflict between the group and you're desperate for them to resolve it.

It was great to follow Georgia's journey and there aren't many books I can name off the top of my head where the author shows the character's journey from questioning to being confident in their sexual orientation. It showed how conflicted Georgia felt about her sexuality and the peer pressure to have had her first kiss. From the repulsion she feels from kissing others to being desperate to find her place in the world, her journey to self discovery was beautifully written. Her story is so beautifully written and emotive to read, it's impossible to not feel connected to her and was joyfully crying at the end of this book.

Loveless is a beautifully written powerhouse of a book that I hope will become set a precedent in the YA romance genre. I personally cannot wait to see what Oseman does next. One thing is definite, I'll be ready to read whatever she writes next!

⭐5 Stars⭐

Witty, soulful and so so important.

Alice Oseman returns to YA with another fantastic novel about love, self-acceptance and the importance of friendship.

Everything about this book felt so real. Oseman captures the transient nature of your first year at university so well and this coupled with each character's journey of self-discovery, means that this book unlocks a part of what it means to be queer and questioning not seen enough in the media.

With this being an Own Voices novel from an aromantic asexual author, I knew there would be a good chance that I would be satisfied with how the queer characters were portrayed, but I was blown away by the depth of Georgia's character. She is fully realised, her flaws are not uncommon but they are written with such care that it is clear that Oseman poured a lot of herself into this book. It is not afraid to discuss the difficulties of the coming out experience and how even other members of the queer community can invalidate your identity and discuss the impact that this can have on your own acceptance of yourself. We feel Georgia's pain as the decisions she makes hurt the people she loves the most, and feel her joy when she overcomes her imperfections. It discusses the importance of role models and seeing yourself to understand your self. I hope that any aro-ace readers find solace in Georgia's journey and I will certainly be buying copies for my friends on the spectrum when this book is released in July.

Normally, when I speak about diversity in books it is because authors are not developing their characters beyond the point of being queer. Alice Oseman understands queerness and discusses where queer characters identities intersect with other aspects of their personhood then shows her reader how this affects their self-esteem and understanding of themselves and others. I am excited to read reviews from Latinx readers to see how well Alice captures Pip. As a lesbian I found the struggles of her character to be very relatable and the chemistry between her and Rooney was so fun and exciting to watch unfold.

And this is where we come to my favourite part of the novel, the importance that is placed on friendships and how friendship is just as important and necessary to someone as any other relationship. I really enjoyed how Oseman interweaved this theme into her book alongside the theme of the future. The concept of future in queer literature as a whole is something I really enjoy. The relatability of Pip questioning if she can find love after being the only gay person she knows, is something every queer person I know has experienced at least once in their life. Rooney considering if she is fit for a relationship because of her past abusive partners is again unfortunately all too common. But what hit me the hardest was Georgia pressuring herself into romantic situations because she is terrified of ending up alone. However, after all of this conflict, we come to the conclusion, you are not alone if you have your friends. Romance is possible for most people once they are at peace with themselves but for some their peace comes with accepting romance is not something they need in their life.

So to summarise briefly. This book is so important. It will mean so much for so many people. Please read it.

Come back on the 7th of July to see more of my thoughts about this fantastic book.

Trigger Warnings: Cheating, Descriptions of past abusive relationships, Internalised Homophobia & Homophobia.

I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

This book follows Georgia as she starts university trying to understand why it is she has never kissed anyone or even had a crush. Through meeting a new friend at Pride Soc she discovers the words asexual and aromantic.

I really connected with Georgia, I do not identify exactly the same as her but I wished that I could have given this book to my teenage self. This is the first time I have read about an aro-ace character and I hope to find more.

I really liked the group of friends that Georgia surrounds herself with. They are all individuals and there is some fun banter between them.

I feel that I am struggling to articulate myself but I really loved this book. Thank you Alice Oseman.

I can tell you with some confidence that reacting with a pterodactyl-style screech to receiving a review copy of a book is not something I do very often. It seemed, however, to be a justified reaction when I realised I’d been accepted for Loveless, as not only was it one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but it is on basically every YA reader’s Must Buy Immediately Upon Release list (and if it isn’t, it totally should be). It came as no surprise to me that Loveless lived up to all the expectations I had for it, and in many ways, surpassed them.

As someone who is a couple of years younger than Alice Oseman, I usually feel a level of kinship with the characters, prose style, and sense of humour in her books, as she is incredible at capturing the typical thoughts and mannerisms of a standard millennial/Gen-Zer. (That’s not just because she makes a Princess and the Frog reference, though it definitely helps.) The fact that it’s written in a language I’m intimately familiar with makes her writing that much more enjoyable for me; that said, the humour and references in Loveless that make it so relatable are never overdone or forced, so would not be alienating to anyone of a different generation. If anything, the style just makes the story that much more fun and authentic—the characters aren’t pretentious or unrealistic in the way they speak or act, and are all ultimately down to earth people with believable problems. The drama taking place is therefore all well thought through, plausible, and a comforting level of predictable. Though that doesn’t mean the book doesn’t twist and turn, and pack several punches as it does so.

The friendships in Loveless, both established and new, were really just the icing on the cake. Pip, Jason, Rooney and Sunil are all absolute delights, and I have a feeling readers will latch onto them as enthusiastically as I have. The true testament to how likeable these characters are, however, is how upsetting it is when there are misunderstandings. No friendship groups are without their ups and downs, and there is certainly no shortage of drama; overwhelmingly, though, their interactions are light, fast-paced, and believable. Plus, the level of banter between certain characters is something to behold. This is a spoiler-free review, so I won’t name names, but let’s just say some characters almost put Beatrice and Benedick of Much Ado About Nothing to shame.

It’s very easy to get attached to Oseman’s characters, as they’re all so quirky, funny, and refreshingly three-dimensional—but the protagonist, Georgia, really is a character that I was rooting for every single step of the way. She doesn’t have an easy job of figuring out her sexuality, and Oseman has done an amazing job of sensitively showing how isolating Georgia finds it. Whether or not you’re aware of the exact definitions of aromanticism and asexuality, I think any reader will learn a lot while following Georgia’s journey; I have learned far more about the spectrum of asexuality in Loveless than I have in googling sessions or on social media. The criticisms Oseman makes of society romanticising romance itself are also fascinating, and it’s not until she draws it to your attention how this can affect aro-ace people—and how people thus perceive their sexuality—that you realise how damaging it can be. If we consider the target audience for this book, it really provides hope that this could one day help a questioning teen, educate someone who is unfamiliar with the labels, or even someone who wants to know more. In this sense, Loveless ultimately drives home the importance of LGBTQ+ education and visibility, not to mention how fundamental it is to have LGBTQ+ communities and safe spaces in places like universities. Georgia’s turmoil is hard to read, and you really feel for her, but as she discovers the answers she had originally been denied, and finds support in her friendships and university communities, I’d defy any reader to not be weeping happily.

So, taking all this into consideration, Loveless is a pretty remarkable book. I sincerely hope it becomes a staple in LGBTQ+ YA, and also that it encourages even more aro-ace representation in the romance genre. And, as always, I look forward to seeing what Oseman does next – needless to say, I am counting down the days until Nick and Charlie, though a sequel or novella for the Loveless characters is definitely something I’m hoping for in the future.

Alice Oseman... I love you. I love your writing, I love your characters, I love your stories. And I love 'Loveless'.

'Loveless' follows Georgia, an eighteen year old girl who has never kissed anyone. After a disastrous attempt to kiss a seven year crush, she starts to wonder if perhaps there's a reason only the thought of relationships makes her happy, and why the thought of intimacy with anyone is repulsive to her. She decides university might be her chance to find love, and it is - in a way she doesn't expect.

Oseman beautifully shows the internal journey Georgia has. I really felt her frustration and isolation throughout. The story was one of full self acceptance that showed not just the pride that comes with discovering who you are, but the hurt and fear of realising you are not what society believes you should be. This was reflected not just in the protagonist's development but again in the lovely cast of friends Georgia has, which made 'Loveless' even better for me. The friends each had their own struggles which explored a range of common attitudes towards relationships, love and sex. Through them, Oseman successfully teaches that all attitudes and identities are valid. No sex, lots of sex, sex with your gender or another. It's really all fine.

And that's what I love about Oseman's books - the way her characters are so casually queer. Although this novel does explicitly revolve around the main character's asexuality, there are several other characters who are gay, pansexual, lesbian, bigender. Another talks about the struggles of being both LGBT+ and Indian. It's an excellent way of showcasing diversity and weaving in representation without having to focus the whole story and whole personalities around it. Oseman shows characters' race, sexuality, gender - their identity - is part of them, but not the only important thing.

Overall, Loveless is a touching story that will resonate with anyone has struggled with their sexuality, especially asexuality - or just any young adult who has felt different from their peers. I think this one will be very well received - as deserved.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loveless follows the story of 18 year old Georgia as she sets off to University. She’s a normal girl who just wants one thing: to fall in love. Georgia has not had her first kiss yet, and she’s worried that people think that she’s weird. Every time she gets close to her first kiss, she runs away.
If you are looking for a cute novel full of love and friendship and a little bit of dram, this is the book for you! Loveless follows Georgia’s quest to find love, but instead she finds out something else about herself instead. This book is full of self discovery and learning to love yourself for who you are, even if it’s not what you think you want for yourself.

Georgia is asexual and aromantic - she can’t feel sexual or romantic attraction to anyone. It’s hard for her to come to terms with, and scary at times, but the way this novel deals with the societal pressure to be in a relationship, as well as the expectation that being in a relationship is what everybody wants is second to none.
I myself am on the asexual spectrum. It’s not something I talk about very often and I think part of that reason is that I am shy and nervous to talk about it. I shouldn’t be, but the reason is because it’s not something that’s talked about in society. It’s barely a word that people understand or discuss.

This novel is incredible in the way it discusses asexuality and I know that if I had read this book years ago, when I was just figuring myself out, my journey to self acceptance would have started much sooner. Even now I don’t think I’m truly comfortable talking about who I am, but Loveless has already helped massively feel less alone and less weird.

“Weird” is a word used throughout the book and Georgia often worries that people see her that way. Honestly, Georgia’s experience with discovering herself felt incredibly similar to my own feelings. While our experiences have been very different, the emotion attached to those experiences felt so raw and real and I am so grateful to Alice Oseman for writing this book.

Generally I did really like the plot. There was plenty of drama to keep the book moving alongside Georgia’s discovery of her sexuality. I really liked Rooney and Pip but my favourite character was Sunil. I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character without it being made a big deal and representation like this truly helps to normalise non-binary charcters in pieces of media. I loved the passion for Shakespeare and theatre because, mood, and I also really liked the way University was represented from a non-partier’s perspective. I feel like Georgia’s experience at Uni was so true to so many students in the UK, but if you don’t go out and party you think you’re weird or doing the Uni experience wrong, but Georgia’s story reinforces that there’s no such thing.
I guess my only disappointment was that I didn’t LOVE Georgia as a character even if i could relate to her emotions about her sexuality.

Furthermore, I didn’t love Georgia’s friends’ reaction to her coming out. Far too often people come out and it ends in an argument between friends. While this time it wasn’t because Georgia kept a secret from her friends, I still really dislike when a coming out coincides with an argument. When someone comes out they need support, and I feel like it is just as important to portray that support in media. Coming out is scary enough as it is, but when almost every portrayal of coming out goes hand in hand with an argument with friends (see the Love, Simon movie) I can’t help but feel like it makes coming out even more nerve racking.

One of my favourite parts of the story was the portrayal of platonic love and the importance of valuing it just as much as romantic love. Even one of the chapters is titled ‘Platonic Magic’ and it’s my favourite thing ever. In the end, this book was absolutely a love story. A love story between friends, and I have never appreciated anything more.


There were so many instances where I highlighted different quotes with just the word “mood” and I thought I’d share some of these quotes with you guys.

“... though I didn’t really understand why everyone was in love with Timothée Chalamet.”

“I had a theory that a lot of people’s ‘celebrity crushes’ were faked just to fit in.”

“I started to notice just how many of these songs were about romance or sex. How had I never noticed that before? Like, almost all songs ever written are about romance or sex. And it felt like they were taunting me.”

(This quote is from someone who is being antagonistic, but I feel like it’s worth sharing because it’s something I’ve experienced a lot.)
“Asexual and bigender and whatever. You’re just gonna let in anyone who thinks they’re some made-up internet identity?”

“In the end, that was the problem with romance. It was so easy to romanticise romance because it was everywhere. It was in music and on TV and in filtered Instagram photos.”

I was extremely lucky—and very excited—to read an early copy of LOVELESS. I loved every moment of it... even when I wanted to cover my eyes and groan as the full comedy of errors kicked in.

For the last year, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about why I’m more open about being a lesbian and more hesitant about including demisexuality alongside it. Partly, it’s because being demi isn’t a clear-cut “yes or no” answer—I fit most but not all of the boxes, so to speak—and because you’re repeatedly coming up against the heteronormative ideal and untangling your feelings around that. It was comforting following Georgia coming to terms with being aro-ace, her feelings on crushes and dating, and being terrified what her future could look like without a partner and/or children. This book would have meant so much to me when I was a teenager.

But at its heart, even when things are rough, this book is a celebration of all kinds of friendship. So much of YA—all literature, really—is focused on or involves romantic love, and while yes, this is present in LOVELESS, the emphasis on the importance and necessity of friendship is never downplayed. Georgia and Rooney forever! There was one point towards the end, when Rooney did a passionate monologue normally reserved for a romantic lead, that I actually got teary-eyed.

And if you’re a Shakespeare fan, you’ll love the Shakespeare Society subplot! It really put me in the mood to rewatch some adaptations.

LOVELESS is out July 9th. You really need to pick it up.

I REALLY wanted to love this book as I am a massive fan of the heart stopper series but it just fell kind of flat for me. I was really excited to have an Ace/Aro main character but all of the characters in this felt a little 2 Dimensional. I didn't care really about them and found a lot of them very cliched, and like the author was trying to put diversity for diversities sake. Also, not a shakespeare fan so all the shakespeare went straight over my head and I found a lot of the plot repetitive.

Aside from being hilarious and full of vibrant, lovable characters each with their own unique story, 'Loveless' also gave me lots of food for thought. Before hearing about 'Loveless', aromantic and asexual sexualities were something I vaguely knew of by name but not nature. The synopsis really got me wondering (plenty of thinking time during lockdown!), especially about asexuality. Could that be me?

As a questioning person, I was exceptionally interested in this book. Almost desperately interested, actually. Rather naïvely, I hoped that reading 'Loveless' would be some sort of shortcut ticket to figuring myself out, which didn't quite happen (obviously, because that's unrealistic). The protagonist, Georgia, is both aromantic and asexual (like Oseman herself), so obviously our experiences wouldn't have aligned exactly, and as 'Loveless' so eloquently puts it: "The aromantic and asexual [sexuality] spectrums weren’t just straight lines. They were radar charts with at least a dozen different axes." Oseman did a great job straddling the line between providing educational info while staying in character/style, and she’s also signposted to some great resources at the end. I’m glad Oseman is writing (not only here, but also in interviews and other platforms too) about a sexuality that’s been (too) long obscured and gaslighted in today’s romance-obsessed mass media.

I absolutely adored all the friendships in ‘Loveless’, and how platonic love is given the spotlight it deserves. It also helped that each character is so distinct, especially Georgia and her roommate Rooney, who we get to know most deeply out of the secondary characters. (Personally, Rooney was my favourite.) The message that platonic love isn’t somehow lesser than romantic love really resonates with me, especially given how hard romance gets pushed by societal conventions and corporate marketing. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love with someone who wasn’t just an idealised version of a person, but my heart has never swelled so much as when I think about my best friends. That’s not to say there’s no romance in ‘Loveless’ – I really enjoyed the splash of sapphic enemies-to-lovers too! Peak yearning mixed in with some ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ mixed in with two extremely chaotic personalities. Love that for us!

The plotline isn’t wildly unpredictable, though there were certainly a few surprises up Oseman’s sleeves. It leans towards being a character-driven novel, which I think worked well as the plot largely hinges on the dynamics and interactions between the major characters, rather than some external drama.

An extra bit of fun for me was that ‘Loveless’ is set at Durham University, my alma mater, so picking out the references and visualising everything in my head was an engaging and intensely nostalgic game. I loved that the Durham Pride Society was featured prominently in ‘Loveless’. While I wasn’t involved with them during my time at university (one of my regrets, actually), a conversation I had with their Welfare Officer was so important to me and my own ‘queer journey’ that it makes me so happy to read about the Pride society members in ‘Loveless’ being just as kind to Georgia.

I’m really glad this book exists, because it’s made me comfortable to question and start unpacking how I feel, as well as learning more about other queer people. There’s no rush nor even necessity to label myself but I’m glad that I’ve opened myself to the consideration!

I'm keeping this brief because I want to let the own-voices reviewers shine on this one.

LOVELESS is the story many have been waiting for, welcome representation for aro-ace readers with a character discovering their sexual identity and it was a complex unfurling of realisation for Georgia. Georgia had this screaming desire to fit in, get her firsts under her belt until she was faced with actually doing that and the story was opening up of consciousness of identity.

There were lots of first year uni experiences in here that were fun. Georgia was surrounded by a bunch of friends, two of whom made an uncomfortable triangle of bubbling rivalry, a bit of sparring but also friendship goodness. It was about the experience of trying to fit in and not quite succeeding; it was also about the fear of revealing yourself to others.

Overall, this was a read that revealed an experience that is important and I valued being able to read this greatly.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the early review copy.

Put simply, Alice Oseman's forth novel is a delight. Writing a book which tackles the exploration of a character's sexuality is not necessarily an easy task, but the care taken and lengths gone to explain the complexities surrounding sexuality really made it such a warm comforting book to read. I was cautious going into it as it promised a lot but as a young ace person, I was intrigued and keen to read an experience I could relate to. I'm delighted to say that, for me, Alice Oseman wholly delivered.

The characters are, truly, at the core of this book and they are so delightful in their own ways. We're immediately introduced to a band of three very close friends - Georgia, Pip and Jason - and their relationships with each other are wonderfully established. Whilst initially, I felt like Georgia's voice felt a little immature, as I settled into the book I think her voice was solidified. As a whole, I found Georgia as a protagonist is likeable despite some of the choices she makes. She goes through quite a lot of personal shifts throughout the book as she is working things out and it's messy. She starts off insecure in her identity and she has to go through different experiences in order to find her feet. The start of her university/adult life is so genuinely messy in such an authentic way and I loved that portrayal of early adulthood.

Whilst I did adore the core friendship dynamic, I think my favourite character comes in the form of Rooney - Georgia's university roommate. Her behaviour when she is first introduced prompts a lot of questions and I was worried that, by the end, it wouldn't all make sense but it does; she provides an explanation. As the novel unfolds, Rooney is revealed to be complex and her characterisation shifts throughout and (aside from Georgia) I think she undergoes some of the most important character development in the book and that just made me adore her.

Georgia's sexuality is at the core of the novel, and similarly to the start of her life at university, it is complicated and messy. Alice Oseman goes to lengths to show that sexuality isn't necessarily an easy thing to work out and, for some people, it takes a while and different experiences to begin to find your authentic self. I don't particularly want to get into spoilers, but it is fairly well known that this is a book about being aromantic-asexual and as someone who has gone through a similar kind of experience as Georgia regarding my identity, it felt to me authentic and real. I think that it was handled well and it was comforting to see some specific conversations surrounding being aro-ace play out on the page. One aspect of these conversations is that the point is made that sexuality is an individual personal experience - not everyone experiences the same thing in the same way. Sexuality is complex and vast and it is handled very well.

Whilst Georgia's experience as a young aro-ace woman sits at the core of a lot of this book, there are many other LGBTQIA+ identities included. And whilst this is definitely not a book about romance there is a little bit of an enemies-to-lovers side plot going on in the background.

Amongst all of the messiness in this book, it is a book about love in all of its many forms. But the portrayal of love between friends was unbelievably heartwarming and wholesome. Friendships are shown to be just as chaotic as some romantic relationships can be and in this novel, the intense love that the friendship group shares genuinely nearly moved me to tears. This is one of the only books I've read that gives love between friends the same, if not a greater weight, than romance. Whilst the book's title suggests something completely different (and I'm still not sure I "like" the title), Georgia's life is absolutely full of love and its heartwarming.

I wouldn't necessarily say that this book is about the plot, because the character development throughout is so important. People do questionable and downright wrong things (talk about peer pressure which nearly crosses the believability line), but by the end of the book they have (mostly) been called out, have apologised and learned from their previous actions. Nobody is perfect in this book but by the end they are beginning to learn.

Despite the caution I took going into this book, I think it is a beautiful story about the many different forms that love takes and how complicated it can be. But Alice Oseman delivers it in an authentic way which was a joy to read. Everything about it just feels authentic - the friendships, the potential romances, Georgia's anger and frustration at the world around her - it felt so genuine. This was the best novel by Alice Oseman I've read and I highly, highly recommend it.

As an aro and ace myself, it was great reading this book. Georgia sounds so much like my teen self trying to discover herself, I wish I had read something like this in my own teens. I even got to cry in a good way but also wishing I had a Roonie too in my life. It was an amazing book.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

As always, I absolutely loved Alice Oseman's writing and this book. She always writes such authentic characters and I love reading about them and their stories.

I've read a few books with asexual/aromantic side characters before, but it has generally only briefly been mentioned. It's important to so many people to be able to read about a main character who is both of these identities. I wish it didn't treat romantic and sexual attraction as being so black and white, with all asexual or aromantic characters experiencing none of this type of attraction at all, but I think it's important to note that one book can't do everything and represent everyone. I hope this is one of the first of many books about asexual and aromantic characters.

The thing I loved most about this book was the importance that it placed on friendships and how a friendship is just as important and necessary to someone as any other relationship. They aren't easy and they require work, but they are beautiful things and can be found in unexpected places in unexpected ways. I loved watching the characters and their relationships, platonic or otherwise, grow throughout the book. The characters themselves all go on lots of their own individual journeys, making many mistakes and learning lots about themselves and the world along the way, but I particularly loved getting to the see them grow as a group. 

Overall, Loveless is a beautiful book about love and the many different forms that it can take and the many different places that it can be found.

This book has absolutely changed my life and I'm honestly not exaggerating on that part.

Alice Oseman has created a story that so many people should hear. The main character, Georgia, is on a self-discovery journey to figure out who she is as she starts college, makes friends with her roommate and actively tries to get her first kiss or active romantic relationship in a place where she can start anew.

With old friends, Jason and Pip, and new friends such as Rooney and Sunil, by her side, Georgia learns more about herself than she ever knew possible. Seeing her change from a frustrated and desperate individual to the more relaxed and carefree person that she became, I completely related to and loved Georgia's character and development throughout the book.

This book is beautiful in so many ways. I honestly felt my heart grow ten sizes bigger as I read about Georgia understanding and realising that what she feels isn't wrong or something to be annoyed/frustrated at. I could honestly feel the weight lift off of her shoulders as she finally felt comfortable being who she is surrounded by the people she loves, an aro-ace girl who loves her friends, Shakespeare, theatre, pizza/movie nights and so much more! (But not tea, she doesn't like tea and instead drinks hot chocolate!)

Thank you so much to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Alice Oseman for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. I'm entirely grateful and will not be shutting up about this book for a good while

Alice Oseman's books are good, don't get me wrong. She writes well, characters are well rounded and likeable, there's a bit of mystery here and there. Loveless is no exception.
There's lots of important representation, self-exploration, navigating university stuff (a lot of it I related to in a huge way and it IS a good and important book). This book is going to be important for a lot of people, there's representation in here which is hardly ever seen in the genre let alone all of literature. So I would like to say kudos to Alice for that, it's going to help a lot of people.

But here's the thing. I don't know if I'm just getting older or what, but Alice's books, whilst good, seem to follow the same format every time. It's almost predictable what will happen because it's happened in all of her books before this.
These are great for a light read and great for important representation in the YA Community and the Literary community as a whole. But despite all of this, the book just felt a bit 'meh' to me. I'd like to see Alice do something a bit different (though of course, she can do what she wants to do!)

I liked it, but it fell a little flat for me.

Alice Oseman has done it again. I loved this book. The characters created are super relatable and I enjoy the asexual representation.