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.

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.

So, I'll be honest, I didn't have the highest expectations for this book. For whatever reason, Alice Oseman low-key bothers me, and I think Radio Silence is over hyped. But I did really really enjoy this, and I think its existence is pretty fucking revolutionary. I have never read a book that had the words aromantic and asexual on the page so much. I also loved that Georgia's lesbian best friend was like damn, we were struggling with something similar in our lack of attraction to men. Here for aroace girl and lesbian solidarity.
The story was just really beautiful, and I'm so excited for all the people that are going to feel so seen by this book.

Spectacular! How Alice Oseman explored the complex issue of sexuality, specifically being asexual, was amazing. It's was such a refreshing change to see representation, like most of her novels. The character development was a particular area that stood out because Alice achieves this with easy. She gives them depth, they aren't just generic characters to drive the plot forward. The emphasis on platonic love was amazing to see explored; as many YA books focus on romance. And finally! This book is so quintessential British in the best way! Not many books can grasp what real British Uni culture is like and she did it perfectly.

I love Alice's books a lot, for two big reasons. 1) They are books that would have meant to much to me when I was growing up and were exactly what I needed. 2) Having them now means I can make sure my students read them.

This story was just sublime! Georgia is an effortlessly relatable and very real main character - for as long as she can remember she's feasted on Romance in all forms, yet has never experienced it first hand. With her loving best friends at her side, maybe university will be the chance to find it - or maybe finally find herself?

One of Alice's greatest strengths is being able to create a cast of characters you wish were real and wish you were your friends. They live and breathe beyond the pages of the book they feature in. I really hope there's a follow-up to this because saying goodbye to them when I finished this book was so so hard.

A true modern classic and a total must-read. Alice is not only the voice of a generation, she is a voice of those who haven't had enough of a chance to be listened to before now. Essential.

Having devoured Alice Oseman’s previous books, I was so looking forward to her latest release. I’ve read YA, and she is one of the few voices who actually feel relevant and in tuned to being a teenager. There aren’t any issues she doesn’t cover, and her approach to teenage characters feel real and accurate. She’s definitely a talented writer, and I recommend her books to anyone.

Loveless feels like a familiar book, but an exploration of Oseman’s style. The way she explores Asexuality is thoughtful and well researched. It’s not often you see aro/ace books, and Georgia’s realisation and coming to terms with it hit emotionally well. There were times where I was relating to her feelings too well, and it definitely made me question a few things!

University life was portrayed realistically, and as always the platonic friendships are magnificent. This is Oseman’s strongest skill. She can craft believable relationships in their good and bad times, but showing how platonic love is just as powerful as any thing.

However, as much as I sing Oseman’s praises, I was also a little... underwhelmed.

The message was a bit too on the nose. Some chapters felt like an essay on asexuality, what it is, and how it’s okay to be it, which is fine, but it was brought up over and over again ad nauseam where it felt like the narrative had to stop to deliver this message, and the self loathing Georgia felt was way too much at times. I know she’s figuring things out, but some parts felt too extreme. Also, I couldn’t help it, but it also got extremely soppy. I know the “friends are more important than romance” message is important, but it was way too over the top, bordering on cringe.

Despite my few negatives, I highly recommend Loveless and any of Oseman’s books. It’s an enjoyable coming of age story, with LGBTQIA rep, and friendships that will warm your heart. If you love this, give Radio Silence and Heartstopper a go, and you’ll fall in love.

‘Loveless’ is Alice Oseman’s fourth novel and once again she brings to life new, relatable characters who are far imperfectly perfect as they try to navigate their first year of university. The story focuses on Georgia who wants university to be the place where she finds love and finally her first kiss; she knows romance from films and fanfics but has never felt that attraction in real life. Georgia makes a new friend in Rooney, her confident in every way roommate and she has Pip and Jason from home to keep her company in the confusing new world of university.
As everyone else is finding their stride, new friendships and new relationships Georgia starts to feel more alone than ever and ultimately loveless. Through a new friend Sunil she is shown the entire spectrum of sexualities and begins to learn about terms like ‘asexual’ and ‘aromantic’; ones that might help her accept and embrace who she is. Alongside this beautiful story of friendship and self- acceptance is in true Oseman style a modern comedy of errors, a little bit of Shakespeare and some brilliant film references.
I really didn’t want this book to end and I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters afterwards because they are so vividly written. Alice Oseman’s latest release will make your heart ache and then soar in a way only she can.