Love Frankie

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.

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.

Frankie is a thirteen (nearly fourteen) year old girl who is starting to find her romance feet. She has two sisters, one older and one younger and together they help look out for their mum who has MS. She hasn't got many friends, her best friend Sammy, who she has known forever and luckily lives next door, goes to a different school from her.
At school, Frankie has caught the sights of the school popular kid Sally, who bullies her and makes her school life hell. Until one day, Sally becomes Frankie’s friend and then perhaps a little bit more. Is Frankie ready to admit her feelings and say she’s fallen in love?
I have loved Jacqueline Wilson since I was younger, and she was always one of my favourite authors and she has not disappointed me here. It was an easy to read story with some really important subjects tackled, with a lovely family dynamic.
Frankie and Sally’s relationship is one that grows quickly and Frankie falls very strongly. I wasn’t sure how true to nature it is for a 13 year old girl to say she is in love with another girl in front of her family and school friends. I know when I was that age, any boys that I liked I would only really talk about to my best friend with, but I know that everyone is different and it is a lot easier for people to come out nowadays. I hope it would give girls who read it the confidence to do it.
I didn’t really like the scenes of the young children going to the pub, although not described in too much detail I just wasn't sure how realistic it would be.
I felt the story was especially strong in that the characters are all great and are brought to life very well. The way the sisters come together and showing their hurt from their dad leaving, I could completely empathise their situation. She covers a lot of topics from illness in the family, poverty, divorced parents, bullying and of course the stigma of same sex relationships from older family members. I did learn some basic stuff about MS through the story and how strong her mum tried to be for Frankie and her sisters.
I especially enjoyed that we got to witness her first love and all the emotions that came with it. It was nice that it wasn’t quite the happy ending that she was hoping for.
Overall it was an easy read and reminded me how much I still love Jacqueline Wilson’s books!
Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've loved Jacqueline Wilson's books since I picked up Double Act as a girl. Her books explore the complexities of childhood and growing up while featuring engaging characters and well-driven narratives. And Love Frankie is no different. Coping with your first love as a gay teenager was always going to be a delicate subject, but Wilson handles it deftly, perhaps due to her own personal experiences. Presumably Wilson also drew inspiration from the similarly titled Love Simon. Every character is well drawn and fully rounded - and as a librarian myself I noted the appreciation of the role of school librarians in the lives of introverted teens! Another winner from Wilson.

I have been a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson since I was a child and when I heard that her new book tackled coming out and a first-time LGBT romance, I simply had to read it. It was a very happy day when I got my acceptance e-mail from NetGalley.

Frankie is almost 14 years old. Her mum has recently been diagnosed with MS, her dad has moved in with another woman and the girls at school -led by Sally Mac- are making her life pretty difficult. So when Sally starts acting friendly towards Frankie, it feels suspicious but Frankie can’t help but be taken in by this pretty popular girl. But does she just want to be Sally’s best friend or is this something much more?

Frankie is a budding writer and she’s hopelessly insecure about her work. Her lifelong best friend Sam is one of her favourite people in the whole world but she is anxious about him reading part of a dystopian novel that she is writing. I think every creative of any age can fully relate to her in this. Sometimes it’s even scarier when someone close to you reads your work because their opinion matters the most. This fear and self-doubt rears its head again, when Frankie feels ready to come out to her family.

She is an exceptionally caring, astute young girl who is very easy to relate to. Therefore, I was right by her side through all of the heartbreaking, confusing things that happen to her. Sally’s sudden change in behaviour towards Frankie had all of my suspicion detectors blaring and I worried that Frankie would start to lose her sensible level-head, as she fell in love. So I was relieved to learn that she was mature enough to keep a level of doubt about Sally’s intentions. I’m not sure I’d have been this smart at 14 but it didn’t damage her authenticity. I simply assumed that she was taking stock of the concerns raised by both her mum and her older sister Zara as well as remembering Sally’s previous treatment of her.

Wilson is an expert at keeping up with how teens’ views and attitudes are changing. As a seasoned long-term reader of hers, I can confidently say that Ellie Allard, the protagonist of Wilson’s Girls series first published in 1997, would never have commented on the treatment of girls compared to boys, as explicitly as Frankie does. Teens are becoming more socially aware and they’re much better at recognising injustices for what they are than they were 20 years ago. I would actually really love to write an essay on Jacqueline Wilson’s extensive career and how she has consistently managed to write fresh contemporary characters over decades -watch this space!

Frankie has been on a huge emotional and educational journey by the end of the book. She has gained confidence in herself and her writing through sharing her work with a wonderful librarian named Mr White and her fellow library inhabitant Ivneet. She is closer than ever to Sam, her sisters, her mum and Bear, her loveable German Shepherd. She has learned what really matters in life and has a clear idea of who she is and what she wants. Although the ending isn’t exactly happy and neatly tied up, I closed the book full of assurance that Frankie would be happy and successful.

Love Frankie is a hopeful coming-of-age story that normalises romantic same-sex feelings, making it essential reading for pre-teens and teenagers. It is quite a lengthy book and it touches on some very serious subject matter including family illness, divorce, poverty and homophobia, so it will probably be enjoyed most by confident readers. Of course, it’s for adult Jacqueline Wilson fans too!

A thoroughly enjoyable coming out YA book. It's got classic Jacqueline Wilson big-hitting subject areas (health, illness, friendship, love, growing up) which support the the main narrative of Frankie learning more about who she is.

This is your typical Jacqueline Wilson book, written with all her love and heart you know from the rest. It even has her usual "family issue" to deal with, as well as the main theme of the book.

I haven't read many of her books for older readers, but this is a beautifully written piece of work.

Frankie's coming to terms with her sexuality is something many teenagers will relate to, and it's portrayed well here.

A big thank you to @netgalley & the publishers for approving me to read this book 😍
I literally felt like I was transported to being a teen again, as that's probably the last time I read a Jacqueline Wilson book, and I was a hugeee fan! 😍 I love her writing, I obviously have changed my preferences alot since I was a teen, but I don't know, there's something about her books that you love.
The book is about Frankie, her two sisters, her mum and her best friend Sammy! Oh and Bear 🐻 😍 I really loved them all. I love their relationship as a family! And the way they treat Sam like family too! They're a normal family with problems but they make it through. And show that things always get a little better 💕 I loved Frankie, she was different from other girls her age etc and it was lovely to read how she blossomed and became so comfortable in her own skin💛 it's such a powerful message which if I remember Jacqueline's previous books they all are. I definitely would recommend this to any teenagers / young adult. Or even anyone who loves Jacqueline! I'm 23 and I literally want to re-read all my old favourites! 😍

Jacqueline Wilson is such a consistently fantastic author! This is yet another great read - Jacqueline Wilson tackles issues in such an individual and relatable way. Recommend for preteens/teens.

Ive always loved Jacqueline Wilson and read her books avidly growing up. I like how her characters are always real - divorces or sick parents, friends who fall out. None of the Disney Princess stuff (which I also love but serves a different purpose!). This book was no different, Frankie is a likeable character with a great, if fiery, personality. She has a fantastic family - I loved the bond between the sisters and her mum, and also her bond with Sam. I didn’t like how Frankie was so quick to come out as I didn’t think this was realistic and I didn’t like Sally at all - Although I loved the way Frankie’s emotions were talked about. I really loved Mr. White and Inveet - both great characters and I would have loved to have seen this friendship develop more but I understand it wasn’t the purpose of the book

All in all a great read that I read in one sitting in the sun!

My daughters always loved Jacqueline Wilson when they were growing up, so I was delighted to be able to review Love Frankie. I’ve not read any of Wilson’s teen / YA books and this appealed as it promised to cover so many themes relevant to its audience: LGBT+, growing up, friendships, family relationships and dynamics, illnesses etc.

Frankie is a very likeable character and you soon find yourself immersed in her life. Readers will be able to relate to her and recognise the variety of issues and dilemmas she faces. Wilson deals with these themes in a sensitive yet open manner, and whilst she doesn’t shy away from the less pleasant side associated with them, they can at times feel a little bit simplistic. That said, I enjoyed Frankie’s story and all of the very different characters in the book.

As a school librarian, I think this will be a popular read and look forward to seeing it on our shelves.

In this book Frankie is enemies for a start with Sally a girl who's mean to her after assuming her mum is a drunk after an incident at their school.



However as the book goes on, Sally befriends Frankie after seeing her out with Sammy her best boy friend from next door who evidently likes Frankie a lot more...



As Frankie learns about her feelings she's dealing with, coping with the drama of her sister's, her mum's MS worsening and their dad's new life situation everything feels out of control for her to cope with.



It was a refreshing read to have a chronic illness as a central issue and a girl struggling to come to terms with her sexuality too probably the most relevant Jacqueline Wilson book about right now and I just know this will help many girl comes to terms with their feelings and accept them too I do wish that we saw more of the alcoholic storyline from Sally's mum though as many kids are also effected by that however maybe we can have a follow up book as the ending left one to be desired...



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Frankie is a thirteen year old girl who falls in love with one of the girls in her class. This is a really sweet story that deals with the subject sensitively and beautifully. As is typical of Jacqueline Wilson books, Frankie has some family problems as her parents are divorced and her mother has recently been diagnosed with MS. There's nothing overly sensational about this story which is what makes is so realistic and just a lovely read for YA/adults who will never stop reading JW books!

A few days ago I received a very exciting email saying that Penguin had approved my request to read Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson! I've been a massive fan for YEARS since I first read Glubbslyme and I've always been keen to read every one of her books. Admittedly, I'm a bit more old school and haven't read some of her newer books, but Love Frankie immediately stood out as a fine return to her more teen content (my faves!). So, it didn't take me long to pick this one up from the time that I received it.

I immediately was hooked; Frankie is such a likeable character and I found that I couldn't wait to keep reading. I found that the story was a fantastic way to explore all the complex emotions that come with being a teenager, and even as an adult I could really relate to the different characters in the book. There were so many different themes that were touched upon sensitively, there were bright moments and there were tough moments. The main theme of sexuality was handled very well and I particularly liked how the characters were so different in their approach to it - it made it feel very real and showed how people's reactions can be so different, whether they are the person with those feelings or whether they're on the outside.

I think it's so important that books like Love Frankie exist, especially from authors such as Jacqueline Wilson. It's such an approachable look at growing up, discovering new feelings and diversity. I felt that it really normalised feelings towards the same sex in a way that was approachable and I could imagine quite realistic. I felt that I could relate to the feelings Frankie was facing; first love is first love regardless of gender, and that Jacqueline, as usual, really captured what it's like to be a teenager and have all these different feelings and emotions and challenges.

I'd highly, highly recommend Love Frankie, particularly to fans of Jacqueline's teen books such as Kiss and Love Lessons. It made me feel very nostalgic to my early teen years reading those books and I think it'll introduce a new generation of youngsters to her wonderful books!

Frankie has not an easy status at her school at the moment. Some of her fellow pupils saw her mother take a fall and now they haunt her about her mum being a drunk. Little do the know, that Frankie's mum is battling a serious illness. Since her mum doesn't want everyone to know, there is little chance to clear things up. At home Frankie and her two sisters try top help their mum as best as they can. Frankie's father left for another woman and she is mad at him for leaving. The only support she gets is from her best friend and her dog bear.
When she comes clean with the worst of the girls to tease her, a friendship develops between Frankie an her. But is it only friendship for Frankie ?

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.
I will definitely recommend this book.