As with the author’s other books, the found family in this was so perfectly written and made me feel really comfortable. The tension with protagonist Theo’s parents hit close to home for me and I loved seeing her making new friends and mending her relationship with her sister Juliet, and meeting Juliet’s fiancée. It was nice to see Theo embrace her bisexual identity and change her hair and get a piercing, as I could really see her slowly becoming comfortable in her skin. Although she went to Manchester to kiss lots of girls, she gradually came to terms with the fact that her queer identity did not rely on her presenting in that way, and she could date guys and still be bisexual even if it didn’t look that way on the outside. I loved seeing all her new friends and how casually trans identities were treated in this, which was very refreshing. It’s a perfect follow on from Sad Girl Hours too because that one is autumnal and this one is wintery, so you can read with the seasons ;) I’d definitely recommend it as it’s a lovely read, and I’ll be patiently waiting for the next book!

Having read and loved the author’s debut title, Something to be Proud Of, and its follow-up, Sad Girl Hours, I was very excited when I learnt that not only did they have a new book coming out but that it was going to be a Christmassy one and I duly added it to my ever-increasing list. Spotting it on NetGalley, I immediately downloaded it to read and picked it up at the earliest opportunity, looking forward to losing myself in its pages.

Warm-hearted and filled with authentically written, relatable, queer and neurodivergent characters that YA readers will adore, this is a gorgeous festive romance that addresses some big issues which many of its readers will recognise, and is one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

When 18-year-old Theo’s grandfather becomes seriously unwell shortly before Christmas, her parents decide to head north to Scotland to care for him, fully expecting Theo to accompany them. Seeing an opportunity not just to spend some time apart from her stiflingly overprotective mum and dad but also to investigate her bisexuality, Theo comes up with a plan to stay with her older sister Juliet, who she hasn’t seen for five years after she left home to go to university in Manchester, telling her parents that it will enable her to continue to attend sixth form until the holiday and that it’s all arranged.

Having not in fact told her sister she is coming, when she turns up on her doorstep Theo doesn’t receive the warmest of welcomes from her but soon finds Juliet’s girlfriend Martina on her side and ends up helping the two of them out at a dinner event they are hosting for a group of paying queer guests, hitting it off with three of them who give her their numbers. When Juliet agrees to allow her to stay while their parents are away, Theo forms a WhatsApp group with her new friends and they start to hang out.

Having previously only dated boys, Theo determines to kiss as many girls as she can but as she spends more and more time with the group, including handsome fellow bisexual Otis, Theo finds herself increasingly drawn to him. But with Otis’s ex-boyfriend on the scene and the prospect of a reunion with her parents in the very near future, can Theo make sense of her feelings for him and decide what she wants before Christmas comes and she has to return home?

Not only has Theo spent the last five years mourning the loss of her older sister, who has chosen not to communicate with Theo or their narrow-minded and manipulative parents for the sake of her wellbeing, but she has grown up carrying the weight of her parents’ anxieties after meningitis almost killed her as a very young child. Knowing that she is bisexual and desperate to explore her queerness in a safe place without judgement, when her mum and dad visit her grandfather Theo decides to seize her chance with both hands, without stopping to consider whether or not Juliet will be pleased to see her. As the two of them get to know one another again, we learn more about not just what has led Theo to behave like this but exactly what pushed Juliet away in a series of revelations that many readers will recognise, whether or not they are queer or neurodivergent.

In addition to looking at how parents can inadvertently drive a wedge between themselves and their children, the story also examines biphobia from those within the LGBTQIA+ community, making this a read that will resonate with many and one that I hope will open the eyes of those who are a part of the problem. For those readers who are starting to wonder whether or not they may be neurodivergent in some way, the story also reflects some of the difficulties of being so and illustrates the realisation from some young adults that they may in fact be autistic or have ADHD and whether or not they wish to seek formal diagnosis in a realistic and helpful way.

Romantic, thought-provoking and humorous throughout, I loved this and am – as always – enormously grateful to publisher Little Tiger Press and to NetGalley for my advance virtual read of this title. Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas hits the shelves on October 1st.