Love is for Losers (Phoebe Davis Thinks . . ., 1)

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I think this story is good because while Phoebe is a bit crass at times, she’s also relatable. She’s 15, she’s learning, she’s changing, she’s growing. I remember those days, and I know I was a little bit of a turd. Dealing with feelings, family, friendships, school, and sex. It’s all so much. I think it’s nice to read a character who doesn’t start out perfect. Some of the things she says are on the cusp of problematic, but she’s very self involved at first. How things are changing her life and how it’s ruining what she wants and needs. That leaves room for her to grow and have some realizations that are important in this read.

This book has been compared to Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson series and I could sort of see that, but it's less breezy and Phoebe is much more sarcastic and introverted than Georgia. That said, if you're into books set in the UK and like that sort of diary format of storytelling, I think you'll really enjoy this book! It's been a while since I read a contemporary YA that I enjoyed as much as this one. A funny and life-affirming take on all the big stuff you experience through puberty: love, sex, death, family, intergenerational friendships, heartbreak, kittens and kisses that turn the whole world upside down. For a book about resisting love, it had me head-over-heels love-at-first-sight captivated from the very beginning. For one thing, the diary format is one I always adore. The confessional nature, unfiltered thoughts, and stream-of-consciousness ramblings never fail to grab hold of me. Couple that with a fantastic, sarcastic, and endearing character, such as Phoebe, and there was no doubt this would be a hit for me.It's an engaging, liberating, brilliant and absolutely hilarious stunning debut - with added kittens! I loved being a part of Phoebe's life and I'm keeping everything crossed for a sequel! The Nottinghill Carnival takes central stage in this story about families, memories and the power of dance and festivals. Author Yaba Badoe tells... Love is for Losers is a coming of age and learning that maybe a little bit about love. Phoebe is 15 and dealing with losing her best friend to new love, her absent (for a good cause) mother, feeling lonely, and new feelings for a new friend. She finds friendships, life lessons, and refuge in her godmother’s thrift shop, a place she originally felt disdain for. This was such an easy read and it was fun to get caught up in it. It's got a great blend of sarcasm and sunshine, and even though Phoebe hates love, you'll find yourself rooting for love anyway.

But then she also can own up to it and her ‘I don’t care‘ mask slips even though it’s a diary and you can present the situation however fits you in your diary. a flawed, often sarcastic or clueless narrator who isn't afraid to do or say some really dumb stuff. Love is for Losers is six months in the life of Year 11 Phoebe, self-professed hater of people. Written in diary format, this utterly hilarious debut from Wibke Brueggemann is a sharply observed, pinpoint accurate diary of an authentic teen. Upřímně nedokážu odhadnout, jak moc se to komu bude líbit. Ale zaručeně to doporučuji spíš čtenářům mladší patnácti let, vím, že YA běžně čtou i dospělí (jako já), ale v případě téhle knihy to dospělým čtenářům spíš nedoporučuji, nebude vás to bavit, si myslím, vážně je to hodně pubertální. Ale pro tu cílovku je to podle mě vážně dobrá knížka. Celá zápletka mě vtáhla zpátky do doby, kdy mi bylo tak 15 až 16 let a byla jsem zmatená z toho, že lidé kolem mě se zamilovávají. Protože přesně to se stane Polly, nejlepší kamarádce Phoebe, a Phoebe se přes to nějak úplně nemůže přenést. Z toho důvodu si slibuje, že jediný člověk, se kterým kdy bude chodit, bude ona sama. Ale jak je vám asi jasné, tak to úplně nevyjde. 😏Among the thrift store clan was Emma. It was pretty cute watching Phoebe trying to fight her attraction and ardor for Emma, but it was inevitable. I won't say the romance blossomed into something solid from the start, because not only did Phoebe find love a bad bet, she also was coming to terms with her sexuality. Saw the title and just thought 'yes' because . . . the entire cynical outlook on love is very me (actually I'm a hopeless romantic deep down it's funny), but also this book is sapphic and yes I will read anything with a F/F relationship Phoebe and Emma's relationship was well built up and felt genuine. They go from friends to more than that over a fair period of time, and there were soft moments between the two of them throughout the novel that I loved, and developed their romance well. There were also very funny moments of clear denial from Phoebe, before she sussed out and accepted that she was in love with Emma. I also appreciated that Phoebe took being a lesbian in her stride, because a lot of books make it a dilemma, but she and her friends all took it in without blinking or raising any homophobic comments. This book follows the main character Phoebe who thinks love is for losers and vows never to fall in love. Phoebe starts this book feeling rather abandoned due to the fact that her mother, a Dr, is going to Syria for 6 months to aid in the humanitarian crisis (something she does often) and her best friend Polly has ditched her for a boy. But through a series of unfortunate events she ends up volunteering at her God Mothers charity shop where she finds friendship and love in an unexpected place.

According to my research, Valentine’s Day actually had nothing to do with love until love came into fashion in the eighteenth century, when lovers (not friends or distant relations) sent each other cards and maybe flowers. What this basically means is that the human race hasn’t evolved since then. Nothing ever stays in fashion that long, except maybe God. Seriously, everyone needs to calm down about love.I don’t have time to have crushes on people, I’m busy with exams. My brain is working on full capacity, I don’t have room for fluffy shit like this." Phoebe is 15. She’s living with her godmother in Wimbledon, England, because her mother is away in yet another war-torn country helping others with an organization that send medical professionals where they’re needed most. She never knew her father, who was killed before she was born. So she lives with her godmother Kate and 2 designer cats that Kate is going to breed. As a heroine, Phoebe may be one who rubs people the wrong way. I personally liked her, but in the beginning of the novel there were times where she was a bit dislikeable, or expressed ignorant sentiments. She is slightly withdrawn from most people, and plays cards close to her chest. But notably she is a fifteen-year-old girl, and over the course of the novel she has a really great character arc that allows for a lot of growth and opening up. And funnily enough, she lives in the area where I grew up, and so it is utterly bizarre seeing childhood haunts pop up in a UKYA novel. Phoebe also volunteers in a charity shop, which was something I also did when I was younger, and honestly you wouldn't think charity shops are the places for teen romances, but it happens in Love is for Losers and I also had my own (embarrassing) real-life experiences. So this is all to say that at the end of the day, I related to Phoebe a lot as a heroine. All is well and good (which is another way to say I don't have any friends and I'll say I'm perfectly fine with that when I'm anything but) until one day one of Kate's designer cats go missing and Phoebe decides to work at Kate's shop to repay her. Is it weird that I relate this much to someone who is selfish, sarcastic and constantly telling people to f**k off??

V momente ako som si prečítala prvú vetu anotácie - Phoebe zbožňuje čiernu farbu a neznáša ľudí - som tušila, že sa mi toto bude páčiť. A mala som pravdu. Bavila som sa od prvej stránky po poslednú. Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood.

Format

Today I thought about the phrase “falling in love” again, and I finally totally get it. You fall. You trip, and boom! It’s entirely unintentional, not like a parachute jump (which is called “jump,” not “fall,” for a reason). Já ano. A hodně. Často v zápalu nákupu ani nijak extra nepročítám anotaci, prostě vidím YA novinku, co na první pohled nevypadá špatně, a *šup do košíčku*. Jednou z takových knih byla i Láska je na prd, kterou jsem si objednala už někdy v únoru, abych dosáhla na poštovné zdarma. Což bylo ještě předtím, než tuhle knížku dostal každý druhý v propagačním balíčku k Yoli narozeninám (nebo něco takového). Teď se asi nabízí, abych prohlásila, že #tohleneníspolupráce a na knížku padly jen a jen moje peníze (což tolik neva, protože jsem díky tomu měla to poštovné zdarma, že jo). 😂 A ty jo, ono se mi to překvapivě hodně líbilo. Teda s tím přirovnáním k Sex Education bych byla trochu opatrná, sice jo, společné prvky tu jsou - obojí je britské, v otázce sexu dost otevřené a do určité míry je to obojí queer, ale čekat od té knihy přesně to samé, to by byla chyba. Oproti Sex Education je ta knížka méně vyspělá, lehce naivnější a ani zdaleka nemá tak skvělé postavy. Overall, this was a solid read with many enjoyable facets. The diary writing style made it very engaging and kept me invested. There was great open dialogue about sex and sexuality for this mid-teen age group. I would definitely read this author again.