Love Is for Losers by Wibke BrueggemannMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Is it weird that I relate this much to someone who is selfish, sarcastic and constantly telling people to f**k off??
The plot is this: Phoebe is a 15yr old who just lost her best friend to a boy. Suddenly Phoebe is discovering that love makes people idiots and she is not a fan. To be fair, she kind of has a point.
There's a lot to unpack here, but it's mostly just a glimpse of teenage life that so many of us can relate to. Phoebe is obviously hurt by how happy Polly is with someone who isn't her, and so we can see quite clearly how that manifests in hating love. At the same time, she's making new friends and completely oblivious about her own feelings, which she masks with sarcasm and pettiness.
Because it's written in first person in the form of a diary, we're reading a lot between the lines which I really enjoyed. It was hilarious to see Phoebe protesting about things and insisting how much she doesn't care when her actions clearly suggest otherwise. She can be quite nasty, but at the same time she's very accepting and she's able to admit her faults. She can be rude, but I found her bluntness quite refreshing. I liked that she said what she thought and was all for honest communication. She's actually a pretty decent person under all the self-pity and sarcasm.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters of the charity shop, and seeing them through Phoebe's eyes. They're actually a fun, diverse bunch and I loved how they all interacted. I also really appreciated how much Phoebe and Pat loathed each other. LOL. Those two were a lot of fun in the same room honestly.
There's a fair bit of focus on GCSEs, which I imagine many people will relate to, but I appreciated that it wasn't too full on. I felt really sad about the relationship between Phoebe and her mum so I was glad to read more about their interactions.
Kate is amazing, and I love how much she loves Phoebe. Also super grateful that her 'Scottish-ness' wasn't written out phonetically because that would have been rough.
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.
With thanks to Macmillan for a copy
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