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

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Side characters. This book was made so much better by the well developed, 3 dimensional side characters. Phoebe lives with her God mother Kate who is an eccentric Scottish lady with designer cats. The volunteers at the charity shop, who ranged from the old couple she loves, the middle aged woman who hates her, and her 2 best friends Alex and Emma were all fantastic characters. Emma was also the love interest in the book and it had a well developed foundation for the relationship and it was a great slow-burn romance. So Phoebe makes fun of people and thinks she’s superior to them because she’s above emotions, etc., etc. 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. Despite the hilarity there is also a lot of depth to the novel with themes of grief and abandonment being explored in detail. Brueggemann isn't afraid to write the antithesis to how most YA novels deal with these and, through the perfectly believable character of Phoebe, it works - it absolutely does. Phoebe does her own thing and doesn't conform and that is liberating to read.

But she wasn’t wholly horrible, and that sort of made it more disappointing, if anything. I liked her relationship with Emma, and also the found family aspect of everyone working at the charity shop. I think, though, what the book really needed was Phoebe to be challenged (to say the least) on some of her shit, and to actually show evidence of developing from it. a flawed, often sarcastic or clueless narrator who isn't afraid to do or say some really dumb stuff. That’s what she’ll do. She won’t think about Emma. Or talk about Emma. Or spend time around Emma. And she definitely won’t kiss Emma. Right? It’s something I haven’t read in a while and all the unconventional writing forms are always a big plus in my opinion. But also it was light and hilarious. Phoebe had no interest in falling in love. She had seen the pain of losing the one you loved, as well as the the way some people, like her best friend, lost their minds when they fall in love. Nope. Love was not for her. At least it wasn't until she met Emma.Is it weird that I relate this much to someone who is selfish, sarcastic and constantly telling people to f**k off?? 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. 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." 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). 😂

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! 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). We learn the things that make her want to shut off her emotions: her barely there relationship with her mother, the ghost of her father, her only friend getting in a relationship and sidelining her, not being interested in boys like her peers… At first, Phoebe's acerbic wit comes across as simple teen angst, but there was a bit more behind it. She never met her father, her mother was always off saving the world, and her best friend abandon her. Phoebe explored all these pain points over the course of the book, and though she didn't always handle the situations in the best way, she did grow to see things in a different light.There are a lot of fun, sharp jokes here, but there is a lot of depth in this story too. I liked how themes of grief and abandonment were explored. There is a slow burn queer romance. There is a thrift store. And there are cats. Designer cats. Ještě jsem chtěla pochválit, jak otevřeně a pozitivně se tu píše o sexu, to se v té YA tvorbě pořád zas tak často nevidí. I was so glad Kate pushed Phoebe into working at the thrift store, because there, Phoebe found her people. What an amazing and quirky bunch too! I loved getting to know them all, and I envied the familial community they built there together. Despite her dislike of others, Phoebe herself is lovable, vulnerable and feisty and most definitely not afraid to speak her mind. She thinks 'love is for losers' and is not afraid to berate her best friend Polly on how ridiculous her relationship with 'Training Wheels' Tristan is; she can't believe that anyone would want to even contemplate 'doing it' with him but although she doesn't truly understand, she does try to offer her own brand of advice. Of course, 'love is for losers' until she meets and falls for Emma. You can't help who you fall for, but Phoebe still spends all her time trying not to feel the way she does and the slow burn of this queer romance is played out perfectly. David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true.

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. 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. knížka byla úplně všude, mě od jejího čtení dost odrazovalo. To a taky fakt, že anotace slibovala LGBT linku. Protože ze všech knih s LGBT tématikou, které jsem kdy četla, se mi líbila… jedna (Já, Simon). Ale můžu s radostí oznámit, že jsem našla druhou. 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.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. As far as Phoebe Davis is concerned, love is to be avoided at all costs. Why would you spend your life worrying about something that turns you into a complete moron? If her best friend Polly is anything to go by, the first sniff of a relationship makes you forget about your friends (like, hello?), get completely obsessed with sex (yawn) and bang on constantly about a person who definitely isn't as great as you think they are.