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

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A laugh out loud look at first love, loss and trying to avoid the girl of your dreams. What a stupid expression that is in the first place: To fall in love. Like you fall into a ditch or something. Maybe people need to look where they’re going. 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. So Phoebe isn't going to fall in love, ever. But then she meets Emma . . . Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann is a hilarious, life-affirming novel about all the big stuff: love, sex, death, family, heartbreak, kittens . . . and kisses that turn the whole world upside down. About This Edition ISBN: Because it had some promising aspects! The relationship among the charity shop workers and how they formed a little found family, for one. Even though Phoebe pretended to hate them (we get it, you’re not a people person), the way they visibly grew on her throughout the book felt organic. And the book let her use the word lesbian, multiple times! So the groundwork was there, it was just a shame Phoebe, the misanthropic edgelord, was the way she was. (Listen, she may be 15, but I don’t take that as an excuse. You can not be a little shit at 15.) 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.

When I received the details for Love is for Losers, I was immediately intrigued. Because yes, I am the kind of person who has a bit of a cynical outlook on love and generally views every time I get a crush as a bit of a bother. I'm a bit past 15, but Phoebe is kinda me. Also, it's UKYA! However, in my defense, I believe it would've been impossible for anyone to put a book down when the first line goes like this - Did you know that you can marry yourself? How strange/brilliant is that?

And what a stupid expression that is in the first place: To fall in love. Like you fall into a ditch or something. Maybe people need to look where they’re going.

Fifteen-year-old Londoner Phoebe is busy studying for important exams and volunteering when she finds herself developing a crush on a girl even though she thinks love is basically a disease. This is the type of YA I intentionally seek out, every year combing through every title promising humor and comedy. Judging by the fact that I usually find about 2 each year that perfectly fit my taste, my guess is, the pool of readers that are into this kind of writing isn't big. 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. So Phoebe makes fun of people and thinks she’s superior to them because she’s above emotions, etc., etc. The girls have good chemistry and they are amazing friends first. But it was so obvious they liked each other! It was still adorable to watch how they danced around it.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.

Love is for Losers is written as six months worth of diary entries from the main character as she lives with her godmother, gets through her GCSEs, and falls in love while her mother is away on a humanitarian mission. 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 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. The Nottinghill Carnival takes central stage in this story about families, memories and the power of dance and festivals. Author Yaba Badoe tells... 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.The fantastic group of characters is sharply and perfectly observed. Godmother Kate is just the best person to have on your side, while the story of Bill and Melanie is beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure. Alex, who has Down's Syndrome and works at Kate's charity shop, is just brilliant. And of course you spend your whole time rooting for Emma and Phoebe, willing it all to work out. Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. 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. 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. My new album The Longshot is out now!! Let’s have some fun. Raise some hell and do bad things!! Hit the link! (Spotify and Apple Music and stuff like that.)

All in all, Love Is For Losers is almost perfectly executed and while it will naturally divide Green Day fans, it has already been made clear in no uncertain terms that those that don’t get it or don’t want it are more than welcome to leave it. Those that do however will find a great collection of songs that see Billie Joe Armstrong and his new band clearly spreading their wings and embracing the pure delight that comes with unleashing a new project. 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. The book explores her fear of forming emotional bonds. And not only her — the book also speaks a lot about death and the aftermath of it. The numbness, the sadness, the emptiness. Different ways of dealing with trauma. I did have struggles however with Phoebe, some early attitude towards disability was annoying, even though it was corrected. She was pretty judgey with all of those around her and she didn’t really endear herself to the reader. She came across as immature, judgmental and in need of some familial love. I felt annoyed at her mum and found her to be selfish, so I got where some of that element came from.

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Phoebe, the protagonist is the kind of character with a big chip on her shoulder, shes spikey, hard to like and I only just got to like by the end. Despite her character, there are many reasons to still enjoy the book because not every protagonist regurgitates hearts and rainbows. Phoebe is on a journey in this book, reconciliation with the state of her maternal relationship, finding first love and losing friends. I found it to be a compelling read.