Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann

SYNOPSIS

As far as Phoebe 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...

REVIEW

When addressing the concept of families we tend to think of the idea of the perfect 'nuclear' family. But why does that first come to mind? It doesn't make it any better than other types of families who are just as valid as the other. Sometimes we make our own families. That doesn't make them less important. Love, kindness, trust and being there for one another shows the true aspect of what we all want in a family, no matter if our real one are thousands of miles away. It kind of makes us amazing beings to think that we can make someone our own family and take them in and treat them as our own. Whether they are children in need of a home, co-workers who are always there for you or taking someone in, when their biological family doesn't accept them for who they are.

Kate and the charity shop co-workers are a great example of what it means to be a part of a family, even if they aren't related. Boy, does this make things so lovely to see. It did bring more than one occasion a tear to my eye.

Personally, I loved the diary entry style that was used throughout. It made it easy to read, but it also really did feel like it was a kid who was just going through their GCSE’s. In fact, if I get my own diary entries out at the time that I did my own GCSE’s I could definitely see the parallels between the two of being at that age.

Don't get me wrong, Phoebe was annoying at times, but I think that is because of the age of the character. So, in effect it isn't much of a criticism - instead I enjoyed the lengths that the author went to sound like a girl who is still in school. Really, I can't recommend this book enough. This is definitely one which I will be recommending to all those new readers who want something that is relatable, yet heart-warming.

RATING: **** (FOUR STARS)

WHERE TO BUY

Amazon: Love is for Losers (Phoebe Davis Thinks . . .): Amazon.co.uk: Brueggemann, Wibke: Books

Waterstones: Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann | Waterstones

Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3917/9781529033724

Disclosure: If you buy books linked to this site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Comments

Literally a Fangirl

I'm so excited to talk you about this piece of fiction. Literally it is just a masterpiece! Genre: Contemporary, Romance Year Of Publish: 2013 (US), 2014 (UK) Publisher: St Martin's Press (US), Pan Macmillian (UK) I have found that throughout the whole of this book, the main character Cath has a lot of characteristics that i can relate to. She's antisocial, a fangirl(a bit obvious), scared of the real world and prefers the imaginary world of literature compared to reality. The whole time i couldn't stop reading wanting to find out more(which is kind of bad when i have tons of essays to finish). What is a ll about? Well, the basis of the story is that Cath is going to university, but she prefers to write fanfics of Simon Snow and Baz. They are kind of an imaginary fandom, which i heard from somewhere that Rainbow Rowell is eventually going to write books about them. So that will be quite interesting. But many have said that Simon Snow is v...

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

If you are in the mood for a sweet romance that gives Groundhog Day and Ferris Bueller vibes then this book is for you. What happens if you wake up to the same Valentine’s Day and everything always goes not to plan? What if you are someone who likes to plan and not share how you are really feeling? Emilie, our female protagonist is very much a stickler for planning and keeping to societal norms. She never really speaks her mind. But this Valentine’s Day is different. She is different. I found that the book itself is quirky and fun. It does have moments of sadness but there is a lot of heart in terms of how it is done. There could have been more time with other characters that are mentioned throughout but at the end of the day it is very much a Young Adult piece. There is nothing wrong with that. Would I read it again? Possibly if I want a Valentines themed book. It was also very quick to read for those who are not into big tomes. Rating: 4 Stars

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

I’ve been following Ashley Poston’s work for a while. At first it was the comic con series back in 2020 when she first became known to me during COVID. After I read the series I forgot about her for a while. It was only when I went into my local Waterstones to pick up The Dead Romantics she came back under my radar. She is now one of my must buys if a new book comes out. Her take of the romantic genre has always been fresh and interesting with some form of magical realism. A Novel Love Story follows our heroine Elsy, otherwise referred to as Eileen. Unlucky in love she struggles to try new things. Instead, she is comforted by her favourite book series by her favourite author, Rachel Flowers. On her way to a cabin retreat by herself, she finds her car broken down in a town that is somewhat familiar to her favourite book series. I’m not going to lie, compared to Poston’s earlier novels this book took some time for me to get into. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve had to...