Books & Literature

Book Review: Love is for Losers, by Wibke Brueggemann

YOUNG ADULT: A laugh-out-loud look at first love, loss and trying to avoid the girl of your dreams when 15 year old Phoebe tries to navigate the months leading up to her 16th birthday.

This is a very enjoyable read and one that will leave you hoping for a second volume.
5

From the opening sentence, 15-year-old narrator Phoebe Davis endears herself to the reader and preps them for the funny, heart-warming and romance-free romantic adventure that is her life.

“Did you know you can marry yourself?” she asks. “How strange/brilliant is that?” And immediately, we know this oddball commentary is the first of many observations that will capture our hearts and minds.

Phoebe is against dating and romance of any kind (other than falling for the odd kitten). Through a series of diary entries, each with their own on-point hashtag, she unveils her life in the six months leading into her 16th birthday. Her abstract view of life and opinions about everything colour her world and navigate her through the trials and tribulations of high school exams, parental relationships, and her own awaking sexuality and interest in a fellow student. She’s resistant all the way, but that churning brain of her always gets there in the end.

This book is utterly delightful! From the very first page, Brueggemann has created a loveable narrator who is surrounded by a community of relatable, likeable, ordinary people. More-so, they are easily understood despite Phoebe’s skewed view of the world. In fiction, every story needs a challenge to overcome and for this, it’s Phoebe herself, who is both protagonist and villain, having to overcome her own fears and confusions to progress in life.

Her diary entries are often laugh-out-loud funny and, even in the face of tragedy, she finds humour to keep herself afloat. She’s never a bad person but doesn’t always do the right thing. She’s quick to have an opinion, and sometimes slow to know when she’s wrong. But Brueggemann’s superb characterisation keeps all this depth enshrined in the kind of gal you’d be proud to know.

The chatty, sassy, easy style of the writing makes for a pleasant read, with the use of diary entries rather than direct narration giving us an insight into Phoebe’s psyche that may have otherwise been missing. Love is for Losers is a feel-good romantic comedy despite any protestations the main character may have. It’s a highly enjoyable read and one that will leave you hoping for a second volume.

Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet

This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not necessarily of Glam Adelaide.

Distributed by: Pan Macmillan Australia
Released: March 2021
RRP: $17.99 hardback, $9.99 eBook

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