Georgia is off to Uni with her best friends Pip and Jason.  She is glad to leave her old school life behind, especially after an end of year party left her feeling confused and embarrassed.

There are few people who love romance stories more than Georgia. She loves every kind of trope there is, immersing herself in romance novels for years. They always leave her excited for her own romantic future. Who will she find and fall in love with? No one inspired those feelings at school, so maybe Uni will finally reveal someone perfect for only her.

Pip is gay and Georgia has always supported her when she crushed on someone, especially after crushing on a straight girl. Jason is only just over a toxic relationship at school and Georgia can see romance isn’t always roses, chocolates and butterflies, but still pines for some of the lovely stuff for herself.

She settles in to her College, which is separate from her friends due to study choices. At first she’s nervous being away from their safety net, and even more so when she is told she will be sharing with another.

But Rooney is the complete opposite personality – bright, popular, and confident with strangers. She is the perfect room mate for Georgia, helping to boost her confidence. Rooney’s love of Shakespeare is shared among Georgia and her friends and they get caught up in Rooney’s idea to put on a play. Along the way, Rooney and Pip clash, Georgia makes a terrible mistake with Jason and finally begins to question any possible romance in her future.

It’s not only because of mistakes made, but why she made those mistakes in the first place. Is she different from her peers somehow? Is romance never to be part of her life?

With some help from a third year student who is also the president of the LGBTQ+ College Soc. Georgia begins to get to know her true self, and that romance isn’t the only way you can truly love someone.

I loved this book! The cover doesn’t do it justice, but the author’s name should say it all anyway. The world knows Alice Oseman is a brilliant writer of LGBTQ+ fiction, after reading the graphic novels or seeing Heartstopper on their screens – but I love Loveless even more.

A young woman entering University is not only in a whole new world, but learning about herself at the same time. It is a journey full of trepidation, confusion, embarrassment and even guilt. But ultimately this path takes her to her true self and the realisation that romantic love isn’t all there is.

The friendships already established become even stronger, albeit with some rocky patches, and new friendships help this young woman learn to love herself too. She isn’t the only one struggling however, and soon learns the ones who may look the strongest are anything but. This novel is heartbreaking, funny, sassy, and a window into many lives, all struggling to find who they really are. Their strengthening friendships help strengthen them each as individuals.

Simply gorgeous tale of all kinds of love.

Author – Alice Oseman

Age – 16+

Want to read more Alice Oseman? Check out another review (Click on the Cover)

(2020, Harper Collins, LGBTQ+, Friendship, Romance, Love, Growing up, Secret, Peer Pressure, University, Unsure, Gay, Bisexual, Asexual, Non romantic love, Understanding, Uni life, Theatre, Shakespeare, Acting, Actors, Self Love, Room mate, TikTok)