Love Is for Losers

by Wibke Brueggemann

Overview

In this wry and hilarious queer YA romantic comedy, fifteen-year-old Phoebe realizes that falling in love is maybe not just for losers.

Did you know you can marry yourself? How strange / brilliant is that?

Fifteen-year-old Phoebe thinks falling in love is vile and degrading, and vows never to do it. Then, due to circumstances not entirely in her control, she finds herself volunteering at a local thrift shop. There she meets Emma . . . who might unwittingly upend her whole theory on life.

This is a laugh-out-loud exploration of sexuality, family, female friendship, grief, and community. With heart and hilarity, Wibke Brueggemann's sex-positive YA debut is perfect for readers who love Heartstopper and Casey McQuiston.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374313982
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	02/23/2021
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	892,812
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Wibke Brueggemann grew up in northern Germany and the southern United States, but calls London her home. She originally studied acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts but ended up becoming a writer. She has a Master's in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, where she was the recipient of the Bath Spa University Writing Award. Wibke enjoys traveling, and is a clandestine lover of romantic poetry and Renaissance art. Love is for Losers is her debut novel.
Wibke Brueggemann grew up in northern Germany and the southern United States, but calls London her home. She originally studied acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts but ended up becoming a writer. She has a Master's in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, where she was the recipient of the Bath Spa University Writing Award. Wibke enjoys traveling, and is a clandestine lover of romantic poetry and Rennaissance art. She is the author of Love is for Losers and Cupid's Revenge.

Editorial Reviews

A Lambda Literary Most Anticipated LGBTQ Book of the Month!
A Junior Library Guild Selection!
A Capitol Choices Selection!

"A sarcastic 15-year-old records angst—about her parents, first love and loss, and failure—in six months of achingly universal journal entries. Via journal entries told in Phoebe’s no-nonsense tone, debut author Brueggemann details the snarky, socially awkward protagonist’s growth as she experiences the messiness of attraction and love, and comes to appreciate the joy and pain of connection. Phoebe’s frequent internet searches and frank narration style manage to both entertain and inform on a wide variety of topics pertaining to sexuality and identity." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This is ultimately a thoughtful, funny, deeply emotional coming of age story, perfect for readers looking to commiserate with someone puzzling their way through life and love." —Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"The novel is told in daily diary entries, from New Year’s Day to Phoebe’s birthday in July; the entries reveal an endearing vulnerability under a (very funny) layer of snark." —Horn Book

From the Publisher

01/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—Fifteen-year-old Phoebe has an endless list of tasks to complete. She has to study for her all-important end-of-year exams, earn enough money to pay back her godmother, and—most importantly—figure out how to fall out of love with fellow thrift shop volunteer Emma. Phoebe is once again living with her godmother, Kate, because Phoebe's mum is off saving the world for months at a time. Again. Phoebe loves her godmother, but doesn't understand why her mom doesn't want to spend time with her. Phoebe can't even complain to her best friend Polly because Polly has a boyfriend now, and Tristan consumes all of her time. Told in diary format, readers see the world through Phoebe's sarcasm-rimmed glasses. Phoebe's wit is sometimes funny, but her story is mostly mundane. While her frustrations are real, honest, and understandable, the presentation leaves Phoebe coming across as whiny, particularly as each day seems to drag into the next. The story takes place in London, with main characters coded as white. Phoebe's grandparents are from Hong Kong, and she learns that her dead dad was Jewish and from Israel, but these facts are only mentioned superficially in passing. VERDICT While the everyday queer romance is cute, Phoebe's sarcasm won't hold the attention of readers as they relive the tedium of her day-to-day life.—Annamarie Carlson, Westerville P.L., OH

School Library Journal

2020-10-22
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.

Phoebe’s mum is off helping people again. She’s a doctor, and while she’s in Syria for six months, Phoebe is sent to live with her godmother, Kate. While volunteering at Kate’s thrift store, Phoebe works alongside a grumpy woman who hates her, a young man with Down syndrome who loves to bake, and Emma, who is “entirely effortless perfection.” Phoebe isn’t keen on making new friends since her BFF Polly only seems to care about her new boyfriend now, but Emma becomes her friend anyway. They spend time together with kittens and ice cream and find ways to make working at the shop more exciting. Eventually, Phoebe realizes her feelings for Emma are more than just friendship. Told through diary format, Phoebe’s voice is conversational and replete with hashtags and acronyms. The misanthropic teen can be hyperbolic and petulant, but she’s endearing for her sarcasm and wit. There’s not a central plot to the book; it’s a slice-of-life story, but descriptions of mundane days get tiresome. Many different topics, including family, friends, school, sexuality, grief, and faith, are explored, but while some are thoughtfully handled, others feel tacked on and lacking in substance. Primary characters are assumed white.

A sardonic voice drives an unfortunately tedious tale. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews