Another day, another delightful YA contemporary! Love Is for Losers is another novel I wish I'd had growing up. (And, yes, it definitely had me at its comparisons to Sex Education.)



Love Is for Losers 
by Wibke Brueggeman 

In this wry and hilarious queer 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 the heart and hilarity of Netflix's critically-acclaimed Sex Education, Wibke Brueggemann's sex positive debut is required reading for Generation Z teens. Think of this as Bridget Jones' Diary, if it were written by Bridget's daughter.


For reasons unknown to me, I kept procrastinating Love Is for Losers. Although it sounded like an absolute must-read, in my opinion, I was a little nervous that I might be hyping it up a bit too much in my mind. Unsurprisingly, I was wrong and absolutely need to climb to the roof to shout about how much fun I had reading Love Is for Losers.

The format made the experience all the more intimate and humorous.

Love Is for Losers has so many desirable traits to it, that makes it one of the best explorations (in recent memory) of growing up, self-discovery and something about it feels achingly authentic. Not once does Love Is for Losers feel like anything but the coming of age tale it was destined to be and that is so very important. When I was younger, I remember there were far too many young adult books where teenagers didn't feel--or act--like teenagers.

What makes it so refreshing in terms of its characters is just how flawed and young they really are. I found myself easily seeing the me of years ago in Phoebe. Watching her grow and make the effort to really learn, and understand, the world as she sees it was some of the best character development I've seen in YA this year. And it makes her all the more obtainable--kids, and adults, will easily feel for her and see parts of themselves within her.

No, really. I love that these characters consistently think in a way that is ignorant, but that they learn from it. It's so endearing and frustrating and it feels like life. Love Is for Losers, too, has its spotty parts that make for an engrossing read--it is so easy to cringe, and then laugh, at many exchanges or parts in the narration.

Ultimately, Love Is for Losers tackles many topics of importance that are highly relevant in the day to day lives of teenagers. Wibke Brueggeman never underestimates the target audience and creates a fun, engaging, and honest novel of epic proportions that absolutely cannot be missed. Love Is for Losers has a little something for everyone and will surely be a beloved favourite within the literary community.