Loveless

Written by Alice Oseman

Narrated by Elisabeth Hopper

WINNER OF THE YA BOOK PRIZE 2021

LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI CHILDREN’S & YA BOOK PRIZE 2022

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The fourth novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire and the graphic novel series Heartstopper – now a major Netflix series.

It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.

‘A joyous, disarmingly honest book that seems to leap right inside the mind of a teenage girl’ Independent [now iNews]

‘Loveless is an ode to friendship and platonic soulmates; this cosy blanket of a novel understandably won the YA Book Prize 2021’ Irish Times

‘A joyful tale of self-discovery” The Bookseller

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Jul 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9780008244149

Alice Oseman

Alice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter. Alice is the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance comic Heartstopper, and the writer, creator, and executive producer for the Emmy Award-winning television adaptation for Netflix, produced by See-Saw. Alice has written every episode and been involved at every stage, from casting to music. Alice is the author of several YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: Solitaire (published when she was 19), Radio Silence, I Was Born for This, and Loveless (a New York Times bestseller). Alice’s books have won, been shortlisted, or nominated for a number of awards, including the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards. Alice was named the Attitude Person of the Year 2023, and The British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year.

Reviews for Loveless

[Célia Posta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

loved it! it was such a cute book with nice representation of the lgbtq+ community and aro-ace people

[Katy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really incredible book about self discovery, sexuality and the pressure to be straight.

[gena678 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the book I wish I had in high school. This is the book I am now going to make my mom read because our conversations on this subject don't really seem to end in comprehension from her. This is the subject that needs to be a topic in many many more books because I am sick of reading romance plot after romance plot and living for secondary characters who are allowed to exist without a significant other. This needs to be made into a TV series!

[Matilda Póli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Annyira örülök, hogy elolvastam ezt a kötetet, mert nagyon kis szívmelengető és átérezhető volt. (A hangoskönyvben pedig a felolvasás stílusa nagyon sokat hozzáad az élményhez.)
Az elején nagyon át tudtam érezni Georgia helyzetét (ez az "Úristen, hogy lehet hogy itt vagy 18 éves és még csak meg sem csókoltak?"). Középiskolában én is úgy éreztem, hogy rajtam kívül mindenki rá van feszülve erre a témára, én meg csak olvasni akartam (mondjuk nem fanfictiont, az veszélyes terület). :D
Itt volt egy icipici problémám egyedül: Georgia nekem kicsit túl ráfeszült arra, hogy mindenképpen szereznie kell pasit meg szexuális tapasztalatot, és egy ponton ez már nekem nagyon túlerőltetett volt. Mármint tényleg annyira ez volt az egyetlen, ami a szeme előtt lebegett. Természetesen ez okozta a bonyodalmakat is, de azért a belső gondolatainál néha nagyon sok volt ez nekem.
Ezt leszámítva abszolút csodálatos a könyv. A központi téma a szeretet és hogy nem csak romantikus kapcsolatban szerethet valakit igazán az ember, hanem igenis vannak barátságok, amik legalább annyi szeretetet hordoznak, vagy még többet.
Alice Oseman karakterei ugyan drámáznak, de az bennük a legjobb, hogy a végén mindig megbeszélik rendesen a helyzetet, és ezért kibékülnek, ami más drámázós tini könyvekben nem feltétlen van jelen. És itt rendesen megbeszélik az érzéseiket és a gondolataikat és meghallgatják egymást, és ez oldja fel a feszültséget. És nem értik egymást szándékosan félre sem.
Többször meg is könnyeztem az eseményeket, de nem szomorú, hanem boldogságkönnyek voltak ám. Főleg az előbb említett kibékülések okozták, azok annyira jók voltak, hogy megérdemelték, hogy a testem 40 fokban vizet pazaroljon rájuk. :D

[wealth inequality · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful as always. Writing of Alice is simplistic and heart warming.

[Tiny Voorspoels · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly good! I loved every letter of it! The characters are so lovely and you feel like you really get to know them. I laughed and cried. Suberb!

[Eena Macaspac · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Forever filed under: Books I wish I had when I was a teen

[Andrea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wish I had stumbled upon a story like this when I was a teenager, it would have made understanding myself a lot easier. I can relate to the protagonist in so many ways.

The story of Georgia is really fun and at least for me her struggles were very relatable.

[Nico · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As an AroAce myself the story was extremely relatable, almost frightening, the detail & thoughts that Georgia had were practically the same. The story, plot, characters were just amazing!

[Lucia Garcia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely story about teenage discovery, growth, acceptance and self-discovery, with friendship and the concept of self at the center.
A beautiful story that touches points that need more representation, specially during developing years like the teenage years.

[Tadeja Kuhar · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

2.5⭐
I'm still not sure how I feel about this book...
I hated all the characters! Especially Georgia. I understand that she was trying to find her sexuality, but this was all she could think about and talk about. Because of this, she even hurt her friends. When she "found herself" they all just forgave her!? Her every second word was I don't know who I am; I don't know what I feel...BLA BLA BLA!
I'm sorry! I loved Alice Oseman Heartstopper, but this was just a NO from me.
This audiobook made it easier to finish a book.

[Leslie Figueroa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Me siento atacada por como me relacione con los personajes, pero amé como cuenta la historia es la magia de Alice Oseman, y el amor platónico en su máximo esplendor ??

[Marta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Never before have I read a book about a story like this.
I am aromantic myself, and I saw so many similarities to my life.
The book is great, the story is fun and complete, the characters are adorable.
Definitely recommend, like everything Alice Oseman wrote :)

[Laura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 I really liked it, it was really heartwarming and lovely, I haven't read a book centered in asexuality in a long time, I'm so glad I read this one

[Katie Kitkat Halliday · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this one it was a great lgbtq plus book

[Vanessa Mae Flores · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's is a beautiful and wonderful story. Thank you Alice. ☺️❤️

[Natalia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute book to help you understand what asexual is and how to be a better friend.

[Eda Savaseri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a lovely read! Alice Oseman really knows how to get an emotion from the reader. I read this after the Heartstopper graphic novels and now I'm curious to read more from them. The characters in this book are so lovable and real, they reminded me of my own friends and I even teared up towards the end. As an audiobook the narrator did a great job too!

[Viktoria Presttun Strøm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

? ? ? + ? ? ? = ? ?✨

[Faiza Fazle Soheli · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An Absolutely wonderful read! 5 stars from me all the way!

[Ina Schmidbauer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

lovely aroace representation! it's a great read to understand some aspects of being aro and/or ace! :)
I only wish the author would have done a better job with the nonbinary character in the book. he introduces themself using he/him as well as they/them pronouns, but after that statement everybody only ever refers to them by he/him. having two or more different pronoun sets generally does not mean the other person can just decide which set to use and then do so exclusively, but instead to at least switch from time to time and not get stuck on one.

[Maria Fernandez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is just something about Alice Oseman’s books that makes them so so wholesome and relatable and special and this one was just perfect!

[Romy Lara Villa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great read! As an ace myself, I wish I could have had this book in my teens or even twenties; it was such a comfort to meet this super relatable character, to see my own experiences reflected in hers. This book has a good dose of humor, very millennial/gen Z writing and cultural references which made me very happy. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Also, HUGE PROPS to the audiobook narrator as they did an amazing job! They had me laughing out loud with the text messages. XD

[Gayatri Varma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. I am so glad today teenagers get to read this book.

[sitoleux · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is something truly healing about reading a novel that is written by a queer author for and about queer people. The style is accessible, the characters endearing and some of the themes hit close to home even when you’re not aspec. A lot of love flows in and out of this story and in a variety of ways, and I really enjoyed how important platonic friendships are shown to be. This is an important book, and I hope it opens the way for more aro-ace representation in the future.

[Sarah Yousef · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It just made me feel seen. I’m not aro/ace, I’m a romantic ace. I knew that before reading the book ofc, but georgia’s journey was close to home. This book should be taught at schools.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This well done YA novel is by the author of the charming gay graphic novel series Heartstopper. As she did there, she demonstrates insight and affection for her young characters who are striving to understand themselves and their sexuality. in this one Georgia and her friends Pip and Jason are in their first year at university. Georgia is a wonderful, sensible friend who is inexperienced in romantic relationships and sex and hopes to get on with it now that she's away from home. She eventually learns that love comes in many forms that do not necessarily involve sex or romance. Around her Pip (an out lesbian) and Jason (a pleasant undefined young man) and Georgia's vibrant roommate Rooney (heterosexual, but maybe not) are exploring and sorting out their own lives. The author has a keen ear for how young people talk, and a talent for creating believable, endearing characters. Besides enjoying the story, I learned a lot. The book has been selling well, and it makes me happy to think that a lot of young people are reading it.P.S. The author is only 28 and already has established quite a track record.

[jonez-6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.75

Such an amazing read. Loved the ace rep in this and wish this book was around when I was in high-school/college and questioning things. I also adored the friendships in this book. The writting was very good as was the pacing. A clear new favorite.

[psalva-706031 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am glad that I finally read this. It's a really pleasant story with good asexual representation. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but the story developed nicely. I would recommend it to folks interested in asexual experiences, romance, and friendship stories.

[villemezbrown · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A nice little novel about friendship, love, sexual identity, and Shakespeare plays. The pacing was the only fault as the writer falls into that trope of having the plot conveniently span the entire first year of college. Sure, it's realistic that the characters need time to work out identity issues, but it gets to be a little slow going for a reader who knows where it's going. Still, the characters are a Scooby gang I wouldn't mind hanging with again.For fans of Oseman's Solitaire and the Heartstopper graphic novels, this novel briefly shares a setting with them, though not any characters that I noticed.