I liked a lot of this book. The dry, steam of consciousness style was compelling. Recognized myself in the white folks who just don't get it. This is why it's important for (white folks especially) to read diversely. I enjoyed the supporting characters, Nan and Maggie; the queer elders I wish we all had.

My biggest issue was Elsie's complete and total lack of any ability to communicate whatsoever. When the plot would come to a raging halt if everyone just sat down and had a good DTR (define the relationship), the rest of the book loses verve. I get that it's young people and all, but even after her friend tells her to be honest, it goes nowhere. That being said, it is a pretty accurate depiction of young queer love where the people involved have no idea what they're doing.

Also, where did the poetry go? I feel like the second half would have been stronger if the poems had kept appearing. 

While it seems a lot of people didn't like the ending, I thought it fit with the book. There's a lot of tough shit going on in life and ending the book while that tough shit is going on seemed apropos to me. 

Backstage at a performance, Elsie describes herself as “numb, nervous, brilliantly alive” - and I think that’s the perfect way to describe this book. 

Liv Little has been able to craft an incredibly genuine and compelling story, with characters you’ll be all too familiar with if you’re a queer living in London. Indeed, this book is properly atmospheric - not as in foggy or ethereal, but in that it creates such a clear mood, vibe, space, context. 

The novel is peppered with references - from the coil to Corinne Bailey Rae, Peckham Rye and Rubicon Mango. These all contribute to it feeling really real. In many ways, everything feels quite mundane. Messy and dramatic in a twenty-something, not-figured-it-out way, but mundane. 

When the drama hit, I almost wanted it more pared back - more slice of life-like, but that’s just because this novel does that really well. It’s at its most beautiful when Elsie is channeling Little’s poetry and describing all of the little big details which dog and uplift her life. 

As a narrator, she’s quietly reflective, but likes to conjure up vivid images and dispense the occasional tidbit of wisdom. The poetry included in the book, written by Kai-Isaiah Jamal, is beautiful and fits in effortlessly. But the bigger feat, for me, is that even without those poems - Elsie is written like a poet. 

This shines through when Elsie appraises art and music, and bodies. These descriptions hit so well, and you can tell how fascinated she is by lyricism, words, desire.