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elisabethkatee's review
4.25
to be with her is a sin, to be without her is a tragedy.
Holy jesus christ. this book took me a few chapters to get into but once i did oh man did it hit hard. i related to Lucy in SOO many ways and highlighted so many phrases and thoughts from her. this deep attachment to susannah and the feeling that she was some sort of god, until she realised susannah saw her in exactly the same way. it was so beautiful. the ending chapters TORE me apart and the ambiguous ending left me wanting more. i’m honestly so glad i persevered with this read cause BOY was it worth it!
i highly recommend to any girls out there who have ever fallen for another girl and felt so deeply entrenched in their desire that nothing could be stronger. i am crumbling at this book… in the best way possible.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder and Alcohol
cecereads__'s review
4.5
Sunburn is both literal and metaphorical with the mc and first person pov, Lucy, experiencing the gloriously bright sun that’s making her come alive, and the subsequent redness/mark and constant sting that can follow if we’re not careful; if we don’t take care of ourselves enough.
I really loved this. An Irish setting is always going to get me.
A sapphic coming-of-age story including all that comes with first love (eagerness, starry-eyes, forevers, intensity, etc) and with small-town mindsets and religious upbringings.
I know that Martin wasn’t told until the end for a reason. He’s a gem btw. I still wonder what he would have said about it being a shared secret he was in on to stop his heart from breaking too. Idk. Obviously Lucy was not ready to deal with her feelings even when time told her how she would still grow out of the town and the ppl with or without Susannah
I really loved this. An Irish setting is always going to get me.
A sapphic coming-of-age story including all that comes with first love (eagerness, starry-eyes, forevers, intensity, etc) and with small-town mindsets and religious upbringings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
dani794's review against another edition
3.75
“This Summer is breaking my heart into pieces, to reveal a new and better heart that only beats for her.”
the story was really nice and heartbreaking.
i had an issue with the prose, it felt very “tell not show” and i felt like i didn’t work too hard since a majority of things were told to me. But there were some moments that were written very poetically that they were emotional to read.
Poor Martin 😭
The obsession with spit and the part where Susannah was obsessed with the dirt under Lucy’s nails that she was biting out was ???? uhhh…
I mean you do you.
the story was really nice and heartbreaking.
i had an issue with the prose, it felt very “tell not show” and i felt like i didn’t work too hard since a majority of things were told to me. But there were some moments that were written very poetically that they were emotional to read.
Poor Martin 😭
The obsession with spit and the part where Susannah was obsessed with the dirt under Lucy’s nails that she was biting out was ???? uhhh…
I mean you do you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Eating disorder and Emotional abuse
hookerkitty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don’t think there’s a single person I’ve been attracted to, male or female, who made me obsessed with their spit or want to be masticated by them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Dementia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
mayhemreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The lesbian version of normal people!!
I’m speechless. I’m crying. I’m so happy this book exists. It is so so beautifully poetic (I feel like I highlighted half of this book) and absolutely heartbreaking. It has healed parts of my younger closeted self because it put into words what I was never able to. I’ll be thinking about and referring to Sunburn for a long time.
“I would drape my own soul over her body to protect her from eyes like mine.”
I’m speechless. I’m crying. I’m so happy this book exists. It is so so beautifully poetic (I feel like I highlighted half of this book) and absolutely heartbreaking. It has healed parts of my younger closeted self because it put into words what I was never able to. I’ll be thinking about and referring to Sunburn for a long time.
“I would drape my own soul over her body to protect her from eyes like mine.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
milliemarilyn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I listened to this as an audiobook through Libby. The sentence by sentence craft of this is incredible, if I had the physical copy I know it would be covered in highlights and notes.
However it was too much of a slow burn for me and the last third was a bit of a slog to finish. I completely understand the positive reviews though and wish I enjoyed it more
However it was too much of a slow burn for me and the last third was a bit of a slog to finish. I completely understand the positive reviews though and wish I enjoyed it more
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Eating disorder and Death of parent
bookishpip's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I received this book as a gift and I’m so glad that I did.
This is an absolutely gorgeous, heartwarming and heartbreaking account of growing up in a small Irish village. Very insular and religious, Lucy feels discomfort at the expectations of the people around her. She can’t understand why - until one summer when she begins to grow closer to her school friend, Susannah.
It’s an incredibly insightful account of coming to terms with a queer identity in the face of prejudice and discrimination. The fight between being true to herself and her love for Susannah or being accepted by everyone she knows and loves, is an internal turmoil so intimate and true to so many in the LGBTQ+ community, even today.
Although I’m so glad that this book exists and was so thankful to read this (and easy 5*!), go easy with this if LGBTQ+ discrimination (especially linked to religion) might be triggering for you.
🧡
This is an absolutely gorgeous, heartwarming and heartbreaking account of growing up in a small Irish village. Very insular and religious, Lucy feels discomfort at the expectations of the people around her. She can’t understand why - until one summer when she begins to grow closer to her school friend, Susannah.
It’s an incredibly insightful account of coming to terms with a queer identity in the face of prejudice and discrimination. The fight between being true to herself and her love for Susannah or being accepted by everyone she knows and loves, is an internal turmoil so intimate and true to so many in the LGBTQ+ community, even today.
Although I’m so glad that this book exists and was so thankful to read this (and easy 5*!), go easy with this if LGBTQ+ discrimination (especially linked to religion) might be triggering for you.
🧡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Eating disorder and Emotional abuse
joensign's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder and Death of parent
roisinmai's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder