nicology's review against another edition
4.0
Great book! Brings awareness about mental health issues and was very compelling to read.
steph01924's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, I think. I finally got to read a full-length book from Brandy Colbert! I think her writing itself was great and I loved little bits of this book so much, but I think overall I wasn't in the headspace to a) deal with the love triangle (I was also having some flashbacks to her short story in the love triangle book where the nice, sweet guy got shafted for the bad-boy BFF in jail and I worried for Emil) and b) deal with the subject matter. I did love Suzette's family situation and her parents rocked, and it flowed together really well. I definitely need to read more from Colbert!
krissyronan's review against another edition
4.0
Such a wonderful story. Well-developed characters in a plot that felt fresh but still relatable. Now I want to read other Colbert books.
audreysova's review against another edition
4.0
Life can be complicated, and this book deals with themes that when overlapping lead to a lot of doubts and uncertainty. The blended family dynamic remained solid throughout though Little and Lion played on the insecurities that come with a family that is chosen, rather than by blood. Really powerful.
annehalliwell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’m not really a realistic fiction person, but that should not detract from the objective quality of this story. It’s well done, even if I won’t want to revisit it.
cedardleland's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
brianreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this YA coming-of-age novel. What I loved about it was how it centered the narrative around teen characters with real intersectional identities. No one is one-dimentional or stereotypical. Black, Asian, mixed-race, female, bi-sexual, lesbian, bipolar and Jewish. This book was written for a younger audience than me, but it was still welcome to read Colbert's representation of the teen angst, joy and anxiety. It felt more honest in approach than other YA novels I've read recently where the characters felt overly confident or adult in the way they interacted with the world. I'm not sure how old Colbert is but she captured that life stage well. She weaved together how each one of us felt insecure in our own self, and the compounding issues faced by a young queer woman of color and her white Jewish brother suffering from mental illness.
I remember what it felt like growing up to find even one book in the library that had positive or realistic portrayals of gay teens. The feeling of joy on reading characters like me, of how much more I could relate to the story, even if it took place far from my daily reality. So I can only imagine what this book has meant to young women of color or a young person living with bipolar at the same time they're coming into their adulthood.
Little & Lion is well-deserving of the awards it received (ALA’s 2018 Stonewall Book Award, listed to ALA’s 2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults, among others). This one would be a great, meaningful gift for any young adult in your life - no matter who they are, they'll either see themselves represented in some way or learn from the stories of others.
I remember what it felt like growing up to find even one book in the library that had positive or realistic portrayals of gay teens. The feeling of joy on reading characters like me, of how much more I could relate to the story, even if it took place far from my daily reality. So I can only imagine what this book has meant to young women of color or a young person living with bipolar at the same time they're coming into their adulthood.
Little & Lion is well-deserving of the awards it received (ALA’s 2018 Stonewall Book Award, listed to ALA’s 2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults, among others). This one would be a great, meaningful gift for any young adult in your life - no matter who they are, they'll either see themselves represented in some way or learn from the stories of others.
sonni89's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Oh god, this was so unique and interesting and I REALLY enjoyed it.
The book was so diverse and wonderful, and Suzette's bisexuality was so well done, I thought. (I have read criticism from people about her fulfilling a trope, but having a crush on a guy and a girl at the same time is totally legit, and I never felt like she veered too much into emotionally cheating on Emil with Rafaela because I'd argue she and Emil were not serious enough for exclusivity yet at any point she and Rafaela were flirting, and the one time something could have happened when they were Suzette shuts that down immediately.) So yeah, the bi rep in this was not bad at all, I thought.
The relationship between Suzette and her brother Lionel was so well done, too, and everything about their story was so devastating and captivating and I genuinely felt for Suzette so much.
I kind of wish we'd gotten a little bit more of a fallout/resolution at the end, it felt like the book ended too fast after the Major Event. But other than that, it was SO GOOD. A+ for representation, too.
The book was so diverse and wonderful, and Suzette's bisexuality was so well done, I thought. (I have read criticism from people about her fulfilling a trope, but having a crush on a guy and a girl at the same time is totally legit, and I never felt like she veered too much into emotionally cheating on Emil with Rafaela because I'd argue she and Emil were not serious enough for exclusivity yet at any point she and Rafaela were flirting, and the one time something could have happened when they were
Spoiler
after Lionel disappeared and Rafaela lies down in bed with SuzetteThe relationship between Suzette and her brother Lionel was so well done, too, and everything about their story was so devastating and captivating and I genuinely felt for Suzette so much.
I kind of wish we'd gotten a little bit more of a fallout/resolution at the end, it felt like the book ended too fast after the Major Event. But other than that, it was SO GOOD. A+ for representation, too.
teacher2library's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5 stars for me.
There were some things I really liked about this book. The stepsiblings, for example. I feel like we rarely see steps in literature despite the fact that many people (myself included) don't have fully related siblings, only halves or steps. The relationship between Little & Lion and the bipolar representation and diversity in general were some of my favorite things about this book.
My main problem was Suzette.
Who is she? What does she like? What does she do when she's not thinking about whether or not she likes boys or girls? I never discovered. Listening to Suzette's mental angst every chapter about her love life or Lionel (but mostly her love life) got really old really fast. Teenagers are wonderful dynamic human beings with interests and passions outside of sex, and they deserve to be represented that way in literature.
There were some things I really liked about this book. The stepsiblings, for example. I feel like we rarely see steps in literature despite the fact that many people (myself included) don't have fully related siblings, only halves or steps. The relationship between Little & Lion and the bipolar representation and diversity in general were some of my favorite things about this book.
My main problem was Suzette.
Who is she? What does she like? What does she do when she's not thinking about whether or not she likes boys or girls? I never discovered. Listening to Suzette's mental angst every chapter about her love life or Lionel (but mostly her love life) got really old really fast. Teenagers are wonderful dynamic human beings with interests and passions outside of sex, and they deserve to be represented that way in literature.