One Friday afternoon, I wandered into my local bookshop, starving for some queer fiction. My eyes scrolled down the decorated-in-rainbow column of young adult fiction until they hit the bottom of the shelf.
Almost nothing had registered until I found this bold pink, yellow and purple cover titled "Lover Birds" By Leanne Egan. Yes, I love a book by its cover – harking back to my own visual arts practice and personal joy found in great design.
'Lover Birds' tells the tales of finding friendships, salvaging relationships and romance, as well as the formidable force of finding oneself over time.
We are introduced to Eloise, a born and bred Liverpudlian, with her squad of friends in one of the final years of high school.
Eloise brings us a thoughtful level of introspection as she navigates the reader through the maelstrom of growing teenage pains, including ADHD diagnosis, A-levels, and other agonies. But it’s the overwhelming terror and fear of being known that grips the reader.
The enemies-to-lovers narrative takes hold as we are introduced to her counterpart rival, Isabel. It all begins to feel like a modern-day' Ride and Prejudice' with the quick-witted banter and undertones of classism. There is a lot of blushing and shyness, which masterfully builds the tensions in between the verbal jousts of these characters.
Reading "Lover Birds" sparked so much queer joy for me; it soothed a part of my own heart-that. Queer kids can live, laugh and be more than just accepted.
A delightful ride of emotion for those seeking softer classic nuance. "Lover Birds" 'is now available online or at your local bookshop.
PS. Dear Leanne Egan. Thank you for letting the queer kids live.
Synopsis
With an irresistible enemies-to-lovers romance, and perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Becky Albertalli, Lover Birds is a beautifully-written, inclusive and heart-pounding romance.
When Isabel Williams moves to Liverpool, she criticises seemingly everything in Eloise Byrne's life – her city, her accent, her trademark boldness – so if, when she catches Isabel staring, Eloise feels her pulse race, it must be because they hate each other. It surely couldn't be for any other reason, could it? Eloise needs to get her ADHD under control in time for A-Levels, but when she meets Isabel, school becomes the least of her concerns. What begins as outright contempt turns into an oddly satisfactory rivalry, but for their rivalry to shift further into romance, their relationship must withstand Isabel's classism, Eloise's distrust, and whatever secrets their friends are hiding from them.
With a wonderful cast of characters, an irresistible romance, and an incredibly moving and powerful portrayal of ADHD, Lover Birds is an unmissable debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.
READ FUSE ONLINE
READ FUSE DIGITAL