Book: Let’s Talk About Love

Author: Claire Kann 

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Published: January 23rd, 2018.

Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating–no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.

But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).

When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.

I have never read a book were an asexual representation is full frontal, I need such books in my life because the feels and how great it is to be able to relate to a character. Not only is she asexual, she’s bi and also a black girl, who is beautiful inside and out, repping the black girl magic to the max.

This book is written in the third person voice, but our protagonist is Alice a biromantic ace. You have to note that, there is no specific rule or way to be an asexual (ace) because asexuality is different on many scales for many asexuals out there. Hence the different groups within the ace community that best represents how to classify and define your asexuality. The one thing that is dominant about asexuals is that we do not feel sexual attraction to others, it means what it says and do not confuse it with not having sexual feelings.

Now onto the story itself. Alice is going to make questionable decisions throughout this book, which only adds to her personality and helps her grow and understand herself better. I love it because it shows how young people can be independent and working to achieve what’s best for them, it shows how it’s okay to follow your own path in life even if no one supports you i.e. your family members. This book preaches for us to fight and stand up for what we want, without stomping on others to do so. I mean college is a trip and struggled especially for people who are undecided and don’t really know what they want to do yet.

Yes, Alice is bi, even if she’s with a guy, she is bi and no one should try and erase that fact, just because the story starts with her girlfriend breaking up with her.

I love the love in this book all around, among her best friends, her co-workers, her love interest and her family. There are ups and down in all the relationships we get lucky enough to read and understand, but it’s the flaws, the arguments and how it is being handled that make the book as endearing as it is. Alice is a female Black American youth, who comes from a happy home, with a family that is doing well. I love this portrayal of black people because happy unbroken black families who are doing well for themselves exist, but it also reminds us that Black Americans, or black people in America no matter how successful of sheltered they might be, will always be subjected to racist comments and undertones, which we get to see in certain instances in this book.

please do note that people do say all these racist things to people of colour, I don’t get how they don’t know how offensive it is to spout something or think something about a person of colour because of westernized stereotyping of such people, it just shows how ignorant certain groups of people can be.

Alice friendship with Feenie and Ryan is a wonderful one, but it had me shaking my head and being sympathetic towards Alice in a lot of instances and my feelings for Feenie is a complex one because, in all honesty, I think Feenie was being unfair to Alice, but whatever I guess the explanation works. Her friendship with them is beautiful nonetheless.

So there’s Takumi, who is Japanese and he was an okay character, he’s not bad, I like him I swear but I just feel like he isn’t the best person for Alice relationships but that’s my own opinion I guess. I love the inclusion of his nieces Mayumi and Megumi, found that really cute to read. Alice and Takumi got to talk and understand each other a bit as people of colour, where they were able to share and speak about the racist’s things people have done or said to them, so kudos to Claire Kann on that.

This is a very young adult book and I love it. When I say young adult, I mean the characters act their age as it is to be expected, so y’all coming for the book being a classic trope fest of all other YA books need to go sit your ass down somewhere no one has to hear or read your whinings.