How Hard Can Love Be? (The Spinster Club Series #2)

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I absolutely love the way Holly Bourne writes. Her writing style is so easy and comfortable to read. I always find myself flying through her books and How Hard Can Love Be? was no exception to that. I loved all of the characters (I kinda hate myself for essentially going against everything the spinster club stands for...) he was utterly adorable and perfectly imperfect, which was so annoying, that it wasn't even annoying (this sentence makes sense to me, okay?...) I adored Amber's character, she was feisty, vulnerable, insecure and confident all at the same time. She was a well rounded, imperfect human being and although she was a little irritating at times, I almost liked her even more for it. If I had read this when I was 15, I would have enjoyed this much more, but as I haven't the book fell a bit flat for me. I was also really impressed by how Evie’s story (Am I Normal Yet?) ties in with this new novel; Evie’s presence is clearly baked into this story but not so much that it’s just a byproduct of the first novel. While reading, I was thinking that this book aces the Bechdel test (girls taking about things other than boys). So I was amused and delighted to see that it was also IN the book as a topic of conversation. Holly Bourne did an excellent job of creating a character who is dealing with OCD, whilst desperately trying to live a normal, teenage life. Of inspiring empathy into the reader, celebrating differences and just accepting people as they are. Flaws and all.

How Hard Can Love Be? establishes in my mind a definite trend for Holly Bourne’s endings. She likes happy endings, but she also loves realism. I’ve seen that in both of the other novels of hers that I’ve read. Bourne likes to show her readers that the possibility always exists to be all right, but she also reminds us that life never promises you’ll stay that way. I like books that are optimistic while still reminding us that there are no promises, that nothing is ever a given. And I was just about to judge her, when she said: "I'm so mad they got rid of Slytherin, I mean, Snape was, like, the best one," as she walked over, and I learned a lesson about not judging people until you've found out whether or not they've read Harry Potter." Ooh this was so lovely. It was adorable, funny, heartwarming & breaking, had a wonderful cast of character and delved into topics not always discussed in YA AND it was set in a US summer camp. What more could you want? The characters were so fun and realistic. Evie's best friends, Amber and Lottie are great characters and I loved the interactions between these three. They have a great friendship. They discuss everything together, from gossip to actual deep things. That is the girl friendship I want to see more of!

The main love interest did, like, at least 2 speeches on how rough it is to be a “nice guy” and my butthole clenched each and every time without fail. Fitting that his name is , I kid you not, “Kyle”. Ik leefde enorm met het hoofdpersonage mee. ik voelde haar ellende, ik voelde haar uitgelatenheid, ik maakte me dermate zorgen om haar dat ik het in mijn buik voelde.. Daarnaast, waar het eerste boek erg ging over OCD, gaat dit boek over identiteit. Wie ben je, waarom, wat maakt je wie je bent, wat vormt je op welke manier. Geweldig goed uitgewerkt. En het probleem van de gescheiden ouders en een alcoholische ouder is ook erg sterk neergezet.

Inspired by what she saw, she started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When she turned thirty, Holly wrote her first adult novel, 'How Do You Like Me Now?', examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark. confessionsofabooklover (25 July 2015). "Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 May 2018. Lottie’s face was read, and she punched the air. “It won’t make the world change for the better! It won’t make me change for the better. I won’t grow, if I just accept what’s what. The world won’t grow. The same unfair shit will just keep happening, and yes it’s easier to roll over and say, ‘That’s too hard and annoying, I just want to eat some pie’ but it’s not the right thing…” Am I Normal Yet? was one of my favourites when I first read it, for so many reasons and I'd been putting this off because I was worried that it would disappoint me in comparison but it didn't, at all. In fact, I loved it for so many totally different reasons. It wasn't so difficult or heavy for me to read and it combined so many things I love in a book (give me all the US road trip and summer camp narratives please!) The topics discussed (alcoholism, family break ups, first love etc) were really great to read about and I thought Holly approached them in a very accessible way. I loved the relationships portrayed, not just between Kyle and Amber but also Amber's friendships both old and new (although I'm really hoping that Whinnie isn't totally forgotten by Amber, I loved her and her wonderful philosophies!)

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This book definitely found a place in my heart and I now need to go and read the rest in the series, and her other books. If you love a little bit of cheesy highschool romance I think you will love this but also if you like books that allow you to almost submerge yourself in the role of the character this very much does so. I now feel the need to run away to America to explore more, the little road trips in this book just sounded so gorgeous. Holly Bourne really understands life, insecurities and opinions for teens and I think her writing is some of the best portrayals of it I've ever read. --Miriam is Reading I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for their next book to read. Holly’s an amazing writer, and she’s only gone and done it again with How Hard Can Love Be? This book really gets it and I hope readers would give this a chance and understand what it really means to be a feminist by relating it to the concept of gender equality. Because why does it have to be wrong for a girl to be happy because of a guy when he is also happy because of her? Bourne was one of the headlining authors of the 2019 London Book Fair, appearing as 'Children’s Author of the Day' on the final day. [15] Recognitions [ edit ]