At last, an asexual mc! Not only ace but a biromantic, asexual black mc! Plus an ace pun!? I’m sold.
Title: Let’s Talk About Love
Author: Claire Kann
Synopsis: Though she’s aware of her orientation, with her recent breakup and seeing the cutest new intern, Takumi (aka Soft BoyTM), Alice worries about her sexual orientation (is she really ace if Takumi just broke her Cutie CodeTM?) and struggles to divulge her orientation to others. Instead of a relaxing summer, now she has to face her growing feelings for Takumi, the hidden feelings about third-wheeling her best friends, and the pressure of her family to go to law school.
Genre: YA Fiction/ New Adult
Tags: LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Note: I can only attest to the ace representation in this novel. I cannot attest to the biromantic or woc representation.
I was slightly disappointed to learn that Alice already learned her sexual orientation in high school, from her health teacher, nonetheless ( 😮 *le gasp). However, I loved that while she’s aware about her orientation, she worried about if she really was asexual when Takumi broke her Cutie CodeTM. The doubt and confusion and seeming upheaval of identity resonated with me. Most importantly is the first chapter: Alice’s girlfriend breaks up with her on the basis of Alice’s asexuality, and Alice has trouble sharing her asexual orientation. It hit hard, it hit home, and it hooked me.
Claire Kann’s writing is fun and playful. The narrator is bouncy and bubbly, sometimes pushing the quirkiness a little too much, but matches Alice’s character really well. The tone is light even in the serious discussions, but I feel this attributes to Alice’s lightheartedness.
The relationships in this novel though, holy heck. First of all, the siblings. Finally, an author who understands sibling dynamics; there’s none of that “hey bro” “hi sis” plain water here: “Was there a greater joy than antagonizing one’s siblings? Probably not.” (and that’s the Tea.) Then there’s the Found Family aspect I totally adore. Alice and her friends, Feenie and Ryan, live together over the summer and have Family Nights. They fight for each other, but they also fight with each other. While disheartening, I enjoyed the bit of realism: friends fight, miscommunication happens, and it sucks. But the outcome is warming ^.^