Book Review: Officially Losing It by Rebecca Anderson
Officially Losing It by Rebecca Anderson
Published: July 4th 2024 by Scholastic
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Genres: Young Adult // Contemporary, Coming-Of-Age
Quick Thoughts: One of the funniest, bravest, and most heartfelt YA books I’ve ever read. A modern mix of Agony Aunt advice, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging humour swirled with the openness of Sex Education.
Reader Information:
Contains discussions and explanations of a sexual nature, including references of sex, body image and a medical setting. Recommended reading age 15+.
I was gifted this book via the Publisher. There was no obligation to post/give this book a certain rating. All views are my own. I remain entirely impartial.
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About This Book:
A frank, relatable and outrageously funny YA novel full of heart, friendship and the utter chaos of first relationships, perfect for fans of Sex Education, Holly Bourne and Ciara Smyth.
This book contains frank content of a sexual nature. When Rose decides to lose her virginity to her gorgeous, sweet boyfriend, Joel, the scene is set for a major milestone. Except, when it comes to it, they can’t seem to make it … happen. Rose’s ‘epic sex fail’ freaks her out. Isn’t everyone else having an easy, fun, painless time?!
The problem is, she’s already told her best friends she’s done it. And, worse still, while Rose unpicks her health issue, her relationship with Joel starts to crack under the pressure.
But it turns out sex is not always straightforward for others either, and Rose soon becomes the accidental confidante of cringe. Maybe bodies and relationships are as weird and unique as we are? And maybe what she really needs to lose is shame?
Mean Girls level quotability and a loveable cast of down-to-earth characters reminiscent of Derry Girls and The Inbetweeners. A wildly entertaining, refreshing book with an outrageous sense of humour, a highly relatable story and an empowering take on friendships, teen relationships and personal growth. With her counselling background, debut author Rebecca Anderson embraces vulnerability and opens honest, shame-busting conversations about our bodies, healthy relationships, and awkward or challenging first (and future!) times.
First Thoughts
Officially Losing It had been on my radar for a while before I was offered a copy by the lovely/incredible/all-round amazing team at Scholastic, and as soon as I’d put my last book down, I picked it straight up and dove in. I was in the mood for something fun and fresh, but I wasn’t expecting to take this book straight to my heart.
My Review
Rose isn’t sure what she wants to be when she grows up, what she wants to study at Uni—if she wants to go to Uni, at all—but what she is sure of is how much she adores her boyfriend, Joel, and how much she wants her first time to be with him. But their perfectly planned first that has been the talk of her friendship group for ages doesn’t go to plan. Sure, Rose was nervous and thinking about a million things that made her get in her head too much, but for the first time she finds a part of Joel that she isn’t sure of. Even after trying another time and a thousand Google searches, it still ends up with Rose booking an appointment at her doctors. Embarrassed to tell her friends that her and Joel couldn’t do it, Rose throws what she believes to be a harmless lie about it going without a hitch, slowly beginning to shut out her friends as her mind spirals, especially after a scary examination.
It’s not that it was because it was her first time after all, but something a little more worrying: she isn’t able to have sex. Not unless she has physical therapy or maybe even surgery. Lost, Rose joins an online group under a guise, the only place she can be frank about her issues. Rose’s formerly sweet and adoring boyfriend becomes another problem Rose can’t figure out. As she continues to push away her friends and lie her way out of situations, Joel doesn’t understand how difficult it is for her, appointments and decisions out of her control. Uni is looming and she’s torn between being a model girlfriend or following a newfound dream. Swaying in the realm of losing friends as a result of her indecision, Rose reaches breaking point. But if she is such a mess herself, how come everyone comes to her for advice that actually . . . works? And if sex has been this tough for her, what would happen if she opened up and let everyone see she needs help, too?
Overall, Officially Losing It was one of the funniest, bravest, and most heartfelt YA books I’ve ever read. A modern mix of Agony Aunt advice, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging humour swirled with the openness of Sex Education, Rebecca weaves this downright side-splitting, wholehearted story that touches on so many topics that teens will see reflections of themselves in. I’m obviously not the target audience in my twenties, but this in a way was deeply nostalgic for when I was Rose and her friend’s age and having similar conversations with my friends. It accomplishes the fireworks of first love whilst reminding us of toxicity and feeling pressured to the point of regret. The pulse of friendship in the story is also so steady and strong, and I absolutely adored the sisterhood that Rose has—and extends—throughout, especially warmed by her leaning on her Mum. This was just an all-round wholesome, gloriously witty book that I want to throw into the hands of all readers. Five stars doesn’t seem like enough!
RATING:
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Happy Reading!
I love the premise of this novel — addressing taboo topics with a good sense of humor! I love when books can grow my heart 10x while also sending a great message.
I couldn’t agree more!! It was such a special book <3