Little & Lion
2017 • 327 pages
Ratings7
Average rating4
15
Ratings7
Average rating4
When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. LA is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new; the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself, or worse.
Reviews with the most likes.
(3.5, rounding up.) Loved the diversity of the characters and the characterization of Suzette and her journey - she felt like a fully realized person and I was entirely in her head. (Caveat: I'm neither bi nor bipolar, so I can't really speak to the accuracy of the representation, but more diversity in fiction is always a good thing.) The other characters were a little more vaguely sketched, which may have been intentional since it's such a tight POV with Suzette, but I would've liked a little more insight into Lionel and Rafaela, in particular. The plot here was a lot of buildup and then a pretty rushed conclusion, so I wish either the pacing had been different or the book were a little bit longer to give the story some time to breathe.
(Editing this review in June 2020: whoops, I am bi, denial is a hell of a thing.)
5 stars Not only is the story beautiful and captivating, but the cast of characters is effortlessly diverse. A+ 👌
