Loveless is a novel written by Alice Oseman. Published by HarperCollins Children's Books on 9 July 2020, the novel follows Georgia as she begins university. Depicting her journey of self-discovery as an asexual and aromantic individual, the novel received positive reception from literary reviewers and media outlets.
Plot
Loveless follows 18-year-old Georgia Warr, a girl entering her first year at Durham University having never kissed anyone or held a crush before.[1][2][3][4] Despite having never having those experiences, she is passionate about reading fanfics.[1] Hoping her first year will help her discover romantic feelings, she begins to ponder why these feelings elude her, leading her on a journey of self-discovery.[2][5] Georgia is also "wary of the dramatic reality of new love, which promptly wreaks chaos on her platonic friendships."[1]
Development and release
Oseman previously authored Heartstopper, a young adult graphic novel series based on her 2016 webcomic of the same name. She commented on her inspiration for Loveless, expressing her "desire to write a story about the power of platonic love," and elaborated that her prior works explored the idea, "but never as the main theme".[6] Oseman herself is asexual (ace) and aromantic (aro), though has stated Loveless is "not an autobiographical book, but it does draw on a lot of experiences."[7] In an interview with Pride, Oseman stated "I wanted to read a story that explored all the uncertainty, confusion, internalized phobias, and path to self-acceptance that I've read lots about in gay coming-out stories, but never had with an aro or ace protagonist".[1] The book lists the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) and Aze as educational resources.[8]
Loveless was published as a paperback by HarperCollins in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2020.[9]Scholastic published the novel as a hardcover in the United States on 1 March 2022.[10]
Reception and accolades
Loveless received positive critical reception from literary reviewers and media outlet writers, with many praising the novel's depiction of an aro/ace individual. Some also added that Loveless helped them discover their own aromanticism, or helped them affirm their personal journeys with their aromantic or asexual identities.[5][11] In February 2023, Jonny Yates of PinkNews wrote that the novel is "perhaps one of the most notable and popular books with aromantic characters".[2]
Kirkus Reviews wrote that Loveless is "a messy, imperfect, and necessary portrayal of a drastically underrepresented identity."[3] Ani Bundel of Paste recommended the novel, expressing that its depiction of an aro/ace individual in a romance is "a rare thing still, and the burgeoning world of LGBTQ+ love stories needs more of them."[12] Writing for the UPRRP chapter of Her Campus, Zaidi Gonzalez also highly praised Loveless' depiction of an aro/ace individual. Gonzalez suggested that those questioning their sexuality strongly consider reading Loveless, calling it a "fantastic book to read about queerness in general."[11]
Commercially, Loveless had sold 7,274 copies by May 2021 through Nielsen Bookscan with that figure excluding sales in lockdown weeks.[6]
