Book Review: Little & Lion

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

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. L.A. 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.

Check out the book on Amazon. 

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

I know how easy it is to believe you're doing the right thing if you say it to yourself often enough

Little & Lion, is a moving novel about a beautiful story that can't be anything but incredibly marvelous. At first, the book seems like a typical book about a sixteen-year-old girl who is home from school to be with her loving family.

The complicated relationship was probably one of my favorite parts of this story. As a person who has a sibling that has a severe mental illness, I could genuinely feel for Suzette. They obviously love each other despite their issues.The story has a bipolar representation inside of it. Lionel shares his true feelings about his mental illness. He also shares about the meds he has to take. The way he describes it is raw and honest. You can see his emotions just flowing off the pages. These are feelings that I have had and can relate to. I believe many people could really relate to him and his issues. It was really nice to see actual mental illness representation in young adult literature, 

“I hate that I feel like nothing good is ever going to happen to me again. And that sometimes I don’t really feel like anything at all.”

The writing was so moving and powerful. The author Brandy Colbert handles tough topics like racism, bisexuality, mental illness, and blended family without being offensive, stereotypical or demonizing. This is something that almost never happens in literature. Authors mean well of course but rarely actually succeed in this area.

 My only complaint about this book is that it was a bit predictable and slow at times. I mean I guessed everything that happened before it happened. Which took away the enjoyment of it a little bit. That is still a good book regardless of the pace of this book.  

Little & Lion is a contemporary young adult novel that is very mature and far from the manipulative drama filled typical nonsense out there today. It is a story that builds relationships that are true and honest. It is a dynamic story filled with authentic diversity. Please check this book out! You need it.