A Love Story for Bewildered Girls

by Emma Morgan

Grace loves a woman. Annie loves a man. Violet isn't quite sure. But you'll love them all...

Grace has what one might call a 'full and interesting life' which is code for not married and has no kids. Her life is the envy of her friends, who assume she doesn't want that kind of commitment. But all this time she has been waiting in secret for a love that will take her breath away, like the way a wave in a rough sea knocks you over...

When Grace meets a beautiful woman at a party, she falls suddenly and desperately in love. At the same party, lawyer Annie finds the man of her dreams - the only man she's ever met whose table manners are up to her mother's standards. And across the city, Violet, who is mostly afraid of everything, is making another discovery of her own: that for the first time in her life she has fallen for another girl.

A Love Story for Bewildered Girls is a hilarious and heart-warming tale of female friendship and first love in all its guises – a novel to remind us that whatever we think our happy ending should be, life can have other, sometimes far better, plans.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Lesbian, Feminism

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2019

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, a betwixt and between kind of book: a step up from chick-lit but not weighty enough for literary fiction. I like that it takes gay characters and a woman with depression as 'normal', without making a thing of them, but there are no real breakout storylines or insights.

It's hard to believe that Annie should get herself into the situation she does, and one of the highlights is when she emerges as the ballsy character we expect her to be. By the end, female friendship reigns supreme - nice, if hardly novel.

A cute, girly read, then (I felt all the characters were emotionally younger than their given ages of around 30) but not one which will linger in my mind.

Thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.

[Basmaish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it’s nice getting to read a story that has no plot and just follows the lives of the characters, sharing mundane details and every-day life stuff. It takes me out the place I’m in and I find myself really enjoying that at times. It’s not always a hit for me but in this book I found a lot of little things happening that made me enjoy reading this book.

This book follows the lives of three women and the relationships they have with potential partners, with siblings, friends, parents and roommate. That’s more or less what’s the book about. Ordinary people living ordinary lives. That’s basically it. There are a few every-day normal drama and a few existential crises going on in here with the characters in regards to love live, being child-free, sexuality, relationship with one’s mother and expectations. But again, it these ordinary moments and reading about people just living one day at a time that kept me wanting to continue reading.

My initial thought when I finished this book is it’s getting four stars because I enjoyed it and was immersed in it. It was a nice, quiet and pleasant read. However, I’m not sure if it’s a book I’ll carry with me and remember but I’m just going to stick with my initial rating. I look forward to Emma Morgan’s future work.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three young women exploring themselves through relationships - one finds the man her mother always wanted, one falls for a woman at sight, and another surprisingly finds herself with a woman after a series of men who took advantage of her according to her roommate. I enjoyed the last 100 pages of this novel best because I kept falling asleep at the beginning, but that might be my quarantine brain.

[Jaye Rockett · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @53%. I really tried with this book, but it’s broken me. I’ve not wanted to read it, or anything else.

Normally, I’m all about the characters of a book, the plot can be shit or non existent, and I won’t care if it’s got interesting or likeable characters. Unfortunately, this book has no plot, no interesting characters and no likeable characters. It was just boring. I kept trying to push through but in three weeks I’ve been picking this book up, reading a page, and then putting it down and not touching it for days. There’s just nothing adding interest.

I think part of the problem with this book is the multi strand narrative. It chops and changes characters so frequently you don’t actually have time to make a connection with any of them, there’s no suspense or intrigue built at all.

So yeah. I hate not finishing books, especially when they’ve cost me a whole £13, but this book was boring me to tears and making me never want to read again.

[Eilidh Fyfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring and I forgot all the characters names.

[Lucie Montes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable story: I wanted to cry for these girls, and to cheer for them in the end. You can't put a label on this kind of storytelling. Whether gay, straight or merely confused, we all share the same humanity. Our hearts break in the same way, and so do our families, and the author addresses all of it in a fresh and original and entertaining way. I loved the way she titled the chapters. I would have re-worked the last four pages since some of the endings were a little too pat to be believed, but I can’t wait to read her next novel. A lovely story for any kind of girl.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know I needed this book, but then it appeared.

Imagine Conversations with Friends, set in Leeds - see, you think you just might need this book now too!

Probably 4.5 stars really -

The section titles are bit off putting but you get used to them; Grace’s family feels like something out of a Kate Atkinson novel (definitely not a bad thing); and I want a sequel!

[Jasmin Goldberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book sold as three love stories but really shines as a book about friendship and family...the three women it centres on were not quite distinct enough - making the alternating chapters somewhat hard to follow - but it was an easy read about love and life and friendship that is suitable for a holiday or a book rut... 2.5-3 🌟

[Karen Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. A fun read, with super likable characters with some really funny dialogue. A little bit forgettable of a story, nothing much happens, but these three women are so easy to cheer for, as they navigate romance and friendship.

[Katerina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I enjoyed it sometimes I didn't. I'm not saying it was unreal because some feelings were written pretty well (anxiety, love, anger) but I had big expectation that didn't really fulfill. ☹️ 3,5/5⭐

[Piper Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really enjoyed it (so much so I read it all in one afternoon!). It’s like a mix between a generic romance and a Sally Rooney book which is exactly what I wanted

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rep: lesbian mc, bi mc with agoraphobia

CWs: biphobia

[Emma Bouius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een boek over hoe relaties soms kunnen lopen, hoe je soms alles wil geven voor die ene persoon maar dat het soms niet gaat zoals je wilt dat het gaat… Een boek over het terugvinden van jezelf en het maken van je eigen geluk.

De karakters, allemaal een beetje vreemd op hun eigen manier, waren herkenbaar geschreven. We volgen hun weg op zoek naar persoonlijke voldoening. Violet, die last heeft van ‘the fear’ zoekt hopeloos naar een uitweg die ze probeert te vinden in een relatie met een vrouw. Annie, de ordelijke en spik-en-span huisgenoot van violet probeert haar te helpen met ‘the fear’, terwijl ze zelf op zoek is naar de man van haar dromen. Grace, die hopeloos verliefd wordt op haar ‘ideale’ partner terwijl ze onbewust haar familie het belangrijkste vindt in haar leven. We zien hoe hun levens elkaar beïnvloeden zonder dat ze dat zelf doorhebben.

Ik hield van alle drie de hoofdpersonen, de een herkenbaarder dan de ander, en ze gaven me aan het eind van het boek allemaal een les mee. Een les die ik het beste kan vertalen in de woorden van mijn moeder: vertrouw op jezelf en blijf bij jezelf.

[Rosamund Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this were called "A Love Story for Bewildered Women", but nevertheless this is an enjoyable and intelligent book, following the lives of three women over a course of a number of months. Grace, an out lesbian, is a therapist of dubious quality, with many sisters, who falls for the beautiful and mysterious Sam. Violet is feeling lost, and has been for years, and finds solace in her first sexual encounter with a woman. Annie is a lawyer, proud of her career and her profession, and she unwillingly falls for the handsome Laurence. Their lives intertwine in various ways: Morgan draws each character well, and this book is frothy, optimistic and lively. I really appreciated how Morgan doesn't equate romantic love with happiness and includes many different interpretations of family.

I read it when I was feeling sick and fatigued and it was an excellent distraction.

[yai · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of those kind of a peek of life/ plot-less stories that I really enjoy when they have something that makes them unique, and that's kind of what I found missing in this one. I liked that I could find at least one piece of relatability in each of the three main characters though

[Malin Kuhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meget cute og cosy <3

[Lyd Moo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the different characters and how they interlinked but didn’t stand out to me as amazing personally but wasn’t bad was an easy read

[Emily Cacho · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book! The characters were so vivid and realistic. Each of them jumped off the page. I wanted to laugh and cry with them. This book was reflective of the queer journey and how messy life can be but also how beautiful. The narration style was so fabulous and kept me wanting to read more. 5 stars I loved this novel.

[liv]

*kindle klub read*
this might be one of my all time favorite books OMG???????? i love a slow paced book where there's no real plot but ONLY if the characters are well thought out & i care about them. i cared abt all 3 girls!!!!! im such a mix of annie & violet personally...,, anyway this was a fantasic read,,, very british (take that as you Will)

[Mavinda Kaur Johal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book as a holiday read and sped through it. It was really tender at points and painful reflective at others. However, I probably didn’t need to read another tale of white-privileged-twentysomethings figuring love out.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Joa das ganze Buch war für mich ein großer Mäh Moment.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a fun read - quick and easy exactly what i was looking for . i did, however, want to slap every character - some more than once

[Kirsty Pleiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 2.5 for me. Wasn't really interested in the characters but at the same time I didn't hate them.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of cheesy and I hate British people but it got me out of my reading slump.

[Jenny O’Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You need to find something good. Something that you like and that you think is important.” 4/5

I’m going to go and write a list of things that are really important to me now and possibly start listening to my gut more.

All of the plot points felt so casually mentioned, nothing urgent about them, as random as if it’s something mentioned briefly in mid-conversation. I probably read it too quickly but I blame that on the fact that I found it so easy to read. Nothing happens in this book and i loved every second.

There were so many conversations which made me laugh and moments of; “Oh no, don’t do that,” which I couldn’t help but smile at. I liked the representation of useless gays; it made me feel seen x

Violet has my heart. Utterly and completely. Probably because I see myself in her a little, I enjoyed her chapters the most because I liked hearing her thoughts and seeing her learn things. I had moments where I struggled with the other characters but they were learning in their own way and making their own mistakes and I guess that’s important. Manfred is an angel.

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Love Story for Bewildered Girls is exactly that.
The book centres on three women: Annie, Violet and Grace and how love and relationships don’t always turn out the way you want them to.

Grace falls in love with a woman at a first sight.
Annie meets a man she believes could be the one to settle down with.
And Violet finds herself in a relationship with a woman for the first time.

And although it’s about their separate relationships, it’s also about the strength of friendship and the support of families which is lovely.

I also like how Violet’s depression and anxiety was written in a way that didn’t make it seem like was something out of the ordinary. It was real, she struggles with them on a daily basis and I think it was a good representation of both.

It’s a quick read and the writing is easy to get into. The ending was satisfying, especially when Annie was done with being taken for a ride!

It was an okay read and I thank Viking Books for sending me a copy.

[Loxie Chiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that there were multiple perspectives and different story lines that all wove in together. It was a nice easy read, but I found parts were not particularly compelling and whilst I did enjoy I don’t think I’ve gained much from reading it. I did however grow to really like the characters and watch there stories unfold.

[Aletta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kinda struggling with the first half, because it felt kinda lethargic, but in the second half I finally got invested and fell in love with the characters. In my opinion, it’s a cozy read about self-exploration and learning self-value.
Can definitely recommend but maybe don’t start the book at night in bed, when you’re already a bit sleepy haha

[Claire (Book Blog Bird) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a real sense for who the characters were, but I didn’t feel like the plot really got going. The characters kind of made up for it - they were so flawed and interesting. Ugh - Annie’s mum was so awful. Was Sam supposed to be a baddie? I thought she was really clear about her boundaries. I was disappointed that Annie didn’t clock what was going on with her boyfriend too.