I love, love, loved this book, however the ending fell a bit flat for me and there were a few too many cultural references throughout for it to be a 5 star...but also, I feel the addition of the cultural references reflects the reoccurring "taste is internalised misogyny" theme of the novel. So maybe that is my internalised misogyny...so it may be a potential 5 star as a reread.

You are totally immersed in Melbourne. It's a slice of life for 19/20 year old Lona, recent university dropout and wondering what to do with her life, and more importantly what's the point?

Delivered in the same vein of Rooney's meanderings of 'new adults', it packed quite an emotional punch at times and likewise a lot of semi-pretentious reflection. It has short and choppy sentences, with paragraph long chapters being the norm.

There's not quite a plot to the novel and it's quite hard to sum up my feelings towards it. I (unfortunately) see a lot of my past self in Lona (and if I'm honest a little bit of my current self too).

The conversations and reflections on what it is to be a feminist today and the internalised misogyny that can go alongside that....and unknotting what is misogyny and what is not.

I can see this book being very polarising, but it was definitely a highlight for me.

Found this one tricky to get into although I did enjoy it in the end.
It was just a little bit too slow at the beginning to keep my intrigue.

3.5 stars.

This is an easy to read YA contemporary fiction set in Melbourne that follows Lona's journey into navigating what she wants to do with her life after dropping out of her arts course at university. It shows the awkwardness of a first relationship, working a job you don't really care for and being part of the boomerang generation.

Where did it even go? If I was given the book to read where is it? Sorry, giving a lot of one star reviews to get my feedback up to where it should be. I keep being refused for books so why are they showing up that I’ve been given them?

No book, no review, sorry and all.

For the most part I liked Loner, but it wasn't really anything special. It was decent while reading, but mostly a forgettable book.

3/5 Stars

I’ve long been a proponent of stories that fall more firmly into the New Adult category. This kind of book examines a very different experience to that of teenagers, instead it looks at characters navigating that uncertain space where you’re technically an adult because you’ve left school, you’re over eighteen, and you have all the legal rights of an adult when it comes to managing your life, but you don’t really feel like an adult at all; you have no idea what you’re doing or where you’re going. (If I’m being honest, my own books are actually closer to NA than YA, if you’re interested in the distinction, I wrote an article on NA/YA here.

As a result, Loner, the Text Prize winning debut manuscript from Melbourne-based Georgina Young, is a pleasant change in that it directly fills that space, telling the story of nineteen-year-old Lona who is drifting through life; painfully shy, and stuck in a holding pattern after dropping out of studying fine art at university. 

Certainly, this was an interesting text. I was genuinely uncertain as to how the storyline would unfold, and I enjoyed Young’s crisp, clean style that captured Lona’s semi-detached observations of the world around her.

Moreover, the way Young structures the novel—not in chapters, but in sections that are delineated by a small heading—worked unexpectedly well. Playing with conventions of storytelling is important, because that’s how we push the limits of the stories we tell. However, books are stylised piece of narrative and they need to conform to some conventions and norms. There were parts of the story where I was intensely curious as to how things would unfold and the bite-sized way Young has structured it means the book easily slips by, but it just felt as though so many of the story’s key elements still needed clear resolutions at the book’s end. Sure, the coming-of-age novel’s trope of grand revelations and take-home messages can be a little on the nose, but their importance is driven home by their absence here in Loner. It felt as though, while there were clear wrap-ups and progressions, the story did end with a level of abruptness, and there were some key narrative threads that simply didn’t have any clear explanation offered. For example, the sudden departure of Tab, Lona’s best friend, across the middle of the novel, while obviously serving a function to encourage Lona to establish her own sense of independence, was never adequately explained.

This was further complicated by a few odd inconsistencies in style. The book is set in Melbourne, but there’s intermittent use of vagaries in describing certain locations; sometimes a suburb or landmark or institution will be referred to by its name, and then sometimes it’s vaguely referred to by a characteristic that places a gauzy strip over it that does little to obscure what it is to a local reader. It was a strange decision, which I hope was edited out of the ARC which I received.

At times, I also struggled to connect with Lona. While many of her struggles are well depicted, and far too commonly experienced by people—and it’s really important that we read characters whose aimlessness and inertia is near-crippling—I personally didn’t like how Lona behaved or viewed certain things. Young does a good job, though, of creating a complex character whose internal monologue has moments of genuine wit, humour, and intelligence, but who also behaves in ways that are frustratingly self-defeating and at times is self-absorbed. In other words, Young’s characterisation of her central character is unflinching. It’s admirably handled.

While I was a little let down by the end’s lack of several resolutions to many of the narrative threads I found most interesting, I thought Loner a commendable debut story, and a beautiful engagement with something that is all too often not discussed.

Read this book so long ago and unfortunately didn’t post my review in time! Review to come, apologies for the delay

DNF @ 33%

I think the only thing I liked about this book was the short chapters. Although the eARC I received was poorly formatted so that every chapter kind of ran together to form a seemingly never ending chapter.

This book is about a women in her early twenties that is struggling to figure out her next step a la The Sun Also Rises. The problem is that the story and Lona just meander through the chapters. Both were missing something big; something that would have kept me reading. Honestly, both were just boring and very uninteresting.

I could see how some would enjoy this book, but the plot, the characters, and the writing were sub-par for me.

"Set in Melbourne, Loner is a humorous and heartfelt exploration of new adulthood. Lona kills her days by sneaking into the dark room at her old art school to develop photographs. She kills her nights DJ-ing the roller disco at Planet Skate. She is in inexplicably, debilitatingly love with a bespectacled Doctor Who-obsessed former classmate, and in comfortable, platonic love with her best friend Tab. Lona works hard to portray a permanent attitude of cynicism and ennui but will her carefully constructed persona be enough to protect her from the inevitable sorrows and unexpected joys of adult life? Loner re-examines notions of social isolation experienced by young people, suggesting sometimes our own company can be a choice and not a failing."

I'm all about books set in Australia right now!

3.75 stars

“Lona became someone who was interested in pretending not to be interested in boys.”

this line was everything which i need to say that caught me to complete this book . This is a adult fiction book which a young woman loses her confidence in herself and started to use her ability to make art. Which was super cool ! though at the beginning of the book it was tough for her but gradually it became better.

The author manage to write this book in a very descriptive way which is not really easy for most people to do so. you might get irritated but it is okays! The writing style is same as the book Queenie which i read last year!

Please be aware when you pick this book up. Other than that the storyline is great and catching.

Although this book ended up being an easy read, it was also extremely forgettable. I felt for our main character and thought this book embodied really well what it feels like to be in your early twenties, it still did not leave a mark.

I really struggled with this and ended up dnf-ing 25% in and I really hate doing that. While I usually like a slice of life story, this was just not going anywhere. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right state of mind to read it.

This is a really good read! I really enjoyed the dialogue that kept the story different and interesting. The characters are super relatable and really show what it’s like being a young adult trying to make it in this world and understand life. Lona is trying to understand what is the point? She’s very relatable and easy to love. The author does a great job bringing her character to life. Some parts fell a little flat for me but overall it was a great story.

Loner is about a young woman who loses confidence in herself and is suffering with existential angst.

I really enjoyed Young’s writing style and really related to Lona’s situation and feelings as someone in her 20s who just hasn’t found my way as an adult either- I really empathised with her.

However I really value plot in a novel so while the book was short it dragged for me a little bit, however it is short and has short chapters so I would recommend it as a book to get you through a reading slump!

I enjoyed the characters and it didn’t make me miss being 20 and trying to figure out who I am and what I wanted to be when I grew up. It felt a little like it skimmed the surface when I wished for a little more, at least from Tab and Lorna.

I just didn't get the point of this book. Nothing happened in it. The main character is at the exact same point in the beginning as in the ending. She goes through 0 developement. The only thing that happens in this book is a lackluster romance, no a shit romance. There was 0 chemistry between the two characters and I really didn't get how they were in love with each other as they barely knew anything about the other. Our main character also spends like most of the book being obsessed with a guy that she knows almost nothing about and then when she actually gets to know him properly she not interested anymore. And no, she doesn't learn from this because at the end we learn that she's 'in love' with a guy from work who she barely knows again. Our main character spends the entire book being an absolute dick towards anyone who comes her way and then wonders why she doesn't have more friends. She hates everyone and everything and how DARE people be nice to her. She's also weirdly pretentious and thinks she's better than everyone else. She claims to be a feminist yet hates on girls for liking pink and being interested in boys. Our main character is the definition of 'not like other girls' and I hated it. On top of that, like mentioned before, absolutely nothing happens in this book. Towards the ending the book also gets a bit unhinged and it ust feels like random scenes put together rather than an actual story. Needless to say I was a bit confused at the end. I really just didn't get the point of this book.

Lona doesn't have much going on in her life. She splits her time between sneaking into the darkroom at her old art college to develop pictures and playing DJ at a roller rink. She's never been in a relationship unless you count the platonic love between her and her best friend, Tab. Lona has spent a great deal of time perfecting her cynical-not caring what others think-attitude, but is that persona stopping her from enjoying everything the world has to offer? As Lona comes into her own and meets new people who open up her world to new possibilities, she'll learn that despite enjoying her own company over others, it's also nice having people to share in the world with.

I was initially drawn in by the cover of this book and then was grabbed by the premise. I think Young did a nice job of making Lona feel very relatable. Almost everyone has some sort of anxiety, so it's easy to see yourself in her and it made her feel more real. The relationships between Lona and Tab, her family, and even her love interests also felt very true to someone in their early twenties. Despite having undertones of serious issues, there's a lightness that's threaded throughout which makes the story so easy to digest. I also enjoyed how short and snappy the chapters and finished this all in almost one sitting. That being said, I did think some of the dialogue and phrasing Young used to be slightly clunky, which was my only issue. Overall, I think this was a nice coming-of-age story and one I think a lot of young people would be able to relate to.

I adore this. I'm slightly older than the character but Loner perfectly encapsulates the way your early 20s feel, that confusing period of time when you feel rootless and rudderless all at once.
A pretty quick read and worth your time.

Following Lona Wallace, Loner takes you on a journey of solitude, friendship, exploration, and life. Lona is a university dropout who was pursuing arts and photography. Lona struggles with being around people and enjoying their company. She finds solace in Tabitha Brooks (Tab)- her best friend and truly enjoys her company. Loner is Lona's journey as she tries to find herself and grapples with wanting but not wanting people/company in her life.

I found the writing style to be refreshing. It has small chapters and choppy sentences. But somehow, they make the book fun to read. Tab and Lona's friendship steals the show. They are complete opposites but weirdly in perfect sync with each other. It is emotionally heavy to observe how dependent Lona is on Tab and the extent to which she loses herself in Tab's absence. However, it is also satisfying to see Tab emotionally support and strengthen Lona.

It is also my first LGBTQ book. While I was apprehensive of doing justice to the protagonist and understanding her journey, the author has done a great job of portraying Lona's confusion and grapple with her sexuality. Several of the secondary characters were fun to read about- Sampson, Nick, or George. Lona's Grandpa is my absolute favorite. With a common interest in photography and reading, the duo shares a great relationship. I especially appreciated the arc their relationship takes when Grandpa moves in with Lona's family, when he falls ill and is admitted to the hospital, and, finally, when he shifts to a nursing home.

The book is suitable for someone in their 20's. While I loved the writing style, it didn't seem as if I found the book at the right time in my life. I couldn't relate to the protagonist's struggle with dropping out and finding herself, as I never underwent anything similar to this. However, Lona's introverted behavior, struggle to say the things she means, and navigate growing up is a funny and witty read.

I give this book 4/5 stars. I enjoyed the ride and reading about Lona's intimate thoughts. However, the writing style with choppy and short sentences is not for everyone. So be wary before you pick it up.

I was given an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

Loner

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Text Publishing for my advanced readers copy.

Summary:

Loner, by Georgina Young, is a quirky, coming of age story of Lona, who has recently dropped out of art school and is trying to make her way in the big bad world. With and assortment of characters - from a ride or die BFF, to a sulky grandfather, Lona is lonely, despite having so many people around her. Loner isn’t a story in the conventional sense – it doesn’t have a beginning, and end and a central plot. It’s a few chapters really, in Lona’s life, that we get to experience, almost like getting our hands on her journal and getting a sneak peek into what it is like to be Lona the Loner.

What I liked:

‘The sun’s hitting that sweet spot where it’s molten amber on the tops of buildings and the girl gives herself a chance to feel alright’

This book is delightful, funny, quirky, written in concise bit sized chapters that could be short stories in itself. The author has a way with words, and writes in short sharp sentences that make you chuckle and remind you of Juno and Fleabag – it is that category of dry, sarcastic wit.

What is really great about this book was the amount of effort Georgina Young has taken delving into Lona’s character and her psyche. What is she a loner? Lona, as most teenagers could be, is self-absorbed and thinks herself to be a misfit. She’s doesn’t like to share too much of herself with anyone. Like. Anyone. Her Mum, her brother, her BFF, her boyfriend. Like she says herself ‘She likes to hoard herself for herself’

And that is what makes it a problem – Lona loses herself in herself far too much to notice what’s going on around her or to even care – concurrently, if she does notice or care- she is too awkward to address it.

What was challenging for me:

Although the book started off on a great note, and even maintained the pace through the dreaded middle half, where so many books tend to fall flat, it was towards the end that it started to get a bit repetitive for me – perhaps this was because I was struggling to keep up with Lona, her self absorbed nature, her inner musings and most importantly (see examples below) her thinking and overthinking and it got a bit overwhelming.

1) ‘She felt like one of the boys. But she knew it was wrong because it inherently stems from people valuing men more than women.
2) She (Lona) hates that she isn’t better at being there for her friend. She hates that she spends more time thinking about how inconvenient it is for herself (being there for her friend).
Final Words: 3/5, Loner is a book perfect for when you are short on time, but still want to get some quality reading done. The Pace is amazing, no prolonged descriptions and scene settings, and can be finished in a few quick hours.