Lona is in a dark room. I couldn't get interested and some of the dialogue was boring. I didn't feel a connection to Lona.

** Received a free ARC copy of this for an honest review from NetGalley **

Firstly, thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. As this is an ARC, many things can change from the version I’ve received, and so I can only base my review on that and not the published book due out in February 2021.

I’ve rated this book three stars, as I enjoyed reading it—but only for the most part. I feel the story primarily being told from Lona’s point of view is good, but due to her inner thoughts we get a clunky idea of her friends and family dynamic.

She seems to have anxiety, (that at least is mentioned) but we see no one in her life bringing it up except fleetingly by George who acknowledges it. It would have been nice for Lona to act upon her own admission of her anxiety as she even realises she often cannot cope with emotions and things.

There was a real interesting development between Tab and Lona that I feel ultimately went nowhere other than Tab leaving university, but her ‘disappearance’ and odd behaviour isn’t mentioned other than that. I understand this is from Lona’s POV, but it would have at least felt like the plot had come full circle, like the ending did.

I did love that Lona started at the skate and ended there. I loved that she herself was constantly, mind the pun, skating around it all the time, never really wanting to give it up as it was, in some ways, the centre of her. Her beginning to paint and turn the books into her own art was beautiful, but I wish this had been more fleshed out, understanding what her future intentions are.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style of this author. I liked their tone and the voicing for Lona, but there were times I wasn’t sure what the purpose of the story was, not knowing why I’m following Lona and what will be gained from it. I found myself feeling the same at the end, especially with the phone ringing and not knowing whether it would be good news or bad at the other end. I also think whilst I enjoyed the tone and character of Lona, I’m not sure what path she was in to begin with, as it’s hard to tell if she’s lost or just purposefully deviating from a plan she made when she was younger.

If that is the point of the entire thing, it isn’t as clear as it could be.

I’m not a huge fan of teen stories; even when I was a teen I preferred adult fiction. That being said, this one was enjoyable! Worth a read.

Loner was a fun book to read. It follows Lona, someone who is lost and confused by what they want in life. She has no sense of direction. To me, this is very relatable, I too have struggled with not knowing what to do, and have felt lost in myself.

The scene changes were almost like small glimpses into whats going on, rather than chapters, which was very interesting to me. I really liked this aspect of the book, that a book doesn't have to be conventional for it to be good. and this book was good.

It however didn't have a very clear ending, but I felt the ending did fit the tone of the book.

The characterisation of Lona was portrayed greatly.

Thank You to NetGalley and Text Publishing for this ARC!!

Art school drop out Lone is lost. She doesn't know what she wants with her life and she is trying to find purpose and direction.

I was really excited to read this book but once I started reading it, I couldn't connect much with the main character Lona. While this book does not really have a plot, there were some parts of the book which were interesting.

Overall an okay read!!

ARC provided by NetGalley

3.5 Stars Rounded-up

Art school drop out Lone is lost. She doesn't know what she wants with her life and really doesn't see the point. I really felt for and connected to Lone as she dealt with trying to have a social life even when all she wanted to do was stay home and read or binge-watch something, or her struggle with being a feminist yet still wanting men to find her sexy. I felt like I went through the same thing she was going through after I graduated from college as far as losing yourself as an artist or losing your place in the world.

The writing, however, was not my favorite. Present tense third person is so awkward my brain wants to "fix it" as I'm reading. I also found that the writing had no transitions and little flow. Which. at times, felt like you were reading stage directions. I did enjoy all the pop culture references though.

"Even Tony no longer meets her eye. These days he actually buttons his vest over his Veronica Mars t-shirt. Now Duncan is the only visible character. This is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all."

For real, Duncan is the worst.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and felt invested in what happened to Lone. I could see this as a nice little indie-darling movie.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to reading this book... but I really struggled to get through this one. It was boring. I could not connect with the main character Lona. Throughout the entire book she is feeling sorry for herself. She dropped out of Art School and hops from job to job. The other characters were just an afterthought. I was disappointed in the character development or the lack there of. I also did not care for the constant use of colons. I found myself laughing at some parts of the book. I loved the cover art! So all is not lost.


I think a few of my students might identify with Lona and what she is going through.

I have really conflicting thoughts on this book. I have never related to a main character so much which is why I am so disappointed with the rest of this book. It's so nice to read a book where you can really see yourself in a character and I guess I've never really had that experience. While I was reading this I could see myself in so many ways through Lona. On the other hand she was kind of annoying to read about...(take that how you will).
I think mainly my issue with this was the writing. I did not enjoy it at all. I'm not sure if it was an intention choice by the author or if that's just how she writes. It was extremely choppy with no transitions. The writing felt quite dull to me, and seemed very simple. The characters were mostly boring and flat. There was no real depth to anyone or anyone's life. Lona was the exception that as she was the main character. I can see how she wouldn't be a likable character, but I also related a lot to her thoughts and feelings that I can see where people would think that she was awful.
I know this was just a small snippet into Lona's life and her struggles with jobs and college and friends so I don't want to judge it too harshly. I do think it's an important topic to discuss because I think a lot of young adults feel this way (including myself). So many of us don't know what we want in life and feel like everyone else has it together. It is so nice to see characters in book who do not have it all together, we need more realistic portrayals of young adult in literature.

Loner is a quiet book, full of angst and loneliness and an aching sense of being lost that can only come from a coming-of-age sort of tale. Lona is a university dropout, trying to find purpose and direction and some sense of meaning even though she feels like she has no idea what she's doing. She wants to make art, but she can't seem to figure out how. She (maybe) wants to kiss someone, but is scared of getting to close. She's trying to become independent, trying to find a job that means something and a path that feels like its going somewhere, but she also just wants to stay at home, hidden on the couch, curled into the safety of a book or a tv show. The book follows her disjointed stumble into some semblance of adulthood as she quietly tries to step into the world and feel like she's doing something.
I found myself drawn to so many lines of this book, their honesty cutting deep into what it means to be young and unsure and trying to exist in this world. I found Lona to be a very compelling character, even when she frustrated me, because she always felt very human. I also appreciated that while the book rooted itself into its time with plenty of pop-culture references, it never felt overdone or obnoxious; it worked perfectly for these characters and ended up just making them feel even more real. The book does not have some big plot point it's arching towards - instead it just lets Lona exist and it does a good job of using the broken up story points to really capture who Lona is and what her world looks like. I found it to be a great portrait of a young woman trying to figure out who she is, in all her triumphs and failures.

really struggled through this one. Lona is a twenty-year old university dropout, working dear end jobs and wondering why life is full and hard. The answer is that Lona is incapable of making an effort with anything in hey life, be that her career or get relationships. Lona is teeth-gratingly self-absorbed and get into monologue is just dull. Her wallowing in doubt is mostly self-indulgent. She doesn't care about anyone so her insistence that the others in her life should put in all the effort is infuriating. Nothing happens. There is zero character development. Lona simply can't be bothered do I wouldn't advise you too. Not even on the same planet as Sally Rooney's infuriating but brilliant characters. Also, still doing: this. The constant use of colons is only one thing: extremely annoying

I actually really enjoyed this new young adult read. I found myself connecting with the main character, Lona, on multiple levels. Young did a great job of writing realistically and Loner will be very relatable to anyone who has ever felt lost or confused by what they want in life. Diving into adulthood is difficult when you have no clear direction, and maintaining relationships is hard when you cannot even fully explain to yourself your desire to be social without having to be social. I found the style of Young's writing to work well with Lona's personality, almost like a collection of vignettes rather than chapters. Since this is an Australian book, there were a few terms that confused me, but nothing a quick Google couldn't fix--they did not take away from my understanding of the story. I only knocked down a star because I personally prefer clear endings. The ending did, however, fit the overall feel of the book

I hate to say it but I was pretty bored reading this book. The writing style wasn't my favorite either. Lona just seems to be feeling sorry for herself the entire book, and at the end, she's still feeling sorry for herself. I also didn't like when: the book did this. It did this: a lot. Why?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an Advanced Copy of this book. I greatly appreciate it.

This book was difficult for me to get through. It focuses on the main protagonist Lona and the existential crisis that she tends to face. She dropped out of school, work odd-end jobs, and has a social life that's not AS social. I love the premise of the book and its idea of combating social isolation and adult decision making. It was just difficult for me to follow. I did not really relate to the characters, so I found myself very detached from the text. The bones and the structure are good, but I'm not sure that I follow the path of the book.

*Thank you to Net Galley and Text Publishing Company for the advance copy*

Lona prefers to be by herself. After dropping out of college, where she was pursuing an art degree, Lona spends her nights and weekends working at a roller skating rink and her days developing photos in the dark room at her college. She's in her early 20's and trying to figure her life out, but comes across as absolutely insufferable. Lona is at an exciting time in her life, but her life is anything by exciting. Her relationships are half-assed and her behavior is maddening. You don't want to root for her, because it is hard to even care about her. It's hard to care about anyone in this story.

Her friends, family members, and love interests aren't really a part of Lona's story; they're more just present in her life. I feel as though there were multiple missed opportunities for stronger relationships with supporting characters that would've made this book interesting and it was disappointing to see them never come to fruition.

This is the story about Lona, a loner in Melbourne.
For me, I was just bored reading this book. There was nothing special about Lona or her story, or at least I didn't feel like there was. Nothing in the book made me want to care about her as a character. Even by the conclusion, I just could not care what she had done with her life.
I do like the writing style, it flowed really well and made the story easy to read. There were also a few really cute moments in the book, which I would rather not share so they can stay special for fellow readers.
Maybe this story will work for you. But as someone who lives this kind of life as a loner, I just couldn't be entertained by her story.

This book tells the story of a young woman named Lona, who has only just discovered everything she believed she wanted is not really what she wants. Like many women at this age of ending high school and deciding what to do now. She has lost all hope that the after part holds any meaning to her life or the world. Thus, she is now roaming through her life with constant indecision, partial self-reflection, and no exact goal to guide her.

To describe Lona would be like requesting me to explain why the sky is blue. Lona is a unique personality, an acquired taste if I am to be honest. She doesn't care about anyone except her best friend and then some of her family who comes next. Therefore, she spends little time getting to know those around her. Not even the boy or boy(s) she likes. However, she constantly finds herself in this place between wanting to be herself, but also want to be what others expect her to be. The sad thing is, Lona doesn't know what she desires to be but she knows what she doesn't want to be. Which already propels her further than me when I first left high school. This places her a few less than pleasant situations that while hard, she needs experience in. This entire book is an insight into things that happens with young women every day.

I don't want to give too much away, but this is such an extraordinary book. I will admit that at the start of the story I was very hesitant about the writing style. I will not spoil it for those considering this book, but the writing is not like any I have ever read. Frequently I feel like I am missing pieces of the story due to the chosen form of writing. However, the more I read I feel like the format was precisely chosen to reflect on Lona and how she perceives the world. Thankfully, the formatting does not take away from the story. It instead, just makes me wish I had more to read. The leading character feels so realistic that my kindle has over 50 highlights of things that I loved or agreed with. I related so much to Lona that I almost felt like this book was exclusively written about me a few times. That's what makes this book so much fun to read. I feel like I'm apart of her world and comprehend why she does the things she does. I believe anyone will identify parts of themselves in Lona because in my mind she's not a fictional character. I'm merely reading the diary of the typical everyday young woman. The book depicts situations and thoughts we have all had at one point or another and I love the insight on how Lona specially deals with this.

The humor is the second reason I enjoy this book. It has been so long since I have laughed out loud at something I read in a book. I wish I could provide an example here to give you an idea, but I don't want to ruin it. I highly encourage you all to give this book a chance and I guarantee you won't regret it. Lona is hilarious, selfish, honest, blunt, creative, and just an extremely fascinating person. Someone I'd appreciate getting to know even if she doesn't want to get to know me!

A new adult fiction about a young woman dealing with anxiety, loss of confidence, and existential angst. I was at odds with this book because I was frustrated with Lona yet I could completely relate to her. The writing is great and the flow of emotions is so relatable. Lona is struggling to find herself and struggling with her art, all the while trying to juggle navigating relationships and family issues.