Elsie unexpectedly faces eviction from her social housing, her fragile foundations threaten to crumble entirely. With no place left to turn, she seeks aid from Juliet, a childhood friend whom she entrusts with her vulnerability.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was diverse and featured an inclusive queer Black story. There was a thoughtful and tender showcase of culture and a great portrayal of the pressure immigrant children face from their parents and the difficulty in navigating such a relationship with parents.

I would also add that this book is more character-driven and there was not really much of a plot, which may put some readers off.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Rosewater by Liv Little.

The characters in this book are fully alive, including our narrator Elsie, her best friend Juliet, and the many minor characters that fill out the story.

The book opens with Elsie being evicted and moving in with Juliet temporarily until she can get her feet under her. She loses her poorly paid job shortly after, and is faced by debt, no source of income, and no place to call her own.

Elsie is a poet and enters a poetry contest, which begins turning things around for her. Despite her skill with the written word, the through line in this story is Elsie holding her tongue when she should share more of herself with those around her.

This is an excellent debut novel and I expect that Little will continue to develop into a more nuanced author in future works.

Rosewater is the story of a young, Black woman who finds herself homeless and unemployed and dreams of becoming a poet (or dreams of making a living as a poet, I should say).

This kind of story is becoming a trend, or more accurately, is already a new genre at this point: young, imperfect, female main character, preferably BIPOC and/or LGBTQ with a difficulty to overcome (usually work, relationships or living conditions – and sometimes all three). I understand the appeal for readers who see themselves in these characters or situations, but I don’t relate to the characters and tend to find them unlikeable and their behaviour frustrating (think: This Could All Be Different, I’m a Fan, Queenie). These books really make me feel like I’m a part of the ‘older’ generation.

There are lots of (accurate) comparisons to Queenie, which, quite honestly, should have warned me off. It has also been compared to Such a Fun Age, which I don’t agree with (not only because it was a book I enjoyed) as, although covering the points mentioned above, it extends beyond one main character and has much more to say about societal issues.

Something must have appealed about this one, but it’s not a winner for me. However, if the themes mentioned above appeal to you, give it a go!

**last minute addition: maybe my problem is that what I’m describing is basically Romance? A genre I’ve never got a lot out of because there’s just never story happening for me!**

I found this book to be written in a very pretty manner — normally I don’t like when characters in novels are writers and their pieces are included in the novel, but these poems were great and I found myself wishing there were more of them.

This was definitely a bit more fast-paced than I was expecting, and I kind of wish the story would have slowed down for a second or two to show a little more of the side characters; although some of them were very important to the story I felt like they tended to be a bit glazed over.

The ending kind of came out of nowhere and took me out of the book for a bit — there seemed to be no real reason for that to happen other than to resolve some loose ends.

Overall, a well written book that kept my attention!

This was a great book!! Elsie’s struggles are so flawlessly captured that it brought me back to how I was always feeling overwhelmed in my 20’s.

Beautiful debut novel, can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

I'm a HUGE Zando fan and was recommended Rosewater a little while back. Liv Little's work is absolutely divine - I have read it on NetGalley, then purchased a hardcopy at the end of April to read it again. I loved the flipping of tropes (roommates etc.) in innovative and progressive ways.

This book was described as ‘for fans of Queenie and Such a Fun Age’, and while I haven’t read Queenie, I could sort of see some similarities to Such a Fun Age? I actually felt like I could tie this more to Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie.

The main character, Elsie, is 28 and struggling to find her way. In the beginning of the novel she loses her job and her apartment, struggles to pay bills, and can’t make enough of of her poetry to make a living.

She moves in with her childhood best friend Juliet and we start to learn that there was more than just friendship between them in the past.

I liked the main characters, and I thought the story started out strong, but as the novel went on, I think it just sort of lost its way? Once things start to turn around for Elsie, the focus turns to her and Juliet’s relationship, and everything else from the beginning falls away, and is sort of forgotten? Then right near the end there’s an accident, a super fast resolution, and then the book just ENDS. Like, over. Done. SO FAST.

I don’t think I needed a ton more, but I’m not sure the accident was necessary, and where that even came from.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, but the pacing needed some work and the ending was far too rushed.

Thank you @netgalley and Get Lifted Books/Zando Projects for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In Liv Little’s debut novel Rosewater we first meet Elise, after a drunken night with her co-worker Bea, she wakes up to two policemen knocking on her door, telling her she will be evicted from her apartment in the next hour. Elise does not know what to do, especially with Bea being there- a co-worker she hooks up with but doesn’t really know that well. With no one else to turn to, she calls her friend Juliet who she hasn’t spoken to in over a year to ask if she can stay by her until she sorts herself out. Juilet agrees, but there is still that conversation that needs to be had between them.

Elise goes through so many emotions, being 28, jobless, starving poet, living in her best friend’s apartment, little to no money, barely any contact with her family, except for her grandmother- all while trying to see if she wants Bea as more than a hook up. She tries to not be a failure but cannot help but feel like she will never make it in life, especially when she compares herself to Juilet.
This time the marketing department did not lie, if you did enjoy QUEENIE I think you will absolutely enjoy Rosewater. Yes, Elise reads way more mature than Queenie but both are going through the growing pain of finding themselves in the world. I love how relatable Elise was, as a Black woman in London, who cant seem to catch a break, who wants to be the next poet, it is great getting a look into the reality of what can happen.

I did feel like the author tried to cover a lot of different themes and some I felt got glossed over. The family bit, with the father cheating and who he cheated with- that felt a bit unnecessary because it did nothing to move the plot along. I also felt like the book dragged a bit in the middle and sprinted in the end and I wish they had taken more time to give us a slower ending.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable debut novel.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/1IG1Y0S4odo

Rosewater brings us Elsie, a queer black Guyanese poet (she/her) who left home at sixteen and moved to London. Now in her twenties, she works in a failing bar for not enough money to pay the rent and she has fabulous sex with a coworker, Bea, who lives with her boyfriend Karma. When Elsie's landlord evicts her, she turns to her best friend from childhood, Juliet, who puts her up in her spare bedroom. Except, Elsie and Juliet had a falling out a few months prior and haven't talked since. Juliet is a preschool teacher who makes extra money on a video-sex site. Andrew hangs about hoping for a chance with Juliet. Elsie doesn't like him or most of Juliet's friends. Along the way, Rosewater explores a whole variety of individuals with pronouns that fit them. Elsie has an opportunity to showcase her poetry and starts to explore her options.

Rosewater is partly about family and trauma. It is about a loving grandmother. It is about food and it's emotional importance in our lives. It is about the kinds of friends who take care of you no matter what. It is about a parents who do not take care of you. It is about being gay and living an independent life that is not open to your family. It is about the array of people one meets over a few months of life in our twenties. It is both specific to the experience of being a lesbian and it is universal. It is beautifully written and I read and reread the poems included as they are gorgeous. Very much enjoyed this book.

Rosewater by Liv Little

Published: April 25, 2023
Get Lifted Books
Genre: Romance
Pages: 317
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Liv Little is a writer of Jamaican and Guyanese descent via South London. She’s the founder and former CEO of the awardwinning publication gal-dem. Liv tells stories with heart about the people and places that matter to her. Her work spans journalism, audio, TV, and curatorial projects, for which she’s received various accolades, including LGBTQI+ Broadcaster of the Year and Rising Star at WOW. Her short story “The Sisters” was published in the critically acclaimed Hag, a collection of forgotten folktales retold. She was a BBC writer-in-residence for 2021, during which she developed an original pilot for a queer conspiracy thriller. Liv is most at peace in nature, and she now lives by the sea. Rosewater is her debut novel.

“The rose to my water. The water to my rose.”

Elsie is struggling. She has just been evicted, has more debt than she can handle, and her job closed down. She is a dreamer with a heart she protects at all costs. She is just looking for a break.

This was an unconventional love story and a journey to determine what you want. The trip was emotional and, at times, messy, but it was authentic.

The characters in this book were well-developed, and their roles were influential. Elsie transformed throughout this book from someone who was lost and afraid to someone who knows what she wants and refuses to quit.

I appreciate that Elsie’s journey was not a happily ever after. The struggles she faces feel real. And I loved that her wins were genuine and deep.

This was a beautiful story about unity, security, and love.

ROSEWATER by Liv Little is such a needed and welcome addition to contemporary LGBTQIAP+ literature. In its early pages, the book and its main character Elsie reminded me of Michelle Tea's VALENCIA. Both books capture that messy, mistake-filled, glorious time when we're trying to find ourselves, our family(ies), our communities, and some sense of security. The writing--especially the poet--is gorgeous. It's such a beautiful read. The characters, including the "elder" character Maggie, are well developed and feel like they are still living off the page, rather than solely existing when they are in the presence of Elsie.

Another thing I loved about ROSEWATER was that the characters are assumed to be Black or POC. It's such a needed shift from the-default-is-white fiction!

The one disappointment with the book is the last quarter and the way a central issue and story line are resolved. Part of that resolution is done in a way that is such a cliche and author Liv Little is too talented for that type of cliche in her storytelling.

I'm already looking forward to Liv Little's next work and can't wait to see what she writes next.

An engaging and heartwarming debut! We follow our 28-year-old protagonist Elsie as she tries to get her life together after being evicted from her home. She's forced to move in with her former best friend who she hasn't spoken to in months and struggles to reconcile her dream of being a poet with the harsh reality that she may never be able to make it a sustainable career. Some people may find her self sabotage and freeze mode frustrating, but I thought it was deeply realistic. Fans of Luster, Writers & Lovers, and Post-Traumatic may enjoy this!

I did have some issues with the pacing, as I felt that the romantic feelings on Elsie's side seemed a bit sudden, and a bit plot moment happened within the final 10-15% of the book which was a bit jarring. But overall, a solid debut, and I look forward to what the author writes next.

Liv Little’s debut novel “Rosewater” was a highly anticipated read for me. In some ways it impressed, and in other ways, it disappointed.

The book starts out strong, as readers come crashing into Elsie’s chaotic world while she’s getting evicted due to months’ due late rent payments. We learn that Elsie is a queer poet and part-time bartender who’s fallen on hard times, a pattern she’s been unable to pull herself completely out of since leaving home as a young teen. With no one else to call, she reaches out to her old, estranged friend Juliet for help and a temporary place to live. Juliet immediately comes to her rescue, offering her spare bedroom free of charge and for as long as needed without hesitation.

We follow along with Elsie as she navigates this new normal with the added vulnerability of having no ground to stand on and no place to call her home. I found myself rooting for her but feeling frustrated with her choices. This is often typical of “20-something woman is figuring it out but hitting each bump along the way” tropes, and I enjoyed the fine balance between the two contradictory feelings I had towards Elsie.

That said, I don’t think we ever really got any reprieve from the frustration we feel towards Elsie’s character. A big event happens at the end of the book that forces her to confront certain facts about her life, but otherwise, she just keeps bumbling along the whole way through in a way that doesn’t progress the plot or offer any real character development.

Another qualm with the book is that some plot points (e.g. the Leonie and Juliet incident) amounts to… nothing. While reading, you assume that Little includes this plot point to build up to something larger and quite significant, but watch with dismay as it just falls off, and nothing comes of it. An example is Elsie’s fascination with posters advertising queer events in queer spaces, specifically targeted towards people of color. I assumed this fascination would amount to something, perhaps building her own type of space of the sort, but again, it just lingers as a background fascination with no real materialization.

In sum, the first half of the book was lovely. I was fiercely reading as I fell further and further into Elsie’s world, unable to keep my eyes off my kindle. When I reached the end, I thought to myself, “Huh? That’s it?” The book needed more development of the character and plot points that were sprinkled throughout but left unresolved. Overall, however, I did still enjoy it!

Thank you Netgalley and Get Lifted Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando Projects for this read. What drew me initially to read this novel was the cover. I love a baldie hairstyle. As well as the title. I did not read a lot of the synopsis before going into the book so I did not know that it was a queer story but the story was written well.

Another Wattpad book. The plot was cheesy and predictable. At the same time, this book did not know what it was. While the writing remained consistent, the plot seems to switch halfway through the book.

The plot is delivered every once and a while with quick passages. This entire book is carried out with dialogue and rambling paragraphs of useless information.

This book was sweet. Elsie is a young, queer, Black poet who is struggling. After getting kicked out of her apartment, she stays with her best friend Juliet and tries to get back on her feet.

The relationship between Elsie and Juliet was so beautiful. I also loved the sex worker representation in this. The poetry mixed in throughout the novel really added so much and I'm such a poetry person, so it really worked for me. I also loved the growth on Elsie's part. We watch her change a lot from beginning to end and it shows how much effort she puts into herself.

This did take me a while to get through. And it did feel like some parts of the plot were unnecessary, like the dad cheating? That did nothing to move the plot forward. I feel like this was a kitchen sink book, where so much was thrown into it and so many things were trying to happen. If Little had just focused on the few big events and really making them rich and well crafted instead of throwing everything at the characters, I feel like I would have enjoyed this more.

Liv Little’s debut Rosewater explores a young poetess’ journey of self-discovery as she leaves her twenties behind while searching for a way to make her passion for words a viable and stable source of income and make peace with her family and the trauma and baggage of her childhood. I tried to go into Rosewater with an open mind, though I’m not much of a literary fiction fan. Unfortunately, despite vivid descriptions and a diverse cast of complex, fascinating, and relatable characters, including Black, queer, bisexual, and pansexual characters—particularly a queer Black British heroine—I had difficulty getting into the novel. Rosewater sometimes drags with slow pacing and is a heroine who is frustrating to root for, at times, because she’s a bit self-absorbed. It’s understandable to a certain degree because her life is a wreck, and she’s still searching and figuring out what she wants for her life. Besides, everyone has their breaking point, and Elsie has a LOT on her plate. And, because Elsie is so stubborn and set in her ways for such a young person, it’s not easy being in any relationship with her—friends, lovers, family, etc. Of course, the other parties are not exempt from their faults, failures, or wrongdoing. It’s just that Elsie doesn’t take the time to listen to the people in her life.

At 28 years old, Elsie is a fiercely independent, funny, sexy, gifted, and talented British Guyanese poetess who works long hours for minimum wage at a neighborhood dive bar in South London. But her days are free to focus on writing her poetry, which allows her to express all that she finds hard to say, the thoughts and nightmares that keep her awake at night, and the feelings weighing heavy on her heart. Sometimes struggling daily with not finding a job, perpetual estrangement from her family because of who she is, and fearing never doing what she loves while earning a living becomes overwhelming for her. She represses her existential dread with a friends-with-benefits arrangement with her irresistible coworker, Bea, having casual sex with others, drinking, and getting high. Still, nothing keeps it at bay.

Among Elsie’s most fundamental character traits is her determination to keep believing things will change for the better. But facing homelessness at being evicted from her social housing unexpectedly one morning almost breaks her. Because she has no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go, Elsie seeks the help of her estranged childhood friend, Juliet. Finally free to breathe after years of the oppressive weight of stress and worry, Elsie sinks into spending time renewing her friendship with Juliet. And as they smoke and hang out together watching favorite tv shows, Elsie’s deeply held feelings for Juliet slowly reach the surface. But will Elsie open her eyes and heart to see that what she’s been searching for has been right there this whole time before it’s too late?

Free-spirited, kind, encouraging, sweet, supportive, generous, patient, and nonjudgmental, Juliet is a wonderful friend to Elsie. Still, she, herself, makes some poor choices. So, I must admire Elsie’s restraint in keeping her thoughts about them to herself—mostly. Juliet may be the one person Elsie gives the most space to be herself without becoming confrontational. I love Elsie and Juliet’s friendship and closeness. Their affection for each other is obvious, though they’ve been apart for a while. Being with her childhood friend Juliet comforts Elsie, making her feel safe enough to be herself and relax without worrying about where she will lay her head the next night. Elsie hasn’t had that in a long while. Although she and Juliet don’t always agree on everything, particularly how Elsie should manage her life and poetry career, Juliet is a calming influence on her most of the time. Juliet’s calming presence makes her feel safe to be herself and relax worry-free. But she’s so caught up in her head and busy distracting herself from her feelings that Elsie spends little to no time on much-needed self-reflection. So, she doesn’t deal with her issues or emotions, which affects her relationships.

Elsie is a bit of an unreliable narrator because of her personality, which makes you wonder if having Juliet’s POV would make their romantic relationship development any less frustrating. But this is Elsie’s journey. Their romance is an agonizing slow burn, mostly on Elsie because of her self-absorption and obliviousness. Though both her and Juliet’s issues also create tension and barriers. Nevertheless, Juliet and Elsie’s interactions are funny, sweet, steamy, emotional, sexy, and angsty.

The inclusion of poetry by Kai-Isaiah Jamal is a nice touch, contributing to Elsie’s character development and growth. Jamal’s poetry fits Elsie’s character and the story’s content, style, and stream of thought construction. Rosewater is a steamy, angsty, sexy, funny, and emotional dramatic fiction read that explores themes of homelessness, intergenerational love, friendship, healing, belonging, coming home, first love, family, queer identities, gender issues, and racial issues.

Thank you for the publishers for an early e-copy of Rosewater.
If you are looking for a quick read, a literacy story with a mix of romance, you need this pick this up. I went into this book not knowing anything and it did not disappoint. I really loved the main character, really enjoyed the plot and where the story went. I wish we were given more on Elsie's career after the events occurring at the end of the story, but I can see how the reader can imagine the best for Elsie. Elsie is someone you can connect with in multiple ways, from not having the greatest connection with parents, trauma from past experiences, losing jobs, to writing poetry, to what it means to fall in love, and much more.
This is a book I have already recommended to so many and encouraged friends to buy once It comes out,

Thank you NetGalley for giving me one more opportunity.
I don’t even know what to say, it’s queer, it’s messy, it’s sad, it’s lovely. I absolutely love this and words can’t describe how I couldn’t put it down. If I didn’t have responsibilities in my life I would’ve absolutely downed this at once. So far one of my favorite reads of the year and I cannot wait to recommend this!