Love Somebody exceeded my every expectation! I was expecting a fairly typical love-triangle story, but Rachel Roasek transformed this trope into an emotionally engaging narrative unlike anything else I've ever read. I legitimately cried at several different parts during this story, which is a rare occurrence for me. Something about the characters' emotional arcs was so moving for me. My favorite character was definitely Ros, who felt very relatable to me as someone who has struggled with the idea of romance in the past. Rachel Roasek captured the deeply human fear of heartbreak in this novel, while also communicating the power of being willing to risk being hurt for a chance at love.
To wrap up my review, here is my favorite quote from Love Somebody, which really captures the essence of this story.
"Not every relationship works out. Not every one should. But that doesn't mean every connection is destined to hurt you. Sure, some of them might, but isn't it worth a little hurt to find the ones that make you happy?"

“Love Somebody” by Rachel Roasek is a novel that could have easily veered into too-messy-to-come-back-from territory, but I’m pleased to say was exceptionally written and crafted. It is such a heartfelt book with a focus on love (romantic, platonic, familial), identify, connection, and family.

What most impressed me throughout the entire book was the clear distinction between the three POVs we get from Sam, Christian, and Ros. Sometimes I find books with more than one POV can become muddled as far as the voices of the characters, but it was very clear who I was reading every time it switched over to a new POV. Each character has such a unique voice and I think Rachel Roasek did a really amazing job knowing her characters and making their voices so distinct.

I also was super impressed by the conflict Rachel introduced and how she handled it. One of the big conflicts and themes is catfishing. Sam does it for fun as an acting practice, and then she and Christian essentially catfish Ros for a very long time. It’s all a recipe for disaster, and disaster definitely does happen, but the way it was handled both made it clear that catfishing is wrong, and our characters go on a personal journey of owning up to their mistakes. I think for the age that these three are, Rachel gave them appropriate realizations and consequences.

As far as Sam, Christian, and Ros go, they all individually surprised me. They each have frustrating beginnings in the book and are probably the worst versions of themselves because they’ve yet to have the experiences that change them into who they become. They each individually go on self-discovery journeys while becoming a part of each other’s lives and it was something so exciting to read. I was rooting for them with every single page and by the end of the book, I was so proud of who each of them had and were continuing to become.

It’s been a minute since I’ve so quickly fallen in love with a contemporary YA. “Love Somebody” was so refreshing and I’m so excited to see more from Rachel in the future.

EEP! I am honestly soo excited to write a review for this book particularly because it stole my heart, literally. How it started off, the depth we slowly saw from our characters… it was all really amazing.

I won’t be lying when I say that the book has it’s clichés, which surprisingly the plot itself pinpoints multiple times, including the characters which was kind of sweet. In starting it very well seemed like a story between “highschool queen-bee, popular jock & a smart icy queen”. And well the characters do fit this description, the author did an amazing job pointing out to the readers to let go of these preconceived notions we have about a character in a book. Ngl, that was this whole swag moment and I was like damn it really hit >.<

I went overboard with taking noted on Storygraph while reading this book and it is me just losing my head over the characters. The book is highly character driven with underlying important instances, but characters and their interactions take up most of the book. So I understand why in beginning one might lose interest because of the pretentiousness of the characters, but as you read you get to know each one of them have a good reason to hold on to this pretentiousness.

Sam stays aloof, tries to gain attention but doesn’t give anything away because she is scared nobody will like the real her. She wants to leave a mark, prove that she is something to the world and while this trait might seem too pretentious, people with high ambitions sometimes do seem like this 😥 As for Ros, she had her own ghosts of past, with not understanding where she belongs and being too scared of getting hurt and people leaving her. Christian’s character is one that I am yet unable to grasp a hold of, maybe because he lacked depth since beginning although with a good reason. His character was really intriguing because I was confused how he would be if not a conflict avoider and people pleaser. Maybe someone who manages both of them and still takes up stance for what is right.

The story didn’t particularly start off well because I was most certainly judging how Sam and Christian practically cat fished Ros. But I guess one thing I really like about this book is that it “corrects” or brings everything into perspective at the end. The fact that teenagers are supposed to be messy could be easily seen but I was glad that the characters realized their wrongs one way or the other. The book is unapologetically queer and while it is not a coming out story and not about the problematic instances that many queer people face, it did its part to familiarize people why pride is important and how society being “more exciting” doesn’t make coming out any easier because stereotypes still exists.

The normalization of support group and therapy was also a really good aspect of this book. Not to mention friendships and different kinds of love. More than romance I guess I was invested in their friendship. Also, there are a few side queer characters and they are sooo awesome! But I won’t be lying when I say the plot was a bit predictable – in general idea about what might happen next. But it didn’t make the book boring for me because I was really rooting for the characters and cheering them on. I can’t wait to see some fanarts and more works by the author <3!

*Content Warnings: abandonment, emotional abuse, manipulation, one mention of harry potter, death of a parent, brief non-consensual kiss, mentions of homophobia and queerphobia

I was provided with an arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

If there’s one retelling or remixing I wish I never saw again, it would be the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s one of my least-favorite plot devices. I don’t like it, because in the end, everyone gets hurt. And that’s exactly what keeps “Love Somebody” from getting a full five stars from me.

On the flip side, think about that: I hate this plot device so much, yet it only cost this book one star. Why is that? It’s because this book, despite the Cyrano element, is very good. The characters are complex and fully-developed, the writing is engaging, the subplots are well thought out and don’t detract from the main plot (as a matter of fact, they support and affirm the main plot, which is what a good subplot should do), and the supporting cast helps to shore up the formation of the main characters (which is what supporting characters should be doing!).

This definitely isn’t one of those YA novels that wouldn’t be understood by teenagers and young adults. It was a solid and emotional read for me, and I’m 43. I even shed a tear or two toward the end. I highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for something a little bittersweet and emotionally complex with some LGBTQ+ themes and strong compulsion about what it means to love. It gave me strong Rainbow Rowell vibes, with a dollop of Casey McQuiston. And as those ladies are two of my favorite authors I guess you could say that’s a pretty high compliment. I look forward to seeing what Roasek has for us in the future.

This is a story about falling in love -- and being honest with yourself.   It focuses on three classmates at a high school in Massachusetts: Sam, a popular theater students with plans for a big life outside of her hometown; her ex-boyfriend, Christian, a kind and charming soccer star with a complicated family life; and Ros Shrew, one of the top students at their school who prefers to keep to herself. 

Sam and Christian have remained good friends following their breakup.  When Christian falls hard for Ros but can't seem to communicate with her, Sam agrees to help Christian by ghostwriting his texts to Ros and being the voice in his earbuds when Christian and Ros are on dates.  All is working accordingly to plan as Ros warms up to Christian -- until Sam realizes that she may also have her own feelings for Ros.  

I enjoyed this book.  The author crafts strong and distinct voices for each of the three, very different main characters.  As readers, we come to see how they are each much more than the stereotypes that seem to apply -- and how their family lives, each complicated in their own ways, shape their friendships and romantic relationships.  I enjoyed going on the individual and collective journeys with these characters, as they each came to re-examine their own assumptions about their families, their friendships, and what they wanted for their futures.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (3.5 stars)

Love Somebody by Rachel Roasek is a great example of how a love triangle should be written. The three leads – Sam, Ros and Christian – are all well-rounded and fully realized characters. The narration does a good job of focusing equally on all three, each one with their own internal battles they have to overcome. The story allows them to all shine on their own as much – if not more! – than when they were together.

I really enjoyed all three of their storylines and personal character arcs, and was pleasantly surprised by their development throughout this novel. When I first began Love Somebody, I actually didn’t find any of them likable and was worried this would affect my overall enjoyment of the book. But the writing did a very good job of changing my opinions about them, and by the end of the novel I definitely felt for each and every one.

I think this novel’s strength is its heart. In fact, I found the emotionality of the writing made up for some minor bumps in the plot that would have otherwise bothered me more. It was just such a heartfelt story, it was hard to get too hung up on the few plot holes, even if I did notice them.

(By this I mean, there were a couple of instances where one of the characters would somehow know where the other one was coming from even without that character telling them. Like, they shouldn’t have understood the context behind certain actions the way the reader would, yet somehow they did. Almost as if the characters themselves were omniscient – but only when the plot necessitated it.)

But despite these minor hiccups, I found myself ~feeling~ for these characters. I also really appreciated that in the end, no one was pegged as “the bad guy”, nor was anyone left in the dust. This story was less about ‘who got the girl’ and more about everyone getting what they needed.

Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), for providing me with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

First read of 2021 and it was disaster bis! AAAHHHHHHH I am so glad I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This was messy and ridiculous at other times (they're technically catfishing the other MC, of course it's going to get chaotic and messy), but wow. It was also heartfelt and funny and sweet. It tackled love, family, identity, and the effort to connect with others. The characterization for me was on point as well because the three main characters shined in their own ways and they went on their individual arcs.

I adored this book! Exact rating: 4.5/5

Full review will be posted soon as part of Love Somebody Blog Tour hosted by Turn the Pages Tours.

I think I know why I gravitate toward romantic young adult novels: my inner 17-18 year old is living vicariously through their characters. I mentioned the same thing to my husband after watching the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy, and I was told high school as portrayed through media doesn’t happen in real life.

Love Somebody is a love triangle of sorts. I don’t think there is enough comedy in it to be considered a romantic comedy (as the synopsis mentioned) but it has it’s funny moments. In Love Somebody, Sam and Christian are friends. When Christian falls for Ros, he asks Sam to help him get close to her. Sam hesitates at first, then changes her mind when she found out she lost to Ros to speak at their school assembly.

There are a few things I quite enjoyed about this novel.

First, Sam, Christian and Ros are all set up as if they have their lives figured out. Sam with her good grades, talent, popularity. Christian with soccer, and niceness. Ros with her intelligence, wit, and I’m going to assume great grades as well. But then, we are hit with the truth that each of them are going through inner crises only they can deal with themselves. Sam with her fear of being forgotten. Christian and his lack of a backbone. Ros struggling to find her identity.

Secondly, their sexual identity is just is. There was mention of it , but I appreciate that there was no need to elaborate.

Lastly, the character development. We see each of the main characters go through changes in their outlook, and behaviour throughout the book. We also see their walls slowly crumble.

Did I enjoy reading book? Yes I did.

Would I recommend this book? Yes I would.

I had mixed feelings about this one. To begin, I didn't really like any of the characters for the first half the book. They did begin to grow on me by the end. However, having three point of views didn't work out well in my opinion. The voices for each POV kind of blended together and they weren't distinct enough. In addition, it was jarring to have POV switch multiple times in just one chapter. It felt really weird to only be reading Sam's opinion for a few paragraphs and then suddenly be reading Christian's perspective and then immediately Ros'.

While each character had their subplots; Christian's family and brother, Sam's mom and need to feel important, Ros' identity as a surrogate baby who doesn't look like her living dad - Christian's was the only one that really felt like it was ironed out completely.

Not only that, but the characters were a little flat. While the plot and character development was fun at times, this book told me more than it showed me. I would have liked to see more into the development of Sam and Ros' relationship because it still felt a bit sudden to me.

Overall, I think this is a decent read but it didn't blow me away. I'd give it 3.5 stars because I did enjoy it in the end and it was a nice, quick read.

Christian Powell is a high school jock and he isn’t the best communicator, so he asks his ex-girlfriend, Sam, to help him win over his crush, Ros, through text messaging. Sam agrees. She seizes the opportunity in the hopes of toying with Ros’ emotions, but in the process, Sam starts falling for her, and likewise, Ros starts preferring the online version of “Christian” she’s been talking to this whole time.

Prepare for things to get complicated.

When I first heard about Love Somebody by Rachel Roasek, I was so excited to read it. The premise sounded like a charming rom-com along the lines of The Half of It and My Love Mix-Up! Plus, this story involves theater, which is a hobby near and dear to my heart.

Essentially, it seemed like it had all the ingredients for a story I should love.

However, it’s the poor character writing that ruined it for me. Sam, in particular, constantly boasts to readers about how perfect and clever she is without the chops to back it up. It’s more tell than show, and in the end, the characters come off as flat and superficial to me, so I just couldn’t connect with it.

Thank you Netgally and McMillian for providing an early copy to review.

3.5 stars:

I have such mixed feelings about this book, on one hand, I found the characters very annoying but LOVED how they grew over the course of the book. The first third of the book is the teenagers are being teenagers- especially Sam. She thinks she knows best and anyone who doesn't have the 5-year plan figured out at 17 is a failure at life. Chris and Ros are less frustrating to read from but are both still teenagers figuring out who they are and what it means to be themselves.

I think all three characters had interesting home lives and were fully fleshed characters, but I feel like Sam's homelife was never resolved like the other two characters. The overall theme was lovely and sweet, and something I needed to hear even as an adult.

TLDR; She's All That + Angst

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Love Somebody drew my attention from the moment I read the premise. I’m not super-familiar with the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, beyond having looked briefly into it upon hearing about the upcoming movie musical adaptation, but I loved this fun, queer-positive homage to that story.
One of the things that stands out immediately is the distinct voices of the three leads. I usually loathe multiple first person POV with a passion, because the voices feel so samey, but not so with this one. Whether from chapter to chapter or even sections in the same chapter, the voices flowed so well into one another and I loved all of them.
Sam is a girl after my own heart. The fact that she models herself after Emma Watson, wanting to do it all, from acting to academics to charity work? I love that! And she’s incredibly headstrong and takes one critique a bit too personally. Ros is equally opinionated, but she has more insecurities and doubts about her future. And then there’s Christian, who is dealing with some family issues, which are conveyed remarkably well.
I really liked the dynamics among all three. Sam and Christian have such a solid friendship, and it’s great to see that exes can be friends (although them breaking up on good terms absolutely played a role in that). I really wasn’t sure how I felt about Ros fitting into the equation. I had a feeling of the direction it would go in, especially with the contrast in Sam and Christian’s respective interactions with Ros. And while things could easily have gotten awkward and messy (and they do), there is a fairly peaceful resolution with very little in the way of hurt feelings.
This is such a sweet book, and I adored every moment of it. If you love tropey stories with an LGBTQ+ twist, I recommend picking this up.

- LOVE SOMEBODY is pitched as a YA rom-com, and it is partly that, but it also goes quite deep on the complexity of relationships. The characters' attractions are quite fluid: bisexuality was generally no big deal, former dates could be current best friends.
- It also nicely covers that end of high school panic, when you feel like every choice you make might determine the rest of your life and trying to fight that feeling, along with trying to handle family expectations around your life path. There is some pretty intense family stuff in this book, and it's great to see a book with kids realizing their parents aren't everything they thought they were.
- Plus, love a book that could have been a huge angsty mess about one character realizing their queerness and just wasn't. The character just took it in stride and so did everyone else.

I didn't really love the characters, but the plot was amazing. it really did remind of of something like simon vs the homo sapiens agenda! I really hope the author continues to write in this genre, because this was a very promising novel.

I was so excited to read this, but upon starting it, I was honestly appalled by one of the three protagonists. Her favorite way to destress was to catfish people, and she talked about how “good” she’d gotten at it in the months leading up to the story. Another one of the protagonists came off as very cynical and pretentious, nearly impossible to please in terms of both socialization and media. Only one charmed me enough to stop me from putting the book down a few chapters in.

So why, you may ask, did I rate the book so highly?

Because it did the most unexpected, impressive 180, and ended up being brilliant. Because there was so much more to both of the characters I didn’t like, and their development was so incredibly well-done. Because it managed to be both a quintessential romcom and so much more—a story of flawed teens figuring out who they are and what they want in life, of friends that love each other like family, of what love really is and all the ways it can be interpreted and expressed—and it was beautiful. Because it was fun and funny but also thoughtful and hopeful, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Despite my rocky start with this book, Love Somebody ended up being everything I love about YA contemporaries while also being its own unique story. I saw parts of myself in all three characters, and soon enough was rooting for all of them, unable to pick a favorite. I sped through most of it in a single night and thought about it whenever I wasn’t reading or was reading another book. Rachel Roasek wrote a phenomenal book, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. This book is not one to sleep on, and I’ll shout that from the rooftops.

[Rating: 4.5 stars]

I really, really, liked this one. So much about it called to me, and even though I found it incredibly hard to read at times, I still loved it. Possibly even more because of that.

The thing that made this so difficult was its relatability. Ros felt like me. Her world views resembled me, her insecurities, and her doubts. Everything felt so personal. At times, I had to put the book down because of how direct it seemed. You know a character is well written when they affect you so strongly, so this was a good thing, but just a challenge that came along with reading this.

I also really liked the way the love triangle here was written. Although it's a trope I hate, it actually ended up being something I enjoyed here. I was so scared the romance would break the friendship between Sam and Christian, but thankfully, that didn't happen. I loved that the author prioritized friendships just as much as relationships, it made this entire story feel so much more real.

Finally, I really loved all of the quotes in this one. I had so many written down by the end of this. Christian, Sam, Ros, all of them had their moments to make an impact, and I loved it.

Although I was unsure that I'd enjoy this one when I picked it up, I'm super happy I did. It ended up being something I really enjoyed reading!

Thanks to Turn the Page Tours for providing a free copy!

This was definitely a cute contemporary YA rom com that seemed to just drag on a bit for my liking. I liked the queer storyline that felt a bit like Cyrano de Bergerac, a bit like The Half of It but the characters were a bit juvenile for my liking. They weren't wholly likeable and at times lost my attention. The writing was a little slow paced for me at the started but picked up with the story about 60% in. All in all, not a bad story, but not one of my favorites.

4.2

This is a cute Cyrano-inspired book! If that's your jam, you'll have plenty to love about this one.
The romance in this could have easily fallen flat or leaned too far into uncomfortable territory or too close to the "revenge" part of this, but instead the chemistry of all three of them prevails. The romance is cute and the characters themselves are compelling.

I actually didn't like the characters at large at the beginning, but they grew one me- much the way they grow on Ros. I liked the slow blooming of each one, and how their interactions with each other show more about them as individuals.

There's a nice exploration of weighty themes here, without dipping into to heavy territory. This book isn't fluffy, but it still feels light, even under the weight of the doubt and family problems slowly excavated. I think the themes are done really well.

Though I liked the characters and their inner lives, I do wish that the arcs had been a little stronger. I feel like Sam's could have gone further and been more dynamic, and Ros' felt repetitive at points.
And, not an issue of the story as a whole, but the promotion I saw for this book had me expecting a polyamorous story, and there isn't one. So I wound up disappointed because of my own expectations.

This is a cute romcom-ish story of different types of love, wingmaning too close to the sun, and what you allow for yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I have incredibly mixed opinions about this book, which I think is a great thing to have for a book like this, because while it wasn't one of my favorites I can see a large group of people who would enjoy this novel. I had been drawn in by the cover and title and it does a great job of switching POV's between the characters, but it was not a book that I can really say I just sat and enjoyed.

The book follows Ros, Sam, and Christian - three high school juniors who become intertwined through love. Sam and Christian had dated but broke up amicably & are still friends, and Sam offers to help Christian woo Ros but in the course of doing so, Sam starts to fall for Ros as well. This is filled with LGBTQIA+ rep, all of which is handled with care so that it doesn't come off in a stereotypical or hurtful manner. You can easily tell from the beginning who the end goal couple is, but there is definitely work to be done to get there.

My biggest issue is that I didn't find Sam or Ros likeable at all, and it took me over halfway through the book to start to be invested in their storylines. Christian had flaws too but he was the one "redeemable" character in my mind and I was much more willing to read through his mishaps than the other two. But here is the amazing thing about this - their flaws were realistic and the things they overcame were handled in a manner that made sense. Just because in real life I wouldn't want to be friends with Ros or Sam doesn't mean they weren't written well, because they absolutely were; any time I have strong feelings about a character/book I always give props to the author for writing something that makes me have strong emotions. I just wasn't looking for a book where I was going to dislike people for so long, since I like to read books to get away from reality and this contemporary book was a little too realistic for me. But this makes it absolutely perfect for a lot of other people. After the halfway point though I was so invested that I was able to pretty quickly finish this book. Rachel's writing is very clear and easy to read, and so I will definitely look forward to other books that she writes, since I did enjoy her writing style a lot.

I think if you are in HS and dealing with stress from relationships or finding yourself, this is a great book for that. I think as an entire package this book definitely sets out for what it intended, and just because it wasn't what I was looking for doesn't mean it isn't perfect for someone else. 3/5

There was a lot to like in this book and then, there were some things I didn't like. However, I think what I didn't like is mostly on me as a reader than the book itself. Love Somebody is about three teens, one (Christian) who becomes a bit infatuated with one (Ros) while the other (Sam) helps him impress her. The first thing I have to commend is the characterization of all three main characters. It was scary how good their personalities were written. That being said, I didn't really like two of the characters for the first half of the book. Ros had a bit of "not like the other girls" syndrome and Sam was honestly not very likable at the start (perhaps this was the point? idk). As we get to know them, they get better, and I eventually began to really like Ros in particular. She has such a touching background and it was kind of wonderful to read. Actually, the writing in general is really good and quite engaging!

Of all the POV characters, Christian is by far my favorite and his background is also really interesting to read as well. His relationship with his family and his brother is complex and the way he sees himself and his character arc was my favorite of them all. All three MCs have complicated backgrounds that make getting to know them an immersive experience.

The love in this book was interesting because it didn't go in the direction I initially expected it to go in, which was good. However, I did wish that we could've seen more of the final relationship between the two MCs who end up together. The last MC who ended up not in a relationship was fine with me and I thought that worked well for their specific story, but I wanted more the one romantic relationship that did last because they were really good together and deserved a few more pages, I think.

Aside from not liking 2/3 of the characters at first and cringing at some of their decisions, I also wished this was more plot-based. Again, this is just me as a reader that I prefer plot-centered books. If you're a reader who thrives on character-driven books, this is perfect for you. While there is a plot, this is largely about the characters and how they develop. Overall, this wasn't my favorite but I think it's wonderful in its own right and I imagine this will be a favorite for many when it releases!