Hello friends! Coming at you today, I have a review of “Love Somebody” by Rachel Roasek, which is out now!
A digital ARC of “Love Somebody” was provided to me by Macmillan via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Read on to check out the official synopsis, my review, and a bit about the author!
Synopsis
Sam Dickson is a charismatic actress, ambitious and popular with big plans for her future. Ros Shew is one of the smartest people in school–but she’s a loner, and prefers to keep it that way. Then there’s Christian Powell, the darling of the high school soccer team. He’s not the best with communication, which is why he and Sam broke up after dating for six months; but he makes up for it by being genuine, effusive, and kind, which is why they’re still best friends.
When Christian falls for Ros on first sight, their first interaction is a disaster, so he enlists Sam’s help to get through to her. Sam, with motives of her own, agrees to coach Christian from the sidelines on how to soften Ros’s notorious walls. But as Ros starts to suspect Christian is acting differently, and Sam starts to realize the complexity of her own feelings, their fragile relationships threaten to fall apart.
This fresh romantic comedy from debut author Rachel Roasek is a heartfelt story about falling in love–with a partner, with your friends, or just with yourself–and about how maybe, the bravest thing to do in the face of change is just love somebody.
My Thoughts
“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.
★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
About The Author
Rachel Roasek received her BA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2017, with a degree in Drama and two minors in Sign Language and Anthropology. When not coming up with fictional worlds, she works as both a voice actor and stage technician. She currently lives in Raleigh with a few dying plants and her dog, Lupe.
Selina Falcon 