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kmparsons's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but the ending just felt incomplete.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
5.0
It continues to amaze me that our country produces some of the best fiction I've read. It annoys me that Australian YA fiction doesn't get the exposure that it deserves, not just in other countries but our own country.
This book was amazing! I read it in a couple of sittings. It promises exactly what is written on the back cover "A story that's real and warm and just a little heartbreaking".
The characters and situations they are put in feel so realistic, it reminded me of my days working at Hungry Jacks. This is Laura Buzo's first novel and I applaude her for making it perfect!
I'm going to give a bit of a SPOILER so keep reading if you don't mind.
This book was amazing! I read it in a couple of sittings. It promises exactly what is written on the back cover "A story that's real and warm and just a little heartbreaking".
The characters and situations they are put in feel so realistic, it reminded me of my days working at Hungry Jacks. This is Laura Buzo's first novel and I applaude her for making it perfect!
I'm going to give a bit of a SPOILER so keep reading if you don't mind.
Spoiler
I know it wasn't going to happen, but I wished that Chris & Amelia got together. At least they got to share a kiss, and I like to think that they both enjoyed their time apart from each other but never forgot that kiss. When Chris gets back from Japan they meet up again, become a couple and live happily ever after. Well I can imagine that if I want because the book is over.apinkcloudsummer's review against another edition
4.0
The whole time I was wishing she was older. Why couldn't they end up together!
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
How I wanted to like LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS more than I did! This was such a good insight into a 15-year-old girl’s mindset, but alas, a distinct lack of plot and, subsequently, a complete inattention to pacing meant that I did not enjoy this as much as I had wanted to.
I very much appreciated that LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS acknowledged the fact that 15-year-old girls don’t think about guys all the time; that, in fact, 15-year-old girls are in that great Land of Potential where all of their realizations about life and relationships are insightful and significant. Amelia, while a little bland in personality in my opinion, was nevertheless a smart girl, interested and opinionated in a variety of topics from the outcomes of Victorian novels to modern feminism. While her thoughts certainly cannot match the breadth and depth of university-educated students, I liked that it showed she had the potential to be a conscientious and creative older person, even when I didn’t like how unhealthily obsessed she was with Chris.
Alternating sections featuring long parts of Chris’ journal provided a necessary look into Chris and revealed a confused and empathic depth to him that Amelia’s worshipful descriptions of him could not. Like Amelia, Chris, too, will grow into a great adult, well read and thoughtful and devoted. The parts of this book that resonated particularly with me were when Chris and Amelia talked about family dynamics, how you can hate and love them at the same time, and how much control you really have over their contentedness.
I suppose that my lukewarm feelings toward this book were a matter of personal taste. Buzo really knows her characters and their mindsets at their particular ages. Whether it’s because I thought about different things at their ages or because I think about different things now, I finished LOVE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS with an approving nod but not much more.
I very much appreciated that LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS acknowledged the fact that 15-year-old girls don’t think about guys all the time; that, in fact, 15-year-old girls are in that great Land of Potential where all of their realizations about life and relationships are insightful and significant. Amelia, while a little bland in personality in my opinion, was nevertheless a smart girl, interested and opinionated in a variety of topics from the outcomes of Victorian novels to modern feminism. While her thoughts certainly cannot match the breadth and depth of university-educated students, I liked that it showed she had the potential to be a conscientious and creative older person, even when I didn’t like how unhealthily obsessed she was with Chris.
Alternating sections featuring long parts of Chris’ journal provided a necessary look into Chris and revealed a confused and empathic depth to him that Amelia’s worshipful descriptions of him could not. Like Amelia, Chris, too, will grow into a great adult, well read and thoughtful and devoted. The parts of this book that resonated particularly with me were when Chris and Amelia talked about family dynamics, how you can hate and love them at the same time, and how much control you really have over their contentedness.
I suppose that my lukewarm feelings toward this book were a matter of personal taste. Buzo really knows her characters and their mindsets at their particular ages. Whether it’s because I thought about different things at their ages or because I think about different things now, I finished LOVE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS with an approving nod but not much more.
mollywetta's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my god, you guys. This is so adorable, I can’t even…Laura Buzo GETS IT. Love and Other Perishable Items captures the essence of unrequited love and inappropriate attraction and honestly portrays awkward teenagers and slacker twenty-somethings. In the tradition of awesome Aussie YA, it captures your heart even if it is a quiet and un-dramatic story.
There are not enough young adult novels that focus on first jobs and the complicated social dynamic surrounding them. While reading about Amelia’s job in her local grocery store, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my first job (which until I worked at the library was my favorite job ever). Then, when Amelia falls for the smart, if a bit lost, older guy, I couldn’t help but be reminded on my own crush on an older boy (which also never worked out, even though we got to get drunk in a hotel bar together in Salt Lake City when I was in my twenties).
The interactions between the characters in Love and Other Perishable Items felt authentic. The mix of teenagers, twenty-something burnouts, and college students pass the time working their shifts in the check out lane by swapping stories, discussing philosophy, and sizing each up as potential romantic interests. This book had a very timeless feel to it. As specific and nuanced as these characters and their conversations are, they touch on familiar and universal coming-of-age themes, which will give it staying power. It just feels so damn universal.
I’m not usually a fan of dual perspective books told from a first person perspective, especially when they cover the same ground. But because we hear from Chris through his journal and Amelia in narration, and the sections were longer, it worked. Both character’s voice were distinct and it was interesting to see the relationship from the point of view of two young adults at very different stages of their lives.
The discussion of feminism was a delightful surprise. The way Chris introduces Amelia to more nuanced feminist thought not only endeared him to me, it made me fall in love with this book. It didn’t feel like it was shoehorned into the story to prove a point; it felt organic.
Normally, a relationship between a 21-year-old college student and a 15-year-old high school student would be creepy, but you can’t help but cheer for Amelia and Chris a little bit even if you know it will never work out. Love and and Other Perishable Items captures that longing and yearning of a first crush and the disappointment when you know that timing rather than compatibility keeps a relationship from going anywhere.
Chris and Amelia are in different stages of the transition to adulthood, yet their experiences mirror each other and bring them together as much as they doom any romance. I can’t think of another novel that explores this type of relationship, which is part of the reason Love and Other Perishable Items stands out from the crowd of contemporary YA.
There are not enough young adult novels that focus on first jobs and the complicated social dynamic surrounding them. While reading about Amelia’s job in her local grocery store, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my first job (which until I worked at the library was my favorite job ever). Then, when Amelia falls for the smart, if a bit lost, older guy, I couldn’t help but be reminded on my own crush on an older boy (which also never worked out, even though we got to get drunk in a hotel bar together in Salt Lake City when I was in my twenties).
The interactions between the characters in Love and Other Perishable Items felt authentic. The mix of teenagers, twenty-something burnouts, and college students pass the time working their shifts in the check out lane by swapping stories, discussing philosophy, and sizing each up as potential romantic interests. This book had a very timeless feel to it. As specific and nuanced as these characters and their conversations are, they touch on familiar and universal coming-of-age themes, which will give it staying power. It just feels so damn universal.
I’m not usually a fan of dual perspective books told from a first person perspective, especially when they cover the same ground. But because we hear from Chris through his journal and Amelia in narration, and the sections were longer, it worked. Both character’s voice were distinct and it was interesting to see the relationship from the point of view of two young adults at very different stages of their lives.
The discussion of feminism was a delightful surprise. The way Chris introduces Amelia to more nuanced feminist thought not only endeared him to me, it made me fall in love with this book. It didn’t feel like it was shoehorned into the story to prove a point; it felt organic.
Normally, a relationship between a 21-year-old college student and a 15-year-old high school student would be creepy, but you can’t help but cheer for Amelia and Chris a little bit even if you know it will never work out. Love and and Other Perishable Items captures that longing and yearning of a first crush and the disappointment when you know that timing rather than compatibility keeps a relationship from going anywhere.
Chris and Amelia are in different stages of the transition to adulthood, yet their experiences mirror each other and bring them together as much as they doom any romance. I can’t think of another novel that explores this type of relationship, which is part of the reason Love and Other Perishable Items stands out from the crowd of contemporary YA.
aepstone's review against another edition
5.0
Okay the only thing I love better than a great YA romance that feels real and achingly poignant and brings me back to my former, passionate, teenage self, is all that, plus feminism. In other words, I feel that this book was written for me.
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmmm. I think I'll think about this one for awhile.
From a literary standpoint, this is really good. One of the best studies of coming of age and first love I've read. It's so real it hurts. I loved the (tiny bit of) ambiguous ending.
However, I think I appreciate this more as an adult who's survived it and lived to tell the tale than a teen who is going through it. I'm curious how this will go with the teen demographic it's geared towards (although in theory, it's already doing well. This is an Australian cross over from a couple years ago that just debuted in the US).
From a literary standpoint, this is really good. One of the best studies of coming of age and first love I've read. It's so real it hurts. I loved the (tiny bit of) ambiguous ending.
However, I think I appreciate this more as an adult who's survived it and lived to tell the tale than a teen who is going through it. I'm curious how this will go with the teen demographic it's geared towards (although in theory, it's already doing well. This is an Australian cross over from a couple years ago that just debuted in the US).
sparklethenpop's review
4.0
Definitely not your typical boy meets girl story. The ending begs for a sequel.
missbookiverse's review against another edition
3.0
Dieses Buch wäre so schön gewesen, wenn es sich auf Amelias Perspektive beschränkt hätte. Amelia hat mich an Rose aus der Confessions-Reihe erinnert. Ein kluges, junges Mädchen, das den typischen Teenagerdreh nicht so richtig raus hat. Sie kann mit ihren Mitschülern einfach nicht so viel anfangen, dafür aber mit ihren älteren Arbeitskollegen aus dem Supermarkt. Ihr Schwarm Chris wirkt aus ihrer Sicht noch ganz attraktiv – witzig, intelligent und freundlich. Leider hat dieser Eindruck eine komplette Kehrtwendung hingelegt als ich sein Tagebuch zu lesen bekam. So viel Rumgejaule zwischen dem Drogen- und Alkoholkonsum, meine Güte. Nicht dass seine Gedanken nicht nachvollziehbar wären, aber ich bevorzuge es keine seitenlangen Ausschweifungen darüber lesen zu müssen. Dann doch lieber mehr von Amelias Beobachtungen und Gedanken zum Thema Feminismus. Oder mehr Szenen mit ihrer besten Freundin. Die schien zwar in der Theorie ein wichtiger Part ihres Lebens zu sein, mitbekommen habe ich davon aber zu wenig.