How hard can love be?

Holly Bourne

Feb 2016 · Usborne Publishing Ltd

About this eBook

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to America. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's Prom King Kyle, the serial heartbreaker. Can Amber really be falling for him? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.

Ratings and reviews

One of the first things that struck me about this book was how EASY it was to slip into it all – Holly Bourne’s writing is simple and yet designed to make you think about all things Feminism, Family and Friendship that I’ve fallen in love. Amber has always been the odd duck. She’s 5’11, her mother left her for a bum-face and skipped continents with him, her father had an affair and her step-family is horrible and now she’s boarded a plane to fly across continents to be with the woman who she hasn’t seen in two years. Combine hyperactive in a camp in the mountains, a mother with barely any time for her, cliché American Girls who make her blood boil and a Prom King perfect boy, this book promised to be A WHOLE TON OF FUN! And it really truly was. Until Kyle (aka the more gorgeous than life Prom King) turned out to be THE BEST HUMAN IN THE WORLD WITH LITERALLY 0% FLAWS. 0%. ZILCH. He comforted Amber when she was drunk and puking, he took her on magical trips to National Parks, didn’t mind when she didn’t kiss him back, he wanted to hear all about her past and apologized and he also went “OH WE’RE SUCH A CUTE COUPLE.” I’VE MET GUYS. I KNOW PEOPLE. NOBODY IS THAT PERFECT. He was too much perfection and ZERO FLAWS and I honestly couldn’t even believe/ fathom/ trust/ like him. Another thing that made me cringe was that ENDING. After TWO YEARS of nothing, and YEARS BEFORE THAT OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE, all we get is a THREE PAGE TALK? And a one paragraph apology from her mother. THAT’S IT. MEH. Amber storyline with her mother was one of the things I LOVED THE MOST because like Amber, I’m a repressor. I have so much stuff pent up inside me that I WON’T SAY OUT LOUD and I GET WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LIKE THAT. And for all that GREAT STORY to end with practically nothing felt off. And wrong. And that THE TOO PERFECT FOR LIFE PROM KING KYLE was more important than her mother. REALLY? If I shove all that aside, because this all turned into something frustrating only in the end, there are a LOT of great things about the book. 1. THE SETTING: I don’t think I’ve read enough books with camps or fun nature stuff but I REALLY TRULY LOVED THE SETTING. Also, there were so many Harry Potter references and hyperactive little kinds (I get it, I’ve got cousins) and camp was SUCH A FUN PLACE TO BE. 2. THE FEMINISM: Everyone’s definitely had that one girl who you just NEED TO HATE – and the ladies of the Spinster Club handle it BEAUTIFULLY. It’s all about supporting women, and not hating/ being jealous of other women no matter how different you are and I REALLY LOVE THE WAY IT WAS HANDLED. 3. THE EASINESS OF THE WRITING: Like I said when I started this review, this book was a REALLY EASY READ. HONESTLY. I think it’s the fastest book I’ve read in 2017 despite the fact that it’s almost 500 pages long. It was an easy and fun story to slip into. Honestly, I SO BADLY WISH that the ending was extended and handled better. I wish that there was more of a reconciliation and bonding between Amber and her mother, I wish Kyle was LIKE 10% FLAWED because that would have made How Hard Can Love Be? One of my best reads of the year. Definitely worth a read for a few smiles, and some thought provoking feministic ideas but I KNOW it could have been better.

Loved it! But was upset how short the ending built up. Want to know what happened next!

Absolutely love it! Go buy it and 'Am I Normal Yet?' if you haven't.

About the author

Holly Bourne is a bestselling and critically acclaimed author. Inspired by her work with young people, and her own experiences of everyday sexism, Holly is a passionate mental health advocate and proud feminist.