Frankie is nearly fourteen and teenage life certainly comes with its ups and downs. Her mum is seriously ill with MS and Frankie can feel herself growing up quickly, no thanks to Sally and her gang of bullies at school.
When Sally turns out to be not-so-mean after all, they strike up a friendship and are suddenly spending all of their time together.
But Frankie starts to wonder whether these feelings she has for Sally are stronger than her other friendships. Might she really be in love?
Frankie doesn’t want Sally to just be her friend. She wants her to be her girlfriend. But does Sally feel the same?
The must-have new novel about falling in love for the first time from bestselling, much-loved children’s author, Jacqueline Wilson.

What a blast from the past! I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I read Jacqueline Wilson – I used to bloody love her books, I had shelves full, they’ve been passed on to my niece now who apparently is having a great time reading them herself. (Seriously, when she called to tell me she was starting her first one I was so proud I thought I was going to burst.)
Anyway, when Netgalley emails you to tell you that there is not only new Jacqueline Wilson but its a YA/ older middle grade book, I kinda had to get in on that.

Now, first things first, this isn’t a romance in the sense that the other two in this post are romances, and there isn’t a showmance, there is an enemies to lovers type of plot, but you know, with children. Just thought I’d mention it in case you’re looking for a teen romance story, this isn’t it, this is a very cute coming out story (if you’ve read this, you’ll know the exact scene I’m thinking about when I say that!). Many of the coming out stories I read are from older kids in their mid to late teens, our main character here, Frankie, is thirteen, so it was nice to see someone so young being so sure of who they are and her exploration of falling for someone for the first time.

This book was like stepping back into my pre-teen life. It was actually kinda weird not reading this under a duvet with a torch way past my bedtime! Her writing style hasn’t changed, I was instantly transported back, I would have LOVED this as a kid, I mean, I enjoyed it and I’m not even the target audience! Frankie, Sally and Sam all seemed young which was actually kind of refreshing, there are a lot of YA/middle grade books where the characters sound older than their years and even more where the kids are all super smart and precocious, so having kids that just sound like kids was nice.

If you’re an old school Jacqueline Wilson fan, let me know if you’re planning on picking this one up!

A very important story for kids to read!! And told perfectly. My daughter is also reading this, shes 9 and considers it a "big girls book" , but shes understanding the message and that's what's important. Many thanks netgalley

I've been reading Jacqueline Wilson books since I was much younger (ahem), and her 1992 title 'The Suitcase Kid' was one of the first I remember reading. I definitely identified with the main character in that, as I was going through similar circumstances at the time. With this new book, although I'm a bit older than Frankie, I can empathise with her situation and actually, it's written so well that I'm now at an age where I can see the perspective from the adults' point of view.

Frankie is the middle girl in a trio of sisters, trying to look after her Mum after she fell ill, their Dad left them and now her best friend wants to be her boyfriend. Her conversations with her slightly scary big sister and her Sylvanian Family obsessed little sister are lovely, and actually reminded me of my nieces.

Frankie's having a tough time at school and then her sworn enemy becomes her friend, and then she feels like she wants her to be more than that - being fourteen is tough, and Frankie deals with all of her feelings really well. Wilson allows kids to be kids, and to be bratty sometimes and have a tantrum and let it all out, and then she lets them be forgiven for it. There are no good guys or villains, just relatable stories and a great way to bring up more sensitive topics with the kids close to you.

didn’t grow up in the UK in the late 90s, so I had no idea who the author Jacqueline Wilson (or her most infamous character, Tracy Beaker) is but my flatmates were delighted when they discovered I was reading this book. Not only were they big fans of her books when they were children but also because Wilson has recently come out as a lesbian. Apparently, this is the first time she has featured a queer protagonist in her books, which they were very excited about.

I really enjoyed this book because it mixed all the highs and lows of your first teen crush with an interesting look at a family struggling with divorce, financial issues and a parent who has MS. Even as someone who hasn’t been a school kid in many decades, I really enjoyed reading this YA book. Some of the words and phrases used by the teen characters didn’t feel like something they would actually say, which I found a little jarring at times, but overall I think Wilson did a great job of capturing that rush of first hormonal love and the struggle to realise that you don’t fit in with the heteronormative world.

I especially liked the relationship between Frankie and her boy next door/best friend Sam, who would really like to be more than friends but is very accepting and supportive of the fact that Frankie isn’t interested. As for Sally, she’s pretty awful and I found it difficult to warm to her. I found the ending surprising and not that believable, so it wasn’t that satisfying for me. However, I still really enjoyed it and hope that Wilson will have another go at writing more queer books like this one.

Jacqueline Wilson is one of my favourite childhood authors. At 29, I still get excited when Jacqueline releases a new book!

I absolutely loved this book. It took me right back to my childhood. I loved Frankie. She is so original and different and I warmed to her immediately.

I am a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson's style of writing.

This was a great read!

Frankie is a thirteen (nearly fourteen) year old girl who is starting to find her romance feet. She has two sisters, one older and one younger and together they help look out for their mum who has MS. She hasn't got many friends, her best friend Sammy, who she has known forever and luckily lives next door, goes to a different school from her.
At school, Frankie has caught the sights of the school popular kid Sally, who bullies her and makes her school life hell. Until one day, Sally becomes Frankie’s friend and then perhaps a little bit more. Is Frankie ready to admit her feelings and say she’s fallen in love?
I have loved Jacqueline Wilson since I was younger, and she was always one of my favourite authors and she has not disappointed me here. It was an easy to read story with some really important subjects tackled, with a lovely family dynamic.
Frankie and Sally’s relationship is one that grows quickly and Frankie falls very strongly. I wasn’t sure how true to nature it is for a 13 year old girl to say she is in love with another girl in front of her family and school friends. I know when I was that age, any boys that I liked I would only really talk about to my best friend with, but I know that everyone is different and it is a lot easier for people to come out nowadays. I hope it would give girls who read it the confidence to do it.
I didn’t really like the scenes of the young children going to the pub, although not described in too much detail I just wasn't sure how realistic it would be.
I felt the story was especially strong in that the characters are all great and are brought to life very well. The way the sisters come together and showing their hurt from their dad leaving, I could completely empathise their situation. She covers a lot of topics from illness in the family, poverty, divorced parents, bullying and of course the stigma of same sex relationships from older family members. I did learn some basic stuff about MS through the story and how strong her mum tried to be for Frankie and her sisters.
I especially enjoyed that we got to witness her first love and all the emotions that came with it. It was nice that it wasn’t quite the happy ending that she was hoping for.
Overall it was an easy read and reminded me how much I still love Jacqueline Wilson’s books!
Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've loved Jacqueline Wilson's books since I picked up Double Act as a girl. Her books explore the complexities of childhood and growing up while featuring engaging characters and well-driven narratives. And Love Frankie is no different. Coping with your first love as a gay teenager was always going to be a delicate subject, but Wilson handles it deftly, perhaps due to her own personal experiences. Presumably Wilson also drew inspiration from the similarly titled Love Simon. Every character is well drawn and fully rounded - and as a librarian myself I noted the appreciation of the role of school librarians in the lives of introverted teens! Another winner from Wilson.

I have been a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson since I was a child and when I heard that her new book tackled coming out and a first-time LGBT romance, I simply had to read it. It was a very happy day when I got my acceptance e-mail from NetGalley.

Frankie is almost 14 years old. Her mum has recently been diagnosed with MS, her dad has moved in with another woman and the girls at school -led by Sally Mac- are making her life pretty difficult. So when Sally starts acting friendly towards Frankie, it feels suspicious but Frankie can’t help but be taken in by this pretty popular girl. But does she just want to be Sally’s best friend or is this something much more?

Frankie is a budding writer and she’s hopelessly insecure about her work. Her lifelong best friend Sam is one of her favourite people in the whole world but she is anxious about him reading part of a dystopian novel that she is writing. I think every creative of any age can fully relate to her in this. Sometimes it’s even scarier when someone close to you reads your work because their opinion matters the most. This fear and self-doubt rears its head again, when Frankie feels ready to come out to her family.

She is an exceptionally caring, astute young girl who is very easy to relate to. Therefore, I was right by her side through all of the heartbreaking, confusing things that happen to her. Sally’s sudden change in behaviour towards Frankie had all of my suspicion detectors blaring and I worried that Frankie would start to lose her sensible level-head, as she fell in love. So I was relieved to learn that she was mature enough to keep a level of doubt about Sally’s intentions. I’m not sure I’d have been this smart at 14 but it didn’t damage her authenticity. I simply assumed that she was taking stock of the concerns raised by both her mum and her older sister Zara as well as remembering Sally’s previous treatment of her.

Wilson is an expert at keeping up with how teens’ views and attitudes are changing. As a seasoned long-term reader of hers, I can confidently say that Ellie Allard, the protagonist of Wilson’s Girls series first published in 1997, would never have commented on the treatment of girls compared to boys, as explicitly as Frankie does. Teens are becoming more socially aware and they’re much better at recognising injustices for what they are than they were 20 years ago. I would actually really love to write an essay on Jacqueline Wilson’s extensive career and how she has consistently managed to write fresh contemporary characters over decades -watch this space!

Frankie has been on a huge emotional and educational journey by the end of the book. She has gained confidence in herself and her writing through sharing her work with a wonderful librarian named Mr White and her fellow library inhabitant Ivneet. She is closer than ever to Sam, her sisters, her mum and Bear, her loveable German Shepherd. She has learned what really matters in life and has a clear idea of who she is and what she wants. Although the ending isn’t exactly happy and neatly tied up, I closed the book full of assurance that Frankie would be happy and successful.

Love Frankie is a hopeful coming-of-age story that normalises romantic same-sex feelings, making it essential reading for pre-teens and teenagers. It is quite a lengthy book and it touches on some very serious subject matter including family illness, divorce, poverty and homophobia, so it will probably be enjoyed most by confident readers. Of course, it’s for adult Jacqueline Wilson fans too!

A book about a teenager girl called Frankie, who is not worried about her appearance or being popular and is independent. Her parents have recently divorced, her and her two sister are still raw with emotion from the break-up. They are also dealing with their mum's illness which she has told her daughter not to tell anyone. On the other side of things Frankie has a best friend Sammy who have grown up together and are neighbours.

The story describes life for Frankie how she copes at home, at school and friends - which she lacks. It is also made difficult by Sally 'the popular girl' at school who has bullied her for awhile. This first part of the book I did struggle to continue reading, I put this down to not being a teenage myself but I knew there had to be more to the story. I was not wrong, a change in relationship with Sally and Frankie completely changes Frankie's life.
After that I could not put the book down wanting everything to work out and for her to make the right choices.

I loved the relationship her and Sammy even though things changed they were still able to overcome these and be there for one another.

It shows how much courage, independence and determination Frankie has. and I hope it shows to young teenagers that it is OK to be true to yourself, life can be hard and people can be cruel but all from that unexpected friendships can form.

I know I’m not exactly the target age range for Jacqueline Wilson, but (confession) I’ve read quite a few of her books over the years - my daughter used to love them - and the synopsis sounded too good to resist.

Popular, pretty Sally Macclesfield has been thirteen-year-old Frankie’s nemesis for a while, but when they finally start becoming friends, Frankie realises her feelings for Sally go beyond friendship. And Sally, it seems, feels the same way, or does she? While Frankie is wrestling with the confusion of Sally’s hot and cold behaviour, she’s also dealing with her mother’s illness and her two sisters - Zara, the eldest, and Sylvanian-Family-obsessed Rowena, the little one. Then there’s best friend Sam, the boy next door who might want to be something more.

Although not all the teenage dialogue and behaviour is entirely convincing, Love Frankie is a highly enjoyable read with some nice observations. (There’s a hilarious and spot-on bit where Frankie’s dad attributes her interest in girls (and lack of interest in boys) to the after-effects of him leaving her mum, and Frankie and her sister go on to consider all the other things he might wrongly blame himself for.)

Frankie was perhaps a little bit of a stereotype in some ways (Doc Martens and checked shirts) but a very engaging character, and I felt Jacqueline Wilson didn’t lose sight of the fact that she’s only thirteen (nearly fourteen). She’s naive and silly at times, but... she’s only thirteen. There was a refreshing lack of angst over realising she might be gay - things really have changed for today’s young people, certainly not entirely but at least to a significant extent. Sally was quite interesting too in her own way and it would be interesting to see things from her point of view.

I’d have loved this book as a teenager - as an adult I still enjoyed it a lot.

I loved Jacqueline Wilson books when I was growing up so I was super excited to see this new one, especially the fact that it tackles LGBT issues as I feel there is a lack of books on this topic, unless you specifically look for it. Being Jacqueline Wilson, I think a lot of children will read this book, some who may not have considered some of the things in it before.

The book tells the story of Frankie, a 13 year-old girl who doesn't have many friends at school but is quite happy to spend time in the library reading. She also has Sammy, the boy next door for out of school (as he goes to the grammar school) so she is quite happy, or so she thinks. There is the classic family issue to deal with, as in a lot of Wilsons books but it is well written. I loved the relationship between the sisters, its organic and realistic without being too much.

Although I think this book is aimed at those around Frankies age, I definitely wouldn't recommend it to those younger than 13 due to some references (porn, "girl on girl action") and feel that it lost some of it's authenticity with some scenes. Is it appropriate to show a 13 year old drinking and smoking at a party? This is my issue with the book, Frankie seems young in some parts but in others you get the impression that she is closer to 16/17 which is a real shame.

A thoroughly enjoyable coming out YA book. It's got classic Jacqueline Wilson big-hitting subject areas (health, illness, friendship, love, growing up) which support the the main narrative of Frankie learning more about who she is.

This is your typical Jacqueline Wilson book, written with all her love and heart you know from the rest. It even has her usual "family issue" to deal with, as well as the main theme of the book.

I haven't read many of her books for older readers, but this is a beautifully written piece of work.

Frankie's coming to terms with her sexuality is something many teenagers will relate to, and it's portrayed well here.

I’ve loved Wilson’s book since I was a child myself and adore her writing style, the characters she creates and the themes she explores.
Overall this was a good read and I know it will be important to many early teenagers who are exploring their sexuality to see themselves and their thoughts and feelings represented in a book.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to children younger than 13 or so though as a few of the themes are a little too ‘adult’ for the late primary children that I teach.
Thank you so much to netgalley, Wilson and the publishers for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a nice modern love story told with the cosy prose of a master writer. It’s a heartfelt and realistic example of what it feels like to be fourteen and in love for the first time.

A big thank you to @netgalley & the publishers for approving me to read this book 😍
I literally felt like I was transported to being a teen again, as that's probably the last time I read a Jacqueline Wilson book, and I was a hugeee fan! 😍 I love her writing, I obviously have changed my preferences alot since I was a teen, but I don't know, there's something about her books that you love.
The book is about Frankie, her two sisters, her mum and her best friend Sammy! Oh and Bear 🐻 😍 I really loved them all. I love their relationship as a family! And the way they treat Sam like family too! They're a normal family with problems but they make it through. And show that things always get a little better 💕 I loved Frankie, she was different from other girls her age etc and it was lovely to read how she blossomed and became so comfortable in her own skin💛 it's such a powerful message which if I remember Jacqueline's previous books they all are. I definitely would recommend this to any teenagers / young adult. Or even anyone who loves Jacqueline! I'm 23 and I literally want to re-read all my old favourites! 😍

I don't really know where to start with this book. I loved JW's books when I was younger and work with children (year 5-6) who love them now, so wanted to read this before the kids do, because even though it is aimed at older children, they will.

I struggled with this book. There is so much amazing children's literature out there, full of authentic, believable characters and maybe that comparison is why this book didn't really do it for me. I found that Frankie was very young in many ways. She felt more like a 9-10 year old being shoehorned into the situations of a 16 year old. I just didn't find her believable. One minute she'd be messing about with her sisters at home or writing fairy stories, then the next, she's at a party with a load of Sally's brother's uni friends (how many 18-21 year olds are going to come back from uni for a party with his mates and those of his 14 year old sister?) pushing away some older bloke trying to kiss her.

I had really hoped that this book would be appropriate for the age group I work with as there is a definite lack of books for upper primary age children with LGBT+ characters but I won't be sharing this story. I know, just as the publishers will, that it will be read by children I work with. It will be in the supermarkets and will have the usual sparkly eye-catching cover that the kids love but I won't be recommending it. When those children come and ask me 'what is porn?', 'why does the boy want to watch "girl on girl action"?', 'what does Zara mean when she says she did more than kissing on the sofa?' I will be telling them to ask someone at home!

Jacqueline Wilson is such a consistently fantastic author! This is yet another great read - Jacqueline Wilson tackles issues in such an individual and relatable way. Recommend for preteens/teens.

Ive always loved Jacqueline Wilson and read her books avidly growing up. I like how her characters are always real - divorces or sick parents, friends who fall out. None of the Disney Princess stuff (which I also love but serves a different purpose!). This book was no different, Frankie is a likeable character with a great, if fiery, personality. She has a fantastic family - I loved the bond between the sisters and her mum, and also her bond with Sam. I didn’t like how Frankie was so quick to come out as I didn’t think this was realistic and I didn’t like Sally at all - Although I loved the way Frankie’s emotions were talked about. I really loved Mr. White and Inveet - both great characters and I would have loved to have seen this friendship develop more but I understand it wasn’t the purpose of the book

All in all a great read that I read in one sitting in the sun!

My daughters always loved Jacqueline Wilson when they were growing up, so I was delighted to be able to review Love Frankie. I’ve not read any of Wilson’s teen / YA books and this appealed as it promised to cover so many themes relevant to its audience: LGBT+, growing up, friendships, family relationships and dynamics, illnesses etc.

Frankie is a very likeable character and you soon find yourself immersed in her life. Readers will be able to relate to her and recognise the variety of issues and dilemmas she faces. Wilson deals with these themes in a sensitive yet open manner, and whilst she doesn’t shy away from the less pleasant side associated with them, they can at times feel a little bit simplistic. That said, I enjoyed Frankie’s story and all of the very different characters in the book.

As a school librarian, I think this will be a popular read and look forward to seeing it on our shelves.