Not a fan of over-description and the writing style. I had to stop at 20% - thanks so much for the copy.

Book started off having my attention but I felt it was too short. I wanted more from the book.
It was funny and totally relatable.

Lona is lost in life, hasnt got any sort of decent job, hated uni, doesnt know what to do next. Loner follows her journey as she tries to navigate her place in life, working out who she is and where she's going.
I dont think this book was aimed at me in my mid 40s, so its hard to judge honestly - but a solid 3/5

Did not finish at 22%. I tried over several days to read this. Usually I can't wait to pick up a book again between reads, but this really just didn't interest me.
The narrative style seemed wrong, it felt a little disconnected to be looking AT Lona rather than hearing her voice in the first person.
Maybe it's just not for me right now, at my age and in my situation but Lona's story didn't really interest me, her love for a guy, but the style really didn't draw me in.

I found this book hard to get into, but I personally think its because I don't like too much descriptive texts, I couldn't like the character, I couldn't seem to relate to her. but I really like the concept of the blurb. This isn't a book with a beginning, middle and end, but is rather a journey through Lona's world and friendships. And like Lona, this book is unconventional, but warm and funny, endearing and heartfelt.

I've seen so many positive reviews for this book, but for me personally it just didn't hit the mark.
I felt as if there was no real plot direction, and the characters weren't strong enough or developed enough for a character driven narrative.
I found it to be the kind of book that you get to the end of and aren't really sure what it was about.
I couldn't get super invested in the story and that just left it feeling a little underwhelming.
It was a quick read, though, and did have some interesting moments, so I'd say you should give it a shot as so many people seem to have liked it a whole lot more than I did.

I wanted to like this book but alas - I didn't. The lack of character development coupled with a lack of a plot meant that, while I found the writing beautiful, I was completely uninterested by the story it was telling. I wonder if this author would be better as a poet.

I really loved Lona to begin with. Her friendship with Tabs interested me and it was fun to read about someone who didn’t have it all together immediately. But after a while her bad attitude started to rub me up the wrong way and the last third of the book was a bit of a slog. The ending was rushed and cliched although (SPOILER) I did enjoy that it wasn’t a sickly ending. Some of the scenes and Lona as a character will stay with me.

Loner is quirky and unique, just like its protagonist. An enjoyable read!

Lona is a quirky young woman who really doesn't know what she wants in life. She's dropped out of art university and is currently working in a supermarket, weekends at skate world and the odd gigs as an event photographer. We follow Lona through this confusing phase of trying to puzzle herself out. The relationship dynamics between Lona and her friends and family are really interesting. She always seems to be mentally detached from social interactions. Alone even when in a crowd. The writing style of this book is very unique, different to anything I've ever read before and in a refreshing way. You get a really good insight into what she's thinking in her head and the juxtaposition of her actions. I really enjoyed this book, in particularly her relationship with her grandad. I saw elements of my younger self in Lona.

This was a quite unique book. At first I had some trouble to get acquainted with the writing style which at the end I became font. The story was clear in the beginning, with Lona just being annoyed by everything and everyone. She doesn't know what she really wants, she knows that she doesn't want what most of those around her want. That is at least something. I think the book shows how lost this generation feels and uncertain how to start navigate through all that is ahead of them.

I’m so sorry I just couldn’t get into this book. I’ve tried multiple times but I didn’t care for the main character or the story. I’m aware I’m in the minority in my opinions.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A must for that in between stage of teenager/adulthood.

Absolutely loved this book, such a fantastic storyline. One I’ll be recommending for a while!!

Overall, this book is an easy, interesting read, if a bit forgettable. I did think the author perfectly captured the essence of being in your early twenties, with navigating non-compulsory education and shitty part-time jobs and new relationships and moving out and just trying to find yourself - I really enjoyed this aspect. At the same time, I kind of hated the protagonist - she felt very relatable, but was also incredibly unrelatable and irritating in the same breath. As the book is an account of this character’s day to day life, it made it hard to enjoy the book, hence the low rating. However, this is an ARC so things may change before it’s published next year.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I requested this thinking it would be different to what it actually is and therefore ended up not enjoying it. Not due to any fault with the book, it's just not the type of thing I enjoy. Thank you so much for the chance to read it though - that is always appreciated.

Unconventional and engaging

Lona is a young woman in her early 20s navigating her way in life. She is socially awkward, antisocial and a bit of an odd ball. She's arty, but unmotivated and prefers the unconventional life. Her difficulties with forming relationships and generally fitting in, make for some sharp-witted and humourously wry observations.

This isn't a book with a beginning, middle and end, but is rather a journey through Lona's world and friendships. And like Lona, this book is unconventional, but warm and funny, endearing and heartfelt.

Lona is clearly a young woman on the cusp on trying to figure out what she wants from life and whether societal expectations are the right path to go down. What this means is that it is clear that she is having a dilemma as to what she believes is the best for her and sometimes this goes against the normality of what people believe to be life itself. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. As sometimes in order to be truly happy, you have to be truthful in what you actually want and what makes yourself tick before getting involved with human relationships with of any kind.

In some ways it feels like she is very disenchanted with life itself and what it has to offer. Not in a bad, dark mental health kind of way, but more that she is beginning to see certain cracks of what it means to live as a human in general. Even when she begins to participate with certain aspects of life, it still seems like she is fighting against those who believe she should be doing things a certain way, rather than doing the things that truly makes her happy. It shows that sometimes it not about the character of the person, but rather the thoughts and processes of people around you.

The people around her, such as her boyfriend, best friend and family seem almost like they are a part of another world which Lona clearly is not able to open up to yet. If she will ever will be a part of this club will be another question altogether. It is almost like she purposely goes against the grind of everything she knows to be happy within herself (or as happy as she can be - as long as she can binge-watch Buffy on Netflix). In this case, it is almost like she has to put a front for others to make them happy instead.

However, it does feel like there were some occasions where other characters just simply disappeared without much of an explanation which is quite sad. I don't think that they were forgotten in a way that was by accident. In some ways, it is almost like Lona's state of mind and how she is able to process certain events and the people within it at certain points. Otherwise, it is like she might suddenly combust with all these things that she doesn't want to do. In some ways it makes me think of whether she has social anxiety. It could make sense, especially as she does not willingly want to share her feelings why she doesn't want to go out and instead spend a night in.

The thing that I have with Lona is that I really do feel some of the sadness that she experiences with her peers. In fact, if I gave up university, which I nearly did, I would have probably been going through far too relatable experiences to her own. Thus, even though she seems alien in some contexts, you can't help but think of what could be if you also chose to go down the same avenue.

In total, I originally wanted to give 'Loner' five stars as it seemed different and something that is far too relatable to those beginning their own journey into the 'big bad world'. However, after much consideration, I found some of the book to not be as cohesive as I would have hoped. At first the chapter sequence felt very fresh and new, but the more that time progressed, it became frustrating as it felt like it was more of a device to jump to different parts of the story that did not necessarily make any sense.

I took a while to read this book and wasn’t a huge fan. The topic was not my style and I shouldn’t have picked it up. Nice writing style but I did not finish the book

I really enjoyed this book, in particular, for the short, snappy chapters and incredibly crafted dialogue. The book contains a lot of descriptions that are there to make Lona’s feelings more vivid. The topics explored in the book – being an introvert, the difference between feeling lonely and being on your own as a choice, the anxieties of the contemporary young adults as they try to navigate through life and find what it is they want. Subjectively, the best books are those that make you relate and feel compassion (or any kind of strong emotion) towards the main character. And I can confidently say that I, as a hundred percent introvert myself, relate to Lona and her relationship to Tab.

Told through short, snappy chapters, Young explores the relatable feeling of figuring out adulthood. Lona has dropped out of college and is struggling to figure out what's next. As Lona explores work, friendships, and relationships, her introspection and observations are relatable, both for the accuracy and inaccuracy. She isn't sure what she wants or quite how to get it but is equally unwilling to ask for help. Lona insists on working through so much of what she is going through on her own, despite desperately wanting support from her family and best friend Tab.

I was very empathetic to Lona's desire to prove her independence while still being so unsure about so many things. Young's writing is quippy but poignant, and she makes Lona's coming-of-age story feel familiar, even if so much of the context is different from the reader's.

A light read which explored the difficulties in planing for adulthood, deciding what we want the future to look like, and coming to terms with what we actually care about. Not a particularly deep book, but certainly an enjoyable one.