This was such a beautiful read, it was very well written with its exploration of the intensity of love, heartbreak, and future in a original way.

This was easily one of the best books I've read so far in 2025... if not the best.

A sort of new adult novel (though definitely appropriate for younger readers, too, sort of thirteen or fourteen plus), this book absolutely stunned me. Set in Liverpool, we meet Kelsey, in her mid twenties and holding onto the boy she loved as a teenager... the boy she clung to after her father died when she was still in school, throwing her into space.

And Lewis loves Kelsey, too, more than he's ever loved anybody - but they've never quite found the right time, or place, to be together.

Now, Kelsey is working as a waitress on the docks; Lewis has a swish job in New York, living the dream. While Lewis is out dating, Kelsey is holding out for him to come home... living with her grandparents, working the same job, dropping out of university. Until she learns a dark truth about the night he left... and the lies which inevitably followed.

Ugh. This book was everything I love reading about. Realistic, cosy characters you can relate to and care for; close-knit families and caravan holidays and young love; British settings, ones with such an important sense of place. I loved Kelsey, as a character, but loved Gran and Gramps even more. I felt for her mum, and for Lewis. These characters were written with such sympathy, such humanity.

I urge everybody to read this book, if possible. A total triumph.

I didn’t love this because I just found Lewis a bit of a problem. I was willing the author to fix it and generally read on to find out if that would happen. I’m not sure if I found it entirely believable but an interesting idea and I did want to get to the end.

- Rating: 4.5*
- Read via Netgalley before release

I read Young Love in a single day! This is an emotional, bittersweet, and beautifully written story about love, friendship, and the challenges that come with trying to make things work when life doesn’t go to plan.

Kelsey and Lewis have been best friends for years, but after their first kiss, Lewis leaves for a job in New York. Months turn into a year, and Kelsey is left wondering if their love story will ever get the happy ending she dreamed of. When she learns the truth about what happened to Lewis after that kiss, Kelsey must decide whether to fight for their future or let go.

It’s the kind of book that makes you feel everything, and I was completely hooked from start to finish. Fans of slow burn romance will love this one.

I loved the characters and the way Suzanne Ewart explored themes like grief, resilience, and the messiness of relationships. The Liverpool setting was a refreshing change, too (it’s nice to read a story like this not set in London). My only tiny critique is that a few parts felt slightly drawn out, but overall, this was a heartfelt read.

I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Suzanne Ewart, and it’ll be a crime if this isn’t adapted to a tv series/film!

4.5/5!
Anyone looking for a beautifully written and relatable story of heartache, heartbreak, and the hope of young love, look no further than this beauty by Suzanne Ewart! A well considered exploration of the highs, lows, and twists of our fragile but enduring relationships with friends, family and the ones we love most. It was refreshing to read a novel with Liverpool as the backdrop too! The will they/won’t they was ever so slightly repetitive and prolonged but not to the point of detracting from the novel as a whole. As someone who hasn’t read any of Ewart’s work previously and had no prior expectations, I would definitely recommend this book!