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It wasn’t a certainty that I’d have anything to review for today. I’ve been reading this book for a week and I had just under half to finish yesterday. Thankfully, our Father’s Day celebrations didn’t go on as long as expected and I had time to finish it. It feels good to have finally crossed this off my TBR considering I promised myself I’d read it for Pride every year since I bought it.

 I’m a female millennial who always likes to read. Needless to say, I was a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson when I was younger. That woman could have written anything and I’d have loved it. Of course, I grew out of her books for a while but, now I’m in my 30s, it’s nice to go back and see what I missed. Love Frankie is one of the ones I was most excited to read. Jacqueline Wilson has tackled so many topics that are important to her reader’s lives and this seemed like a narrative that could really help people. I was interested to see how Wilson tackled the important subject of coming out.

Frankie is almost 14 and at that awkward age when she’s trying to figure everything out. It doesn’t help that everyone gets the wrong idea about her and her male best friend, Sam. or that she is being bullied by a group of girls in her class. At least they were. One day, Sally and Frankie become friends and start to get closer. The more time they spend together, the stronger Frankie starts to feel about Sally. Is it possible that Frankie has more than friendship on her mind? And is it possible that Sally feels the same?

I’m not sure what I expected from this book but Love Frankie wasn’t exactly it. The LGBTQ+ elements of the story were handled in an interesting way but I’m not sure it delved deep enough into it. Everything happens so quickly and there isn’t much time to fully explore the topic. This is a long book and there are plenty of other narrative threads to deal with. Personally, I wish more time had been spent on the main story instead of the others. Yes, I know that Frankie’s home life plays a part in her relationship with Sally but there was such a huge focus on her mum’s illness. There are just too many strands and I think it all gets a bit messy. It also means that more important elements are rushed. Like the moments when Frankie is honest with her family about her feelings.

It’s not that this is a bad story but it just doesn’t do justice to the topic. This should have focused on Frankie accepting her sexuality and finding the support she needed. Instead, it’s just a whole load of underdeveloped ideas tied together. I will say that I loved the ending. I think it’s a really strong decision and I would have been disappointed if it had gone any other way. Still, I was expecting a bit more from this. Maybe that’s just because Jacqueline Wilson is gay and I hoped she would draw from her personal experiences a bit more. I was hoping this would feel more authentically queer instead of just generically LGBTQ+. There are a few stereotypes that are never fully broken down and a few ambiguous details that could have been more solidified.

I don’t think it helps that the tone of this book makes it unclear who it was written for. The characters often feel much younger than their years and it feels quite childish in places. Frankie is naive and doesn’t necessarily read like a typical 14-year-old. Her language doesn’t feel natural and is a touch archaic in places. She calls everyone “dear” and it’s weird. She sends a text starting with “Dearest Mother” and it doesn’t feel right. Then there’s the relationship between Sally and Frankie. It seems so watered down that I just didn’t feel the chemistry. There’s been a lot of good LGBTQ fiction for younger readers recently and they’ve introduced us to some amazing couples. Frankie and Sally aren’t joining those ranks.

Jacqueline Wilson has always been a writer who creates relatable and realistic stories about teenage girls. She’s great at writing characters that you come to care for. I don’t think Love Frankie is one of her strongest. It didn’t feel as true to life. It also tried to do so much that a lot of interesting elements got short shrift. It’s a fun book but she’s written better.