Series: Future Leaders (book 1)

Genre: LGBT (f/f, bisexual), Romance, YA

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Cover: Somehow I really love those little leafs…

Links: goodreads

Trigger warnings: none

Description: “Finn’s solid. Not in body, but in being. She’s gravity and kindness and all those good things that anchor.”

“Willa’s confusing. Sometimes she’s this sweet, sensitive soul. Other times she’s like a flaming arrow you hope isn’t coming for you.”

Finn and Willa have been picked as team leaders in the future leader camp game. The usually confident Finn doesn’t know what’s throwing her more, the fact she’s leading a team of highly unenthusiastic overachievers or coming up against fierce, competitive Willa. And Willa doesn’t know which is harder, leaving her responsibilities behind to pursue her goals or opening up to someone.

Soon they both realise that the hardest thing of all is balancing their clashing ideals with their unexpected connection. And finding a way to win, of course.

Review: Is Emily O’Beirne even capable of writing a book I do not like?

If you follow my blog/my reviews you know that she is one of my favourite authors. But it’s not like I’m blindly liking her books – they just are really good and each one has a different story and I just love her books, okay?!

Ahem.

Future Leaders of Nowhere has a very interesting idea behind it. What makes one a leader? And what makes one a good leader? I think this question may be more important now than it was a few years ago. There are quite a few elections this year in europe for example and people are really confused and afraid (which is not a good combination, let me tell you).

So the game that’s played in this novel is really interesting and important. I would love to take part in it myself. But of course not only the story is interesting.

There is quite a diverse racial cast in Future Leaders of Nowhere and each character has their own personality. I really hope we will be able to read more about them in the second installment. But I really can’t wait to read more about Finn and Willa.  I enjoyed how both girls are this fierce human beings with their own thoughts and ideals instead of one being the doer and the other doing what she is told.

Their romance itself is a slow building one, full of confusion and longing and I really felt for them. Those romances are the best, aren’t they? Of course there is some drama that’s keeping them from their happiness, but it doesn’t feel forced but realistic and… it simply had to happen.

Speaking of drama: Not only is one of the characters ON PAGE bisexual, but the drama is not because of that identity! It was really refreshing to not read about a character being anxious because their partner is bi and how they of course will be missing the other gender because of that – which is plain bullshit but a lot of people believe that bullshit. I would have been very confused if Emily O’Beirne would have written something like that though.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy through the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.