Lover Birds - Leanne Egan

 When Isabel Williams moves to Liverpool, she criticises seemingly everything in Eloise Byrne’s life –
her city, her accent, her trademark boldness – so if, when she catches Isabel staring, Eloise feels her pulse race, it must be because they hate each other. It surely couldn’t be for any other reason, could it? Eloise needs to get her ADHD under control in time for A-Levels, but when she meets Isabel, school becomes the least of her concerns. What begins as outright contempt turns into an oddly satisfactory rivalry, but for their rivalry to shift further into romance, their relationship must withstand Isabel's classism, Eloise’s distrust, and whatever secrets their friends are hiding from them.

I am always over the moon when I find a new sapphic romance book. I was rummaging through Waterstones - telling everyone I won't buy any new books today - when I stumbled upon Lover Birds by Leanne Egan - a wlw book I haven't heard of. Needless to say, I left the bookshop with two books I definitely didn't need and £20 less in my bank account.

Lover Birds is Leanne Egan's debut and was published in July 2024. 

The plot is fairly simple. The main character Eloise stumbles upon the new girl in her year. They "hate" each other immediately - Eloise sees Isabel as a snobbish Londoner with a posh accent who thinks she’s too good for Liverpool, while Isabel thinks Eloise is overly loud in every part of her life. 

I really had a wonderful time with the first half of the book. I loved it! The rivalry dynamic between Eloise and Isabel was gripping and fun, I couldn't put the book down. The way they began playfully teasing each other as they got to know one another brought me pure joy. Additionally, Eloise's friendship group, which supported each other no matter the circumstances, added a heartwarming layer to the story, showing how important friendship is. I have also never read a book with a main character who has ADHD before, so I truly appreciated the representation and how the author challenged various stereotypes and myths throughout the story.

However, about halfway through, the story took a turn. And unfortunately, I thought the plot twist was incredibly predictable and not enjoyable. It completely disrupted the flow of the story and made me consider putting the book down for a while—something I never would have expected after enjoying the first half so much. Really?! was all that was going through my mind. Luckily, I quickly got over the disappointment and the storyline got better eventually. Nevertheless, the strong start was overshadowed by the predictable conflict, and even the Happily Ever After couldn’t lift my spirits. 

I think part of the problem was that we didn't get to know Isabel's point of you. Her decisions and actions made little sense to me. Hence, she wasn't the most likeable character. On the other hand, the main character Eloise wasn't much better. Eloise knew that Isabel is a awkward and shy person, and still she decided to get offended when Isabel felt embarrassed or shy. Where is the logic?

Overall, the book Lover Birds is a cute story with great sapphic and neurodivergent representation. It's a lovely book that I enjoyed for the most part, but it won't be making it onto my top 5 wlw books. I think it is perfect for a younger audience and people who haven't read many sapphic books yet and are looking for an easy start. 

★★★☆☆