Title: The Thing About Lemons
Author: Tasha Harrison
Genre: YA Rom-Com
Publisher: UCLan Publishing
Pages: 320
Release Date: 1 June 2023
Hello fellow book lovers! Today I'm sharing my review for the fast paced and utterly witty, The Thing About Lemons by Tasha Harrison. A fantastically funny YA Rom-Com, with an entertaining (and surprisingly loveable) protagonist in Ori, who’s teenage angst—and humorously cringy antics make her the perfect successor to Georgia Nicholson (of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging fame).
Synopsis
Ori Reynolds has just made the biggest mistake of her life. One that’s resulted in:
1) losing all but one of her friends,
2) feeling like the World’s Most Terrible Person,
and
3) having all her fun summer plans cancelled.
And, as if things couldn’t get any worse, she now has no choice but to go on a road trip with her estranged grandad Claude to his home in the French countryside.
Talk about life giving you lemons!
However, while Ori scoffs at her mum’s suggestion to “make lemonade”, her sour situation is about to turn significantly sweeter than she could ever have imagined…
The Thing About Lemons is the perfect summer read for fans of The Kissing Booth, To All The Boys I Loved Before and Sex Education.
Review
This was such a charming and unputdownable read full of soo much humour and heart—I absolutely loved it!
Ori, despite her flaws, was a really interesting character to get to know. Given the premise (which leans heavy on the attempted boyfriend stealing) I wasn’t sure how likeable Ori was gonna be, and definitely expected this to focus mostly on trying to redeem her. And though it does to an extent, I was really impressed with how endearing and relatable Ori was right from the start.
I also really enjoyed getting to know several of the supporting characters in more depth, and loved how much dimension and emotional development Tasha Harrison imbues into each of them.
Particularly Claude and Odette who really open up to Ori (and each other) in an effort to untangle their own complicated (and fraught) relationship with one another and heal old wounds.
There’s also decent amount of romance between Ori and all THREE of her swoon worthy love interests which I really enjoyed. However, I do think that her emotional journey leaned for into her own personal growth and her newfound ties with Claude and Odette.
From navigating family secrets and decades long betrayals to the age old teenage growing pains, Harrison’s heartfelt (and hilarious) coming of age YA is definitely a book that needs to be on your TBR this summer!
Also, a massive thank you to the Tasha Harrison for the physical proof.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
About The Author
