Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It
If you enjoyed this review, please consider purchasing this book from my Amazon Associates link (applies to Kindle purchases as well): https://amzn.to/4xcPh8Y. The commissions I receive from your purchase help pay for the costs of running this website. Thanks for your support!
I’m a Brooke and Connor Make A Podcast stan, and I felt like a proud mom when I preordered Brooke’s debut novel, Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It. The plot is straightforward: Phoebe turns 30 in 30 days, and she’s desperate to lose her virginity before then, even though she’s riddled with anxiety, specifically when it comes to relationships and intimacy. In a twist of fate, she quickly goes from zero prospects to three. What’s an anxious, in-demand girly to do??
I was frankly shocked by the book’s premise; Phoebe as a character is soooo Brooke-coded, and it paints her in a pretty vulnerable light, basically outing her own intimacy issues. But the rawness and the realness are its strengths– the dialogue and character dynamics are realistic, witty without being overly polished, and heartwarming without feeling sappy.
Put simply, the book is fun! It’s a refreshing take on the rom-com genre and particularly impressive as a first novel. It also genuinely surprised me; this is not a genre where you expect a twist, but she managed it deftly. That being said, I definitely have my Brooke-colored glasses on. I like the book primarily because I like her, and I would probably give it a 3 if not for my bias. It has more of a YA feel to it than I think she intended, mostly due to Phoebe’s immaturity (not an indictment of her virginity– her anxieties have made her generally risk-averse and led to some naivety). You’d still like the book even if you don’t know Brooke from Adam. Due to the aforementioned glasses, I give it 4 out of 5 flames.
