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Jul 16, 2017samcmar rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I didn't know what I was getting into when I started Little & Lion. The synopsis gave me some indication that this book was going to be about sexuality and mental illness, but I wasn't anticipating the intensity that Colbert puts into this story. I haven't read Pointe yet, but I had only heard amazing things about Brandy Colbert's characters and her writing. Little & Lion was slow going for me. Not because it was a bad story, but because it is an emotionally exhausting and rewarding story. Little's narrative is very heartbreaking, sometimes tough to read. She cares a lot for Lionel, especially when it comes to how his mental illness has transformed him. You see bits and pieces of his character's evolution and at times it feels hard to read. I also loved the way Colbert explored Little's sexuality and being bisexual. I think showing her conflicting romantic feelings was done in a very sensitive way, and it was easy to emphasize with Little's emotions throughout the story. Between iris, Rafela, and Emil, you see three different kinds of romantic feelings throughout the story, and Little's connection to each person hints at a bigger picture in regards to her understanding her bisexuality. I felt like I knew each of her love interests very well when I was reading this story. I liked Saul as a character as well, and I think he gets some great development with Little in terms of helping her understanding her sexuality, her connection to Judaism, and her family life. He doesn't make things easy, somewhat overreacts, but does it entirely out of love. Family as a theme in this story is just spectacularly done here, and you see the emotionally drain that Lionel does put on his family. This isn't shied away from, which I appreciated so much. This book is emotional, it's intense, it's thoughtful, and it leaves you thinking long after the story is over. Little & Lion has a lot to offer for those who lover tougher contemporary YA. It only has solidified that I need to get off my butt and check out Pointe.