Title: Little and Lion
Author: Brandy Colbert (Website)
Publisher: Little, Brown
Date Published: August 8, 2017
Date Read: December 12, 2017
Pages: 327 (Hardcover)
Source: Borrowed from Library
Overall Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
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When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn’t sure if she’ll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support.
But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new…the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel’s disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself–or worse.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Let’s start off with that.
This book is really well-written, with a diverse cast of characters that are real and vivid, and themes of found family, which is always something I’m here for.
I enjoyed that the primary focus of the book is the sibling relationship between Suzette and Lionel (our respective Little and Lion). Suzette and Lionel are not biological siblings, but that doesn’t lessen their bond at all. However, Lionel has recently been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and the novel begins with Suzette returning home after her parents have sent her away in order to focus on Lionel’s recovery. Suzette isn’t sure where she stands with her brother, and struggles with connecting to him. When he confides in her that he’s gone off his meds, Suzette is torn between keeping Lionel’s secrets and his trust, and telling their parents the truth for Lionel’s own good. Suzette’s struggles to be there for her brother while worrying about his health are relatable, as is the fact that she feels overwhelmed by the pressure Lionel’s secrets put her under.
This book is really diverse and inclusive, and I loved it so much. First, Suzette’s family dynamic is interesting and very realistic. Suzette’s mother and Lionel’s father have been together for about a decade, but they aren’t married. Suzette is close with her stepfather, but there’s also some insecurity to their relationship. Her stepfather (Sal, which I only remember because I kept picturing the guy from Grace and Frankie while I was reading) is Jewish, and Suzette converted to Judaism after being exposed to it growing up. The fact that the author took time to show Suzette’s experiences as being both Black and Jewish really added a level of realness to Suzette’s character and the book at large.
All of the characters are just as diverse and inclusive, and feel like such real amazing people. Lionel is Jewish and bi-polar. Suzette is black, Jewish, and coming to terms with her bisexuality. Emil is biracial (Korean and African-American), hard of hearing, and has a disability that effects his equilibrium and balance as well as his hearing. Suzette’s best friend is a lesbian. Rafaela is latina and pansexual. There is so much representation in this book, and its handled so well, no one feels like a caricature or a stereotype.
Honestly, this book covers a lot of heavy topics: mental illness, racism, sexuality, even abortion. And yet this book never gets to the point where it feels too heavy. For all that there’s a lot of tension, with Suzette dealing with a lot of things, the book still felt like a light read and I read it very quickly.
The only complaint I really have is that I absolutely did not care for the weird almost love triangle between Suzette, Rafaela, and Lionel. It was unnecessary, and I found it to be really weird, and I just didn’t like that aspect of the novel.
Otherwise, such a good book and I enjoyed it immensely.
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