The long awaited ‘gay novel’ by Jacqueline Wilson is finally here. Over the years Jacky has written about almost everything, keeping track of what her fans need stories about in order to help them in their own lives. And, obviously, to entertain them.
Love Frankie features a 14-year-old girl, Frankie, living with her two sisters and their mum, who has MS and is recently divorced from their dad. So just from a normal point of view, there is much to worry about. And then Frankie finds herself falling in love with Sally, the girl who until that very moment has bullied her and been thoroughly unpleasant to her.
Everyone around Frankie warns her that Sally will be up to no good, but she can’t help the way she feels.
As an old and wise witch I found myself agreeing with them. We don’t feel that same sex romance is wrong, but we all felt that Sally was wrong for Frankie.
Nevertheless, we see the ups and downs of their relationship. I kept hoping for another love interest for Frankie, while most of her family seemed to hope for happy ever after with the lovely boy next door. So did he.
It’s well done, with nothing too easy, or too difficult, and with Jacky’s normal school type issues with children and teachers and homework, and at home there are the serious concerns about mum’s MS and having to spend weekends with their dad and his new girlfriend. All of it typical of life today for Jacqueline’s fans. You can tell she knows what she’s writing about, which of course has always been the case. And she’s on your side.
The Occasional Bookwitch 
Nice review! Yeah I agree I didn’t feel that frankie and sally were suited well for each other? I also thought it was quite funny how all the characters talked so old fashioned hehe. Here was my review of it, check it out! 🙂 https://hundredsandthousandsofbooks.blog/2020/11/14/reviewing-love-frankie-she-doesnt-go-to-hollywood/
Old-fashioned? Maybe. But I would struggle to write in a style 60 years younger than me, and it might be preferable to go for neutral.