Lobsters

by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

 


A hilarious, romantic and unbelievably awkward story,
shortlisted for the YA Book Prize! 
'Absolutely hilarious' ALICE OSEMAN



Sam and Hannah only have the holidays to find 'The One'. Their
lobster. But instead of being epic, their summer is looking awkward.



They must navigate social misunderstandings, the plotting of well-meaning
friends, and their own fears of being virgins for ever
to find happiness.


But fate is at work to bring them together. And in the end, it
all boils down to love ...





One Day meets Skins and The Inbetweeners.


An epic search for fun, freedom, and 'The One' –
lobster!

An honest, realistic and hilariously embarassing look
into the realities of life as a teenager.

• ISBN13: 9781909489332
• Publish Date: 5 June 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 11 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Chicken House Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

A couple of months ago, I started hearing a lot about Lobsters in the Dutch book blogger's world. I got really curious about it, but - as always - very careful as well, because hyped books aren't always my cup of tea. When I heard that the authors of this book would be coming to YALfest in April next year, I decided I was going to try it out, so at least I'll finally know what the hype is about.

Lobsters is about Hannah and Sam, who are determined to find their 'lobster' (aka lose their virginity) before they go to university - because who goes to uni without losing their virginity? that's right, losers. They meet each other for the first time at Stella's house, and have an instant connection. Then, a lot of stuff happens that makes this story super awkward. This story follows them as they have several almosts (almost having sex at a party, almost having sex with an older American girl, almost almost almost).

As you may have realised - by reading my little summary above - this book is just mainly about two kids trying to get laid before going to university, and honestly I didn't really care about that at all. I'm not one of those people that is desperate to lose their virginity, so I couldn't relate myself to these characters at all. I honestly found it a bit annoying that they were so determined on doing it before university.

As an asexual, I felt rather uncomfortable with the amount of (talk about) sex in this book. It wasn't as detailed as in that one adult book I once read (no it's not fifty shades of grey), but still it was super awkward to be reading about that stuff. I mainly just skimmed through it until it went back to 'normal'. The rest of the story was interesting though, and I really would have rather read about the (straining) friendship between Stella and Hannah instead of the latter wanting to have sex with Freddie or 'toilet boy'.

Like I said, I couldn't relate to any of the characters, and I didn't really like any of them more than the other. I thought Robbie was a bit annoying which his determination to prove he wasn't a fan of Harry Potter (why is that so embarrassing jfc) and yeah, I don't know - I just didn't like any of them that much. My favourite part probably was the scene where Hannah and Sam met, where they had a conversation in the toilet.

The writing was really nice, and though it was written by two authors, I couldn't really detect any difference in writing style, which means that they did a good job. I'm not sure if they'll continue as a duo, or if they will write more books separately, but maybe they have other books that can interest me more.

So yeah, I guess Lobsters just wasn't the book for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it as much as the majority of the book world did. I am still looking forward to meeting the authors, but I'll probably be more excited for other authors more. If you really love contemporary books such as Anna and the French Kiss and Paper Towns, but you want it to have a bit more of a new adult vibe - you should try out this book!

My opinion on this book in one gif: 

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I was recommended Lobsters by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison for Sex in Teen Lit Month II by an ex-colleague who claimed it was not only perfect for this event, but also hilariously funny. Turns out she was right on both counts!

After their first meeting - a ten minute conversation at a party - Sam and Hannah realise they have never had a similar conversation, felt so comfortable and at ease, with a member of the opposite sex. There is an instant connection, sparks fly. The beginning of a beautiful romance? Wrong. The beginning of awkward encounters and crossed-wires stemmed from insecurity, inexperience and doubt.

Lobsters has got to be the funniest - and most honest - novel I read last year! The humour isn't just down to the authors' ability to write funny situations and come up with hilarious dialogue, but also from how real it is. The tagline on the book says, "A socially awkward love story," and it couldn't be more true! The situations Sam and Hannah find themselves in are unbelievably awkward, but it was being able to relate to that awkwardness, remembering what that was like when I was their age, that made it so funny to me. This is a book that lives up to that saying, "It's funny because it's true."

This isn't just the case for the romance side of the story, but also for the sexual aspects of the story. Both Sam and Hannah are virgins, and have only the slightest clue what they're supposed to do when presented with girl's/boy's naked body. They're not completely inexperienced, they have gone up to certain points - different for each - with other people, but further than that? It's a mystery to them both. The book opens with Hannah deciding that tonight, at her best mate Stella's party, she would finally have sex with Freddie, a boy she'd been seeing. But only because she wants to get it out of the way. She's not even sure what constitutes as losing your viriginty.

'Like, what is losing your virginity anyway? When your hymen breaks? But that can happen horse riding or doing gymnastics, or even swimming apparently. I could have lost my virginity to Acton Municipal Pool, for all I know. If it's just the hymen thing, then hat about gay people? It must be the act of someone else being inside you; after all, boys lose their virginity and nothing breaks. So maybe it's a mystical, intangible thing? Like the Holy Spirit.' (p5)

Sam is the only one out of his group of friends who is still a virgin, and is feeling the pressure to keep up. Plus his best mate Robin is telling him he can't go to uni a virgin. But he's never really had much luck with girls. Lobsters is awesome because we get to see a guy being a virgin - not something we see all that often in YA. Again, it's the awkwardness of it all that makes it so funny. Sam's sexual encounters in the book bring a lot of humour, because of his inexperience but wanting to seem more experienced than he is. Because a guy being a virgin is just not macho. As well as being funny, it's also kind of sad.

There are lots of other reasons why Lobsters is hilarious. Some might consider it to be a little crude, but I'd say it's more realistic. This is what girls and guys - separately - talk about, and this is also what they do. Lobsters is so funny, but it's also a really sweet and touching story, and a reminder that no-one has it all figured out. Something I think teens could do with reminding of more often. I'll definitely be reading anything Ellen & Ivison write next! Lobsters was one of my favourite novels of 2014!

Thank you to Chicken House for the review copy.