Love and other Perishable Items

by Laura Buzo

[Angie]

I really need to read more Australian YA novels. Love and Other Perishable Items was just cute, relatable, and I love reading stories set in other countries. I remember being 15 and having a crush on a 20 year old guy. He was nothing like Chris; in fact, he wasn't exactly the kind of guy you should crush on in the first place. But most teenage crushes don't make sense. Anyway, I could relate to Amelia on this. She's pining after Chris almost as soon as he starts training her for her cash register position. Chris is friendly and sweet, so of course Amelia can't help herself. Unfortunately for her, Chris has her firmly in the friend zone, but maybe he'll come to see her differently?

Amelia and Chris' story is awkward, adorable, and totally believable. In general, 15 and 22 year olds just don't go together. Amelia knows this, but she hopes otherwise. Love and Other Perishable Items is told from both of their perspectives which made it that much more enjoyable. Often we don't get to really know the love interest. We just see how the heroine views him. Well, in this case we get to know the real Chris through his diary entries. I wish more books used diary entries! I really love that writing style. Each time period (spanning a year) is essentially told twice--first by Amelia and then by Chris--but it doesn't feel like everything is just being repeated by Chris. They each have their own lives outside of the grocery store. It was definitely interesting to see what Amelia and Chris thought about the same events, especially the Christmas flowers incident.

Love and Other Perishable Items also stands out from other YA romances because Amelia actually has meaningful conversations with Chris. I was surprised by some of the depth mixed in with the adorable fluffiness that is Amelia's crush. These two have lengthy discussions on literature and feminism, but it doesn't feel forced or thrown in to make them seem more sophisticated. From what we learn about Amelia and Chris, it's clear that these are topics they're both interested in. They also talk about their relationship with their parents and the conflicts within them. It was quite refreshing. I also loved Chris' entry about presenting an edited form of yourself to the public, even friends. In order to get more of Chris' attention, Amelia does edit herself a bit to seem more mature, failing miserably though.

The ending of Love and Other Perishable Items was realistic, and I don't think any other conclusion would have worked. The author doesn't compromise either character by having them make a decision that goes against who they are, which I liked. I was a little put off by Amelia's last two pages. I wanted to shake some sense in to her, but then when I thought about it, her reaction makes perfect sense. It's not how I wanted her to act, but it is how I believed she would. Basically, this book is definitely worth the read.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.