Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: This is Not a Love Story
AUTHOR: Suki Fleet
NARRATOR: Hamish Long
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 9 hours, 6 minutes
RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2022
BLURB:
When 15-year-old Romeo’s mother leaves one day and doesn’t return, he finds himself homeless and trying to survive on the streets. Mute and terrified, his silence makes him vulnerable, and one night, he is beaten by a gang of other kids, only to be rescued by a boy who pledges to take care of him.
Julian is barely two years older than Romeo. After running away from an increasingly violent home life, he makes some difficult choices and ends up selling himself on the street to survive. Taking care of Romeo changes him, gives him a purpose in life, gives him hope, and though he tries to be strong and keep his troubles with drugs behind him, living as they do is slowly destroying him, and he begins to doubt he can be strong enough.
This is the story of their struggle to find a way off the streets and stay together at all costs. But when events threaten to tear them apart, Romeo knows he must find the strength within himself to help Julian (and not let their love story turn into a tragedy).
REVIEW:
Don’t let the title fool you. This is an exceptional love story of two homeless teenagers struggling to stay safe, stay alive, and stay together. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve read and the audiobook, narrated by the gifted Hamish Long, makes the book all the more wonderful. I read the book years ago and was thrilled when the audiobook was released recently. If you haven’t read Suki Fleet before, you are in for a treat. She is a consummate storyteller, a master of young adult angst. The rawness is visceral.
Can you imagine a life where you live outside in London’s freezing weather, scrounge for food, wear filthy clothes, sleep under bridges, and sell your body to stay alive? Fifteen-year-old mute Romeo found himself homeless after his mother walked out and never returned. One night he’s beaten so badly (off page) he nearly died, if not for the intervention of Julian who risked his own life attacking Romeo’s assailants. They didn’t know each other at that point but afterward, Julian – who’s only a couple of years older than Romeo – took care of Romeo until he recovered and in the five months since, where the book begins.
Julian saved him physically and emotionally, filling the loneliness in his heart and providing a sense of home.
We look at one another. Julian swallows and touches my cheek with his knuckle. “I will look after you,” he says softly, his eyes searching mine. “Whatever happens. I will look after you. You are my family.” I let my head fall against his shoulder and breathe in his familiar scent. I will look after you too, I promise him silently.
Taking care of Romeo gives Julian purpose, a reason to stay off drugs and survive. But his only way to keep them going is to prostitute himself. Romeo hates it as he watches it take a toll on Julian, eating away at his soul, piece by piece, every time he turns a trick. At one point they’re separated – both devastated – but Romeo’s will to live and find Julian is stronger than his despair.
They grow even closer and although they haven’t spoken it, they love each other. It’s the epitome of a love fueled by need and a willingness to do anything to help the other, amplified by almost losing each other permanently.
“We are both adrift, and although hanging on to one another will not bring us back down to earth, it will keep us alive—I know it will. It has to. I have nothing else but hope.”
Julian eventually reaches the end of his rope. Their situation has deteriorated and he no longer knows how to keep Romeo safe and alive – the only thing that matters to Julian. He breaks down: “I can’t do it anymore…I can’t, Remee…I can’t.”
Romeo’s mutism never causes a problem in communication between the boys. Romeo can lip read and teaches Julian some sign language, but more than that, they come to know each other so well inside and out that they’re just in sync. Even so, Romeo’s inability to speak plays a significant role in the story. If he’s in danger – which is omnipresent on the streets – he can’t yell or cry out for help. He can’t easily express his needs and feelings to people other than Julian. His cherished possessions are a pen and drawing pad. He’s a gifted artist and drawing fills his time and bolsters his mood, but writing in his pad also provides a means to communicate with others. They’re not without any help; friends Cassey and Gem assist them at some of their bleakest moments but they’re limited in what they can do. Their biggest break comes in the form of a boy named Crash who becomes the turning point in Romeo’s life and provides the path out of the darkness.
Voice actor Hamish Long takes This is Not a Love Story and turns it from extraordinary to even more perfect. Not many narrators can pull off teenage voices; Ms. Fleet chose well. Mr. Long is an experienced stage actor and his experience shows in his work here. He conveys the boys’ despondency in every line he delivers. His tone is ideal for their sadness and misery, his soft voice filled with raw emotion, from pain and hopelessness to intense love. His delivery is conversational and flows easily with natural, well-timed pauses and appropriate voice inflection. I love the British accents, which are natural for this U.K. resident, of course. What isn’t innate are the heavy Asian and African voices, as well as female, and he succeeds with all three.
As the end drew closer, I couldn’t fathom how Ms. Fleet was going to find a solution for her boys and provide a happy ending. It’s one of the few times I’ve wished an audiobook would go faster so I could reach the end and know the characters would be okay. And a happy ending it is, with a happily ever after, not just a happy for now which is how so many young adult books culminate. The end is satisfying and heartwarming, “and frankly, miraculous without being unrealistic. The audiobook is definitely worth the time for how it brings the boys to life. Kudos to the pairing of Suki Fleet and Hamish Long. I couldn’t possibly love this story more. Romeo and Julian own a piece of my heart. This is definitely a love story of great magnitude.
RATING: 
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