Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Love is awkward, Amelia should know.
From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, is 15.
Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?
Through a year of befuddling firsts—first love, first job, first party, and first hangover—debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up.

Love and Other Perishable Items was originally published in Australia, which is what originally drew me to it. I picked this up not knowing at all what to expect. However, once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. This novel is told through dual narration, which I’m always apprehensive about reading because it’s difficult to get both narratives spot on. Laura Buzo got the narrative spot on.

Both Chris and Amelia were lovely characters. Amelia, though mature for her age- was also naïve because of her experiencing love for the first time. The way she idolized Chris got creepy at times, but it’s understandable. Chris didn’t make much of an impact on me, and I didn’t always see the appeal he had to Amelia. However, I still liked him.

Love and Other Perishable Items was good. While I was reading it, I loved it a lot. I’m writing this review quite awhile after finishing the book, and it doesn’t stand out to me as much as it did after I finished reading it. That being said, I think Love and Other Perishable Items was a really well written book. It tugged on my emotions, and I enjoyed reading it.

FTC- Picked up at ALA.