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Swanna in Love
Best-selling author Belle ( High Maintenance, Going Down ) unleashes her first new novel in over ten years It's the summer of 1982 and fourteen-year-old Swanna Swain is the only one left at camp. The place is a ghost town by the time her mother Val finally shows up six hours late―stoned and radiant―in a Ford pickup driven by Borislav, her new young Russian lover. Assuming she is headed home to her air-conditioned Upper West Side apartment, Swanna and her lovable younger brother Madding are instead dragged to Vermont―to an artist colony where kids are not welcome and they are forced to sleep in the back of the truck, while Val is cozy inside the house with the Russian. Then Swanna meets Dennis, a handsome married father of two, at a bowling alley, and, knowing a thing or two about seduction from Judy Blume, her best friend at camp, and her own parents’ many affairs―she sets out to convince Dennis to help her. But love seldom obeys rules, and even a tough, smart, city girl like Swanna might not be able to handle falling in love. Best-selling novelist Jennifer Belle returns with a kind of inverse Lolita that explores adolescent desire from the girl’s point of view. In turns hilarious and wildly shocking, Swanna in Love will keep your feathers ruffled and the pages gliding by.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 2, 2024
32 people are currently reading
2782 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Belle
10 books100 followersAn American novelist, based in New York City.
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Ms., Mudfish. She teaches at the New York Writers' Workshop.
-Wikipedia
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Ms., Mudfish. She teaches at the New York Writers' Workshop.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
February 2, 2024
I'm upset about this one and also still very conflicted.
This book was one of my most anticipated - I love the cover and the premise sounded very intriguing, making me think this would be somewhere in the realm of My Dark Vanessa, or maybe even The Girls.
As I was reading, the writing style made me wonder if this is a young adult book, which I didn’t expect it to be going in. I eventually came to the conclusion that I don’t think it is, and that the author just accurately depicted the narrative voice of the 14 year old protagonist. In fact, Swanna’s voice was the strongest aspect of the book for me - she is immature and angry but also very funny and cares about her family deeply (in this way she reminded me a little of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye, which is mentioned in this book). However, I felt that this immature writing style extended into the other characters as well, mainly the adults, making their dialogue and their actions very childish, which in turn made this book frustrating to read.
The themes in this book offer a lot of opportunity to be explored with more depth, but never really were. Again, I'm unsure whether this was intentional as a way to really capture a 14 year old child’s perspective, but upon finishing the book, I was just left wondering what the point of it was.
This book was one of my most anticipated - I love the cover and the premise sounded very intriguing, making me think this would be somewhere in the realm of My Dark Vanessa, or maybe even The Girls.
As I was reading, the writing style made me wonder if this is a young adult book, which I didn’t expect it to be going in. I eventually came to the conclusion that I don’t think it is, and that the author just accurately depicted the narrative voice of the 14 year old protagonist. In fact, Swanna’s voice was the strongest aspect of the book for me - she is immature and angry but also very funny and cares about her family deeply (in this way she reminded me a little of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye, which is mentioned in this book). However, I felt that this immature writing style extended into the other characters as well, mainly the adults, making their dialogue and their actions very childish, which in turn made this book frustrating to read.
The themes in this book offer a lot of opportunity to be explored with more depth, but never really were. Again, I'm unsure whether this was intentional as a way to really capture a 14 year old child’s perspective, but upon finishing the book, I was just left wondering what the point of it was.
November 17, 2023
This was an interesting character study taking place in 1982 involving a 14 year old girl named Swanna. She is the product of an impending divorce, very protective of her younger brother Madding, and quite disdainful of her flighty mother. Swanna's mother is one of those separated women who when they find another guy put those kind of relationships/experiences over the well-being of her children. As a result Swanna drifts away from the sort of artist commune her mother is camping out in, and into the arms of a very attractive man more than twice her age. She lies about her age and initiates an intimate relationship with this married man with children. She is a very convincing and good liar. She is obviously affected by her parents' divorce, the lack of security in her mother's care, and her father moving on with another relationship as well. She can be very strong and cunning, but at the same time break down in sudden tears with shaking. The story moved along interestingly enough, but I found the ending abrupt and unresolved.
Thank you to the publisher Akashic Books, Ltd. for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
April 24, 2024
Remember when you were 14 and angry and self-righteous and wrong about everything all the time but also not, and how fucked up everything was? Yeah so, read this to feel all of that again.
February 4, 2024
Set in the summer of 1982, Swanna in Love follows fourteen-year-old Swanna Swain as she navigates adolescence amidst the dysfunctionalities of her family.
Stranded at summer camp, her erratic mother Val eventually turns up with her new Russian boyfriend alongside the news she is divorcing her father - he too now absent-minded and distant.
Assuming she is driving back home to New York with her little brother Madding, instead she is dragged to an artist colony in Vermont. She and her brother are forced to sleep outside in the back of a truck, and life couldn't get much worse.
Yet it does. A doctor named Dennis, married with two children, enters the frame. What follows is a type of inverse-Lolita, where a disturbing relationship begins between the two, told from the perspective of Swanna. It is disconcerting, adding further complexity to the young girl's turbulent life, the loathsome Dennis fanning the flames through his depravity.
Belle's prose is effortless and alluring - its account of the struggles of growing up relatable and nostalgic. A very moreish book that can be easily finished in a few sittings. Look forward to reading more of her work. Thanks again to Harriet at Dead Ink books for the copy. Recommend!
Stranded at summer camp, her erratic mother Val eventually turns up with her new Russian boyfriend alongside the news she is divorcing her father - he too now absent-minded and distant.
Assuming she is driving back home to New York with her little brother Madding, instead she is dragged to an artist colony in Vermont. She and her brother are forced to sleep outside in the back of a truck, and life couldn't get much worse.
Yet it does. A doctor named Dennis, married with two children, enters the frame. What follows is a type of inverse-Lolita, where a disturbing relationship begins between the two, told from the perspective of Swanna. It is disconcerting, adding further complexity to the young girl's turbulent life, the loathsome Dennis fanning the flames through his depravity.
Belle's prose is effortless and alluring - its account of the struggles of growing up relatable and nostalgic. A very moreish book that can be easily finished in a few sittings. Look forward to reading more of her work. Thanks again to Harriet at Dead Ink books for the copy. Recommend!
March 31, 2024
I didn’t buy the book but I still want my money back.
Making Swanna, the 14 years old girl, blame herself for what happened and portraying Dennis, the 37 years old married man who groomed her, as the poor victim of this entire situation should not be considered normal. This man was a PEDOPHILE, he knew her age, he knew she was a minor and yet he still decided to have sex with her multiple times, and cheat on his wife too!
Based on the synopsis and the reviews mentioning Lolita a lot, I kept thinking that this book would be about a pedophilic relationship told from the perspective of the child. That it would be a character study on victims of grooming, that we would see Swanna being blinded by this entire situation thinking that it was normal for Dennis to be sexually aroused by her but slowly realizing how wrong everything was and finally learning and breaking out from this horrible situation but no :|
This book doesn’t do that at all! It actually never holds Dennis accountable for his actions, his morality is never put in question or in perspective, there’s not a single adult that steps in to save Swanna, the book actually blames everything on her and her only:
“I had forced him to do it. I had molested him. (…) I had seduced Dennis into doing something he didn’t want to do. (…) He wasn’t Poseidon and I wasn’t a muse. I was a siren. I was Medusa who could turn men into stone. He was Leda and I was Zeus dressed as a swan. I was a big dirty bird. I was a monster.”
(Swanna in the final chapter of the book, blaming herself for “seducing” Dennis)
This book would have been a great “Lolita-reverse” if, like in Lolita, the pedophile’s motives and actions were being judged and discussed throughout the story, here Deniss is very much put under the “victim” spotlight. Mf did nothing wrong apparently. I’m so sad this fuck ass didn’t die at the end.
I wanted to like this book so bad because it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 but I feel like a fucking clown rn I hate it here. I’m going to rip my eyes out and wash them with bleach.
Making Swanna, the 14 years old girl, blame herself for what happened and portraying Dennis, the 37 years old married man who groomed her, as the poor victim of this entire situation should not be considered normal. This man was a PEDOPHILE, he knew her age, he knew she was a minor and yet he still decided to have sex with her multiple times, and cheat on his wife too!
Based on the synopsis and the reviews mentioning Lolita a lot, I kept thinking that this book would be about a pedophilic relationship told from the perspective of the child. That it would be a character study on victims of grooming, that we would see Swanna being blinded by this entire situation thinking that it was normal for Dennis to be sexually aroused by her but slowly realizing how wrong everything was and finally learning and breaking out from this horrible situation but no :|
This book doesn’t do that at all! It actually never holds Dennis accountable for his actions, his morality is never put in question or in perspective, there’s not a single adult that steps in to save Swanna, the book actually blames everything on her and her only:
“I had forced him to do it. I had molested him. (…) I had seduced Dennis into doing something he didn’t want to do. (…) He wasn’t Poseidon and I wasn’t a muse. I was a siren. I was Medusa who could turn men into stone. He was Leda and I was Zeus dressed as a swan. I was a big dirty bird. I was a monster.”
(Swanna in the final chapter of the book, blaming herself for “seducing” Dennis)
This book would have been a great “Lolita-reverse” if, like in Lolita, the pedophile’s motives and actions were being judged and discussed throughout the story, here Deniss is very much put under the “victim” spotlight. Mf did nothing wrong apparently. I’m so sad this fuck ass didn’t die at the end.
I wanted to like this book so bad because it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 but I feel like a fucking clown rn I hate it here. I’m going to rip my eyes out and wash them with bleach.
March 6, 2024
no. just no. this book had so much potential, it really did. i adored swanna’s character and the book started out amazingly. but then it dove into some weird perverted pedophilic fantasy. swanna’s character was extremely conflicting: at some points she was extremely naive and then at others she was saying shit straight out of porn that no 14 year old would ever be saying. the sex scenes were overly graphic in my opinion especially considering the fact that this is a child we are talking about here, please, no one wants to hear the details of that. there were some hilarious lines in this book but the writing was a bit too juvenile for me, it read like a children’s book, and although i understand this is from a 14 year olds perspective, it didn’t really fit the rest of the narrative of her character.
August 25, 2024
sad that i didn’t enjoy this as much as i thought i would
February 9, 2024
SWANNA IN LOVE is a coming of age story about a young teen finding her way through life in the 1980’s. Her life gets turned upside down by her parent’s divorce and then to complicate her life further, she falls for a married man. I liked the characters and the writing was quite well done. This story reminded me how different everything was in the 1980’s compared to modern day. If you are looking for something a little bit different with some clever humor mixed in, give this one a try!
Many thanks to Akashic Books for my gifted ARC.
This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
Many thanks to Akashic Books for my gifted ARC.
This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
July 12, 2024
3.5./5
I've originally rated this book 4 stars but the more I think about it, the messier it seems to me. I read the book in two days, it's a very compulsive read and I do not regret having read it... but upon finishing it I had no idea how to feel about it. I wish I had someone to discuss it with. I love stories about girlhood, and the many dangers of it, the complexities of girls who are starting to mature and learn about the real world while still remaining quite innocent and oblivious to harsh realities of life. As many reviews here have already stated, what this book does greatly is capturing the voice of a teenage girl - for the most part. The surrounding characters do not make as much sense. Swanna is a girl who's being neglected and who's struggling with her parent's divorce and messy lives, she gets into a relationship with an adult man not because she really cared about it, but because she was bored, wanted to impress her friends by revealing she's not a virgin anymore, and was desperate for someone who would help her escape the situation she was in. I hate that this is advertised as an inversed Lolita - what do you even mean by that people!? It is not empowering for a young girl to be seen as the one who seduced and "manipulated" an older man or something, it's ridiculous. I do not blame Swanna, I would not call her a seducer for playfully flirting with an older man - I blame Dennis entirely for continuing the affair ESPECIALLY after finding out her real age. She fulfilled some sick fantasies of his, it's jarring how every man in the book sexualizes Swanna - something at once exaggerated and realistic, since unfortunately most teen girls experience some form of unwanted attention from adult men, whether it's catcalling, teasing or much worse.The woman who shot her, in the dark of night, could right away tell Swanna was a child. Absolutely infuriating that the men in the book treated her like an adult, when she clearly was not one. As far as we know, Dennis got away with no consequences, while Swanna will possibly be punished for this adventure for the rest of her life, thanks to the injury after getting shot and possible trauma once she begins to comprehend what happened to her that summer. I do not like the part in the book where Swanna blames herself for what happened and sees Dennis as the victim, but I understand that many people who have experienced abuse can feel this way and that the author writing this doesn't automatically mean she believes this sort of things in reality (I hope so, at least), but still I do hope this book won't get into the hands of some young girl who will take the book's "message" to heart or anything. These sorts of stories are fascinating, because of the power dynamics and conflicts, but they can be dangerous in the wrong hands I suppose. The coquette tumblerinas who glamorize Lolita would most likely go crazy over this.
I think the story had a lot of potential, the ending could have been more polished. Unfortunately,as it stands, the messiness of the last third of the book really drags the overall quality of the story down.
At one point in the book Swanna talks about her favourite book, The Catcher in the Rye, and feels a lot of sympathy for Holden Caufield - she tells a story about her classmates all being unable to imagine an even remotely positive future for him, after the ending of the book, and about her desperate hope that he will still live a good life, despite all that he has gone through. Swanna resembles Holden in some ways - and similarly, I hope there is still a bright future ahead of her.
I've originally rated this book 4 stars but the more I think about it, the messier it seems to me. I read the book in two days, it's a very compulsive read and I do not regret having read it... but upon finishing it I had no idea how to feel about it. I wish I had someone to discuss it with. I love stories about girlhood, and the many dangers of it, the complexities of girls who are starting to mature and learn about the real world while still remaining quite innocent and oblivious to harsh realities of life. As many reviews here have already stated, what this book does greatly is capturing the voice of a teenage girl - for the most part. The surrounding characters do not make as much sense. Swanna is a girl who's being neglected and who's struggling with her parent's divorce and messy lives, she gets into a relationship with an adult man not because she really cared about it, but because she was bored, wanted to impress her friends by revealing she's not a virgin anymore, and was desperate for someone who would help her escape the situation she was in. I hate that this is advertised as an inversed Lolita - what do you even mean by that people!? It is not empowering for a young girl to be seen as the one who seduced and "manipulated" an older man or something, it's ridiculous. I do not blame Swanna, I would not call her a seducer for playfully flirting with an older man - I blame Dennis entirely for continuing the affair ESPECIALLY after finding out her real age. She fulfilled some sick fantasies of his, it's jarring how every man in the book sexualizes Swanna - something at once exaggerated and realistic, since unfortunately most teen girls experience some form of unwanted attention from adult men, whether it's catcalling, teasing or much worse.The woman who shot her, in the dark of night, could right away tell Swanna was a child. Absolutely infuriating that the men in the book treated her like an adult, when she clearly was not one. As far as we know, Dennis got away with no consequences, while Swanna will possibly be punished for this adventure for the rest of her life, thanks to the injury after getting shot and possible trauma once she begins to comprehend what happened to her that summer. I do not like the part in the book where Swanna blames herself for what happened and sees Dennis as the victim, but I understand that many people who have experienced abuse can feel this way and that the author writing this doesn't automatically mean she believes this sort of things in reality (I hope so, at least), but still I do hope this book won't get into the hands of some young girl who will take the book's "message" to heart or anything. These sorts of stories are fascinating, because of the power dynamics and conflicts, but they can be dangerous in the wrong hands I suppose. The coquette tumblerinas who glamorize Lolita would most likely go crazy over this.
I think the story had a lot of potential, the ending could have been more polished. Unfortunately,as it stands, the messiness of the last third of the book really drags the overall quality of the story down.
At one point in the book Swanna talks about her favourite book, The Catcher in the Rye, and feels a lot of sympathy for Holden Caufield - she tells a story about her classmates all being unable to imagine an even remotely positive future for him, after the ending of the book, and about her desperate hope that he will still live a good life, despite all that he has gone through. Swanna resembles Holden in some ways - and similarly, I hope there is still a bright future ahead of her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2024
It's hard to ignore that this book glorified an adult's sexual relationship with a child. Kept thinking it would have some sort of resolution/learning moment at the end and it just didn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2025
swanna swain was almost eighteen when she meets dennis aka married thirty-seven year old father of two, but later expresses that she's fifteen when in reality she's fourteen years of age. however, she remains an ellusive twenty-one to dennis' thirty-something year old friends.
it seemed like swanna couldn't keep up with the facade of her age status and how she wanted to come across, and honestly, neither could i.
while i understand a fourteen year old isn't exactly the world's most reliable narrator, swanna went from sounding like a little girl on her way to teen-hood, not quite there but reaching close, to something out of a porno. the ways she'd talk during the sex scenes (which were not needed in my opinion) felt extremely unrealistic for her age. the writing makes it feel like we're inside of a younger girls mind, and yet, it didn't quite match with the grown attitude the author so often implemented throughout the narrative.
and can i just say that for swanna to come to the conclusion that somehow she was the monster for seducing dennis honestly made me nauseous because in no way should a fourteen year old guilt trip themselves into believing that they somehow were in control of thirty-seven year old's doing.
THINGS I DID ENJOY:
✦ the narration at times, it was well-written in my opinion
✦ swanna's little brother, madding and her relationship with him
✦ the hilarious one liners from both madding and swanna
✦ the only sensible adult man in dennis' friend group who actually looked at swanna and clocked she wasn't actually twenty-one
✦ jokes about borislav or as swanna would like to say fraudislav, stupislav, spermislav and my favourite one of all the nicknames, pervislav !!
“This life was the afterlife. The afterlife was this life. All we had were the things we collected along the way.”
“Why had he chosen her? I wondered. What made someone pick one person over everyone else in the world? It seemed like an impossible choice to make.”
“My brother rushed into his arms. That was the worst thing about being a kid, being forced to be comforted by the person who was hurting you in the first place. I wanted to protect him from that but I was frozen stiff.”
"Finally, when it was over and the music stopped, I felt like I had watched an entire life pass by.
Each one of us had a frame we always returned to, no matter how many times we ventured out of it.”
rating: 3.5 stars
it seemed like swanna couldn't keep up with the facade of her age status and how she wanted to come across, and honestly, neither could i.
while i understand a fourteen year old isn't exactly the world's most reliable narrator, swanna went from sounding like a little girl on her way to teen-hood, not quite there but reaching close, to something out of a porno. the ways she'd talk during the sex scenes (which were not needed in my opinion) felt extremely unrealistic for her age. the writing makes it feel like we're inside of a younger girls mind, and yet, it didn't quite match with the grown attitude the author so often implemented throughout the narrative.
and can i just say that for swanna to come to the conclusion that somehow she was the monster for seducing dennis honestly made me nauseous because in no way should a fourteen year old guilt trip themselves into believing that they somehow were in control of thirty-seven year old's doing.
THINGS I DID ENJOY:
✦ the narration at times, it was well-written in my opinion
✦ swanna's little brother, madding and her relationship with him
✦ the hilarious one liners from both madding and swanna
✦ the only sensible adult man in dennis' friend group who actually looked at swanna and clocked she wasn't actually twenty-one
✦ jokes about borislav or as swanna would like to say fraudislav, stupislav, spermislav and my favourite one of all the nicknames, pervislav !!
“This life was the afterlife. The afterlife was this life. All we had were the things we collected along the way.”
“Why had he chosen her? I wondered. What made someone pick one person over everyone else in the world? It seemed like an impossible choice to make.”
“My brother rushed into his arms. That was the worst thing about being a kid, being forced to be comforted by the person who was hurting you in the first place. I wanted to protect him from that but I was frozen stiff.”
"Finally, when it was over and the music stopped, I felt like I had watched an entire life pass by.
Each one of us had a frame we always returned to, no matter how many times we ventured out of it.”
rating: 3.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2024
So funny! and so sad! Swanna in love is about a 14 year old in 1982. Swanna is trying to get home to New York City after a summer theatre camp in Vermont, unfortunately she has negligent, selfish parents, country folk, artists communes and paedophiles to contend with. Swanna’s favourite books are Forever and Catcher in the Rye and her voice reflects this, she’s witty and reflective, image conscious but smart. Because of crappy parenting and Swanna’s own risk tolerance she falls into the path of a disgusting married man and they have a really gross love affair, told from Swanna’s rose coloured and confused point of view. As the novel closes the reader witnesses Swanna beginning to see clearly and mature, but perhaps it is too late?
January 25, 2024
TITLE: SWANNA IN LOVE
AUTHOR: Jennifer Belle
PUB DATE: 01.30.2024
It's the summer of 1982 and fourteen-year-old Swanna Swain is the only one left at camp. The place is a ghost town by the time her mother Val finally shows up six hours late―stoned and radiant―in a Ford pickup driven by Borislav, her new young Russian lover. Assuming she is headed home to her air-conditioned Upper West Side apartment, Swanna and her lovable younger brother Madding are instead dragged to Vermont―to an artist colony where kids are not welcome and they are forced to sleep in the back of the truck, while Val is cozy inside the house with the Russian.
Then Swanna meets Dennis, a handsome married father of two, at a bowling alley, and, knowing a thing or two about seduction from Judy Blume, her best friend at camp, and her own parents’ many affairs―she sets out to convince Dennis to help her. But love seldom obeys rules, and even a tough, smart, city girl like Swanna might not be able to handle falling in love.
THOUGHTS:
An angsty coming of age read that sucked me in to Swanna’s life over a few days set in the 80’s. I found myself very uncomfortable reading this book with insufferable characters and Lolita themes. It’s both interesting yet disturbing, funny and also sad, but yet a compelling read nonetheless.
3.5
AUTHOR: Jennifer Belle
PUB DATE: 01.30.2024
It's the summer of 1982 and fourteen-year-old Swanna Swain is the only one left at camp. The place is a ghost town by the time her mother Val finally shows up six hours late―stoned and radiant―in a Ford pickup driven by Borislav, her new young Russian lover. Assuming she is headed home to her air-conditioned Upper West Side apartment, Swanna and her lovable younger brother Madding are instead dragged to Vermont―to an artist colony where kids are not welcome and they are forced to sleep in the back of the truck, while Val is cozy inside the house with the Russian.
Then Swanna meets Dennis, a handsome married father of two, at a bowling alley, and, knowing a thing or two about seduction from Judy Blume, her best friend at camp, and her own parents’ many affairs―she sets out to convince Dennis to help her. But love seldom obeys rules, and even a tough, smart, city girl like Swanna might not be able to handle falling in love.
THOUGHTS:
An angsty coming of age read that sucked me in to Swanna’s life over a few days set in the 80’s. I found myself very uncomfortable reading this book with insufferable characters and Lolita themes. It’s both interesting yet disturbing, funny and also sad, but yet a compelling read nonetheless.
3.5
January 14, 2024
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙.
Swanna Swain’s parents are divorcing, which is why she is attending summer camp to begin with, and it is also why her mother is spending her time at an artist’s colony. Now that camp has come to an end and school will be starting in a little over a week, she is headed to her father in New York. She is surprised when she is told to get off the bus. It doesn’t matter to the counselors that there must be a mistake, next thing she knows her bags are being removed and she is left in the dust. The place empties out, the office is closed, and no one answers when she calls her father collect from the phone booth (it’s the 80’s, no handy cell phone). Marooned, she has no choice but to wait, sure her mother isn’t coming, she closes her eyes waiting with her luggage on the grassy hill, thinking of what she will do. But her mother does arrive, with Borislav, her new Russian boyfriend (fellow artist) in tow. After picking up her little brother from his camp, they head to an Artist’s Colony in Vermont, a place where children are not allowed. This doesn’t put her mother off, she is Borislav’s muse, she can’t possibly leave.
Her mother’s impulsive behavior is infuriating, and her attraction to Borislav is insane because he is from Jersey, he doesn’t have the sophistication of New Yorkers like her, Swanna thinks. It only gets worse, banned from sleeping indoors she and her little brother sleep outside in the truck, all she wants is to go home, instead they go bowling where she meets an older man, a doctor. She teases him, playing at being sexy. Much later, when she hitches a ride with him, the seduction begins along with more lies.
Swanna wants experience, she is playing with fire and likes it, too much. Dennis is hot for her, this is going way further than eye contact, like she and her best friend got up to this summer. Dennis is married, has children and just can’t help himself, really- he tells her he should take her back. He hasn’t done this before, an excuse as old as time, and yet it doesn’t stop him from taking her to a hotel. With a mother like Swanna’s, a girl can get up to all kinds of trouble. She may come off as grown up with her intelligence and sarcasm, but she is wounded by the mess her parents have made of their marriage, their lack of attention and the ideas of sex and love she has been picking up from the world around her. It’s disturbing how her perception of the ‘affair’ is warped by her youthful innocence because she isn’t a monster, she’s just a kid. This won’t end well.
Dennis isn’t about protecting anyone but himself, but Swanna will have to learn the hard way, and there is nothing sexy about his feelings for her. A disturbing read, if only someone was looking out for Swanna, then she wouldn’t be putting herself in terrible situations. Are her insights funny, sure, inexperienced people can convince themselves of all sorts of mad ideas but there is nothing humorous about Dennis. Everything happens fast, and I admit, I didn’t expect what happened to be the big wake up call. A solid read, but the sexual parts are unnerving.
Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Akashic Books
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙.
Swanna Swain’s parents are divorcing, which is why she is attending summer camp to begin with, and it is also why her mother is spending her time at an artist’s colony. Now that camp has come to an end and school will be starting in a little over a week, she is headed to her father in New York. She is surprised when she is told to get off the bus. It doesn’t matter to the counselors that there must be a mistake, next thing she knows her bags are being removed and she is left in the dust. The place empties out, the office is closed, and no one answers when she calls her father collect from the phone booth (it’s the 80’s, no handy cell phone). Marooned, she has no choice but to wait, sure her mother isn’t coming, she closes her eyes waiting with her luggage on the grassy hill, thinking of what she will do. But her mother does arrive, with Borislav, her new Russian boyfriend (fellow artist) in tow. After picking up her little brother from his camp, they head to an Artist’s Colony in Vermont, a place where children are not allowed. This doesn’t put her mother off, she is Borislav’s muse, she can’t possibly leave.
Her mother’s impulsive behavior is infuriating, and her attraction to Borislav is insane because he is from Jersey, he doesn’t have the sophistication of New Yorkers like her, Swanna thinks. It only gets worse, banned from sleeping indoors she and her little brother sleep outside in the truck, all she wants is to go home, instead they go bowling where she meets an older man, a doctor. She teases him, playing at being sexy. Much later, when she hitches a ride with him, the seduction begins along with more lies.
Swanna wants experience, she is playing with fire and likes it, too much. Dennis is hot for her, this is going way further than eye contact, like she and her best friend got up to this summer. Dennis is married, has children and just can’t help himself, really- he tells her he should take her back. He hasn’t done this before, an excuse as old as time, and yet it doesn’t stop him from taking her to a hotel. With a mother like Swanna’s, a girl can get up to all kinds of trouble. She may come off as grown up with her intelligence and sarcasm, but she is wounded by the mess her parents have made of their marriage, their lack of attention and the ideas of sex and love she has been picking up from the world around her. It’s disturbing how her perception of the ‘affair’ is warped by her youthful innocence because she isn’t a monster, she’s just a kid. This won’t end well.
Dennis isn’t about protecting anyone but himself, but Swanna will have to learn the hard way, and there is nothing sexy about his feelings for her. A disturbing read, if only someone was looking out for Swanna, then she wouldn’t be putting herself in terrible situations. Are her insights funny, sure, inexperienced people can convince themselves of all sorts of mad ideas but there is nothing humorous about Dennis. Everything happens fast, and I admit, I didn’t expect what happened to be the big wake up call. A solid read, but the sexual parts are unnerving.
Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Akashic Books
January 14, 2024
3.5 stars
I was initially thrilled to receive an ARC for 'Swanna In Love' as it featured one of my favorite tropes involving an underage main character engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an adult.
However, upon delving into the book, I found that it didn't quite resonate with me. One of my primary grievances is that the author excelled a bit too much in crafting insufferable characters. The mother in the story, in particular, evoked such strong negative emotions that I struggled to maintain interest in finishing the book.
Furthermore, I couldn't help but notice that the sexual situations Swanna found herself in appeared more mature than what a typical 14-year-old would be familiar with. The inconsistency in her portrayal, transitioning from apparent inexperience at the beginning of the book to engaging in mature scenarios, was a bit perplexing.
Despite this not being the right fit for me, I intend to recommend it to others, recognizing that different readers may thoroughly enjoy the aspects that didn't appeal to me.
I was initially thrilled to receive an ARC for 'Swanna In Love' as it featured one of my favorite tropes involving an underage main character engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an adult.
However, upon delving into the book, I found that it didn't quite resonate with me. One of my primary grievances is that the author excelled a bit too much in crafting insufferable characters. The mother in the story, in particular, evoked such strong negative emotions that I struggled to maintain interest in finishing the book.
Furthermore, I couldn't help but notice that the sexual situations Swanna found herself in appeared more mature than what a typical 14-year-old would be familiar with. The inconsistency in her portrayal, transitioning from apparent inexperience at the beginning of the book to engaging in mature scenarios, was a bit perplexing.
Despite this not being the right fit for me, I intend to recommend it to others, recognizing that different readers may thoroughly enjoy the aspects that didn't appeal to me.
February 5, 2024
Brilliant!!! Seriously amazing novel, I could not put it down. I have read all of Jennifer Belle's books, a few multiple times, and I was so thrilled that she wrote a new one, I could not wait to read it, and it did not disappoint. The story is immersive and engrossing, intense, and riveting. Swanna is the most vivid and believable depiction of an adolescent girl I have ever read, so beautifully complex and relatable, and I really loved the amazingly accurate details of the time period. Every reference to stores, TV, clothes, food, magazines, products - everything!- took me right back to 1982 with heartwarming and heartbreaking nostalgia. Also heartbreaking is the very compelling and accurate portrayal of an older child's feelings and experience of parental divorce. I highly recommend.
January 29, 2024
Swanna Swain is fourteen years old and her life is a bit turned upside down, it is summertime in 1982 and Swanna's parents are getting divorced and her mother has shipped her children off to summer camp for the summer..
When camp comes to an end she is supposed to return to the city to spend time with her father, but this does not happen instead her mother picks her up and they set off to artist’s colony, where her mother is the muse for this artist named Borislav, and and there is a no children rule to this colony which forces the children to sleep in the truck..
Swanna meets this married and very attractive father of four named Dennis, where she tries her hardest to in so many words and ways seduce him..
This book book is a great coming of age story, Swanna is definitely a Lolita character, and if you are a bit uncomfortable with sex scenes involving the young, this might not be a read for you, but the book is fun and I enjoyed the story and the characters, also keep in mind it was the 80's and the world was a different place back then..
When camp comes to an end she is supposed to return to the city to spend time with her father, but this does not happen instead her mother picks her up and they set off to artist’s colony, where her mother is the muse for this artist named Borislav, and and there is a no children rule to this colony which forces the children to sleep in the truck..
Swanna meets this married and very attractive father of four named Dennis, where she tries her hardest to in so many words and ways seduce him..
This book book is a great coming of age story, Swanna is definitely a Lolita character, and if you are a bit uncomfortable with sex scenes involving the young, this might not be a read for you, but the book is fun and I enjoyed the story and the characters, also keep in mind it was the 80's and the world was a different place back then..
September 5, 2024
This coming-of-age story starts out as clever and comic, intentionally (and entertainingly) transgressive and provocative…and then becomes something else entirely, both unsettling and disturbing, and raising deeply serious questions and themes. The author keeps the reader in Swanna’s head…and this is done very well…but, like any 14-year old, she’s by definition an unreliable narrator, never sure of her own feelings and swinging between childhood and adulthood from one moment to the next. I found the juxtaposition of the humor and the often troubling events of the story to be uncomfortable at times, and some of the characters and their actions were unconvincing. But I loved Swanna, rooted, feared, and ached for her, and was left troubled at the end, still thinking deeply about her.
February 15, 2024
It’s the summer of 1982 and fourteen-year-old Swanna is trying to navigate her transformative years while dealing with her incredibly dysfunctional family. She meets a married father of two who gives her the attention she desires and they begin to have an affair. Swanna is a well-developed, introspective character who unfortunately uses love and infatuation as a method to escape the difficulties of her life. Both funny and heartbreaking in turn, this unconventional coming-of-age story is an exceptional portrayal of troubled adolescence and manipulation. Although the subject matter is hard to digest at times, Swanna in Love is a riveting novel that demanded my attention from the very first page.
CW: sexually graphic scenes with minor/adult
CW: sexually graphic scenes with minor/adult
January 19, 2024
Wow! Jennifer Belle, the Author of “Swanna In Love” has written a captivating, intriguing and unique story that is amazing. The Genres for this novel are Coming of Age, Family, Adult, Contemporary Fiction, and Fiction. The timeline in this story is set in 1982, Swanna Swain, fourteen years old, is the only one left at camp. Finally, she is picked up by her mother and her mother’s new Russian Artistic boy-friend. They go to pick up Madding, her younger brother from his camp and head to an Art Colony in Vermont, that doesn’t allow children.
In this well written, shocking and witty story, Jennifer Belle describes her colorful and dramatic characters as complex, complicated, quirky, dysfunctional and very addicting to read about. I couldn’t put the book down, and there are times, I wanted to shake Swanna’s mother, and father. Don’t ask what I wanted to do to the mother’s boyfriend. I became very involved and worried about Swanna. Swanna tries calling her father collect, and either he doesn’t answer the phone, and when he does speak to her, he doesn’t hear or listen. Both Swanna and Madding have to sleep outside in a truck, since they aren’t allowed inside, Is it any wonder that Swanna is looking for a diversion?
Although Swanna seems more mature for her age, and extremely intelligent in some ways, she does make questionable choices. In this coming of age novel, Swanna explores her sexuality, and her feelings of love. There are some twists and turns and some OMG moments. I highly recommend this thought-provoking and memorable novel. I look forward to reading more of Jennifer Belle’s Books.
In this well written, shocking and witty story, Jennifer Belle describes her colorful and dramatic characters as complex, complicated, quirky, dysfunctional and very addicting to read about. I couldn’t put the book down, and there are times, I wanted to shake Swanna’s mother, and father. Don’t ask what I wanted to do to the mother’s boyfriend. I became very involved and worried about Swanna. Swanna tries calling her father collect, and either he doesn’t answer the phone, and when he does speak to her, he doesn’t hear or listen. Both Swanna and Madding have to sleep outside in a truck, since they aren’t allowed inside, Is it any wonder that Swanna is looking for a diversion?
Although Swanna seems more mature for her age, and extremely intelligent in some ways, she does make questionable choices. In this coming of age novel, Swanna explores her sexuality, and her feelings of love. There are some twists and turns and some OMG moments. I highly recommend this thought-provoking and memorable novel. I look forward to reading more of Jennifer Belle’s Books.
July 20, 2024
“‘I have met my Russian prince.’
‘He’s just a drunk from New Jersey.’”
‘He’s just a drunk from New Jersey.’”
Read
January 17, 2025kind of catcher in the rye for girls
April 6, 2024
I loved this hilarious (and heartbreaking) tale about Swanna, a smart, witty, fiercely independent and sexual young woman as she navigates complicated (and relatable) familial relationships alongside her affair with a much older man. A must read!
September 1, 2025
Glad my mom is medicated
February 26, 2024
Swanna in Love explores adolescence in the most unique way.
It was funny, hard to read at times, emotional, beautiful, and delightful. An uncoventional coming-of-age story that will keep you turning pages until the end.
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.
𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗜𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 by Jennifer Belle released January 30, 2024.
https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...
It was funny, hard to read at times, emotional, beautiful, and delightful. An uncoventional coming-of-age story that will keep you turning pages until the end.
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.
𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗜𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 by Jennifer Belle released January 30, 2024.
https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...
June 18, 2025
Reading this story through the eyes of 14 yr old Swanna was incredibly enjoyable. It was both funny as well as honest and disturbing at times. A more unconventional read on girlhood and adolescence but nonetheless a page turner. Honestly a relief when Swannas summer finally came to an end
January 8, 2025
not my fav but held my attention pretty well. the ending left me wanting to know what happened next!! her thoughts and comments on divorce were poignant. but tbh her being 14 felt like a stretch
April 14, 2024
3.5 stars!
it’s the late summer of 198something. Swanna Swain is 14 and has just finished at her camp. all she can think about is boys and her friends and magazines. she spent the summer not thinking about her parents divorce, but she misses her little brother. she quickly discovers that she will not be returning home to New York city and is instead being whisked off to an artists’ retreat by her mum and her mum’s weird, new boyfriend. a distraction soon comes in the form of a handsome, married, forty-two-year-old doctor. Swanna begins to do think — and do — things she’s never done before
the author expertly captures Swanna’s voice. she is fiercely protective of her younger brother, independent and thorny, but feels fragile when she’s alone. i believed every precocious and witty thing i read. the entire narrative is fed through her eyes, though, and it limits the experience of the reader. these are Swanna’s thoughts as this affair happens to her, not reflections on a period of grooming and abuse. think My Dark Vanessa with just the parts from her childhood. after the back cover promised an inverse Lolita, i expected confusion, fear, power dynamics, and manipulation. what we have, however, is a girl experiencing huge emotions and events as they are occurring. for me, this meant that the ending wrapped up a beat too quick. this feels more like a book to provoke the reader’s thoughts than to explore many themes in-depth.
i’ve read a lot (a LOT) of works that engage with Lolita and wrote about some for my dissertation. i would say this novel is on the farther end of that spectrum, but truly the novel wholly captures girlhood teetering on maturity, and is really, really funny — something which not many of those novels can manage.
content note: it’s about a child in sexual relationship with a man in his forties, so there’s that. parental neglect is present. disordered eating from the mother and the protagonist reflects on it a lot
it’s the late summer of 198something. Swanna Swain is 14 and has just finished at her camp. all she can think about is boys and her friends and magazines. she spent the summer not thinking about her parents divorce, but she misses her little brother. she quickly discovers that she will not be returning home to New York city and is instead being whisked off to an artists’ retreat by her mum and her mum’s weird, new boyfriend. a distraction soon comes in the form of a handsome, married, forty-two-year-old doctor. Swanna begins to do think — and do — things she’s never done before
the author expertly captures Swanna’s voice. she is fiercely protective of her younger brother, independent and thorny, but feels fragile when she’s alone. i believed every precocious and witty thing i read. the entire narrative is fed through her eyes, though, and it limits the experience of the reader. these are Swanna’s thoughts as this affair happens to her, not reflections on a period of grooming and abuse. think My Dark Vanessa with just the parts from her childhood. after the back cover promised an inverse Lolita, i expected confusion, fear, power dynamics, and manipulation. what we have, however, is a girl experiencing huge emotions and events as they are occurring. for me, this meant that the ending wrapped up a beat too quick. this feels more like a book to provoke the reader’s thoughts than to explore many themes in-depth.
i’ve read a lot (a LOT) of works that engage with Lolita and wrote about some for my dissertation. i would say this novel is on the farther end of that spectrum, but truly the novel wholly captures girlhood teetering on maturity, and is really, really funny — something which not many of those novels can manage.
content note: it’s about a child in sexual relationship with a man in his forties, so there’s that. parental neglect is present. disordered eating from the mother and the protagonist reflects on it a lot
November 12, 2024
I finished this book in 1 night, I really enjoyed it and felt it was unique to its niche which is always something I struggle to find with Lolita stories (which happen to be my favorite genre). I completely understand the subject matter isn’t for everyone and many people who are bothered by it want to see some cerebral deep dive into how terrible things were from the point of view of the minor because they find that cathartic but speaking for myself, I definitely prefer and relate more to a story of this kind where the girl (at least in her own opinion) was the partial aggressor and doesn’t regret what happened. Sometimes the world doesn’t end because of a wild love affair (whatever the scenario), but it becomes a visceral summer memory you dwell on (fondly? Sadly?), that was my take.
For the writing style, I found it very easy to read and felt the flow just made it feel natural to keep going, but the themes and references and character profiles all felt very adult to me, I enjoyed the style.
My only criticism would be that the ending came rather abruptly and there were a few loose ends I felt never got addressed or really tied up. I think it could have still ended the same way overall but with a few extra chapters to get us there.
If you enjoy Lolita and Lolita stories, I highly recommend this. If the concept is disturbing to you, this is probably not the one for you, it’s not damning to the concept in the slightest.
October 11, 2023
thank you netgalley for the arc!
'swanna in love' follows a precocious, angsty & intelligent 14-year-old girl named swanna in the 80s. while her parents go thru their divorce and swanna's mom drags her thru some out-of-state shenanigans w/ her new bf, swanna meets a nearly 40-year-old married man and they begin to have an affair.
while this coming-of-age story was charming, honest & laugh-out-loud funny, I found the relationship to this adult man to be too creepy to look past. at first I was convinced the POINT was that he was a creepy loser, and that this would come to light and be acknowledged, but as I read on, it felt more like he was romanticized by young & impressionable swanna more than anything, and it was never fully (only sometimes, slightly) called out how gross and predatory he was, and how swanna was being groomed & SA'd. I usually don't have a hard time with subject matter like that but something about this just really didn't sit right with me and I was surprised to see that none of the other few reviewers touched on that, as it was a huge element of the story.
all in all, I'd give it a 3.5 rounded down to 3. it's relatable (sometimes painfully) and swanna is a lovable, confused and complicated teenage girl who I just wanted to hug and save from all the weird adults in her life.
'swanna in love' follows a precocious, angsty & intelligent 14-year-old girl named swanna in the 80s. while her parents go thru their divorce and swanna's mom drags her thru some out-of-state shenanigans w/ her new bf, swanna meets a nearly 40-year-old married man and they begin to have an affair.
while this coming-of-age story was charming, honest & laugh-out-loud funny, I found the relationship to this adult man to be too creepy to look past. at first I was convinced the POINT was that he was a creepy loser, and that this would come to light and be acknowledged, but as I read on, it felt more like he was romanticized by young & impressionable swanna more than anything, and it was never fully (only sometimes, slightly) called out how gross and predatory he was, and how swanna was being groomed & SA'd. I usually don't have a hard time with subject matter like that but something about this just really didn't sit right with me and I was surprised to see that none of the other few reviewers touched on that, as it was a huge element of the story.
all in all, I'd give it a 3.5 rounded down to 3. it's relatable (sometimes painfully) and swanna is a lovable, confused and complicated teenage girl who I just wanted to hug and save from all the weird adults in her life.
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