Love and Jealousy
The love lives of the teenage characters prompt the conflict in the story with the protagonist’s romantic escapades at the center. Initially, the focus is on Jas and her love interest Tom before Georgia and Robbie meet, sparking a connection. This creates a love triangle since Robbie is already in a relationship with Lindsay but that does not stop Georgia. The potential love affair also seems unattainable considering Robbie’s age and the insecurities that Georgia harbors about her looks. However, their interactions culminate in a kiss initiating a romantic relationship that they decide to take slow.
Family and Friendship
Told from Georgia’s perspective the story highlights the pet and peeves by parents and siblings that embarrass teenagers. Her parents are enraging while her younger sister is constantly annoying and wishes to gain more space from them time and again. Therefore delves into the familial issues that a teenage girl seeking freedom has to grapple with in this vital stage of growing up. When the patriarch leaves the country for work, the mother starts a questionable relationship with the housebuilder, Jem. Furthermore, the friendships particularly with Jas allows for a deep dive into the mindset of young women undergoing change. They act as each other’s confidante when discussing boys, looks, sex, and also anxieties about life.
Appearance and Sexuality
Akin to every fourteen-year-old girl, Georgia is going through changes and for that reason insecure about certain physical attributes. Case in point, she is obsessed with her appearance taking extreme measures to meet a set standard of beauty. The young female characters pursue ways to attract the boys in their quest for love, be it physically or otherwise. As such Lindsay’s physical looks and sense of fashion put pressure on Georgia till she has a mishap while grooming herself. The girls are forming their sexual identity which collides with the need to fit in and also impress the opposite gender. This is accompanied by disappointments that one way or another enlighten them on embracing their true selves.
