Rosewater
Bold and beautiful. The perfect inaugural title for Get Lifted Books. We are so excited to introduce Liv’s bracing contemporary voice to the world.”
- John Legend, Mike Jackson, and Ty Stiklorius, Get Lifted Books
A TODAY and LGBTQ Reads Most Anticipated Book of 2023 • A Goodreads Buzziest Debut Novel of the New Year • An Electric Lit Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of Spring 2023 • A Nylon April 2023 Must-Read Book
For fans of Bolu Babalola and Tia Williams comes a “tender, soulful, and sexy” (Phoebe Robinson) debut novel about finding love in an unexpected place.
ISBN
9781638930228
Language
English
Page count
304
Edition
Hardcover
Sale date
April 25, 2023
Dimensions
5.5 x 8.25
About the Book
Elsie is a sexy, funny, and fiercely independent woman in south London. But several things in her life have gone terribly wrong. She’s estranged from her family; is failing to make it as a poet; and has just been evicted from her social housing. As fierce and independent as she is, even Elsie must admit that being a carefree 28-year-old is proving difficult—and that she’s running out of options.
Juliet, her best friend since childhood, has always been Elsie’s lifeline. So even though they haven’t spoken in months, Elsie is soon snuggled up on Juliet’s couch, back at home among the mismatched cushions and knit blankets.
Between their reruns of Drag Race and nights smoking on the balcony, something surprising begins to glimmer in Elsie’s heart. And as the days turn into weeks and then months, this feeling quickly becomes too fierce to ignore. Will Elsie be brave enough to open herself up to love?
Featuring the poetry of Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Rosewater is a deliciously steamy queer romance from a bold new voice. An electric and captivating debut, Elsie’s story teaches us that sometimes home is not always where we are, but who we are with…
Reviews
“Simmering.”
“A wonderfully fresh, zesty and sexy debut novelist who is putting Black queer lives, loves and longings center stage, where they belong.”
“Rosewater is sensuous, urgent, and pulsating with youth—embracing all of its messiness, discovery and boundless capacity for love. Little’s London pulls no punches—and Elsie’s journey will make you by turns scream and laugh—but the joy of this novel is watching Elsie discover-page by page and poem by poem—that not only will she not break, she is by no means alone.”
“Little gifts us with a novel that tells of the love, courage, grace and power of a connection and a softness that propels us through the messy, harsh realities of life and self-discovery—to know yourself through the love that knows you. Elsie is loveable and frustrating and swaggering and vulnerable, a wonderful protagonist. Frank, sexy, and so tender. Little’s pen shines.”
“Liv Little’s Rosewater is the book we’ve all been longing to read. It’s tender, soulful, and sexy, and once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. Liv’s unique and lyrical voice tells a story that breaks your heart before putting it back together again, and Elsie, unapologetic in her Blackness, queerness, and everything in between, is a young woman many will be able to relate to. A jewel of a debut novel. Brava, Liv!”
“Rosewater is funny, witty, messy, and beautifully queer… A story that seeps into you the way warm sunshine does at the final edges of winter.”
“Rosewater is sexy, alive, and modern—a perfectly-formed romance that burns hot and deliciously slow. Liv Little has captured the fullness of love as it shines most brightly—in the hidden corners of the heart and the hard-won spaces where truth finally meets freedom. This book is a must-read and a captivating delight.”
“At turns tender and tenacious, punchy and profound, Rosewater is an unforgettable London love story from an effervescent and irresistible new voice.”
“In this thrilling book, Liv Little charts us through the fast-paced life of Elsie, trying to find stability when everything under her is falling apart. Elsie is a charmer—girls fall in love with her wherever she goes, and yet she tries to stay as emotionally detached as she can, until she realizes that love has been staring her in the face this whole time. This book feels like my friends; it’s close in a way that feels honest to people that we all know and love—poets, camgirls, waitresses and bartenders all trying to find a place where they can live, love, and fuck freely.”
“Sharply observed yet tender at the same time, Rosewater explores the meaning of home, exposing its fragility and its tenacity as Little’s characters fight to find their place in the world.”
“A gritty, heartfelt, no holds barred look at life and love in present-day London.”
“Bold and beautiful. The perfect inaugural title for Get Lifted Books. We are so excited to introduce Liv’s bracing contemporary voice to the world.”
“Sensuous.”
“A queer coming-of-age story capturing the existential, aimless dread of the moment.”
“A gritty coming-of-age Black British story of love and loss . . . Impossible to put down, Rosewater paints a captivating portrait of South London.”
“Full of energy, wit and excitement, this is a book to watch.”
“A paeon to a queer love affair that’s sexy, complex and romantic.”
For found family mixed with queer joy, sapphic romance, and a healing journey, look no further than Rosewater.
"Bold and beautiful. Rosewater is the perfect inaugural title for Get Lifted Books!"
―John Legend, Mike Jackson, and Ty Stiklorius, Founders of Get Lifted Books
Liv Little
Liv Little is a writer of Jamaican and Guyanese descent via South London. She tells stories with heart about the people and places that matter to her. Her work spans journalism, audio, TV, and curatorial projects, for which she’s received various accolades, including LGBTQI+ Broadcaster of the Year and Rising Star at WOW. Her short story, “The Sisters”, was published in the critically acclaimed Hag, a collection of forgotten folktales retold. She was a BBC writer–in–residence for 2021, during which she developed an original pilot for a queer conspiracy thriller. Liv is most at peace in nature, and she now lives by the sea. Rosewater is her debut novel.
