OVEREMOTIONAL: your new queer YA obsession!

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I searched ahead to find out if and how Steven comes out to Freya. Freya catches him kissing a guy and then makes him give her a label, even after Steven says he doesn't really know. Agents from a mysterious entity called DEMA are on Steven’s tail, but what do they want from him? Do they want to capture him? Experiment on him? Neutralise him? Whatever that means. Steven won’t be hanging around to find out. After evading an attempted capture from one of DEMA’s more unscrupulous agents, Steven accidentally manifests his powers in public, attracting the attention of a handsome, mysterious stranger who says he can help Steven control his emomancy. Steven jumps at the chance to finally feel in control – the fact that this stranger is super cute is an added bonus. This book had a brilliant start – some great characters to get to know, it slowed down around chapter 3 and 4, but then it became unputadownable around chapter 8 – and I literally read the second half of the book in an afternoon.

David Fenne discusses OVEREMOTIONAL - Forbidden Planet David Fenne discusses OVEREMOTIONAL - Forbidden Planet

Sometimes, emotions can be a little too powerful . . . 17-year-old Steven has a big problem . . . Whenever he feels intense emotions, weird things happen. Like when he kissed a boy for the first time, and the boy's head literally exploded. Debut author David Fenne joins Laura Jayne Dodd in the Forbidden Planet TV green room to discuss the creation of his wonderful new YA novel OVEREMOTIONAL! Writing comedy is notoriously difficult, but the voices were full of humour, was it difficult to balance jokes with tension?This is the story of a teenage boy named Steven Percival , who is known as `Percy' to his close friends and family. Steven is seventeen years old and he has a gift that he does not want. This is because whenever he has strong emotions about anything, strange things begin to happen around him. This gift affects his friends and other people close by because it makes them behave strangely. He also fears that he may have accidently killed another young man because of his powers. This is why he runs away to a small seaside town called Grunsby-On-Sea because he thinks that nobody will look for him there.

Overemotional by David Fenne (9781785304729/Paperback Overemotional by David Fenne (9781785304729/Paperback

An epically exciting, utterly unique debut. Not to be missed. - William Hussey, author of Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts

July 2023 book club recommendations

It took a minute to get used to the different POVs, especially when they changed in the middle of the chapter, however it was effective in showing each character's thoughts and positions within the narrative Mean Cat is acting strangely and Dave the Pigeon and Skipper fear the worst. But an unexpected turn of events and some very cute kittens force them to see cats in a new light. Fast-paced fun and frequent illustrations make this series ideal for less confident readers in lower KS2.

Overemotional by David Fenne published by Bonnier Books Overemotional by David Fenne published by Bonnier Books

Summary: Steven, an unfortunate and secretive sixth former who possesses a unique and dangerous ability. Whenever he experiences intense emotions, whether they be joy or sorrow, inexplicable and potentially perilous events occur. After one such incident took place he is filled with guilt and fear of causing harm to others, seeking refuge in the desolate town of Grunsby-on-Sea, determined to protect those around him from the destructive power of his Emomancy. With a best friend as determined as Freya, it is impossible to stay hidden for long, especially when she realises Steven might be in danger after a mysterious organisation called DEMA start asking questions about him. Where Freya goes, her boyfriend Marcus and American friend Troy soon follow. Together, they are determined to find out more about this organisation. In a serendipitous encounter, Steven crosses paths with an alluring enigma who not only professes to possess the same extraordinary abilities as him but also extends an enticing proposition to guide Steven in mastering his latent powers. An epically exciting, utterly unique debut. Not to be missed." - William Hussey, author of Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts Steven's emotions causing a reverse effect in the world around him is an intriguing starting scenario which is explored in various ways, and casts a different light in the whole superpowers discussion. David Fenne is an author, actor and improv comedian. Originally from a small village in coastal Dorset, he went to London in 2012 for drama school (studying American Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford College). He also trained abroad for half a year at Syracuse University, NY, an experience that inspired a lot of the transatlantic humour in his writing. Currently, he works as a scriptwriter for an e-learning platform and runs long-form improv theatre company Pinch Punch. From improvised musical pantos to a sell-out Agatha Christie-style improvised whodunnit, he's entertained audiences the length and breadth of the UK (in many a wig and outrageous accent).Shout-out to the Enid Blyton reference, I had read so many of her books as a kid and I finally see her mentioned in a contemporary YA book! All in all, I could tell these characters are very important to the author and feel very personal and I loved it. This book is like "Carry On" meets "The Extraordinaries" meets "The Infinite Noise", and I am not complaining. The close-knit friendship between Freya and Steven and the setting reminded me of Carry On (since both books are set in the UK), the emotional manifestations were similar to those in The Infinite Noise, whereas the awkward/uncertain moments in Steven's life and the overall twists were a lot like The Extraordinaries. These similarities just made me want to re-read all of those books again 😭 It's most comparable to Carry On, not only in terms of that British humour (which I loved), but the fact that it's going to be a trilogy like Simon Snow, and the resemblance to its UK cover is uncanny! Steven is 17. Zachary is described as possibly in his 20s. As a fellow queer, I am truly so tired of the amount of, specifically, gay/MLM books where minors/17 year olds or just BARELY 18 year old young men get into very toxic, power imbalanced relationships with an adult partner. SO. BEYOND. TIRED.

OVEREMOTIONAL: your new queer YA obsession! : Fenne, David

David Fenne’s debut novel was intriguing, I was not sure what to expect with that title and the cover art. It was a book about feelings, friendship and love, made into a science fiction capturing the target audience of young adult reader. This book touches on LGBTQ+ very early on and continued til the end of the book, I like that it is open. I think the author draws a lot of parallel with exploration of feelings of the main character, feelings for his friends, romantic or otherwise to the science fiction power of his. There’s certainly the mystery of how these power come about, the investigations of missing persons and the history, those kept me interested and going. This was an enjoyable read and definitely one I would recommend to younger teenagers. Because I was anticipating something slightly more mature in tone, it didn’t quite meet my expectations, but this is more of a fault on my part for not doing my research. Nevertheless, I think the “wholesome” marketing should definitely come with a few content warnings, especially with regards to the initial relationship (the age gap is concerning when considering the impressionable age of the target audience) and horror content. Though more characteristic of upper YA, I thought the SFF elements were really well executed and perfectly complimented by the light, humorous tone any time they started getting a bit heavy. The characters and setting are so quintessentially British (Grunsby-on-Sea is perfectly reminiscent of how I feel returning to Skegness as an adult) and made even more hilarious by the American POV who is understandably confused by it all. Even when I thought some of the five POVs felt slightly unnecessary, this book was a lot of fun and definitely a “true” YA. Pitched to prospective punters as Heartstopper meets Stranger Things, Overemotional follows Stephen, a closeted teenage boy who’s dealing with several major issues in his life – he’s hiding his sexuality, he’s dealing with turbulent emotion-based powers, and he’s just kissed his first boy, resulting in the boy’s head literally detonating due to the aforementioned powers running in reverse (e.g. Stephen destroys when he feels joy, fixes when he feels sadness etc.). As a result of the latter, Stephen flees to the sleepy town of Grunsby-on-sea, pursued by his best mate Freya, herself followed by her boyfriend Marcus and their American classmate Troy, in time for the four to uncover a sinister plot brewing in the depths of the seaside town. The building mystery and plot twists weren't too predictable and created an interesting magic system that was explored well in this book, and I'm looking forward to what comes next in the series Another fave was rookie Agent Wren, whose enthusiasm leads to more than one awkward (but highly entertaining) conversation with her supervisor—trust me, it’s pretty much impossible not to find her antics a little amusing.I believe that starting the story with Steven at the party and exploring his reasons for leaving would have enhanced the overall reading experience. I feel that It would have allowed for a more engaging introduction to the characters and their relationships, as well as built anticipation and suspense leading up to Steven's disappearance. I was intrigued throughout the majority of this story but couldnt rate it 5 stars because of a certain reveal.