Rosewater

A Novel

By: Liv Little

Narrated by: Suhaiyla Hippolyte

For fans of Queenie and Such a Fun Age comes a deliciously gritty and strikingly bold debut novel about discovering love where it has always been.

Elsie is a sexy, funny, and fiercely independent woman in south London. But, at just 28, she is also tired. Though she spends her days writing tender poetry in her journal, her nights are spent working long hours for minimum wage at a neighborhood dive bar. Not even sleeping with her alluring coworker, Bea, can quell her existential dread. The difficulty of being estranged from her family, struggle of being continually rejected from jobs, and fear of never making money doing what she loves is too great. But Elsie is determined to keep the faith, for a little longer at least. Things will surely turn around. They have to.

But when Elsie is suddenly evicted from her social housing, her fragile foundations threaten to collapse entirely. With nowhere left to go, Elsie turns to her childhood friend, Juliet, for help.

Among Juliet’s mismatched cushions and shelves lined with trinkets, Elsie is able to breathe for the first time in years. But between their reruns of Drag Raceand nights smoking on the balcony, something else soon begins to glimmer in Elsie’s heart . . . Sometimes what you’ve been searching for has been there all along. Can Elsie see it in time?

Featuring the incredible poetry of Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Rosewater is a story of intergenerational love, healing, and one woman’s journey home. A remarkable debut by an exciting new talent, readers are sure to be enchanted by Liv Little’s distinctive and captivating contemporary voice.

Beautiful Roller coaster of emotions!!!!

I’ve never felt so seen while reading a book! This read is beautiful and captivating! I wish there was more!!

The story gets better with each chapter

A slow start but ultimately a solid slow burn romance that also tackles themes of family dysfunction, trauma, sex work, and belonging.

I need more

I loved the storyline and character development!!! I hope there is a sequel to this book or at least just one more

true love wii be silent

Great story line for the journey of owning our truth, and being comfortable in that realization.

Poetic Intentions, Messy Execution

I really wanted to love this book — it had the setup for something moving and meaningful. A Black queer poet navigating identity, love, and survival? I was in. But the plot wandered, the pacing dragged, and just when I thought it might pull everything together, the ending threw it all off.

It felt abrupt and unresolved, like it was trying to be profound but instead landed as undercooked. I didn’t need a neat bow, but I did need something to make the journey worth it — and the ending made me feel like I wasted my time.

There’s beauty in the concept and glimpses of potential in the writing, but overall it felt more like an early draft than a finished novel.