Another 365 Days by K.E. Payne (review)

In this sequel to 365 Days, young British teen Clemmie has found true love with Hannah, and she is blissed out despite niggling feelings that she really ought to tell her parents that she's gay. When a sexy new art teacher shows up at their school, however, Han starts spending more time in the studio and less with Clemmie, until finally Han suggests they spend some time apart. Devastated, Clemmie seeks comfort with her friend Alice, whom she knows has a major crush on her. Even though she doesn't reciprocate Alice's feelings, the two start to date, until Han decides she wants Clemmie back. To make matters more confusing for Clemmie, J, the first girl she ever fell in love with, returns to their school, and starts flirting with her. Clemmie is a mess, but through it all, the one thing she knows for sure is that she loves Han, and that's forever, if she can just make it all work. Given the diary format, the dense British slang, and the manic focus on relationships, this may evoke comparisons with Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson series (Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, BCCB 5/00, etc.), but the humor here is milder; it's also, unfortunately, often at Clemmie's own naïve expense, as she misunderstands cultural references and advanced vocabulary, forcing readers to laugh at her, not with her, if they get the joke. Mostly, though, this is a straightforward girl-meets-girl, girl-loses-girl, girl-takes-advantage-of-rebound-girl, girl-gets-played, girl-gets-true-love-back romance tale, related as it unfolds in real time. The characters aren't deep, but the pleasures of undemanding superficiality aren't limited to the straight world, and readers may enjoy this light-hearted soap opera of various mismatched and matched romantic scenarios.