It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place. Despite her fierce friendships, she's always felt this way, and the conventional path of marriage and motherhood doesn't appeal to her at all. Not even with handsome and doting Martin, her closest childhood friend.
Lucy begins to make sense of herself during a long hot summer, when a spark with her school friend Susannah escalates to an all-consuming infatuation, and, very quickly, to a desperate and devastating love.
Fearful of rejection from her small and conservative community, Lucy begins living a double life, hiding the most honest parts of herself in stolen moments with Susannah.
But with the end of school and the opportunity to leave Crossmore looming, Lucy must choose between two places, two people and two futures, each as terrifying as the other. But only one can offer her real happiness.
Sunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp.

About the Author
Chloe Michelle Howarth was born in July 1996. She grew up in the West Cork countryside, which has served as an inspiration for her writing. She attended university at IADT in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, where she studied English, Media and Cultural Studies. Chloe currently lives in Brighton. Her debut novel, Sunburn, has been shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction.

Reviews
Lucy tells her story in a true, compelling voice, with an eye for minutiae, quaint apercus, and confidences that make her account moving and convincing * SAGA Magazine *
A deeply moving, heartfelt love story * Daily Mail *
Intense and all-consuming - like the first love it describes - Sunburn transported me to the heart of summer and the heady days of late adolescence. I won't soon forget Chloe Michelle Howarth's addictive, lushly written debut -- Laura Sims, author of Looker,
This is a compassionate take on the push and pull between what's expected and what is felt. * The Herald *
A literary coming-of age that captures the similar minutiae of romance as Normal People, and the gorgeous poetic descriptions of Call Me By Your Name... Whether you're looking for a great beach read, something for your book club, or a queer romance, Sunburn is a book you need to get on your shelves * Turnaround (Book of the Month) *



Book Information
ISBN 9780857308412
Author Chloe Michelle Howarth
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Verve Books
Publisher Oldcastle Books Ltd