Sunburn Review | Chloe Michelle Howarth | Is It Worth Reading?

Few sapphic literary novels have travelled as far on BookTok as Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth. It is the kind of book readers press into each other’s hands — a tender, sun-soaked story of first love that lingers long after the final page. If you love an emotional slow burn and the ache of a forbidden love that cannot stay hidden forever, it earns its place on your shelf.

What Is Sunburn About?

Set in the early 1990s in the small Irish village of Crossmore, Sunburn follows Lucy, a teenager who has always felt slightly out of step with the life laid out for her. Marriage, motherhood, the expected path — none of it appeals, not even with Martin, her kind and devoted childhood friend. Lucy cannot name what is missing, only that something is.

Then, over one long, hot summer, a spark with her school friend Susannah flares into an all-consuming infatuation and, almost frighteningly fast, into a desperate and devastating love. In a small, conservative community where such a love could cost her everything, Lucy begins to live a double life — hiding her most honest self in stolen moments with the girl she cannot stop thinking about.

As school ends and the chance to leave Crossmore appears, Lucy is forced toward an impossible choice: two places, two people, two futures, each terrifying in its own way — and only one that might offer her a real chance at happiness. It is a tender, astute portrait of first love, adolescent anxiety, and the courage it takes to become yourself.

What Makes This Sapphic Debut Work

• ✓ Gorgeous, lyrical prose. Howarth writes the Irish summer so vividly you can feel the heat — the writing has been widely praised as lush and addictive.
• ✓ A painfully real first love. The intensity, secrecy, and terror of Lucy and Susannah’s relationship rings completely true.
• ✓ Authentic sense of place and time. 1990s rural Ireland is rendered with rich, specific detail that shapes every choice Lucy makes.
• ✓ An honest look at the closet. It captures the fear, longing, and self-doubt of loving someone in a place that will not accept it — without ever feeling preachy.
• ✓ Emotionally unforgettable. This is a book that stays with readers; the ache of it is exactly why it keeps going viral.

Tropes & Themes at a Glance

How Spicy Is Sunburn?

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Sunburn sits at the lower-to-moderate end of the heat scale. There is real sensuality and intimacy between Lucy and Susannah, but this is literary fiction first and foremost — the intensity lives in the longing, the tension, and the emotional stakes rather than in explicit on-page scenes. If you want a love story that smoulders rather than sizzles, this is it.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll love it if:

• ✓ You love beautifully written, character-driven literary fiction.
• ✓ You want an emotional, slow-burn sapphic first-love story.
• ✓ Atmospheric, evocative settings pull you into a book.
• ✓ You do not need a neatly wrapped, low-stakes ending.

You might skip it if:

• ✗ You want a light, low-angst comfort read — try our She Drives Me Crazy review instead.
• ✗ You are here mainly for high-heat spice.
• ✗ Bittersweet or emotionally heavy stories are not what you are in the mood for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sunburn a standalone?

Yes. It is a complete, self-contained literary novel — no series to commit to.

Is it actually sapphic / WLW?

Yes. It centres on Lucy’s love for another young woman, Susannah, and her journey toward understanding and accepting her own identity.

How spicy is it?

Low-to-moderate. There is sensuality and intimacy, but the emphasis is emotional and literary rather than explicit.

Does it have a happy ending?

Sunburn is literary fiction with a bittersweet, realistic tone rather than a formula romance, so it leans more emotional and open than a guaranteed fairy-tale HEA. Many readers find the ending deeply moving — go in for the feelings, not a tidy bow.

Do I need to know Irish history to follow it?

Not at all. The 1990s rural-Ireland setting shapes the story, but everything you need is on the page — the emotions are universal.

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