OVEREMOTIONAL: your new queer YA obsession!

Product Information

Fenne is an author, actor and improviser based in south-east London. He came to London in 2012 for drama school, studying American Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford College. He trained abroad for half a year at Syracuse University in New York. He is also an improv comedian, running a long-form improv theatre company, Pinch Punch.

Overemotional by David Fenne | Goodreads Overemotional by David Fenne | Goodreads

Steven is an “emomancer” – an individual whose emotions manifest in superpowers – his happiness creates thunderstorms, and his sadness and anger manifest fear in those around him. To protect those around him, Steven closes in on himself, hiding away from the world. His best friend Freya is having none of it, however, chasing him out to Grunsby to bring him home, bringing her car-obsessed boyfriend Marcus, and his handsome new American friend, Troy, with her. Despite his attempts to conceal his powers, it’s not long before Freya finds out about them. Freya’s not the only person Steven has to worry about, however. This is also a multi-POV story, so we do get to explore a lot of characters (including a few supporting characters) and their inner most thoughts in depth which really helped me in understanding their motivations. Especially Troy, Freya’s American friend who was an absolute cinnamon-roll of a character. I loved how goofy he was around Steven and loved the dynamics they both had together. It is a brilliant adventure, with some huge plot twists … and oh, by the way, the main character is gay! I love that this is a queer teen fiction novel, where the characters sexuality is not the main story line and there is no neon beacon over his head, forcing him to come out. This story is different, it is inclusive, funny, thrilling and (despite it being about a kid with superpowers) it’s so very real … but my goodness, it is also so refreshing to see characters from all walks of life who interact together, for no other reason, than the fact that they are all human and they like each other’s company (well most of them do!). All in all, I could tell these characters are very important to the author and feel very personal and I loved it.

Overemotional by David Fenne – at a glance

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.

Overemotional by David Fenne - The School Reading List

This is going to be a trilogy and my new obsession. Just trust me on this one guys, it's really good. I feel like there are parts that felt muddled, like they just needed more trimmed off. I found some of Fairburn's logs a bit overwritten, I understand the style is different to the other POVs but it could have been more succinct. The way it was written, and the dialogue in particular, was funny and felt very much like a British sixth former talking 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.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. Secondly: it was just kind of unentertaining to read? If I was like 13 then maybe I would have enjoyed it, but at 24 all I can see are the flaws (and yes I Know it's a YA book and 13 is probably the correct age to enjoy it, but giving teens the above dialogue from the book to base their ideas of queerness in friendship on makes me want to scream). Seventeen-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. Fleeing to the miserable town of Grunsby-on-Sea, Steven is determined to not hurt anyone else - but he doesn't count on his best friend Freya, her boyfriend Marcus and American friend Troy following him. And when agents from the mysterious DEMA organisation show up talking about neutralisation , Steven realises that Grunsby-on-Sea might not be the safe haven he'd hoped for . . . So, he flees from his beautiful home town in Dorset (love the local link!) to go somewhere that is completely miserable so that he can keep everyone safe. He is completely alone in the miserable town of Grunsby-on-sea – but because he’s miserable, it means the people he loves are safe. Little did he know that his best friend (who has no idea about the emotion thing) was going to follow him, and stage an intervention to get him home (another friend Troy and her very reluctant, jealous boyfriend in tow).

OVEREMOTIONAL by David Fenne | Waterstones

However, what I liked most of all was the association of Steven's emotions with superpowers that were very different and interesting. That was the main thing that attracted me to the annotation initially. The characters were well built, there were no unnecessary things, and everything went easy and exciting. All the time we follow Steven who is trying to control his emotions and powers and I liked the development. Steven is definitely an interesting character, but I liked his girlfriend Freya too. There was a moment in the book where she wanted to find out if he was gay and immediately put a label on him and that I definitely didn't like it. 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. I loved the superpowers/ fantasy element. It's reminiscent in parts to the Simon Snow trilogy but this definitely stands alone and in its own right as a unique book. I do find the descriptions a little much, however that’s probably because the author needs to illustrate the layout of his story. I tend to not read the synopsis before I read a book, however I found the last chapter just about wrap it up and thought to myself whether David was giving himself room for a sequel. Then I read the blurb and found out this is the 1st of a trilogy. There are many povs (mainly 3 for now, I do not count Marcus) but it does not feel like too much, and we get to meet every character not only through a filter (the main character or the narrator) but by being into each of their thoughts.

Genre

By chance, Steven meets a handsome stranger who claims to share his powers and who offers to teach Steven how to control them. But who is he in relation to DEMA? What on earth happened to make Grunsby-on-Sea so lethargic a town? And can you really trust a charismatic stranger you meet in a café bathroom? I REALLY loved the main characters, Steven/Stevie/Percy, Troy, Freya, and Marcus, and their interactions with each other. So far I also like the few side characters I was introduced to as well. Everything about the characters was extremely well done and I loved the multiple POVs that the we, as the readers, are given to fully process every point in the story. The characters are all very fleshed out and are unique and clear individuals, which I love about a story like this. With a best friend as determined as Freya, it is impossible to stay hidden for long though, 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 and what "neutralising" someone like Steven might mean. Every character is so lovable in their own way, I love Troy so much and he is literally the definition of a teenager with a crush, so cringey and awkward is so real. Steven’s emotions feel so genuine every time, and as he is incapable of controlling the consequences of them, you know the real emotion even if it is masked because of the magic happening in him.

Overemotional by David Fenne | Goodreads

Hey did you hear? Steven Percival is a low-budget superhero who might kill you if he laughs too hard." 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. Fleeing to the miserable town of Grunsby-on-Sea, Steven is determined to not hurt anyone else - but he doesn’t count on his best friend Freya, her boyfriend Marcus and American friend Troy following him. And when agents from the mysterious DEMA organisation show up talking about “neutralisation”, Steven realises that Grunsby-on-Sea might not be the safe haven he’d hoped for…These hashtag days might provide current and relevant talking points for secondary-aged pupils aged 13+ in KS3, KS4 and KS5, especially when linked to related literature. A very intense read. Steven moves alone to a new town after a life-changing event happens due to his superpowers. However, his friends Troy and Freya along with Freya's boyfriend, Marcus follow him. Campbell Brown, managing director, acquired world rights from Lina Langlee at The North Literary Agency. Overemotional will be published in July 2023. The story follows Steven, his best friend, Freya, her boyfriend, Marcus (who Steven isn’t so fond of) and an American student, Troy, as they’re stranded in the town with a broken down car while also being on the hunt from a strange DEMA organisation. Throughout the book Steven tries to figure out how to control his emotion caused powers with the help of a mysterious man he met in a bathroom at a greasy cafe as well as finding out who he is as a person.