- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Comedy
The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks
Book 3 of 8 in Lottie BrooksView the full series
Lottie finally gets a boyfriend, then a summer apart and a charming French boy make everything mega-complicated. Book three of the diary tackles first dates, first kisses and the agony of eating ice cream in front of your crush.
- Best for9–12
- FormatIllustrated
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Epistolary
Tone
- Funny
- Irreverent
- Warm
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Lottie Brooks and Daniel are finally, officially, sort-of together, and their first proper date is a trip to a fancy gelateria in Brighton. But how do you eat ice cream elegantly in front of your crush, and is Lottie really ready for her first kiss? Then summer splits them up: Lottie is packed off camping in France for two weeks while Daniel swans off to a posh Greek island. Long-distance love is hard enough at eleven, and it gets a lot more complicated when Lottie befriends a charming French boy called Antoine. With her BFFs Molly and Jess cheering her on (mostly), Lottie has to work out what she actually feels and who she wants to be. Braces, bubble tea, cheese paninis and slumber parties all feature in Katie Kirby's trademark diary of doodles, lists and over-shares. Book three of the bestselling Lottie Brooks series is a warm, funny take on first crushes and the giddy, mortifying business of liking someone.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A 9-12 independent read where the first-boyfriend storyline nudges the emotional content a little older than book one, though it stays firmly age-appropriate. The diary format keeps it quick and accessible for reluctant readers.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 9–12
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny diary
- First crush
- Reluctant readers
- Tween girls
- Friendship dramas
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Wants fantasy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Reluctant reader
- Low self esteem
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Lottie's mortifying first date, the panic of eating ice cream in front of Daniel and the temptation of a French boy called Antoine are exactly the crush dramas tweens obsess over, told with doodles, lists and total honesty.
- Being understood finally
- Friendship and belonging
- Proving yourself
Why parents love it
The romance stays sweet and age-appropriate while being genuinely funny, and Lottie's wobble between two boys becomes a low-key lesson in honesty. It's a fast, reassuring read for tweens starting to think about liking someone.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
In the series
Lottie Brooks.
8 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Katie Kirby.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
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