A painfully funny coming-of-age story for anyone who ever felt like the only person on Earth without the instruction manual for adulthood.
‘Filthycomes across as honest without being excruciating, true to life without being pornographic, and it captures that intense early teen curiosity about sex, the determination to do it, all told with great tenderness and understanding.’ Melvin Burgess, bestselling author of Junk
Joss has never had sex. But suddenly, it feels like everyone else has. From dolphins to bonobos to her annoyingly confident older sister Edith, the entire natural world seems to be getting some, and Joss is starting to wonder what she’s missing.
The problem? No one actually explains how any of it works. And David Attenborough has a lot to answer for.
Then she meets Griff. Mysterious. Hot. Not from around here. And, most shocking of all, he doesn’t see her as “vanilla.”
Determined not to be clueless, Joss turns to the only educational resource that seems readily available: the internet. But late-night “research” comes with unexpected consequences. Embarrassing ones. Ones that might just scare off the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
Warm, hilarious and painfully relatable, this is a story about curiosity, confidence, and figuring out what you actually want, not what the rest of the world makes look easy.
- Taps into the universal awkwardness of feeling behind in life, making it a perfect read for fans of Sex Education and Booksmart.
- Explores the hilarious and harrowing consequences of using the internet as a sex educator, a theme that resonates deeply with Gen Z and Millennial readers.
- Beneath the comedy, it carries a strong message about sexual agency, moving away from “vanilla” labels to discover personal confidence.
