Review by Frank Plowright

Momo is an extremely studious student, yet lacking confidence to the point where classmates take advantage of her. She knows she’s gay, but her shyness prevents her making any moves, especially when the latest woman she’s attracted to is the tall, intimidating and super confident PG, who has a reputation for having plenty of partners. When it comes to her friends Momo always has relevant advice, but she just can’t apply that sort of logic to herself.

Eunnie draws attractive people dominating minimal backgrounds, but there’s little else to recommend If You’ll Have Me. It’s a romance of opposites attracting prolonged by faltering steps, worries and misunderstandings. Even allowing for it being a simpler drama aimed at teenagers who may themselves lack confidence, it’s a massively decompressed story desperately crying out for additional plots running alongside Momo’s uncertainties. The nearest Eunnie comes is by supplying flashbacks of PG with her first crush and the lack of communication causing them to fall out.

A relationship progressing extremely well by any standards is supplied with an obstacle placed to sow doubt in the form of comments about PG’s past promiscuity. Can Momo believe her own feelings rather than what others tell her?

There’s a cover quote from Alice Oseman, writer of Heartstopper, which explores similar territory, yet with so much more depth and subtlety. Eunnie’s cast are resolutely one-dimensional, as if performing within a pre-programmed set of parameters, and as such are never convincing. That only improves over the final forty pages (of over two hundred), when the focus switches to PG considering her attitudes and behaviour might be problematical. It’s too little, too late in what’s an entirely predictable affair.