YOURS CHLOE: Young Adult

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Review: Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Bellegarde
Author: Jamie Lilac
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings: Death Of A Parent, Bullying, Classism

Rating: ★★

Evie Clement has perfected the art of avoiding attention as she works at her family's bakery and dreams of a life where she can trade dusting flour for designing dresses. Her focus is on honing her sewing skills - she doesn't need to be fawned over by some teenage boy.

Least of all Beau Bellegarde - the playboy of Paris, the second son of the ultra-wealthy Bellegarde family, the most popular guy in their prestigious high school. Others may swoon over his rakish charm and winning smile, but not Evie.

Unfortunately for Evie, Beau needs her. His conniving step-brother has roped him into an impossible bet: turn the biggest wallflower they know into the winning Bellegarde Bloom at the annual Court of Flowers Ball, or lose his entire fortune.

Evie can't understand why Beau has taken an interest in her, but she can't help but be intrigued. As she befriends Beau, entering a world of high-status parties, she has to ask herself one question... why?

Bellegarde is the debut novel from YA author Jamie Lilac. A historical retelling of the classic 90s romcom movie She’s All That (which is in itself a retelling of Pygmalion, the play which was adapted into the musical My Fair Lady), our story swaps 20^th century America for the ballrooms of 18^th century France.

I want to preface this review by saying that although my thoughts are not overly positive at all, I do recognise that I perhaps was not the intended audience of the book. Bellegarde is perfect for the reader who wants a historic twist on a cheesy 90s romcom but isn’t too fussed about historical accuracy or authenticity. Personally, these are things that I need from a historical fiction novel and my review does reflect this, but I can still see this being an enjoyable read for other readers and especially a teenage audience.

To start with the things the book does well, both of our protagonists were well written. The story is told through a largely dual POV narrative, sharing the perspectives of both Evie and Beau (with occasional input from one of our antagonists Rachelle) and this did help us to connect with both characters. Evie was a headstrong female main character with admiral drive and passion, something I think would be inspiring to a teenage reader. Beau was an incredibly charming male main character and love interest for Evie who, again, I’m sure teenage readers will love. There is a wide range of supporting characters (although admittedly some are written with more depth to them than others and some are completely pointless inclusions altogether) and I was particularly drawn to Evie’s friends who live on the houseboat. I think they were really interesting characters who could make for fantastic protagonists in another story should Jamie Lilac choose to make this a series. I did also really warm to Jo and Mia as characters and exploring their relationship as a same-sex couple in 18^th century France could provide an alternative pathway for a sequel.

My primary criticism of this book is that it felt like for most of the book the narrative simply forgot it was supposed to be set in the 18^th century and mistook itself for a contemporary fiction novel set in a modern-day American high school. We did have occasional references to Marie Antoinette (if you know your French history enough to pick up on them) but that was largely it. The use of repeated unintentional anachronisms, unfortunately left the book feeling like a poorly-executed attempt to jump on the bandwagon of period dramas such as Bridgerton. This was particularly surrounding the language choices made by the characters but also a significant number of the events read as contemporary fiction too. The fashion also was not completely authentic to the time period either, which was a significant flaw in the story given how much of the narrative focused on Evie’s passion for fashion design. Whilst her designs are meant to be ahead of their time, the use of things like zips meant that they felt more like 21^st century fashion than styles you’d expect from 18^th century France.

The whole idea of a group of young men choosing a girl to make the subject of their bet like they were shopping for meat at a livestock market was sickeningly misogynistic. Whilst I do understand that the blame for this largely lies with the source material the story is based on, it did feel like the book made no attempt to adapt this aspect of the story for a more feminist 21^st century audience, which was disappointing.

I did also find that I wasn’t rooting for Evie and Beau’s relationship, which is a shame as I think that is a pretty crucial thing to need from a romance story. She had far more chemistry with the Duke character and their relationship had far more to it than the one which was the focus of the story unfortunately.

Overall, I was regrettably really disappointed with this novel. As I’ve said, younger readers or anyone who wants a cheesy rom-com story without minding about historical authenticity and accuracy might like this book but it just wasn’t for me.

Review: Secret Sister by Sophie McKenzie*

Title: Secret Sister
Author: Sophie McKenzie
Genre: YA Crime Thriller

Trigger warnings: Car Accident, Cult, Death Of A Parent, Kidnapping

Rating: ★★★★

Two sisters, two very different lives: the next edge-of-your-seat thriller by Sophie McKenzie, author of the bestselling, Girl Missing.

Asha has spent her life on an island community built on the principle of truth. But she discovers she has been lied to about something huge – a secret sister called Willow.

Willow has always believed her twin sister died years ago. So when she receives a message in the middle of the night from a girl claiming to be Asha, she doesn’t know what to think.

Can they piece together the truth about their pasts and find their way back to each other?

Secret Sister is the latest YA novel from the Queen of teen thrillers Sophie McKenzie. It’s told through a dual-perspective narrative, sharing the perspectives of both Asha and Willow, twins separated as toddlers.

The story had me gripped from the very beginning, even as an adult reader. It is very well-paced and packed full of tension and drama, making it a fantastic YA crime thriller for teen and adult readers alike. Although Secret Sister exists in the same universe as the Girl, Missing series, the links felt tenuous so the story felt like more of a standalone book and could easily be read as one.

The cult-like island community Asha lives on was very carefully crafted and had me hooked. With a storyline involving this community and kidnapping, Sophie McKenzie has definitely continued her record of not shying away from hard-hitting topics in her YA fiction but, as always, she explores them in a way which feels age-appropriate to the target audience. This makes her books the perfect introduction to the world of crime thrillers for young readers.

One of my favourite things about Sophie McKenzie’s books is that she writes authentic teenage characters. This was particularly captured by her portrayal of the self-confidence issues that are so common in teenagers, particularly surrounding their appearance. Both Asha and Willow were very well written, strong, determined female characters with strong voices who will be relatable to teenage readers. I also appreciated the blended family representation as it’s so important that young people see themselves and their family type represented in the fiction they are reading. I would have liked a slightly more in-depth exploration of Asha and Willow’s experiences getting to know the sister they didn’t know they had/thought they had lost but do appreciate that this may not have fitted in with the tense, high-action plotline very well.

I did find that the resolution of the story felt rushed and anti-climatic as a result. It would definitely have been more impactful to drag out the tension by a few more chapters. I do also think it would have been nice to have a more depth exploration of some of the other members of the island community. They were all ultimately very complicit in the illegal actions of the main antagonists of the story but this wasn’t explored in any major depth, which I thought was a shame as it could have been a really interesting plot point.

Overall, Secret Sister is a good YA crime thriller novel which will be enjoyed by teenage readers. I’m excited at the prospect this has of introducing a whole new generation to the world of Sophie McKenzie’s writing. I hope they enjoy it as much as we did.

I wanted to end this review by saying that the opportunity to read and review a new Sophie McKenzie book made me quite emotional as her books are so nostalgic for me. Her ‘Girl, Missing’ series was a favourite of teenage Chloe and still holds a special place in my heart (and on my bookshelf). It was the first book series which really had me completely enthralled and the first novels that I read in single sittings. I remember taking the first book out of the school library one day, reading it in one sitting that evening and running back to the library at lunchtime the following day to take out the rest of the series. Sophie McKenzie’s writing is so special to me for this reason and I want to thank her and Simon & Schuster for this reviewing opportunity.

Review: Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee*

Title: Fake Dates And Mooncakes
Author: Sher Lee
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Young Adult
Trigger warnings: Death Of A Parent
Rating: ★★★★★

Fake-dates, mooncakes and rich people problems. But love wasn't meant to be on the menu . . .

Meet Dylan Tang: he juggles school and delivery runs for his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn. Winning a mooncake competition could bring the publicity they need to stay afloat.

Enter Theo Somers: a charming, wealthy customer who convinces Dylan to be his fake date to a family wedding full of crazy rich drama. Their romance is supposed to be just for show . . . but soon Dylan’s falling for Theo. For real.

With the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being distracted by rich-people problems. Can he save his family’s business and follow his heart – or will he fail to do both?

Fake Dates and Mooncakes is a fantastic queer romance debut from Sher Lee. As the title suggests, it is the fake-dating story of our two male protagonists Dylan and Theo and the narrative utilises other well-loved romance tropes such as only one bed, instant connection and the couple coming from different worlds. Through this, Sher Lee has created a charming and wholesome queer romance which was so easy to read in a single sitting and had me smiling from ear to ear.

Dylan and Theo were both fantastic protagonists who were beautifully written as realistic teenagers. I loved their instant connection and Theo’s charm and flirtatious nature will make you swoon. The supporting characters were all wonderful too. I fell in love with Dylan’s family and it was fantastic to have a diverse family type represented within YA fiction as Dylan lives with his aunt and cousins following the death of his mother.

The book is also a love letter to Chinese culture, particularly Chinese street food as Dylan is an aspiring chef working for the family takeout business and taking part in a local mooncake competition. The impact of grief was also beautifully explored through Dylan and Theo connecting over having both lost their mothers.

This book has been marketed as ‘Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians’ and that couldn’t be more spot on. If you are looking for a cute and easy to read queer romance packed full of your favourite tropes, look no further than Fake Dates and Mooncakes. This was an incredible debut from Sher Lee and I’m so looking forward to reading more from them.

Review: The Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum*

Title: The Sharp Edge of Silence
Author: Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
Genre: Young Adult

Trigger warnings: Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual Assault, Sexual Violence, Misogyny, Guns

Rating: ★★★★★

As a straight-A student and girlfriend of the school's star rower, Charlotte believes in what the school has to offer. Meanwhile, scholarship student Max is struggling. Until he's asked to join the rowing team offering him popularity - but at what cost? Then there's Quinn, a sixth-generation legacy student, who should be able to lay claim to the school in a way others can't. Who instead must watch the boy who assaulted her continue to play at the top of the school's food chain. Only in the dead of night does Q realize the solution to her suffering: Colin Pearce must die.

But Lycroft Phelps has more than one dark secret at its heart, and as the three students uncover just how far the school will go to keep those ugly truths hidden, there's a lot more than reputation at stake...

The Sharp Edge of Silence is a YA contemporary standalone novel which explores toxic masculinity and rape culture at a prestigious American private school in a raw and heart wrenching way. Although it is a YA novel, the mature writing style and the way it tackles important hard-hitting and mature topics means that adult readers can also take so much from the story.

Something that makes the novel really stand out from others is the way it tackles lesser-explored aspects of rape culture. This includes the generational passing down of the toxic ideologies that contribute to it, the idea of individuals being complicit by ignoring and not reporting sexual violence they witness and the repeated examples of systems protecting those guilty of rape and sexual violence because of their athletic ability.

The story is told in three alternating perspectives: Quinn, Charlotte and Max. Although the chapters sharing the POVs of Charlotte and Max did feel initially out of place alongside Quinn’s raw and explicit accounts of rape and the mental impact it had on her, they became increasingly important as the story progressed and the perspectives begin to overlap. Through Max’s perspective we get an exploration of silent complicity and through Charlotte’s perspective we explore the group of girls who supported Quinn and fought for revenge and justice, determined that the boys would be held accountable. It was wonderful to see this representation of strong female friendships, particularly as they immediately believed and supported Quinn without belittling or questioning her experiences.

The characters are beautifully complex and I want to particularly commend Cameron Kelly Rosenblum for how she’s written the character of Quinn. We have strong mental health representation through the raw and authentic portrayal of Quinn’s PTSD and the book captures how her anger towards her rapist turns her self-destructive prior to intervention by others. We get to follow her journey towards a path of healing from her trauma and it felt particularly credible that her recovery wasn’t linear. I also particularly enjoyed the references to Quinn’s use of music to help her process the difficult emotions she’s experiencing (and not just because she has an impeccable taste in music).

Overall, The Sharp Edge of Silence is a powerful, heart wrenching and truly ground-breaking story. Although this isn’t an easy read given the difficult subject matter, I think it’s a story which should be read by everyone.

Review: I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver*

Title: I Wish You All The Best
Author: Mason Deaver
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Young Adult

Trigger warnings: Transphobia, Misgendering, Rejection From Parents After Coming Out, Panic Attacks

Rating: ★★★★★

I Wish You All The Best is the story of Ben, a teenager who comes out to their parents as non-binary and is thrown out and forced to move in with their estranged sister Hannah and her husband Thomas, attending therapy to try and process their parents’ rejection and the anxiety and panic attacks is has triggered. When they relocate to move in with Hannah, Ben has to move schools mid-way through their senior year and tries to keep a low profile but the outgoing and charismatic Nathan takes Ben under his wing and makes them part of his wider friendship group. Slowly Ben and Nathan’s friendship begins to grow and their feelings begin to change, giving Ben a chance to start a happier new life as his authentic self.

This book has been on my to-read list for a while now so I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review it following it’s UK publication and I was definitely not disappointed. I normally write notes on the book I’m reading as I go along, to prepare for reviewing, but I was so captured by the story that I read it in a single sitting, barely even pausing for breath.

I Wish You All The Best is a complex yet powerful coming of age story of acceptance, friendship and love which is equal parts heart-warming and heart-breaking. Mason Deaver has a truly beautiful writing style which is so engaging yet easy to read. I was astounded to read that it was their debut work and really look forward to seeing more from them in the future because they truly are one of the current standout authors, particularly within queer fiction.

Ben was an incredible protagonist who I didn’t feel ready to part with when the story came to a close. Nathan is just joy personified in a character and the unconditional acceptance Ben receives from the entire friendship group was incredibly heart-warming. The slow burn romance between Ben and Nathan was truly beautiful and the scenes on Nathan’s rooftop were some of the best romantic scenes I’ve read in a long time. Also, the scene where Ben comes out to Nathan was particularly powerful and Nathan’s immediate apology for having unknowingly misgendered Ben so many times just melted my heart.

I Wish You All The Best has strong mental health representation through it’s authentic portrayal of Ben’s experiences of anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I also enjoyed the positive portrayal of therapy, particularly seeing Ben’s initial resistance to attending the sessions grow into appreciation of the positive impact talking to an impartial person can have.

Through reading I Wish You All The Best I feel I’ve learnt so much about non-binary experiences, therefore enabling me to be a better ally. Ben’s story has made me consider things I previously wouldn’t have as a cisgender person, such as how commonly used terms of endearment for friends and siblings are gendered. The intolerance and prejudice shown by Ben’s parents was a heart-breaking and difficult read but it’s so important that we don’t shy away from these stories.

My only possible criticism for the book would be that it wasn’t longer. I was so captivated by Ben’s story that I would have loved it to be longer to allow for a deeper exploration of certain characters, particularly Maleika and Sophie who brought such joy to the story, and certain aspects of the plot such as Ben and Hannah reconnecting after being estranged for over a decade.

Overall, I Wish You All The Best is a powerful truly ground-breaking story that I think everyone should read at least once. It’s going to be particularly impactful for both members of the LGBTQIA+ community and those who want to become better allies. I was so delighted to hear that the book is being adapted into a film and I’m really excited by the casting and the opportunity to see Ben’s story portrayed on the big screen.

Review: Stateless by Elizabeth Wein*

Title: Stateless
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings: War, Antisemitism, Gun Violence, Violence, Suicide, Plane Crash

Rating: ★★★★★

Stateless tells the story of the Circuit Of Nations Olympics Of The Air, Europe’s first youth air race taking place in August 1937. Although this air race is fictional, it pays tribute to the air races during the ‘Golden Age Of Flying’ in the 1920s and 30s. Our protagonist Stella North is seventeen years old and the only female competitor in the race so she is determined to prove her skill as a female pilot. Stella is representing Great Britain although she is technically ‘stateless’ since fleeing her native Russia as a toddler as part of the exiled aristocracy. On the first leg of the race, as she crosses the English Channel, Stella is witness to a horrifying attack when a fellow contestant’s plane is forced out of the air and crash lands. Although the accident is ruled accidental, Stella and the other pilots launch an investigation of their own, trying to determine if it truly was an accident or if it was actually a premeditated attack which leaves them all in danger.

Elizabeth Wein is one of my standout authors of young adult historical fiction so I had high expectations for her latest novel Stateless and it certainly did not disappoint. The fast-paced gripping murder mystery plot is perfectly executed through the captivating storytelling she has become known for and it had me on my toes throughout my entire read. The frequent twists and turns made it nearly impossible to put the book down and even made me audibly gasp at one point.

The narrative is split into multiple parts, each focusing on an individual leg of the race and taking us right across Europe. We’re given a map of the race route at the beginning of the novel and this was such a nice touch; there really is a special place in my heart for books containing maps.

Stateless provides a really interesting commentary on the politics and international relations of Europe during in the inter-war period, particularly at the time where Europe found itself on the brink of another war. The narrative explores the international understanding of what was going on in Germany under Nazi rule, including the rise of antisemitism, the work of the Gestapo and the opening of the first concentration camps. Through the character of Sebastian, the German competitor and a Luftwaffe pilot, we also get an insight into how Nazi Germany used propaganda to deceive the German population as, prior to meeting the other pilots, he has no idea about the German involvement in the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

As with all novels by Elizabeth Wein, Stateless was clearly meticulously researched and history is seamlessly woven into the story. I particularly liked the little nods to lesser-known historical elements within the story such as Nansen passports and the 1930s Hamburg music scene.

The emotive description of Stella’s experience flying directly over the battlefields of the Great War, where the outline of the trenches remained visible as a reminder of what happened there and how recently, was truly moving. The quote “This broken landscape, these thousands upon thousands of ghosts, were our vivid reminder of what happens when there is no peace.” was particularly brilliant.

The growing friendships and camaraderie between the young pilots was fantastically written. However, one of my biggest gripes with the book is the small detail of the physical description of the Swiss pilot competing in the race. He is described as having “acne-ravaged skin” and that is the extent of the description we really get of his appearance. I’m passionate that acne should not be used as a negative appearance descriptor full stop as people, fictional or otherwise, are more than the appearance of their skin, so this was a disappointing thing to see in the story.

Throughout Stateless we have a beautiful slowburn will they or won’t they romance between Stella and Tony, although it was nice to see this included as a small supporting plot line rather than becoming the sole focus of the story, like romances can in some historical fiction works. It did seem to hint at times towards a love triangle between the two of them and Sebastian but this never went anywhere and I have to admit I was a tad disappointed. I did find myself charmed by the German pilot and I felt it would have added another layer to Stella’s inner conflict surrounding trusting someone who is meant to be the enemy.

One aspect of the narrative I didn’t enjoy was the repeated use of chapter changes mid-way through a conversation between characters. There seemed to be very little point to this and it broke the flow of the dialogue. I did also grow incredibly tired of hearing the phrase “hell’s bells” but I do appreciate that it was a commonly used phrase during the early twentieth century.

The ending of the story does open up to a potential sequel and I think it would be really interesting to return to the characters later down the line, particularly during the Second World War. I for one don’t feel ready to part with any of the characters from Stateless so would welcome a second novel with open arms.

Overall, Stateless is a powerful and incredibly gripping piece of historical fiction which has truly cemented Elizabeth Wein’s reign as queen of young adult historical fiction. It really has potential to be the best historical fiction book of 2023.

Review: Your Dream For Me by Alison Schaffir*

Title: Your Dream For Me
Author: Alison Schaffir
Genre: Young Adult Romance

Trigger warnings: Sexual Assault

Rating: ★★

Your Dream For Me tells the story of seventeen-year-old Scarlett who dreams of becoming a renowned fashion designer. One day, whilst exploring the costume room of her school’s drama department, she meets Nathaniel, the new kid at school who is a very talented actor, and instantly falls for him. With Nathaniel’s encouragement she decides to get involved back-stage at the school’s play to learn more about theatre costuming and get to spend more time with Nathaniel. But Nathaniel’s scene partner Tina is trying to steal him away from Scarlett and a distressing event causes her best friend Macie – and then Nathaniel – to distance themselves from her.

I’ll preface the review by saying that I wanted to love the book. As a big theatre fan I really liked the idea of a theatre-based romance between someone working on-stage and someone working off-stage but unfortunately it just wasn’t executed well and fell really flat for me. Although Your Dream For Me is a YA novel, it largely felt more suitable for a younger audience, potentially as a transitional read between the middle grade and YA genres. Largely I think this is down to the characters as not only do they lack any real depth and have very little character development during the story but they also really lack maturity. Our protagonist Scarlett had a very immature voice which would have been more fitting in a 13/14 year old character than a 17 year old. She had very dramatic spiralling reactions to things that could have been resolved through simple communication and honestly just didn’t seem mature enough to have a relationship, despite the romance being a major plot point.

Unfortunately, not only is Scarlett immature but she is also quite unlikeable. She felt very self-centred and naïve and I struggled to understand why the other characters thought she was so superior to everyone else. Scarlett is also very disillusioned about the world around her as although she has big ambitions of going to a world-renowned fashion school to train as a fashion designer, she doesn’t seem to be doing anything to work towards it. She seemed very disillusioned that a good GPA, fashionable dress sense and a Saturday job in a clothes shop would give her any chance of getting in to such a prestigious school when she lacked basic fashion designing skills such as sewing. On a similar note, Scarlett also seems to really lack any kind of drive. She is desperate for a sewing machine but the second she gets one she decides it’s too hard to learn and she’ll have to wait until someone else teaches her. You’d expect a character with such high ambition to have the drive to teach herself through books or YouTube tutorials but this just isn’t the case. And then we’re then expected to believe that she could fashion a high-quality prom dress in a mere matter of weeks, after a single sewing lesson? Even the most gifted of dressmakers would have struggled with that.

The character of Nathaniel did charm me from his very first appearance and I think his character is one of the highlights of the story, which makes it disappointing that we see so little of him despite him being the main love interest. I also liked the character of Gavin and thought it a shame that we saw so little of him, particularly as he seemed to be only used as a sounding board by Scarlett rather than as the good friend he had the potential to be.

I did find the speed that Scarlett fell for Nathaniel very unrealistic and superficial as she is practically besotted with the boy after a mere 5 minute interaction where they don’t even swap names let alone any real details about each other. Fans of the insta-love trope might enjoy it for this reason but it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t buy into their chemistry and although I appreciate that teenage crushes can be quite intense, this just seemed beyond anything you’d actually see in real life and therefore made it difficult to root for the relationship.

The conflict which leads to Nathaniel ghosting Scarlett was a little bit ridiculous (although no more ridiculous than Scarlett’s responses to it) and I struggled with the instant-reprieve the main antagonist Tina had after simply apologising. It made the drama feel even more superficial and I would have considered not finishing the book had it not been so close to the end. The ending of the story is incredibly frustrating and I think the less said about it the better but overall I think it’s testament to the lack of maturity we see in Scarlett.

I am keen to highlight some of the strengths of the book through and I think the representation of a strong female friendship through Scarlett and Macie is one of them. But unfortunately this doesn’t last the duration of the story as they start to clash with each other after Macie is sexually assaulted (which is a major potential trigger all prospective readers need to be aware of). Scarlett is initially very supportive of her friend but I grew very quickly frustrated by Scarlett’s lack of empathy to how the trauma of the assault was affecting her friend. In one of the chapters, she starts going on about how everyone is leaving her and it’s all very woe is me, completely disregarding how her friend is feeling and why she might be distancing herself away. This all further demonstrated a real lack of maturity in Scarlett which only made her even more unlikeable.

I did really like Macie and I thought the exploration of Macie’s assault and the effect it had on her was really interesting and well executed. So much so, that I think the character was wasted as a supporting character and would have made a much more interesting protagonist than Scarlett. I would have loved a narrative focused on Macie and how she begins to recover from the trauma of the assault, with a potential friends to lovers romance between her and Liam. Overall, I think that would have made a much stronger story than what we got from Scarlett and Nathaniel.

Overall, I think Your Dream For Me would be a good read for a younger YA audience who may be oblivious to the issues with characterisation and plot and simply be able to enjoy it as a cute high school romance.

Review: What the World Doesn't See by Mel Darbon*

Title: What The World Doesn't See
Author: Mel Darbon
Genre: Young Adult

Trigger warnings: Parental Loss, Death Of A Parent, Parental Abandonment

Rating: ★★★★

What The World Doesn’t See is the story of Maudie and Jake, two siblings who lost their Dad a couple of years previously. Their Mum had been really struggling with grief following the death of her husband and one day vanishes. As Jake is autistic, their aunt makes the choice to put him into foster care and Maudie, completely disagreeing with this choice, takes things into her own hands and kidnaps Jake in an attempt to force their Mum to come back to them.

The story is told through a perfectly paced dual POV narrative, alternating between the perspectives of Maudie and Jake. The character of Jake provides a really authentic representation of autism and one of my favourite things about the book is the inclusion of chapters written from Jake’s perspective as it gave Jake his own voice in the story. It’s explained in the author’s afterword that she did this intentionally “because I wanted to give my brother a voice that he couldn’t have for himself” and as an advocate for amplifying autistic voices in literature, this choice and the reasoning behind it was really special to me. We don’t see enough books putting autistic characters at the centre of their own narratives so I think this really sets What The World Doesn’t See apart from other books.

We also have neurodivergent adult representation through the character of Jiera and I found this to be a really important inclusion as it reminds readers that neurodivergent children become neurodivergent adults and therefore it’s not just children who may experience some of the difficulties explored through Jake’s character.

The story provides a moving exploration of the grief experienced by both adults and children following the death of a loved one. I particularly found the exploration of Jake’s understanding of death really interesting and it was really moving to see his understanding of where his Dad had gone building as the book progressed.

I adored the sibling bond between Maudie and Jake and how fiercely Maudie advocated for Jake. The blossoming relationship between Maudie and Gerren was also very sweet. It was arguably rather juvenile at times when you think about the ages of the characters but this is understandable given the age range the book is targeted at.

I did struggle in parts with the maturity of the character of Maudie as in some aspects of the book she clearly had a mature head on her shoulders (demonstrated through how well she looks after Jake) but in others she seems to not have the grasp on reality that a 17 nearly 18 year old would have. For example, she thinks that the police won’t be involved in the case of the abduction of a vulnerable child from their foster home. To a degree I can understand that this could be linked to the trauma of parental loss and then parental abandonment not making her think rationally, but I do still think that it didn’t feel like the actions someone approaching adulthood would think appropriate.

What The World Doesn’t See is a must-read for young adult and mature middle grade readers to build empathy and educate on neurodivergence and the experiences of neurodivergent individuals. It’s a powerful story with so much heart to it and I know it will really stay with anyone who reads it.

Review: The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz*

Caution - This review does contain spoilers.

Title: The Headmaster's List
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Young Adult Crime Thriller

Trigger warnings: Car Accident, Gambling Addiction, Stalking, Drugs, Underage Drinking, 'Troubled Teen' Behaviour Camps (including suggestions of child abuse), Cheating

Rating: ★★★★

The Headmaster’s List centres around a car crash involving four high school students. One is killed, one seriously injured and one of them is arrested for death by dangerous driving. Spencer was seriously injured in the crash and her ex-boyfriend Ethan is the one facing the charges but Spencer is not convinced he is guilty and decides to work to prove his innocence, despite having no memory of the events. She enlists the help of Jackson, Ethan’s best friend, and together they work to try and uncover the truth of the crash.

The Headmaster’s List is a really interesting concept and it is delivered through a fast-paced story. I wanted to love the book and it did keep my interest but overall, it just wasn’t executed as well as I would have liked. The plot seemed to move quite far away from reality in a lot of aspects and this was disappointing. For example, simple details about the crash seemed to be completely ignored by the police and the lawyers involved in the case and a teenager run true-crime podcast was able to get hold of confidential police documents that they wouldn’t even allow one of the victims to see. Spencer also recovers from a traumatic brain injury and returns to school only a week later and she is expected to recover from PTSD brought on by the crash without any proper therapy and just with the use of a therapy dog.

The narrative is broken up with extracts from other things which provide more context and support the world-building within the story. This includes podcast transcripts, extracts from the police report and extracts from Spencer’s bullet journal and it overall was a real asset to the story.

I did really like the protagonist, Spencer. She was a really likeable character who was well written and has really good morals, evidenced by her determination to prove her ex-boyfriend’s innocence despite him cheating on her for over a year. The character of Jackson also had real depth to him but – apart from therapy dog Ripley who has my whole heart – that’s about as far as likeable characters go. The Headmaster character gave me beyond creepy vibes (framed pictures of his favourite students in his office is a red flag and don’t even get me started on the elitist list of his), Spencer’s parents make practically no appearances in the story and the Detective character gives police everywhere a bad name. I did think his behaviour hinted towards some kind of involvement in the accident or in the threats towards Spencer but it never went anywhere. There are a lot of other characters introduced during the story which can be a lot to get your head around. The author’s intention may have been to build the tension by adding in additional potential suspects but I think for any of them to be considered viable suspects they needed to be properly introduced and developed rather than just mentioned in passing, like in the case of Ethan’s stalker. I would also have liked the character of Olivia to play a more prominent role in the story. Despite being Spencer’s best friend, she’s scarcely mentioned for most of the narrative, so much so that I’d even forgotten she existed until Spencer forgot her birthday party towards the end of the book.

One of the aspects of the story I struggled with is the fact that we find out very little about Chris, the teenager who died in the crash, and what we do find out doesn’t make us warm to him as he’s a pretty dodgy character. Partially this may be down to the fact that the crash opens the book so we don’t encounter the character at all when he was alive but it ultimately made it difficult for us to truly care about getting justice for him, as harsh as that may sound.

We do have non-binary representation through the character of Tabby but it honestly felt like Tabby was only pointedly identified as nonbinary as part of a diversity box ticking exercise. They are misgendered multiple times during the narrative and it’s disappointing this wasn’t spotted during the editing process.

There are big twists in the closing chapters and I won’t lie, it did make me scream and threaten to lock the book in my cellar to think about what it did. I was infuriated and it did ultimately ruin the book for me. I considered how to write this review without including any spoilers but ultimately as it was the twists which decreased my star rating, I thought it only right that I acknowledge them. Two of the big twists were predictable from very early on in the story but the third twist ultimately didn’t make sense. Nick being the person guilty of threatening Spencer was predictable as he was always a shifty character and from the opening chapters I could have told you that it was going to end up being Spencer that had been driving the car but it’s Jackson’s involvement in the car accident and his actions in the closing chapters which infuriated me beyond belief. Although I had considered Jackson’s involvement in the accident at the very beginning of the story, the character development we saw in him, the blossoming relationship between him and Spencer and the focus on him not being like his dad (a criminal serving a long prison sentence) really veered me away from this theory and made me hope the book would follow a different direction. It was ultimately really disappointing that they chose to make the character do a complete 180 just so it was something the readers didn’t see coming.

In the closing chapter we also get hints towards Spencer forgiving and reuniting with Ethan which was beyond frustrating and really went against Spencer’s character development. Whilst taking the blame for the accident might have been a very nice thing to do (if not just completely bonkers on Ethan’s part but don’t even get me started on that), it does not excuse him cheating on her.

Overall, The Headmaster’s List is a really interesting concept but it was disappointing overall. It was an easy read which did hold my attention and I did find myself desperate to have the crime solved but the book was ultimately taken in a direction which I don’t think was in keeping with the characters or story overall so I can’t rank it any higher than 3*.

The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz will be published on 2nd March.

Review: The Gossip Games by Allie Sarah*

Title: The Gossip Games
Author: Allie Sarah
Genre: Young Adult Romance

Trigger warnings: Biphobia & Characters Outed By Others.

Rating: ★★★

The Gossip Games is a Young Adult romance which combines both the fake dating trope and the best friend’s sibling trope. Dean is Gracie’s best friend’s brother and when a rumour about them dating starts up around their boarding school, they dare each other to go along with it to see who would give in and reveal the truth first. This really takes a different spin on the usual fake dating stories and sets The Gossip Games apart from other YA novels featuring that trope.

Allie Sarah has done a fantastic job of creating some characters which are far more complex than we often see in YA fiction, which is no mean feat in a debut work. There were other characters which were under-developed but I think this was down to the battle between a lack of page space and the very large number of characters introduced throughout the story, many of whom weren’t really relevant to the overall narrative. I understood the need to world-build somewhat given that it is the first book in the Trinity High Series but it ended up coming across like random characters were being thrown into scenes simply so we’re aware of them prior to a feature in a later story in the series. I’d rather the focus have been more on fully developing the characters that were relevant to this story and a choice made to only introduce other characters as and when they were relevant in later books.

We have strong bisexual and gay representation in the supporting characters and the book explores teenage experiences of coming out in a brilliant way. There is a storyline surrounding a character being outed by a member of their family, which is worth noting if that content is likely to be triggering for you as a reader. We also see a real diverse range of family types which is an important inclusion in the story. There is some good mental health representation through Gracie experiencing panic attacks and my heart melted for the incredible way Dean supported her through them.

I liked Trinity High as the setting for the book – despite the baffling lack of teachers supervising anything the students seem to do – and will be really interested to see how the school is further explored in later books in the series. On top of this, I also thought the Ashcroft family dynamic was a really interesting one and it added a unique element to the story. I would have loved further exploration of the inner-family workings and relationships as all interactions between the Ashcroft adults and teenagers seems rushed but hopefully this is something that can be further explored in later books in the series. With the next book focusing on Jesse, I did wonder if we were going to see a book focusing on each of the Ashcroft teenagers and I do think this would be a lovely direction to take the series in.

The romance between Gracie and Dean was very sweet and a good exploration of first love. Outside of the fake dating plot, their love story is a good example of a slow burn romance and I was really rooting for them. It did feel at times like their romance would have been more fitting in 14/15 year old characters rather than 17/18 year olds as it was quite juvenile at times. I’ve spoken before in previous YA reviews about my passion for the inclusion of sex in YA romances where fitting to the story and I do feel like it was missing from The Gossip Games, particularly given the age of the characters and the number of times in the story that they’re away together without adult supervision. Potential exploration of a first sexual relationship was suggested at the very beginning of the story as the fake dating stems from rumours that Gracie and Dean are sleeping together and Gracie briefly mentions being a virgin in response to this but it’s the last time that sex is really mentioned at all. Whilst this may have been intentional to market the book at younger YA readers, I think a book focusing on the lives of characters on the cusp of adulthood naturally navigates itself towards the older end of the YA demographic who are at a point in their lives where they’re starting to explore sex and relationships. It is therefore important that these themes are also explored in the books they’re reading and a story like The Gossip Games could have been a good platform for this so it is a shame it was completely missed out.

The Gossip Games is a short novel and in trying to keep it short and sweet I think we do miss out on getting an in-depth exploration of some aspects of the story. The fake dating plot is introduced to the story really quickly and it probably would have worked better to have at least a few chapters worth of character development and build up first. Time could also jump forwards suddenly in the middle of the chapter – moving the story on by days or weeks at a time – and this on top of the frequent paragraph breaks mid-conversation to change character perspective really effected the overall flow of the story and made it hard to follow at times.

The writing style and plot points could be quite juveniles at times and some aspects of the plots – such as the storyline involving Blake – were very predictable. I did find some interactions between Dean and Gracie frustrating as they seemed to realise their feelings for each other and then convince themselves they were just friends repeatedly over the course of the story. We had repeated kiss scenes which were clearly just for them and not to further their fake dating story, yet they kept returning to the idea that they had no feelings for each other at all. Although some of this could be put up to teenagers experiencing love for the first time and not knowing what it all means, it did become quite repetitive and I was begging them to just hurry up and realise their feelings.

Overall, The Gossip Games is a good debut YA romance which I know teen readers will love. More mature fans of the YA genre may struggle with some aspects of the storytelling as I did, but if you’re just after a fake dating story which is an easy read and features a cutesy romance than this is the book for you. I teetered between rating the book 3* and 4* as I know that many of the issues I had with the story stem from the fact that I am an adult reader of YA fiction and I do know that teenage Chloe would have adored the book. I’m definitely keen to see where Allie Sarah takes the series and do look forward to reading future works by her.

The Gossip Games by Allie Sarah will be published on 18th April 2023.

Review: Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe*

Title: Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)
Author: Tess Sharpe
Genre: Young Adult / LGBTQ+ Fiction

Trigger warnings: Parental Loss, Abuse/Neglect by a parent, Cancer, Parental Illness, Death, PTSD, Suicide Ideation, Anti-Therapy and Anti-Medication Attitudes (from a parent, including therapy denial).

Rating: ★★★★★

Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) tells the heart-warming coming of age story of Penny and Tate, two girls who have always clashed but whose lives constantly overlap through their mothers who have been best friends since childhood. When Tate’s mum needs a liver transplant, Penny’s mum volunteers to be a live donor and they choose to combine households so the families can support each other physically, emotionally and financially. This means that Penny and Tate are living under the same roof and are forced to address the one thing they keep ignoring: the fact that they keep almost kissing.

Penny and Tate’s story is a beautiful slow burn romance, perfect for fans of the enemies to lovers trope. In Penny and Tate’s love story we also really see the everyone can see it trope as not only do their friends see a spark between them but their mums do too. The book is structured into multiple parts, with each part telling the story of an individual time the pair has almost kissed, gradually building up to them actually kissing and becoming a couple. Structuring the story in this way gave us as readers an insight into the full complicated story of their relationship and how shared experiences have brought them closer together. We also have occasional pages which share text feeds between different characters, particularly between Penny and Tate and between Meghan (Penny’s best friend) and Remington (Tate’s best friend). This breaks up the narrative in quite a light-hearted and often humorous way so was a nice addition to the story.

In Six Times We Almost Kissed we have a story which goes beyond the typical light-hearted love story you’d expect from a YA romance novel. Both girls have had to grow up incredibly quickly and I think Tess Sharpe explores this really well. Tate has had to manage having a single parent with a long-term illness and this has included taking a role in managing the family finances despite only being a teenager. Penny is recovering from the trauma of the water sports accident which injured her and killed her father and interjected within the narrative are occasional chapters which provide a flashback to the events surrounding the accident. This really helps readers to understand the trauma Penny has as a result and the way it has impacted on her relationship with her mum. We see real character development in the character of Penny throughout the story as she learns to stand up to herself against her Mum and demand what she needs in order to be able to start to heal from her trauma. The mental health representation we have in the book through the exploration of the PTSD and trauma Penny has is truly fantastic and a really sets Six Times We Almost Kissed apart from other YA books. As it covers so many hard-hitting topics, the book does have a number of content warnings and I have listed what I consider to be the key ones in the information above. Tess Sharpe posted an in-depth content warning list on her blog, which you can find here.

We have two really strong female leads in Penny and Tate and I instantly warmed to the both of them. Whilst I adored Penny’s love of bullet journalling and the real journey of character development she goes on throughout the book, Tate was my personal favourite character. I found her character really endearing and found it so sweet that she would drop everything whenever Penny needed her. I do wish we’d had more exploration of her passion for swimming though as it became a bit of an insignificant detail in the story.

Although it doesn’t take away from it being a five-star read for me, I did struggle with the structure of the narrative. The story is told through a dual perspective narrative and although I really enjoyed having both Penny and Tate’s perspectives as they provided really distinctive takes on the story, I didn’t like that was no pattern to whose chapter was whose. Whilst traditionally in a dual perspective narrative you might see the chapters alternate, in Six Times We Almost Kissed it flits between perspectives quite willy-nilly. I’m conscious that this is just something which goes against my personal preference and I did get used to it as the book progressed, which is why it hasn’t impacted on my star rating.

Overall, Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) is a beautiful queer love story which is incredibly heart-warming whilst also not being afraid to tackle some really hard-hitting topics. Although it’s a YA novel, I feel that adult readers such as myself can take so much from the story.

Have you read Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)? What did you think?

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