Sutton Shadows
Glasgow Boys
I LOVED Glasgow Boys. It is a beautiful story told from two different perspectives from boys that grew up in the care system. Both of the boys’ personalities and backstories were detailed and intricate, and I really enjoyed reading both of their perspectives because of how easy to read and understand they were. The characters were easy to get to know (in a sense) and I enjoyed reading about their lives and why they did the things they did in accordance to their backstories. I preferred Glasgow Boys to Little Bang because I found the characters to be more developed and likeable, and as well as tackling the theme of the book, it gave an interesting and developed plot, unlike Little Bang, where the theme was discussed well but the plot fell flat. The ending was very heartwarming and satisfying as well! I would rate this book a 10/10 because of how easy and accessible it is to read and also how well it gives insight to the reader about living in care. Margaret McDonald writes funny, deeply personal characters and I enjoyed every minute reading this book. :D
Amélie
Play
I loved this novel so much! In a lot of books, the description in between the dialogue doesn't feel like it has much of meaning, but in Play everything felt significant - every moment was powerful. I thought it was so clever how each of the characters had their own distinctive narrative voices and personalities, because they each had their own vulnerabilities that were explored throughout the book. The writing style felt really natural and fluid - beautiful and raw at times, held-back and quieter at others - and the handling of themes such as toxic masculinity, drug misuse, friendship and love was done in a really emotive way. The last chapter sort of blew my mind. Overall, I really loved it and would recommend it to anyone looking to read something unlike anything else they'd read before.
Eva
Little Bang
I was drawn to this book because of the cover art, but my word does this book go beyond the cover! I fell in love with both the main characters right from the start, then had mixed feelings about them throughout the book - this is because of the brilliant character development and the way these characters’ opinions and decisions affect their lives and altered my own opinions about them. This book taught me a lot about abortion and it brings in voices from all different sides of the abortion argument, without forcing one particular narrative on the reader. The writer has a fascinating take on parenthood and family (and the last twenty pages resulted in drowning in my own tears). I would rate this book an 8/10, because although it was fantastically written, it is not the sort of genre I love the most (Little Bang is set in the real world, I prefer to read fantasy). There were also times that I felt really sad at times whilst reading it, although that was probably the writer’s intent! I would definitely recommend Little Bang to my friends and other teenage girls, and it has made me want to research the topic of abortion more widely. Overall, a fantastic, educational and challenging read. 8/10
Amélie
King of Nothing
I did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. Yes, the language is often unserious and "fam" is repeated quite a few times.. but the plot, characters were humorous and heart-warming. Each character had flaws but even the ones you are supposed to dislike, you could understand and felt real. The messages in this book are important; harder themes like grief and toxic masculinity were handled well, and are especially topical right now. I enjoyed watching Anton's development and watching his relationships with his friends and family change. A sincere and genuine book that can be read in a day.
Erica
Glasgow Boys
The characters in this book were crafted to perfection with the complexity and realism in every action and behaviour they exhibited. the elusion of the hard facts of their traumas till near the end of the book rather than knowing every detail from the beginning works effectively as it put the focus on viewing and understanding the characters as real people as if the reader is coming into contact with them in real life . the emotional complexity acts a lesson in empathy and representation for how people are affected by their experiences. there were many thought-provoking, beautiful sentences which managed to be moving without feeling disjointed from the personal perspectives. overall 10/10
Mariya
Play
The book was very effective in tackling the themes it wished to discuss, highlighting how and why characters acted as they did with the different perspectives being very recognisable from each other due to the unique tones of the characters which is often hard to accomplish with multiple POVs. The pacing and ambiguity in parts did make it quite confusing to follow even though it was an intentional writing decision to reflect the story so its definitely a book where the reader really has to focus to be able to fully understand the progression of the plot. The ending was equally beautifully written and strange, being completely different to the vibe of the rest of the book but made sense in the context. Overall 8.5/10 stars
Mariya