The Gartree Vampires

All That It Ever Meant
All That It Ever Meant is a stunning book detailing the life and troubles of immigrant families as well as the changing personal relationships between family members after hardship. I quite liked this book, and whilst it may not be my favourite, it definitely deserves attention. Looking back, the storyline was interesting, and the changing relationships as the story went on and as the characters developed were portrayed beautifully, showing how the characters changed and adapted to the tragic accident that had occurred prior to the setting of the book. However, I must say that I think that you can only truly appreciate the book once you finish it and look back on it all after the plot twist, which may subtract from the overall reading experience; whilst the book’s premise and contents may seem great after reading, when you are actively reading, I found it harder to genuinely enjoy the book. I think that the plot twist was an incredible idea, but because it was right at the end, the rest of the book seemed to lack much interest other than the mystery behind Meticais. Also, whilst I believe that the flashbacks were a core part of the delivery of the story, I think the way they were integrated could and has caused confusion amongst readers whilst readers, where you are trying to determine when the scene is taking place rather than appreciating the scene as a whole.

Amisha

Little Bang
The Little Bang addresses the topic of loss lightly and deeply sincerely. This confirms that grief is a complex feeling that permeates your environment and alters your life, rather than merely being sad. Witnessing the life of the protagonist go past gives us the opportunity to see both the small moments of healing that can unexpectedly take place and the vast perception of disorientation bereavement provides. In bringing us through her journey of living through grief, Kelly McCaughrain shows that there is growth, change, and light to be found in our darkest of moments through the interweaving of hope, humor, and strong connections.

Sehrish

The Things We Leave Behind
If this book doesn't win the award, I'm going to be genuinely upset. From the start, I found the premise of this book to be extremely interesting and topical, especially in light of everything that is currently happening around the world. I believe that the premise of the book was executed very well in terms of how realistic it was, and I didn't once find a part of the wider plot to be far-fetched or unrealistic. Clem, our protagonist, is very easily sympathised with, and I found it very easy to put myself in her position throughout the book, and -at times- made me cry as a result. Which leads me onto my next point: never have I cried more reading a book than I have this one. The emotional scenes are so well written, to the point where I think I was crying for the entire back end of the book just thinking of how Clem may have been feeling throughout it all. If I had to say my favourite part of the book, I'd have to say the ending by far. It was so unexpected, especially the final plot twist, and it's hard to find books that manage to keep such a major secret from you without you catching on. Also, I feel that the slightly more bittersweet ending was needed in this book, especially due to the topic it was addressing; oftentimes, people in situations similar to Clem's don't get to experience a happy ending, and I feel that making it a happy ending would be slightly unrealistic or idyllic compared to the bleak reality of things. All I have to say in regards to criticism may be the way the book was structured, as I found it hard to find natural pauses and areas to put the book down, and I think that the book may have a lesser impact if you were to read it in portions rather than in one long sitting. The Things We Leave Behind is an enlightening and emotional read, and when reading, you should keep a tissue box ready for the inevitable tears.

Amisha