Crikey! Where to start? Well, I have to say this was NOT what I expected! I should have handed it to a book club member to review when I realised that actually this is not to my taste in terms of genre really but I was compelled to read on due to the very, very clever opening chapter. A deceptive beginning which I finally figured out about two thirds of the way through the story but by that point I really cared about what was happening to the main character Grace. You will love and loathe her in equal measure, smile at her humour and yet want to scream in exasperation at her. For this is a teenager on a road to self destruction. There’s no shying away from it, Grace behaves very badly indeed. And this is what is so good about this book. Insightful writing that takes no prisoners it tells the tale of what happens to a teenager who loses a parent under the most hideous of circumstances. I actually began to wonder if Cat Clarke worked with disturbed teenagers because I found her unfolding of Grace’s character and story brilliantly portrayed. Grace confuses love with sex, self esteem and confidence with alcohol and ultimately finds herself betrayed again and again by family, friends and herself.
I finished this book in one reading as I simply had to understand what the heck was going on. Very clever, honest and not for younger readers I’m afraid as it contains themes of alcohol, sex, suicide and swearing – the latter of which some reviewers seem to object to more than anything else. In fact one accused the book of being profane. It isn’t. I hear worse at the bus stop. But yes it is very edgy, doesn’t shy away from certain issues and it deals with themes that will keep it firmly on the YA shelf! A clever beginning, a tantalising ending and a seriously messed up teenager Entangled in between. Big thumbs up from me!
Cat – book club Cat NOT Cat Clarke. Writing reviews about her own book on other people’s blogs would just be weird 
