Careless by Kirsty Capes

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Contemporary, Psychological Fiction, Care System, Coming of Age, Thought Provoking, Arranged Marriages, Pregnancy, Racial Issues

Thoughts:

Gritty, heartbreaking and real. My heart broke for Bess who despite all her bravado is still a vulnerable young girl. With a foster mother who threatens with socials services and doesn't try to hide her preferences for the bio child and memorial of her own bio mother trying to drown her as a child, Bess is vulnerability and in desperate need of affection. So naturally she doesn't see the problem with a boy 4 years older than her (at only 15) wanting to hang out and be intimate. However, when she ends up pregnant as a result, she's left with no adults to turn to for support. And when her foster parents finally find out, they attach her with ultimatums that only reaffirm the preference for the biochild and leave Bess feeling isolated again.

Although a side character, Esh is also an important person with a striking story. She deals with racism and prejudice almost daily with such a maturity (despite only being 15 and being more than entitled to react to the comments we're explicitly told about). She also has to contend with a potential arranged marriage that she does not want but feels pressured into due to her culture and everything her parents do for her. Hopefully, with Esh's outcome this book highlights the options out there and gives hope to others in similarly situations.

Overall, this was a well written book with (mostly) loveable characters that tackles some important issues.

Favourite Quote:

"And I think, she tried her best, I really believe that, but there's sometimes wrong with being in care, the care system, and it's to do with making us into a transaction. (...) It's not right, how we're treated like a job. There's too much emotional labour involved."

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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