JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes – for a fee.
Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
Really cannot stand the new Australian jock at school, Alexander Brougham.
Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

But when Brougham catches Darcy in the act of collecting letters from locker 89 – out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service – that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could possibly go wrong?

Sophie Gonzales’ Perfect on Paper is her second contemporary YA novel, once again set in the halls of high school and exploring sexuality, friendship, family and budding romance. Earlier this year I read Only Mostly Devastated. and loved it, so I’ve been excited to read this next one from Sophie.

The concept is enticing — Darcy runs an anonymous advice service for fellow students, and she’s very good at it. But when her secret is discovered, she teams up with an unlikely classmate to help him win back his ex-girlfriend. Young readers will devour this one.

“I sent back a text to Brooke. What I wanted to say was abso-fucking-lutely she could come over, as soon as possible, and in fact, she could also move in, and marry me, and mother my children while she was at it, but my extensive study in relationships had taught me wild obsession wasn’t cute.”

Perfect on Paper features bi-sexual representation, and issues around queerness and identity. The chemistry between Darcy and Brougham is evident from the beginning, setting up a really sweet love story between two unlikely allies.

As with her last book, Sophie’s strength lies in her first person narration. We get an immediate and all-encompassing sense of who Darcy is based on her voice and her narration. She’s flawed, yes, and she makes poor choices when she’s blinded by love, but her heart is in the right place even when her mind isn’t. Over the course of the novel, Darcy comes to understand the importance of being honest and owning up to past mistakes. The fallout may be damaging, but in the long run, it’s best for everyone.

Sophie captures that ache you felt as a teenager when the person you loved didn’t feel the same way — even adult readers will be able to relate to Darcy in this way. I think, deep down, Darcy knows Brooke doesn’t like her in that way, and it’s devastating. Darcy is so good at advising others on how to pursue their interests, but she can’t follow her own advice. She struggles to work up the courage to communicate with Brooke about how she’s feeling.

“He held eye contact with me, and I felt like maybe I should be waving, or something? But what if Finn noticed, and asked how we knew each other? And then what if Brougham told him, and Finn told literally everyone he’d ever met, and then my whole life fell apart?”

Darcy’s inner turmoil and emotional pain about not being ‘queer enough’ felt a little underdeveloped in the plot, and subsequently its resolution at the end of the novel felt a little rushed.

Additionally, some of the conversations in the novel ran a little long, and the banter a little dragged out. Whilst conversations felt relatable and authentic, some of them could’ve used some trimming to make scenes more succinct.

“As usual, getting a message from Brooke made me feel like the law of gravity had declined to apply to me for a beat. She was obviously thinking about me instead of doing her homework. How often did her mind wander to me when she started daydreaming? Did it wander to anyone else, or was I special?”

Tender and charming, Perfect on Paper is suitable for teenage readers. 12+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect on Paper
Sophie Gonzales
March 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Cuckoo’s Flight by Wendy Orr

When Clio’s town in Bronze Age Crete is threatened by seafaring raiders, she faces the greatest sacrifice of all. Can Clio, her herd of horses and a new young friend find a way to change their destinies?

When a raiders’ ship appears off the coast, the goddess demands an unthinkable price to save the town – and Clio’s grandmother creates a sacred statue to save Clio’s life.

But Clio is torn between the demands of guarding the statue and caring for her beloved horses. Disabled in an accident, she must try to put aside her own grief at no longer being able to ride – and in the process, save a friend’s life and stop a war.

Cuckoo’s Flight is Wendy Orr’s third middle grade novel set in the Bronze-Age Mediterranean, following on from Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. Whilst this is the third novel set in this time period, and there is some overlap in characters and history, you don’t need to read the other two novels to be able to read Cuckoo’s Flight.

The setting is one of the strengths of this novel, as well as the seamless transition between prose and poetry that readers will recognise from Wendy’s other works.

Wendy captures the era with accuracy and thorough research. Immediately, you’re swept up in Clio’s saga. She’s tenacious, resilient and strong, brave and confident. She doesn’t conform to what the community expects of her, and looks for alternate solutions. She’s self-driven, but she’s also a great teacher of others. She doesn’t let her disability — a stiff, twisted leg from when she fell off a horse as a young girl — stop her.

“Clio can’t imagine life without her grandmother. She knows that only the gods live forever and that all other living creatures — birds, beasts and people, dragonflies and dolphins — will return to the Great Mother one day.”

Wendy’s Bronze Age trilogy are all female-centric, with young female characters as the protagonists. They are all disadvantaged in some way. Perhaps they’re physically disadvantaged, or they’re an outcast in society. Perhaps they’re poor. Wendy crafts her protagonists so that readers can watch them rise above what others expect of them. Young readers will feel reassured that bravery and courage will always save the day.

Whilst this may appear to be an adventure series, a rollercoaster of a journey for all the characters involved, there’s a lot of heart and depth to these novels. They’re multi-layered and offer insightful characterisation — all readers will find something to love within these books.

“The gully at the river’s bend
carved from the steep bank
washes silt to the water
trapping the pebbles from the creek above —
gravel and silt forming a ledge
across the river, nearly to the other shore.”

Admittedly this story takes a bit longer to engage with the characters than the previous two works. I felt like the opening started in the wrong place. We’re thrust into Clio’s life a little too chaotically, and it does take a few chapters for the reader to settle into the story. Additionally, the pacing in the novel is quite fast so we don’t have a lot of time to really sit with the characters. Cuckoo’s Flight is very much a plot-driven novel.

“On her wooden stage in the dim light of the courtyard, with the east mountain looming darker behind her, the Lady begins to sing. Slowly, slowly, she calls the sun up from behind the mountain into the pale sky. Blinding the audience, streaking the sky with pink and gold, the miracle of sunrise happens again.”

Imaginative and enticing historical fiction, Cuckoo’s Flight and its two predecessors will engage any young reader.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cuckoo’s Flight
Wendy Orr
March 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

The Gaps by Leanne Hall

When sixteen-year-old Yin Mitchell is abducted, the news reverberates through the whole Year Ten class at Balmoral Ladies College. As the hours tick by, the girls know the chance of Yin being found alive is becoming smaller and smaller.

Everyone is affected by Yin’s disappearance—even scholarship student Chloe, who usually stays out of Balmoral dramas, is drawn into the maelstrom. And when she begins to form an uneasy alliance with Natalia, the queen of Year Ten, things get even more complicated.

Chilling and haunting, Leanne Hall’s latest YA novel The Gaps follows two high school students after one of their classmates is abducted. At first, the novel feels like a psychological thriller, like the crime is the central focus and we’ll find out what happened by the end of the novel. But, soon after 16-year-old Yin goes missing, the book unfolds into a nuanced tale about fear, vulnerability, and the frightening reality that Yin’s abduction could happen to any of the other girls in this book.

The novel feels very close to reality. Women being abducted, and often murdered, is a common occurrence in the news. Women don’t feel safe walking down the street, or even in their own homes, and Leanne takes that very real fear and embeds it into a really fantastic novel for teenagers. Young women reading The Gaps will relate to the sense of foreboding in the novel, the tension, and how scared the characters are.

“There had been a lot of gossip going around about various teachers, but the police profile seemed to have put an end to it. It said that the offender might travel with his job, and would definitely be away from home or work regularly. That couldn’t be any of our teachers.”

The Gaps navigates two different POVs. First, we meet scholarship student Chloe, who didn’t really know Yin but they shared classes together. Chloe is mature and compassionate, and possesses quite a calm yet fragile personality.

And then we meet fellow student Natalia, queen bee and resident popular girl in the school. She was best friends with Yin before high school, and holds great regret about the way their friendship fizzled. Natalia is traumatised by what’s happened; she’s snappy and spiky, with a short fuse. She’s angry, but she doesn’t quite know where to channel her energy.

Chloe and Natalia’s voices are unique and distinct, capturing very different teenagers. However, what they both have in common is a raw, emotional response to Yin’s disappearance. They can’t shake the feeling that they’ll never feel truly safe.

Leanne’s characters are expertly crafted and immensely relatable. Chloe and Natalia, among the secondary characters, are brave, bold and fierce.

“I want to ask her how that can be fair — what if there’s information that could keep more girls safe, if only they knew it? But I swallow the question, because the last thing I want to be, or look to be, is scared.”

Leanne’s writing is enchanting. She writes first person incredibly well, describing events around the characters with poise and visuality. Each chapter is a snapshot into Chloe and Natalia’s life, capturing moments of tension and wariness, but also great exhaustion. Women are sick of feeling so vulnerable, and scared of events that are outside of their control.

Chloe and Natalia are both insightful and observant, and incredibly likeable. Despite its harrowing subject matter, readers will love this book.

“I wonder if I can turn this burning feeling into anything good, anything meaningful. It seems impossible, I’m not even proper artist. Still, I open my sketchbook, find a blank page and start writing.”

The Gaps is a poignant, raw exploration of teenage friendship, grief, terror, and the fears that women develop from a young age. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Gaps
Leanne Hall
March 2021
Text Publishing

Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker

What if Juliet Capulet met someone who made her doubt true love? What if Wuthering Heights was a message to a time traveller?

YEAR: 2083. LOCATION: LONDON. MISSION: WAKE ROMEO.

It’s the end of the world. Literally. Time travel is possible, but only forwards. And only a handful of families choose to remain in the ‘now’, living off the scraps that were left behind. Among these are eighteen-year-old Juliet and the love of her life, Romeo. But things are far from rosy for Jules. Romeo is in a coma and she’s estranged from her friends and family, dealing with the very real fallout of their wild romance. Then a handsome time traveller, Ellis, arrives with an important mission that makes Jules question everything she knows about life and love. Can Jules wake Romeo and rewrite her future?

A YA time-travelling saga that pays homage to two literary classics, Kathryn Barker’s latest novel Waking Romeo is an ambitious, sweeping science fiction saga spanning decades.

The beginning of the novel is the same as the well-known Shakespeare story. Jules and Romeo had a passionate love affair and in a moment of misguided communication, both tried to kill themselves. However, Jules survived, and Romeo’s been in a coma for two years.

Waking Romeo is set in a wasteland where most humans have travelled forward into the future. When Jules meets a group of tech-savvy people that have learnt how to travel forwards and backwards, they embark on a mission to wake Romeo.

“I know one thing definitively. Whatever Frogs is really up to, it all started before these past few hours. Lord, it has been taking place since the very beginning, when I was first recruited. My life has been manipulated for years to accomodate Jules and her love story.”

I loved Kathryn’s last book and so was really excited to delve into this one. Waking Romeo is a fresh take on the literary classics that many people have grown to love.It’s certainly a unique read, and very innovative. It’s quite the twisty read, not one for the distracted. Each chapter switches POV between Jules and time traveller Ellis, and focus must be maintained to follow the plot.

Jules’ character development is one of the strengths in the book. She starts out hurt, bitter, and perhaps a little naive to what’s around her. Over time, she becomes smart and resourceful, and sure of herself. She comes to realise her time with Romeo wasn’t what it seemed. She matures into a conscious young woman.

“After the Fall, you couldn’t keep food in a supermarket — that was the first place hungry Travellers checked in, they tell me. So our ancestors stashed books there instead. Chaucer under pet food, Greek myths in the dairy aisle, fairytales in the frozen food section.”

Whilst the book is incredibly well plotted and the scope is impressive, I found the storyline very convoluted and hard to follow. Between the two main characters travelling divergent storylines — with seperate POV chapters — and the constant jumping between future and past, I think I lost my understanding of the plot at around the halfway mark and just kept reading to find out when they’d wake Romeo.

Additionally, there are quite a few sections of the book where Ellis and Jules’ journey seems unclear, and they’re traipsing through a wasteland without clear direction. And whilst Jules and Ellis’ character developments are strong, the book features such a large cast of characters and the other main players felt a little thinly developed. I feel there could’ve been room for more character exploration.

“If there was a pod that could send me back in time, instead of just forwards? It’d take it. It’d rewind the clock. Back, back, back — all the way to the moment that Romeo and I tried to kill ourselves.”

Waking Romeo tackles themes of love, expectation, friendship and family. And expectations placed upon us by others.

Whilst recommended for teenage readers, I’d be hesitant to recommend this book to a reluctant reader. Seasoned young readers only, who you know are going to persevere with the high concept, complex plotting.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Waking Romeo
Kathryn Barker
March 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

Game Changer by Neal Shusterman

Ash is used to taking hits on the field for his high school football team – until he takes one that doesn’t just impact his body, but his whole reality. It starts with one small shift, but with every game, every hit, Ash finds himself pushed through a succession of universes almost-but-not-really like his own, until the small shifts in reality become significant shifts in Ash’s own identity.

As Ash experiences life from other perspectives, he starts to question the world he thought he knew, as well as the ones he finds himself catapulted into. For better or worse, the one thing Ash knows is that he’s got to find a way to put things back. A searing exploration of race, gender, sexuality and the nature of privilege.

Science fiction for young readers, Neal Shusterman’s latest novel Game Changer tackles plenty of social criticism and follows a teenage American footballer who unknowingly becomes the centre of the universe and is forced to live through parallel lives. In each alternate life, he’s faced with a flawed universe.

Initially, Ash is a privileged white boy who doesn’t think too hard about the struggles of those around him. But when a football tackle starts shifting his reality, he soon gains an insight into the world that he hadn’t grasped before.

“You rarely stop to think about how life hinges on the smallest events. Things so small you can’t even really call them events. Looking right instead of left, and missing the person who could have been the love of your life.”

Featuring elements of science fiction and the paranormal, Neal’s writing is always strong. The premise and entire concept of this book is quite fascinating, and Neal does offer a satisfying explanation of Ash’s prediction. Additionally, Ash offers insightful, observant and mature narration, and the first person voice is emotive and evocative. We get a strong sense of who Ash is as a person, even if that personality is a forgettable and narrow-minded (at first).

Each chapter and scene does feel neat and compact, driving the reader to continue with the story. Characters are diverse and marginalisation is explored, and Neal is skilled at capturing realistic, engaging dialogue.

“Either something was very wrong with me, or something was very wrong with the world. Believe it or not, I could deal with something being wrong with me far better than the alternative — and if there was an explanation for this…I would have gleefully jumped on it.”

Unfortunately, Game Changer doesn’t quite live up to its potential. There’s a white saviour complex to it and the book tries a little too hard at its attempt at being earnest. The marginalised characters in the book are there at the expense of Ash’s character development, which just feels a little too icky for the reader. And to be honest, Ash doesn’t really fight for what’s right. He witnesses marginalisation, and is horrified by it, but he just kind of keeps going? Hoping the next parallel universe will be different? I would’ve liked Ash’s character to possess more agency and drive.

Outside of this, the book just isn’t as pacy as Neal’s other works. The changing realities start to feel incredibly repetitive after the first couple, and the pacing slows right down. I got a little bored about three quarters of the way through, and if this book were any longer than it is, I would’ve given up on it.

“We are so limited. As a species. As individuals. Not only can’t we see the future, we can’t even see the present for what it is. We’re too clouded by the things we want and the things we fear. But worse than any other blindness is that we can’t see the consequences of our actions.

Game Changer is a well-intentioned novel that isn’t quite what it promises.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Game Changer
Neal Shusterman
February 2021
Walker Books Australia