Hayley Long

Sophie remembers leaving England under unusual circumstances, but she’s lived a normal life in Belgium for the most part. Her father is a hard-working but not wealthy mechanic and her mother is a nervous shut-in who blasts rap music. Life isn’t ideal, but it seems normal—until it doesn’t. Sophie needs a birth certificate for school and her folks are dodgy about it. A stranger thinks he recognizes her dad and it sounds legit, but the last name is wrong. Sophie catches her mother show more lurking on a stranger’s profile, but the stranger doesn’t seem all that strange.

Secrets and lies force Sophie to question her memories and leave gaps in her experience that she can’t explain. The confused emergence of information and the high stakes involved with revealing the truth create anxiety. Sophie can’t keep the story to herself and she can’t share the story either. She decides to tell her story in code.

The code is simple and can be cracked using context alone, and this may be fun for middle schoolers who want an easy read. Readers who like the challenge of a puzzle will find the book lacks the extra complexity. Or maybe not. Maybe the simple word substitution does as it is intended to do. For some the code may feel like a simple find-and-replace job and gimmicky. Other young readers will like the word substitution.

Author Hayley Long pairs the code with font style and size changes. In a coming of age story, questioning identity and creating a sense of self is very much like cracking a code and trying on different personas. Long maintains the nervous tension that plagues Sophie and her family. The strain in the relationships between characters enhances this tension. Ultimately, the primary characters are both flawed and appealing.

Sophie’s story is completely engaging and thrilling and doesn’t need word substitution to create suspense. While the code interrupts the flow without adding to the story, Sophie Someone does rise above that with intrigue, likable characters and the possibility of redemption. show less

I can't quite remember when I heard about Hayley Long's series of YA books about Lottie Biggs, though I think the conversation had something to do with Wales. The blurb on the back of the book grabbed me instantly, Lottie sounded like lots of fun and I couldn't wait to get reading.

The book takes the form of Lottie's English coursework - a piece of extended personal writing. She begins by writing about the general things she is doing; things that are happening at school, about the boy she show more fancies, how rubbish her part time job is. Slowly though the book deepens as Lottie reveals more of herself.

I really enjoyed reading about Lottie. I think she's a really well created character, the structure of the book means you really feel like you're getting to know her. The supporting characters are also brilliant, the girls she works with are again great teenage characters - reading about them transported me back to being a teenagers with ease.

I liked the way that the author blended the plot about being a teenager and the difficulties and angst and fun that this time contains with an exploration of mental health issues. Everything was dealt with carefully but never strayed into the territory of instructing or preaching. I think this approach would appeal to teenagers.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm thrilled there are two more books in the series, I don't want to say goodbye to Lottie just yet! show less

Charming and delightful! This novel takes you from frivolity to heart-wrenching melancholy and then to regular happiness. Jody and Jody's twin sister Jolene fall for the same guy at the same time. Hijinks ensue, and then gritty realism ensues. If you want to read a book where caring adults intervene to stop bullying, keep searching.

I liked the illustrations, the math jokes, and the fun British phrases like "jog right off." The one thing I did not like about this book was the design of the show more text where some words were larger than others. I think it's messy and distracting and is a lazy way to make some phrases more important or sound like shouting. Because the writing is good, all of that comes through anyway and so the big letters are unnecessary.

PS. My edition has a pink background to the cover and is way cuter than the one pictured here. The back cover says the cover illustration is by Steph Says Hello. I think it's awesome! show less

Sophie finds out a family secret that turns her world upside down. Her unique voice is immediately compelling, and though her own special language (read: replacing common words with uncommon words that have different meaning) is a little confusing at first, it only takes some context clues to understand what's being said.
This requires a little more mental work than the average YA contemporary, but if readers stick with it, Sophie Someone is a rewarding story about family, friendship, show more secrets, and hope.

Though I wasn't too happy with the way Sophie thought of her mother's physical appearance, and the way she spoke to her because of it, I rooted for her. In the end, the reason behind Sophie's special language becomes clear, and even symbolic.

Distracted readers might not appreciate the quirkiness Hayley Long wove the book with, but those who enjoy whimsy and can adapt to change easily should enjoy this quick story about a young girl discovering who she is. show less