Simmone Howell

I'd say this book is more of a 3.6 rather than 3.0
I think a little of that is b/c I usually really love AUSSIE writers so I had high expectations?
I don't know. It wasn't a bad book by any means, and I really enjoyed the characters.
The problem was that there were a lot of subplots and that's fine but nothing was fully explored?
-The mystery of the Bricker--I think that was a lot of fun, especially since it highlights Gully's behavioral problems, but at the end of the book...the bricker story show more is resolved and it's never explained why this person did what they did.
-The tragic death of Mia (technically not a spoiler...it's at the beginning.) A lot of the book resolves around--Mia, the tragic, beautiful, lost girl type (and Nancy is her predecessor.) We run around in circles with her death and Sky's obsession with her, but it never really gets explained what really happened to her?
-The Dad. I really hated this guy. I think that was the point, though, so...kudos? He's an alcoholic, washed up musician who shirks his responsibilities on his young daughter. Gully obviously get preferential treatment b/c of his conditions but it's still obvious that Sky's dad will never love her fiercely like he loves Gully...plus at the end, he's too happy? like he's no longer a drunk...did the store sell? did they keep the store? they're just moving across town? Really?
-The romance. It's not bad, but I think the character of Luke is lacking. He's more of the artsy-hipster-tragic type.
-Nancy. Nancy and Sky's relationship was interesting. I feel, sadly, this was the biggest wasted potential. Nancy was fascinating--she was a lost girl, never showing her emotions, going with the flow. We know her character well in fiction and always a delight to read...I wanted more of her. Of her tragedy. Of why she was the way she was. Of her pain. Sky's and Nancy's friendships ends on a rather flat note.

Otherwise, the writing was beautiful and interesting and I didn't need to force myself to read it like I often do with other books. show less

This is a story about taking risks, making changes, discovering what is important, and dealing with the pressures of others’ expectations and with malicious cyber gossip. Clem (sporty), Kate (nerdy) and Ady (popular) are thrown together by their private school’s Year 10 “Wellness” class

Clem is struggling to get back into swimming after an injury; she’s self-conscious about her body and distracted by a boy. Kate is supposed to be focusing on the scholarship exam so she can stay at show more St Hilda’s, but wants to pursue her love of experimental cello music. Ady is trying to conceal her family’s problems from her friends, and realising that her passion for clothes goes beyond a typical interest in fashion.

I enjoyed reading this so much. It’s funny and feminist and sharply insightful about teenage experiences -- school, friendships, romance, family, cyber bullying. I loved the friendship which develops between the girls and how they support each other. I appreciated the references to the things in their lives, like the musicians Kate admires, the poetry quoted in their Wellness class, Ady’s older sister’s opinions, and the details about living in Melbourne.

I liked the ending… but I keep wondering if it could have been written in a way so that it hit its final notes with more oomph. I don’t know if it was just the effect of having three endings for each of the girls, or of there being just so much going on in the story that some things were resolved a bit too tidily and others were left a bit too unresolved. Maybe it’s just a me-thing? Anyway, I still really liked this.

“Okay, girls, I’m going to ask you to sort yourselves into groups of three according to thumb length,” Malik says as though it’s a fun thing to do. [...] It reminds me of a kindergarten icebreaker, but at sixteen we’re frozen deeper than he knows. show less

Tons of heart, emotion and honesty marks the tale of three very different girls, who although coming from very differing paths, manage to find strength through each other.

This one is written from three different perspectives, each character as different as different can be. One is popular, one is smart and the other is athletic. Each one has a distinct voice, dreams, hopes and personality, problems, and none of their lives cross. Until they do.

Right away, the voices of the characters demand show more attention. They are written in a true to life manner, allowing the reader to immediately feel as if they are getting to know each girl personally. While there are raw thoughts, emotions and character depth, all of these things flow along in a nicely paced tale. There's always something going on, and the moments are touching, disheartening, tense or even slightly humorous. But every single one comes across with a naturalness, which makes it easy to sink into each of the girls' stories.

It was very easy to keep track of the character switches and hard not to get lost in each one. The authors start each chapter with a 'worksheet', including an inspirational quote, discussion thoughts, and a task, which hits a certain wellness topic. Then, the characters come in. Some are written like journal entries, other pages hold social media posts. This not only allows the girls' situation and lives to come across in an intriguing way, but also gives the reader reason to dive into the topics themselves.

The characters are interesting, but it's their problems which give this whole thing depth. Tough issues such as family, romance, finding oneself, weight, and cyberbullying hit hard and make an impact, especially on readers who might experience similar issues themselves. And yet, there's tons of heart as the three learn to bond in an odd but wonderful friendship. It's an inspiring read which packs a punch and shows how powerful friendship, hope, and determination can be.

I received an ARC and thought this was very well done. show less

This book is exactly the kind of book I aspire to write. A memorable main character, a snappy voice, a quiet lyricism that makes me want to copy whole paragraphs out and share them with people, and a clear and captivating plot, too. I like the way there is emotion but no sentimentality, and there is "edginess" without making it seem like edginess was the only goal in writing the book. I would like to immediately go out and buy the debut from this author, except I may want to reread show more Everything Beautiful first. show less