Tegan Bennett Daylight

This is a lovely collection of stories, almost all focussing on young people who are figuring themselves out. Bennett-Daylight captures the precise feeling of so many moments of awkwardness, unease and realisation and writes like a dream throughout. In many ways this is reminiscent of [b:Hot Little Hands|24681815|Hot Little Hands|Abigail Ulman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425024533s/24681815.jpg|44299392], both in its approach (a mix of interlinked and standalone stories) and the type of show more moments, characters and stories that the authors are interested in. This is a more polished book – and one that has me enthused about exploring the author’s back catalogue. show less

5 Australian teenagers and a baby get caught in a time glitch in a huge shopping mall. At 5:17 their phones cut out and all the people disappear but everything in the mall stays the same. Outside, they can see people coming and going but the doors won't open and they can't get out. Can they survive each other and the overload of consumerism when they discover that everything they eat or take from shops is automatically replaced? (Even pets in the pet store) Can they look after a baby? show more Shannon is our non-binary main character with Jamie in a wheelchair and two Koorie cousins , as well as a gay asian boy called Akira and a muscle bound jock called Jordan, the author tries to cover as many bases as possible but it isn't too cliched.
Fans of Gone by Michael Grant and Carousel will like this and I liked how the ending was resloved. For mature readers due to swearing and sex. show less

I was drawn to Royals out of curiosity based on the precis above. It intrigued me and I was interested to know what appeals to YA readers today. I think I should have chosen another story.

The story begins with Shannon waiting to meet her brother in the shopping centre. She falls asleep and when she wakes she notices her phone is stuck at 5.17pm. The centre is empty and as she walks around the centre she meets 5 other teenagers, all with their phones stuck at 5.17pm.

They discover they not show more only have an endless supply of food from the food court they can take anything they need from all the shops.

I enjoyed the beginning, but it gradually got more and more boring and repetitious. How many times do you have to mention bubble tea, Maccas and Forty Winks? The concept was good but there was virtually no plot and little depth to the story.

The characters were a diverse group but the attempt to be an ‘inclusive’ story got a bit over the top. They all become likeable as the story unfolds.

The shopping centre itself has its own personality and character with food and items taken from the shops being replenished overnight.
Maybe I’m a stuffy old grandmother but the use of four letter words concerned me especially for the younger teens in the YA group.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Tegan Bennett Daylight for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

@netgalley and @simonandschuster

My rating 2* show less

I found this a gentle observant novel of one girl's awakening to the realities of adult life and motherhood. The author portrays realistically the diverse emotions that Elizabeth experiences from her first boyfriend through to a committed relationship with Ross the father of her child.
Tegan Bennett garners a well-rounded character in Elizabeth. I felt compassion and empathy for her.
I would happily read more by this author.