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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Confronting but positive overall. I LOVED the narrator's voice and all the very valid points she made about intergenerational trauma. It was funny, sweet and graphic with the added bonus that the author read the audio.(Too much sex for younger readers, but honestly portrayed.) Shortlisted for CBCA YA book of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Alcohol, Colonisation
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content warnings: racism, racial slurs, attempted suicide, drug abuse, colonisation, mentions of domestic violence, mentions of child abuse
This was an extremely fast but extremely powerful read. It's a beautifully told story that deals really well with changing family situations and discovering that the adults you respect can be deeply flawed human beings who aren't at all who you thought they were. Darker than I anticipated, but definitely one I'll have to revisit in the future.
This was an extremely fast but extremely powerful read. It's a beautifully told story that deals really well with changing family situations and discovering that the adults you respect can be deeply flawed human beings who aren't at all who you thought they were. Darker than I anticipated, but definitely one I'll have to revisit in the future.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
emotional
hopeful
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
All opinions are entirely my own. I am in no way affiliated with the author or publisher. Remember to support your local indie bookstore and library!
⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨ ᰔ ୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
"We make up a small percentage of Australia population so our social issues may seem exaggerated. These aren't issues that we associate with indigenous, they are issues that exist as an extension of trauma and pain."
- Discovery: Browsing
- Reading Format: Audiobook
- Read Time: 5 Hours
17 year old Layla is an Aboriginal girl entering her final year of highschool with a plan for how she's going to propel herself forward into a successful future. When her cousin moves in she feels insecure in her indigenous heritage and that's not the only part of her identity she'll become unsure of.
An accurate depiction of the inner workings of a teenage girl. The good girl gone bad aspect of the story were cringe at times but not unrealistic.
The contemporary story of a teenage highschool girl just wasn't that interesting to me.
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
as a teenager I inhaled all sorts of YA fiction about finding yourself and wanting to fit in. but I never really shared the same core identity struggle. plus the most diverse protagonists we got in the 90s were Italian (no shade, I love Alibrandi and her sisters.) but like the protagonist in Tisdell's debut novel, I spent a lot of my teenage years never feeling Aboriginal enough, feeling conspicuous and wanting to be inconspicuous at the same time. here, it's reflected in a funny, readable, yet still complex way. this is honestly this is the kind of book I craved during my teenage years. at the start I wasn't sure whether the tone or references were appropriate for 17 yr olds nowdays (but what would I know honestly) yet the plot barrels along and quickly settles those doubts. quite sure I'd recognise Layla if she walked in the room right now. It's giving Never Have I Ever but on the page and is such a bloody good read. a very welcome and funny rewrite of the coming-of-age story that all readers can connect with–I think non-Aboriginal readers will get something out of it too.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes