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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
nice storyline, but some parts could have been written a little better. still really liked the book :)
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book broke me. It is gut-wrenchingly sad, but also uplifting. I loved the growing relationship between Fliss and Margot. Another brilliantly written book from Juno. I'm only disappointed I didn't read it sooner.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief
I swithered between 3 and 4 stars for this, and suppose it's really a 3.5.
The main sticking point for me, sadly, is Fliss's narration. The 90s teen lingo sometimes felt a bit forced, and jarred me out of the story a little. The bits with her mum were beautiful and touching, particularly towards the end.
I loved Margot's sections, and wish we had more of the diary.
I also feel like the drama with Megan Jones wasn't quite resolved, in that she just... disappears never to be heard from again. Good for Fliss, frustrating for the reader.
I was a bit disappointed, but I think I went into this with Code Name Verity on my mind, which was kind of unfair as they are two entirely different books, although they share a time period.
The main sticking point for me, sadly, is Fliss's narration. The 90s teen lingo sometimes felt a bit forced, and jarred me out of the story a little. The bits with her mum were beautiful and touching, particularly towards the end.
I loved Margot's sections, and wish we had more of the diary.
I also feel like the drama with Megan Jones wasn't quite resolved, in that she just... disappears never to be heard from again. Good for Fliss, frustrating for the reader.
I was a bit disappointed, but I think I went into this with Code Name Verity on my mind, which was kind of unfair as they are two entirely different books, although they share a time period.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
This book tells the story of Fliss as she is forced to move to the countryside with her mum, who is in remission from cancer, to live with her battle-axe grandmother Margot. While Fliss initially struggles with the move, everything changes when she discovers Margot`s wartime diary and begins to unravel her past. I loved both Fliss`s and Margot`s perspectives as they were instantly engaging and the way in which the timelines were continually swapping always left me desperate to find out what would happen in the next part of both. The characters in both periods were diverse and instantly loveable, and except for Fliss`s bully Megan (who was so awful I struggled to read scenes she was in) I genuinely cared about and sympathised with all of them. Another thing that I adored about Margot and Me was that it felt somehow cinematic, and it really reminded me of the feeling you get when you curl up with a classic movie on a rainy day as it was heart-breaking to the point where I shed more than a few tears at some parts of the novel, yet was still heart-warming. I can`t quite put my finger on why this book is so special, but it`s going to stay with me for a long time and I can`t recommend it highly enough. 5/5
Starts slow, but the last quarter is a fucking gut punch.
When Fliss has to move from London to the middle of Wales with her mother, she’s not too happy. It’s also not so great that there going to live with her strict grandma Margo for six months who is not the typical storybook granny. When Fliss finds Margo’s wartime journal, she’s immediately sucked in and ends up finding out Margo’s biggest secret.
This is definitely one of those books that got an extra star because of my enjoyment reading the audiobook. It was read by Eilidh L Beaton who did a fantastic job - her voice was Fliss was amazing, and genuinely sounded like a teenage girl. All he frustration, and emotion was there for the entire story and I loved, loved, loved it.
I loved everything that Fliss went through in this book with dealing with her mom’s illness and also being in a new town and new school. Her attitude was great, and I loved how she dealt with everything. Her crush on the librarian definitely made me cringe a bit and when it got to that moment I actually skipped a few seconds forward because I just couldn’t.
I loved Margo’s diary a lot. I feel like with the mix of the two stories this would make a great movie. Young Margo was just a fantastic character with such British heart and stoic. I dd definitely guess what was going to happen with Rick but I like how it played out at the end with Fliss.
Fliss’s voice was so authentic. She genuinely felt like such a teenager but not too young and immature or too old and mature. She was just there, a 15-year-old dealing with crushes, and bullies, and school as well as a ton of other emotions.
I actually teared up near the end at Fliss’s dance scene. It was wonderfully written and had so much emotion in it. Just wow.
Fantastic book, recommend to everyone who loves contemporary or historical fiction. Or someone who just loves a great cast of female characters.
This is definitely one of those books that got an extra star because of my enjoyment reading the audiobook. It was read by Eilidh L Beaton who did a fantastic job - her voice was Fliss was amazing, and genuinely sounded like a teenage girl. All he frustration, and emotion was there for the entire story and I loved, loved, loved it.
I loved everything that Fliss went through in this book with dealing with her mom’s illness and also being in a new town and new school. Her attitude was great, and I loved how she dealt with everything. Her crush on the librarian definitely made me cringe a bit and when it got to that moment I actually skipped a few seconds forward because I just couldn’t.
I loved Margo’s diary a lot. I feel like with the mix of the two stories this would make a great movie. Young Margo was just a fantastic character with such British heart and stoic. I dd definitely guess what was going to happen with Rick but I like how it played out at the end with Fliss.
Fliss’s voice was so authentic. She genuinely felt like such a teenager but not too young and immature or too old and mature. She was just there, a 15-year-old dealing with crushes, and bullies, and school as well as a ton of other emotions.
I actually teared up near the end at Fliss’s dance scene. It was wonderfully written and had so much emotion in it. Just wow.
Fantastic book, recommend to everyone who loves contemporary or historical fiction. Or someone who just loves a great cast of female characters.