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A review by alinavale
The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling by Cara Thurlbourn
4.0
I saw this new thing that from now on, I’d like to add to my reviews.
Subjective rating:5/5
Writing:3,5/5
Plot:4/5
Characters:4/5
Themes:5/5
Content Warnings:Abuse, assault, homelessness, trauma, depression, death. If I forgot any of them, I apologise, the CWs will immediately be added.
You know those books that make you cry your soul out because you are in love with the story? The Boy Who Lived in The Ceiling is one of them.
I’d like to thank @wisewolfbooks on Instagram for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Going into this book, my expectations were really low because firstly, i had heard nothing about it before and second, better to be satisfied than disappointed, right?
Cara Thurlbourn surprised me so much with her book that now, it has become my mission to talk about it and recommend it to everyone.
So here’s the plot:
Freddie’s life isn’t like it used to be – he’s alone, homeless, and carrying a secret that threatens to swallow him up. Every day is a struggle. Until he meets Violet Johnson.
Violet’s life is going down-hill. Her parents argue, her little brother’s stopped speaking, and she’s about to move schools. She used to be popular, she used to be happy, but now every day is a struggle. Until Freddie enters her life.
Despite their differences, Freddie and Violet grow closer. Freddie’s nightmares begin to fade. He stops having panic attacks. And he can’t believe that Violet Johnson actually likes him back.
But Freddie’s past is catching up with him, and what will happen when Violet finds out what he did?
(From Amazon’s website)
I did not read the last sentence of this description and therefore, it was a little bit of a surprise to me.
-WRITING-
The writing of this novel is pretty average, like most other YA contemporary books, though it could have been a lot stronger. The messages were given pretty straight forward, which i found a little annoying. If the book made the reader think more about the discussions in the book, it would have been truly enchanting. However, I can say that the book really flows and does not get heavy on the reader, which shows you will probably not get overwhelmed by it being on your CR list for five months.
-THE CHARACTERS-
Most of the characters in the book were both average and had deep personalities. Therefore, this saved them from falling flat and becoming boring. Each life in the book was both realistic an fascinatingly detailed and different. Freddie is definitely my favourite here and on my best-characters-to-exist list. What i liked the most about him was his kindness… the way he treated Vi, Jay, Scruff and everyone else is just so, so precious to me.
Violet is fine as a character, though she was not as developed as Freddie was. The reader cannot really get into her head which makes it feel like something is missing.
I LOVELOVELOVE JAY! He is just the sweetest boy to exist!
-THE PLOT-
The plot of this book was absolutely beautiful and fast paced. It is in my opinion original, which is becoming more and more uncommon in YA. Realistic yet fantastical, heartbreaking yet heartwarming, happy yet sad. While reading, you will cry, then smile, then cry some more.
-THEMES-
The themes dealt with in this book are mostly absent in YA books i have read and heard about. Homelessness, a really big issue in our society, is finally shown to the readers from different perspectives and feels like a slap on the reader’s conscience.
One thing that I am still thinking about is the suit vs dirty, worn clothes. Freddie, the main character, finds a cheap suit and goes into shops with it on, asking for money/free food/coffee pretending he lost his card or wallet. Surprisingly, people offer Freddie food, coffee and paying for him in suits, and not in his “homeless outfit”. Just how cruel are people, who help the ones who appear to need less than the ones who truly are in need?
-FAVOURITE MOMENTS/QUOTES/SCENES-
Freddie’s Christmas plans - chapter 24
“Freddie turned away. Tears were clambering at the backs of his eyes, threatening to strea down his cheeks. […] He turned back nod wiped his eyes. ‘It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever gotten me.’ He held it to his chest. How could something so ridiculous, and iPod for heaven’s sake, suddenly make him feel human again? How could he ever make her see that she had just given him a piece of himself back? A lifeline. A window to the world outside the attic. He couldn’t. So he just said, ‘Thank you,’ and hugged her back.” - chapter 26
“‘I didn’t know you were religious.’ It was violet’s voice, and Freddie opened his eyes to se a shimmering version of her sitting beside him. This kind of thing had happened before. After his mum had died, he used t see her all the time— in the kitchen, the street, at the end of his bed. He put his head back into his hands.
‘Freddie, are you okay?’ This time, Violet was touching his leg, and when he looked up, she suddenly came into focus.
‘It’s you.’
‘Yes. It’s me.’” chapter 48
“‘Darling Freddie,
Come home, and we’ll make it right.
It wasn’t your fault.
Yours, always and always, Violet.’
Freddie stared at the words.
‘It wasn’t your fault.’” - chapter 62
“If he had his own space, he’d be able to distract himself from remembering. He’d be able to watch TV or read or listen to music, and his thoughts wouldn’t get the better of him. she’d have somewhere to keep his clothes, so they’d stay clean and uncrumpled. He’d be able to sleep. Proper, deep sleep because he wouldn’t be worried that someone was going to steal his things or tell him to move on. He’d be a person again, and he’d be able to find a job. It didn’t matter what it was. He’d do anything.he had good grades and he was polite. Someone would hire him. And then maybe he’d bump into Violet somewhere and he’d have the courage to speak to her.” - chapter 11
“Someone—Violet, it had to have been Violet—had strung fairy lights from the beams. He blinked disbelievingly; his lonely sleeping bag had turned into something that actually resembled a bed, with little blanket-pillows and a small box beside it for a table. He brushed his fingers through his hair and tried to force the moisture away from his eyes.
Violet had made him a home.” - chapter 17
Subjective rating:5/5
Writing:3,5/5
Plot:4/5
Characters:4/5
Themes:5/5
Content Warnings:Abuse, assault, homelessness, trauma, depression, death. If I forgot any of them, I apologise, the CWs will immediately be added.
You know those books that make you cry your soul out because you are in love with the story? The Boy Who Lived in The Ceiling is one of them.
I’d like to thank @wisewolfbooks on Instagram for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Going into this book, my expectations were really low because firstly, i had heard nothing about it before and second, better to be satisfied than disappointed, right?
Cara Thurlbourn surprised me so much with her book that now, it has become my mission to talk about it and recommend it to everyone.
So here’s the plot:
Freddie’s life isn’t like it used to be – he’s alone, homeless, and carrying a secret that threatens to swallow him up. Every day is a struggle. Until he meets Violet Johnson.
Violet’s life is going down-hill. Her parents argue, her little brother’s stopped speaking, and she’s about to move schools. She used to be popular, she used to be happy, but now every day is a struggle. Until Freddie enters her life.
Despite their differences, Freddie and Violet grow closer. Freddie’s nightmares begin to fade. He stops having panic attacks. And he can’t believe that Violet Johnson actually likes him back.
But Freddie’s past is catching up with him, and what will happen when Violet finds out what he did?
(From Amazon’s website)
I did not read the last sentence of this description and therefore, it was a little bit of a surprise to me.
-WRITING-
The writing of this novel is pretty average, like most other YA contemporary books, though it could have been a lot stronger. The messages were given pretty straight forward, which i found a little annoying. If the book made the reader think more about the discussions in the book, it would have been truly enchanting. However, I can say that the book really flows and does not get heavy on the reader, which shows you will probably not get overwhelmed by it being on your CR list for five months.
-THE CHARACTERS-
Most of the characters in the book were both average and had deep personalities. Therefore, this saved them from falling flat and becoming boring. Each life in the book was both realistic an fascinatingly detailed and different. Freddie is definitely my favourite here and on my best-characters-to-exist list. What i liked the most about him was his kindness… the way he treated Vi, Jay, Scruff and everyone else is just so, so precious to me.
Violet is fine as a character, though she was not as developed as Freddie was. The reader cannot really get into her head which makes it feel like something is missing.
I LOVELOVELOVE JAY! He is just the sweetest boy to exist!
-THE PLOT-
The plot of this book was absolutely beautiful and fast paced. It is in my opinion original, which is becoming more and more uncommon in YA. Realistic yet fantastical, heartbreaking yet heartwarming, happy yet sad. While reading, you will cry, then smile, then cry some more.
-THEMES-
The themes dealt with in this book are mostly absent in YA books i have read and heard about. Homelessness, a really big issue in our society, is finally shown to the readers from different perspectives and feels like a slap on the reader’s conscience.
One thing that I am still thinking about is the suit vs dirty, worn clothes. Freddie, the main character, finds a cheap suit and goes into shops with it on, asking for money/free food/coffee pretending he lost his card or wallet. Surprisingly, people offer Freddie food, coffee and paying for him in suits, and not in his “homeless outfit”. Just how cruel are people, who help the ones who appear to need less than the ones who truly are in need?
-FAVOURITE MOMENTS/QUOTES/SCENES-
Freddie’s Christmas plans - chapter 24
“Freddie turned away. Tears were clambering at the backs of his eyes, threatening to strea down his cheeks. […] He turned back nod wiped his eyes. ‘It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever gotten me.’ He held it to his chest. How could something so ridiculous, and iPod for heaven’s sake, suddenly make him feel human again? How could he ever make her see that she had just given him a piece of himself back? A lifeline. A window to the world outside the attic. He couldn’t. So he just said, ‘Thank you,’ and hugged her back.” - chapter 26
“‘I didn’t know you were religious.’ It was violet’s voice, and Freddie opened his eyes to se a shimmering version of her sitting beside him. This kind of thing had happened before. After his mum had died, he used t see her all the time— in the kitchen, the street, at the end of his bed. He put his head back into his hands.
‘Freddie, are you okay?’ This time, Violet was touching his leg, and when he looked up, she suddenly came into focus.
‘It’s you.’
‘Yes. It’s me.’” chapter 48
“‘Darling Freddie,
Come home, and we’ll make it right.
It wasn’t your fault.
Yours, always and always, Violet.’
Freddie stared at the words.
‘It wasn’t your fault.’” - chapter 62
“If he had his own space, he’d be able to distract himself from remembering. He’d be able to watch TV or read or listen to music, and his thoughts wouldn’t get the better of him. she’d have somewhere to keep his clothes, so they’d stay clean and uncrumpled. He’d be able to sleep. Proper, deep sleep because he wouldn’t be worried that someone was going to steal his things or tell him to move on. He’d be a person again, and he’d be able to find a job. It didn’t matter what it was. He’d do anything.he had good grades and he was polite. Someone would hire him. And then maybe he’d bump into Violet somewhere and he’d have the courage to speak to her.” - chapter 11
“Someone—Violet, it had to have been Violet—had strung fairy lights from the beams. He blinked disbelievingly; his lonely sleeping bag had turned into something that actually resembled a bed, with little blanket-pillows and a small box beside it for a table. He brushed his fingers through his hair and tried to force the moisture away from his eyes.
Violet had made him a home.” - chapter 17