A review by beanwa
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Check the trigger warnings for this one - I did not expect the rape storyline/scenes and it was quite graphic/intense.

Absolutely loved this book. The characters were so well written, they leapt off the page. I absolutely loved Mungo, as well as his relationship with Jodie. He's such a gem. Some qualms - I wish there had been more chapters with James prior to
the kiss
just to better establish James' character as well as the friendship with Mungo. I just found it hard to care about James or understand why Mungo liked him so much. There were also some moments here and there where the writing felt a bit fanfiction-y, moments like "he looked at the pale boy" (paraphrasing) which jerked me back to reading merlin bbc or harry potter slash when I was 14.

Otherwise, absolutely loved this one. Gorgeous, I so want to know what happens after the ending. I've grown so attached to Mungo! I'm definitely going to read Shuggie Bain now.
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