This review also appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews.
I received a review copy from Bloomsbury Australia. All thoughts and opiniThis review also appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews.
I received a review copy from Bloomsbury Australia. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve read all of Sarah Crossan’s books and Toffee is probably my favourite of hers. Like with her other books, Toffee tackles hard-hitting topics in verse and makes us feel all of the emotions. And because it’s written in verse, it’s a really quick but impactful read.
Toffee is a beautiful story about families of choice and finding acceptance and affection in the most unlikely of places. Allison Daniels has run away from her abusive home after her father leaves her face disfigured. But after her belongings are stolen and she finds herself without a phone to contact her former would-have-been stepmother who has also left her father, Allison feels like she’s alone and helpless in the world. She ends up taking shelter in an empty shed and when she realises that the owner of the shed, Marla, has dementia, she decides to take advantage and stay in the spare room of the house. Allison takes on the identity of Toffee, who was Marla’s childhood friend and dance partner. By day, she wanders around outside until Marla’s nurse/support person leaves. By night, she is Toffee, who is vivacious and full of life, and everything Allison wants her own life to be. Allison and Marla’s unlikely friendship grows and they do outrageous things like dancing to Single Ladies, inviting tradesmen in for cocktails and building sandcastles at the beach. Soon, Allison isn’t sure who she is anymore and questions whether she’s better off just being Toffee.
This verse novel is mostly character-driven and these characters were wonderful. They’re complicated but endearing and their stories really resonated with me. Allison has had a lifetime of abuse at the hands of her father, who has been the only parent she has ever known due to her mother dying from childbirth. She’s spent her childhood and adolescence yearning for the little moments of maybe-love that he displays, until she realises that for her own safety (and self-worth) she just can’t stay. Marla, who suffers from dementia, has been the subject of elder abuse at the hands of her son, Donel. Who is a real piece of work. Her day nurse, Peggy, treats her like a child and doesn’t believe the things that Marla says. In fact, some days, Peggy doesn’t even show up to work. Allison and Marla become each other’s only friend and solace. And their friendship is beautiful. Allison makes Marla feel like she isn’t a burden. With Allison (or Toffee), Marla feels young and full of life again. And with Marla, Allison feels seen.
There wasn’t that much plot in the novel but I enjoyed it just the way it was. I loved seeing the progression of Allison and Marla’s relationship, from suspicion to growing acceptance of each other. It was just a beautiful story of letting go of hurt and anger, and embracing a new found family.
If you’ve enjoyed Sarah Crossan’s other books, you will absolutely love Toffee. The writing is absolutely beautiful and the story will touch your heart!...more
I received a review copy from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It’s no secret that I love Sarah Crossan’s books and Moonrise was definitely no exception. It might actually be my favourite of all of Sarah Crossan’s books. It involved such a hard-hitting topic and the way that Sarah Crossan’s writing made me feel has definitely skyrocketed the book into one of my top five favourite books of the year so far. In fact, it affected me so much that I couldn’t bring myself to write a review until now.
This novel is about 18-year-old Joe whose family has been torn apart since his older brother, Ed, was arrested 10 years ago. Joe hasn’t seen Ed since he was arrested but now finds himself moving alone to Texas after Ed’s execution date was set. While staying in a filthy apartment and trying to work to keep himself alive, Joe finds himself visiting and spending time with Ed, all the while wondering whether Ed is innocent or guilty… and whether he can live knowing the answer. It’s a story about family, loss, and life and death, and Sarah Crossan definitely does all of these themes justice with her story. I thought the topic was handled brilliantly and the importance of having conversations about issues like these really came through. I loved how raw and emotional the novel was and how much it made me feel. I definitely had a big ugly cry fest at the end of it but the story was just that good.
I loved all of the characters in the book and how they were all flawed in some way. There is Joe who may be too forgiving, according to some of the other characters in the book, but is also willing to do whatever it takes to have a roof over his head and food in his belly. There’s Ed, who Joe remembers to be a warm and loving brother, but may have committed a crime worthy of the life penalty. There’s Aunt Karen who may have given up on Ed too soon. All of these characters added something to the story, no matter how badly you wanted to hate them or love them. And there’s really nothing I love more than when every character is integral to the story.
‘Be happy,’ Ed says. ‘It’s your duty to me, man.’
As always, the verse poetry as beautiful and added to the emotion of the novel. There were so many poems that I absolutely loved and wanted to share with everyone who would listen to me. Every page that you flip to contains a wonderfully quotable poem. Sarah Crossan’s writing is just so impactful and beautiful to read and I cannot wait for her next release....more
This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews! Thank you to University of Queensland Press for providing a review copy. All thThis review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews! Thank you to University of Queensland Press for providing a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Place Like This is a continuation of Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair but can be read as a standalone. It takes place two years after Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair and follows Jack and Annabel, as well as a cast of new characters. The book is also written in verse and contains multiple perspectives, and I enjoyed it even more than I did Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair.
In this book, Jack and Annabel have finished high school and are going on a year-long adventure together with a car and a limited amount of money. However, not long after they leave, they run out of petrol and are forced to work on an apple farm for George, who lives alone with his three kids. Jack and Annabel work and live on the farm and get to know the kids, including Emma who is pregnant. Just like in Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair, I loved the family themes running through this book. It was explored in a much different way to the previous book but was just as impactful. I also enjoyed the coming-of-age aspects of the book and loved seeing the characters come to terms with what they needed in life.
Even though the book follows Jack and Annabel’s journey, for me, the book was all about Emma. I absolutely loved her story and connected with her the most in this book. I found it to be emotional and I loved the way that she made peace with what happened to her and what it means for her future. It was really nice to be able to see her character develop and grow as the story progressed and I loved the impact that the other characters had on her. As always, I really enjoyed Jack’s character. He wasn’t the same 16 year old boy as he was in Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair but he was just as likable. It was great to be able to see a more mature side to him.
I loved A Place Like This because of the themes of the book and how they were explored. The characterisation was fantastic and I connected with each and everyone one of the characters. It’s a superb story that I would recommend to anyone looking for something short and quick to read....more
This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews. Thank you to University of Queensland Press for providing a review co3.5 stars.
This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews. Thank you to University of Queensland Press for providing a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair is an Australian young adult book that is written entirely in verse. It’s short but sweet and packs quite an emotional punch, despite it having quite a simplistic story. The book focuses on family and grief, which are two of my favourite themes to read about.
While the story may seem a little bit slice of life, at the heart of it lies an impactful story about grief and how people deal with loss. The main character Jack is 16 and lives with his father and his older sister in the Blue Mountains after losing his mother to cancer 7 years ago. Her loss still haunts him and he spends a lot of his time communicating with ‘the ghost’ who is the mother he has lost. At the same time, Jack is having his first venture into love with a girl from his high school, Annabel.
My favourite thing about this book is the way that it was written. I love reading books that are written in verse and, while I admit that I don’t always really understand poetry or verse, there’s something very magical about a story that is able to be told in such an impactful way with so few words. Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair is a simple story and it’s difficult to see what it’s about at the start but the words will draw you in and the themes of the story become apparent quite quickly. I thought it was an interesting portrayal of grief and loss that didn’t involve lots of gut-wrenching and devastating moments. Instead, it was understated but still effective in communicating the grief that a family goes through when they experience a loss of a family member. What I also enjoyed was the fact that the book was written not only from Jack’s perspective, but also from the perspective of his sister, Desiree, his father, and Annabel. It gave a really well-rounded picture of grief and how different people deal with it differently. My only real criticism is that I wish the book was a bit longer. I would’ve liked to have seen it developed a little bit further and at a slower pace.
I loved Jack as a character. Sometimes it can be hard to get a sense of what a character is like when everything is written in verse, but I got a great image of Jack. He’s just your everyday teenage boy who’s just discovering love and trying to move on from a tragic loss. He’s a writer and wants to publish a successful book in the future, and it was just really hard not to love him. I also really enjoyed getting to know the other characters. There were quite a few pages or poems written from the perspective of the other characters and this allowed us not only to get to know them but also to learn more about Jack from their perspective.
Overall, I really enjoyed Love, Ghosts & Nose Hair. It was simple but impactful and the cast of characters were extremely likable. I really loved the themes of family and grief but wished the book had been a little bit longer....more
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