This is not normally the type of book that I would gravitate towards reading but I loved it! I urge you all to read it as this is an unique and life altering story. Ginny Moon’s story broke my heart into a 1000 pieces as I was given a rare insight into the mind of a young, autistic girl.

After being removed from her abusive, drug addict mother, Gloria, at nine years old, Ginny finally finds her “forever home” with her new “forever mom and dad”. It’s just the type of home that all foster children long for.

Ginny appears to be an average teenager – she plays flute in the school band, practices basketball every week – but she is also autistic, so she views life differently to most of us. Everything said to her is taken literally and she can only answer one question at a time. She values honesty and cannot abide lies. Ginny starts every day with exactly nine grapes, she loves bacon and pineapple pizza and is Michael Jackson’s biggest fan.

So why is 14 year old Ginny so desperate to be kidnapped by her birth mother and return to that awful existence that nearly killed her? Who is this Baby Doll that Ginny left in a suitcase in her mother’s house?

This is a heart melting and touching story that ends with Ginny truly finding her place in the world when she realises that her past is truly her past and she can embrace her new life with her “forever” family.

Everyone needs to read Ginny Moon. Take a chance. You won’t regret it. It will have a positive impact on the way you think about your life. It has such an authentic appeal and I dare you not to be moved by Ginny's story.

This uplifting book deserves a heart-warming 5 stars.

What an unusual narrator. We often see autistic protagonists now, but Ginny Moon is something else.

Aged 14, Ginny has been adopted after a traumatic experience with her birth mother and several foster families, she's at school, her Forever Parents are about to have their own baby daughter, but Ginny still obsesses over getting back to Gloria, her birth mother to get her Baby Doll back and keep her safe.

Very wily and clever, Ginny will never answer a question if two are asked together, she takes words literally, she obsesses about things. In short, you feel you know her autistic traits well.

The story opens up her past gradually and the horrors of Ginny's early life are upsetting, though make her shine as a rather amazing young woman, despite her difficulties.

I felt for her Forever Parents, being a mum with a newborn myself currently, and seeing Ginny's agonies over making sure Baby Wendy is fed and safe, while her Forever Mother and Father have to look after their own child as well as the one they've agreed to raise.

The story is unique. Ginny is unique, her voice distinct and strong. I had no idea just how it would end at times, but I loved Ginny and felt a lot of empathy for her parents.

This is a debut, and its autistic character is well-researched and well-voiced, the author has done an excellent job of creating a fascinating and tragic backstory for her, and a book you really want to finish once you've met Ginny.

I will be looking out for more from this writer. This will be enjoyed by adults as well as older teenagers interested in autistic characters.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.

This book was both heartbreaking and beautiful, Ginny's voice is superbly engaging, her determination and the hoops she jumps through to achieve her goal are endlessly brave and heart wrenching. I have only a vague sense of autism and how it affects those who have it but this felt genuinely authentic and was a truly wonderful read.

Fuller review in May for publication.