I am often heard saying that YA Fiction is the best fiction being released. That the authors of YA fiction are dealing with topics that are so respectful to their audience and realising and indeed relishing in the fact that a YA audience is mature and can deal with harsher topics. Things have certainly changed since I was a teenager and thank god it is for the better.

Indigo Donut is one such book that deals with difficult topics. It deals with: death, murder, the foster system, divorce, bullying and yet you still come away from the novel feeling positive and that change is just around the corner.

Indigo Donut focuses on the relationship between Indigo and Bailey. Bailey, to some extent is the antithesis of Indigo. He has had a far more "normal" upbringing and has been sheltered from the cruel realities of life. Indigo, on the other hand, has been hardened by life and wears an impermeable shell of armour and seen by others as an attitude problem. It seems strange that they would fall for each other.

Above everything else Indigo Donut is a love story - not just a physical love story but the love story of finding a friend who understands you and in Bailey Indigo finds just that and in doing so allows herself to be vulnerable.

Indigo Donut is a commitment of a book at 451 pages but it is a great story.

Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence is available now.

For more information regarding Patrice Lawrence (@LawrencePatrice) please visit www.patricelawrence.wordpress.com.

Wasn’t a huge fan of Lawrence’s debut, Orangeboy, so I put off this book for far too long considering I ended up absolutely loving it.

The relationship between Bailey and Indigo is very realistic, and I found myself rooting for them harder than I’ve rooted for most couples in YA that I’ve read this year.

Loved Indigo’s style and her music taste is impeccable, but I also loved the fact that Lawrence wasn’t afraid to show the way that childhood trauma can deeply impact upon people for a very long time – it isn’t something that you just grow out of or get over, and oftentimes the people who have been through that trauma don’t even know themselves how deeply they have been affected. Quite a predictable twist at the end of the book, but it was handled with tact.

Unfortunately I did not get on with this book and therefore cannot rate it very highly. I really struggled to connect with the characters and storyline.

An interesting story by a talented author. You find yourself rooting for the characters throughout the story and wanting so badly for things to work out.

I struggled to get into this book initially but having listened to the author at Hay I persisted and really enjoyed it. Many of the themes fit with my own personal experience which made it more poignant for me.

I could understand Indigo’s fears of hurting those around her, of being scared of becoming close to anyone. I could also understand Bailey’s wish to support her.

Their relationship was sensitively portrayed. It seemed real and believable.

A hard read but a positive ending - a real way forward for Indigo.

Indigo is new to London, having lived in the foster system her whole life, she’s moved from school to school and has a tendency to lose her cool, especially when people bring up her mother. Bailey is a 17 year old boy in the same sixth form as Indigo. When the two meet, they instantly hit it off. All Indigo wants to know is who she is, as she doesn’t remember her parents and lost contact with most of her siblings. When Bailey gets contacted by a homeless man that seems to know more about Indigo than she does herself, he has to make a decision that may ruin his new-found relationship with Indigo.

I read Indigo Donut a month ago but I’ve been in such a blogging slump it has taken me forever to actually sit down and write this review, so I apologise for our lack of posts.

I hadn’t heard about Indigo Donut until it popped up on NetGalley, but I had heard of Patrice Lawrence and her award-winning debut Orangeboy. So, despite my over-growing list of eARCs I had to read, I requested this. And I’m really glad I did.

I’ve tried to actively read more UKYA this year than I have done in previous years, mainly because more of it has started to appeal to me – there are more published works by BAME authors. Indigo Donut was an emotive and compelling read that largely focused on the foster system, a rare topic in YA. That, along with the compelling characters with strong personalities and an interesting mystery, made this an enjoyable read. Indigo and Bailey’s personalities complemented and contrasted with each other really well. Indigo was angry and distant while Bailey was calm and wants to get close to people.

Overall, Indigo Donut is a compelling read that highlights important topics such as race, class, and other things that teenagers face. It also has a nice music element which I’m sure fans of music will appreciate. Overall, an engrossing read that I would highly recommend, especially for those looking for a diverse UKYA read.

From the author of Orangeboy comes Indigo Donut - another fast-paced contemporary, this time with the overtones of, rather than an overt debt to, a thriller. Lawrence tackles issues of class, social issues, foster care and dysfunctional relationships in the vein of Phil Earle and Tanya Byrne. She pays particular attention to Indigo's anger and violent outbursts, which she believes are an unavoidable family inheritance. Much of Indigo's attitude stems from her desire to keep anyone she cares about - like latest foster parent Keely, who seems like she's going to stick - 'safe' by allowing herself to be sent away from them. Bailey, on the other hand, is more naive and far more middle-class, with his own room full of guitars, which spells trouble for his infatuated crush on Indigo as he tries to protect her and gets involved in a pretty dubious quest on the orders of someone he barely knows.

The spiky-naive dynamic between Indigo and Bailey is unusual and interesting for YA. The moments which focus on them as characters and individuals are the book's best, but with the basic premise difficult to invest in, it may leave readers scrambling to find a foothold. I was reading an advance copy, but it seemed almost rushed, like there were whole sentences or chapters missing which would have better built the narrative. It's dialogue-heavy and covered in slang, which will undoubtedly cause it to date quite quickly, and it's not for younger readers. The prose is very jerky and undeveloped, lacking the richness of description and warm pacing that make a top-notch contemporary.

A full version of this review will appear on my blog at a later date.

I loved this. Patrice has such a distinctive and accurate teenage voice. The story alternates between the points of view of Indigo and Bailey, two teenagers at the same school, from different backgrounds. Indigo is a foster child from a mother who has seven children, named after the colours of the rainbow - and was murdered by her husband, Indigo's father.

Bailey is the son of a solidly middle class family - a family with a cat with a Japanese name, and a music room full of guitars. Indigo finds it hard to relate to his life, and Bailey finds it difficult to see past Indigo's violent past - especially when a homeless man with a connection to her, approaches him about her.

This is a really important addition to the UKYA canon, one which is going to be a classic in years to come.

I have to confess to not having got round to reading 'Orangeboy' yet, so this was my first Lawrence read...and it won't be my last.
Touching story about identity and family, with a very believable romance between the two main characters. Though the story itself has the potential to uncover raw hurt, it's done with tenderness.

Tough themes are handled deftly & the writing is excellent but it's the wonderful, memorable characters at the heart of this love story that make it so riveting. Very good.