I struggled through this book. The writing style was difficult for me and although I received this book as an ARC, the errors got to me.

I got this book hoping it would provide some insight into my teenager. Boy, did it! But it also brought back many feelings I experienced myself as a teenager. My heart just went out to Charlie and I kept hoping for the best for her. This is a well-written book with good, believable characters. I am going to get a copy for my own teenager!

Thanks to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing for this book. At 14, Charlie faces many obstacles that teens face, but Charlie is caught in the ignorance of prejudice as she moves from England to Ireland. Shouldn't she feel safe in a Catholic school with nuns for teachers? Life is usually fun growing up, but the struggles she face, like prejudice, sexual advances, and abuse, result in her making decisions which cause her to grow up strong and independent. This is a good book for women who are caught in a web of abuse and have trouble breaking loose. I enjoyed this book.

Got the ARC from NetGalley. The book starts off good. It's like reading a 14 years old's journal. The book can be either too fast or too slow at times. Charlotte or Charlie for short is a typical 14 year old who has to deal with bullying, moving to a different country and school. She struggles with racism & prejudice while trying very hard too fit in. I loved how honest, independent and witty her character is in the beginning but it all comes crashing down in the end. I wished the book had ended differently. She goes from a strong young woman to pretty much being a door mat. She eventually tries to redeem her herself. The story could've concluded differently but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

This book had so much potential but it just fell short of the mark for me. I think the characters were great, with Charlie herself having an endearing sense of humour. I enjoyed reading her amusing opinions on things, particularly keeping on the right side of an Irish Mammy, but we don't really get to know the other characters very well because of the lack of dialogue. It would have been great to hear more conversations between the main characters - i.e Charlie and Will, or between herself and her mother - before the action begins, in order to truly understand the character development and the changing relationships as the book progresses.

Additionally, there were so many mini storylines within the plot that weren't really explored to their true potential. For example, the characters of Harry and Enid could have provided some serious heart-wrenching moments if they'd been given a bit more exploration! I think, perhaps, too many different strands of narrative were attempted to be explored within such a short book (178 pages).

As a book written in the first person, I was also unsure of the mid-paragraph switches to conversations between other characters, for example when Charlie finds out about Will's plans to have sex with her, so rushes home, but a dialogue then confusingly starts between her best friends even though Charlie is not present. I can understand that this was done to give the reader the full story from different perspectives, but as the majority of the book is written in first person it was slightly detrimental to the whole organisation of the book itself.

Overall, I could really see the potential in this book and its characters with a bit more development and structure in the plot. With these small changes, I believe it could be a great read.