Thank you NetGalley and Walker Books for my eARC copy of Blood Moon.

This is a book that every young woman should read. Periods are completely normal and no one should be ashamed of it. I still see young girls in the queue at shops hiding their boxes of Tampons but why? There is no shame in having your period.

I loved how real this story was and how the issue was dealt with. The Cyber-bullying aspects of it were well written and the characters reactions to them were realistic and exactly what I would have done if I'd have been in her position.

This dealt with not only periods and cyber=bullying but feminist empowerment and the complications of friendships too.

A must-read. #NoShame

I loved this book. It tackles some really powerful themes: adolescence, friendship, bullying, online harassment, sexuality, the body – but the fact that it does so in verse is a stroke of genius. The rhythm and cadence of the lines pull you through the narrative, and the conciseness of the language perfectly reflects the way that people write in text messages and online. So good.

Frankie loves physics and anything astronomy related, and it seems so does Benjamin when she starts hanging out with him and all their friends. As they spend more time together, the harder she falls, and when they end up alone in her house one afternoon after school, things gets heated. But during her first sexual experience with Benjamin, Frankie gets her period. Yes, she’s embarrased, it’s what she’s been taught after all. But Benjamin shrugs it off and they agree – ‘it’s only blood.’ So when her story and a whole load of memes go viral the next day, everyone is school knows they’re about her and Benjamin. With her best friend Harriet not talking to her at the minute, Frankie feels more along than ever. She feels like she has no one to turn to, and no way to fix this situation.

Blood Moon is told in verse, Cuthew’s debut, and it is is beautiful. I have to be honest, I haven’t read a lot of books told in verse. Other than this one, I have read The Poet X and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, and I can’t think of any other that I’ve read. But I don’t always see the point of it. It’s not poetry, and to my mind there seems little sense in how the lines are broken and how the verses are shaped. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the book as a whole, I’m just not fully on board with the whole ‘writing a novel in verse’ thing.

Blood Moon, however, was beautiful. I got it. I got why each sentence was where it was on the page, I know why that word was separate and alone. I just feel like this writing connected with me more than other verse novels I’ve read. The writing was lyrical and poignant, but for a 400 page novel that only used about half the space on the page, it was to the point, it was direct… while also being flowery and descriptive. It was amazing.

I’ve read a few books now which are on this theme – young adult, feminist novels about slut shaming, period shaming, challenging societies views on what we view as the norm. But the majority of them have been set in the US, and so it was nice to see something in the UK.

The writing of Frankie and Harriet’s friendship felt so real I could have sworn they were real people. Best friends since they were just tiny, a bond which can mean they are your ultimate person, while also having the ability to get on your every last nerve by just breathing. The closeness between these two characters was palpable, and I truly believed the love they had for each other, even when fighting.

I also really appreciated the relationship Frankie had with her parents – it was fraught and realistic but full of love and understanding, and it’s always nice to see the parents shown as supportive and not antagonists.

The ending was a little bit too twee for me, HOWEVER, I still loved it. I think this is such an important book and sends a much needed message that getting your period is not dirty or something to be ashamed of. It’s only blood. I’m so glad that this is a YA book so hopefully lots of teenagers who do feel shame around bleeding will be able to see that there is nothing at all wrong with it, and it’s perfectly natural.

Can we also just talk about the one scene that mentions Frankie bleeding through her super strength tampon and having to do a funny walk cause it feels so uncomfortable?? I just love the honesty and bluntness of how periods are described in this book. We need SO much more of it.

I adored this book, I rated it 5 out of 5 stars, and I can’t wait to check out more of Lucy Cutherw’s work in the future.

Wow.
I have never read a book like this before.

This is a whole story told in verse and it's written beautifully.

I think at some point in their life, anyone who gets a period is shamed for it. And it's horrible. But it's only natural, so why is it such a big deal??

This is a story that not only faces the issue head-on, but aims to empower people.
A story of bullying and shaming that I feel like many people will be able to relate to, whether you have a period or not.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Frankie and her family, her dad is gold, which I am really happy to see. Frankie falls out with her best friend early on during the book and we see how feeling alone can really affect someone experiencing bullying. The relationships between characters are well written and realistic, something I feel, many people will be able to relate to on one level or another.

A beautiful well-written book, that is much needed.

Told in stunning prose, Blood Moon is raw and timely. An important exploration of the period taboo, told with no shame (and neither should it be!). A must read for all young women.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Walker Books for the opportunity to read Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew.

Im not the target audience, but I have a pre-teen daughter and boy did this book hit home! This is definitely a book I’ll be giving her to read in a few years time!

A book written in verse is definitely out of my comfort zone and I was a little nervous at the start, but if anything it added to the readability and story.

This wasn’t a ‘fun’ read and as a mother it hit the target of all those worries that come with having a daughter, in particular the venom and cruelty that is thrown at teenage girls. However, the depth of the relationships was heightened by this and it was amazing to see them described in such a way that they weren’t linear, you could see and feel all their complicated and beautiful messiness.

This is definitely a feminist YA that tackles the often difficult, messy and painful topic of menstruation and brings periods to the fore. I haven’t seen this in fiction before and am heartened that it is now out and available to teenage girls. There was nothing like this in my teens.

I could talk for an age about Frankie, intelligent, resilient, focused and full of passion. She was the perfect protagonist for this empowering story.

A string, poetic, empowering YA that I heartily recommend for the story and the message!

God, I wish I’d had this book when I was younger, so relevant, so needed and it’s a shame, really shameful that it’s taken until now To get a book like this. I loved it, frank, honest and completely EMPOWERING. This is how it should be, no taboos, open discussions, we bleed, we are not dirty and it’s not something to hide, it’s the reproductive system it’s a natural marvel. Anyway sorry off my soapbox, this is an important read, should be handed out in schools and libraries and given to all to read. I found the fact it’s written in verse more accessible and enjoyable too.
Fabulous

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book for an honest opinion

Blood Moon deals with some important issues including periods and the effects of going viral. The book is written in verse which is something that helped to both understand and portray the main character’s feelings after a meme of her goes viral in relation to her getting her period during an intimate moment. The book is well written however there are elements where I wanted the author to go into more depth with.

The main character did annoy me at first with her attitude to certain things that happen but as the book goes on I really liked her and how she dealt with stuff. The romance was cute at first but I did not like how the guy handled things, however the focus on friendship was nice and I liked how ultimately the book did link back to her friendship with her best friend not her relationship with the guy. Although, her best friend was not a great friend during the book.

The book addressed the topics really well however I really did not like the ending, everything was dealt with in a realistic way and then the ending is not realistic at all. Everything was solved way too easily and the book did not address the long term consequences of going viral aside from the fact that the meme will always be on the Internet.

3/5

Book Review: Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew
Genre: Verse novel
Publisher: Walker Books
Release Date: 2nd July, 2020

I got my first period when I was thirteen. I̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶v̶i̶r̶g̶i̶n̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶(̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶i̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶p̶l̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶?̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶i̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶?̶)̶
I had sex for the first time when I was sixteen (the legal age in the UK).

Being in an intimate, sexual relationship with someone means your period 'showing up' during sex is probably going to happen at some point. As a teenager the boyfriends I had (there were two, one from the age of 16-17 and the other from 17-20) were completely unfazed by the sight of period blood. Yet, not all guys are so 'understanding'. I could say it's because they were 'mature' but, honestly, shouldn't periods be normalised by now? Shouldn't it be obvious to everyone that periods are normal, natural and nothing to shame a girl for?

Apparently, that's not the case.

This book really got me thinking about why periods are still seen as something to keep secret, and why there is still such a stigma around them. I remember one boyfriend saying that because he had an older sister he had been around period talk since he was young and so it just didn't bother him. Surely that's the answer? Stop keeping periods a secret and normalise them to get rid of the stigma that surrounds them.

From a young age periods are seen as an embarrassing topic.

When I was in school, both primary and secondary, the 'period talk' during sex education was always just for 'us girls'. The boys were taken away to do something else. When I became a teacher, as a form tutor, I delivered some sex education sessions to a mixed class. Other teachers opted to split their class (boys and girls) to deliver the sessions separately. I remember thinking: surely the boys need to know this information too? It's biology. By separating them aren't we perpetuating the false idea that periods are something that girls should be embarrassed about?

If the stigma attached to periods; that they are shameful, disgusting, embarrassing, is to be dismantled then it needs to start with education. Boys should be as involved with the period talk as girls. Just because it doesn't happen to them doesn't mean they don't need to understand it.

As you can probably tell, this book got me thinking A LOT. It's important to have this dialogue. What's your experience? It would be interesting to hear from guys and girls.

Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew is not just about periods, it also deals with serious issues such as online bullying/ abuse, the sexual harassment of young girls, slut shaming and more. Through the medium of mobile phones, social media, the internet and the general ease of sharing things these days, Cuthew shines a light on the world young people are growing up in today. I can't imagine what it is like being a teenager with this technology being a huge part of daily life. Online abuse and shaming from adults, not just teenagers, is a serious problem.

At times the book is shocking, but not surprising. What happens to the protagonist, Frankie, could very much happen, and has happened to people on the internet.

Amongst all this, the real hero of the story is friendship. Sounds corny, but I loved the feminist vibe and relationship between Frankie and Harriet. Cuthew tries to break down the social construct of girls shaming other girls for their choices. Aimed at Young Adults, yet the message is something everyone needs to hear.

Basically, I adored this book and devoured it in a few hours. Although it's described as poetry, it's not, it's something else. A novel, verse, a story that still manages to express so much in so few words.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for the opportunity to read and review this E-ARC. https://opheliafeyre.wixsite.com/website/post/it-s-only-blood

Firstly, thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blood Moon is a YA contemporary novel written in verse about hope, friendship, first love, sex and shame. We follow a teenage girl, Frankie, through her first sexual experience with a guy and the fallout that follows it.

Let me tell you, this book sent some silent tears my way. I honestly really felt for Frankie, and at the same time resonated with what she went through. Navigating sex and your body as a teenager is hard, without others making it harder and I relived some of my experiences when reading what Frankie was going through. I felt it in my gut and heart and was utterly compelled by this little book.

It is so important to see what slut shaming does to the victim, and how innocently sharing a 'funny meme' can ruin someones life, or cement their self-loathing. What should be an innocent, pure and fun first love, is tarnished by people outside of the relationship. I honestly think this book could open the eyes of young girls (or any gender to be honest), about how they interact with people and how damaging their actions can be,

These characters made mad, and I stood behind Frankie the whole time. She is a strong and well-written character and I rooted for her the whole way through.

This book broke my heart, and warmed it. I adored it, and I will definitely be looking out for Lucy's other books.

4,75. Stars, rounded up to a 5.

An absolute gem of a debut, that is so insightful and relevant for our young people today. The underlying messages are strong and bold, and leave the reader with a sense of courage and empowerment. Period taboo, "slut" shaming, and the different standards levelled at boys and girls all need addressing, along with the role social media can play.
The characters are so well developed, and it's always good to see that everyone has flaws and makes mistakes, even the "heroes". You go through every emotion and doubt with poor Frankie, and as a reader you are utterly drawn into her life.
The verse novel format makes it a real page turner, and it whizzes along at a very satisfying pace. The structure of the verse is so clever, and as I've found with other excellent verse novels, something done very skilfully comes across as simple and accessible.
It's this accessibility, along with the unflinchingly honest portrayal of every teenage girl's nightmare in this modern age, that will make it a stand-out read for so many teenagers. As a school librarian, the combination of accessible and powerful is an absolute dream!
I was also so happy to see how the (very limited) sexual content was handled. **SPOILERS BELOW**
The main encounter between Frankie and Benjamin isn't particularly explicit, but it's important you know what has happened for the later plot. It was refreshing to see a teenage girl engaging in a mutually desired and enjoyed positive sexual experience, that she feels good about afterwards (rather than ashamed). Her feelings of shame come from others, and your heart breaks for her. I was relieved that Benjamin remained a "good guy" throughout, even though there are doubts for a while! Their relationship warmed my heart, and it's good for young people of all genders to see a healthy and respectful relationship like this.

This book is almost certainly going to be one of my favourite YA novels of 2020. It speaks openly about periods, with one of the earliest scenes in the book showing Frankie having to deal with leaking menstrual blood as she talks to the boy she likes:

‘I’m walking funny.
I cannot let my pants
and tights meet,
because once they do,
the blood will find
a path.

Then
I
will
be
done for.
That’s fluid dynamics.’

It also tackles shame, online abuse and the complexity of teenage friendships. We see Frankie struggle with her friendship with Harriet, her best friend since childhood, as Harriet makes decisions that Frankie doesn’t agree with. It shows how difficult fights between friends can be as teenagers – often more heartbreaking than any romantic break up.

Frankie is a well-developed character, not without flaws but with strong beliefs and a passion for astronomy. I am loving the increase in science-loving main characters in YA right now (see also Laura Steven’s The Love Hypothesis!) Her parents are also brilliant!

Blood Moon is brilliantly written with clever use of verse. I love the way Lucy Cuthew interjects supportive messages to Frankie from friends with the abusive online comments that won’t leave her mind. It really allows us to get into Frankie’s mind and how she is feeling. I was with her all the way, and it brought tears to my eyes when her Mum finally finds out what has been happening.

Lucy Cuthew was inspired to write Blood Moon by her own experiences of having endometriosis, which still takes an average of 8 years to diagnose, despite affecting 1 in 10 women. You can read more about endometriosis here. She hopes the book will encourage more conversations about menstruation and help to break down the outdated taboo around periods. The book is also informed by her research into shame and the way men and women are treated differently online. Lucy is now working on a second verse novel about the effects of porn on young people.

Blood Moon publishes on 2nd July by Walker Books and I really hope you’ll pick up a copy!

(This review will be posted on my blog as part of my 'YA in Verse' series on 28th June.)

‘It was embarrassing, but not shameful.
The shame has come from what other people have said.’

I knew Blood Moon would be an important book for its subject alone – periods, sex, shaming, social media, online bullying – but I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite so much, especially as its written in verse which isn’t something I’m massively keen on for longer texts. The message of this book is so vital, period stigma needs to end, and the only way that will happen is through education. Ignorance leads to so many problems and this story is no different. As one of the characters says: ‘periods are normal. You’re the weird thing.’

The way Lucy Cuthew has approached and tackled this subject is brilliant – protagonist Frankie gets her period during her first sexual experience, and although surprised, she and Ben, the boy she’s with, aren’t that bothered. Its only blood, periods happen, life goes on. Unfortunately, word gets out, a meme gets made, social media explodes, quickly becoming a truly dark and scary place for Frankie. Everything snowballs and Frankie finds herself being shamed and abused online, until her safety becomes threatened. It makes me sad that something like this could happen, that things like this do happen all the time for a million reasons, and worst of all, that some people think this is normal? I could go on and on but there are people with much more influence than me doing that already and making a difference.

Cuthew has managed to handle all of this sensitively, to show what Frankie went through and how she ultimately overcame it – the shaming, the trolling, and how utterly wrong it is, is handled so well, with an overriding message of friendship and hope and overcoming. Hopefully this book will have a wide reach, for teenagers who may be worried about their periods in some way, for those without periods who need educating on the realities of it, on the normalities of it. After all…

‘It’s only blood.’

This is an incredible book. It reminds me of the verse novels of Sarah Crossan. Blood Moon is very now, current completely relevant to today’s society when people live so much of their lives online and when cyber bullying and slut shaming are actual things. I loved every page of this book and every word on every page. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next after this impressive debut. Verse novels are my new favourite things. Most of the book focuses on Frankie’s life as she becomes a victim of cyber bullying and hostility due to a cruel meme which goes viral after someone at her school finds out she took her period during an intimate moment with her new boyfriend. My heart broke for Frankie as she’s harassed, bullied, victimised, slut shamed and made to feel like she’s disgusting and a piece of filth. Blood Moon also explores teenage friendships and how they can be so easily blown apart. I cannot rate this book highly enough.

I really like YA novels written in free verse as it changes the way you read the story. I loved the themes of friendship and how it goes wrong between teenage girls sometimes and found the taking pride in periods message very powerful.

An excellent book which I highly recommend. There is a very powerful message to all about how people should not made to feel ashamed of their bodies. I found myself laughing and crying along with Frankie as she attempts to navigate her way through the devastation to her life that follows this horrible act of cyber bullying. I particular like the way Lucy put dialogue and thoughts to the right of the page and friend’s comments to the left and the way she uses onomatopoeic writing to give her words more depth. I also like the metaphor between the forecasted blood moon, which she plans to watch and the turn of events.

The characterisation portrays real teenagers, living very real lives. It shows how friendships can change and teenager’s relationships with their parent’s shift. In my opinion this book should be made essential reading for all pupils to highlight the effects and seriousness of online bullying and would be ideal for discussion in PSHE classes. I look forward to reading Lucy’s next book.

"it's not as though by being open all the shame goes away, but laughing about it somehow seems to take some of its power away."

This was an incredibly fast, entertaining, frustrating, and important read. I definitely think I am a little bit too old for the message, but I think had i read this at 14-17 it would have been so enlightening. It's nice to read a book about periods in a way that doesn't make them seem shameful or anything other than what they are, natural. The fact that this novel is in verse also helps with the pacing, as it is ultimately a fairly short story, but the verse helps move it along. I also enjoyed that while this was about periods above all, it was also about friendships, conflict, familial and romantic relationships, and the difficulties of growing up with the internet. Oh, and space, i loved the space parts too.

Blood moon is a novel told in verse. It follows Frankie who is a schoolgirl who loves astronomy. Frankie has her first sexual experience with a boy from her school. A moment which ends with her getting her period. This piece of information gets out and leads to a viral shaming. Within this situation Frankie has a huge falling out with her best friend.

During my school years I was lucky to have a consistent best friend and a good friendship group but I remember how easy it was for girls to fall out. This story depicts a friendship that has some issues as the friends make different and sometime silly life choices.

It gives example of how women and men are treated differently in relation to sexual experiences particularly when being harassed online.

Most importantly it looks at period shaming and how a group of friends stand together to go against the prejudice. It is a completely natural thing after all. Working in an all girls school I have seen how embarrassed the students become at any mention of periods. These types of books are so important for breaking the taboo. I hope that boys as well as girls will be encouraged to read about these experiences. Then hopefully we can begin to see less shame and less online hate towards our natural bodies.

Thank you to netgalley for this advance review copy. (For reference I read this during Covid 19 lockdown)

This book is so hard. The reason why it is so hard is it completely captures that time in secondary school. Where you want to be first to explore and if you do you’re judged and if you don’t you’re judge. It does a magnificent job of showing a dynamic of female friendship which was completely relatable to me.

The format of a novel in verse was displayed excellently on the page. I could follow the speaker easily.

A very important book about an important subject, written in verse it tackles serious issues that are valid nowadays. I didn't know how I'd feel about it when I first got into it because it didn't sound like my usual read but I was curious enough to try it.

I certainly enjoyed it and what it stands for. There were a few things I didn't like but with YA it's kind of a given for me.