This was just simply beautiful. A dark and intense read due to the subject matter, but you feel so much for Jamie as he tries to journey through his life, trigger warnings of domestic abuse, alcoholism, depression and emotional abuse. Despite the serious and emotional nature of the story, the author still manages to put some humour into this tale and it still has hope at its essence. A beautifully written story, very scarily real and true to life. A must read

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

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An intense and quite dark story at times. There is plenty to get your teeth into. The reader watches the MC deteriorate and their heart breaks for him
A gritty, emotional read.

I think the author has portrayed a delicate issue really well.

Jamie is having a hard time at home. His dad has moved out, and his mum wants a divorce. Jamie tries to keep it together for his little sister, Bex, but he finds his emotions overwhelming.

It all begins when Jamie starts drinking at home with his mother, but then escalates to Jamie ditching school and stealing alcohol from the corner shop.

The author manages to put a bit of humour into this book, despite its content. It was such a deep read, I really felt as if I was right there in Jamie’s head.

Brilliantly written, and one that had me hooked from the very start.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this review copy!

This is a bitter-sweet story of a teenage boy coping with domestic abuse. James’s life spirals out of control after 'the night everything went weird' and he tries his best to support his mum and little sister. It is brutally realistic, as we see the effects of domestic abuse on James's mum who withdraws from the family, and his sister who doesn't understand why daddy doesn’t live there anymore. James makes several regretable choices as he tries to hold his family together, pushing away his best friend and girlfriend, and getting involved in situations he will later despair of. As I said, this is brutal and realistic but as James comes through these dark times, there is an element of hope.

TW: domestic violence, emotional abuse, manipulation, blackmail, kidnapping, depression, teen alcoholism, sexism.

The main reason I was drawn to this book was that it was recommended to fans of Noah Can't Even, which I adored.

It becomes very clear, very quickly, that this book centres around domestic violence. Jamie is struggling to cope after The Night Everything Went Weird when his mum got The Rainbow Eye and his dad started sleeping downstairs. He now finds himself as 'man' of the house, responsibilities stacking up as he has to mediate his mum and dad's relationship, take care of his younger sister and bear the 'Weight of Manhood'.

I really liked Jamie at first, he's a compelling character, with an inner voice that draws you in and makes you hope everything will work out for the best.

But, there came a point where his inner voice stopped being an almost 16-year-old boy and instead took the tone of a grown man trying far too hard to be funny and falling completely short (to put it simply, the voice of the author overtook Jamie's voice, and it wasn't enjoyable). When he describes his English teacher's breasts as 'pendulous milk tanks' I almost threw up, threw the book, and stopped reading.

The writing reeks of sexism, even though the supposed point is to make a stand against toxic masculinity.

So, I was at the point where I felt convinced I wouldn’t finish this book. The choice of language, the toxic masculinity and the blatant sexism annoyed and disgusted me, but something was compelling about Jamie and his plight that almost forced me to keep reading.

Jamie finds that the 'Weight of Manhood' becomes harder and harder to carry, but he's got no choice. His mum needs him, his little sister needs him, and he doesn't know how he feels about his dad. Add to this a girlfriend he feels is smothering him, Jamie needs an escape, and his mum's drinks cabinet is right there...ready for the taking.

There were a few things in this book that made me cringe. If it hadn't been for the sexist language (I mean, for god's sake, he literally gives a girl the nickname 'nipples' at one point), the almost forgiveness for unforgivable acts and some really stupid decisions that would NEVER EVER HAPPEN.

At no point would you EVER freely allow your young child to go off with a man that a.) hit you, b.) stole from you, c.) basically kidnapped your child, d.) has previously used said child to manipulate/blackmail you and the child in question.

You'd literally call the police and keep the man as far away from your children as possible.

The secondary characters do add a lot to the story. Jamie's best friend is a great character, and I'd actually love for him to have his own story. His girlfriend is sweet and his little sister is both adorable and heart-breaking as she struggles to understand what's happening at home.

One thing I can say for Andy Robb is that he can write a villain with scary accuracy. I held my breath through the entirety of Chapter 30 and wanted nothing more than to see Jamie's dad behind bars.

The pacing also is fantastic. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, watching with wide eyes as Jamie's life crashes and burns around him.

Overall, Smashed is a heart-breaking journey of a young boy who spirals out of control as he attempts to deal with the aftermath of domestic violence and to come to terms with what it truly means to be a man.

I can't deny that it was compelling, but I think that some language choices and messages left a lot to be desired.

Smashed - An emotional account of a young adolescent, Jamie, who is trying to come to terms with the fact that the one person he should look up to and idolise has let him and his family down. Now his life is spiralling out of control and he can’t cope, he needs ”something that’ll lighten the feeling of 98,000 Newtons sitting squarely on his shoulders.”

I can’t help but feel bad for Jamie and his little sister, Bex. Growing up in a war isn’t easy for any kid no matter how mature they are.

My favourite quote from the book has to be -
”I shrug and smile, as if being a twat is something I can’t help, which I can’t.” that made me laugh to myself, a bit of humour added into all the real emotion when all he wants to do is feel like he belongs.

Andy Robb has written a powerful play on emotions with this book. Brilliant read, grabbed me from the start.

Smashed is an emotionally deep read which portrays the emotions of the main character so vividly you feel as if you are feeling them too, Absolutely fantastic read.

Jamie is struggling with life ever since The Night Everything Went Weird. He can’t tell his girlfriend Nadia, nor his best friend Adil. His Mum needs him to make her decisions for her while his little sister Bex needs life to appear as normal as possible. But the weight of being the man of the house is weighing heavily on Jamie after his Dad has left. He wants to be ok for his Mum and sister and certainly doesn’t want to talk to anyone about it. But as he slowly starts to taste alcohol, it seems as if that is the answer to helping him cope with his new life.
Jamie eventually breaks up with Nadia but then descends into a jealous fury over imagined scenarios between Nadia and Adil.
After the guilt he didn’t protect his Mum from his Dad’s anger finally overwhelms him, Jamie is forced to confront some truths.
This is a common issue faced by many children and young people and all deal with this in their own way. It’s not easy and it’s not comfortable, but realising your own feelings and being honest with everyone makes it easier to move through a difficult transition.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for this copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me at 33%, which reflects the rating it has been given. I try to give each book at least 100 pages because typically, by then, I am invested in the story. This sadly didn’t happen for me this time.

Jamie is a fifteen-year old boy whose family is struggling. His father is abusive to his mother and she now wants a divorce. His father left them and Jamie feels he has to pick up the pieces. This emotional upheaval projects also onto his relationship with his girlfriend - prompting him to break up with her.

I’m not sure if the cause of my DNFing is the fact that the story just didn’t pace well for me, or if it’s the fact that the perspective this is written in doesn’t match well. What I mean by that is Jamie is the narrator - a fifteen, then sixteen-year old boy - and I feel like I’m reading the thoughts of someone perhaps twelve. Now, this may be a deliberate move on the author’s part but it just doesn’t feel realistic.

Some of Jamie’s actions are reflective of him being very intelligent but it doesn’t come across to the reader in the way it is perhaps desired. There are few things that need tinkering - grammar etc - which is normal for any ARC but perhaps this could be looked into as well?

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️/5

Jamie's family is in the midst of upheaval. His mum wants to divorce his dad, his dad has moved out, Jamie is battling conflicting emotions and in between the mix is Jamie's younger sister Bex.
Jamie's way of dealing with his issues is at the bottom of a bottle - he begins by drinking at home with his mum - then later by truanting from school and stealing alcohol from the local shop.

Smashed is a wonderfully written book, Andy Robb has encapsulated a rollercoaster of emotions that his main character feels so well, so much so that you become very absorbed in Jamie's trials and tribulations from the offset.