I read this book when it first came out and was blown away by it. I'm not saying it was perfect but as a depiction of the horrors of drugs, and in particular Heroin, it was such an important landmark in YA novels. Obviously it had a lot of criticism because of the subject matter, not only the drugs but child prostitution, child abuse and alcoholism.
25 years on it is still shocking, although probably the shock is more muted given the world we live in now where these things are far more widely talked about.
That said, this book paved the way for the explosion in YA books with themes that teenagers could relate to. Some parents and teachers may still disagree and think the book has no place on library shelves or homes but as a retired school librarian I can only say that none of the young people I knew would agree.

I enjoyed this book, and, despite it being a classic, I had not read it before. The book definitely holds up despite its age and I would definitely recommend it.

*4.5 STARS

I remember reading another of Melvin Burgess's books, Kill All Enemies, when I was 15 and it containing themes of abuse which really opened my eyes to different issues that teenagers were facing. Junk is an even more impressive feat that is equally heartbreaking as it is shocking.

Junk is clearly a hard-hitting piece of fiction that focuses on two fourteen year old runaways who find themselves squatting in Bristol and eventually they're dragged deeper into the world of drug addiction and homelessness. Whilst it's aimed at teenagers this book contains some strong depictions of violence and sexual assault along with the copious amounts of drug references so something to be aware of when it comes to younger readers.

The characters of Tar and Gemma aren't particularly likeable and it's easy to become frustrated with their actions and choices. At fourteen I had no idea what I was doing but these two have run away from home and are somehow surviving by living rough and stealing food. Their carelessness is vexing but Burgess also has you feeling sympathetic towards their situation due to their terrible home lives which is a sign of a well written character. The secondary characters all contribute to the narrative of teenage runaways and drug addiction with some being fellow kids that Tar and Gemma meet as well as a few adults that attempt to help them whilst still having issues of their own.

Burgess's writing is superb, quite gritty but with a lot of interesting things to say. It's also very readable with a pace that's just right. I enjoyed being able to read from so many characters perspectives too, it allows the reader to get a full picture of the effects of heroine and how those taking it perceive what they're doing or more often then not excuse it. The drug use scenes aren't overly descriptive either but still very realistic, you can tell the author has done his research into the language used. It's also devastating to know that so much of what he wrote about was taken from real life as his brother was involved with drugs.

Overall, this is an exceptional hard-hitting contemporary that handles drug addiction and teenage issues brilliantly. This is the type of book that should be read in school as it's one that definitely sparks conversation and debate regarding real life situations that teenagers face and would find it easy to be drawn into.

I loved this book and can’t believe I hadn’t read it before. It may be 25 years old, but the central theme of addiction is still current. Brutal, hard-hitting but a must read book that I will be highly recommending.

This glimpse into the life of homelessness and drug use is poignant, evocative and discomfiting. I wanted to stop reading, but couldn't and was glad at the end that I kept reading.

First of all, this book has been marketed as a book for children and teens. It has won children's book awards, the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Carnegie Medal. Despite this, I have no idea how anybody could think this book is suitable for any child under the age of 16 to read. The book is filled with everything you don't want or expect in a book for children/teens: drugs, murder and overdoses to name a few. The book was seen as groundbreaking at the time, 25 years later and it hasn't really aged well.

Tar runs away from home, escaping a torturous home life. Following him, Gemma runs away from home. She has a middle-class home life and high expectations on her that she never even attempts to meet. When they both run away, they find themselves living on the streets. Tar makes friends squatting in empty properties and they are led into a life of drugs and crime. Heroin helps them forget their troubles but also increases their problems tenfold.

I think this book will be like marmite, you'll either love it or hate it. It's told through multiple points of view and it works really well. You can see how each of the characters is feeling as the story progresses and it was one of the main things I enjoyed about the book.

However, the characters felt poorly developed and this spoilt my enjoyment of the story. They didn't feel believable and in places, it felt like to book glamorised the use of heroin. I'm glad the book isn't preachy but it felt like the consequences on the characters lives were minimal, which is scary in a book marketed to teens.

A very strange book, not the most pleasant of reads!

This book is a gritty reminder of reality and takes you into a world to mett and spend time with types of people your mum would always have told you to avoid. people that need help, maybe beyond it.

This isnt your average YA love story wrapped up with a little drama - this feels raw and real, painful whilst teasing out a wonderful story about realships, and growth making you need to know whats heppened to the characters.

Two teens fall in love with each other and heroin. Tar has reasons for running away from home that run deep and sour, whereas Gemma, with her middle-class roots firmly on show, has a deep-rooted lust for adventure. Their first hit brings bliss, the next despair.

I would recommend this book to high school students because it can be an experience that relates to teens. It is an old classic and discusses relevant issues in today's society.

I remember reading Junk not long after it was released, as a 13 year old working my way through the whole school library collection. I didn't fully appreciate until now how seminal this book was. Before Junk, Young Adult fiction wasn't even a thing. I was 13 in 2000 and I remember only really reading books that were far too adult for me, or just re-reading the Babysitter's Club over and over. This edition of Junk was really interesting as it put it all in context. It still feels fresh and relevant now.

This is an intriguing book, that may have shocked 30 years ago but now seems quite nostalgic for a different world we live in. The writing still has the power to shock, from the innocence of Gemma's arrival with Tar and their slow but inevitable corruption in the squats of Bristol, to the unresolved and uncertain endings for many of hte characters,

A hard read, but also an important one in getting across an authentic message about the dangers of drugs, drink and families.

Tar and Gemma are two teenagers from different backgrounds but both have the same urge to break free of their confined reality. Tar wants to escape from his abusive father while Gemma wants to escape her overly strict and controlling parents. When they decide to run away from home, they find that life on the streets comes with another set of demons they have to fight hard to evade. Battling homelessness and drugs might just be as bad or even worse than the life they so desperately wanted to escape. Survival has a new meaning in the new world they find themselves trapped in.

Love definitely comes in many different shapes and forms. The best thing about this novel was the characterisation and the authenticity of their portrayal. The plot was simple and straightforward, but there were times it dragged and got a little tedious, but I was so invested in the characters that I was encouraged to keep reading. Tar was my favourite character. His transformation from start to finish was intriguing. You couldn't help but love this character. Even though he was being physically abused by his father, he still had so much hope and still managed to see the beauty in the world. After running away from home and being taken in by an older group, that light inside him slowly started to fade once the addiction started to kick in. It was sad to experience, but quite an eye-opener and very moving. It took me a little longer to gravitate towards Gemma, I must admit. I didn't engage with her well throughout the first half of the book, but throughout the second half of the book, she went through her own transformation and became a character you're able to sympathise with more, which made her more likeable.

I wasn't too much a fan of the writing style, but it didn't bother me enough to make me put the book down. A lot of the times, it felt as if my outlook on the story and especially the characters were being overshadowed by the narrative voice, which somewhat hindered my desire to form my own impression of the characters and their stories. Having said that, I appreciated the fact that, even though I wasn't fully navigating my own interpretation, the portrayal I was presented with was so realistic that I could comprehend the difficulty and struggles the characters faced without even having no experience of the condition they lived in and the situation they found themselves trapped in. It goes to show that you don't have to experience something in order for it to feel real.

A very moving story about the struggles of heroine addiction and the many facets of love.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book when I was in school and remember being super shocked by what I was reading - drugs and squatters just felt so far removed from my life as a teen it felt like a fantasy. Re-reading this book again as a 30 something, and having lived more of a life, the book felt a lot more real and therefore more hard hitting. Don't get me wrong, I have never experienced the things the characters in the book have, but I have certainly know of people that have, and even worse some of the children I teach have been through similar situations.

I think this book is very good, but it does feel a bit dated now. I think the plot is most certainly still relevant but maybe some of the pop culture references or language feels a little old fashioned now.

I liked this book and the themes and characters will certainly stay with me, but I wasn't overly keen on the writing style.