Touching, haunting and a darn good read that’s hard to put down.

This is an interesting book that I found myself totally wrapped up in the characters of.

It all begins in present times in Polmont Prison with a pressing question as to why this setting, in the beginning of the book and who is Diane? The book then returns to how this all really began as it becomes, not a prison story, but one that is out and about in the world and friendship and how far an admiration for someone can go…

For readers who don’t know, Polmont is a town in central Scotland and really does have a prison within it.

Wendy is the narrator, this is her story and she starts from the beginning, in Glasgow and the Greater Glasgow and surrounding areas. She talks of her support worker, Saanvi, her job and not having many friends and on top of that, her mother dying hit her so hard. It becomes increasingly apparent how vulnerable Wendy actually is and even more so without her mother instructing her, so now Saanvi is attempting to open up her world a bit, which she does as she joins a writers group and a great obsession follows. She gets to know more about the author - Diane Weston and it isn’t just that she follows her on Twitter, clicking a like here and leaving a comment there. It is a serious obsession she develops for her, which becomes intense to the point it feels spine-tingling. Wendy in some ways seems to think, partly that it’s normal and to a certain degree not, but the obsessive thoughts overpower the rationale.

The surprising thing is that the author even had space to add small bits of humour here and there.

It is interesting to see the friendship between Wendy and Ginger develop throughout the book and revelations of their personalities coming through to the fore and just how close they become, all the while the obsession of one author is never far away.

There are also some shady characters such as Uncle Tam and Roddy, who are doing things that Wendy and Ginger get mixed up in, some of which is chilling. 

It all ends in an unexpected way!

I highly recommend this book!

Ginger & Me is a thought provoking, touching story about two vulnerable young women, Ginger and Wendy. It is a book about friendship and obsession. A brilliantly written story told with humour and compassion. Looking forward to reading more by Elissa Soave.

A good debut novel but one that didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I liked the bus characters and would've liked them to have had more a role in the overall plot. The descriptions are great.

Things I liked less are it's overly long for a book where you know what's going to happen and rather repetitive. I also didn't find Wendy's voice convincing at times as it's inconsistent.

This is a minor point but I kept thinking about certain inconsistencies like how on earth did a teenager get a bus drivers licence and then when she drives a car she's really bad at it? And it seems her parents were not well off but she doesn't seem to have any problem eating out every day and buying things even when on no or low income.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

At times I found reading Ginger and Me uncomfortable, but that is because Elissa Soave has done such a brilliant job of bringing Wendy to life and her interpretation of events or situations.

A touching read, I wasnt expecting to feel for Wendy & Ginger as much as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Ginger and Me.

When Wendy lost her mother she struggled. She now has a social worker for support, a home and a job driving buses around her home town but Wendy still struggles to make friends and to look after herself properly. She goes to a local writing group and realises that one author she likes lives close by but there is a difference between liking and author and really being friends. Meanwhile Wendy has made friends with Ginger, a streetwise 15-year old with a lot of baggage.
I really loved this book with its depiction of life on the edge. Wendy is such a sympathetic character, I loved the phrase used about her not being middle-class enough for her problems to be called Asperger's. The rough life that Ginger has is so sad and Wendy is innocent enough to be pulled in to the nastier aspects. However I found the ending a little strange, I realise that something had to happen to move the narrative to an endpoint but it was confused and confusing which is a pity.

Wendy is a 19 year old girl, trying to figure out how to navigate her life after the death of her mother. She doesn’t have any friends apart from the customers on her bus and she doesn’t do much apart from drive her bus. So when she meets Ginger, she seizes the opportunity to build a relationship and maybe have a real friend she can trust in her life.

I really wanted to love this book but I just didn’t. The storyline definitely grabs your attention straight away, Wendy who appears to be a vulnerable woman, possibly autistic, is in prison for a crime that she doesn’t realise how serious and big the situation is and it appears Ginger is the catalyst for this. Wendy has slowly built an obsession for a favourite writer of hers called Diane so you assume that is the reason she has ended up in prison and it was sort of what I was looking forward to the book building up to, but it didn’t.

Although the lifestyle and friendship of Ginger and Wendy is very chaotic and as a reader I sympathised with them both a lot, I just felt like it didn’t go in the direction I was hoping for and sort of ended up a bit flat. There were elements of the storyline I felt quite pointless and Wendy knows Ginger is trouble but at the same time, Ginger is going through something quite terrible and the lack of knowledge Wendy holds for Ginger’s situation is quite frustrating. I must admit towards the end I was sort of skim reading, I just felt like this novel really had potential but it fell flat for me unfortunately.

Elissa Soave has created in Wendy one of the most endearing heroines you can possibly imagine. This novel has it all: it's empathetic, funny, insightful, and heartbreaking.

I will be careful to call this a contemporary ‚coming of age’ story, but in essence, this is what this book is. We learn about the careful friendship that develops between two vulnerable members of society, nineteen year old bus driver Wendy, who has lost both her parents and is trying to navigate her life alone, and fifteen year old Ginger, who is similarly alone. Through their storyline, the author covers some pretty dark themes including human isolation, neglect and abuse but also more uplifting ones such as friendship, ambition and positivity. All are covered with great integrity and sensitivity in very readable prose, so I would highly recommend this book. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the complimentary ARC I received that enabled me to write this book review.

Oh, Ginger and Me broke my heart just a little.

Ginger and Me is really the story of Wendy. She is the square peg and the world is the round hole. She doesn't quite fit in. She is travelling through life not really understanding the rules of society. She goes about her day making social blunders, upsetting some people and putting herself in awkward situations. She makes some friends along the way but that doesn't stop her from getting herself into bother. Wendy has us begging the question of how someone this vulnerable will survive in the real world.

It has been a long time since a character has made me just want to hug them and tke care of them but Wendy was this person for me. She had no one who helped her see the ways of the world and she was just feeling her way around and making the best of every situation. My heart genuinely broke for her. She will be a character I remember for a very long time.

Ginger and Me by Elissa Soave is available now.

For more information regarding Elissa Soave (@elissa_soave) please visit her Twitter account.

For more information regarding HQ (@Hqstories) please visit www.hqstories.co.uk.

Thanks for my copy to review on netgalley. I’ve heard a lot of buzz surrounding this book and it was correct.

I loved this complex story of someone who essentially is lonely and bit lost in her ways .

She steps out of her comfort zone but will it all be plain sailing .

Real ,genuine and relatable look at families and how they aren’t all perfect.

Everyone has their way of escapism but at what cost do you do it ?

A fantastically written book about friendship, identity and not having it all yet figured out…

Full of wit,warmth and pockets of wisdom .

Published 21st July

Oh, Wendy. Oh, Ginger. Oh, Elissa! The three of you have broken my heart.

I was delighted to meet Wendy. Nineteen, neurodiverse, and still processing her grief following her mother’s death, she is cast adrift in the world with no real friends and no real hope. She copes, she coasts, but she’s missing some love and belonging. Enter Ginger, vulnerable to equal yet differing degrees, happy to find a friend in Wendy, and eager to pull her into her own problematic world.

The friendship feels precarious throughout - both of these girls are desperate for a friend and are drawn together by that acute and painful feeling of abandonment. It’s difficult to interpret their reliance on each other as anything other than a lack of options. Neither of them can quite understand the other and the separate world they live in; both minutely focused on their own feelings and obstacles.

Whilst we explore this dynamic, and begin to understand our two fast friends, Wendy becomes interested in creative writing, and soon finds a local author whose work she enjoys reading. Her strong feelings for the author soon quicken into dark behaviours which Wendy believes are perfectly acceptable when they’re coming from a place of love.

There’s so much to be considered and explored here - Soave telling the story through Wendy’s eyes is an important one; to understand not all of us recognise social norms, or can pick up on nuance, to live a while in the world of the neurodiverse, is something many of us can benefit from.

Although a sad and relatively dark story, there is humour peppered around, and a lot of joy. An excellent debut from Soave, something raw and real.

Such a unique story and it was interesting being in Wendy's shoes for a while. It starts at the end with Wendy getting picked up by the police for something we haven't been told yet. It is told from a first person POV (pointofview), Wendy's, and she tells us of how she came to be in that spot.

And of course, because of the title, it's about how her and Ginger become friends. Is Ginger good for her or bad for her? Must read the story to find out!

It has a bit of a coming of age feel, Wendy is 19 and she just lost her mother and we see through her story telling how she is having to grow up as she is now alone in the world.

Really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author in the future!

A tale brilliantly told with rounded characters, a great plot and authentic details. Oh and some great humorous touches - especially love the nod to a certain Scottish writer towards the end. A perfect blend of literary and readable fiction, rooted in reality and a sense of place but with ample twists to keep you guessing.

After the death of her mother, the only person who would remind her of what to do each day, nineteen-year-old Wendy is lost, merely coping through each day. She forgets to buy milk and wants nothing more than to drive the buses for her regulars. Her social worker encourages her to try new things, find a new hobby and meet new people so she joins a writing group. There she learns about Diane, a local writer who encourages women writers.

Then Wendy meets fifteen-year-old Ginger. With her bright orange hair and only one coat, she has little to share but is keen to be friends with Wendy. The two spend the summer together until Wendy realises just how complicated Ginger's life is.

'I was already friends with Diane when I met Ginger, Twitter friends anyway, which still counts, maybe even more so because you have to squeeze so much into your 280 characters and then send them out into the world like Post-it notes in a hurricane, hoping they’d reach their target.' 5%

This has been described as being like to 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman and it reads like the author has read it too. This isn't a problem- they both feature characters that struggle to comprehend the nuance and meet someone who helps them.

However, there's a charm that's missing from Wendy. Her awareness of situations seems to fluctuate which shifts how, as the reader, one feels towards her- whether one empathises or simply sees the difficulty. Every chapter ending with a bleak 'that was when it all went wrong'-style comment becomes mundane, eliminating the thrilling atmosphere it seems to be attempting.

'Eleanor Oliphant' also makes comments on other issues that members of society face, namely women and their perception by men. 'Ginger & Me' does this periodically, exploring sexuality, upbringing and family dynamics, but on a smaller scale.

That sums this book up well- it's a study of Scottish life through the narrow lens of two teenage girls. The hardships Ginger endures are poignant and seeing them through Wendy's filter is interesting, although her slow pace for doing so can be frustrating. This is also true for her actions towards Diane.

Soave's writing style incorporates clever remarks in an easy-to-read manner, making apt comments about society alongside Wendy's faux pas.

What a stunning debut! Wendy is nineteen and a bus driver. Her mother has recently died leaving her alone. She meets Ginger, a vulnerable 15 year old girl, who travels on Wendy's bus one day and the two girls form an intense friendship.

Wendy is a fabulous character and clearly on the spectrum. As with many other young adults like her, she is a rainbow to our rain cloud. I love how they see the world but I despise the way they are, at times, treated by those who are perhaps more ignorant.

This is a definite must read for lovers or This is How We Are Human and Eleanor Oliphant.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories for this brilliant but heart breaking ARC! I loved reading it 😊

Ginger and Me is a story about a nineteen-year-old named Wendy who is in prison for something that wasn't her fault. Wickedly funny, uplifting and also heartbreaking, I'm so pleased I opted to read this début novel. Set in Uddingston, a small place on the outskirts of Glasgow, the characterisation is excellent and I know it will appeal to many. Utterly fantastic, so enjoy!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I was sent a copy of Ginger and Me by Elissa Soave to read and review by NetGalley. I really enjoyed this novel; it was engaging and heartfelt with an emphasis on friendship and obsession. The story is told first person by the main protagonist Wendy, who has a somewhat different take on life, not understanding the finer meanings of peoples’ comments or personal and social boundaries. Well observed and believable, for me this is a book about how the small things you do or say can have a huge impact on someone else’s life.

Book Review
🎈Ginger and Me by Elissa Soave

🎈I just don't know where to begin with this ....
I've never read a book before that has divided my own opinion in such extremities ...

🎈The story is about 19 year old Wendy who is clearly on the autism spectrum. She recently lost her Mum and is having to fend for herself which she is struggling with. Her Saving grace is her job as a bus driver. The story is mostly centered around her struggle fitting in with society and the compounding effect this has on her life, especially once she meets the poor doomed character 15 yr old Ginger

🎈My divided opinion is because there are some beautiful and amusing moments in this book but predominantly it's is bleak, gritty and at times intensely uncomfortable to read but fuck me it's the most compelling book I've read this year.

🎈I think the reason it's had such a profound effect on me is my daughter is 13 and Autistic and I'm scared of how she's cope when I die....and this was all too close to home for me.

Wendy is treated with such shocking distain by so many people and yet that is the reality ....I've seen how people are towards my daughter and if I wasn't there to be her protector she would have experienced similar shit that Wendy has had to deal with. Society as a whole can be very dark, unaccepting and nasty if you don't fit in.

Part of me wanted to run away from the book, the other part of me was hooked, first time in a long time I've stayed up into the night to finish a book.

I want to meet the author and hear all about her motivation and inspiration behind writing such a story.

I will not get over the story in a long time.... And the ending was as the rest of the book was..... No cherries on top or rays of sunshine.... I feel a bit broken after reading it

Well this is another brilliant example of Scottish fiction at its best! Elissa Soave is a name I will certainly be keeping an eye on in the future and I can’t quite believe this is a debut novel; the writing is so good!

Wendy is lonely but coping. All nineteen-year-old Wendy wants is to drive the 255 bus around Uddingston with her regulars on board, remember to buy milk when it runs out and just to be okay. After her mum died, there’s nobody to remind her to eat and what to do each day. But everything changes when Wendy meets Ginger.

The book begins with you knowing something big has happened, but exactly what isn’t revealed until the end. Throughout the pages in between, we find out more about Wendy and read of her blossoming friendship with Ginger. The story is beautiful, and whilst there is lots of sadness in this book, we see Elissa explore themes of diversity and acceptance brilliantly.

Although the author doesn’t explicitly say it, it’s alluded that Wendy is autistic and has trouble reading situations and relating to others. Wendy is such a brilliant character and whilst she can’t see the wrong in her relationships with Diane (another character in the book), she does see her writers group for what they are and is ever so witty with some of her remarks! I found the writing of Wendy to be a breath of fresh air and I became really invested in her, even when it was heartbreaking to read in parts.

This is such a great debut novel and what really made it for me was the brilliant characters! You can really visualise them, having been written so beautifully, and you almost want to reach into the book to give them a big squeeze and stop them from making some heartbreaking mistakes.

I loved this book. I think if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant, you'll love this. Wendy is a lonely 19 year old. Her mum has recently died, so she's living alone and has let the house get shabby and dirty. We meet Wendy in Polmont Prison and don't know what she's done to end up there. When we go back to the beginning of the summer we see her meeting a new friend, 15 year old Ginger. Wendy starts to come out of her shell, and she feels needed. Wendy is a bus driver and enjoys talking to her regulars. Her social worker suggests joining groups, so she joins a writers group where she discovers the work of local author Diane. From here on, Ginger stalks Diane, although she doesn't see it that way - she sees them as fellow writers and friends. The outcome can only ever go one way. Ginger lives with her uncle and the various characters who come by his dodgy flat, including his friend Roddy who is clearly abusing Ginger - she is at her happiest when she spends time with Wendy. For all Wendy's naivety and bluntness, she is a good friend to Ginger, if oblivious to her living problems. Just a beautiful story, funny, poignant and oh so sad.#netgalley #gingerandme