SH!T BAG was a hilarious, hopeful but also brutally honest look at living with an ileostomy bag. It is an excellent YA contemporary story, with a strong coming of age narrative intertwined with refreshingly nuanced disability representation.

This was just such a refreshingly honest and no holds barred look at life with a disability, particularly with living with an ileostomy bag. Freya’s journey was so authentic, going through that process of learning to live with and accept your condition. It is a heart-breakingly raw and vulnerable process, with various emotions and rollercoaster moments along the way. Knox imbues every page with that vivacious and sometimes sardonically humorous outlook. It is very Fleabag style, with that wry smile to the reader. The writing style is so easy to follow and flows impeccably well, with pacing and character development that shines.

I completely lost myself in Freya’s story, rooting for every character and losing a little piece of my heart to each of them. She was a cracking protagonist, guiding you through this journey alongside every one of her painful, passionate and precarious steps. It was just so nice to see disability and chronic conditions treated with such nuance and for every character to be three-dimensional, flawed and just messily human. There is such a tendency to stereotype disabled people and forget to treat them as the people they are, making this representation just sing with joy. This is a book that delves a lot into a specific chronic condition, but as Freya learns, this is not what should solely define you. Knox is creating an impactful statement and doing it through love and humour, which fills me with happiness and hope for future representation.

SH!T BAG is quintessential YA: funny, flirtatious and fabulously frank story that deserves so much love.

Xena Knox has written a fierce, flawed main character in Freya, shining a light on a little acknowledged topic in YA writing. 'Sh!t Bag' is the nickname cruel classmates (including her ex-boyfriend!) have started spreading about her following surgery to fit a temporary ileostomy bag. Suddenly, a summer training with her hockey team turns into shipped off into the highlands to bond with teenagers who have conditions similar to hers. Freya is determined not to get attached and reverse her surgery ASAP because she needs to be "normal" again.

Don't get me wrong, Freya is often INFURIATING in this book. But that is what makes her a real teenager whose life has just been turned upside down. She is rude to her campmates, refuses to learn how to care for her bag and obsessed with torturing herself looking at photos of the hockey trip on Instagram. That is the beauty of this book - not only does it display the reality of living with conditions like this but also gives Freya so much room to grow.

I would recommend this to anyone, but especially teenagers so that we can normalise living with an ileostomy bag and contribute to myth-busting in the real world. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all can we applaud the author for having teenagers speak and behave like actual teenagers and not middle aged adults! 👏🏼 secondly how Freya handled the ignorance she receives is wonderful, having a brother with learning difficulties it’s lovely to see books branching out and doing something different & writing teenage conflict based around additional needs no matter what said needs are & showing different approaches for the resolve! This was educational and entertaining.

Many thanks to Hachette and NetGalley for a digital ARC in return for a review.

This was a very enjoyable educational read. I confess to not knowing much about ostomies or any of the medical apparatus that comes with that prior to reading, and I can't recall any books I've read in which one of the characters is living with a condition such as this. That alone goes to show how necessary this book is, and I hope lots of people give it a read. It wasn't perfect - some of the dialogue felt overly expository - but it was a nice easy read and should hopefully give those who read it some insight into what it's like dealing with an ostomy bag or pouch.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This book was okay at times, i couldn't connect to the storyline or characters. I enjoyed the writing style and some parts however it was not my favourite.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

Received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review…

It’s a high 3 from me to be fair - I think it’s a little more teen than YA but that’s absolutely fine. The story reads really well and I got through it in just a couple of sittings.
It was a really educational but also fun look at ostomies, and other gut related issues, from a perspective I hadn’t seen before (no one really talks about young people needing colostomy bags).
Freya’s emotional arc was really important too.

It was funny, and witty and teenagers spoke like actual teenagers which is always a plus point for me.

That said, there were a few bits that made me a bit squeamish (totally my privilege, but I couldn’t help it) but we learn!

What a treat this was!

At the start I was so frustrated with Freya's refusal to even consider changing her own bag - why should her mum/nurses always have to do it? But I also understand part of this was her struggling to accept it.
I was diagnosed with colitis myself very recently and it was honestly so refreshing to read about people with bowel conditions and for it to be openly talked about. Some parts were so informative which I really appreciated, and I think a lot of young people could learn from this, and that ostomies can be life saving.
I really felt for Freya having to deal with the ignorant people in her school, but was equally proud of how she learnt to handle it and take it in her stride. The book was a real journey for Freya and I loved watching her grow throughout.

If you're looking for a YA novel that's fresh, hilarious, and poignant all at once, "SH!T BAG" is definitely worth checking out. Freya, the main character, is a former hockey player whose life takes a turn for the worse when she ends up with a temporary ileostomy bag on her stomach. Her dreams of the perfect summer go down the toilet, and she's sent to a "Poo Camp" for kids with bowel disease to "bond". As if that weren't enough, someone has started calling her "Sh!t Bag", and it's catching on.

What I loved about this book is how it deals with tough topics in a way that's both humorous and real. Freya's sarcastic humour makes her a lovable character, and her journey of self-discovery is both heartwarming and relatable. It's refreshing to read a book that tackles taboo topics like ileostomy bags and colostomy bags in a way that educates and normalizes them. Being a teenager is hard enough without having to deal with health issues, and "SH!T BAG" does a great job of exploring the challenges that young people with gut diseases face.

SH!T BAG" is a well-written, entertaining, and thought-provoking novel that will keep you hooked from start to finish. If you're tired of reading books about perfect lives and want something that's both funny and meaningful, this is the book for you. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've got to say that I've never read a book with this disability rep and it was refreshing to finally see it. I don't know much or anything about what it's like to live with a stoma but the book did such a great take on this while keeping the character relatable. The content is serious but is dealt with humour and heart. I think people will be lucky to read this novel.

Freya used to be a hockey player, and now that her gut burst into pieces and she needs to use ileostomy bag she no longer knows who she is and where she belongs. Also it so happens that her (ex) boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend. Freya is devastated and disgusted by her bag, and hopes to undergo another medical procedure that according to her will bring her life back to normal. Two months after shit hit the fan and her life's changed completely Freya is sent to a 'shit camp' to socialise with other teenagers with similar health issues. There she introduces herself as a Shit Bag, a nickname she overheard her ex boyfriend saying, and makes new friends. Getting to know other people with gut diseases broadens her mind and gives her new options. Meeting Chris, a rugby player with a permanent ileostomy bag, makes Freya regain her confidence and gives her hope to play hockey again.

I loved this book for soo many reasons. First of all, it's utterly funny! I find Freya being sarcastic totally lovable, I know what it's like to be hospitalised, to have your life changed completely and this is how it feels. You are ironic and sarcastic at the same time.
Secondly, we need more books about shitty things that happen in our lives and how to deal with them. I'm really tired of reading books about perfect lives of other people.
Finally, the book is really well-written and you will definitely read it at one go. Sooo, goo and get it!

𝐒𝐡!𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐠 - 𝐗𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐱

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯－𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳－𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘨， 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘵．

▫️This book was humorous and real all at the same time. It is a great YA book, educating and normalising ileostomy bags and colostomy bags.

▫️Being a teenager is hard at the best of times and to feel isolated and insecure about conditions like these one’s can have a huge effect on a young adult.

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴． - 𝘼 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙤-𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡.

▫️This book is witty, well written and fun! I wish I had read this in my younger years and educated myself more on these common disabilities and conditions that people have to go through and stepping into their shoes for a short moment and the struggles and challenged they have to face and over come!

𝙸 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟺 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜. ⭐️

▫️Because it was a YA I found it quite a quick and easy read. I think if I had read this when I was younger it would have been given the full 5 stars purely because there aren’t enough books out there for YA like this one!

Really looking forward to acquiring this and sharing my full review and thoughts soon. As someone going through these issues now I think this will be extremely relatable to readers and I cannot wait to share.