Little Bang is a story about relationships whether it's that between the two main characters or their relationships with their families it's a story of love. In 2018 Ireland repealed the 8th Amendment allowing abortion to be performed in certain circumstances. Six years later Northern Ireland is still fighting for this right. This story captures the story of abortion and often feels like a true story at times. I loved the main characters and how it is told from two different point of views. I would read ANYTHING Kelly writes!

I read this book within 2 days as I couldn't put it down! The story was well-written and emotional, in my opinion the perfect combination of young adult themes & serious topics. Being from Belfast, I could almost always paint an image in my head of the scene taking place and imagine myself in my teenage years.
Would love to see more books similar to this! 10/10

She is the physics-minded girl with the driven, straight-edged parents determined to see her to a good university, and then married to some sad sap from Church. He is the grebo type of metalhead, only doing the minimum to avoid expulsion from school, and taking his ideas in haircuts from Skrillex because there's not been a father around. I don't know how many train tracks there are in Belfast but there're a lot between these two. But one NYE at a glorious outdoor party among friends, they hook up, and as the dawn rises and they end up alone, the inevitable happens. And from then on the key parts of that set-up become the fact this is Belfast, where abortion is still illegal.

I found myself in this quite compelling read thinking one thing, and then just seconds later having the hopefully obvious second thought to negate the first. For I found it stuffed with all the ideas, hiccups, hang-ups and more about teenaged pregnancy – their naivety about doing better than their elders, their surety they'll stay together, the this, the that and the other. I thought it unnecessary to have all those stuffed between two covers – only to think 'dang it, that's the bloody point'. This is a room stuffed with elephants and the book short-changes you if it leaves any out. But… the third thought then becomes, does that actually allow for the book to still be an enjoyable read, and what are we reading this for anyway?

For one, this has to be a teen read – younger and the girl's physics homework and thoughts will sound like gobbledegook. It still might. So how much of this is on the side of informing, and how much is on the side of entertaining? Because, despite all the readability of their initial get-together, the big crunch meet-the-parents meeting is a stagy scene (and if you think that's bad, wait til the debating society), and much that follows it is really just too predictable – to the extent it doesn't need or get foreshadowing but you can see what's coming a mile off.

Ultimately, given the fact this is now a historical novel – set in the years leading up to the 2019 law change – this is not fully about abortion. It is about watching a girl gain (or simply prove) the strength of character that should be evident in all teens mature enough to have sex (in an ideal world at least). And yet as I say this has to find a way to say everything possible about abortion, and those who are in the position to choose it. The fact it manages that without ever fully entering polemic mode is one minor miracle, as is probably the fact that this, for all its flaws, is still of interest and readable to the end. But this is not a read for everyone, and I don't think ultimately it was enough of a success for me.

Fantastic novel from Kelly McCaughrain. An all too familiar tale of a teenage pregnancy, set in a very specific time (2018) and place (Northern Ireland). At the time, an abortion referendum was about to take place in Ireland and all eyes from the characters in this book are on the consequences of that referendum for everyone in Ireland and in Northern Ireland.
What also marks this book apart is the really well drawn relationship between Sid and Mel, pregnant from their first date and trying to make a way from there. Sid was a really endearing character throughout, attempting to be noble but at the end of the just a kid.

Absolutely fabulous - this book deserves to be in every secondary school library across the country. The way in which it handles the issue of teenage pregnancy is expertly written.
Sid is a bit of a naughty kid, can't see the point of school and just wants to be in a band. Mel is the opposite, loves learning, has her heart set on studying physics in Cambridge and spends most of her time thinking about quantum physics and time travel . They start a relationship, and on New Years eve overlooking the Belfast lights, Mel falls pregnant. Sid is determined to prove to society that he can provide for Mel and the baby, planning their lives ahead and taking every job that he can. Mel can't decide what to do, and its not possible to get an abortion in Northern Ireland.
Both Sid and Mel's families have their opinions about what should happen. Mel's family are deeply religious and assume she will raise the baby with their support. Sid's mum is a single parent and has other views on what Mel could decide to do.
The story was perfectly written, the intensity of first love, the determination to prove that you know what you're doing, balanced against the need for help and guidance and someone to tell you once and for all what to do.

One of the first YA books I remember reading (a bit younger than I probably should have been!) was about teen pregnancy, and it's always stuck with me. However I read that book twenty years ago, so even if it was freshly published at the time, it's definitely nice to see an up to date book dealing with that topic. I'm sure there are a lot of other teen pregnancy books out there, but I haven't come across them and I'm glad this is the one that found me all these years later.

I think this handled the topic sensitively and I am very keen to read from this author in future

ollows the dual perspectives of a young Northern Irish couple, Mel and Sid, when following their first sexual encounter Mel becomes pregnant

This is really well written with engaging characters and nuanced discussion around a very complex, contentious issue. Getting the point of view of both characters is fascinating - the young girl who is facing a difficult decision that may derail her ambitious plans for herself, and her young boyfriend who to his credit, decides he can provide a life for his baby and promptly quits school and takes up four different jobs. You really do root for both characters and their very different approach to their situation.

Never did I think I would start 2024 with a YA book about teenage pregnancy and abortion, and one that does,it with true empathy, care and support. Just a stunning read - get this in school libraries everywhere!!

It isn’t often that a YA book discusses teenage pregnancy. It is even rarer for a YA book to tackle teenage pregnancy and the topic of abortion so head-on. Little Bang is an unforgettable and poignant story that I feel everyone will learn something when they read this.

Beneath the New Year’s fireworks, Mel and Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any 16-year-old would expect trouble, but this is Northern Ireland in 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel’s religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid’s feminist mum pushes for a termination.

This story is told from dual POVs and it was certainly interesting to see everything happen from both Mel and Sid’s perspectives. It shows the reader how the pregnancy affects both characters but in completely different ways.

After the pregnancy announcement, although Sid drops out of school, he is still able to make new connections and advance his career. Whereas, Mel’s entire future is put on hold. Mel’s parents blame her for the pregnancy but seem to also ‘expect it’ from Sid. The misogyny and hypocrisy is seen from so many different angles and made me so angry whilst reading it.

No one seems to take into consideration what Sid and Mel want. Especially when it comes to Mel’s future. It would seem that the pregnancy is quite an inconvenience for her parents when it derails the plans they have for her. Mel’s opinion does not seem to matter one bit.

Little Bang is set against the backdrop of the Northern Irish referendum on the legality of abortion. So it makes Mel and Sid’s story even more poignant. This leads to a lot of discussion about the Irish abortion situation. It is an upsetting read but a well-needed read. I’ve got no doubt that this will educate so many readers. It is unsettling to know just how distressing things were up until very recently.

It is also scary to read about the lack of knowledge that the pair and their friends have about contraception. Particularly in a place that expects people to give birth to the children that they conceive. There are several other important discussions too such as parenthood, mental health and life plans.

Kelly McCaughrain has written such an important yet difficult topic in such an extraordinary way. Despite the fact the book covers some extremely hard-hitting and depressing topics she still manages to give the reader some hope. I’ll be reading more books by her in the future.

Overall, Little Bang is a thought-provoking and emotional book. I’m sure it will affect anyone who reads it differently. I would highly recommend giving this one a read. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it and it’s characters for a long time.

This book was a beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking look into Northern Ireland in 2018, before abortion was legalised and people had to travel to England to have an abortion. I was captivated by the characters and their development throughout, especially Mel, pressured from all sides to keep the baby or to have an abortion, with nobody listening to what she wanted. I was happy to see her starting to stand up for herself and not listen to others' opinions quite as much. I would definitely recommend this book, as I thought it was beautifully written and explored a difficult topic very well. A fantastic read!

Conversations about babies have become a little more frequent amongst my friends in the past few years as we approach our thirties. So perhaps the thing I found most remarkable about Little Bang was how much I recognised our fears and uncertainties in a novel written for teens.

Little Bang opens on New Years Eve 2017 as teenagers Mel and Sid meet with friends. After a few drinks, they have sex and start dating. A few weeks later, Mel realised she’s pregnant.

But this is Northern Ireland and abortion is illegal, although the repeal of similar legislation is being debated in Ireland.

Told through dual perspective, Little Bang thrusts the reader into the chaos of this surprise pregnancy along with Sid and Mel.

From the premise I was intrigued but, of course, wary of how such an emotional topic would be explored in YA. But Little Bang manages beautifully – the way possible options were debated amongst the characters felt confused and emotional in the best way. It was the perfect exploration of the messiness of the situation.

I absolutely empathised with Mel’s desire for someone to just take the weight of decision off her shoulders.

As I mentioned before, I saw some of my own thoughts and conversations with friends reflected in Little Bang. Mainly around the way that pregnancy and raising children isn’t really ever equal for men and women, even with the best intentions. This is partly to do with wider social inequalities, something that was so accurately captured in just a few remarks from people to both Sid and Mel.

I’m making this book sound so serious and in some ways it is, but it never felt overly preachy. The heart of the story was always two teenagers in a confusing situation just trying to do their best. It was enjoyable and compulsively readable.

This should be required reading for teens – not because it advocates for any one decision but because it will spark those more nuanced discussions around parenting and pregnancy that my friends and I weren’t having until our late 20s.

Little Bang is the clever, heartfelt and memorable YA that I love to recommend to readers of any age.

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA read. Although the content was serious and heavy, it was great to see the subject being tackled in such a realistic and heartfelt way and, for me, the characters made it. I loved the genuine connection and affection between Sid and Mel and the difference in their upbringing. Lucille was a brilliant character as was Mrs. Edgar but it was Sid who ultimately kept me reading, although I felt deeply for Mel. The theme of science and time travel added an extra layer to the novel and the family dynamics felt so authentic.
I loved what Cassie brought to the plot without having an agenda and the difficult decisions the teens faced, complicated by family opinions, were really laid bare. I have been highly recommending this since I read it and it is definitely a novel I would encourage my daughter to read in a few years time. As with Bloodmoon by Lucy Cuthew it felt progressive in terms of openly discussing taboo subjects which teens so desperately need access to.

I feel like there aren’t many YA books that tackle teenage pregnancy head-on and that perhaps needs to change. This unique story discusses the many facets of this very real, often hushed-up issue and despite being well into adulthood, I feel like I learned a lot through reading it.

On New Year’s Eve 2018, 16-year-olds Sid and Mel have sex and conceive a baby. In Northern Ireland, abortion is illegal but Sid’s mother thinks it’s the best option. However, Mel’s parents are adamant that they keep it. Sid and Mel want to tackle it together but teen pregnancy treats boys and girls differently and things slowly start to crumble.

Sid is a slacker with few career prospects outside of music. Mel on the other hand is academically gifted and has dreams of studying Physics at Cambridge. They are certainly an unlikely couple, which gives their devotion to each other an extra special quality and convinced me that they would make it work.

The book is set against the backdrop of the Northern Irish referendum on the legality of abortion, which makes Mel and Sid’s plight very timely. So, naturally there is a lot of discussion on the Irish abortion situation, which makes for highly depressing reading. However, I’m sure it will educate many readers who don’t realise how dire things were up until extremely recently.

To illustrate how ridiculous abortion sanctions are, there is also some talk about how many children end up in the social care system due to bad or unwilling parents. It’s a really sad situation and one that will only get worse in countries where abortion isn’t freely available. Parenthood isn’t for everyone and sometimes pregnancy is not a result of simple carelessness.

An aspect of the story that really infuriated me was the different treatments that Mel and Sid each endured in the aftermath of the pregnancy announcement. Although he dropped out of school, Sid was able to play music, make new connections and advance his career while Mel’s future was put on hold. Mel’s parents also put so much blame on their daughter while simply seeming to ‘expect’ it of Sid. The hypocrisy and misogyny was so strong from multiple angles and it was really quite gross.

Mel’s future was expected to be full of professional success and her family appeared to have a detailed roadmap for her life. I got the impression that the pregnancy is a huge inconvenience to her parents because it derails the plan and I got really angry at their lack of consideration as to what Mel actually wanted. No doubt this is the kind of battle that young, scared girls fight against their religious, 'respectable’ families all the time.

The lack of knowledge that Mel, Sid and their friends have about contraception and pregnancy tests is also so frightening. In a culture that forces teenagers to give birth to the babies that they conceive, you’d expect them to be equipped with every tool imaginable to prevent it from happening too soon. Thankfully, Mel does eventually get the facts that she needs to make the decision that she feels is right but it took such a long time and no one seemed to be willing to help her.

Little Bang is a moving, thought-provoking book that focuses on characters who are easy to root for in a world that makes life anything but easy for them. It covers so much without being preachy and although I wasn’t expecting the ending, the more I’ve sat with it, the more it seems right. I’m pretty sure I’ll be thinking about Mel and Sid for a while yet!

A moving, honest, and powerful book that handles a teenage girl's choice to have an abortion with nuance and sensitivity. This book is going to make so many young women feel seen and empowered.

Looking forward to reading more by Kelly McCaughrain!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Walker Books for a digital ARC in exchange for a review.

**Some light spoilers ahead**

This was beautifully written. So many YA books don't quite get the voice right, which can be distracting and take you out of the reading experience. Kelly McCaughrain got it exactly right - both Sid and Mel's voices sounded authentic and the characters well developed. I could empathise with both of them, which is impressive when your book is about an issue as divisive as the legalisation of abortion. Having grown up in the UK, I always took it for granted as a teenager that I'd be able to access abortion services if I needed to; living in South Korea, where abortion is heavily stigmatised and not easily available, was the first time I had to consider what I would do if I had an unwanted pregnancy. I'm glad this book didn't shy away from detailing Mel's experience of abortion; the description of her thoughts before and after the procedure are something you don't find in many novels, let alone YA.

The only thing I can really criticise is that Cassie's character felt rather underdeveloped; she felt like more of a plot device than a person, purely there to create conflict between Sid and Mel. Other than that, there's very little to pick out. I'll definitely look at buying a copy for the school library.

This is a book which has been a long time coming. A book for teens and young adults who may be struggling with the reality of an unwanted pregnancy. A book which deals honestly and openly with so many of the issues around abortion - and in particular, the issues in Northern Ireland, of which many readers will be unaware - in a respectful, nuanced and thought-provoking manner.

Sid and Mel's journey through her pregnancy, their conflicting feelings, the reactions of those around them, and her final, very difficult​, decision to travel to England to abort her baby, is handled sensitively and truthfully. Kelly ​McCaughrain gives space for the different attitudes around abortion to be voiced, but makes it clear that ​ultimately only one person has the right to make that decision.

She is a skilled writer who has used the stories ​told to her of un​p​lanned pregnanc​ies in a country where ​u​ntil 2019 it was illegal to ​h​ave an abortion, to inform her story. Access to abortion in Northern Ireland is still ​m​ore difficult​ than in England.

One in three women in the UK - many of them under 18 - will have an abortion during their lifetimes. It should b​e ​the private choice ​of the individual, not one shrouded in secrecy and shame​, and in in my opinion the lack of abortions within storylines of of children's fiction perpetuates this shame and cedes ground to pro-life lobbyists.

This is such an important, ground-breaking book. It is entertaining, thought-provoking and compassionate, and I think it should be in every school and library, educating and supporting young people. Kelly McCaughrain and Walker​ Books are to be applauded for in talking around this taboo topic with honesty, and I hope other publishers will follow suit​.

This book definitely shows the trials and tribulations of teen pregnancy and the conflicting attitudes of people. Enjoyable read overall.

This book really interested me right away especially for our YA section. I read a similar book with a similar theme not to long ago and highly enjoyed it. I think it’s great for young minds to read and see what life entails for a young parent and I think the realistic way the story is told will really resonate with readers.