Fragments of Youth

This looks sooo good especially for a areas now choice. I’ve been loving books like this especially since Daisy Jones & The Six and this looks really good! Can’t wait to share more!


It’s the mid 90s; sleepy British suburbia. Will Green is a teenage songwriter who wants nothing more than to be on Top of the Pops and gracing the cover of the NME with his band SharpShooter. Still reeling from his father's death, being on stage provides him with vital escapism from the day-to-day reality of dealing with his heavy-drinking mother and caring for his little sister Izzy.

When it comes to relationships, Will is living in the shadow of best friend and tempestuous lead singer Jake. That’s until he meets Amy, a girl with headstrong aspirations of her own, who seemingly sees him for who he really is.

As SharpShooter embark on a riotous tour of the UK, Will must navigate tragedy and temptation to keep both his band together and first love alive.

Lovely nostalgic read for lovers of music and the nineties. A great read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I was surprised by how much I couldn't put this down. It was slow, and kind of moseyed along at its own pace but it felt genuine. The emotions, especially about Jake, were real and intense. It feels like the prologue to a 'going back to the one he can't forget' romance novel (and I love those).

This was a really well done book. It's a bit heavier than what I normally read and I truly felt that a few times throughout the book, but I'm glad that I read it. The characters were written well, I'm a sucker for anything British character or atmosphere based, and I thought the author carried out their arcs well. Would recommend, Almost reminded me a bit of the upbringing for some of the Beatles.

The book is slow to get into at the start, but I'm so glad I pushed through and finished it with a day. The writing is filled with so much details, it's phenomenal! I love seeing how Will and Amy started out as stranger and how their relationship progresses throughout the book. I had to constantly remind myself that it is set in the 90s', because I was so used to books with texting and a lot of technologies involved. It's a great reminder and reminiscence of how "slow" a relationship used to be and how people used to really get to know someone physically - honestly I can't say I don't miss that.

This book started out with the promises of a better future and slowly slipped into loss, grief, losing oneself and slowly finding themselves again. It has a sort of open ending and while I'll be more than happy to read what will happen to Will next, I guess it makes sense that it ended this way, because the future is always unknown, just like the situation with Will and his career, and Will with Amy.

This also contains a lot of jargons that people who do have experience with musical instruments may have difficulties understanding it. These takes up a relatively large portion every time the band performs, which in my opinion, is not essential in moving the story forward, but these details differentiates this book from the other music-based novels.

Highly recommend for people who is searching for an easy, music-based read, people who wishes to reminiscence about the 90s', and people who likes the burn of loss, grief, and the searching into the unknown for a better future.

Fragments of Youth is the cute coming-of-age story of Will Green, 17, who dreams of making it big with his band SharpShooters, for whom he plays the guitar and writes songs. Although the storytelling mainly focuses on Will and, to a lesser extent, Amy, it occasionally veers off to provide insights into other characters' thoughts or feelings, which was slightly odd, but not unpleasant. I particularly enjoyed the music theme - I felt like I could hear the SharpShooters play in my head - and it reminded me of my youth. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book!

With thanks to netgalley and the publisher and the author Richard Williams

I really enjoyed Fragments of Youth and finished the book with in a day, I couldn’t put it down.

Fragments of Youth is mainly a love story between the two main characters, Will and Amy and the ups and down of their relationship. It also a story about the bonds of friends and how they affect people.

The book is also an ode to all things 90s.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Tragic story, a little disjointed.

A fantastic debut novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters and going on their journeys with them. As well as the great characters and story really enjoyed the nods and references to late 90s life evoking a lot of nostalgia.