quippe | Entries tagged with non pratt

The Blurb On The Back:

Friends. Music. Lies.

Kaz is still reeling from being dumped by the love of her life.

Ruby is bored of hearing about it. Time to change the record.

3 days.

2 best mates.

1 music festival.

Zero chance of everything working out.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Non Pratt’s second YA novel is an emotionally true story about friendship and love set against the vibrant backdrop of a music festival. At the core is Kaz and Ruby’s friendship and all the love and frustration that comes with caring for each other. Each girl is shown as being vibrant and talented in their own way (although I was a little disappointed that Ruby’s gift for art apparently means she’s not great at exams) but for all their closeness, they still don’t confide their deepest emotions to each other, particularly where boys are concerned. I also liked the rivalry that develops with the introduction of Lauren, a girl who Kaz hits it off with even though she’s dating Tom but who Ruby takes an instant dislike to. The best reason to read this book though is because of the attitude towards sex – there is no moralising here and Pratt does well at showing that it’s possible to have good sex for bad reasons and terrible sex for terrible reasons and neither deserves condemnation. At the same time, a storyline involving Ruby’s gay brother Lee shows that love and sex don’t always go hand in hand and I particularly liked the fact that Pratt doesn’t sugar coat the fact that love doesn’t always equal sexual attraction and people can behave in a selfish and self-destructive way. The depiction of the music festival feels plausible, particularly the prices charged for junk food and the lack of sleep and the way people react to the music and the bands. I felt that the ending was a little too open-ended and lacked resolution for some of the characters but that wasn’t enough to detract from a strong second book. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Pratt does next.

REMIX was released in the United Kingdom on 4th June 2015. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A boy. A girl. A bump. Trouble.

Hannah’s smart and funny … she’s also fifteen and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby?

Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Non Pratt’s debut YA novel is a charming, funny contemporary tale that takes the well worn subject of teen pregnancy and puts a fresh, witty spin on it. It’s refreshing to read a book where the teenage girl likes sex and talks about it in empowering terms and I liked the friendship between Aaron and the grumpy pensioner Neville, particularly the way it’s not built on instant openness. The dialogue is spot on – most notably in the scenes between Katie and Hannah – and there’s a lot of humour here, particularly in Hannah’s ironic, self-deprecating voice. If I have any complaint it’s that there are a couple of places where the pacing slips and I’d have liked a firmer resolution to the storyline involving Hannah and the baby’s father. That said though, this is a strong, entertaining debut and I will definitely read her next book.

TROUBLE will be released in the United Kingdom on 6th March 2014. Thanks to Walker Books for the ARC of this book.