Review #5 : Invisible Boys by Holden Shepherd.  
Published by Freemantle Press 2019
If you don’t want to know what it’s like to grow up gay, then don’t read this book. But if you would like your eyes opened and your heart touched then Invisible Boys is the novel you need. Writing with visceral prose and raw honesty Holden Shepherd takes us into the world of his invisible boys, forcing us to understand and to care about their lives.

The novel begins when Charlie, teen rocker and defiant bad boy, is found in the closet of a married man (nice pun there, Holden). A meeting with the despairing Matt, confrontations with the football-bully, Hammer and the good Italian boy, Zeke, and the story is off and running, taking us into a world of internet porn, shower-room bullying, Italian weddings and school dances.  The romance, sex, awkward conversations and outright confrontations are all compelling reading as Shepherd gives us the ingredients of any teen’s life, complicated and intensified by the difficulty of being gay. But my favourite scene is the four boys on the rooftop, talking and drinking, kissing and egging the people below, invisible to the rest of the town. It’s sweet, funny and a bit aggressive, a perfect summary of the friendship and romance that runs through the book.
 
Charlie and Matt, Zeke and Hammer, the book gives us four very different people with different stories and whether you like them or hate then there is no doubt you are seeing a fully realised character and hearing a story that rings with truth. Personally, I admired Charlie’s courage and was constantly touched by his sweetness, I loved watching Zeke grow from a nervous geek to a man with integrity and strength and would have gone way to avoid Hammer. Not because he was gay, or because he refused to acknowledge it, but because he was a bit of a dick. And that’s one of the great pleasures of this book, unlike so many modern stories, there’s no narrowing of character to a single issue. Hammer, Zeke, Charlie and Matt have virtues and flaws and though being gay is a vital part of who they are, it’s not all they are.

​Invisible Boys is a powerful, honest and brilliantly written novel which deserves all the praise and attention it has received. If you’re collecting a bookshelf of modern YA classics, then Invisible Boys is a must-have addition
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For my previous review 'Making Friends with Alice Dyson'  click here

Do you like reading for pleasure? Settling down in the 40-degree heat with a plate of turkey roast, an overworked air conditioner and a book that you know you’re going to enjoy? If the answer is yes, then make sure Making Friends with Alice Dyson in your Christmas stocking.

On the surface this is a traditional YA love story between nerdy good-girl Alice and the schools bad-boy Teddy Taualai. Alice is busy working hard at her schoolwork, Teddy is busy trying to get Alice to notice him, and when a video of them dancing together goes viral it seems that Alice just can’t get rid of him. Add in a drunken party and a best friend who wants to be popular and you have all the elements of classic teen romance.

If Making Friends with Alice Dyson was nothing more than ‘girl meets boy’ it would still be a beautifully written love story but Poppy Nwosu gives us so much more than that. As the title hints this book is as much about friendship as it is about love. As Alice says: ‘It makes me wonder if that’s
all love is, just the same as being friends.’

There’s an earthy realism to Nwosu’s writing that balances the essential sweetness of the story. Images like Teddy Taualai crunching an apple, all sweaty from playing soccer, or the messy aftermath of a drunken party complement the romance to create a book that is not only heart-warming but both solid and sweet, like a well-cooked cinnamon bun.

And I loved how emotionally brave her three main characters were. Teddy is so exuberant, so willing to admit what he feels that it’s no wonder Alice can’t shake him off. And May, her best friend, makes mistakes and admits them. Her lines to Alice after May’s attempted romance are some of my favourite in the book: ‘But I don’t regret liking him…No obviously I regret liking him because he’s an idiot, but I don’t regret that I did like someone.’

Alice talks a lot about how overwhelmed she feels, about how much braver May is than her and yet we see her grow into a girl who will take chances for love. Not the stupid, immature chances that lead to tragedy but the courageous decision to work at a relationship that is worth fixing. And she holds onto her own dream s while she makes places in her heart for her friends. Now that is a heroine worth imitating.

Sweet and solid, real and brave, this is a book worth reading. So, before the year ends get into a bookshop and pick up a copy, you won’t regret it.

I loved Cece’s Wesley Booth Super Sleuth, so I approached Twin Spin with every expectation of enjoyment.

I wasn’t disappointed. Twin Spin has everything a middle grade reader could want. Fun and completely different sisters, a ditsy best friend, a famous teen rap band, the right amount of romance and adults whose evil ways are redeemed by the teen heroes.

And twins. Identical twins must be one of the staples of middle grade imagination and as a girl who spent most of her pre-teen years with an imaginary twin, I was pleased to see the trope handled with panache.

The first protagonist Anna opens the story with a heartfelt complaint about her twin sister Steff “stealing her identity”. In keeping with her obsession with organisation she tells us precisely how this crime was committed before the story takes us to Steff’s OMG moment as she meets her favourite rap band in her sister’s identity as a teen TV reporter.

Enter a ditsy fan, an aggressive band manager, the cute rap artist Hamish and an accident that has “Anna” receive a black eye on camera and the story is off and running. Now the twins have to stay swapped for a week, Steph has to rescue her sisters TV career  (and save the band who may be breaking up) while Anna, who never does anything without a plan, has to perform as the lead artist in a rap contest.

No-one could call the plot realistic but that’s one of the reasons I loved it. In a world where more and more preteens are succumbing to anxiety and depression Twin Spin is a breath of candy scented air, a taste of the joyous fun of childhood. And amidst the rap stars and happy endings the twins learn some valuable lessons. Anna learns to trust herself and let go, Steff learns there are times when planning can help and that she can’t always do what she wants without consequences. It’s a message we all need to hear enclosed is a rollicking story that anyone can enjoy.

This is a great read for tweens and when you’re racing around this December don’t forget to add Twin Spin to your Christmas shopping list.

Alec is hitchhiking to Alice, when the car he’s in turns off the road. Now he’s trapped, the heat pounding against the windscreen, the car charging down a track on the way to nowhere when the driver offers him the only explanation he’s going to get. ‘Zip it,’ he said. ‘I picked you up for one reason and one reason only. And it weren’t for your company.’
                At that point I was hooked.
                S. J. Morgan’s Hide flips between a bikie share-house in Cardiff and the Australian outback as it tells the story of how Alec ended up on that deserted highway. On the way we meet Minto and his biker mates; Alec’s ex-navy Dad; his Mum still mourning the loss of her daughter and Alec’s girlfriend Daniella. I loved Daniella’s strength and humanity but it’s Minto’s girl Sindy who really steals the show. Morgan presents the fourteen-year-old bikie chick with no trace of sentimentality and yet Sindy is oddly appealing and I found it easy to see why Alec and his family wanted to help her.
From the moment Sindy enters the story, standing naked outside Minto’s door, with matted hair and a body odour problem the stage is set for disaster. Alec’s parents offer help and the twists and turns of the plot begin.
Hide offers the reader a thrilling and complex story grounded in the details of real life. It’s scary, touching and always engaging. Just make sure you have a night to spare, this is not a book you will want to put down.