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imogen_'s review
3.0
The only surprise in this book was that it actually did what I thought it would. It was a mediocre read of a coming-of-age story. In which a fourteen-year-old girl sets out to seek justice for the murder of a boy whose ghost she's met in exchange for the promise to change her life. It speaks of true friendship and the effects of loneliness, alcoholism, bullying and poverty.
It was nice to find a bit of Australia nestled in the pages of a book; while it didn't excite me, I'm happy to have read it nonetheless.
It was nice to find a bit of Australia nestled in the pages of a book; while it didn't excite me, I'm happy to have read it nonetheless.
bookswithbre's review
3.0
3.5/5 stars - Proof/ARC Review
I received Yellow at the Penguin Teen Australia Live event in Adelaide.
Yellow tells the story of fourteen-year-old Kirra Barley, who is having a hard time. Her father left her mother for the door-to-door makeup lady, and her mother is now a raging alcoholic as a result. Not only this, but Kirra's friends are cruel and treat her horribly. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Kirra receives a phone call from a ghost named Boogie. The pair agree that if Kirra solves Boogie's murder, Boogie will help make Kirra popular, among other things.
Yellow was unlike anything I have read before. It takes place in the 1990s in a small coastal town, which was detailed quite well and the beach scenes were some of my favourites. I loved reading about the surfing culture of the town, and the realistic rut that the people seem to be stuck in (the people never leave or try to accomplish bigger things).
The characters were interesting and well-developed. I particularly loved the friendship that developed between three of the characters, and the final scene in which this was shown was wonderful.
The mystery was intriguing and the twist definitely caught me by surprise! Jacobson sure knows how to weave a mystery plot into a contemporary novel.
Overall, Yellow is a fantastic debut novel by Australian author Megan Jacobson. It is complex and unique, and definitely worth the read. If you're looking for a contemporary with a twist, look no further than Yellow! Be sure to pick Yellow up when it is released on February 1st, 2016 (projected release date).
I received Yellow at the Penguin Teen Australia Live event in Adelaide.
Yellow tells the story of fourteen-year-old Kirra Barley, who is having a hard time. Her father left her mother for the door-to-door makeup lady, and her mother is now a raging alcoholic as a result. Not only this, but Kirra's friends are cruel and treat her horribly. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Kirra receives a phone call from a ghost named Boogie. The pair agree that if Kirra solves Boogie's murder, Boogie will help make Kirra popular, among other things.
Yellow was unlike anything I have read before. It takes place in the 1990s in a small coastal town, which was detailed quite well and the beach scenes were some of my favourites. I loved reading about the surfing culture of the town, and the realistic rut that the people seem to be stuck in (the people never leave or try to accomplish bigger things).
The characters were interesting and well-developed. I particularly loved the friendship that developed between three of the characters, and the final scene in which this was shown was wonderful.
The mystery was intriguing and the twist definitely caught me by surprise! Jacobson sure knows how to weave a mystery plot into a contemporary novel.
Overall, Yellow is a fantastic debut novel by Australian author Megan Jacobson. It is complex and unique, and definitely worth the read. If you're looking for a contemporary with a twist, look no further than Yellow! Be sure to pick Yellow up when it is released on February 1st, 2016 (projected release date).
ewalshy's review
4.0
I read this so long ago but it stuck with me as a book I really loved! Want to reread
ps_a22's review
3.0
I loved how this book showed that even a 14-year-old can make a difference in their life despite thinking they have no control. Kirra completely turned her life around and showed that even teenagers can influence the direction their life takes. The murder mystery was also a nice touch. All in all, a nice read
bestdressedbookworm's review
5.0
"Only stupid people aren't scared when they face something dangerous. Courage, real courage, comes from being afraid but doing it anyway"
I loved this book.
It is unlike anything I have ever read, at first it was looking like a story about a bunch of really nasty teenaged picking on the school nerd just because they can. It had me thinking "I may not like this very much, this doesn't seem like my thing" but as the story line progressed I started to see the real characters.
the subtext and underlying messages of this book are as powerful as the words on the pages.
I loved this book.
It is unlike anything I have ever read, at first it was looking like a story about a bunch of really nasty teenaged picking on the school nerd just because they can. It had me thinking "I may not like this very much, this doesn't seem like my thing" but as the story line progressed I started to see the real characters.
the subtext and underlying messages of this book are as powerful as the words on the pages.
carolinethereader's review
4.0
FOURTEEN year old Kirra is struggling with her friends in school. They keep trying to change who she is and are just rude in general. Kirra's mother is an alcoholic and their life at home is falling apart. At the end of another horrible day, Kirra sits on the beach and wallows in sadness. The phone booth near her starts ringing and when she answers it, the ghost inside tells her that he will help her fix her life if she can solve his murder.
This story was honestly so addictive and I really enjoyed it. You can find my review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJImojBM-FY on my youtube channel where I talk about it in a little more depth. The story sounds bizarre but this is actually a beautiful story about a young girl coming into her own and becoming comfortable with herself. Such an excellent example of Aussie YA fiction!
This story was honestly so addictive and I really enjoyed it. You can find my review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJImojBM-FY on my youtube channel where I talk about it in a little more depth. The story sounds bizarre but this is actually a beautiful story about a young girl coming into her own and becoming comfortable with herself. Such an excellent example of Aussie YA fiction!
kateinoz's review
4.0
Probably 4.5 stars.
Beautiful book with characters who jump off the page and tug your heartstrings. Can't wait to read Megan's next book.
Beautiful book with characters who jump off the page and tug your heartstrings. Can't wait to read Megan's next book.
elizatheearthling's review
2.0
41 shits were given in this book.
No, really, 41. By shits, I mean the protagonist thinking “Shit” to herself over something that happens in the book. I can’t say that it added much to the story. Unfortunately, that’s more shits than I gave this book, though I wanted to care more about it.
Seeing this in the bookshop, I was enthralled by the beautiful cover and was then intrigued by the book’s premise. I was so excited to read a story that explored some dark themes, such as bullying and substance abuse, but with an added supernatural element (I love me a good – or not so good - ghost). However, as I cringed my way through reading the first chapter, I had a feeling that I’d be disappointed.
The book is not badly written, but I found the author’s writing to be somewhat clunky and stilted. I felt like the author was trying to explain the protagonist’s thoughts, feelings and actions, rather than describe them, so that was clear to the reader that the protagonist would always react a certain way to a certain situation. It left little room for subtlety. It was like the author had forgotten the “show don’t tell” rule. Though there were a few paragraphs throughout that I thought really captured some beautiful description, the writing didn’t captivate me.
Our protagonist was better. The book is narrated by Kirra, a lonely fourteen year-old girl with yellow eyes (I did not like this motif as I don’t think it added any depth to Kirra’s experience, it was just a cool thing to identify her by). Kirra’s friends bully her, her parents are negligent and she struggles with self-doubt. Though it is quite clear from the beginning of the book what lesson she is going to learn, it was good to see Kirra develop confidence in herself and build authentic friendships as the story progressed. This is not to say that she didn’t make mistakes along the way, but she persevered through all the crap that she went through and I was glad that she was in a better place at the end of the book. I think that Kirra’s a reasonable role model as she sends a good message to people struggling with feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression: “I’m still shy… and I might always be, I don’t’ know, but I think you can be shy and still feel okay about yourself at the same time.”
None of the other characters really stuck with me. Kirra’s mother is an alcoholic for most of the book, so when that went away I felt like there wasn’t much left in regards to characterisation as she had been so defined by her drinking problem. I didn’t really have a feel for who she was behind the drinker, which was a shame, especially since her character actually turns out to be a major factor in the story. It was similar with the other characters; Kirra’s father’s defining trait is that he’s a surfer, the school mean girls are just as they sound, and the love interest is barely present so of course we don’t learn much about him other than through his little monologues that pop up out of nowhere. Kirra’s friend Willow could be entertaining and I admired how she did her own thing, but her voice could seem a bit forced with how she’d refer to Kirra with pet names. It felt very much like an adult trying to be “hip and with it” through writing a teenage character who uses terms that very few teenagers would actually use, even if it was set in the 90s.
Now, the ghost. I did see the twist coming. I’m still not sure about how things ended with Boogie, whether that was right thing for Kirra to do in the end or not, but I do think it’s keeping in line with the book’s message.
Yellow isn’t a book that will stay with me nor a book that I would read again, but it did explore some interesting themes. I’m just disappointed it wasn’t quite the ghost story I was thought it would be.
If you’ve read this, let me know what you think:
If she hadn’t, Boogie would have just stayed in his limbo state and could very well have tried to have another person die so that they’d be with him, so I understand why Kirra forgiving him was a neat way to tie up the end with Boogie rather than leaving this unresolved. BUT, I’m not sure if Kirra should have forgiven Boogie or not. He committed suicide and blamed Judy for it, and then he tried to have Kirra die. He had long enough to realise his mistake with blaming Judy and making her feel guilty, but then he manipulated Kirra. Perhaps the forgiveness has less to do with Boogie deserving it, though, and more to do with Kirra needing to be able to let go. I also have mixed feelings about Judy not having anything with Boogie resolved either: it could have been interesting for her to have talked to him but I don’t know if that would have suited the tone of the story as it was more about Kirra’s relationship with Boogie, not Judy’s. What do you think?
No, really, 41. By shits, I mean the protagonist thinking “Shit” to herself over something that happens in the book. I can’t say that it added much to the story. Unfortunately, that’s more shits than I gave this book, though I wanted to care more about it.
Seeing this in the bookshop, I was enthralled by the beautiful cover and was then intrigued by the book’s premise. I was so excited to read a story that explored some dark themes, such as bullying and substance abuse, but with an added supernatural element (I love me a good – or not so good - ghost). However, as I cringed my way through reading the first chapter, I had a feeling that I’d be disappointed.
The book is not badly written, but I found the author’s writing to be somewhat clunky and stilted. I felt like the author was trying to explain the protagonist’s thoughts, feelings and actions, rather than describe them, so that was clear to the reader that the protagonist would always react a certain way to a certain situation. It left little room for subtlety. It was like the author had forgotten the “show don’t tell” rule. Though there were a few paragraphs throughout that I thought really captured some beautiful description, the writing didn’t captivate me.
Our protagonist was better. The book is narrated by Kirra, a lonely fourteen year-old girl with yellow eyes (I did not like this motif as I don’t think it added any depth to Kirra’s experience, it was just a cool thing to identify her by). Kirra’s friends bully her, her parents are negligent and she struggles with self-doubt. Though it is quite clear from the beginning of the book what lesson she is going to learn, it was good to see Kirra develop confidence in herself and build authentic friendships as the story progressed. This is not to say that she didn’t make mistakes along the way
Spoiler
eg. going to McGinty’s house to investigate after she suspects he’s killed someone – I couldn’t stop hitting the book against my head when she did this; if he was the murderer in a horror movie she would surely be deadNone of the other characters really stuck with me. Kirra’s mother is an alcoholic for most of the book, so when that went away I felt like there wasn’t much left in regards to characterisation as she had been so defined by her drinking problem. I didn’t really have a feel for who she was behind the drinker, which was a shame, especially since her character actually turns out to be a major factor in the story. It was similar with the other characters; Kirra’s father’s defining trait is that he’s a surfer, the school mean girls are just as they sound, and the love interest is barely present so of course we don’t learn much about him other than through his little monologues that pop up out of nowhere. Kirra’s friend Willow could be entertaining and I admired how she did her own thing, but her voice could seem a bit forced with how she’d refer to Kirra with pet names. It felt very much like an adult trying to be “hip and with it” through writing a teenage character who uses terms that very few teenagers would actually use, even if it was set in the 90s.
Now, the ghost. I did see the twist coming
Spoiler
Although I suspected that Boogie/Robert was trying to kill Kirra because of a deep resentment of and desire for revenge on Kirra’s mother since she rejected him, not because he was lonely and wanted a friendYellow isn’t a book that will stay with me nor a book that I would read again, but it did explore some interesting themes. I’m just disappointed it wasn’t quite the ghost story I was thought it would be.
If you’ve read this, let me know what you think:
Spoiler
Do you think that Kirra should have forgiven Boogie?If she hadn’t, Boogie would have just stayed in his limbo state and could very well have tried to have another person die so that they’d be with him, so I understand why Kirra forgiving him was a neat way to tie up the end with Boogie rather than leaving this unresolved. BUT, I’m not sure if Kirra should have forgiven Boogie or not. He committed suicide and blamed Judy for it, and then he tried to have Kirra die. He had long enough to realise his mistake with blaming Judy and making her feel guilty, but then he manipulated Kirra. Perhaps the forgiveness has less to do with Boogie deserving it, though, and more to do with Kirra needing to be able to let go. I also have mixed feelings about Judy not having anything with Boogie resolved either: it could have been interesting for her to have talked to him but I don’t know if that would have suited the tone of the story as it was more about Kirra’s relationship with Boogie, not Judy’s. What do you think?