fictionalkate's review against another edition
5.0
Tess is desperate. She hasn't spoken to her family in years, no one in town knows she exists and her partner's lifestyle isn't healthy for anyone - let alone Tess' three year old daughter. Feeling alone and frightened, Tess does something drastic. She hitches a ride with a half-blind one legged former musician with no real plan except to be as far away as possible.
Stay With Me is a beautifully written, heartfelt and heartbreaking story about one woman's journey home. This is a book which will stay with me (no pun intended) for a long time. I think it's a testament to the author that for most of this book I was whole heartedly afraid for Tess and her daughter. The danger they are in is palpable and I loved the emotions I felt whilst reading their story.
This book is realistic new adult fiction at its best. Tess is twenty one and already feels trapped by the decisions she made. She alienated herself from her family for a much older boy in a town thousands of kilometers away. She has a little girl who depends on Tess for everything and a partner who is handy with his fists. Haunted by her family's past, Tess makes the difficult decision to try and find her way back and find a future.
Tess' past, an ancestor with whom she shares a name and Tess' current situation are interwoven beautifully to deliver a rich and emotional read. I was surprised to like Tess as much as I did. She's very much a victim of life yet despite everything she's not defeated. Nell, her daughter, was the quintessential toddler complete with darling moments and times when she is just fed up with everything. Harry, their getaway driver, was almost too good to be true yet he was a perfect addition to the story.
Stay With Me was a pleasure to read. Vividly realistic, heartbreaking and terrifying all at the same time - this beautiful novel was gripping and a must read for fans of well written intelligent young adult fiction.
Many thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy.
Stay With Me is a beautifully written, heartfelt and heartbreaking story about one woman's journey home. This is a book which will stay with me (no pun intended) for a long time. I think it's a testament to the author that for most of this book I was whole heartedly afraid for Tess and her daughter. The danger they are in is palpable and I loved the emotions I felt whilst reading their story.
This book is realistic new adult fiction at its best. Tess is twenty one and already feels trapped by the decisions she made. She alienated herself from her family for a much older boy in a town thousands of kilometers away. She has a little girl who depends on Tess for everything and a partner who is handy with his fists. Haunted by her family's past, Tess makes the difficult decision to try and find her way back and find a future.
Tess' past, an ancestor with whom she shares a name and Tess' current situation are interwoven beautifully to deliver a rich and emotional read. I was surprised to like Tess as much as I did. She's very much a victim of life yet despite everything she's not defeated. Nell, her daughter, was the quintessential toddler complete with darling moments and times when she is just fed up with everything. Harry, their getaway driver, was almost too good to be true yet he was a perfect addition to the story.
Stay With Me was a pleasure to read. Vividly realistic, heartbreaking and terrifying all at the same time - this beautiful novel was gripping and a must read for fans of well written intelligent young adult fiction.
Many thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy.
imaginethisreader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Drug use
misskjm's review against another edition
5.0
Maureen McCarthy has done a wonderful job of depicting domestic abuse in "Stay With Me"- almost too well! As a victim of abuse myself (emotional abuse, mainly), I sometimes found it emotionally distressing as I saw some similarities between my own relationship with my ex and that of Tess and Jay's. Sometimes I had to put this book down and take a breather because it was quite frightening for me. Which is why I loved it. This is a no-holds-barred look at an all-too-common occurrence in Australian society and I am glad that we have this book to rip open the wound and speak up for victims of abuse. I can never know how a victim of such severe physical violence feels- I left before my relationship got that bad- but I would like to thank Ms. McCarthy for this bold novel. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!!
mandi_m's review against another edition
4.0
A gripping look at a young woman fleeing an abusive relationship. We see how she fell for her partner and all the ways control slowly set in, and also how hard it was to leave. The characters are real and engaging and the bonds of family are pushed as her sisters try to help her after her flight, which is obviously only part of the struggle.
elleceeveee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
amrap's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful and harrowing novel about Tess and her escape from a violent partner. I loved the motif of the legacy her great-grandmother left and the family dynamics that led to her fateful decisions.
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