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tiredgirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.5
I read this with the Book Club I run at my school - hence why it took us from March until now to read it! We meet once a week after school and read together; it’s very wholesome! The kids all really enjoyed it and found it quite emotional - at times they’d shout out about something that happened with such emotion, it was so lovely to see how much they cared about the characters. From them, they said that the characters were very real and they really cared about them, especially Jake. They thought that the way he and his disabilities were represented was fantastic and they learnt a lot. The storyline was exciting, especially the ending, and they thought it built very well.
For me, it was a tad too long - while I enjoyed the characters and plot, I felt that a lot of it was repeated, especially as most of it was told from Maudie’s mind so her repetitive inner monologue was a bit much. The plot was also a *tad* unbelievable, but that might be because I’m very much seeing it from an adult’s point of view. Other than that, it was a satisfying read and clearly teenagers get a lot out of it!
sarah621's review against another edition
Reading for BB&B, not interested enough to finish
christy_lauren's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really loved this book it was full of hope, loss, grief, joy and togetherness :)
sophiemattholie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
xabbeylongx's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Spoilers Ahead:
This book is a beautiful book. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up, but I thought it was such a gorgeous read.
We follow Maudie and Jake throughout this story. Maudie is Jake’s big sister, and Jake has disabilities, specifically with his speech. Even though he’s a teenager, he is treated like, essentially, a child. Their dad passed away from illness a while ago, and they’re all struggling with it, but Maudie’s mum seems to be coping the worst. Jake shuts it out, and Maudie has to cope with it for her family’s sake. But, when her mum goes missing, and she enlists her sister’s, Eve’s help, and all she does is send him off to a foster carer, Maudie knows what she must do.
She kidnaps Jake, and heads off to Cornwall, which is the last place they were all happy together as a family.
When they get there, the house they were going to stay in (belonging to Liv’s - Maudie’s best friend’s - aunt) is already occupied, and so they had to find a caravan park. They were getting complaints of noise - Jake doesn’t like showers - and so they were moved to a more private part of the park by the owners. Brae, the owner, had a nephew called Gerren, whom Jake didn’t like at first, just wanted to be friends, but he wasn’t the most accepting when it came down to Jake’s disability - he wasn’t mean on purpose, but he just didn’t know how to handle Jake at first.
When Jake thinks he spots his mum, they spend the rest of the trip trying to find her. They spot blood along the beach on their last day, and they follow it, searching for their mum. Unbeknownst to them, they find the tide has rolled in. Maudie’s mum is borderline unconscious, as she slipped and smacked her head, and they have to wait for someone to come and rescue them. Eventually, a helicopter comes and rescues them.
They realise that everything that happened with them, her mother falling apart on them, was that they weren’t moving on from what happened to their dad/husband. They all agree to mourn him properly, and they do so together, and they still remain friends with Brae and Gerren! I think Maudie even gets to be more than friendly with him, if you catch my drift.
This book is so beautiful, and I’m so glad it was written. Hearing Jake’s POV, knowing that it was based on Darbon’s own brother’s story, is amazing. I think there’s so much good representation and awareness raised in this book, like how others treat people with disabilities, and sometimes how raising a disabled child as a child yourself can affect you. The idea of them having to let go and grieve together is so heart-breaking, and I can’t lie, I did shed a few tears.
The only thing I didn’t get is Maudie’s mum… she ran away. I don’t know, I wish I could be more sympathetic towards her. I know she’s grieving her husband and the father to her children, but she left her teenage daughter and her disabled teenage son alone. I get that she called her sister, but Eve had already expressed that Jake should be in case, and she works a lot of the time anyway! Just feels a little selfish. Obviously, everyone is different, but I don’t get why she would do that. And then, to say she wasn’t running away, but every time she saw them she would genuinely run away (3 times!!! One of them where she slipped and smacked her head!!!) and I just remember wondering how her children would take that. I mean, they seem fine now, I just felt so bad for them, and I don’t think I could as forgiving.
The character arcs are immaculate in this book. The mum still doesn’t get let off the hook, but I think they all needed to save each other. Them letting Jake have a little bit of freedom, and Maudie putting herself first for once, that’s amazing, and a beautiful realisation. Would definitely recommend!
This book is a beautiful book. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up, but I thought it was such a gorgeous read.
We follow Maudie and Jake throughout this story. Maudie is Jake’s big sister, and Jake has disabilities, specifically with his speech. Even though he’s a teenager, he is treated like, essentially, a child. Their dad passed away from illness a while ago, and they’re all struggling with it, but Maudie’s mum seems to be coping the worst. Jake shuts it out, and Maudie has to cope with it for her family’s sake. But, when her mum goes missing, and she enlists her sister’s, Eve’s help, and all she does is send him off to a foster carer, Maudie knows what she must do.
She kidnaps Jake, and heads off to Cornwall, which is the last place they were all happy together as a family.
When they get there, the house they were going to stay in (belonging to Liv’s - Maudie’s best friend’s - aunt) is already occupied, and so they had to find a caravan park. They were getting complaints of noise - Jake doesn’t like showers - and so they were moved to a more private part of the park by the owners. Brae, the owner, had a nephew called Gerren, whom Jake didn’t like at first, just wanted to be friends, but he wasn’t the most accepting when it came down to Jake’s disability - he wasn’t mean on purpose, but he just didn’t know how to handle Jake at first.
When Jake thinks he spots his mum, they spend the rest of the trip trying to find her. They spot blood along the beach on their last day, and they follow it, searching for their mum. Unbeknownst to them, they find the tide has rolled in. Maudie’s mum is borderline unconscious, as she slipped and smacked her head, and they have to wait for someone to come and rescue them. Eventually, a helicopter comes and rescues them.
They realise that everything that happened with them, her mother falling apart on them, was that they weren’t moving on from what happened to their dad/husband. They all agree to mourn him properly, and they do so together, and they still remain friends with Brae and Gerren! I think Maudie even gets to be more than friendly with him, if you catch my drift.
This book is so beautiful, and I’m so glad it was written. Hearing Jake’s POV, knowing that it was based on Darbon’s own brother’s story, is amazing. I think there’s so much good representation and awareness raised in this book, like how others treat people with disabilities, and sometimes how raising a disabled child as a child yourself can affect you. The idea of them having to let go and grieve together is so heart-breaking, and I can’t lie, I did shed a few tears.
The only thing I didn’t get is Maudie’s mum… she ran away. I don’t know, I wish I could be more sympathetic towards her. I know she’s grieving her husband and the father to her children, but she left her teenage daughter and her disabled teenage son alone. I get that she called her sister, but Eve had already expressed that Jake should be in case, and she works a lot of the time anyway! Just feels a little selfish. Obviously, everyone is different, but I don’t get why she would do that. And then, to say she wasn’t running away, but every time she saw them she would genuinely run away (3 times!!! One of them where she slipped and smacked her head!!!) and I just remember wondering how her children would take that. I mean, they seem fine now, I just felt so bad for them, and I don’t think I could as forgiving.
The character arcs are immaculate in this book. The mum still doesn’t get let off the hook, but I think they all needed to save each other. Them letting Jake have a little bit of freedom, and Maudie putting herself first for once, that’s amazing, and a beautiful realisation. Would definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
firefox's review against another edition
4.0
(Arc)
'What the World Doesn't See' is a book where its hard to get into from the start but the more you learn about the characters, the more you get into the story and you fall in love. Words cannot explain how necessary this story felt to me and the love Maudie has for Jake was strong throughout the whole story. This book is definitely a must read when it comes out.
'What the World Doesn't See' is a book where its hard to get into from the start but the more you learn about the characters, the more you get into the story and you fall in love. Words cannot explain how necessary this story felt to me and the love Maudie has for Jake was strong throughout the whole story. This book is definitely a must read when it comes out.
rackle's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5