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catherine_mack's review
4.0
What a breath of fresh air this book is! The author has captured some truly believable characters - ones that are for the most part under-represented in YA literature. These are girls that you really want to get to know, in fact ones I do know from my own adolescence.
As young girls/women we judged other women harshly,yet jumped into situations without much realistic forethought. We had very vague dreams and tended to know what we didn't want more than what we did. As a TL in a high school I'm sure (based on observation) that this is still very true. Wakefield has captured all this superbly and so much more.
I would have given this book 5 stars but for the resolution of the package. As the catalyst for this whole story (without spoiling the end) I felt that the author should have given the same serious attention to aspects of it as she did to her characters.
Having said that I am really looking forward to reading whatever this author may have to share next.
As young girls/women we judged other women harshly,yet jumped into situations without much realistic forethought. We had very vague dreams and tended to know what we didn't want more than what we did. As a TL in a high school I'm sure (based on observation) that this is still very true. Wakefield has captured all this superbly and so much more.
I would have given this book 5 stars but for the resolution of the package. As the catalyst for this whole story (without spoiling the end) I felt that the author should have given the same serious attention to aspects of it as she did to her characters.
Having said that I am really looking forward to reading whatever this author may have to share next.
blessedwannab's review
4.0
You know how sometimes when you read a book, one that someone convinced you to try, and you are completely blindsided and blown away when you fall deeply in love with it? Well, that is exactly what happened to me when I read Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield. I have a very very select few of my absolute top shelf favorite books, and in my entire lifetime of reading it’s only got 8 books on it. One of those books is Friday Brown.
Falling in love with a book like that is actually rather rare. Though, when I find an author I love, I do immediately grab another book I may not dive into it right away. I worry that if I really hate a second book then it’ll tarnish the love of the first book. I can be a little bit of an over-thinker. Also, Vikki Wakefield has a very strange voice. It’s darkly poetic almost. When you read her books the cadence of the characters is just very… strange. It worked well in Friday Brown, but every time I would try to pick up All I Ever Wanted I would chicken out. The writing style in the first two chapters is slightly disconcerting at first.
I am so very glad that I pushed through it because this has got to be one of the most heartwarming books I’ve ever read. I told my close friend, who I’ve convinced to read it, that All I Ever Wanted was about beauty where most people would only see filth. That’s, I feel, the perfect description of what Vikki Wakefield does in this book. She tells a story of poverty, and crime, and what society would see as the ugly of the world and she fills your heart with all the love instead.
Although this is classified as a YA novel, I would not at all recommend this to an impressionable teenager. Some of the things that happen in this book are likely too realistic for a young mind. I believe that a book for the young should have a certain amount of black and white. That what is ‘wrong’ is clearly addressed. However, as an adult, I know that things aren’t always that simple. Bad Guys aren’t always held accountable. And you know what, it wasn’t really the point of the story. The point of All I Ever Wanted was about roots. It was about family. It was about knowing where home is. Knowing who has your back.
In the end I feel like I’m standing on pretty steady ground with this author. She’s written two books; I’ve read both of them. Both books made me cry. Both books get 5 stars.
If you liked this review, and want other great reviews about all kinds of books, come over to Badass Book Reviews for more!
Falling in love with a book like that is actually rather rare. Though, when I find an author I love, I do immediately grab another book I may not dive into it right away. I worry that if I really hate a second book then it’ll tarnish the love of the first book. I can be a little bit of an over-thinker. Also, Vikki Wakefield has a very strange voice. It’s darkly poetic almost. When you read her books the cadence of the characters is just very… strange. It worked well in Friday Brown, but every time I would try to pick up All I Ever Wanted I would chicken out. The writing style in the first two chapters is slightly disconcerting at first.
I am so very glad that I pushed through it because this has got to be one of the most heartwarming books I’ve ever read. I told my close friend, who I’ve convinced to read it, that All I Ever Wanted was about beauty where most people would only see filth. That’s, I feel, the perfect description of what Vikki Wakefield does in this book. She tells a story of poverty, and crime, and what society would see as the ugly of the world and she fills your heart with all the love instead.
“When you’re a child, what you see and hear and comprehend can be sorted into little boxes. Then, as you live and learn, all those boxes open up and become rooms. The more you experience, the bigger those rooms get. If you’re lucky enough, there are some people you will love, and who will love you, long enough to see their boxes grow into vast spaces. You’ll understand things that had no meaning. You’ll find dark corners that only light up for the briefest moments. But when you keep getting lost, you just end up with a pile of boxes.”
Although this is classified as a YA novel, I would not at all recommend this to an impressionable teenager. Some of the things that happen in this book are likely too realistic for a young mind. I believe that a book for the young should have a certain amount of black and white. That what is ‘wrong’ is clearly addressed. However, as an adult, I know that things aren’t always that simple. Bad Guys aren’t always held accountable. And you know what, it wasn’t really the point of the story. The point of All I Ever Wanted was about roots. It was about family. It was about knowing where home is. Knowing who has your back.
‘Who, being loved, is poor?’ -Oscar Wilde
In the end I feel like I’m standing on pretty steady ground with this author. She’s written two books; I’ve read both of them. Both books made me cry. Both books get 5 stars.
If you liked this review, and want other great reviews about all kinds of books, come over to Badass Book Reviews for more!
misskoko's review
3.0
Ok. Beautiful prose, great characters, and a fun story. I could see myself in Mim and I was delighted. Loved the undercurrents of love and how the community was more than the eye can see. Though I must admit, with all the astounding reviews I expected so much more from the story and the MC. It wasn't bad, but I'm not sure if I was as impressed as most. I don't know.
But. The ENTIRE Jordan situation urked me to no end. It read like no big deal, when in all actuality it was huge. I don't get it. Romance should in no way be associated with this novel... I just realized that's probably why I'm feeling the way I am about this one.
But. The ENTIRE Jordan situation urked me to no end. It read like no big deal, when in all actuality it was huge. I don't get it. Romance should in no way be associated with this novel... I just realized that's probably why I'm feeling the way I am about this one.
ee_em_em_aye's review
4.0
Good, pacey book with an engaging plot and well-developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of this meandering story - they never seemed contrived but on reflection created a book full of interest and good storytelling.
The book includes the existence of sex, drugs and swearing so probably more recommended to people 14 years and older. A perfect read for curious kids looking to get out of their dead-end small towns and discover the world and what they can make in it.
I wish I'd had this book to read myself at 15. All I Ever Wanted was smart, savvy and realistic. The ending was incredibly emotional and had me tearing up on the train - definitely not usual behaviour.
Although the story is definitely not G-rated, it's never gratuitous and fits the story and it's characters perfectly.
The book includes the existence of sex, drugs and swearing so probably more recommended to people 14 years and older. A perfect read for curious kids looking to get out of their dead-end small towns and discover the world and what they can make in it.
I wish I'd had this book to read myself at 15. All I Ever Wanted was smart, savvy and realistic. The ending was incredibly emotional and had me tearing up on the train - definitely not usual behaviour.
Although the story is definitely not G-rated, it's never gratuitous and fits the story and it's characters perfectly.
nwilliams's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
3.0
mari_escapeinabook's review
5.0
I just finished this and I loved it so much. Boyfriend just rolled his eyes at me when I hugged the cover LOL
joyousreads132's review
4.0
If Mim would just be what the world expected her to be, then maybe her whole life wouldn't be a constant fight against the current. If she would just be the type of girl who grew up surrounded by thugs and drug dealers - one who smokes, uses drugs, wouldn't keep her legs closed, then perhaps her mother would know just what to do about her. But Mim is stubborn, adamant to leave the place where hopes and dreams go nowhere. The rules she set for herself become her religion and in nine days before she turned seventeen, she goes and breaks most of them through no choice of her own. It started with a package, it ended with a package. For better or for worse, Mim's life is about to change.
I never usually comment on the cover of a book that I review, but I'd like to talk about how appropriate this one is. A silhouette of a girl running away or running toward something on a train track. It's befitting that the girl on the cover is really no one definitive. Because you'll never really know the real Mim. The real Jemima Dodd hasn't really lived yet; not until she's become the person that she'd always strived to be. She refused to be defined by the life that she'd always known and refused to accept that there was nothing else for someone like her. Her stubbornness is commendable - admirable. She's lived a hard life for a girl her age and yet there's an innocence about her that's noticeable. It was in her undying hope that life could be better; in the way she loved Jordan from a far. But at the same time, there is this edge - a hardness about her that bailed her out of trouble time and time again and one that she'd used to help others.
The side stories of the people who lived in Tudor Crescent were heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. They were minor characters with major impacts: Lola, the phone sex operator; The Tarrants who'd had to suffer a lifetime of physical abuse from the head of the family; the ever-knowing Benny and to Mrs. Tkautz who'd always had a prayer on her lips for Mim. To Kate, who lives a perfect life with the perfect family but who'd been waiting for the chance to break out of her skin. The best friend, Tahnee who grudgingly admire Mim. These group of people gave this book a whole another dimension and become tiny pieces of who Mim is whether she likes it or not.
This story is about not losing sight of your dreams and about giving the people around you a second chance. A person can't be an island. Eventually, you'll need someone. Sometimes, your expectations and judgments become a wall that isolate you.
These Aussie authors astound me over and over again. The stories they create has a realistic quality that has a tendency to tell you how it really is. The ugly side of life become a fairy tale that leaves a smile on your face long after you finish reading. Man, these books are hard to come by and very expensive to acquire. But never do I find myself regretting each and every time I buy them.
I never usually comment on the cover of a book that I review, but I'd like to talk about how appropriate this one is. A silhouette of a girl running away or running toward something on a train track. It's befitting that the girl on the cover is really no one definitive. Because you'll never really know the real Mim. The real Jemima Dodd hasn't really lived yet; not until she's become the person that she'd always strived to be. She refused to be defined by the life that she'd always known and refused to accept that there was nothing else for someone like her. Her stubbornness is commendable - admirable. She's lived a hard life for a girl her age and yet there's an innocence about her that's noticeable. It was in her undying hope that life could be better; in the way she loved Jordan from a far. But at the same time, there is this edge - a hardness about her that bailed her out of trouble time and time again and one that she'd used to help others.
The side stories of the people who lived in Tudor Crescent were heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. They were minor characters with major impacts: Lola, the phone sex operator; The Tarrants who'd had to suffer a lifetime of physical abuse from the head of the family; the ever-knowing Benny and to Mrs. Tkautz who'd always had a prayer on her lips for Mim. To Kate, who lives a perfect life with the perfect family but who'd been waiting for the chance to break out of her skin. The best friend, Tahnee who grudgingly admire Mim. These group of people gave this book a whole another dimension and become tiny pieces of who Mim is whether she likes it or not.
This story is about not losing sight of your dreams and about giving the people around you a second chance. A person can't be an island. Eventually, you'll need someone. Sometimes, your expectations and judgments become a wall that isolate you.
These Aussie authors astound me over and over again. The stories they create has a realistic quality that has a tendency to tell you how it really is. The ugly side of life become a fairy tale that leaves a smile on your face long after you finish reading. Man, these books are hard to come by and very expensive to acquire. But never do I find myself regretting each and every time I buy them.
tahliaschiro's review
4.0
Still obsessed with this author. I love the way she writes the Australian setting.
blob's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0