crookedrat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
bec82roo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lejama's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
clairebartholomew549's review against another edition
4.0
Entering my reviews over from my old Goodreads profile I unearthed recently...here are some super sappy thoughts from 2009-era 14-year-old Claire!
This book is scary - in the sense that you feel this girl will never recover from her best friend's death - but also rich and compelling.
This book is scary - in the sense that you feel this girl will never recover from her best friend's death - but also rich and compelling.
http_essi's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! The only problem I have with this book is how the ending kibd of hits a wall...
thedayoflight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
Absolutely hated this at primary school.
kitty_may12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
as someone who has read and never really vibed with Wilson's writing when I was younger and much more of the target demographic, I didn't really know what to expect going into this one. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
The exploration of grief and survivor's guilt is dynamic, complex and sweetly sinister as the reader is pulled and dragged through a narrative where Vicky is an omnipresent, unnerving presence in the life of her best friend Jade that loves to torment and tease her, calling Vicky's loyalty and love for her into question from the word "go"...
But, that's what makes it unique, wholly original and poignant, thoughtful and wise.
Vicky Angel is a YA knockout filled with morally-grey characters, gratitude, resilience and hope!
The exploration of grief and survivor's guilt is dynamic, complex and sweetly sinister as the reader is pulled and dragged through a narrative where Vicky is an omnipresent, unnerving presence in the life of her best friend Jade that loves to torment and tease her, calling Vicky's loyalty and love for her into question from the word "go"...
But, that's what makes it unique, wholly original and poignant, thoughtful and wise.
Vicky Angel is a YA knockout filled with morally-grey characters, gratitude, resilience and hope!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment, Fatphobia, Medical content, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sachaemilie's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
umrah's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very emotional for me.
Spoiler
It's about a girl named Jade, whose best friend, Vicky, who was a cheerful, loud, and a good friend to Jade, passed away in a car accident. After the accident, Jade lived her life in the shadows of what she believed to be Vicky's ghost. I really cried while reading this book. It was amazing.tyrex117's review against another edition
3.0
Read as part of the BBC’s Big Read Poll - [89/133]
Jade and Vicky are best friends, inseparable, until Vicky dies when she is struck by a car. But even the little problem of being dead won’t keep these girls apart…
Jacqueline Wilson is a master when it comes to writing for children. Her works are usually aimed at a young audience, with her being particularly popular with 7 – 10 year olds. She masterfully addresses difficult themes and subjects in her works and Vicky Angel tackles the necessary conversation of death and bereavement when a life is taken all too soon.
Best friends, Vicky and Jade, have been joined at the hip for as long as the girls can remember. Vicky is loud, popular and excitable. Jade is happy to follow Vicky around, admiring her friend’s confidence. Jade is the first to admit that this relationship has been marginally one-sided in the past. Vicky’s domineering personality crushes Jade’s gentle mannerisms, and on occasion, Vicky has told Jade what to do, how to live and who to talk to. One day, Jade stands up for herself, arguing that she should be able to join whatever club she wants without Vicky begrudging her. However, during this argument, Vicky steps out onto the road without looking and is hit by a car. Yet Jade is not left alone to deal with her grief. Vicky comes back as a ghost, but only Jade can see and hear her.
I enjoyed reading this book. I became invested in Jade’s feelings and emotions, and Wilson writes in such simple, yet elegant prose. She conveys the raw truth behind grief with incredible accuracy and portrays an import message through the school’s counsellor that everyone deals with bereavement differently. Jade’s emotions and reactions were realistic and I read on to see how Jade would come to terms with Vicky’s passing, hoping that she would come through the other side.
As I’ve found with Wilson’s stories, these are never straightforward, but are multi-layered discussions. This next part could be considered a spoiler, so I’ve hidden it for anyone who hasn’t yet read the book.
The novel is quite pacey. At only 160 pages, it is quite possible to read this in a day. I had to space my reading out due to work commitments, but in a way, this allowed me to digest the story from a more analytical stand point. I remember reading this before when I was much younger, probably still at primary school, and I remember not liking it. My viewpoint has changed slightly with my maturity. However, I have awarded this three stars instead of four purely because of the aspect I discussed in the spoiler. Read away though, as it definitely deserves to be devoured by Wilson’s target audience.
Jade and Vicky are best friends, inseparable, until Vicky dies when she is struck by a car. But even the little problem of being dead won’t keep these girls apart…
Jacqueline Wilson is a master when it comes to writing for children. Her works are usually aimed at a young audience, with her being particularly popular with 7 – 10 year olds. She masterfully addresses difficult themes and subjects in her works and Vicky Angel tackles the necessary conversation of death and bereavement when a life is taken all too soon.
Best friends, Vicky and Jade, have been joined at the hip for as long as the girls can remember. Vicky is loud, popular and excitable. Jade is happy to follow Vicky around, admiring her friend’s confidence. Jade is the first to admit that this relationship has been marginally one-sided in the past. Vicky’s domineering personality crushes Jade’s gentle mannerisms, and on occasion, Vicky has told Jade what to do, how to live and who to talk to. One day, Jade stands up for herself, arguing that she should be able to join whatever club she wants without Vicky begrudging her. However, during this argument, Vicky steps out onto the road without looking and is hit by a car. Yet Jade is not left alone to deal with her grief. Vicky comes back as a ghost, but only Jade can see and hear her.
I enjoyed reading this book. I became invested in Jade’s feelings and emotions, and Wilson writes in such simple, yet elegant prose. She conveys the raw truth behind grief with incredible accuracy and portrays an import message through the school’s counsellor that everyone deals with bereavement differently. Jade’s emotions and reactions were realistic and I read on to see how Jade would come to terms with Vicky’s passing, hoping that she would come through the other side.
As I’ve found with Wilson’s stories, these are never straightforward, but are multi-layered discussions. This next part could be considered a spoiler, so I’ve hidden it for anyone who hasn’t yet read the book.
Spoiler
Wilson explores the impact of abusive relationships in adolescence and also considers abusive relationships in connection to grief. I mentioned briefly earlier that Vicky would often tell Jade how to live her life. In death, this gets worse. Vicky demands that Jade is rude to people who are reaching out to be her friend, she distracts Jade by shouting and dancing around when adults are talking to her and she will attack her of a night to make her fearful. Ghost Vicky becomes ten times worse than alive Vicky. She alienates Jade when she is most vulnerable and for Jade, coming to terms with her grief is as much about coming to terms with an abusive relationship. Jade feels responsible for Vicky’s death, the thought process being ‘if I hadn’t argued with her, Vicky wouldn’t have stepped into the road. She'd still be alive.’ It’s quite difficult to read through some of these passages when you just want Jade to forget about the bully that Vicky becomes.The novel is quite pacey. At only 160 pages, it is quite possible to read this in a day. I had to space my reading out due to work commitments, but in a way, this allowed me to digest the story from a more analytical stand point. I remember reading this before when I was much younger, probably still at primary school, and I remember not liking it. My viewpoint has changed slightly with my maturity. However, I have awarded this three stars instead of four purely because of the aspect I discussed in the spoiler. Read away though, as it definitely deserves to be devoured by Wilson’s target audience.