Chosen by Angela
No one can believe it when straight A student Romy Field finds herself at the centre of a scandal, least of all her mother Ailsa - who is also the head of her new school.
Ailsa is quick to hold Romy's new boyfriend and his parents responsible for what has happened. But as mother and daughter reveal their very different version of events, a much darker truth emerges. It soon becomes apparent that Romy isn't the only member of her family harbouring secrets and her disgrace becomes the catalyst for the unravelling of all those around her.
It takes a split second to make a decision that can alter the course of your life.
And a lifetime to undo the consequences
A little 'teenage fiction-y' for the first half but the second half of the book becomes more engrossing as it deals with the unfolding drama and dilemma of the teenage girl character, Romy.
ReplyDeleteRomy is obviously extremely clever, 'cool' and popular but is also totally naive and misdirected in her doomed relationship with her first love, and far far more seriously, is obliviously careless to any thoughts of the dangers of modern day social media, in particular, inappropriate material finding its way into the wrong hands!
On completion, felt the immediate need to let all my teenagers know! To alert them to the warnings that this poor girl and her family experienced - which whilst fictional could so easily be factual - that these social media dangers are real and could have a lasting impact for the rest of life.
Interesting to see how two families are so different in their approach to parenting. Twist in that Romy's mum is headteacher and oblivious to what she was doing. Exposes naivety of teenagers. Quite shocking in some parts but interesting to see how situations dealt with in different ways and how they can get out of hand. Did wonder what was purpose of her brother's character, though realised that leaking of the video online was an innocent mistake and not vindictive as it could have been. 7/10
ReplyDeleteOn the whole I enjoyed this book. Modern and easy to relate to having a teenage daughter. I have always warned my children as to the dangers of the internet as have their schools. Both families had very different parenting. Teens like to think they are adults but they still need emotional guidance and support. Romy was naive about her boyfriend as lots of teenage girls are. A shame that that episode of her life will always be there.7/10
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ReplyDeleteThis book serves as a cautionary tale for parents with teenagers and I think teenagers should read it for the same reasons. I was interested from the start in both the characters and the modern topic of the dark side of the internet and the way it can corrupt lives and quickly spiral out of control by making just one wrong decision.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the hippy neighbours were a bit far-fetched, I did like the way the Flower Power era they grew up in was juxtaposed with the modern day dilemmas facing the teenagers growing up in today’s society. The author highlighted issues such as peer pressure, exam grades, internet porn and social media brilliantly, within the humdrum suburban lives of the characters. You can tell she’s researched her material well, being a columnist. Ailsa was a believable character and you can feel the thin veneer of her perfect life is about to crack at any time under the pressures of her job, marriage, family and drunken father. Romy was also believable as a character and represented the angst, hormones and issues that a lot of teenagers go through growing up. I also like the neuroscience references about the teenage brain and the humour the author injected into the novel, despite the seriousness of the end message.
I really enjoyed Fiona Neill’s way of writing and the fact that it dealt with a very topical subject, as well as serving as a salutary tale for everyone for the modern day. 9/10