Aussie Author
Written by Claire Christian
Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Adult
Expected Publication September 29th 2020
288 Pages
Thank you to Text Publishing and Netgalley
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★★★★
Noni didn’t expect to be starting over again at the age of thirty six. But eighteen months after the end of her long term relationship, she knows it’s time to find out what’s next.
While an encounter with a sexy blonde firefighter is a welcome entry back into the dating world, Noni soon realises she’s looking for more than just a series of brief, if pleasurable, encounters.
That’s how she finds herself travelling to Europe to track down the one that got away: the alluring, elusive Molly. But Europe has other surprises in store, not least of which is Beau, a tall, sexy, tattooist from Edinburgh...
Noni Blake lives her life in shades of beige, she's dependable, steadfast and on the verge of embarking on a pleasure quest throughout Europe. Noni is a formidable woman, we first meet Noni as she's healing from the breakup of her nine year long relationship with Joan, sharing a mortgage and child of the four legged variety. The split was amicable but while Joan has seemingly moved on, Noni uses the opportunity to step out of her beige comfort zone and take life by the balls.
Leaving her fabulously gay best friend behind in Australia, Noni departs for London, a to do list in hand, quite literally. Molly is the one that almost was but neither she or Noni could get their shit together and hook up. So rather than always wonder, Noni plans on making the next six months count.
Sexy times, horrendous sexual encounters, new lingerie, posing nude, drinking, indulging and one incredibly sexy viking later and Noni finds herself the embodiment of female empowerment. The new sexy and confident Noni lives her life to the fullest and I absolutely adored her. She's plump, a bit of a bogan and responsible for her own orgasms. She's bright, outgoing and is learning to embrace her imperfections and find comfort in her own body. I loved Noni's authenticity. She's insecure and vulnerable and completely relatable. She owns her sexuality and after years of teaching and putting others happiness before her own, she's finally finally putting her own needs first.
Noni is bisexual and after her nine year relationship ended, a one night stand prompts her to pack up her life and travel. It's inspirational, not to mention incredibly brave. In much the same way that Marie Kondo asks, does it spark joy, Noni is seeking pleasure through travel, friendships, lovers and finding moments of happiness. Temporary pleasure comes at the hands and mouths of people she meets along her journey, from a female firefighter, high school principal, magician, the one who could have been and the Viking, the gentle and kind tattoo artist Beau. Her sexual misadventures are hilarious, even kinky in some instances but Noni takes each experience in her stride and along with her close circle of friends from home and abroad, is discovering she prefers unbridled, adventurous Noni.
The Viking was delightfully unexpected. On a whim, Noni decides to get herself inked while in London, walking in off the street into small tattoo studio where she meets artist Beau, bearded, burly and gentle and as he marks her skin, she's fantasising about getting on on the table and girl, merry orgasm to you my friend. Beau isn't just a conquest, he could very well be the love of Noni's life but beyond her pleasure quest, her new life of saying yes, of friends and parties and painting the town not quite red because she's still a responsible adult, Noni has her friends, family and career in Australia and Beau seems content to enjoy their fling while it lasts.
Oh how I loved It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake! It's fun, flirty and outrageously funny but beneath the surface lies a book about falling in love with yourself. There's a little bit of Noni in all of us.
The Viking was delightfully unexpected. On a whim, Noni decides to get herself inked while in London, walking in off the street into small tattoo studio where she meets artist Beau, bearded, burly and gentle and as he marks her skin, she's fantasising about getting on on the table and girl, merry orgasm to you my friend. Beau isn't just a conquest, he could very well be the love of Noni's life but beyond her pleasure quest, her new life of saying yes, of friends and parties and painting the town not quite red because she's still a responsible adult, Noni has her friends, family and career in Australia and Beau seems content to enjoy their fling while it lasts.
Oh how I loved It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake! It's fun, flirty and outrageously funny but beneath the surface lies a book about falling in love with yourself. There's a little bit of Noni in all of us.
Written by Danielle Binks
Middle Grade, Family, Friendship
304 Pages
Published April 28th 2020
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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★★★★★
I was eleven when everything started and twelve by the end. But that's another way maps lie, because it felt like the distance travelled was a whole lot further than that.
Sorrento, Victoria. 1999.
Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.
But even as the world feels like it's spinning out of control, a crisis from the other side of it comes crashing in. When 400 Kosovar Albanian refugees arrive in the middle of the night to be housed at one of Australia's safe havens on an isolated headland not far from Sorrento, their fate becomes intertwined with the lives of Fred and her family, as she navigates one extraordinary year that will change them all.
Down on the Mornington Peninsula, in the small township of Sorrento, the tides are about to change. It's 1999 and for eleven year old Winifred Owen Ricci, her life is experiencing a shift of seismic proportions. Since losing her mother a few years ago, it's been Fred and her stepfather and police officer Luca against the world, her small family unit including her grandfather, who grieved together and supported one another through the loss of their partner, their mother and their daughter. Luca officially adopted Fred at three years of age but when Anika and her son Sam move into her family home, Fred isn't quite sure where she fits in anymore. Luckily she has the neighbours and best friend Jed, short for Jedi and a nickname given to him by his parents that stuck. Jed has been a part of Fred's life forever, through losing her mum, through her roof climbing escapades and now through Anika and Sam moving into the home she once shared with her mother while her grandfather is in a rehabilitation facility after a fall.
It's a quiet part of the world but lately Fred has felt an ache in her chest, the news from overseas blasting in every home across the country, Kosovo Albanian refugees are driven from their homes by the Serbian army, their country left in ruins, destroyed lives and displaced families. The Australian government were adamant that Australia wouldn't help provide refuge but under public pressure, brought the Kosovo Albanian refugees to Australia under the cover of darkness and hid them away in inhumane detention centres. Fred has a beautiful sense of rightness instilled in her, she isn't sure why anyone in town would protest against helping these people flee their wartorn country, like Mister McMillan who owns the cafe on the main strip. For the most part, the people of the Mornington Peninsula are welcoming, including Fred, Anika, Sam and Luca, who is volunteering at the former army barracks now accommodation for the refugee community.
Being eleven is dreadful sometimes. Fred is in her final year of primary school, a new younger brother who's not really your brother and another on the way, Fred feeling increasingly isolated as Anika and Luca gently announce that their family is expanding. Fred's world is being turned upside down and she doesn't like it. One. Bit. The Trần family next door are wonderful, especially Jed's mother Vi, who has been a mother figure for Fred and an incredibly warm, maternal woman. Vi and her husband are both Vietnamese and met in Australia after fleeing their homeland. With so many diverse, non nuclear and blended families within our communities, it was wonderful to see Fred and Jed's families so beautifully written with compassion and care.
This is very much a coming of age story for Fred but where it differs from most middle grade, is that this isn't only Fred's journey, it's the journey of healing and growing for an entire community through the eyes of an intelligent and astute young woman. I see so much of myself in Fred at that age, learning about the many facets of love, our place within the world and who we want to become. Fred has so many positive role models in her life, Luca and especially Anika. Anika is learning how to parent an almost teen girl and allowed Fred the space to grow and form her own opinions. Although it took a while for Fred to see Anika as someone loving and caring in her life, Anika loved Fred so dearly and is a beautiful example of step parenting written in a positive light.
The secondary characters are lovingly created such as Mr Khouri, their geography teacher who created a fun and inclusive learning environment and Nora, who is a heavily pregnant refugee Fred meets at a hospital visit during Anika's pregnancy. Although most of small town Sorrento and the wider community are welcoming, Fred's friend Aiden begins coming to school with the wildly racist opinions of his father, repeating what's being said at home. Seeing Aiden grow and form his own opinions was such an incredible moment and although he respected his father, he begun to see that he wasn't always right and Aiden didn't need to agree. It was a yes! moment that readers will enjoy.
This isn't a heavy read by any means, there's plenty of lighthearted moments of mischief and laughter but it also raises serious issues such as asylum seekers and how they're treated as less than, especially in Australia. Australia has a terrible history of colonisation and the treatment of First Nations people, we've learnt nothing about the treatment of people and basic human rights. Our current government is the same government who was in power in 1999, when The Year the Maps Changed takes place, same party with interchangeable white men with money. Heartless bastards, the politicians and those who voted for them. The Year the Maps Changed isn't political, instead it provides middle grade readers with the human side of seeking asylum, Nora and children Merjeme and Arta are the fictional faces of those who have been forced to leave their homeland, travel to a strange, new country and then locked up like petty criminals for seeking safety. It only highlights that we're no better than the governments that we vote for and we desperately need to bring about change for the people that Nora, Merjeme and Arta represent.
The Year the Maps Changed is heartachingly beautiful. Danielle Binks has created an exceptional debut novel of warmth, compassion and finding your place in our ever changing world.
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Edited by Anita Heiss
Non Fiction, Anthology, Australian, Indigenous
320 Pages
Published April 2018
Thank you to Black Inc Books Australia
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★★★★
What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award winning author Anita Heiss, showcases many diverse voices, experiences and stories in order to answer that question.
Accounts from well known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside those from newly discovered writers of all ages. All of the contributors speak from the heart, sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.
This groundbreaking collection will enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.
Torres Strait Islander and Indigenous Australians share a tumultuous history of colonisation, genocide and displacement from their land. European settlement by Great Britain has resulted in intergenerational trauma, associated violence and the trauma of the removal of Indigenous children from communities. Although Indigenous communities continue to experience displacement and injustice, the Indigenous identity is also celebrated. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia reiterates that there is no singular Indigenous experience and shares the voices of our traditional land owners with compassion, consideration and celebration.
Ambelin Kwaymullina
Ambelin tells the narrative of growing up of the Palyku community of the Pilbara region of Western Australia among the purple hills, red earth and blue sky. A breathtaking and unforgiving landscape. Ambelin describes the prejudice of vintage Australia as unrelenting and although Australia is an evolving landscape of diversity, we must recognise privilege, reiterating the continuing barricades placed upon Indigenous Australians and the optimism of future generations to challenge society and the bias created and carried by colonialism.
Tara June Winch
Tara is a prolific Wiradjuri Indigenous Australian author, raised in saltwater country, her narrative of feeling displaced and realising her journey within her community as an individual. Using the Corroboree as a metaphor of Indigenous Australia, the sense of identity is often misplaced within the wider, white community. Being from the world and of the world. Her optimism for her own daughter prevalent and she shares the experience of three generations of Indigenous women. Inspirational reading.
Vale Alice Eather
Alice Eather was a beautiful spirit, a prominent Arnhem Land Indigenous community leader and activist. Plagued by anxiety and depression, a life taken too soon. Her contribution of Yúya Karrabúrra is exquisite. Her forefathers convicts on board the second fleet, her mother a Wúrnal woman and Alice, a child of the between finding her identity.
Now I welcome you to sit by my fire
I'm allowing you to digest my confusion
I will not point my finger and blame
Cause when we start blaming each other
We make no room for changing each other
Anita Heiss
Doctor Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, an accomplished and esteemed author of Indigenous literature. Throughout the introduction, Anita shares her experience of Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia, the consideration of each submission and experiencing moments of interconnection and reflection. Igniting, uniting and inspiring reading.
I have been involved in early childhood Indigenous education through Indigenous advancement and children's leagues in Victoria, with an emphasis on the celebration of heritage alongside Victoria's most accomplished Indigenous educators. I'm Caucasian Australian of Irish heritage and through recognition my own privilege, it's imperative for non Indigenous readers to be reminded that support and compassion cannot replicate the experiences of Indigenous Australians. Compassion is not a substitute for the trauma and prejudice Indigenous communities continue to endure. We must condemn and challenge microaggressions and uplift Indigenous voices.
With contributions by Tony Birch, Deborah Cheetham, Adam Goodes, Terri Janke, Patrick Johnson, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Jack Latimore, Celeste Liddle, Amy McQuire, Kerry Reed Gilbert, Miranda Tapsell, Jared Thomas, Aileen Walsh, Alexis West, Tara June Winch, and many more, Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia is ground breaking, inspirational and essential reading.
Contains sensitivities such as violence, assault, substance abuse and intimidation
Written by Kylie Scott
Mature Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
382 Pages
Publishing July 18th 2017
Thank you to Kylie Scott and Netgalley
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★★★★
After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.
While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight, getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.
An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first, losing her virginity, their friendship gets complicated.
Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose. Each other.
Seventeen year old Edith has been taken hostage. Lying on the floor of the convince store bloodied and terrified. While Edie survived the volatile hostage the repercussions of her trauma have altered Edie's perspective, abandoning her private school education and enrolling at the local public school in Northern California where she will become another young woman within the nondescript student community.
John is plagued by nightmares. Surviving the convenience store ordeal, the former narcotics trafficker is determined to change perceptions, returning to solitary and exclusion. Although John internalises the confrontation, Edie reluctantly attends counselling. Tethered by the harrowing experience, Edie and John discover companionship in one another, a tentative friendship flourishing.
Edie is a quiet, intellectual young woman who survived a terrifying and violent hostage incident. Although experiencing anxiety, the incident has emphasised how fragile our lives are when faced with adversity and encourages Edie to appreciate each moment. Edie is magnificent. Mostly. Her tenacity to confront her oppressor was a culmination of abuse and torment because she's a voluptuous young woman. Edie is confident but experiences moments of insecurity but with her positive perspective, refuses to allow others to demoralise or degrade her. It was wonderfully portrayed.
John is an intriguing young man who was coerced into dispensing narcotics after his parents relocated, placing John under the supervision of his brother. John is afflicted by post traumatic stress disorder and although often agitated and sullen, remained resilient although tormented by nightmares. Aesthetically, John is a prototypical male protagonist. Attractive, indifferent and assured. In an act of altruism, John valiantly liberates Edie by confronting the perpetrator. Throughout their tentative friendship, John and Edie are a tremendous support to one another.
If rumours are to be believed, John prefers sexual encounters with various consenting partners. Positive sexual liberation is a wonderful exploration for teens but John and Edie became too dependant on their friendship to allow the other to explore relationships beyond their companionship. The gradual relationship between John and Edie was lovely but the decision to begin their physical relationship felt contrived. The narrative ventured into what is typically viewed as a conventional new adult romance and although I applaud authors who create positive sexual content, I felt mildly disappointed. Trust also touches upon post traumatic stress disorder, abuse, substance abuse and domestic violence. Delicately.
Kylie Scott is a wonderfully accomplished author. Trust is a pragmatic and conscientious narrative, captivating and tender, emphasising our fragility when faced with adversity. To appreciate each moment.
Urban Fantasy, Dystopian
Published March 1st 2011
Purchased
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★★★★★
Retra braves the intense pain of her obedience strip, and stows away to seek her brother Joel, gone two years for Ixion, island of ever night, ever youth and never sleep. Retra is a Seal, sealed minds, sealed community, no craving for parties or pleasure.What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? What happens to those who grow too old for Ixion? Without Joel, is her eternal bond with a Riper guardian enough to save her?Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark.
Written by Sarah Ayoub
Contemporary, Coming of Age
Published March 1st 2016
320 Pages
Thank you to Harper Collins Australia
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★★★★
Five teenagers. Five lives. One final year.The school captain. Ryan has it all... Or at least he did, until an accident snatched his dreams away. How will he rebuild his life and what does the future hold for him now?The newcomer. Charlie’s just moved interstate and she’s determined not to fit in. She’s just biding her time until Year 12 is over and she can head back to her real life and her real friends…The loner. At school, nobody really notices Matty. But at home, Matty is everything. He’s been single handedly holding things together since his mum’s breakdown, and he’s never felt so alone.The popular girl. Well, the popular girl’s best friend… Cool by association. Tammi’s always bowed to peer pressure, but when the expectations become too much to handle, will she finally stand up for herself?The politician’s daughter. Gillian’s dad is one of the most recognisable people in the state and she’s learning the hard way that life in the spotlight comes at a very heavy price.Five unlikely teammates thrust together against their will. Can they find a way to make their final year a memorable one or will their differences tear their world apart?
New girl Charlie can't wait for the school year to end to move back to Melbourne. She doesn't belong in Sydney and certainly doesn't belong at Holy Family High School. Her single mother fell in love with a wonderful man and to keep their newly blended family together, Charlie now finds herself stuck in Sydney until she leaves for university.
Hood wearing Matty seems like a recluse, spending his school day hidden from the world while trying to make ends meet. On a scholarship at the prestigious school, Matty struggles to find a balance between school and taking on the role of provider for his mother, a woman who is as lost as he feels himself.
Both Tammi and Ryan seemingly have it all. They're the beautiful people of Holy Family, their friendship circle known for their popularity and bullying of others. But Tammi's doting boyfriend David is tired of waiting for the young couple to take the next step in their relationship, pressuring her to have sex while Ryan is nursing a career ending injury and unable to play his beloved soccer again.
But it's the ambitious and dependable politicians daughter Gillian who will bring the motley group of teens together, as they are all sentenced to work on the Holy Family yearbook. While tentative friendships between the unlikely group begin to form, worlds will collide making their final year memorable, perhaps for all the wrong reasons.
Kelly's Thoughts
Labeled as The Breakfast Club for the new generation, The Yearbook Committee was wonderfully written, engaging and most importantly, relevant.
The Rebel
The Newcomer. Charlie may seem as though she has a chip on her shoulder, but since moving to Sydney from Melbourne, she feels as though she doesn't belong. Her mother is pining for a new baby, while Charlie can't wait to finish the year at Holy Family and return home. She's determined not to form any sense of companionship with her peers, her goal of making a clean break to university at the end of the year within her grasp. I loved Charlie's couldn't care less attitude, being a teen is confusing enough without having your life moved interstate during your final year of school. She's an intelligent girl who isn't afraid to stand up for others and what she believes in.
The Jock
The School Captain. Ryan had it all. Popularity, friends and the envy of his team mates until his accident that ends his promising soccer career. Without leading his team to victory, Ryan feels lost and in need of direction. Ryan seemed to wallow in his own pity, he was agonising over his injury long after his team mates had moved on and achieved success without him. His character begins as a narcissistic teen but through his interactions with his fellow yearbook committee members, he begins to see that he is more than a failed sportsman.
Matty's storyline was by far the most touching and emotional. He is seen as a loner, hiding behind is hood and shutting off the world around him with his music. But at home Matty is the breadwinner. He works to keep food on the table and the bills at bay, while his mother's depression slowly eats away at her, unable to seek treatment for an illness she refuses to recongnise.The Loner
The popular girl
Tammi isn't popular, but popular by association. Her supposed best friend being bully Lauren, a girl with a mean streak that isn't above belittling others simply for her own amusement. Tammi's boyfriend is now captain of the soccer team, taking the title from Ryan after his accident. But it's the expectations he places upon Tammi to take the next step in their relationship, pressuring her to have sex even though she's been transparent with her own expectations of needing a commitment before she's ready. With her father as a strict officer of the law, Tammi is forced to moonlight as a children's clown at parties, wanting to feel the independence of making her own money without her parents discovering her extra curricular activities.
I could tolerate Tammi, but was desperately wishing the meek and easily swayed girl would have spoken out against the blatant bullying. Her character was able to defy her parents, but not speak out against her peers. She was incredibly frustrating but yet an example of peer pressure that teens face to feel included and popular. Throughout most of our lives, we've all felt like a Tammi at one point or another, too intimidated to speak out against someone for the fear of being labelled as an outcast.
The good girl
On the surface, Gillian has her life together. She may not be popular or confident and is afraid to speak up against her bully, but she's an intelligent girl who understands the importance of her education. Gillian's father is a predominant politician, always under the spotlight and expects his family to be the model of perfection at all times. Gillian's mother isn't your average housewife, she herself is the vision of perfection and often comments on Gillian's weight, pressuring the teen and projecting her own dieting goals on her confidence lacking daughter. But Gillian is the only student on the committee of her own free will and will bring the group together to not only create a lasting memory of their final year but of the fleeting time they have with one another.
The Final Verdict
At the very core of The Yearbook Committee is a group of teens fumbling their way through their final year of school. They're humanly flawed and represent an understanding of the person behind the stereotype and labels we place upon one another. Even as an adult, we still relate to the same insecurities and pressure, making The Yearbook Committee an incredibly poignant and immersive read.
Sarah Ayoub is an author who can reach teens through a shared love of words, making them feel as though they are more than the labels and stereotypes that are placed upon them, but should not define them. Be prepared to fall in love, fall apart and you'll adore each and every moment.
Written by Shivaun Plozza
Contemporary, Mystery
Published March 23rd 2016
320 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Teen Australia
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★★★★★
Frankie Vega is angry. Just ask the guy whose nose she broke. Or the cop investigating the burglary she witnessed, or her cheating ex boyfriend or her aunt who's tired of giving second chances...When a kid shows up claiming to be Frankie's half brother, it opens the door to a past she doesn't want to remember. And when that kid goes missing, the only person willing to help is a boy with stupidly blue eyes... And secrets of his own.Frankie's search for the truth could change her life, or cost her everything.
Textbook weapon wielding, sassy and smart mouthed. Meet the princess of Collingwood, seventeen year old Frankie Vega who finds herself on yet another suspension.
It's always been Frankie and her Aunt Vinnie against the world, having taken in then four year old Frankie after her mother had abandoned her. Now Frankie spends her days working in Vinnie's kebab shop, suspended over yet another violent outburst when she receives a call that will change her life.
Artistic, sarcastic and criminally minded fourteen year old Xavier is Frankie's half brother, sharing the same self absorbed mother tha abandoned her all those years ago. He now lives with his father in a small, run down suburban home while being beaten, neglected and forced into crime in order to make ends meet. Frankie knows all too well what it's like to be abandoned and despite her inability to trust others, she feels a familial connection to Xavier and the two half siblings form a tentative relationship. Then Xavier disappears.
While the search continues, Frankie's about to be expelled, her best friend refuses to speak to her and Vinnie no longer trusts her, yet again disappointing her aunt who has raised her as her own. With his father more concerned with his missing credit card funds and a gruff detective refusing investigate his disappearance, the last person to have seen Xavier is the blue eyed, petty criminal Nate. Reluctantly, Nate decides to help Frankie but as the two delve deeper into Xavier's disappearance, Frankie's will need to pick up the pieces of her fractured life or risk losing it all.
Frankie is without a doubt, the most compelling debut in young adult since Stolen by Lucy Christopher. It's an utterly enchanting blend of attitude, sass and an engaging storyline as told through the eyes of one of the most likable protagonists in young adult today. Although she's always lived with the hurt of abandonment, Frankie is incredibly fierce and doesn't allow the failures of her mother to define her. She and aunt Vinnie live above Vinnie's kebab shop in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, with an eclectic mix of diversity and crime. It's here that Frankie now finds herself working, having been suspended from school after another violent outburst, when she is contacted by Xavier claiming to be her half brother.Kelly's Thoughts
Xavier too has his own issues, the fourteen year old just having moved to Melbourne from Queensland with his abusive, gruff father. The very same man that Frankie's mother had abandoned her for all those years ago. Perhaps Xavier is the only person who may understand how Frankie is feeling but then Xavier vanishes. The local detectives see Xavier as just another runaway, the Vega name not worthy of their time so Frankie takes the investigation into her own hands and enlists the help of local neighbourhood burglar Nate. Possibly the only person to know of Xavier's whereabouts... Or who cares.
My heart ached for Frankie as she felt she had nowhere to turn for help. Vinnie, although such pillar of strength and support in Frankie's life, was tired of her antics. Suspended for a violent incident at school, to return Frankie is forced to plead her case. In between her therapy sessions with the infuriatingly passive Daniel, the only calming presence in Frankie's life is her best friend in Cara but lately their friendship is also at breaking point. Frankie's sole focus is that of finding her brother which means breaking curfew, disregarding Vinnie, school and visiting the seedy underbelly of the northern suburbs of Melbourne to find him. What struck me most was how genuine Frankie's character felt and realistically flawed.
The romance was barely there, but the attraction between Frankie and Nate was intense and dangerously sexy. Nate's character smoulders, but underneath his couldn't care less bravado lies a boy does what he can to survive, rather than just another petty thief. Although both were dealing with their own issues, they slowly begun to rely on one another for support and companionship.
Frankie is Melbourne. From the language, diversity to the uniqueness of the northern suburbs. During my teen years, these were my people. From the streets of Reservoir to Victoria Park, the Preston Market to the factory outlets along Smith Street Collingwood, it was so incredibly vivid and beautifully written with such an honesty of how fundamentally flawed life in general is.The Final Verdict
Shivaun Plozza, you are a force to be reckoned with. Shivaun is an author who brings stories to life through her characters, her intensity and honesty. A remarkable debut from an author who captured me from the very first page.
Written by Helen Chebatte
Contemporary, Australian
Published February 1st 2016
240 Pages
Thanks to Hardie Grant Egmont
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★★★★☆
What happens when you mix teenage boys, a fight club and ethnic rivalries? You get war.Romeo Makhlouf knows the rules. Stick with your own kind. Don't dob on your mates or even on your enemies. Respect the family.But even unwritten rules are made for breaking.Fight clubs, first loves and family ties are pushed to the limit in Helen Chebatte's explosive first novel.
At Christian Boys College, the rules are simple. You never stray from your own group, you never make a move on a girl someone else is already interested in and you never tell. Take the fall yourself if need be. Sixteen year old Romeo Makhlouf knows how the system works. He attends school, does enough homework to get by and he and best friend Diz relish lunchtime, where they can escape the Lebanese dishes of home for half an hour. They know their place within the school hierarchy. Lebanese boys are tough, honourable and never back down from a challenge.
Australian, Asian, Maori or Lebanese, the boys stay within their social groups until a shared kiss at a party has Romeo being challenged by Luke Palmer, an Aussie who sees Romeo as a threat and makes former girlfriend Stefanie the heated whispers of conversations. Defending his honour, Romeo ends up a YouTube hero, taking Palmer down and embarrassing the young Australian. But that's not where this story ends.
It ends in heartache. It ends with wanting to unite and end the social segregation. It ends with a threat of expulsion, an illegal fight club and changing attitudes of a group of young men that will come to understand that violence is never the answer.
Kelly's Thoughts
I apologise now for the rant.
I grew up in the nineties when I was a teen. The Northern suburbs of Melbourne were a diverse and cultural blend, where your street may have resembled members of the United Nations. I attended a same sex school, much as the same as the connecting school of Saint Adele College and Christian Boys where the storyline takes place. Bro could have been my teen experience. It could have been the same stereotypical cultural groups that continued the trend of segregation. If you were an Aussie meaning Caucasian Anglo Saxon, you were friends with other Caucasian Anglo Saxon teens, the same if you were Maori, Asian and Lebanese as seen in Bro. My high school had a large Lebanese community and we experienced the same segregation and even being a girls college, there were physical fights and weapons used. Back then, we didn't question why, that's how it worked. You stayed within your own group and it took a strong individual to stray from their own group and befriend others. It didn't happen often.
Anyone reading Bro that sees the issue of the us verses them mentality as being unrealistic, has never lived in working class and diverse suburbs. It even happens as adults. We may not involve ourselves in physical conflict, but even our close social circles tend to be formed from the same basis. Like attracts like and I find that incredibly sad that as Australians, we still find ourselves drawn to the same friendships with those who share our cultural beliefs and backgrounds, rather than expanding our circles. In Bro, Romeo finds himself torn. He was born in Australia to a Lebanese father, an Caucasian Anglo Saxon Australian mother, but lives what he sees as the Lebanese culture. Even as he identifies as being Australian, society still sees him as being Lebanese due to his heritage and the colour of his skin.
Apart from the islander teens or Fresh Off the Boat as they're known, the basis of Bro is Australian teen boys and those with a Lebanese background facing off in bouts of physical violence. A Fight Club is established where boys are pitted against one another for sport or entertainment. It's barbaric, but realistic. Less than a week ago in Melbourne, this happened. Teen violence is alive and thriving and the police aren't listening, nor are these mostly young men heeding the warning from authorities. Bro drives home the message of how we can't all grow up being raised in ivory towers. We share different cultural beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, skin colour, language, sex, race, ability and the cycle never ends.
But through tragedy, Bro breaks the cycle of violence and rivalry and although the solution to violence in our communities isn't that simple, it does highlight the need for change in our attitudes and mentality.
I grew up in the nineties when I was a teen. The Northern suburbs of Melbourne were a diverse and cultural blend, where your street may have resembled members of the United Nations. I attended a same sex school, much as the same as the connecting school of Saint Adele College and Christian Boys where the storyline takes place. Bro could have been my teen experience. It could have been the same stereotypical cultural groups that continued the trend of segregation. If you were an Aussie meaning Caucasian Anglo Saxon, you were friends with other Caucasian Anglo Saxon teens, the same if you were Maori, Asian and Lebanese as seen in Bro. My high school had a large Lebanese community and we experienced the same segregation and even being a girls college, there were physical fights and weapons used. Back then, we didn't question why, that's how it worked. You stayed within your own group and it took a strong individual to stray from their own group and befriend others. It didn't happen often.
Anyone reading Bro that sees the issue of the us verses them mentality as being unrealistic, has never lived in working class and diverse suburbs. It even happens as adults. We may not involve ourselves in physical conflict, but even our close social circles tend to be formed from the same basis. Like attracts like and I find that incredibly sad that as Australians, we still find ourselves drawn to the same friendships with those who share our cultural beliefs and backgrounds, rather than expanding our circles. In Bro, Romeo finds himself torn. He was born in Australia to a Lebanese father, an Caucasian Anglo Saxon Australian mother, but lives what he sees as the Lebanese culture. Even as he identifies as being Australian, society still sees him as being Lebanese due to his heritage and the colour of his skin.
Apart from the islander teens or Fresh Off the Boat as they're known, the basis of Bro is Australian teen boys and those with a Lebanese background facing off in bouts of physical violence. A Fight Club is established where boys are pitted against one another for sport or entertainment. It's barbaric, but realistic. Less than a week ago in Melbourne, this happened. Teen violence is alive and thriving and the police aren't listening, nor are these mostly young men heeding the warning from authorities. Bro drives home the message of how we can't all grow up being raised in ivory towers. We share different cultural beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, skin colour, language, sex, race, ability and the cycle never ends.
But through tragedy, Bro breaks the cycle of violence and rivalry and although the solution to violence in our communities isn't that simple, it does highlight the need for change in our attitudes and mentality.
Bro is such an important read not only for teens, but for Australians to understand the issue of teen violence within society and to discuss at a national level. Bro should be part of our schools curriculum, in every school library and addressed within youth groups nationwide. As Australians we need to openly discuss not only violence but diversity, our religious and cultural differences, grief, gender roles and the role they play in our history. But more importantly, how we can change and educate ourselves and Bro is a brilliantly written insight into diverse teen life of our suburbs.The final Verdict
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