Sweet

Sugar #2

by Julie Burchill

‘Some people tread water all their lives. Not me – I’m gonna make a big splash.' Maria Sweet, aka Sugar, is back. Her husband's done a runner taking their daughter with him, but at least she has a get a job, get some cash and get the hell out of Brighton. And somewhere out there in the big bad world is Kim Lewis, who might just be the Love of Sugar’s Life. Sugar’s landed herself a stint as a model for local fashion designers Agnew & Bagshawe. But when she discovers they’ve exploited her,she’s hell-bent on vengeance and that can only lead to chaos . . . Sugar is as defiant and outrageous as ever in this riotous sequel to SUGAR RUSH, Burchill’s bestselling teen novel.

Genres: LGBT, Fiction, Young Adult, Lesbian, Romance

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2007

About the author

Julie Burchill is an English writer and columnist known for her provocative comments. Beginning as a writer for the New Musical Express at the age of 17, she has written for newspapers such as The Sunday Times and The Guardian. She is a self-declared "militant feminist". She has several times been involved in legal action resulting from her work. She is also an author and novelist, her 1989 novel Ambition being a bestseller, and her 2004 novel Sugar Rush being adapted for television.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so glad this is the end of the duology because I don't think I could take another sentence.

Loved the TV show! Book one was disappointing in comparison. Book two should never have existed. 

There's no plot or point, rhyme or reason here.

This is two hundred pages of Sugar being outrageous, she has a view on everything and it's all vile.

One star.

[junebear · Rating 1 out of 5]

still terrible

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still keeping my copy...well, I think so. I'll see. I think it's fair to say I didn't quite enjoy "Sweet" as much as I did Sugar Rush. I loved the first book because I loved Kim as narrator and how Sugar still managed to be shrouded in mystery despite being so blunt and up-herself, really. I couldn't help thinking that this book took away all the possible sides of Sugar that were likeable and empathetic. I also felt her characterization, narration, and the storyline in general were both ridiculous and unrealistic. Sugar is released from prison (I've forgotten what for exactly - fraud? prostitution? drug crimes?) with a heroin habit which we don't see her mention again or struggle with all through the book - oh no, wait, she took a joint down to the beach occassionally - and slept around. Even the proper issues that are taken on - Christians being mobbed and raped in Muslim-dominated countries - seemed to both add and mean very little to this book - after learning about little Christian girls the same age as her younger sisters being raped and beaten in Pakistan, Sugar's reply is "I don't like Albanians."
The homosexual characters seemed terribly unlikeable too compared to Kim in the first book - the men Sugar goes to work for are disgusting -and her views on mental illness and abortion made me cringe. Yes, it is good to be open and honest, but the crudeness of this book left a sour taste in my mouth despite the book's title. It also made me think - Julie Burchill's first book was very real, but she seems to have forgotten everything she ever knew about both teenagers and life on a council estate by the time she penned her second book about Kim and Maria. I mean, no-one is actually like Maria/Sugar is in this book. I'm sorry, but thank God I don't know any teenagers who are actually like Maria in this book, because I don't think anyone would be able to relate to her given the characterization she is given in Sweet, whereas we all knew scary and confusing girls like her when we first read Sugar Rush and were able to both love and hate her wholeheartedly, which is probably part of its appeal.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This follow up to the highly acclaimed "Sugar Rush", is poor. Sugar was always my favourite character, and her life always fascinated me, in both the TV Series, and the book; but this book does nothing but draw attention to the immature.

Maybe it's because this book is aimed at a younger audience; but as a seventeen year old myself, there was very little relation built up with the character; and very little to compare or understand.

I suppose this is good if you're younger, and you want a girly book to read; a girly book trying to explore far too many element in just over two hundred pages, but a girly read none-the-less. For older readers out there, or anyone with an ounce of maturity, I wouldn't recommend.

[abi · Rating 1 out of 5]

”I’d never bothered to set her straight that the only baby girl I’d given much serious thought to tracking down was Kizza.”

okay so sugar claims basically the whole book that she wants kim back and yet she doesn’t do anything about it until basically the end, and even then it’s a complete and utter coincidence that she even bumps into kim at all. literally this book is just a bunch of words written and made into a ‘story’ and i just don’t care.

add that to the overwhelming amounts of racism and homophobia and i just don’t understand why it was even written.
i guess at least sugar and kim ended up together even if they only spent about two pages actually around each other.

just an all round disappointing read.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the "voice" of this book

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book, but still a fun read.

I love the lesbian representation in this duology, but it doesn't seem to know what bisexuality is. I'm glad this book explores Sugar's sexuality more (as a season 3 of Sugar Rush would've undoubtedly done), and she's unashamedly attracted to women now, but still attracted to men. But the narrative wants to insist she's lesbian and not bisexual. Hell, even in Sugar Rush, Sugar said "you can't swing both ways forever"

I love how rape apologist and anti-choice propaganda are debunked in this book. Something many more books need to learn.

Seeing more of the tender side of Sugar that deeply loves Kim was so heartwarming to see.

I thought because of the [amazing] end of the last book, Sugar would never find Kim again. And while I would've been happy with that ending . . .  I'm very happy with this one.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seriously need an OMG WHY DID I READ THIS shelf. Okay, so I legit read this because I'd read - and somewhat enjoyed Sugar Rush - and I thought that reading its sequel wouldn't be a bad idea?

Hahahaha I was so wrong.

I guess I'm just too much of a snob to care, you know? I can't help it, I totally look down on Maria/Sugar and think she's one of the most dreadful characters I have ever read about. She's the absolute chavviest of chavs, a pathetic try-hard, completely up herself, thinks she's smart and top shit when really she just makes you cringe. And all that by 17 - with an eighteen-month-old daughter to boot! I just don't like girls like that.

This is worse than trashy, but I will not bring myself to make a shelf for the chavs because I don't ever want to have anything else to add to it!

I really didn't like her voice, and didn't like how the author stooped to writing things like "should of" in the narration. I also thought it was a bit lame how Maria would moan over how the toffs look down on her and her kind as being uneducated tarts... and then what is she? An uneducated tart. And seventeen! Oh my god. I can't get over how bad this is. And she whines about how people of her class have no other choice than to be teen mothers and whores... ugh, it grates.

The only "good" thing about reading it was that I read it after a year of being in the UK, so I could fully understand just how disgustingly chavvy she was. Wait, is that a good thing? I don't know. But like, I could picture and hear everything, which just made her even worse... I have real-life examples! *shudders*

Most of the pop culture references are really dated by now as well. Who remembers The Simple Life? Although the Jeremy Kyle one made me laugh. But would anyone not living in the UK even know what that means? Not that anyone not living in the UK should read this book. Nor should anyone IN the UK. STAY AWAY!!! Read Sugar Rush if you like, but don't seek out the sequel! The plot can be summed up as chavvy girl meets two overly gay designers, who make fun of her for being a chav, and she doesn't realise this for the longest time and when she does she gets mad and gets even. Which okay was pretty interesting, I was worried she was going to get caught vandalising their place. And there's a minor thread of gayness as well, as she can't stop thinking about Kim (from Sugar Rush)... but really not enough to make this worth while. She only hooks up with guys during the book, no girls. Ugh, what's the point?

Still, two stars because I finished it...

[Vykie Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some writers, its hard to recapture a character, especiallt one previously only seen from another perspective. Julie, however, tells you exactly who Maria Sweet is in the very first paragraph. I initially had my doubts about a sequel to the original book, especially considering where it left off, but the life of Sugar is never dull, tehres always a story to tell.

As the book progresses, you can see Sugar growing as a person, she begins to think about life as a whole, about the way we are as people, and it couldnt be mroe true. I particularly enjoyed ehr rant about Jamie Oliver on page 204, because lets face it, he needs to get off his bloody pedastal.

[Beth Schofield]

The follow up to Sugar Rush, just as engrossing and fabulous. I love how Burchill really gets into the story in both Sugar Rush and Sweet, and leaves you satisfied, yet still wanting more. I will always love these 2 books.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Besides some of the little moments where Sugar starts to make valid, reasonable points I just didn't really feel the entire story as a whole.

[Ms Moony]

I didn't enjoy it as much as Sugar Rush.