Goose

Paper Aeroplanes #2

by Dawn O'Porter

It's a year and a half on from Paper Aeroplanes, and Renée is now living with her Aunty Jo. They even have geese, and Renée likes to sit and watch them, wondering if she'll ever find 'the One' - someone who will love her no matter what, and be there for her no matter how bad things get. She and Flo are in their final year at school, and they've got some tough choices to make - like will they go to university? And if so where - and will they go together? Renée's usual ambivalence on the matter shocks Flo, who had assumed they'd continue as they were, the best and closest of friends, forever. She feels as though she needs Renée's support more than ever, so when a handsome young boy enters Flo's life, she finds herself powerfully drawn to his kindness, and his faith. Renée and Flo's friendship will soon be tested in a way neither of them could have expected - and if Paper Aeroplanes was a book about finding friendship, Goose is the novel that explores whether it's possible to keep hold of it.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Romance, Friendship, Audiobook

228 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2014

About the author

DAWN O’PORTER lives in London with her husband Chris, her two boys Art and Valentine, and her cats Myrtle and Boo.

Dawn is the bestselling author of the novels The Cows and the Richard and Judy Book Club picks So Lucky and Cat Lady, and her non-fiction title Life in Pieces was also a Sunday Times bestseller.

Dawn started out in TV production but quickly landed in front of the camera, making numerous documentaries that included immersive investigations of Polygamy, Size Zero, Childbirth, Free Love, Breast Cancer and the movie Dirty Dancing.

Dawn’s journalism has appeared in multiple publications and she was the monthly columnist for Glamour magazine. She is now a full-time writer, designs dresses for Joanie Clothing, and has a large following on her Patreon blog.

Instagram: @hotpatooties

www.patreon.com/DawnOPorter

Reviews

[Emma.catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have said this so many times but I love a good Dawn O’Porter book. She is an auto-buy author for me. They are easy, fun reads and this one ticked that box. Having said that, this one definitely had some heavier topics running through it. After a promising book 1 (paper aeroplanes ✈️) I was excited to see how the girls progressed into the future post high school and into the real world…

First up, I was shocked but also secretly loved the prologue: “We get out and trying Ricky out of the boot. Still looking ravishing in Aunty Jo’s wedding dress, we tiptoe him to the front door. As I open a wheelie bin, Aunty Jo tips him in. “ Leave his feet poking out” I say.”- it was certainly an entertaining and interesting start to the book and got me intrigued as to what lead up to this point 😂

This wasn’t the only laugh in this book but comedy aside, this book definitely dealt with much darker than book 1 which makes sense seen as the girls are a bit older now and are having to face real world problems but what makes this book special is the relationship between Flo and Renee. I was so grateful they had each other and it left me thinking I wished I had had the same kind of person in my life through those late teen years. Because as Flo said “I am starting to wonder if being 18 and anything is easy…” We see how the two girls personalities are actually extremely different despite experiencing very similar situations and their true colours are brought to the surface. Will their friendship be strong enough for the ultimate tests of teen life?

This book is simply a beautiful story of friendship…with all the tests and tribulations that growing up brings. And when eventually everything shifts into place, things that once seemed important have little meaning at all.

And hey, a little side entertainment from the geese at Aunty Jo’s house can’t hurt 🪿😂

Overall, this was a good read and I am glad I read it to find out what happened to these two girls following the first book. I actually think I may have enjoyed this one more so than the first as Dawn broadened the storyline away from just school life and more into other areas of the girls lives and how it affected their friendship. This 2 part series hasn’t been my favourite of Dawn’s work but I enjoyed it all the same and it is definitely worth reading.

Patiently awaiting her next book coming in September 🙇🏻‍♀️

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

Goose is even better than Paper Aeroplanes and I absolutely adored that one! Dawn O'Porter is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. Her work is so honest, creates such nostalgia and juggles both humour and deep issues so well. These books are absolutely unputdownable. Goose is much darker than the first book in the issues that it deals with; growing up, having to make such a big decisions when you're young, loss, grief, familial relationships. There are so many different things that Renee and Flo go through, I found myself feeling so grateful that they had each other, but also grateful for my best friend from school. How would we cope without them?

Once again, O'Porter succeeds in portraying exactly what it was like to be sitting your A Levels. With the pressure of deciding which course to do, what universities to apply to, how to actually get the grades you need, saying bye to your friends and family; the final years of school are such a tough time and I felt like O'Porter manages to convey this perfectly. Flo develops so much in this book; she finally manages to find herself and is able to define herself without Renee. Renee slowly starts to become more comfortable with herself. They both go through some incredibly tough things in Goose; things that girls of 17/18 should not have to go through. The way Dawn O'Porter depicts their friendship is beautiful. It's far from flawless but it's such an honest and beautiful friendship. They're a match made in heaven!

The issues of sex is once again discussed; something which I am definitely for. I don't think enough books openly discuss this topic and I think that teens could definitely do with more information on the topic; to know that what they experience is normal, that everyone is the same, everyone is equally terrified and confused by it. Goose is another beautiful, humorous but sensitive novel and I really hope that there's another book to come in this series!

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I really think Paper Airplanes could have easily been a stand-alone. I really enjoyed that book for being a honest portrayal of teenage girls growing up and finding new friendship. Although similar issues are still present here (although more focused on the friends splitting), this book is for the most part really annoying.

Flo and Renee haven't matured at all since the first book, and even though they're 18 here, they still come across as 15. Both of them whine a lot and have very juvenile voices, and at parts it became kind of irritating to read. I also found their conflict to be contrived just so we could have the cliched best friend fight that comes up every so often in YA literature.

I also found the handling of religion to be so disrespectful. I just don't know if it's because it's hard to write about religion or if it always comes across as super awkward, but I thought it was handled terribly, especially in the case of Gordon. Gordon was the stereotypical church boy who came across as unrealistic and a bit much, and I didn't believe someone could exist like him for one second. The way he talked felt like it was ripped straight out of an annoying Bible group discussion, but there was no energy to his character. The only way he could be defined was by his religion, and that annoyed me.

Renee's conflict was also really frustrating. She kept on harping about how mature she was being with an older man and how the other boys her age are immature (which was also unrealistic), and it just seemed like the behavior of a doe-eyed damsel in distress than the Renee who's supposed to be reckless yet sensible. The action of being in a relationship itself matched her character, but her behavior didn't.

The writing throughout was nice, and I did like how everything wrapped up in the end. However, Goose will need to find another partner, as I won't be accepting its love.

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just don't think the content of this book sat well with me. It felt a little abrupt, and wasn't really what I was expecting...
I didn't relate well to either of the characters, and the content I was looking forward to, from the blurb, was not executed the way I wanted.
Almost didn't finish and probably only did because it was under 250 pages!

[Kerryrosalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice follow up to Paper Aeroplanes - you definitely need to read that first

[Nurhayat Turna · Rating 4 out of 5]

[GKBT 16. Tur] Kağıttan Hayaller - Dawn O’Porter | Kitap Yorumu

İlk kitapla ikinci kitabın kapak ve tasarım uyumuna bayıldım. Rengi ise benim en bir sevdiğim yeşil, fıstık yeşili! İçi de dışı kadar beğenimi kazandı. Yeniden.

Gelelim kitaba. İki kitaptan oluşan serinin son kitabı Kağıttan Hayaller. Devam kitap oluşuyla Flo ve Renée’nin lise son sınıfı bitirme evresini anlatıyor. Gelecek kaygıları, yeni okul heyecanı ve tedirginliği, aşk, yeni arkadaşlıklar derken ikilinin arasında oluşan sorunlar derken kitap bir solukta bitti.

Sanırım yazarın tarzı bu, kitabı tek düze yazıp araya kattığı olaylarla tansiyonu bir yükseltip bir alçaltarak heyecanı körüklüyor. Bu da okuru satırlara hapsedip kitabı tek solukta bitirmesini sağlıyor. Bunu sevdim.

İki farklı karakter aslın Flo ve Renée, ama birbirlerini tamamlayan iki insan. Yeni okulları hayatlarını baştan sona değiştiriyor. Farklılıklarına rağmen bir arada kalışlarını hayatlarına dahil olanlarla birlikte sekteye uğruyor. Üstelik üniversite arifesinde, kazandıkları okulla birbirlerini görememe korkusu ikiliyi zorluyor. Yanlış kişilerle yanlış ilişkiler kurmaları da kalplerini yaralıyor.

Hayatın içinden bir hikaye aslında Kağıttan Hayaller. İçinizi titreten sizi etkileyen bir kitap, seri.
Ben beğendim, okumanızı tavsiye ederim.

https://sonsayfasiask.blogspot.com.tr...

[Abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I wasn't bowled over by Paper Aeroplanes, I decided to persevere and give Goose a chance...well, I wish I hadn't!

I find it hard to believe that these two friends, at 18, would be so naïve and childish.

I found Flo thoroughly irritating. I understand she was bullied by Sally and has low self-esteem but her dependency on Renee really grated on me.

However, this time I did feel Renee's storyline was more believable. I think most teenage girls have had a relationship with someone who isn't good for them.

All in all, if another one in this series is written I don't think I will have the patience to read it.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

if there's something I admire, it's O'Porter's honesty
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2015/0...

[Beth M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good sequel to the first. Although it’s been a long time between me reading the books, so it took me a little while to remember the characters, I feel like there was some great development for both Flo and Renee. I’m not really one for a book about life, but I did enjoy it. P.S. I hate Dean!!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I just have a real soft spot for young adult fiction but this just nailed so many feeling from my adolescence and the characters felt so real to me. Loved it enough to stay up reading past my bedtime which I hardly ever do.

[Caroline Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Not as much as Paper Aeroplanes and they could be stand alone books. I do wonder if it’s been left open for a sequel. This was the girls at sixth form heading to college… few twists which shocked me.

[Danni Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, second book in the series. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Paper Aeroplanes but I’ve been waiting a while and possibly hyped it up too much. Some funny moments and it does remind you of that Sixth Form/pre 18 stage of your life!

[Gillian McCafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Paper Aeroplanes and I think Goose is even better. The difficulties of being an 18 year old are played out perfectly, it brought me to tears.

[Sinead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book brought me back to the feelings you had when leaving school trying to find your way. Great follow on book. Sad at times and yet uplifting too.

[Ruth Ní Bheoláin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured the two books in this series in about 2.5 days. I found the writing style super engaging and thought they were beautifully written.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by Beth

It is no secret that I loved Paper Aeroplanes. In fact it featured in my favourite books of 2013 and so I was determined to be top of the list when it came to reading the sequel, Goose. Already knowing the characters meant there was an element of returning to old friends with Goose which made it an entirely different read to Paper Aeroplanes.
Goose isn’t Paper Aeroplanes. Flo and Renee have both evolved as the novel takes place six months down the line and rather than being at different stages of their journey they are now both attending the same school together which is how the differences in their personalities become more pronounced and the friction which is present throughout most of the novel grows.
Flo and Renee are kind of growing up but still true to themselves. Renee is still keen on doing things her own way and not really caring what impact that has on anyone else whilst Flo seems almost desperate to find her place in the world. Goose sees her turning to “God” which did disappoint me a little as it seems a bit too easy.
I did enjoy how O’Porter injected some humour into the Christian scenes as Flo tried to build her relationship with God through attempting a relationship with the lead singer of a Christian Rock band. I did have a private giggle or two remembering a girl I lived with at university listening to Christian Rock in her bedroom – each to their own I suppose.
The novel sees both characters grow and change although with Flo it’s almost like she becomes a new person. The only downside is that the novel seemed to rush towards a climactic end which at least had the shock factor even if it did come out of nowhere.
Dawn O’Porter’s style continues to delight me regardless – her explicitness depicts teenage life in a way which I don’t think is done as well by any other author and just reading about them seems to transport me back to being their age. As well as getting lost in Renee and Flo’s story O’Porter makes me get lost in my own!
You won’t find a better representation of teenage emotion and reality elsewhere.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goose is set a year and a half after Paper Aeroplanes, Renée and Flo are eighteen and pondering what lies beyond their final school year. Goose explores the nature and of friendship, love, sex and even the delicate subject of faith. I didn't love this as much as I loved Paper Aeroplanes and I'm not 100% sure why. I did laugh and I did cry, but not as much. It was just as compulsive a read though and I devoured it in a few hours.

As someone who grew up Catholic I thought that the treatment of Christianity and Flo's discovery of her faith was very well done. It was never too much and Flo's questions and occasional doubts about her own faith and the extent of others' faith along with the humour that this was treated with made it all very believable and kept it interesting.

Although at first it would seem that Renée hadn't learnt from her disastrous previous experiences with men in Paper Aeroplanes, her story in Goose really resonated with me. This is where I think Dawn O'Porter's novels really stand out in YA, for their raw honesty in the treatment of sex and relationships. When you're eighteen and unsure of yourself, relationships aren't often healthy and fulfilling and I've definitely experienced the kind of toxic relationship that Renée does in Goose.

I think the reason I didn't love it as much was because the stories did feel quite separate from each other, but I suppose that was due to the girls' changing personalities. But I still really enjoyed reading about Renée and Flo and look forward to reading more, as there are two more books planned for this series. In both Paper Aeroplanes and Goose, Dawn O'Porter beautifully captures exactly what it's like to be a teenage girl, it is addictive reading that will affect not just teenagers but anyone who has ever been that age.

[Kiara · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars.
I made myself finish Goose, instead of DNFing it like I wanted to. Renee and Flo were such unlikable characters, and I had such a hard time connecting with them. I kept hoping there would be some redemption, that they'd actually have a reason for being so high-strung and mean.

I couldn't stand Renee. To me, she was naive in the worst way. The things she did, and her entire development as a character felt so bland. All the bad things that happen to her could've been seen from a mile away. If she weren't so dumb, she might have seen the actual truth. Are actual 18 year olds like this?

Flo's narration also felt really immature. I liked her a bit better than Renee, but that's not hard to do. Her obsession with school would've been fine if the author had done anything with it, but instead, we kind of just ignore it.

I think my main issue with this novel is the use of religion to justify the storyline. Having Flo have some sort of weird encounter with God that makes her feel safe and like a better person, and what not.
Thing is, I'm a Christian and whenever Christianity was brought up, it was done so in such a bad way. In the midst of all the sex and drugs, I get to hear about a screwed up version of what I believe in. It was not fun.

In the end, Renee and Flo don't change. There is no character development. There's really no point in this book. No redeeming qualities, no charming story, nada. This is a painfully boring book with boring characters.

For fans of Rainbow Rowell, this is not.

*Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review*

[Lyndzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book... I'm furious I've read the full dawn o p collection!

I've really enjoyed this short series of books. I've been reading dawn o porter's books while doing the night feeds with my new born. I've now read all 4 and I'm furious that I have now read her full collection as I'm going to have to read something from an inferior author.
I enjoyed these because she manages the perfect balance of humour, reality and a tragedy. Whilst doing night feeds theyve kept me awake and interested.
Dawn, hurry up and write another. I'll be breast feeding for at least the next 5 months!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Hot Key Books for sending me this book in exchange for a review.

See my full review on my blog:

http://adventuresofateenagebookworm.b...

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasnt sure about this when I started it but then it really picked up and I couldnt stop reading. 16 year old me would have LOVED this book being a sort of mix between Flo and Renee. 28 year old me really enjoyed it.

[Angie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad my good friend Suzy sent me this book and paper aeroplanes, I've loved them and very looking forward to the next instalment!!!!

I had a very nostalgic trip down memory lane and remembered the feeling of not quite fitting or knowing where you belong xx

[Laura-Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book but I got a bit lost in the middle. I am not religious and found it a little difficult to get my head around. That being said, the last 80 pages where phenomenal so a 🌟🌟🌟🌟 book for me.

[Lyns · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read, though not as good as the first. I found the characters more irritating than funny in this book, where my 15 year old self could relate to them in the first book. Maybe my 17 year old self had just moved in a different direction. It is an easy read though and funny in places.

[Georgia (The Bibliomaniac Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredibly hard to come up with a final rating. it was amazing but darker than I had expected. debating between a four and a four point five.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I literally never review but like seriously what is there to like about this book??? Clunky with weird dialogue and so many scenes that go nowhere. The number of times I rolled my eyes was amazing.

[Michelle Lingstir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this as a sequel...please can we have a part three? Escapist, wry and witty... 💜

[Crowinator · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was just definitely not for me.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Goose' is the sequal to Dawn O'Porter's 'Paper Aeroplanes' and I would strongly advise not to read this without having read Paper Aeroplanes because it doesn't do that annoying thing beloved of 'series' writers where they go back and tell you the previous novel's plot in so much detail that you might as well have read it yourself.

Renee and Flo are 18 months older than in PA and are in the run up to their A levels at a new school on Guernsey. The island is still oppressively dull if you're young and looking for fun and the same sense of everybody knowing everybody else's business lurks behind the story. Renee is now living with her Aunt Jo and her anorexic sister is in Spain with their dad. Flo's dad is (still) dead, her creepy brother is out of the way but she's still struggling to get along with her mum.

Renee and Flo had a plan - or maybe it's more correct to say Flo had a plan and Renee was just going along with it. Both would take their A levels and go to Nottingham - Flo to the Uni, Renee to the Poly - but Renee's having second thoughts and Flo feels so badly let down that she takes up with a group of Christians. Renee takes up with an over-sexed journalist who condemns her for being a slut whilst taking frequent advantage of that.

The book addresses friendships, whether they can survive change, whether families can rebuild themselves after loss, and how to stay remotely sane in a small community. It's set in the 1990s so blissfully free of mobile phones, trolls, sexting and the like and focusing instead on good old fashioned face to face bullying and nastiness.

Familiarity brings a lot to this book. In the first I found the girls hard to distinguish at times but in Goose, I knew exactly who I was dealing with. I find these two girls to be fantastically relatable characters and I enjoyed Goose more than Paper Aeroplanes. I'd recommend it to anybody who was a teenager in a small community in the 1980s or 1990s and to anybody who has enjoyed the US TV series 'Awkward'.

[Hannah❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD:
Wow what a great book, although I didn’t read the first book I found this one easy to follow and easy to understand. Although not a lot going on plot-wise, it was an easy and lighthearted read with underlying deep topics such as death, religion and bullying. I really liked this book and felt such a connection to the two main characters and their journeys.

However, although I found this was enjoyable to read there were a few things which put me off, like the use of the word ‘transvestite’. I wasn’t sure if it was being used in an insulting way or just casually being said, me and my friends (all of us part of the LGBT+ community) expressed our upset when I told them that the word was used. And I know the word isn’t insulting for some people but just from personal experience it wasn’t too nice to read.

Also how dean had a lot of sexist views and mannerisms that were never addressed properly, Renee said how she didn’t like what he said and then the scene just moved on. There was no attempt to correct him or to teach him, Renee just kept her thoughts silent and carried on.

TW⚠️: the topic of eating disorders was also discussed but in a very lose and almost insulting way. Like it felt like it wasn’t being taken seriously. Uhhhhhhh... maybe that’s just my interpretation of it but it felt wrong.