Babushka

by Natasha Devon

Cerys has swapped the Welsh Valleys for art college in London. It’s the year 2000 – she doesn’t have to just get married and have babies and cook stews for the rest of her life.But Cerys’s London is not glossy. It’s lonely and overwhelming and confusing. Until, that is, she meets him.

Genres: Young Adult

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Rachel Edmunds · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s giving Sally Rooney but the author actually knows how to use speech marks

[Cerys Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

GAAAAAAAH I LOVED THIS AND ITS NOT JUST BECAUSE THE MAIN CHARACTER IS CALLED CERYS AND IVE NEVER FOUND MY NAME IN A BOOK BEFORE (also, blimmin loved the references to 00s indie bands)

[BEATRICE VEGAS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Babushka by Natasha Devon begins with a gripping prologue. A flashback to the past it grabbed my attention straight away. The main protagonist Cerys who grew up in a village in the Welsh Valleys gets to fulfil her dream of studying at the London School of Fashion. She will be living with her aunt Wyn. Cerys aspect on life is based on the insights from her favourite magazine Adept. So how does life in London compare in realty? This is Devon’s exploration of the joys, pains and distress that Cerys experiences in this coming of age novel.

In the first chapter I learned why the book was called Babushka. Umm...that had me hooked and I wanted to know more of Cerys Babushka. The characters were real and life like. The story felt familiar as one that could happen to a teenager down one’s street or town. Yet there was magic in its telling. This made the entire novel a gripping read.

Throughout, the novel has many flashbacks to the main protagonist Cerys life. It didn’t bother me as it was well crafted and flowed seamlessly. As her story unravels I realise that this could happen to any teen. What kept me reading was Devon’s bravura in skilfully interbraiding Cerys past and present. Here was a story of a teenager who had made mistakes but with the help of family and friends got back onto her feet. These were folks that I would want around me in times of trouble. True there were also characters I would not want in my own life – mean and obnoxious. And that’s it – the real life like characters the good the bad and the ugly were all crafted by Devon to make an awesomely inspiring read.

The story was full of twists and turns often when least expected. It kept me glued to my Kindle and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough. This was largely due to the fact that Devon has mastered the art of keeping the reader in suspense till the very end. All the more significant as Devon transforms an ordinary tale into an uplifting read. I hurt with Cerys and rejoiced as she triumphed through her difficulties. Her distress became mine as did her dilemmas. I was eager to know how she resolved her problems.

Only then did I glean the whole of Cerys story. I closed my Kindle with a sigh and felt enriched for having read Babushka. This novel though, is not just for teens. Adults would benefit from reading this book as they would gain a greater insight into teens feelings.

[Monika Komorska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley for sending me this ARC.

It was my first book by this author so didn’t know what to expect. I liked the summary and as a child I used to love playing with those Babuskha’s.

Please don’t judge me for my way of choosing books to read :P

A little babushka is made when you’re young and something happens to you that leaves a scar…’

Cerys Williams has swapped her village in the Welsh Valleys for art college in London and the spare room in glamorous Auntie Wyn’s flat however Cerys’s London is not glossy or cool or sophisticated, despite what Adept, her favourite magazine, has told her. It’s lonely and overwhelming and confusing. Until, that is, she meets him… 

The books starts a bit slow for me but once I got into the first few chapters its has sucked me in. It was a very nice and quick read that has taken me back. Explores all the everyday struggles of teenagers with families and fitting in and takes it a bit further but I won’t spoil it for you.

I have read that is a prequel to another book by this author so I will definitely will be picking that up to read as well now I have finished this one.

If you need a nice quick read that takes you back to the year 2000 you should definitely pick it up for yourself.

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me this arc to review.

Cerys Williams has swapped her village in the Welsh Valleys for art college in London and the spare room in glamorous Auntie Wyn’s flat. Cerys knows there’s more out there for her in the world; it’s the year 2000 – she definitely doesn’t have to just get married and have babies and wear beige and cook stews for the rest of her life, even if Mam thinks she should.

For a book set in the 2000s, so there was very little nostalgia played upon. I would have loved a few more references thrown in to really set the scene.

To be honest, I found the whole middle section of this book very slow. I would have loved more focus on adult Cerys. Teen Cerys is a bit annoying and the naivety gets old.

The side characters are interesting and I liked the chapters with her mate Alice. It would have been great to have a bit more of Cerys exploring London and falling in love with the city.

Overall, I thought the plot was interesting and I enjoyed the writing. I didn't realise it was a prequel to another book so I'd definitely want to read Toxic to understand more about the characters.

[karla_bookishlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A binge-worthy page turner about growing up, friendship, love, and toxic relationships. Cerys is 16 years old and dreams of a future beyond her small Welsh Town. She moves to London to stay with her trendy aunt and start art college. Her dreams quickly turn sour as she realises that it is much harder to find your place and people in a large city. Cerys faces a steep learning curve, a lot of hurt and trauma all within her first year. The image of the babushka doll transforming when you are young and "something happens to you that leaves a scar" is such an evocative image. This was such an emotional read and made me shed a few tears but left me grinning at the end. #babushka #natashadevon #netgalley

[Gill Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cerys arrives in London to live with her Auntie Wyn and study art. We see her faced with teenage pregnancy, bullies, complex relationships, and death; how does she deal with it, and does she survive the big city?

The prequel to Natasha Devon's 'Toxic', I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I love the characters, especially Cerys and Alice, and the easy way in which the book flows.

The author's reference to various songs, such as Stereophonics' ( one of my favourite bands) 'A Thousand Trees', brings back my own good memories.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great prequel to Toxic! Definitely a binge-worthy read looking at toxic relationships, love and friendship. I really liked the imagery of a babushka doll for each time something that happens to you leaves a scar, it's an image that really stayed with me. Great read, all the feels, can highly recommend.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always look forward to a Natasha Devon book, she always has a lot to say with her themes and topics. This book is no exception.
It's such an easy read - and I don't mean that in a derogative way, just that it was easy to speed through.
Some moments felt a little blatant and preachy, but this could just be because i'm maybe not the target audience for this YA book (at 33!!)

I enjoyed reading this book, and feel like it will stay with me for a while.

[Yvonne Armitage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realise this was a YA book but it was still a brilliant read for an older (40+) reader.

A delightful coming of age story about finding acceptance within your family & in life.

Cerys wants to move away from her hometown in Wales dreaming of a better life in the city where her Aunt lives in London. She enrols in college with big dreams but soon finds life is harder than she imagined.

#Babushka #NetGalley

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book within less than 24 hours. I literally could not put it down. A brilliant prequel to TOXIC that I loved getting swept up in.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appealed to my inner teen for nostalgia reasons. Really summed up what it was like to be a teen girl in late 90s / early 00s.