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Lila Mackay is Very Misunderstood
The No.1 bestselling author of the Why Mummy series is back with her very first book for young YA readers!📔📚💜📔📚💜📔📚💜💜
Fourteen-year-old Emily is gloomily spending the summer with her mum’s best friend Uncle Tom, helping him renovate his house, instead of being at home hoping the gorgeous Toby will ask her out. Worse, she’s broken her phone and left her iPad at her dad’s house. How is she supposed to survive without her tech, her BFF and her social life? No one understands her despair, least of all the boomers.
Then she finds her mum’s old diary. MASSIVE CRINGE. But as Emily starts to read, she’s stunned to discover that her mum was once a teenager too. A nineties teenager called Lila MacKay, who was VERY MISUNDERSTOOD. It’s a long-forgotten era of weird fashions, TV shows and music Emily’s never heard of. There are boys too, notably cute Park Boy Tom and her mum’s dorky neighbour Weird Nicky. And as she becomes more and more invested in Lila’s teenage life, Emily begins to wonder if perhaps she and her mother are not so different after all…
💚
Perfect for fans of Geek Girl and readers who are that next age up from Lottie Brooks.
💜
Readers LOVE Lila Mackay!“I can't wait to find out what happens next for Lila as I know there are more diaries to read! Perfect for fans of Lottie Brooks. I was looking for a new series to get into!!” – Nia, 13
Fourteen-year-old Emily is gloomily spending the summer with her mum’s best friend Uncle Tom, helping him renovate his house, instead of being at home hoping the gorgeous Toby will ask her out. Worse, she’s broken her phone and left her iPad at her dad’s house. How is she supposed to survive without her tech, her BFF and her social life? No one understands her despair, least of all the boomers.
Then she finds her mum’s old diary. MASSIVE CRINGE. But as Emily starts to read, she’s stunned to discover that her mum was once a teenager too. A nineties teenager called Lila MacKay, who was VERY MISUNDERSTOOD. It’s a long-forgotten era of weird fashions, TV shows and music Emily’s never heard of. There are boys too, notably cute Park Boy Tom and her mum’s dorky neighbour Weird Nicky. And as she becomes more and more invested in Lila’s teenage life, Emily begins to wonder if perhaps she and her mother are not so different after all…
💚
Perfect for fans of Geek Girl and readers who are that next age up from Lottie Brooks.
💜
Readers LOVE Lila Mackay!“I can't wait to find out what happens next for Lila as I know there are more diaries to read! Perfect for fans of Lottie Brooks. I was looking for a new series to get into!!” – Nia, 13
- GenresYoung AdultHumor
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 14, 2025
17 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Gill Sims
41 books295 followersGill Sims is a bestselling British author and blogger.
Sims is the author of Why Mummy Drinks which was the Sunday Times Fiction Bestseller of 2017, Why Mummy Swears published in 2018, and Why Mummy Doesn't Give A **** published in 2019.
In 2016, she began her Peter and Jane blog, which quickly gained a viral following. Her blog offers a comical response to issues facing parents. She has also written postnatal depression for Netmums. Sims has been regularly profiled as a leading proponent of a "Mummy Blogger."
She lives in Scotland with her husband, two children and border terrier, 'Judgy Dog'.
Sims is the author of Why Mummy Drinks which was the Sunday Times Fiction Bestseller of 2017, Why Mummy Swears published in 2018, and Why Mummy Doesn't Give A **** published in 2019.
In 2016, she began her Peter and Jane blog, which quickly gained a viral following. Her blog offers a comical response to issues facing parents. She has also written postnatal depression for Netmums. Sims has been regularly profiled as a leading proponent of a "Mummy Blogger."
She lives in Scotland with her husband, two children and border terrier, 'Judgy Dog'.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 1, 2025
A really fun early YA read about a girl struggling with all the things that come with being a teen.
Emily goes to stay with her mum's friend Tom and has to go phone free when she breaks hers. To help with her problems, Tom gives Emily her mum's diary from when she was a teen and the book then alternates between past and present.
I loved the reminiscing I could do when reading the diary entries, turns out being the same age as the mum isn't as depressing as I first thought it would be!
The book focuses mainly on the mum's teen year which was fun, but I would have also loved to spend more time with Emily too.
The diary chapters felt a bit long in places, but I enjoyed how it all came together.
A clean read which is perfect for helping to feel less alone.
Emily goes to stay with her mum's friend Tom and has to go phone free when she breaks hers. To help with her problems, Tom gives Emily her mum's diary from when she was a teen and the book then alternates between past and present.
I loved the reminiscing I could do when reading the diary entries, turns out being the same age as the mum isn't as depressing as I first thought it would be!
The book focuses mainly on the mum's teen year which was fun, but I would have also loved to spend more time with Emily too.
The diary chapters felt a bit long in places, but I enjoyed how it all came together.
A clean read which is perfect for helping to feel less alone.
December 19, 2025
Very funny. I liked the contrast between the Mum and the daughter speaking. I think it is very realistic in terms of a mother and daughter relationship. I would definately recommend this book.
July 29, 2025
I'll be honest I'm giving it two stars instead of one because I understand that I, a queer non binary person in their 20s, is not the target audience. Though I struggle to comprehend who is? This book is, presumably, to appeal to people who are currently Emily's age, but here's the issue. It looks like this book was written five years ago, and it may have been but I shouldn't be able to tell. She is 14, this is 2025, she is gen alpha, not gen z. So every time they call her gen z would be like if they were calling a gen z-er millennial. Also, the slang is so outdated, she would have been nine when it was popular. There's also a weird capitalisation of Snapchat (SnapChat???) but I'll give that the benefit of the doubt and say it was just a proof copy mistake.
Now, if people that are 13-16 read this book, not only will they absolutely not get the 150 million classic book references (I didn't get them all and I literally read all day), but I think they'll be quite insulted with how grossly misrepresented they are. Emily is often made out as stupid, she doesn't comprehend helplines, which we still have, she doesn't know what child line is, which I'm not English, I know what that is, it still exists and gen z was DEFINITELY taught the number in school. The amount of little details like that that really just come across as "HELLO, I AM TEENAGER!"
And then there's Lila, who is a bully. It would be different if she had described Nicky as a creep, a man making her feel uncomfortable because he can't comprehend boundaries or something (which, if that were the case she absolutely would have said), but he isn't, she just doesn't like him most of the book. And she's pretty alone in that dislike, her friends all LOVE Nicky and she actively bullies him throughout. Calling him Weird Nicky wasn't funny, it just came across as rude. Lila was also the biggest poser in the world and the exact sort of person I despised growing up as an actual alternative person. She's manipulative in every action, she's rude, she has a superiority complex, she lacks empathy and she hates Rachel as if she isn't Rachel. Dnf, because I was not about to read about this girl outing her friend to anyone, the way the queerness was handled by Lila was also massively insensitive, the bombardments of "WHY ARENT YOU OUT" was so uncomfortable and was treated as okay. I really felt like I was reading the most straight woman version of queerness. Also, important to note, I literally did not laugh once. I struggled to find the bits that were supposed to be funny (my guess is the instances where people are being absolutely awful to others??)
Now, if people that are 13-16 read this book, not only will they absolutely not get the 150 million classic book references (I didn't get them all and I literally read all day), but I think they'll be quite insulted with how grossly misrepresented they are. Emily is often made out as stupid, she doesn't comprehend helplines, which we still have, she doesn't know what child line is, which I'm not English, I know what that is, it still exists and gen z was DEFINITELY taught the number in school. The amount of little details like that that really just come across as "HELLO, I AM TEENAGER!"
And then there's Lila, who is a bully. It would be different if she had described Nicky as a creep, a man making her feel uncomfortable because he can't comprehend boundaries or something (which, if that were the case she absolutely would have said), but he isn't, she just doesn't like him most of the book. And she's pretty alone in that dislike, her friends all LOVE Nicky and she actively bullies him throughout. Calling him Weird Nicky wasn't funny, it just came across as rude. Lila was also the biggest poser in the world and the exact sort of person I despised growing up as an actual alternative person. She's manipulative in every action, she's rude, she has a superiority complex, she lacks empathy and she hates Rachel as if she isn't Rachel. Dnf, because I was not about to read about this girl outing her friend to anyone, the way the queerness was handled by Lila was also massively insensitive, the bombardments of "WHY ARENT YOU OUT" was so uncomfortable and was treated as okay. I really felt like I was reading the most straight woman version of queerness. Also, important to note, I literally did not laugh once. I struggled to find the bits that were supposed to be funny (my guess is the instances where people are being absolutely awful to others??)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2025
Emily, 14, is seriously annoyed with her mum, Lila. After dropping her phone, she’s stuck without a way to chat with her best friend or her crush. To make things worse, Lila – who is divorced from Emily’s Dad - refuses to get the phone fixed. When Lila heads off for a course, she leaves Emily at Uncle Tom’s, where Emily stumbles across a diary her mum wrote at 16. With Lila’s okay, Emily dives in and suddenly sees her mum not just as “Mum", but as a teenager who once wrestled with the same drama she’s facing now.
This book is a story within a story. Most of it follows Lila in the 1990s, figuring out friendships, first love and how to fit in. Being also a teen in the 1990s, I love the fun dose of nostalgia like the early internet days and chatrooms. The diary-style writing took a bit of getting used to as its heavy on “telling” rather than “showing" but once I got into it, I was hooked. I wanted to know if Lila would end up with the hot guy in her friend group (who’s giving her mixed signals) or with the anonymous student online who actually seems to understand her. While the plot was a little predictable to me, it still brought me back to my own teen years, and I could relate to Lila’s choices and emotions.
Emily’s side of the story doesn’t get as much attention - she can also feel a bit whiny and over-the-top - but through her mum’s diary, she starts to see the parallels between their lives. That’s when she begins to make better decisions and understand Lila more.
Although the book is marketed as young adult, I’d say it’s better suited to younger teens who would find it relatable with its themes of teenage angst, friendship, first love and social issues.
This book is a story within a story. Most of it follows Lila in the 1990s, figuring out friendships, first love and how to fit in. Being also a teen in the 1990s, I love the fun dose of nostalgia like the early internet days and chatrooms. The diary-style writing took a bit of getting used to as its heavy on “telling” rather than “showing" but once I got into it, I was hooked. I wanted to know if Lila would end up with the hot guy in her friend group (who’s giving her mixed signals) or with the anonymous student online who actually seems to understand her. While the plot was a little predictable to me, it still brought me back to my own teen years, and I could relate to Lila’s choices and emotions.
Emily’s side of the story doesn’t get as much attention - she can also feel a bit whiny and over-the-top - but through her mum’s diary, she starts to see the parallels between their lives. That’s when she begins to make better decisions and understand Lila more.
Although the book is marketed as young adult, I’d say it’s better suited to younger teens who would find it relatable with its themes of teenage angst, friendship, first love and social issues.
September 18, 2025
Perfectly decently written, just not my thing – this shows a bitter, exaggeration-friendly teen called Emily struggle with the constant idea that her single mum hates her and wants to get rid and never understands her. To get over such thoughts, when she spends an Easter fortnight with an uncle doing house renovation for him, and discovers an old volume of diary (like, so old it's from the 1990s), she is encouraged to read it. For this is her mother's thoughts, as she struggles with virginity, fashion, bitterness, exaggeration, lack of understanding, and the efforts needed to stop being Beth and become Lila.
This is fine, as I say. But it's a shame that the authors who were around to read Louise Rennison when she first came out are taking from her second series, not the superior first – for this, with its constant referral to schoolgirl-friendly Victorian fiction, only reminded me of "Withering Tights" et al. You do have to be a tweenaged girl to find the girls interesting – I'm sure they're realistic, both in 2025 and in 1996, but boy are they judgy dogs, and unlikeable with it. Not only that, but there is a mahoosive lack of realism when a girl writes what feels like 20,000 word entries after each of her first days at sixth form. Is that the exaggeration catching? Not much. For the right audience, a high rating, from me – much less, with three stars the middle ground.
This is fine, as I say. But it's a shame that the authors who were around to read Louise Rennison when she first came out are taking from her second series, not the superior first – for this, with its constant referral to schoolgirl-friendly Victorian fiction, only reminded me of "Withering Tights" et al. You do have to be a tweenaged girl to find the girls interesting – I'm sure they're realistic, both in 2025 and in 1996, but boy are they judgy dogs, and unlikeable with it. Not only that, but there is a mahoosive lack of realism when a girl writes what feels like 20,000 word entries after each of her first days at sixth form. Is that the exaggeration catching? Not much. For the right audience, a high rating, from me – much less, with three stars the middle ground.
September 26, 2025
Lila Mackay is very misunderstood is an early YA read about a young teenager who’s convinced nobody understands what she’s going through, about her fitting in or her boy woes.
When her mum lands a job she can’t turn down Emily is off to stay with her uncle. A broken phone and a forgotten iPad ends with Emily without any connection to her friends and so she begins reading her mums diary, what she doesn’t expect is to find so many connections.
From friends to boys and all the trouble in between Emily learns what her mum went through at an age close to hers, the heartache and the need to fit in.
Emily soon learns her mum isn’t just an old woman trying to tell her what to do but she’s trying to help her not make the same mistakes.
It’s been so lovely seeing Emily read through the diary and learn about her mum. I laughed a lot within the first few pages because damn, teenagers are so dramatic.
I loved the whole aspect of being take back to when Emily’s mum, Lila was a teenager and reminiscing about that, Lila did many things I did, impulse and exclamation! we’re absolutely my go to back then haha and I loved reading Lila’s diary entries, that girl went through it all lol.
But can we just talk about that ending? I was NOT happy…because…what the heck happened? I NEED to know!! Ugh!
If you enjoy funny, relatable and a heartfelt early YA read then this one is definitely for you. Enjoyable to mums and teenagers and filled with love, laughter and boy drama.
When her mum lands a job she can’t turn down Emily is off to stay with her uncle. A broken phone and a forgotten iPad ends with Emily without any connection to her friends and so she begins reading her mums diary, what she doesn’t expect is to find so many connections.
From friends to boys and all the trouble in between Emily learns what her mum went through at an age close to hers, the heartache and the need to fit in.
Emily soon learns her mum isn’t just an old woman trying to tell her what to do but she’s trying to help her not make the same mistakes.
It’s been so lovely seeing Emily read through the diary and learn about her mum. I laughed a lot within the first few pages because damn, teenagers are so dramatic.
I loved the whole aspect of being take back to when Emily’s mum, Lila was a teenager and reminiscing about that, Lila did many things I did, impulse and exclamation! we’re absolutely my go to back then haha and I loved reading Lila’s diary entries, that girl went through it all lol.
But can we just talk about that ending? I was NOT happy…because…what the heck happened? I NEED to know!! Ugh!
If you enjoy funny, relatable and a heartfelt early YA read then this one is definitely for you. Enjoyable to mums and teenagers and filled with love, laughter and boy drama.
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November 26, 2025Nov 2025:
It's a holiday, and Emily's mom is away, so she had to stay with her mom's friend, Uncle Tom.
Emily is so mad at her mom because her handphone was broken and cannot be fixed immediately. She thinks her mom did not understand her.
While staying with Uncle Tom, Emily was asked to help him repair the house. Uncle Tom promises the handphone will be fixed if she does her tasks.
While sorting out Uncle Tom's stuff, Emily found a diary of Lila Mackay, who is her mother. The diary was written by 16yo Lila when she was in college. Emily started to read the diary and discovered who Lila/her mom is.
I'd suggest this be read by mature readers although it is considered as YA and the cover of the arc copy looks like a fun read.
First, I did not see that the word 'misunderstood' in the title actually refers to Lila's misunderstanding of her love interest, Tom, who is actually g*y.
2nd, there is content of wanting to be k*ssed and s*x.
I like the concept of the storyline, reading a Mom's diary to understand her better but I dont think I'd allowed that if it is done by my daughter.
My previous read was about a teenage girl not agreeing with her mom, and this one brings the same message. I need a break, I guess.😅
Thank you #Pansing for this arc copy.
It's a holiday, and Emily's mom is away, so she had to stay with her mom's friend, Uncle Tom.
Emily is so mad at her mom because her handphone was broken and cannot be fixed immediately. She thinks her mom did not understand her.
While staying with Uncle Tom, Emily was asked to help him repair the house. Uncle Tom promises the handphone will be fixed if she does her tasks.
While sorting out Uncle Tom's stuff, Emily found a diary of Lila Mackay, who is her mother. The diary was written by 16yo Lila when she was in college. Emily started to read the diary and discovered who Lila/her mom is.
I'd suggest this be read by mature readers although it is considered as YA and the cover of the arc copy looks like a fun read.
First, I did not see that the word 'misunderstood' in the title actually refers to Lila's misunderstanding of her love interest, Tom, who is actually g*y.
2nd, there is content of wanting to be k*ssed and s*x.
I like the concept of the storyline, reading a Mom's diary to understand her better but I dont think I'd allowed that if it is done by my daughter.
My previous read was about a teenage girl not agreeing with her mom, and this one brings the same message. I need a break, I guess.😅
Thank you #Pansing for this arc copy.
July 23, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Electric Monkey Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's 2025 and Emily is going to stay with her Uncle Tom for the holiday... with a broken phone and no iPad! How on earth will she be able to stay in touch with her friend and find out if the love of her life likes her too? The grown ups have NO IDEA and just don't know what it is like to be a teenager!
And then Emily find's her mum's diary. Tom persuade's Lila to let Emily read it.
Immediately we are transported back to 1996, when Lila is starting college.
Reading this reminded me of my own 90s teenage angst, the desire to 'fit in', the heartache, the desperation... but also how very important it all felt and tge friendships that grew around that time.
Funny, heartfelt, relateable, suitable for mums AND their teenage daughters this has it all... laughter, heartache, growing up, all served with a nice big spoonful of nostalgia!
Everything you would expect from Gill Sims, including border terriers.
It's 2025 and Emily is going to stay with her Uncle Tom for the holiday... with a broken phone and no iPad! How on earth will she be able to stay in touch with her friend and find out if the love of her life likes her too? The grown ups have NO IDEA and just don't know what it is like to be a teenager!
And then Emily find's her mum's diary. Tom persuade's Lila to let Emily read it.
Immediately we are transported back to 1996, when Lila is starting college.
Reading this reminded me of my own 90s teenage angst, the desire to 'fit in', the heartache, the desperation... but also how very important it all felt and tge friendships that grew around that time.
Funny, heartfelt, relateable, suitable for mums AND their teenage daughters this has it all... laughter, heartache, growing up, all served with a nice big spoonful of nostalgia!
Everything you would expect from Gill Sims, including border terriers.
July 24, 2025
I loved this book! It was funny and perfect and just great read.
14-year-old Emily feels like no one except from her best friend, Poppy, understands her. Plus, she’s started off the Easter Holidays badly. she’s stuck with her mum’s friends in a house she doesn’t know, with no tech, no Poppy and no chance of her crush asking her out. However, when she finds her mums old diary and starts to read it, she is shocked to find that her mum wasn’t much different to Emily when she was a teenager! Fixated on her mums younger years, Emily is slowly starting to figure self out, and rethink her decisions…
I loved this book! I loved Emily and Lila, and I could relate to them both somehow, as I feel as if I don’t fit in either. It was so funny and interesting to read, and I just did not want to put it down! I was fully invested in Lila’s story, and I just thought it was so unique. I loved Gill’s writing, as it was very cleverly written, and it kept me gripped and guessing. I would definitely recommend this book!
14-year-old Emily feels like no one except from her best friend, Poppy, understands her. Plus, she’s started off the Easter Holidays badly. she’s stuck with her mum’s friends in a house she doesn’t know, with no tech, no Poppy and no chance of her crush asking her out. However, when she finds her mums old diary and starts to read it, she is shocked to find that her mum wasn’t much different to Emily when she was a teenager! Fixated on her mums younger years, Emily is slowly starting to figure self out, and rethink her decisions…
I loved this book! I loved Emily and Lila, and I could relate to them both somehow, as I feel as if I don’t fit in either. It was so funny and interesting to read, and I just did not want to put it down! I was fully invested in Lila’s story, and I just thought it was so unique. I loved Gill’s writing, as it was very cleverly written, and it kept me gripped and guessing. I would definitely recommend this book!
August 23, 2025
Every wanted to read your Mum's diary or felt like you are not understood as a teenager, this book is for you. I loved the storyline, being a teenage in today's world is hard, especially with technology and when that's breaks what do you do. There are first loves, friendships and choices to navigate and with the help of her mum's diary maybe she can get some answers. This book had me laughing out loud. It's a great book for mum and daughter to read and have discussions on to.
August 24, 2025
I am a huge fan of Gill Sims especially the Why Mummy... series and while I saw shades of the characters in those books in this, I really struggled to get into it the same way as the Why Mummy series more probably because it's written at the teenager perspective rather than an adult. But one thing that did shine through in it, is that teenagers have issues and each generation has the same but just in different contexts to match in with the current world.
July 25, 2025
A funny and entertaining #YA ‘clean teen’ novel in diary format. You can read my review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
August 17, 2025
took me straight back to my own time at school and college and a time when life was simple. highly recommended for anyone with a teenage or even adult daughter, just so they can see that mum wasn't always mum.
August 16, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is exactly what I expected: light, fun, and engaging. I can't wait to read the other diaries.
This book is exactly what I expected: light, fun, and engaging. I can't wait to read the other diaries.
August 16, 2025
No pude dejar de leerlo. Dónde está la continuación??
September 18, 2025
Light, sweet romance for younger teens, similar to Heartstopper.
October 6, 2025
This book was good but it just couldn’t be more than a 3 stars for me. It took me a while to read and I found it to be quite boring. Still a good book but not my favourite
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews