My Name is Jodie Jones

by Emma Shevah

From then on, I collected sentences like other people collect keyrings. I searched for them everywhere . . .


Jodie Jones is obsessed with words. Yet she can't find the ones to say what happened that day five years ago, with her mum, on the bridge.


Struggling in school and at home, she takes comfort in her safe her books. Her best friend. And her brother's friend, Moses - who makes her feel something new.


But when hidden family truths come to light and life starts to implode, can Jodie Jones find the words she needs to save herself?


A compelling, witty, moving love letter to the magic of words.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Unknown Binding

About the author

Emma Shevah is half-Irish and half-Thai. She was born and raised in London but has lived in Australia, Japan, India and Jerusalem. She now lives in London with her family and works far too much. Emma has been a fire-juggler, restaurant manager, copy writer, vegetarian take away server, CV advisor, features writer and blogger, and is currently a freewheeling philosopher and cosmic English-teaching novelist and mystic.

Reviews

[ChayaM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma's writing is exquisite. The way she both uses and talks about words is divine. She has created a fabulous character in Jodie Jones, as well as some wonderful supporting characters. Emma deals with complex issues in a thoughtful and sensitive way, and I stayed up until 2am to finish! Although this book is marketed as YA, and I originally purchased it for my teenage daughter, I too enjoyed it immensely.

[Jodijones Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with lovable and relatable characters that were brought to life with the most compelling use of words. This book made me laugh and cry. Simple and complex phrases mixed into a delightful story and ssshhertain ssshhpellings and character writing styles had me giggling and talking like Becca throughout my normal day. A lovely writing style, easy to read and of course THE best book title ever! (From one Jodi Jones to another)

[Neth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, heartfelt novel with an incredibly vivid main character.

Jodie Jones has a fascinating voice and her interest in the sounds and rhythms of words is so contagious that it makes you want to keep your own journal of favourite sentences! The plot was engaging and had the perfect amount of momentum between Jodie Jones's curious tangents.

My only issue was the inaction of most of the other characters in the novel when it came to Jodie Jones's mother. The way she was behaving both at home and in public should have rung far more alarm bells than it did. Her behaviour was almost over-the-top villainous and I didn't buy that nobody even tried to talk to Jodie Jones about it.

But I was willing to suspend my disbelief for the fabulous Jodie Jones, and this was definitely well worth it!

[Alexis Filby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was struggling to get into anything much this year, so decided to try a YA book for something a bit lighter. Ha!! light it was not.

The first page had me completely gripped. The writing was intriguing, clever and unique. And it continued down that path.

It’s not a fast paced or incredibly light read, don’t be fooled by the chick lit cover vibes. It’s thoughtful, it’s
relatable, and most of all, it’s quite tragic.

Without offering spoilers, I’ll say no more. But if you’re in a reading slump, I wholeheartedly recommend you read this gem.

[Oran Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voice, voice, voice, this book is all about voice. And what a voice it is! Jodie Jones is a delightful creation. She's smart, decent, brave and it's a joy to spend this time with her. A wonderful book.
(My only criticism is that I am very self-conscious writing this review - these sentences will not impress Jodie Jones whatsoever.)

[Vonprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding #YA novel with a unique and memorable main protagonist, beautifully written.
You can read my full review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....

[Snarhooked · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't work for me, but I can see why others enjoyed it more.

I didn't enjoy the writing style and it made an already long book a slog to get through. Jodie's friend wears a retainer for most of her appearances in the story and the lisp this causes her is portrayed in the text every single time. This means you have lines such as 'Schellsch it isch' to decipher each time she is present. Jodie loves words and lyrical sentences so the story is already packed with purposefully purple prose. For me, the combination of the two was frustrating. It slowed down the book as I tried to figure out what was being said and distracted from the plot. However, if you enjoy taking your time and admiring the language choices, you may well think differently. It's just not what I look for in this genre.

The other thing which took me out of the story was that the setting didn't feel authentic. We are told it takes place in London but the characters use American-English such as ass and bum (i.e a lazy person). Perhaps it's because it is a fee-paying school, but I was thrown by them having a Period 7 and then an author visit after that. It wasn't mentioned as an afterschool event either. . It also seemed unusual to have mixed-age classes, especially at a fee-paying school, and for a subject like PSHE which tends have age-related content. It also felt off that no-one else had picked up on what was going on. While the worst of it was behind closed doors there was plenty that took place in view of those connected to them for someone to have asked questions.

I felt it took a long time for anything to happen, in the company of characters I didn't really like, and the language choices only made it more of a slog for me. I can see others really enjoying it though.

[Tara Isenschmid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best read of 2025 by far

[Elisheva · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name is Jodie Jones' is beautifully written, captivating, and thought-provoking. I consumed the book, and think it's Emma's best one yet. I couldn't put it down for more than a few minutes before picking it up again - I was too invested in Jodie Jones' immersive story to stop reading. I can't wait to jump into your next story.

[Christine Yabsley-Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. the use of language and the way it flowed through you as you read made it hard to put down. The story held surprises which you felt were coming but were not obvious from the start.
The main character is a quirky, likely neuro diverse individual, who I wanted to know more about