Charl and Roe were once friends---now enemies on opposite sides of "good" vs "evil." After their home world is destroyed by war, they are dumped on Earth. Here, Roe believes he has found peace at last.
Until Charl finds him, seeking his help. Charl wants to find his way home. Roe wants freedom from the black and white of the world that made them.
Roe agrees to help his old friend---but with his own agenda in mind.
Fires burn. Humans are caught in the crossfire. Lost souls search for where they belong.
And when the time comes, Roe and Charl must choose---not only between good and evil... but between their own prisons and the desires they were never meant to have.
Can they finally choose what is right---when they no longer know what that means?
I'm K.M. McKenna, an indie author who daydreams far too much. I call myself a sci-fi author, but I like to dabble in all kinds of genres! The Gilly-Willy is my debut contemporary fantasy/sci-fi, I have a couple romance ideas, and several of my other works in progress are true science fiction. I'm a fan of Star Trek, anything with queer people, and stories that make you sit and think. Oh, and my pronouns are they/them and he/him! You can connect with me on Instagram @km.mckenna.writes :)
I received an ARC from K.M. McKenna in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to K.M. for letting me be an ARC reader for you!
I actually went into The Gilly Willy relatively blind. I knew the characters' names from social media and knew it would be sci-fi but I purposely went in without fully knowing what it would be about. I really enjoyed this story! K.M. did a wonderful job writing this story. There were many ups and downs, funny lines/moments, and it was overall a different experience than I expected.
I found the overall premise to be extremely interesting. I love Charl and Roe. Their banter and dynamic is fun and interesting, and you're just waiting for them to realize how they truly feel. This overally really made me think of some of things I've experienced in my life and how it affected me and the difference one person can make in life. Changing your entire perspective.
For K.M's debut, I want to say congratulations and bravo! They wrote an awesome book with amazing characters and I have no doubt that many people will find the same!
I laughed, cried, screamed, and sat staring at my ceiling after finishing this book.
The Gilly-Willy is a contemporary fantasy about war, identity, love, religious trauma, morality, and what happens when people raised inside rigid systems begin questioning everything they were taught about “good” and “evil.”
Charl and Roe immediately gave me Good Omens vibes in the best possible way: former childhood friends turned enemies on opposite sides of a holy war, secretly orbiting each other through resentment, longing, loyalty, and love. Their relationship absolutely destroyed me.
And unlike so many queer stories where suffering is the point, this one gives its characters something precious: hope.
The LGBTQ representation felt genuine and layered. Bynez (a nonbinary AFAB character who likes women), Alana, the trans characters, the bisexual representation - none of it felt tokenized. These characters were allowed to exist fully inside the story instead of being reduced to “representation.” One of my favorite aspects was how the book handled morality. The Creator was genuinely terrifying - like Homelander levels of horrifying - because he truly believed he represented purity and goodness while causing unimaginable harm. The story constantly asks whether “purity” even exists, and whether dividing people into “good” and “evil” was ever natural to begin with.
The magic system also felt grounded because power had consequences. Characters were powerful, but never untouchable.
Kinrod had one of my favorite arcs in the book. His journey from friend to enemy to reluctant peacekeeper felt messy, difficult, and earned rather than convenient.
My only real complaint is that I wanted more of the Destroyer. He’s built up throughout the story and clearly has fascinating depth beneath the surface, but appears relatively late.
For McKenna's first book I have to say it was addictive and emotionally satisfying! I was excited to read this and I wasn't disappointed. Charl was my favorite and I quickly grew attached with the other characters. The level of world building and plot in The Gilly-Willy wasn't so overwhelming and it kept me hooked. Anticipating for the next book by them and I recommend it!
“He had spent his entire life acting like he wouldn’t sacrifice everything for the person he loved, and that would end today.”
This was such a good book! I love the relationship between Charl and Roe. The character development is everything, and I love morally grey characters! I love Bynez so much, their story is so cute and I loved reading about them figuring out who they were. The whole premise of the book is about identity and not having to be how you are PERCEIVED, but just ultimately being who you ARE. I felt so sad for all the characters, because they just want to be loved and accepted. Instead the Creator casts out all who are “impure” or against his vision of a “perfect” world/society. The characters are at war with themselves most of the book until they reject needing the Creator’s acceptance/validation. The battles were great, it had the right amount of tension, and the emotional moments hit just right. Roe keeping Charl’s drawing all those years!!! 😭 He is his home! So sweet, what a beautiful story of best friends to enemies to loves. The only reason I knocked off half a star is because the ending was wrapped up in too nice of a bow (but that’s probably the pessimist in me).
I’ve been blown away by this incredible debut novel. I instantly fell in love with the world and the characters. I found it very easy to follow and well written. The journey KM takes you on is beautifully executed. Their love story is written in subtlety. It’s refreshingly brilliant and I can’t wait to see what they write next ! ! !! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys extraordinary books that don’t conform to societal norms! Trust me, you’ll love it.
The Gilly Willy. WOW! An amazing debut for K.M. The book had heart, a unique world, and I absolutely loved the POV. The representation throughout the book for LGBTQI+ characters didn’t feel forced, and the author really allowed the characters to simply exist as themselves, loved that!
What I liked the most was how much personality this book had. The world felt fresh and whimsical, while still carrying depth.
K.M. has created something that feels both imaginative and heartfelt!
“You are as you are perceived” - but what if you aren’t? Learning to ask this question is at the heart of The Gilly-Willy.
Charl and Roe were friends - until they wound up on opposite sides of the war that destroyed their home. Now living on Earth, they are still enemies, but working towards a common goal - find a way to get Charl and the others home, while Roe remains on Earth.
This sci fi debut is about religious trauma and escaping a controlled life to discover your own self. Characters struggle with gender identity, internalised homophobia and developing their personal moral compass. While the main characters are aliens, the issues are very easily transferable to real life.
There are a couple of budding romances in this novel. They are both slow burn and same sex. There is nothing further than kisses in either romance.
While the book definitely deals with big issues including panic attacks and mental health, discussion of real world events and countries that could be controversial, and abuse of power by a leader, the book is written in a fairly young voice. It is adult sci fi, but the journey of self discovery the characters go on could be appropriate for some older teens.
This was a solid debut from an exciting young author - it is definitely worth adding The Gilly-Willy to your TBR.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
When I tell you I loved this book and wouldn’t stop talking about it while I was reading… I mean it. I’ve already been recommending it to everyone.
This book kept me guessing the entire time. I genuinely had no idea where it was going or how it would end, and everything came together so satisfyingly in the final pages.
Roe’s early observations about humanity were absolutely 10/10. The book explores identity, perception, morality, friendship, and belonging without ever feeling heavy-handed.
Roe and Charl’s first meeting, and the way their friendship developed, was so wholesome. The enthusiasm, the drawing, the innocence and wonder… it made me feel all nostalgic and warm. Watching their relationship shift from friends, to enemies, to… something else, was painful at times, but incredibly well done. It captured how friendships can slowly break down through miscommunication and misunderstandings, and how those situations are rarely black and white.
“You are you as you are perceived” is a concept I think about a lot. It reminded me of this quote: “I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am.”
The recurring theme of “good and evil” also felt really poignant. It reflected how society (and certain groups or belief systems) often decide what is considered “good”, “pure”, or “acceptable”, and how easily people can be excluded for simply not fitting that mould.
I also appreciated the mental health representation. It was subtle, realistic, and not overdone.
There’s LGBTQ+ representation throughout the book, and I especially loved how the non-binary character was introduced and referred to. It showed how simple it is to use they/them pronouns naturally and respectfully (since this can be confusing for people to understand sometimes).
Thank you KM McKenna for the advance readers copy. All opinions are my own.
Blending sci-fi, religious allegory, and fantasy elements, The Gilly-Willy is a must-read for fans of Terry Pratchett and anyone who has ever grappled with their faith.
In a classic good vs evil society, our main characters are Charl, a "good" follower of The Creator, and Roe, an "evil" follower of The Destroyer. Despite growing up together, the two friends have since become enemies when Roe was cast out of the Creator's society and into the Destroyer's.
In the hundred years since, their societies have collapsed in an epic battle and everyone, good and evil alike, has become stranded on a small, strange planet called Earth. Through a series of events, the now-enemies find themselves working together and grappling with the question: what makes someone good or evil?
This book is, ultimately, a love story with elements of war, religious deconstruction, sci-fi, fantasy, and humor. I found myself completely invested in the characters and their personal journeys, as well as their friendship and their pasts.
The Gilly-Willy also features side characters like Bynez, my absolute favorite "evil" character who was cast out for queerness, and Sjena, Bynez's "good" sister who is desperate for them to live in peace again.
It has plenty of squeal-worthy romantic scenes, lots of mortal peril ,and an almost absurd level of agonising (Charl) that I can wholeheartedly relate to.
It also has a really unique final battle, with all its character arcs coming to a head at the same time.
If you want to read a book like none you've read before, pick up The Gilly-Willy.
The Gilly-Willy by K.M. McKenna was one of those books that feels incredible in many ways. The world building, the emotions, the tension between the characters… everything just pulled me in and made me feel like I was fully inside this strange, heavy universe.
Fantasy elements, sci-fi, and religious allegory come together in a way that creates a haunting, almost dreamlike atmosphere that sticks with you. For a debut novel, this was honestly really ambitious in the best way. You can tell a lot of thought went into the world, the themes, and especially the emotional depth of the characters.
Charl and Roe were the emotional core for me. Former friends turned enemies on opposite sides of a war. Not just anger, but history, guilt, lies, love, betrayal, all sitting underneath everything they say to each other. It’s the kind of dynamic where you know they understand each other better than anyone else.
Also Bynez?? Instant favourite character. A character labeled “evil” and pushed out because of queerness just hit differently. There’s something about the way they exist in the story that made them impossible to ignore for me.
What I really liked is that the book refuses to make things simple. No one is fully good or fully evil, just people trying to survive in systems that already decided who they are. Even when I was frustrated with certain choices, I still got it.
The whole idea of identity and perception is probably what stayed with me the most. “You are you as you are perceived” really sums it up. It keeps circling this question of who you actually are versus who the world forces you to be.
This took me a bit to get into at first, but when I got the hang of it, was I sucked in! The book has so much rich worldbuilding and lore, and it was beautifully done. The characters are complex, and I loved reading about Charl and Roe's development. They started off as friends, and now are technically enemies, but there's so many layers to that. All the history they have between them and deception and lies and also love that's encompassed into it is what makes it so compelling to read about.
I loved how the book talks about good and evil, and that it's not always black and white.
With a compelling narrative that makes you think, along with a diverse array of characters you're for sure going to get attached to, The Gilly Willy is a must read for everyone!
Thank you to K.M. McKenna for a copy of this book!
I was intrigued by this book because I am a sucker for a title that makes me curious. Some disappoint me, others like this one grab my attention and keep it from line one - "This new world was certainly the strangest place in which to build an existence."
This book is in many ways a religious allegory and examines the concepts of good and evil through an interesting, adventurous storyline. The main characters Roe and Charl, formerly best friends find themselves at odds but in a situation where they need to work together for not just their survival but the survival of their entire community.
A great debut for author K.M. Mckenna! I cannot wait to read more!
Many thanks to the author K.M McKenna for the opportunity to read this book via ARC.
As someone with religious trauma, I was very interested in K.M. McKenna's debut novel, The Gilly-Willy. This story is a rich exploration of good versus evil, religion and religious trauma, and ultimately who decides what is right or wrong. This story is filled with a cast of diverse characters, each on their own journey of discovery. I love how the author has taken such complex themes and woven them into this adventurous and magical story. This is a love story. But primarily I believe it is about being authentic and learning to love ourselves first and foremost. What a wonderful debut full of beautiful representation! I can't wait to read more from K.M. in the future!
I throughly enjoyed The Gilly-Willy. This incredible debut novel has it all - drama, action, romance. It also explores the nature of 'good' & 'evil' and finding your true self.
All of the characters have such developed personalities that really fed into their character arcs & made me immersed into the world.
I cannot wait to read more of K.M Mckennas work!
I would recommend for fans of Terry Prachett, The good place and Scythe by Neal Shusterman
I was lucky enough to get an early look at this, and it’s just what I expected - a blast! The world-building is lush without being a chore to read, and the characters feel like people I’d actually want to hang with (or at least run away from a horde with). I have a thing with character development and was really pleased with this. It’s high-stakes and paced so well that I accidentally finished it before I realized (and I suck at reading). No spoilers here because you deserve to experience the twists yourself, but get this on your TBR nao.
The Gilly-Willy. What can I say? Honestly. Words feel inadequate. Is it a satire on humanity and religion? A social commentary? Queer love? Laugh out loud funny and sobbing into your pillow emotional? Yes. Along with clever, sweet, tender, hilarious, and dotted with surprisingly aching moments of hoped-for intimacy, without any “spice”. I can’t form enough ways to express how this is so many things I love about literature. LITERATURE. That’s what this masterpiece is.
I am a serious mood reader, but with that said... I loved this book. K.M.'s debut kept me engaged for SO much of the book. I loved the characters, the story development, the world building-- I felt totally immersed and I cannot wait to see what he does next.
I was fortunate enough to be an ARC reader for K.M. These are my HONEST opinions.
Received an advanced copy from the author and this book was so good I finished it in one sitting! The characters were well written and the story was a fresh take on apocalyptic tropes. I loved the relationships that were formed among characters and the personal growth arcs were deep and well formed!