Especially Amelia

Strawberry Sisters #2

by Candy Harper

There’s never a dull moment with the Strawberry Sisters! Little Lucy has a scheme to get popular, but if you want to keep all your hair, you’d better not ask what it is. Chloe’s facing the fight of her life and this time she can’t win it with her fists. Ella would just like everyone to stop shouting so she can do her homework. Then there’s Amelia. The moody big sister. Except Amelia’s decided to ditch the sulks and the sarcastic remarks. But that’s not so easy when your best friend is keeping secrets, your mum won’t even let you babysit and you’re terrified to do a solo in the school concert. Amidst all the chaos, is Amelia ready to grow up and grab the spotlight?

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2016

About the author

I grew up in a tiny house with a big family. I’m the fourth of five sisters, which means people sometimes ask me if my family are anything like the Bennetts from Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately not, but it does mean that I still eat with my arm shielding my plate.

I’ve got a daughter (The Ginger Ninja) and a son (Goblin Baby) and a computer-genius husband. We live in a higgledy-piggledy house where I can never find anything. It usually turns up under a book. There are enough Children’s and YA books in my house to build a fort with. But I absolutely haven’t ever skived off work to do that.

When I run out of hilarious things that happened to me as a teenage that I can disguise as fiction, I take a break by writing dystopian thrillers as C.J. Harper. Nothing more relaxing than a totalitarian state where everyone is out to get you.

https://twitter.com/cjharperauthor

Reviews

[Nayuleska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want the next book in this series already! I absolutely loved returning to the Strawberry household, and it was refreshing to see life from Amelia's view, as she is quite a drama queen. There's a lot going on in her life, and she is trying to be nicer after being so horrid to her dad in book #1, Perfectly Ella.

I was moved to tears as Amelia's relationship wih her stepmother (can't quite remember if they got married), progressed to the stage she confided in Suvi AND felt able to offer some advice which transforms part of Suvi's life. Amelia does revert to her former self sometimes, but she realises when she goes too far. By working on being kinder she is able to walk in her sisters' shoes, and figure them out too.

Ella really suffers when a massive change is sort of forced upon them, but Amelia and the others rally round for her. I loved how all the different aspects of a divorced family are explored, how hilarious the sisters are (especially Lucy), and how realistic their lives are. I loved Chloe's stress busting technique, as well as how fired up Suvi gets on her behalf when injustice occurs. This is a book I'll reread lots as I never want to be out of the Strawberry sisters' lives!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review on my blog Nayu's Reading Corner http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co...

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is just adorable. The dynamic between the sisters, the focus on friendship, early feminism and just a genuinely enjoyable, heart-warming read.

Full review to come.