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Gracie Dart #1
You Only Live Once
The start of a hilarious new teen series for fans of Geek Girl.
Gracie Dart has always worked hard and she's got a wall covered with revision timetables and French verbs to prove it. But now GCSEs are behind her and she suddenly starts to think: what was the POINT of it all?
When Gracie thinks she's dying of a disgusting tropical illness, she starts to worry she's been wasting her best years being sensible. It's like people say: you only live once - so isn't it about time she started LIVING?
(OK, so the tropical illness turned out to be a fake-tan miscalculation. Anyone could make the same mistake.)
When Gracie decides to do something, she does it properly. Gracie Dart is about to live out her dreams. However embarrassing.
Gracie Dart has always worked hard and she's got a wall covered with revision timetables and French verbs to prove it. But now GCSEs are behind her and she suddenly starts to think: what was the POINT of it all?
When Gracie thinks she's dying of a disgusting tropical illness, she starts to worry she's been wasting her best years being sensible. It's like people say: you only live once - so isn't it about time she started LIVING?
(OK, so the tropical illness turned out to be a fake-tan miscalculation. Anyone could make the same mistake.)
When Gracie decides to do something, she does it properly. Gracie Dart is about to live out her dreams. However embarrassing.
400 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2018
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351 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
November 2, 2018
Book Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Sixteen-year-old Grace Dart is a bit of a hypochondriac, she also likes to be in control of every aspect of her life always needing to know what is happening next. She is one of life’s planners.
That is until Grace is stuck in that time zone between sitting her GCSEs and awaiting her results. The wait is excruciating for her and after a near death experience (Okay not quite so near death), Grace makes a realisation, ‘You Only Live Once’.
With this now firmly set in her mind, she decides to have some fun and live a little and what better way than making a bucket list. Grace sets off into the path of self-discovery and learns some important lessons, including information both good and bad about herself.
I might not be quite the right age for this book having just turned forty-one but I can still remember that agonising wait for my GCSE results, as well as I have been through it will me eldest son and will be going through it with my middle son next year. From slightly older that Grace I too had that moment of self-discovery and went off the rails probably more than Grace did.
It’s also quite amusing that my mantra in life has been since that period in time ‘You only live once’, so this book really struck a chord with me and took me back to a place I thought I had left far behind. However, it’s true that with age comes wisdom. Unfortunately, Grace although a lovely, sweet girl doesn’t really have any wisdom and sets out on a course not only to have fun but also to push her friends and family away and yet she never notices, just like many teens don’t until too late.
The book is highly amusing, very witty, and has some real laugh-out-loud moments, especially when it comes to her little brother Paddy and his teddy Giraffe with an apt name!!
This book covers everything from sexuality, friendship, relationships to life in general. Ms. Vallance has done a very good job at getting the life of a teenager just right. The only part I didn’t like in the book was Grace’s relationship with Spider and Vicky, but I think this is more to do with me being a parent and could see how damaging the relationship was and how controlling and vile Vicky really was. This is a credit to Ms. Vallance as it shows how involved I got with her amazing plot.
Sixteen-year-old Grace Dart is a bit of a hypochondriac, she also likes to be in control of every aspect of her life always needing to know what is happening next. She is one of life’s planners.
That is until Grace is stuck in that time zone between sitting her GCSEs and awaiting her results. The wait is excruciating for her and after a near death experience (Okay not quite so near death), Grace makes a realisation, ‘You Only Live Once’.
With this now firmly set in her mind, she decides to have some fun and live a little and what better way than making a bucket list. Grace sets off into the path of self-discovery and learns some important lessons, including information both good and bad about herself.
I might not be quite the right age for this book having just turned forty-one but I can still remember that agonising wait for my GCSE results, as well as I have been through it will me eldest son and will be going through it with my middle son next year. From slightly older that Grace I too had that moment of self-discovery and went off the rails probably more than Grace did.
It’s also quite amusing that my mantra in life has been since that period in time ‘You only live once’, so this book really struck a chord with me and took me back to a place I thought I had left far behind. However, it’s true that with age comes wisdom. Unfortunately, Grace although a lovely, sweet girl doesn’t really have any wisdom and sets out on a course not only to have fun but also to push her friends and family away and yet she never notices, just like many teens don’t until too late.
The book is highly amusing, very witty, and has some real laugh-out-loud moments, especially when it comes to her little brother Paddy and his teddy Giraffe with an apt name!!
This book covers everything from sexuality, friendship, relationships to life in general. Ms. Vallance has done a very good job at getting the life of a teenager just right. The only part I didn’t like in the book was Grace’s relationship with Spider and Vicky, but I think this is more to do with me being a parent and could see how damaging the relationship was and how controlling and vile Vicky really was. This is a credit to Ms. Vallance as it shows how involved I got with her amazing plot.
August 23, 2018
I received a copy of this book from Hot Key Books via Readers First in exchange for an honest review.
🌟 🌟 🌟.5
This is a book I want to give to 16-year-olds who have made themselves ill over stress and school work like it’s the end of their life and not just a stepping stone to the next stages. Gracie Dart is a relatable and funny character and her journey of self-discovery and growing up is one I think young women need.
Vallance perfectly captured the mindset of a post-GCSE student and the sense of earnest, determined independence, yet greatly undecided and vulnerable nature of a young adult realising the insignificance of these exams in hindsight. The feelings described in this book about how school life depicts your future in comparison to the reality is so accurate it’s staggering. That, and Grace’s witty narration is so candid and sincere, even in melodrama, I was laughing from the start
.
Grace goes through a tremendous amount of personal development and self-discovery, not least of all acknowledging her own sexuality to herself and her family and friends and coming to terms with what it all means.
Find my full review on my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
🌟 🌟 🌟.5
This is a book I want to give to 16-year-olds who have made themselves ill over stress and school work like it’s the end of their life and not just a stepping stone to the next stages. Gracie Dart is a relatable and funny character and her journey of self-discovery and growing up is one I think young women need.
Vallance perfectly captured the mindset of a post-GCSE student and the sense of earnest, determined independence, yet greatly undecided and vulnerable nature of a young adult realising the insignificance of these exams in hindsight. The feelings described in this book about how school life depicts your future in comparison to the reality is so accurate it’s staggering. That, and Grace’s witty narration is so candid and sincere, even in melodrama, I was laughing from the start
.
Grace goes through a tremendous amount of personal development and self-discovery, not least of all acknowledging her own sexuality to herself and her family and friends and coming to terms with what it all means.
Find my full review on my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
August 5, 2018
Gracie Dart is a model student. She studies hard, colour coded all her notes and timetables and even turns down school trips if they aren’t going to further her education.
But when she’s finished her GCSEs and had her brush with death, which in actual fact was a simple cold sore and fake-tan mishap, she decides to live her life by the motto: you only live once.
We follow Gracie as she tries to live up to this, becoming a ‘yes woman’ as she refuses to turn down any opportunity thrown her way. However, not all these opportunities turn out quite how she would have liked, leading to a hilarious but also relatable view into the life of a 16 year old girl.
This book genuinely made me laugh out loud! It reminded me just how dramatic everything seems when you’re 16 and feeling like you’re missing out on life.
Also, if I’m honest, Gracie’s little brother Paddy was the most hilarious character in this book and it was often the scenes he was in that made me laugh the most! I mean, he dresses up in princess dresses, makes sandwiches out of anything he can get his hands on, and has a cuddly giraffe and camel called ‘Dick’ and ‘Big Dick’ and let me tell you, there’s nothing quite so funny as a 3 year old saying unintended innuendos.
It was an enjoyable, lighthearted read and I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series.
But when she’s finished her GCSEs and had her brush with death, which in actual fact was a simple cold sore and fake-tan mishap, she decides to live her life by the motto: you only live once.
We follow Gracie as she tries to live up to this, becoming a ‘yes woman’ as she refuses to turn down any opportunity thrown her way. However, not all these opportunities turn out quite how she would have liked, leading to a hilarious but also relatable view into the life of a 16 year old girl.
This book genuinely made me laugh out loud! It reminded me just how dramatic everything seems when you’re 16 and feeling like you’re missing out on life.
Also, if I’m honest, Gracie’s little brother Paddy was the most hilarious character in this book and it was often the scenes he was in that made me laugh the most! I mean, he dresses up in princess dresses, makes sandwiches out of anything he can get his hands on, and has a cuddly giraffe and camel called ‘Dick’ and ‘Big Dick’ and let me tell you, there’s nothing quite so funny as a 3 year old saying unintended innuendos.
It was an enjoyable, lighthearted read and I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series.
February 12, 2019
[Gifted]
Funny, heart-warming, with just the right amount of bite, Gracie Dart is the gay successor to Georgia Nicolson that we’ve all been waiting for.
Funny, heart-warming, with just the right amount of bite, Gracie Dart is the gay successor to Georgia Nicolson that we’ve all been waiting for.
August 23, 2018
5 Words: Friendship, family, life, experience, humour.
Review of You Only Live Once by Jess Vallance originally posted at Tea Party Princess.
I'm a huge Jess Vallance fan so I already had Expectations when it came to this book. And they were definitely exceeded by the time I finished this book.
Getting my hands on this book was a bit of a YOLO moment. I was at YALC and it was getting late on the Sunday, I'd just pushed Birdy by Jess Vallance into Charoltte's hands saying "it's DARK" when I spotted the proofs at the back of the table. I had a bit of an eek fan girl moment and straight up asked the publicist what I had to do to win a proof because YOLO. Turns out absolute fan-girling works, and they handed it over so I had another eek fan girl moment and hugged the book for an hour.
When you first meet her, Gracie is a bit of a hypochondriac, very serious about her studies and her future, and a little bit dramatic. OK, she's very dramatic. I loved how she overthinks everything, she over exaggerates everything. It was so me as a teen! Every little thing has the potential to be Drama.
This book explored the pressures people face from practically every aspect of their lives. Gracie has the pressures of school, exams, her future, social media, friendship, the expectations of others... And that's just on the surface. I loved how Gracie realised so early on that maybe this isn't it.
Her journey of self realisation, and living in the moment, was hilarious. Gracie is the type of person who needs to plan every moment, and seeing how she reacted to being forced out of her comfort zone made for a lot of laughs and some cringe-worthy moments.
I loved how Gracie was pretty sure of her sexuality. She was like "yeah, not boys" and that was that. And everyone around her was fine with that. I loved her coming out too, it was so like my own experience. And I loved how it wasn't a big deal that Gracie likes girls. She just does. And I am here for non-judgmental sapphic representation.
My absolute favourite part of this book is actually near the beginning. Not giving too much away, it involves a trip to Paris and a book soggy with tears. As much as Gracie has her initial "What's the point?" moment right at the start of the book, I feel that this was where she truly understood what she was trying to do.
There were some moments when I felt a little bit scared for Gracie. When she decides to seize the day she really goes for it, and although I admire her confidence and her drive I was at times on the edge of my seat thinking about everything that could go wrong. And because I'm accustomed to the author's typically dark books, I was expecting everything to go wrong. It made You Only Live Once an unexpectedly tense read!
I can't wait for more Gracie, and I'm so glad this is going to be a series. I can't wait to see what Gracie does next, for more overthinking and laughter.
Review of You Only Live Once by Jess Vallance originally posted at Tea Party Princess.
I'm a huge Jess Vallance fan so I already had Expectations when it came to this book. And they were definitely exceeded by the time I finished this book.
Getting my hands on this book was a bit of a YOLO moment. I was at YALC and it was getting late on the Sunday, I'd just pushed Birdy by Jess Vallance into Charoltte's hands saying "it's DARK" when I spotted the proofs at the back of the table. I had a bit of an eek fan girl moment and straight up asked the publicist what I had to do to win a proof because YOLO. Turns out absolute fan-girling works, and they handed it over so I had another eek fan girl moment and hugged the book for an hour.
When you first meet her, Gracie is a bit of a hypochondriac, very serious about her studies and her future, and a little bit dramatic. OK, she's very dramatic. I loved how she overthinks everything, she over exaggerates everything. It was so me as a teen! Every little thing has the potential to be Drama.
This book explored the pressures people face from practically every aspect of their lives. Gracie has the pressures of school, exams, her future, social media, friendship, the expectations of others... And that's just on the surface. I loved how Gracie realised so early on that maybe this isn't it.
Her journey of self realisation, and living in the moment, was hilarious. Gracie is the type of person who needs to plan every moment, and seeing how she reacted to being forced out of her comfort zone made for a lot of laughs and some cringe-worthy moments.
I loved how Gracie was pretty sure of her sexuality. She was like "yeah, not boys" and that was that. And everyone around her was fine with that. I loved her coming out too, it was so like my own experience. And I loved how it wasn't a big deal that Gracie likes girls. She just does. And I am here for non-judgmental sapphic representation.
My absolute favourite part of this book is actually near the beginning. Not giving too much away, it involves a trip to Paris and a book soggy with tears. As much as Gracie has her initial "What's the point?" moment right at the start of the book, I feel that this was where she truly understood what she was trying to do.
There were some moments when I felt a little bit scared for Gracie. When she decides to seize the day she really goes for it, and although I admire her confidence and her drive I was at times on the edge of my seat thinking about everything that could go wrong. And because I'm accustomed to the author's typically dark books, I was expecting everything to go wrong. It made You Only Live Once an unexpectedly tense read!
I can't wait for more Gracie, and I'm so glad this is going to be a series. I can't wait to see what Gracie does next, for more overthinking and laughter.
September 11, 2018
I enjoyed the concept of the story in You Only Live Once - trying to make the most of life and being spontaneous. However, Grace is not my favourite character! I like her some of the time - like the part with her Nan. But her obsession with social media approval and ditching her friends just to hang out with people she has deemed to be cool for whatever reason means she gets mixed up with some people who aren’t great and doing some incredibly uncool things. And she just explains it all away. She is selfish and melodramatic (as you can tell from the whole dying thing!!) and for someone who has only just decided to live in the moment, she seems not to care about the consequences of what she does.
I do like the moral of learning to trust your instincts on right v wrong, and not doing things just because your friends are, but that’s about it, to be honest.
Til and Sophie and her Nan are great secondary characters, and I think I’d have liked more of them in the book - though I do know it would have defeated the point of the book a little.
I do like the moral of learning to trust your instincts on right v wrong, and not doing things just because your friends are, but that’s about it, to be honest.
Til and Sophie and her Nan are great secondary characters, and I think I’d have liked more of them in the book - though I do know it would have defeated the point of the book a little.
December 31, 2018
The first thing I would note about this book is that it is definitely aimed at the younger bracket of young adult readers, it is a teen novel following the adventures and misadventures of a sixteen year old girl.
I didn't connect instantly with the character as I found her personality to be very contradicting. She was naive yet independent, inexperienced yet courageous.
As the character developed I laughed alongside her and enjoyed reading about the challenges she faced in her summer holidays. From an older perspective it was easy to see where things would go wrong and who was taking advantage of the young protagonist but there are definitely laugh out loud moments spread throughout the novel that everyone can enjoy.
I didn't connect instantly with the character as I found her personality to be very contradicting. She was naive yet independent, inexperienced yet courageous.
As the character developed I laughed alongside her and enjoyed reading about the challenges she faced in her summer holidays. From an older perspective it was easy to see where things would go wrong and who was taking advantage of the young protagonist but there are definitely laugh out loud moments spread throughout the novel that everyone can enjoy.
December 28, 2019
This book has been touted as one for fans of Geek Girl and I can see why.
It is light and funny, but also has a depth to it which will appeal to some of our Year 7/8 girls who like a bit of chick lit.
Gracie has just finished her exams and she is determined to shake off her Good Girl persona and go out and live her life. When she performs a drastic self-diagnosis on herself and takes herself to hospital she realises that she needs to live more spontaneously.
In the process of taking this new approach to life she meets Vicki and Spider, a couple of free-spirited teens, and she tags along with them in an attempt to Be More Spontaneous. But in the process she alienates her family, friends, and her new love interest...
It is light and funny, but also has a depth to it which will appeal to some of our Year 7/8 girls who like a bit of chick lit.
Gracie has just finished her exams and she is determined to shake off her Good Girl persona and go out and live her life. When she performs a drastic self-diagnosis on herself and takes herself to hospital she realises that she needs to live more spontaneously.
In the process of taking this new approach to life she meets Vicki and Spider, a couple of free-spirited teens, and she tags along with them in an attempt to Be More Spontaneous. But in the process she alienates her family, friends, and her new love interest...
August 5, 2018
This book is such a funny and lighthearted read and I predict it's going to be huge. It definitely gives a Georgia Nicolson/Harriet Manners sort of vibe - 2018 edition. Gracie Dart is an adorable and loveable character, as are the sides characters like Sarah and Til (Can I be friends with them all, please and thank you?!). This book covers issues such as sexuality, relationships, friendships, self identity as well as the usual dilemmas which come with family and school. You Only Live Once is a fantastic, laugh out loud, relatable read that all teens must pick up!
I can't wait to read the sequel, which is out next year!
I can't wait to read the sequel, which is out next year!
April 4, 2021
A YA novel that really makes you think.
Grace Dent had a midlife crisis at 16, that’s the only way I can explain this book. Nothing much really happens, it’s not a novel with a start, a middle and an end. But seeing Grace’s journey on how to cope with life; truly inspiring.
I’ve been through what Grace went through, I did my years at high school, college, university and then even went onto doing my CIMA. I’m 25 and I’ve only just finished with exams. I’ve only just found that weekends (in the middle of a pandemic) are to do whatever you want to do.
Grace’s midlife (at 16) crisis is so completely relatable. We all don’t want to end up doing something we have no passion about. We want to enjoy life. But the balance we adults have learned - is to enjoy life, you have to work to pay for it.
This book as made me look at my own life and realise I’m happy in my job, mostly because it pays me good money to be happy outside of my working hours. It pays for the books I read.
Grace Dent had a midlife crisis at 16, that’s the only way I can explain this book. Nothing much really happens, it’s not a novel with a start, a middle and an end. But seeing Grace’s journey on how to cope with life; truly inspiring.
I’ve been through what Grace went through, I did my years at high school, college, university and then even went onto doing my CIMA. I’m 25 and I’ve only just finished with exams. I’ve only just found that weekends (in the middle of a pandemic) are to do whatever you want to do.
Grace’s midlife (at 16) crisis is so completely relatable. We all don’t want to end up doing something we have no passion about. We want to enjoy life. But the balance we adults have learned - is to enjoy life, you have to work to pay for it.
This book as made me look at my own life and realise I’m happy in my job, mostly because it pays me good money to be happy outside of my working hours. It pays for the books I read.
September 8, 2018
You Only Live Once is such a fantastic "coming of age" story that had me laughing out loud one minute and choked with tears the next.
While what happens in the second half of the book is definitely on the more unusual side of things, it is a pretty good representation of how it feels to be a teen waiting on exam results and not knowing where your life may lead.
I'll definitely be picking up a copy of the next book when it's out.
Thank you to Hot Key Books for providing me with a free copy to review.
While what happens in the second half of the book is definitely on the more unusual side of things, it is a pretty good representation of how it feels to be a teen waiting on exam results and not knowing where your life may lead.
I'll definitely be picking up a copy of the next book when it's out.
Thank you to Hot Key Books for providing me with a free copy to review.
September 23, 2018
This is the story of Grace as she's done with school and her GCSE's but when she thought she was dying of a tropical disease—found out it was a false alarm, she started to realise that she hasn't been living the life the way she really wanted to. She didn't take any chances, didn't seize any opportunity and instead holed herself up at home, studying.
I honestly can't relate to the character at all which I think is one of the major reasons that I couldn't really get into the story. Sure, I was following along her journey as she take baby steps toward making a change of her once dull life. It sure would sound interesting but maybe I was just reading this book at a wrong time.
This would've been a fun and enjoyable story to read especially during the summer but it's just not for me, unfortunately.
I honestly can't relate to the character at all which I think is one of the major reasons that I couldn't really get into the story. Sure, I was following along her journey as she take baby steps toward making a change of her once dull life. It sure would sound interesting but maybe I was just reading this book at a wrong time.
This would've been a fun and enjoyable story to read especially during the summer but it's just not for me, unfortunately.
June 26, 2019
This was quite an engaging read! I will add the second novel in the series to my to-read list.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
July 15, 2024
It was alright. The writing was good and easy to read, but I didn't like the main character and I know at some point we're not really supposed to like her, but that just made me want to finish the book so I could move onto something else.
July 15, 2018
As a certified fan of Jess Vallance's social media presence, and incidentally also her previous YA novels, I was MOST EXCITED and also INTRIGUED when this new series was announced. Turns out it's sharp, funny, surprisingly deep?! and satisfyingly gay. It made me literally lol on multiple occasions. Highly recommended!
August 5, 2019
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
I hadn't heard about this book until it's sequel was uploaded to NetGalley, but I thought with the comparison to Geek Girl, it might be something I enjoy, so I requested book 1 too. Yes, I did enjoy it, but it wasn't anything much, and there were times when I really couldn't believe how immature Gracie was, for someone who has just finished her GCSEs. She cares too much for her status, and blows off her normal friends to hang out with people who see deems to be better - spoiler, they really aren't. She treats people like crap, is selfish, and doesn't care about the consequences. I liked some of her interactions with other characters, like her little brother and her nan, but other than that, I didn't enjoy this much. I think it's probably aimed at younger teens, even with the main character being sixteen.
I hadn't heard about this book until it's sequel was uploaded to NetGalley, but I thought with the comparison to Geek Girl, it might be something I enjoy, so I requested book 1 too. Yes, I did enjoy it, but it wasn't anything much, and there were times when I really couldn't believe how immature Gracie was, for someone who has just finished her GCSEs. She cares too much for her status, and blows off her normal friends to hang out with people who see deems to be better - spoiler, they really aren't. She treats people like crap, is selfish, and doesn't care about the consequences. I liked some of her interactions with other characters, like her little brother and her nan, but other than that, I didn't enjoy this much. I think it's probably aimed at younger teens, even with the main character being sixteen.
November 13, 2018
(Reading copy received for free, this does not affect my opinion.) A new book written by Vallance? AND it’s about the pressure of performing well? No doubt in my mind that I had to read it. There is so much pressure on teens and twenty-somethings today, that I loved the premise of the book from the very beginning. It was so entertaining and inspiring to read the main character’s struggles to find a life where she lives for the moment. She wasn’t always the most likable of characters, but I am looking forward to seeing more of her in the coming books. Full review.
September 19, 2018
This is the first book in a series by Jess Vallance about a girl called Gracie who has finished taking her GCSE exams and has just come home from holiday with her family.
Gracie is studious, organised and sensible so she freaks out when she thinks she has been struck down with a tropical disease obviously picked up in Spain. Gracie goes to the A & E to be told that her skin is tinged yellow because of tinted moisturiser and the rash on her face is just a cold sore.
Gracie is in the park after her not so serious diagnosis, contemplating not dying and she sees a couple on the grass who look so care-free, fun and relaxed. She has an epiphany and decides she wants to be just like that. She is sick of her friends and family always saying how reliable she is and she wants the whole world to know (via social media) what a fun and interesting person she has become.
Til is Gracie’s best friend. She struggled with her exams at school, and wants to go to college to study plumbing, as she wants to build her own business so she can make money to escape her poverty-stricken life with her Mother who has mental health problems. Gracie has just come to terms with the fact that she is gay and she knows she is because she really fancies Sarah who works in the local library. Gracie finds any excuse to see her and they eventually end up going on a date to a concert (except they don’t go to the concert because in an effort to impress Sarah, Gracie can only get 1 ticket and gives it to her.)
Unlike Til, Gracie has a quirky and loving family who support her. She lives with her Mum, Dad, big brother Ollie and little brother Paddy. Ollie is on a “year out” from college and has no idea what he wants to do with his life and Paddy (aged 3) loves making sandwiches with unusual (often gross) objects and presenting them to Gracie.
Gracie, after her epiphany, decides to to some activities she finds on a website called “My Ultimate Bucket List” and upload fun photos to her followers on Instagram and Twitter to show everybody how much she has changed. One of the things she does spontaneously, with the help of Til, is take her Nan to Paris for the weekend as she has wanted to go her whole life. The story then becomes emotional because not long after they return from Paris her Nan dies and it turns out she had been poorly for a while.
Gracie is shocked by Nan’s death and it really affects her. She impulsively makes friends with the two people she saw in the park who turn out to be called Spider and Vicky.
This decision starts to change Gracie’s life and a series of events, because of her friendship with them, makes her behave in a way she never has before. Her family don’t like the person she is suddenly becoming, she wrecks her chance with Sarah and she and Til start to drift apart.
I very much liked this book. Funny books are not my favourite genre of reading material but this had so much more than just humour. It was easy to read, emotional and well written. I loved Til and she was by far my favourite character throughout the book. For a short space of time, Gracie has an interesting character arc and changes so much over a few weeks. I would recommend this book to readers who like Geek Girl or any Holly Bourne novels. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it is published next year.
Gracie is studious, organised and sensible so she freaks out when she thinks she has been struck down with a tropical disease obviously picked up in Spain. Gracie goes to the A & E to be told that her skin is tinged yellow because of tinted moisturiser and the rash on her face is just a cold sore.
Gracie is in the park after her not so serious diagnosis, contemplating not dying and she sees a couple on the grass who look so care-free, fun and relaxed. She has an epiphany and decides she wants to be just like that. She is sick of her friends and family always saying how reliable she is and she wants the whole world to know (via social media) what a fun and interesting person she has become.
Til is Gracie’s best friend. She struggled with her exams at school, and wants to go to college to study plumbing, as she wants to build her own business so she can make money to escape her poverty-stricken life with her Mother who has mental health problems. Gracie has just come to terms with the fact that she is gay and she knows she is because she really fancies Sarah who works in the local library. Gracie finds any excuse to see her and they eventually end up going on a date to a concert (except they don’t go to the concert because in an effort to impress Sarah, Gracie can only get 1 ticket and gives it to her.)
Unlike Til, Gracie has a quirky and loving family who support her. She lives with her Mum, Dad, big brother Ollie and little brother Paddy. Ollie is on a “year out” from college and has no idea what he wants to do with his life and Paddy (aged 3) loves making sandwiches with unusual (often gross) objects and presenting them to Gracie.
Gracie, after her epiphany, decides to to some activities she finds on a website called “My Ultimate Bucket List” and upload fun photos to her followers on Instagram and Twitter to show everybody how much she has changed. One of the things she does spontaneously, with the help of Til, is take her Nan to Paris for the weekend as she has wanted to go her whole life. The story then becomes emotional because not long after they return from Paris her Nan dies and it turns out she had been poorly for a while.
Gracie is shocked by Nan’s death and it really affects her. She impulsively makes friends with the two people she saw in the park who turn out to be called Spider and Vicky.
This decision starts to change Gracie’s life and a series of events, because of her friendship with them, makes her behave in a way she never has before. Her family don’t like the person she is suddenly becoming, she wrecks her chance with Sarah and she and Til start to drift apart.
I very much liked this book. Funny books are not my favourite genre of reading material but this had so much more than just humour. It was easy to read, emotional and well written. I loved Til and she was by far my favourite character throughout the book. For a short space of time, Gracie has an interesting character arc and changes so much over a few weeks. I would recommend this book to readers who like Geek Girl or any Holly Bourne novels. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it is published next year.
September 28, 2018
I loved this book! It was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump. Seriously funny, the exciting beginnings of a cute F/F romance that feels like any other teen YA romance, a likable protagonist with Lessons to Learn that does a bunch of dumb things and becomes a better person.
Gracie Dart is one of the best characters I have encountered in YA for ages. She was a model student at a bit of a crossroads in her life. She had always assumed she'd ace her A Levels, go to one of the good Unis and do something like Business, intern in London, get a good job and charge around with a coffee cup and go for loud After Work Drinks on Fridays. Her best friend Till wants to be a plumber based on an eyewateringly impressive emergency plumber bill she once had to pay. They are really different as characters, but it's a friendship that works and I loved how in sync the two were.
After a dramatic near death experience, Gracie decides that her summer of revision, highlighting and cramming was a waste of precious life and resolves to be less boring, less predictable and less afraid. She is going to Say Yes to stuff, Live A Life and Have Experiences. Because YOLO. Also, she can put it all on Instagram. Because, as the kids day, Pics or it Didn't Happen.
The book is basically about the lessons that Gracie has to learn about loyalty, responsibility, real life vs instagram, balancing friends, being decent to family and just being honest about how you feel and what you want. Just general life balance. Stuff that's still hard in your 30s and that you probably never really learn tbh.
Highlights included: Nan in Paris. Amazing. Hilarious. A real example of the true Gracie just doing something nice for someone else and finding it a meaningful experience.
The excruciating gig and subsequent cute.
Gracie's flustered and unnecessary Coming Out to her super supportive and already onboard with G being gay.
Gracie's first proper talk with her brother in ages. It's not so much that it's funny, just really a really sweet moment.
The cover says it's for fans of Geek Girl, which is a sensible play, but YOLO feels much more modern and savvy than Geek Girl, and Gracie is a much more relatable character, in my old lady opinion. I think more readers will relate to feeling frustrated with your own perceived lameness and striving to be more interesting and more outgoing than accidentally becoming a model.
Loved it. Will definitely be on the lookout for the next one. Also, if you don't follow Jess Vallance on Twitter and Instagram, you are missing out on additional hilarity. Although if this book teaches us anything, it's that that is not a 100% accurate reflection of a person's life.
Gracie Dart is one of the best characters I have encountered in YA for ages. She was a model student at a bit of a crossroads in her life. She had always assumed she'd ace her A Levels, go to one of the good Unis and do something like Business, intern in London, get a good job and charge around with a coffee cup and go for loud After Work Drinks on Fridays. Her best friend Till wants to be a plumber based on an eyewateringly impressive emergency plumber bill she once had to pay. They are really different as characters, but it's a friendship that works and I loved how in sync the two were.
After a dramatic near death experience, Gracie decides that her summer of revision, highlighting and cramming was a waste of precious life and resolves to be less boring, less predictable and less afraid. She is going to Say Yes to stuff, Live A Life and Have Experiences. Because YOLO. Also, she can put it all on Instagram. Because, as the kids day, Pics or it Didn't Happen.
The book is basically about the lessons that Gracie has to learn about loyalty, responsibility, real life vs instagram, balancing friends, being decent to family and just being honest about how you feel and what you want. Just general life balance. Stuff that's still hard in your 30s and that you probably never really learn tbh.
Highlights included: Nan in Paris. Amazing. Hilarious. A real example of the true Gracie just doing something nice for someone else and finding it a meaningful experience.
The excruciating gig and subsequent cute.
Gracie's flustered and unnecessary Coming Out to her super supportive and already onboard with G being gay.
Gracie's first proper talk with her brother in ages. It's not so much that it's funny, just really a really sweet moment.
The cover says it's for fans of Geek Girl, which is a sensible play, but YOLO feels much more modern and savvy than Geek Girl, and Gracie is a much more relatable character, in my old lady opinion. I think more readers will relate to feeling frustrated with your own perceived lameness and striving to be more interesting and more outgoing than accidentally becoming a model.
Loved it. Will definitely be on the lookout for the next one. Also, if you don't follow Jess Vallance on Twitter and Instagram, you are missing out on additional hilarity. Although if this book teaches us anything, it's that that is not a 100% accurate reflection of a person's life.
October 21, 2018
This book is totally aimed to students who have just finished school and trying to figure out what are the things that they want to do in life. By reading the synopsis, I can guarantee that the main character is going to have one helluva journey.
I truly enjoyed the concept of the book — trying to make the most out of life and being spontaneous. Gracie Dart is truly an excellent student, she scores well in her exams and turns down school trips just to be able to study at home. After finishing GCSE, she lives by the motto of “You Only Live Once”. We can see her doing spontaneous activities such as going for a horse-turned-to-a-donkey ride at beach, bungee jumping, trip to Paris with her sick grandmother and many challenging things that she has never done before. I imagine myself doing all of the things that Gracie has done while reading and wishing that I have guts to do that. I love it how this book discusses on the importance of relationship with friends and family as well as sexuality. Gracie is a lesbian and she has a great support system who truly supports her sexuality.
Gracie is the living reflection of a young adult who wants to do and try everything in life, but greatly vulnerable and sometimes undecided about on what they truly wants to do in life. Gracie is very spontaneous and brave, but she also pushes away people who truly care about her. I guess that is just the ups and downs of being a growing teenager. Even though I cannot connect thoroughly with her character, I love how the writer successfully connects the meaning and worth of life with Gracie’s story. Circumstances that happen in the story test Gracie’s view on the worth of knowledge learned from school towards to the reality of life. There are a few discussions on the quality of life, where she feels like quitting school. At some point of life, you will realise the ugly truth of the cycle of life. You have to work hard to earn. You cannot escape it. I feel very enlightened by the moral of the story. Sometimes in life, we do get carried away with life that we fail to realise the meaning of it.
The ending is okay, everything that I expect it to be. I like how Gracie tries to face the music after for what she has done. Gracie goes through some intense self-development and self-discovery in her journey, and that is why I can say that this book is one of the best coming-of-age story ever.
I look forward to read the next book of the series, To Be Perfectly Honest.
Thank you Pansing Books for providing a copy in exchange of an honest review.
I truly enjoyed the concept of the book — trying to make the most out of life and being spontaneous. Gracie Dart is truly an excellent student, she scores well in her exams and turns down school trips just to be able to study at home. After finishing GCSE, she lives by the motto of “You Only Live Once”. We can see her doing spontaneous activities such as going for a horse-turned-to-a-donkey ride at beach, bungee jumping, trip to Paris with her sick grandmother and many challenging things that she has never done before. I imagine myself doing all of the things that Gracie has done while reading and wishing that I have guts to do that. I love it how this book discusses on the importance of relationship with friends and family as well as sexuality. Gracie is a lesbian and she has a great support system who truly supports her sexuality.
Gracie is the living reflection of a young adult who wants to do and try everything in life, but greatly vulnerable and sometimes undecided about on what they truly wants to do in life. Gracie is very spontaneous and brave, but she also pushes away people who truly care about her. I guess that is just the ups and downs of being a growing teenager. Even though I cannot connect thoroughly with her character, I love how the writer successfully connects the meaning and worth of life with Gracie’s story. Circumstances that happen in the story test Gracie’s view on the worth of knowledge learned from school towards to the reality of life. There are a few discussions on the quality of life, where she feels like quitting school. At some point of life, you will realise the ugly truth of the cycle of life. You have to work hard to earn. You cannot escape it. I feel very enlightened by the moral of the story. Sometimes in life, we do get carried away with life that we fail to realise the meaning of it.
The ending is okay, everything that I expect it to be. I like how Gracie tries to face the music after for what she has done. Gracie goes through some intense self-development and self-discovery in her journey, and that is why I can say that this book is one of the best coming-of-age story ever.
I look forward to read the next book of the series, To Be Perfectly Honest.
Thank you Pansing Books for providing a copy in exchange of an honest review.
May 12, 2019
You Only Live Once is the first book in Jess Vallance’s series Gracie Dart; the second, To Be Perfectly Honest, was published this February. This contemporary YA novel was extremely hilarious and had me laughing the whole way through.
Gracie Dart has always been an incredibly hard working student: her room is covered in her revision notes. However, now her GCSEs are behind her and she has begun to wonder what the point of it all was. Now she thinks she’s dying of a tropical illness and begins to worry that she has wasted her life being sensible: now she wants to start living. It turns out that the tropical illness was actually a bad job with the fake tan but Gracie is still determined to start living life to the full. And when Gracie decides to do something, she does it properly.
At the beginning, I seriously related to Gracie: I am also one of life’s planners. I revise and study for exams like there’s no tomorrow. So I completely got where she was coming from when she decided she needed a break. But then she completely threw herself in to the ‘YOLO’ lifestyle in a way, which was actually quite incredible. Although she made mistakes and was very frustrating to deal with (for me as a reader let alone for her friends and family), I really liked her as a character. I’d definitely read more books about her: thank goodness there’s a sequel!
Two characters I strongly disliked were Vicky & Spider. Wow, credits to Vallance for writing two characters who were so unlikeable and yet seemed so real. They were extremely manipulative; especially Vicky, and I could see why Gracie was pulled along with them but the whole time I wanted to warn her to stay away.
I loved how funny and witty this book was: it had me giggling and laughing out loud at some parts: mainly when Gracie was doing something stupid (which was a common occurrence).
You Only Live Once covers a lot of themes without being overly deep; including friendship, sexuality, relationships and family.
In summary, You Only Live Once is a story of a sixteen-year-old girl on a journey of self-discovery at a very crucial part of her life: the school years! She goes a little off the rails after her exams have finished and unfortunately pushes away a lot of people who actually mean a lot to her. However, she learns a lot and it’s definitely a book with a happy ending.
I would recommend this book to:
- Fans of Geek Girl
- Young adults (specifically those in school or doing exams)
Find more reviews like this on my blog: https://thelittlelibraryx.wordpress.com
Gracie Dart has always been an incredibly hard working student: her room is covered in her revision notes. However, now her GCSEs are behind her and she has begun to wonder what the point of it all was. Now she thinks she’s dying of a tropical illness and begins to worry that she has wasted her life being sensible: now she wants to start living. It turns out that the tropical illness was actually a bad job with the fake tan but Gracie is still determined to start living life to the full. And when Gracie decides to do something, she does it properly.
At the beginning, I seriously related to Gracie: I am also one of life’s planners. I revise and study for exams like there’s no tomorrow. So I completely got where she was coming from when she decided she needed a break. But then she completely threw herself in to the ‘YOLO’ lifestyle in a way, which was actually quite incredible. Although she made mistakes and was very frustrating to deal with (for me as a reader let alone for her friends and family), I really liked her as a character. I’d definitely read more books about her: thank goodness there’s a sequel!
Two characters I strongly disliked were Vicky & Spider. Wow, credits to Vallance for writing two characters who were so unlikeable and yet seemed so real. They were extremely manipulative; especially Vicky, and I could see why Gracie was pulled along with them but the whole time I wanted to warn her to stay away.
I loved how funny and witty this book was: it had me giggling and laughing out loud at some parts: mainly when Gracie was doing something stupid (which was a common occurrence).
You Only Live Once covers a lot of themes without being overly deep; including friendship, sexuality, relationships and family.
In summary, You Only Live Once is a story of a sixteen-year-old girl on a journey of self-discovery at a very crucial part of her life: the school years! She goes a little off the rails after her exams have finished and unfortunately pushes away a lot of people who actually mean a lot to her. However, she learns a lot and it’s definitely a book with a happy ending.
I would recommend this book to:
- Fans of Geek Girl
- Young adults (specifically those in school or doing exams)
Find more reviews like this on my blog: https://thelittlelibraryx.wordpress.com
August 6, 2018
3.5 Stars
Grace Dart is 16 and a bit of a hypochondriac - after a week in Southern Spain she is convinced that she has some rare tropical disease (ah the curse of googling symptoms!) and she admits to having her local doctor's surgery on speed dial. What we also need to know about Grace is that she is all about the future - everything is geared to that magical point in the future when she will have the perfect job and the perfect life to go with it. So you can imagine how cheated she feels when she thinks she is going to die just after taking her GCSEs - all that time wasted revising when she could have been living.
That, in a nutshell, is why Grace's very reason for living becomes all about seizing the moment. Admittedly, she still wants to plan her spontaneity but it's a start - right?
Told entirely from Grace's point of view the author gets a teenaged girls voice spot on. From the insecurities of what she is doing with her life and the dogged self deception to the wry humour. It perfectly captures family life and does make you grin along the way. From cutting friends out of your life because a "better offer" comes along to realising that what you see isn't necessarily the truth of someone else life and how to deal with loss it is all there and over the course of only 1 summer.
I genuinely enjoyed this novel, it did make me laugh as I could see some of my 16 year old self in Grace (sadly, not the studious bit). I'm not too sure how the 16 year olds would feel about the character but as someone who was 16 year and raised a child past 16 it certainly rang very true. I have to give a nod to the way Grace's coming out was handled - her parents going "yeah, we know" - was such an accepting way to handle the subject and one I only wish more LGBTQ people got to have as an experience.
Fun, frivolous and will happily fill a wet and rainy afternoon!
I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
Grace Dart is 16 and a bit of a hypochondriac - after a week in Southern Spain she is convinced that she has some rare tropical disease (ah the curse of googling symptoms!) and she admits to having her local doctor's surgery on speed dial. What we also need to know about Grace is that she is all about the future - everything is geared to that magical point in the future when she will have the perfect job and the perfect life to go with it. So you can imagine how cheated she feels when she thinks she is going to die just after taking her GCSEs - all that time wasted revising when she could have been living.
That, in a nutshell, is why Grace's very reason for living becomes all about seizing the moment. Admittedly, she still wants to plan her spontaneity but it's a start - right?
Told entirely from Grace's point of view the author gets a teenaged girls voice spot on. From the insecurities of what she is doing with her life and the dogged self deception to the wry humour. It perfectly captures family life and does make you grin along the way. From cutting friends out of your life because a "better offer" comes along to realising that what you see isn't necessarily the truth of someone else life and how to deal with loss it is all there and over the course of only 1 summer.
I genuinely enjoyed this novel, it did make me laugh as I could see some of my 16 year old self in Grace (sadly, not the studious bit). I'm not too sure how the 16 year olds would feel about the character but as someone who was 16 year and raised a child past 16 it certainly rang very true. I have to give a nod to the way Grace's coming out was handled - her parents going "yeah, we know" - was such an accepting way to handle the subject and one I only wish more LGBTQ people got to have as an experience.
Fun, frivolous and will happily fill a wet and rainy afternoon!
I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
June 5, 2018
First of all, thank you Pansing for sending me this book in return for an honest review.
This book follows a girl named Grace Dart. She's paranoid, very uptight and she was kinda weird too at the starting of the book. Also, she always has plans and always ace in her exams and in life. But this all changed when she thought she had some sort of fatal disease which turned out to be nothing serious. Nevertheless, she starts to rethink about all the time she was studying and worrying over the future that she kept missing the present. So, she starts to live the now and decides to change into a whole new person.
I wanna start off by saying I enjoyed this book. I think it's funny and eventful. But I'm somehow not attracted to the character of Grace a.k.a Gracie. Also, I found the plot was rather flat (?) because only in the last 100 pages or so, things started to show some actual progression. The first 200 over pages were basically a series of events after Grace found out she should live her life instead of just purely studying and keep missing all the fun things in life.
Another thing is (spoiler alert!) Grace is lesbian and she tries to win over this one girl and I think it's very cute. But it's kinda weird for me because this is the first time ever I read a book with a girl as the MC and she's lesbian and there were like romance between her and the girl she likes. It's the first one for me so I didn't know what to feel quite yet.
The ending was actually good for me. Everything was sort of settled down and I think the author did a great job at wrapping up the story and it's really a nice and warm kind of ending.
Overall, I enjoyed it but I didn't really see much on plot development of the story. Great representation of lgbt in it. Nice ending.
This book follows a girl named Grace Dart. She's paranoid, very uptight and she was kinda weird too at the starting of the book. Also, she always has plans and always ace in her exams and in life. But this all changed when she thought she had some sort of fatal disease which turned out to be nothing serious. Nevertheless, she starts to rethink about all the time she was studying and worrying over the future that she kept missing the present. So, she starts to live the now and decides to change into a whole new person.
I wanna start off by saying I enjoyed this book. I think it's funny and eventful. But I'm somehow not attracted to the character of Grace a.k.a Gracie. Also, I found the plot was rather flat (?) because only in the last 100 pages or so, things started to show some actual progression. The first 200 over pages were basically a series of events after Grace found out she should live her life instead of just purely studying and keep missing all the fun things in life.
Another thing is (spoiler alert!) Grace is lesbian and she tries to win over this one girl and I think it's very cute. But it's kinda weird for me because this is the first time ever I read a book with a girl as the MC and she's lesbian and there were like romance between her and the girl she likes. It's the first one for me so I didn't know what to feel quite yet.
The ending was actually good for me. Everything was sort of settled down and I think the author did a great job at wrapping up the story and it's really a nice and warm kind of ending.
Overall, I enjoyed it but I didn't really see much on plot development of the story. Great representation of lgbt in it. Nice ending.
October 7, 2019
1.5 stars.
This book isn't bad, it's just a mess. I mean, maybe that's your cup of tea but it really isn't mine. I didn't hate the way this book was written, it's okay, but there were few other things that I liked about it.
I read the back of this book and thought it would be my new favourite because I get where she's coming from, I'm often consumed with the fear that I'm wasting my life, but, unlike Grace, I do absolutely nothing about it. However, it just did not live up to my expectations.
Grace is a horrible person. Throughout the novel, she's incredibly self-centred, and she treats everyone else around her like shit. I mean, what kind of person abandons their best friend for some random people they barely know? I couldn't feel any connection with her because of how horrible she is to everyone. It just really ruined the book for me, I need to like the protagonist at least a little bit, but I could not. There's no growth, really, she doesn't become any better, I genuinely think I really disliked this book so much just because I really disliked Grace.
There's also the problem of how messy the plot is. I'm not an expert in writing books or anything, but it just felt like things should have been moved around and put in different places. I feel like certain scenes would have worked better had they been moved to different points of the novel. If it was supposed to be a character-driven novel, it just didn't work because I disliked Grace. It just didn't work for me.
The issue is that I just didn't want to read on at any point. I either disliked the characters or I didn't know enough about them to have any opinion. It just didn't work that well, in my opinion, but it's not the worst book I've ever read. I really appreciated the LGBT representation, and the general premise, that worked for me, but nothing else did.
This book isn't bad, it's just a mess. I mean, maybe that's your cup of tea but it really isn't mine. I didn't hate the way this book was written, it's okay, but there were few other things that I liked about it.
I read the back of this book and thought it would be my new favourite because I get where she's coming from, I'm often consumed with the fear that I'm wasting my life, but, unlike Grace, I do absolutely nothing about it. However, it just did not live up to my expectations.
Grace is a horrible person. Throughout the novel, she's incredibly self-centred, and she treats everyone else around her like shit. I mean, what kind of person abandons their best friend for some random people they barely know? I couldn't feel any connection with her because of how horrible she is to everyone. It just really ruined the book for me, I need to like the protagonist at least a little bit, but I could not. There's no growth, really, she doesn't become any better, I genuinely think I really disliked this book so much just because I really disliked Grace.
There's also the problem of how messy the plot is. I'm not an expert in writing books or anything, but it just felt like things should have been moved around and put in different places. I feel like certain scenes would have worked better had they been moved to different points of the novel. If it was supposed to be a character-driven novel, it just didn't work because I disliked Grace. It just didn't work for me.
The issue is that I just didn't want to read on at any point. I either disliked the characters or I didn't know enough about them to have any opinion. It just didn't work that well, in my opinion, but it's not the worst book I've ever read. I really appreciated the LGBT representation, and the general premise, that worked for me, but nothing else did.
August 19, 2018
You Only Live Once follows the story of Gracie who has just finished her GCSEs and after returning from holiday and the stress of it all she believes she has a tropical illness. After discovering it's not so she decides she is going to make the most of her life and live more rather than spending all her time studying. From the blurb I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the book as it didn't give a lot away and after reading the book I can understand why. I think the book did a good job of tacking many different issues Gracie faces but if I was to say what it would spoil the story. I found myself shocked at what happened next frequently throughout the book which is great as often books are all too predictable these days! I did find that some parts of the book were more rushed than I'd have liked as were some parts I wish didn't go on for so long but it all worked out well for the story in the end. I thought the characters were likeable but I found Til the most relatable as I could understand why and how she was feeling how she did. Gracie is a great character but I went off her a bit during the middle but only because of the influence Vicky and Spider had on her. It was great how Gracie saw how she'd treated everyone at the end and went back to apologise for her actions. I think this is a really great book, it's really easy to read and funny throughout. I can't wait to read what happens to Gracie next!
May 11, 2019
4.5 stars
I am usually suspicious when a book is marketed as being perfect for fans of another book (particularly if it's the 'next' Harry Potter or Hunger Games), but in this case I think the marketing is accurate - if you loved Geek Girl, you'll also love this!
Gracie has spent her whole life doing the best she can to prepare for the future, overcoming every obstacle with planning, preparation and hard work. Yet, she starts to look at life in a different way when she believes that she has caught a tropical disease and may not actually have the future to live for.
This is a pitch-perfect look at the struggle of balancing the now with the future, trying to find out who you really are and what your calling is in life and learning to look after all the people in your life.
Grace and Til's friendship is very realistic and I loved her family, all of whom have their own quirks from Mum and Dad, working boring jobs to support their family, big brother who's feeling a bit lost and baby brother whose world revolves around underwear, sandwiches and a stuffed giraffe named Dick. Grace's grandma was another favourite of mine, particularly when she becomes a hit on social media and has Grace become her unofficial photographer.
This is a fun, contemporary YA but with surprising emotional depth - I laughed and cried whilst reading this!
I am usually suspicious when a book is marketed as being perfect for fans of another book (particularly if it's the 'next' Harry Potter or Hunger Games), but in this case I think the marketing is accurate - if you loved Geek Girl, you'll also love this!
Gracie has spent her whole life doing the best she can to prepare for the future, overcoming every obstacle with planning, preparation and hard work. Yet, she starts to look at life in a different way when she believes that she has caught a tropical disease and may not actually have the future to live for.
This is a pitch-perfect look at the struggle of balancing the now with the future, trying to find out who you really are and what your calling is in life and learning to look after all the people in your life.
Grace and Til's friendship is very realistic and I loved her family, all of whom have their own quirks from Mum and Dad, working boring jobs to support their family, big brother who's feeling a bit lost and baby brother whose world revolves around underwear, sandwiches and a stuffed giraffe named Dick. Grace's grandma was another favourite of mine, particularly when she becomes a hit on social media and has Grace become her unofficial photographer.
This is a fun, contemporary YA but with surprising emotional depth - I laughed and cried whilst reading this!
August 17, 2018
This is such an important book for some people to read when they're the same as Grace in this book. So many questions are answered.
When you finish GCSEs and are faced with so many more years of exams to come (that is what society pushes us to do), all the 'What's the point?' questions are answered in this book. Here is why you SHOULD care about this detail and here's why you don't have to about others. I think it can be interpreted differently too depending on what your own choices were at this point in your life.
Grace is weird. She is. Not that socially experienced, though she took a fair bit of (underaged?) alcohol in this which apparently is so cool. She's obsessed by what people on social media think of her, very modern. For being very smart she really does get herself in some stupid situations.
Til is a great, grounded character. No more needs to be said. I feel like there is an amazing story behind Spider. I wanted to slap Vicky from the beginning. The crush is an interesting character and the romance is not over done.
I think how much you enjoy this book will be helped by how recently you were in Grace's situation, but who's to say that can only be when you're in education?
When you finish GCSEs and are faced with so many more years of exams to come (that is what society pushes us to do), all the 'What's the point?' questions are answered in this book. Here is why you SHOULD care about this detail and here's why you don't have to about others. I think it can be interpreted differently too depending on what your own choices were at this point in your life.
Grace is weird. She is. Not that socially experienced, though she took a fair bit of (underaged?) alcohol in this which apparently is so cool. She's obsessed by what people on social media think of her, very modern. For being very smart she really does get herself in some stupid situations.
Til is a great, grounded character. No more needs to be said. I feel like there is an amazing story behind Spider. I wanted to slap Vicky from the beginning. The crush is an interesting character and the romance is not over done.
I think how much you enjoy this book will be helped by how recently you were in Grace's situation, but who's to say that can only be when you're in education?
October 14, 2018
In the first of this new YA contemporary series, we are introduced to Gracie Dart, who decides that she needs to stop hiding in her house studying and instead go out and have interesting experiences after a (not quite, but perceived) life-threatening situation. Gracie is a great protagonist, as her narration is often hilarious and she`s so likeable that I was totally rooting for her all the way through even though she didn`t always make the best of decisions, and does some questionable things. Other Gracie`s narration, I also found her family really funny and the name of her younger brother`s giraffe and her coming out scene had me cackling particularly loudly. Her family were such great characters and I loved their family dynamic, and I also thought Gracie`s friendship with Tilly was lovely as the book went on. On the more serious side of things, the discussions around exams and feeling pressure to do well and know exactly what you want to do when you leave school were so interesting, and relatable in a lot of places for me. While I did find this slow paced in places, particularly just after Gracie makes friends with Vicky and Spider, overall, I had a lot of fun reading it and I`m looking forward to the next instalment. 4/5
August 27, 2018
I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. I was hoping this would be a little bit more mature than it ended up being.
It wasn't like this was bad, but I was simply annoyed with Gracie the whole time. I never felt any connection to her and she always felt very distant. She was a little annoying, stupid and sometimes even inconsiderate to her one friend.
I didn't like how everything she did had to end on an embarrassing note, how she sometimes lied (accidentally), and how she was forgiven for her mistakes o-so easily. I sure as hell didn't like how her parents told their family and acquaintances that she was gay before she had even come out to her family. Gracie wasn't even really upset about, more mad that she hadn't been quick enough to do it herself because "she wasn't living life to its fullest and opportunities were passing her by".
Just. No.
The humor passed me by too. I don't know what the point of her grandma's character was supposed to be, but to me this 78-year old woman came across as a child. An annoying one too.
I most likely will not continue reading the rest of the series.
It wasn't like this was bad, but I was simply annoyed with Gracie the whole time. I never felt any connection to her and she always felt very distant. She was a little annoying, stupid and sometimes even inconsiderate to her one friend.
I didn't like how everything she did had to end on an embarrassing note, how she sometimes lied (accidentally), and how she was forgiven for her mistakes o-so easily. I sure as hell didn't like how her parents told their family and acquaintances that she was gay before she had even come out to her family. Gracie wasn't even really upset about, more mad that she hadn't been quick enough to do it herself because "she wasn't living life to its fullest and opportunities were passing her by".
Just. No.
The humor passed me by too. I don't know what the point of her grandma's character was supposed to be, but to me this 78-year old woman came across as a child. An annoying one too.
I most likely will not continue reading the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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