Birdy

by Jess Vallance

Frances Bird has been a loner for so long that she’s given up on ever finding real friendship. But then she’s asked to show a new girl around school, and she begins to think her luck could finally be changing.

Eccentric, talkative and just a little bit posh, Alberta is not at all how Frances imagined a best friend could be. But the two girls click immediately, and it’s not long before they are inseparable. Frances could not be happier.

As the weeks go on, Frances finds out more about her new best friend – her past, her secrets, her plans for the future – and she starts to examine their friendship more closely.

Is it, perhaps, just too good to be true?

Genres: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2015

Reviews

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jess Vallance first novel Birdy builds such strong tension between school friends, chasing them into extreme situations.

Frances Bird was always been a loner she had given up on finding friendship.

On Frances first day in year ten, teacher Mr Hurst has been informed that a new girl is to join the tutor group. He wants Frances Bird to show the new girl around the school. Mr Hurst thought it might be nice for her to make a friend. Being lonely was hard enough for Frances with out people embarrassing her by pointing it out.

Alberta the new girl is eccentric, talkative and just a little bit posh who lives in a big house is now best friends with Frances. But their friendship plunges mysteriously as Frances does something wickedly unforgivable.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was unassuming and relatively bland until the end where everything goes from nought to a million in the turn of a page. Not my kind of thing, but I respected the tone it achieved. Say no to toxic friendships, everyone!

[Bec (Aussie Book Dragon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review first appeared on Readers in Wonderland

It’s been a while since I finished reading BIRDY so this review may not fully capture my original thoughts and feelings, but I can tell you BIRDY was one of the most deceiving books I’ve ever read. It started out as your usual high school contemporary but became progressively creepier.

The characters were what made the story for me. Which is sort of expected considering this is a character driven book hahahaha. The entire plot revolves around Frances and Bert’s friendship. Not much else goes on, which was boring at times because on the surface it seems like your typical best friends dynamic. The more you read the more messed up it becomes until you’re left seriously disturbed.

I was horrified by the ending. My jaw was on the ground for the entire final chapter. It turned everything I’d been made to believe on its head. And I loved being so shocked. It also was a great example of something that’s kind of spoilery so: Narrator bias!! This is a good book about how what one person says happens isn’t necessarily the truth. They make themselves believe it is true, or can omit what they want/phrase things anyway you want to paint a particular picture. It’s not until you start hearing things from many outside sources that you start to suspect what they say isn’t the entire truth

Another aspect that made the story was the writing. It’s addictive. I started this late one night and got half way when I had to wake up early the next morning. I couldn’t put it down, even though not much was happening in the story at the end. The book isn’t very long either, so it felt like I was reading at lightning pace and that in itself is incredibly satisfying.

I went into BIRDY expecting one thing and ended up getting something completely different and incredibly horrifying. I recommend BIRDY to people looking for a short contemporary with a dark twist.

[Adriana Sandoval · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Wow! 5🌟
Creí haberme hecho spoiler con una parte importante de este libro (y así fue) pero el echo es que el final me tomo por sorpresa 😱 nunca imaginé que fuera a pasar. Suelo ser muy muy perspicaz y es difícil que una historia me tome por sorpresa, pero esta fue la excepción. Me encantó ✍😁

Cuando esta historia comienza, me identifica porque yo supe lo que era ser excluida de la escuela, querer encajar y resaltar como todos, pero sobre todo se lo que es desear una mejor amiga, una compañera que sea cómplice en tus locuras, aventuras y mayores secretos. Al igual se que es que al encontrarla te traicione 😢



Spoiler:

En fin... este libro va de 2 mejores amigas berth y birdy, que por azares del destino se vuelven inseparables, birdy siempre fue invisible e incomprendida tanto en la escuela como en su casa, así que cuando Alberta (berth) llega a su vida, desata un mundo que birdy creía perdido para ella y que jamás viviría, aventuras, platicas, borracheras , tardes de campo, caminatas, pijamadas etc. En fin... todo lo que las mejores amigas adolecentes hacen.
Los problemas llegan cuando berth empieza a socializar con amigas más extrovertidas como ella y cuando llega un pretendiente, birdy siente que su amistad está en riesgo y que sin ella su vida acabaría, así que se encarga de demostrarle a su amiga que no habrá amistad como la suya y que sus nuevas relaciones sociales son un mal para ella. A berth le empiezan a ser bullyng por ciertos escándalos sobre amoríos, fotos desnudas y notas con amenazas y es en esos momentos cuando birdy se encarga de demostrarle a berth que ella está y siempre estará incondicionalmente.

😱El final el final el final...


Birdy va supuestamente a defender a berth de las calumnias de otra compañera de la escuela (pippa) y termina matandola en un accidente y quemandola viva.
Ella cree que todo quedó así y que nada le pasará que no la descubrieran y que su cuartada es su mejor amiga pero su amiga le dice a la policía.
Después de días byrdi la va a buscar para reclamarle y es ahí cuando la descubre con su nuevo novio y sabe que le ha estado mintiendo, birdy a este punto ya está demasiado obsesionada con Alberta y la quiere sólo para ella entonces la apuñala con unas tijeras y es ahí donde termina la historia en si, el final es birdy relatando desde un manicomio como apuñaló a birdy, cómo fue ella la que siempre hizo lo malo que le pasó a berth en la escuela supuestamente para su bien y por su amistad, y que espera pronto su salida para reunirse con su amiga (es una completa psicopata) eso no me lo esperaba.

🌟 Realmente esta historia me gustó mucho

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Birdy after hearing about it at Hot Key's Blogger Brunch and because it sounded brilliant I found myself unable to leave it on the TBR pile more than couple of days.

Oooh this is good is book. It is dark and creepy with an unreliable narrator who you know you can't trust from the outset. From the start you just know it isn't going to end well and find yourself unable to put it down because you need to know what is going to happen next.

I don't want to go into anymore detail because I don't want to say anything to spoil for anyone. Just read it.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nunca había leído un libro de esta autora ni escuchado sobre ella, me topé con este libro de una forma bastante peculiar y lo que me atrajo de él fue el título “BIRDY” debo decir sin duda que la portada en inglés es mucho más bonita.

Es un libro un poco predecible, entiendo que la autora quisiera dejar ciertas pistas para que se entendiera el final sin embargo un poco antes de la mitad del libro ya sabía lo que iba a pasar. Es una lectura bastante rápida y ligera, el inicio o introducción si me pareció algo lento pero importante, logré interesarme en la historia ya casi al final del libro.
Resaltó sin embargo la importancia de alejarse de amistades tóxicas solo por este tema recomendaría el libro.

[Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man. This was one of those haunting stories that you wish you could forget!

[Yuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was well written and I really enjoyed it. The twist at the end made me think of the whole book differently...It was so unexpected!

[Emma Ferrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Birdy. Do I actually have the words to formulate a review? Nope. Am I going to try? Right now - also nope. I'm tired and hungry but I definitely enjoyed this.

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A copy of this novel was provided by Hot Key Books for review.

I really liked Birdy. I read it in one sitting, because the writing style was incredibly addictive, and I wanted to know the outcome of all the events that happened.

The main thing that drew me in when reading Birdy was the element of mystery. The novel starts off with Frances/Birdy writing about how something pretty big had happened, and that people had told her to write “everything” down “from the beginning”. I immediately wanted to know what the big thing was, and why Frances had to write it all down.

Birdy also had a wonderful case of the unreliable narrator. From the blurb of the book it sounds like Frances gets a little over possessive regarding her new friend, Bert, but when reading the book it doesn’t seem that way at all, really. Sure, there are moments when Frances is a little insecure and a bit overbearing, but nothing that really makes you think anything much of it at all.

To be honest, I felt quite a bit of sympathy for Frances. She had attached herself so thoroughly to Bert, so when Bert started to branch off and spend time with other people, I felt for the girl. She had pretty crappy social skills, and had never before had a close friend (or any friend at all).

The plot is a little bit slow at times because it has such a deep focus on the relationship between Bert and Frances, and little else. I think the inclusion of some other factors might have helped move it along, but the strong focus on their relationship was still quite intriguing.

The last few chapters are pretty high on the creepy factor. All this stuff goes down, and I wasn’t even suspicious of the perpetrator until it was way too late. And the chilling lack of remorse, or any kind of emotion at all was unsettling in the best kind of way.

The last sentence of the book actually had me laughing out loud because it was so unnerving and creepy, and such an awesome finish to the book, and I loved it.

Birdy was a really good novel that took me quite by surprise.

© 2015, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.

[Karys McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birdy nearly killed me with suspense. The premise is outlined from the very outset: main character Frances “Birdy” Bird befriends new girl Bert, and something terrible happens. We just don’t know what. Birdy is narrating after these events have taken place, and she reveals small snippets and hints slooowly and sneakily. It’s very clever, the kind of book that you don’t want to stop reading because you NEED to know what happened. And you know there's a big twist a-comin'! It definitely draws you in.

The writing in Birdy is very informal and a bit messy, but it suits the YA readership, and works well for this kind of story. Birdy (the character) is really likeable and easy to empathise with, and the eeriness of Bert is portrayed subtly, but to chilling effect.

As the story unfolds (and when we finally find out what happened!) the twist is as good, and as unpredictable as you think it'll be.

Read more on my blog: Middle Chapter

[Noura Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book is not for me tbh
The genre is not my cup of tea and I didn't like the characters. The main character was especially irritating to me.
I enjoyed the last few chapters. They were pretty interesting. But overall I didn't really enjoy it, unfortunately.
However, from a writing standpoint, I really liked the way everything was described. It was pretty easy to imagine how everything looks in my mind, which was the part I enjoyed the most.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a hard time finishing this book, I hated it since the beginning, but once I read more it became interesting, until the end appeared. It came from a teenage girl school problem to a severe problem in a turn of a page, it is not the type of book I like to read at all.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia de un sociopata narrada desde su punto de vista que logra mantener en tensión.

[K.J. Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrative is unassuming, yet creepy at the same time. What is the big secret? What went on with Bert and Birdy? I like the foreshadowing in the way of Birdy’s narration. The intrigue is there, even if the first part of the book is slow of the mark.

I had a need to keep reading to find out what the ‘something terrible’ was. As a reader, you find yourself hunting for clues in Birdy’s unreliable narration and taking mental notes.

The ending was worth plodding through the early narration. If you like creepy and twisted, then this is the book for you.

[Erin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had it. I thought I knew what was happening. Much like the other reviews, nope. I didn’t see that coming. I couldn’t put this book down. In fact I had it read within 24 hours. It surprised me how quick the story turned, but I think that’s what I enjoyed most. Won’t ruin it, but if you like a great twist annnnd a little thriller, then give this a go.

[Eve Lumerto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed reading most of it, the writing style really worked for me and the characters were really interesting... but unfortunately I didn't like the end twist at all. From the beginning I knew it was an obvious possibility, but still when it happened, it wasn't satisfying for a couple of reasons.

The biggest reason is, that the fake persona of the main character was more complex, more interesting and more believable than what she turned out to be in the end. It felt like her character lost nuance and depth when the truth was revealed at the end. Like the story would have been so much more compelling if the truth wasn't so far from what had been presented to the reader in the beginning. It would have been more satisfying if the reveal had added depth to the characters instead of turning them to their heads. It felt like the meaning of the story, and the relationships, was reduced.

I understand that sometimes mental conditions are played for shock effect, and while that can be harmful I could excuse that in some cases, if the book had that kind of "commercial" style from the beginning. But this didn't. Overall, the book went deep into relationships and characters and emotions, and teenage life. To suddenly turn everything to its head wasn't surprising in a good way, to me. It was disappointing, because it changed the tone of the novel completely. It left me wondering why on earth that kind of big reveal was used at the end, when the novel before that was complex and satisfying without it, and the author can clearly write characters and relationships without any tricks? So why use one?

It was simply confusing. There was nothing wrong with the characters and their relationships as they were in the beginning; messy, human, relatable, and complex. It's truly a shame that 90% of Birdy was only a persona. It didn't feel clever or satisfying in any way. The book would have needed way more length and depth at the end to make that reveal believable and satisfying. It read as if throughout the book the author was using real life understanding, to write the persona of Birdy to be as believable as possible, and then at the end when the reveal happened, the author was suddenly on foreign territory and had no depth to give. I can't say that is the case, but that's what it feels like. There just isn't any of that understanding behind the sociopathic version of Birdy that there was behind the persona.

Another reason why this book makes me almost nauseous, is that from the beginning Birdy's emotions and situation was so understandable and so relatable, she was exactly the type of character that I'm sure a lot of teenagers are going to relate to. And then at the end... it's like the book is suddenly saying that those emotions and personality traits that they related to are warning signs. Red flags. I'm especially worried about the idea of a young girl who is attracted to girls reading this, and interpreting the things the main character thinks and does, that are completely normal for an intense crush, as that, a crush... and then at the end they are going to feel like those emotions and behaviours that they themselves may have and do, are weird and disgusting. Because so many things must already have made them feel that way, and I really don't want them to pick this book up and have that feeling intensified again.

I'm pretty positive this is all accidental, and was not the intention behind the book. The problems are in the end, technical. The author did a really good job at writing Birdy's persona as a believable character, so that the reader wouldn't guess what she's really like. What went wrong for me, is that it was obvious from the beginning that Birdy was the "real" traitor, not because her persona wasn't believable enough, but because it was hammered in too strongly that she thought Bert had betrayed her. If that fact hadn't been stated so strongly in the beginning, then the reader most likely would not be able to guess the end. However, TOO MUCH caution was exercised in trying to hide Birdy's true nature by making her persona believable. The signs of Birdy's persona cracking were TOO subtle. They were completely believable behaviours of any teenager who is going through an intense crush, which creates, most likely, an undesirable effect at the end: It makes Birdy's real character seem weak, and it makes it look like normal teenager behaviours are warning signs. If there had been some things throughout the story that couldn't have been explained away; things that would have seemed out-of-place to the reader, but would've had multiple possible explanations, then the ending could have been strong. The reveal could have made sense. Now it didn't make sense even though the gist of it was easy to guess at the very beginning.

But in the end these things are purely technical, even though they left a really bad taste in my mouth at the end. The characters and relationship dynamics were definitely interesting, and it's not like the premise itself is flawed. I enjoyed reading the book very much until the big reveal, and if it had been executed differently, it could have been a 5 star read. It was that, somewhere in the middle. It's like most of the book was 4-5 stars, but the ending was 1 star, so it gets 3 from me.

[15raponegrahami · Rating 4 out of 5]

to begin with I was not that into this book, it seemed quite normal and boring but it developed more and more creepier and the ending was very unexpected the events near the end were surprising making a really good storyline, it was unpredictable and got very exciting I couldn’t stop reading it

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 2.5

[Jamie Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall an ok read but fekt the story only stsrted to get going on thenlast quarter of the book. Found the story predictable around 100 pages in but i did enjky the twists

[Lucy Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

May contain spoilers.

What. A. Book. I really enjoyed this one; up to the final couple of chapters, it was gonna be 4.5 stars (I think I'm coming round to the idea of half stars) but the final two chapters utterly blew me away - the writing and the characterisation was incredible.

To start with, I think Frances was genuinely concerned about Alberta's welfare and I do think she genuinely wanted to help her fit in. But as soon as Frances realised that Alberta actually her own brain, she changed into a complete and total narcissist and she was so well written. When I read how Alberta's parents were regarding Frances as things started to unravel, I did cotton on to the twists but Frances was so well crafted that I didn't mind knowing what the twists were; it was still interesting to me to read her explanation and ultimately the self-justification of her actions. The belief that she would still maintain a close friendship with Alberta after what she did to her was a nice touch. I mean it wasn't nice, what Frances did to her was completely awful.

I think we've all known at least one narcissist at some point in our lives and this book demonstrated perfectly just the lengths that they will go to in order to maintain their control. Very well done!

[Brittany Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a major plot twist in this one folks!!! I honestly thought something else was going to happened and felt quite smug that I figured it out but I was sooo wrong!!

The writing was clear and the characters were all full bodied. I thought the author did a brilliant job in getting us invested with the two girls. All details were looked after and no questions were left unanswered. It’s so great to find a book that doesn’t leave you ok a cliff hanger!!!

I normally don’t read suspense/thriller type books so it is a new subject area for me and I loved it! I definitely recommend this book for everyone as it brings up some major issues and makes for great reading. I’m very happy for picking this book up and will look for more from this author!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was bleak. Birdy is one of the most sinister, clever and compelling novels that I have read about the frailties and nastiness that can fester within a seemingly harmless friendship.

Yes, Vallance takes it to an extreme that is unexpected, brilliantly imagined and jaw dropping, yet there are many truths hidden in the telling of the unbalanced friendship of Birdy and Bert. Birdy is a startlingly memorable character, whose obsession both with herself and Bert is as fascinating as it terrifying.

Manipulation is the name of the game in this novel and Vallance manages to manipulate her readers just as cleverly as Birdy manipulates Bert, thankfully with differing outcomes. An excellent, beautifully paced read!

[Chloe Reads Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this!! I did sit and read it in pretty much one sitting, so yay for that. Also, I think the ending COULD have been shocking, if I hadn't already read a lot of young adult thrillers.

However my problem with this book is that it was a perfectly normal, uneventful, contemporary story up to about 180 pages. This meant that I was a little bit 'done' with it already by the time the reveal came around, as it was a little boring. I did guess the ending as well, which I'm not sure is down to the actual story being predictable, or me being a seasoned YA thriller reader.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book really engaging and it made me desperate to read on and find out what it was that the author had hinted at throughout the book. I loved the portrayal of the girls' friendship. However, towards the end the book just fell apart. It became so obvious what the "answer" was that the revelation was a damp squib and the ending was so unrealistic. A disappointing end to what had the potential to be a great story.

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birdy; a story about a toxic friendship, told by an unreliable narrator, who takes you down the spiralling journey of a year that ends with someone paying a hefty price.

Full review to come.

[Laura Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my dear sweet Jesus this book is PHENOMENAL. It felt kind of like a YA version of Notes on a Scandal, but darker and better. Cannot recommend enough.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

BIRDY es una novela de Thriller con un excelente planteamiento pero que falla en su ejecución, no logre conectarme con la protagonista en ningún momento, nuestra protagonista/ narradora resulto estar construida de forma bastante caricaturizada, es una historia de personajes y es muy irónico que todos los personajes sean tan poco memorables…Que espero olvidarles esta semana.
La amistad de Frances y Bert es la piedra angular sobre la que está construida esta historia, es una amistad que al principio fue bonita, pero involuciono para convertirse en una amistad toxica… De esas en las que todo puede terminar MAL o MUY MAL. Toda la narración es muy adictiva, si disfrutas de leer la vida cotidiana de alguien que es acosado, chantajeado e intimidado por un acosador secreto.
Lo que he disfrutado del estilo de escritura es que… Jess Vallance ha escrito su primera novela, usando un narrador poco fiable. Me hubiese gustado que esta historia hubiese estado contada desde otra perspectiva.