Because of You

by Eve Ainsworth

Poppy's life has turned into a nightmare. Mum's new boyfriend is moving in, along with his daughter, Kayleigh - the most popular girl in school. Poppy's dad is never around and appears to be drifting further and further away. And when it seems like things can't get any worse, Poppy becomes the target of the spiteful school bullies. As the vicious online comments and humiliating pranks escalate, with even her friends joining in, it looks like Poppy has no one left to turn to. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 12+

Genres: Young Adult, School, Family

99 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2019

About the author

Author of Seven Days & Crush
Scholastic
www.eveainsworth.com

http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/eve-ains...

I have also self published an adult comedy - The Blog of Maisy Malone.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blog-Maisy-Ma...

I love reading, long walks, hot baths, eighties music and tea.

Please follow me on Twitter

https://twitter.com/EveAinsworth

Or find me on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/eveainsworthn...

Reviews

[mia grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another emotional heartfelt book from eve. I recommend it to teens as it addresses topics relevant to them and talks about love and loss and is just so thoughtful and well written. I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of eves other books but it was still a lovely read very short though.

[Mani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of You is primarily aimed at teenagers and is about a girl called Poppy who is having a rough time with things. Her mum and dad have separated, her mums new boyfriend and his daughter have moved in, and to make things worse Poppy has started to get bulled.

Because of You is a really short book and it took me less than 2 hours to get through. This was my first book by Eve Ainsworth so I don’t really have much to compare her writing with when it comes to her previous books but from this book I can see she has done a really good job in capturing important topics that teenagers may face in very simple yet sensitive way. I have no doubt that many teenagers could relate to some of the issues covered in this book.

After reading this book, and learning a little bit about the effects cyberbullying can have, I’m actually very thankful that I was a teenager before social media became a big thing.

Although this book is aimed for teenagers I think it would be a good read for any adult as it has important messages from which both adults and teenagers could learn from.

Overall a I enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend.

I would like to thank Laura again over at Roachies Reviews for sending me this book. I will definitely look into reading other books by this author in the future.

[Joey Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poppys life is turned upside down, her dad got kicked out and her moms new boyfriend Richie has moved in. Poppy is left angry and annoyed at the situation. Then at school she gets in between a catty situation three others girls were having and becomes the target of the bully girls from her class, her phone constantly going off with nasty messages.

This was very sad, this poor girl was going through way too much all in one go and didn’t know how to sort it all out at all. From her family changes, to the changes at school and online she was left with so much extra stress to work with and the one person she needed help from was heavily unavailable to her.

I’m really happy that Kayla was there to help her, I could tell from the start she wanted to be in her life but just didn’t really know how to be at all, so I was really glad that she was able to get through to her, to help her sort everything out. I’m also happy that the family could come to terms with the situational changes and actually get a good balance going with it.

This was a good book, a little hard to read in places due to the topic of the bullying, but it was written really delicately and carefully, I liked seeing how strong Poppy was and how she overcame everything.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Poppy is Struggling with her mum moving in her boyfriend after throwing her dad out months ago.



Poppy lives her dad but hardly sees him now he's got a job but he also likes to drink and forgets about everything when he does...



In school however Poppy starts to have a tough time as she stands up for a girl who's getting picked on by a bully. However the tables turn as the bully who's her ex friend then turns her attention to Poppy and picking on her and when a video she takes of Poppy goes online things get out of hand...



I enjoyed this book but I did think there would be more incidents of bullying in the book, even though obviously any is bad enough! It raised so many issues from new families and missing parents, being bullied, fake friends and more it was a great little story though and another great book from a fellow Eve.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read.

This book follows Poppy who is struggling a lot after her parents divorce, her mums new boyfriend moving in and bullying at school.

This book is really short so it's such a nice easy read that deals with such important topics in such a sensitive way. This book is no doubt relatable to so so many teens and it talks about these issues in a really good, sensitive way. It may help people feel less alone when dealing with similar things!

[Ms Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story for children and early teens with a strong focus on friendship, bullying, family and how to navigate some difficult situations. Poppy is a sympathetic character although not always likeable. This is quite refreshing in some stories where the heroes can be a bit too bland and angelic. I felt moved by the ending.

[Chantelle Hazelden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of You is a fantastic example of a contemporary teen story which is able to explore those real life problems in a sensitive manner and as is typical with Barrington Stoke books, it is super readable and ideal for children aged twelve and above.

[Joyce Van noten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. It was a nice short story in between the classics I'm attempting to read. As someone who works in a school though, I sometimes feel a bit insulted with the limited amount teachers get involved. Even if it is just one line. But that is my personal opinion.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story about the life of Poppy who is having a tough time. Her mum and dad have separated and her mum's boyfriend has just moved in with his older daughter, and the school bullies have got it out for her.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really quick read but it was also quite enjoyable. The story was very relatable and is something that I think would definitely benefit a lot of younger people who perhaps don’t feel like they have anyone to talk to.

[india ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because Of You tells the story of Poppy, who’s parents split up not too long ago. I found this book to be quite sad, but really intriguing (I read it in one night). I was not disappointed with how much information the author added into those 99 pages. 3.5 stars.

[Eipoe Phyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️/5

deals with bullying and divorce. read it in one sitting at a Starbucks cafe. Kayla was very sweet in helping Poppy overcome her problems within her new family and the bullying that she faced at school. Good short read!! Would read this author’s short books again if I see it!!

[Evangeline Munster · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A good read about adapting to new family dynamics and school bullying

*Read as part of my goal to personally be able to recommend more to students perhaps more reluctant to read and as a dyslexic friendly recommendation too.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good upper Middle Grade read with family breakup and online bullying themes. Touching without being cloyingly sentimental and has a great message about standing up to bullies , in the right way.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great short read about dealing with family issues, trying to fit in at school, school & cyber bullying and finding out who your real friends are.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing

[Nieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, decent story line easy to follow, just not what I would normally read

[sonataiscool · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Poppy D: Another Eve book where teenager’s struggles with parents suffering from addiction are accurate.

[Jace L · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character of this book seems whiny.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is so relatable in some aspects

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

few typos and grammar errors pmo, kinda sad, felt like a primary school type drama

[Annamarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this one in my local library and I had to read it as it just jumped out to me.

Poppy’s mum and dad have split up and her mum’s new partner and his daughter are moving in and she’s not happy.

Poppy’s mums boyfriend tries to get along with Poppy but she doesn’t want to get to know him and keeps pushing him away and asks her dad if she can go and stay with him, unfortunately her dad doesn’t show up when he was meant to and Poppy’s family get worried when they find a note saying she wasn’t coming home.

I found that I related to Poppy’s story somewhat as my parents broke up at the same age as Poppy and my mum moved her partner in, the only difference is I saw my dad all the time and we were super close and I still don’t get along with my mums partner and it’s been 19ish years.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book, as I did and it dealt with important issues that teenagers should read about. But due to it’s short length, I couldn’t connect to the characters, but I always find that with short books unless they are absolutely incredible or by some of my all time favourite authors.

[•rosa• · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐