Smashed

by Andy Robb

When his dad moves out, Jamie tries to fill his shoes. He needs to become head of the household - right?

With his mum dealing with the aftermath of toxic masculinity at its finest, and his little sister Bex struggling to understand what's going on, Jamie has to navigate the choppy waters of what he thinks it means to be a man.

Having learned that the best way to deal with feelings is to push them down as far as they'll go, he finds help from an unlikely source. Drinking makes him feel invincible - Super Jim can take on anything - and anyone...

But how long will it be before this particular well of wisdom runs dry? And what will it take for Jamie to realise that help was at hand all along?

From the author of the Geekhood series, the first of which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award, comes Smashed by Andy Robb. Funny, touching, with a narrator readers' will instantly love, Smashed is a rollercoaster exploration of young masculinity.

Paperback

First published February 2, 2021

About the author

Andy Robb is a UK based writer and illustrator. He is the creator of everyone's favourite clerygman 'Derek the cleric'. His ' 50 Weirdest Bible Stories' (CWR) picked up Children's Book of the Year 2010 from the UK Christian Book Industry.

Reviews

[Lee Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashed - An emotional account of a young adolescent, Jamie, who is trying to come to terms with the fact that the one person he should look up to and idolise has let him and his family down. Now his life is spiralling out of control and he can’t cope, he needs ”something that’ll lighten the feeling of 98,000 Newtons sitting squarely on his shoulders.”

I can’t help but feel bad for Jamie and his little sister, Bex. Growing up in a war isn’t easy for any kid no matter how mature they are.

My favourite quote from the book has to be -
”I shrug and smile, as if being a twat is something I can’t help, which I can’t.” that made me laugh to myself, a bit of humour added into all the real emotion when all he wants to do is feel like he belongs.

Andy Robb has written a powerful play on emotions with this book. Brilliant read, grabbed me from the start.

[Emma Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie's family is in the midst of upheaval. His mum wants to divorce his dad, his dad has moved out, Jamie is battling conflicting emotions and in between the mix is Jamie's younger sister Bex.
Jamie's way of dealing with his issues is at the bottom of a bottle - he begins by drinking at home with his mum - then later by truanting from school and stealing alcohol from the local shop.

Smashed is a wonderfully written book, Andy Robb has encapsulated a rollercoaster of emotions that his main character feels so well, so much so that you become very absorbed in Jamie's trials and tribulations from the offset.

[Dawn Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie is struggling with life ever since The Night Everything Went Weird. He can’t tell his girlfriend Nadia, nor his best friend Adil. His Mum needs him to make her decisions for her while his little sister Bex needs life to appear as normal as possible. But the weight of being the man of the house is weighing heavily on Jamie after his Dad has left. He wants to be ok for his Mum and sister and certainly doesn’t want to talk to anyone about it. But as he slowly starts to taste alcohol, it seems as if that is the answer to helping him cope with his new life.
Jamie eventually breaks up with Nadia but then descends into a jealous fury over imagined scenarios between Nadia and Adil.
After the guilt he didn’t protect his Mum from his Dad’s anger finally overwhelms him, Jamie is forced to confront some truths.
This is a common issue faced by many children and young people and all deal with this in their own way. It’s not easy and it’s not comfortable, but realising your own feelings and being honest with everyone makes it easier to move through a difficult transition.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just simply beautiful. A dark and intense read due to the subject matter, but you feel so much for Jamie as he tries to journey through his life, trigger warnings of domestic abuse, alcoholism, depression and emotional abuse. Despite the serious and emotional nature of the story, the author still manages to put some humour into this tale and it still has hope at its essence. A beautifully written story, very scarily real and true to life. A must read

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[TBHONEST · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashed is an emotionally deep read which portrays the emotions of the main character so vividly you feel as if you are feeling them too, Absolutely fantastic read.

[Rhyannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Smashed is about 16 year old Jamie who’s having to deal with a very realistic scenario.. the fallout of domestic abuse. Seeing his parents with new eyes and taking on the burdens and responsibilities that no 16 year old should have to. Adults and their bullshit aye?

The two stars is for the story, it’s a good one in the sense that I was invested and wanted to know how things turned out. So much so that I was up until 3am trying to finish it.

But there are a few things that have irritated me as I was reading.

The main character is a 15 year old boy turning 16 and it’s written in first person. I cannot imagine that any 16 year old boy these days, would use the word “courtship” and “willy”.

There was also a bit where Jamie says “Unconsciously, I rub my forehead.”…
Well.. if it was unconscious, then surely you can’t be consciously narrating it?!

Maybe I’m nit picking but that kind of stuff annoys me 🤣

However, the worst thing I found was several spelling mistakes as though spell checkers were relied upon instead of professional proof readers. An example?

“As this though lands in my brain..”

The problem with mistakes in books is it completely ruins the experience for me. I read to escape.. it’s escapism. Whilst I’m reading.. if I come across a typo or an error then find myself crashing back down to Earth with a huge bump. I’m dragged out of the story and reminded that I am in fact a cluster of atoms, currently choosing to decode symbols that another cluster of atoms has inked onto the dried up carcasses of trees.

Please Publishers 🙏🏻 DO BETTER

[Florence Kitchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When his dad moves out, 16 year oldJamie tries to full his shoes, in order to deal with the aftermath of his father’s destructive nature. Jamie learns to deal with his emotions by suppressing them, and turns to drinking and pushing away those who care for him.

Robb’s writing is witty and fast paced to a point where I just wanted to keep reading as there was never a point I wanted to put away the story down.

The story delves into some really hard hitting issues, however throughout the book Jamie’s narrative is humorous, conveying his adolescence in a situation dictated by adults. The book touches on topics of domestic violence, toxic masculinity and alcohol abuse.

I thought that the characters in this book were so lovely and realistic. The dad was vividly realistic and horrible, his presence in scenes were tense and very suspenseful. Both Jamie’s friend and girlfriend, Adil and Nadia, were beautifully written and such a great addition to the story.

The overall message to the end of book is heartwarming following the bittersweet telling of Jamie’s struggles. I really recommend this book, it covers very compelling topics whilst still having a lovable and relatable protagonist, who you watch go on a journey of realisation, discovering who he is and learning how to manage the dynamics of a new family set-up.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike Andy Robb’s previous funny series Geekhood, Smashed deals with some very serious themes , namely toxic masculinity, domestic abuse, alcohol dependence. Told from the POV of main protagonist Jamie, the story gives valuable insight into the pressures young people feel and how they learn to deal with them - not always in the best of ways. With his mum & dad’s divorce becoming more of a certainty as the days go by , Jamie thinks he has to be ‘strong’ for his mum & much loved younger sister, becoming the ‘man of the house’ and never showing his feelings. The hard truths he has to come to accept change him as a person but the support of good friends helps him pull through. Should be read by all teenagers & the adults who try to understand them, first class writing.

[miracleactuallyreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible, a relatable story to anyone with issues of dads and mums fighting. It shows how easy it is to fall into bad addictions when things get tough. Also how easy it is to keep quiet and bottle it all up until it explodes. And how in doing that things don't get better. How you can feel the breathless pressure to act more mature then your age, to make everything less hard. To force yourself to grow up or to have your circumstances age you quicker. It teaches a simple but important lesson, open up, don't bottle it up, tell someone, someone you trust. It's hard but it's the right thing to do, for yourself and for those around you.

Felt so bad for Jamie, I can understand him

[Kay Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the full review on My Endless Shelf

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6*

[Mairi Byatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and a well written book, sadly it is a teen novel, and I could not relate to why he stayed!

[Bec]

An interesting take on how toxic masculinity affects a teen boy