Ellie Janes’s Reviews > Just Another Little Lie > Status Update

Narrative feels more female focused given the focus on mum and daughter. No huge drama takes place so does feel a little dull. Deals with issues which may be sensitive to our students - alcoholism and caring for younger siblings. The protagonist lies to protect mum but, in the end, all is revealed and mum can get the help she needs so maybe there’s a good message for our students.

No noticeable typos but the author does, unintentionally, repeat a name: page 75 - Mrs Winters is a hairdressing client of mums; page 83 - Amy Winters is a social worker visiting Violet at school.

Narrative centres around a 13/14 year old girl, Violet, her younger brother, Freddie, and their alcoholic single mum. Not much is happening other than a day-by-day retelling of mum’s alcoholism gradually worsening and the impact it’s having on Violet: regular lies being told to other adults in their world to protect mum and taking care of Freddie because mum can’t.