It’s always been just Danny and his Mam, Kim. When Kim begins dating Callum, everything seems fine. Callum’s nice to Danny and Kim. But things quickly change. Soon, Callum begins hitting Danny’s Mam, as well as verbally and emotionally abusing her.

“Never quite knew what would come out of his mouth. Or what he’d do next.”

Danny discovers that what’s happening is called domestic violence and when he reads about it online he becomes scared that Callum will eventually kill his Mam. Danny doesn’t know what to do so he asks his friends what they’d do if someone was hitting their Mam. Almost all of them say they’d tell their Dad, who’d sort it out.

Danny has never met his Dad and doesn’t know anything about him, not even his name. He’s determined to find him, though. Danny will do anything to try to protect his Mam.

Danny speaks Geordie. It didn’t take me as long as I expected it would to get used to his voice, although there are some words he used that I still don’t know the meaning of. Danny is thirteen at the beginning of this book and fifteen at the end. A lot of the time it felt like he was younger.

This book tackles a difficult topic but, for the most part, it was done well. Danny initially doesn’t have words to describe what’s happening at home but once he does he learns about domestic violence. The helplessness of a child in that situation was explored well, with Danny desperate to help his Mam but at the same time he’s powerless to intervene.

I didn’t really buy the resolution of this story. There were a number of scenarios I would have found more likely than what actually happened but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Content warnings include bullying, domestic violence and sexual assault.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

An honest, funny and relatable read. Domestic violence is quite a hard hitting topic and the author manages to get the seriousness across whilst keeping an up beat feel to it. Told form the POV of Danny a 14 year old boy, this book is one not to be missed! For my full review click the link below:
https://bookwormbloggerweb.wordpress.com/?p=2298&preview=true

I loved this book. I loved the dialect. The story is so interesting while also heartbreaking. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

https://dogeared-reads.com/2018/05/09/a-reading-round-up/

Review is posted online on my website www.dogeared-reads.com link given above

CN: Domestic violence

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that what attracted me to this debut novel was the title. As soon as I saw the words ‘Me Mam,’ my North East radar went off like mad. When I investigated further and I saw that it was a YA book with a serious subject set between Gateshead and Edinburgh, I didn’t hesitate to pick it up!

14-year-old Danny lives with his mam Kim in a council flat in Gateshead. It’s always been just the two of them and that’s always been canny. Then Kim gets a new boyfriend Callum and everything changes. It’s all good for a while. Everyone gets along and Callum is always treating Danny with a wad of cash here and there. Then things start to get ugly. Danny realises that Callum is abusing his mam and doesn’t know what to do. After a bit of googling he discovers that 2 women are killed by their partners every week. He is mortified and knows he has to do something. He tries to show his mam and convince her to leave Callum but he is astounded when she is not interested; she won’t even look. That’s when Danny knows he has to find another way to solve the problem. What happens next will change his life.

The first thing I want to say is how unbelievably amazing it is to have a protagonist from the North East. Being able to hear Danny’s speech patterns and dialect as very similar to my own was incredible. It’s something that I haven’t experienced before. On top of that it was a joy not to have to imagine many of the places in the book. I’m from Durham and I live in Edinburgh so knowing where most of the places are made me feel really connected to Danny. It felt very familiar and warm and much easier to read than usual. To see myself and the places I know and love reflected in a YA novel made me feel happy and appreciated beyond measure.

I warmed to Danny’s character immediately. He’s a typical 14-year-old Gateshead lad and I think he has the perfect balance of naivety and maturity. You can tell how desperate he is to help his mam and it is frustrating when you’re willing him to do one thing and he does another, but he never loses that likability and I was absolutely rooting for him all the way through.

The violent and emotional scenes are hard to read but I think this vital topic is dealt with sensitively. It hammers home that 2 women a week statistic and shows how hidden the problem can be when those involved don’t know how to deal with the situation or are too afraid to speak out. I would recommend that anyone, but particularly teenage boys, read it to get a hard-hitting but accessible insight into the issue.

My only small negatives are that the pace does slow down in the middle slightly and a few parts felt unbelievable, but that was mostly to do with how the teachers at Danny’s school interact with him and I suspect it’s because my school probably had very different behaviour intervention policies than a lot of schools in the region, so those bits didn’t reflect my experience!

Overall though the pace is great and the plot doesn’t go the way I was expecting at all, so that was a shock but it was a welcome one! When I finished the book I found myself genuinely moved, in a good way.

This is a fantastically original debut novel with a big heart that gives much needed space to a hugely important issue from a new perspective. Whether you’re a North Easterner that needs a reminder of home, you want to educate yourself about domestic abuse or you just want something a bit different, I would highly recommend Me Mam. Me Dad. Me. as your next read.

9.5/10

This is the wonderful debut novel by Malcolm Duffy who tells the story of 14 year old Geordie Danny who lives with his single Mum in a flat in Gateshead. On the internet she meets Callum, who has a fast car, and an even faster fist when it comes to hitting Danny’s mum. In an effort to escape the life that they’re in, Danny goes in search of the dad he never knew, hoping that he’ll be able to solve everyone’s problems.
The subject matter of this book is a difficult one to write about but I felt that the author dealt with it really well, and it was touching to read it from the child’s point of view.
Domestic violence happens in every town, rich or poor, and it needs to be talked about, and if by telling the story from a different perspective starts a conversation, then it might just save one more life.
Bravo Mr Duffy – a fantastic first novel, and I look forward to the next one.

Me Mam.Me Dad.Me. is honest and real.
I loved the idea of the book but sadly for me, it lacked something. Maybe it was the fact that Danny is 14 years old. 14 years old. Yet, I felt like I was reading from the point of view of someone much much younger.
It touches a topic that is real, heartbreaking and brutal.
Nonetheless if you push aside the age factor, this book is endearingly honest and funny.

This book was ok.
The theme was very interesting and I kinda flew through it.
However, the main character was supposed to be 14 but I felt like he was like 10 at the most. It seemed to me like the author didn’t know the interest of a 14 yo or how they act or think.
It really put me off and kept me from really connecting with the story.
I really couldn’t stand the main character.
Honestly, it’s a damn shame because beside this, the book was pretty good.

A Geordie voice? A tough topic? A book which will make your gut wrench but also make you laugh at times?
I’ll keep going on about this BUT ITS SO NICE TO READ SOMETHING IN MY DIALECT. Man, we need more Geordie MCs. This was just so refreshing.

This book is such a sweet surprise. I wasn't expecting I'd enjoy reading Danny's story as much as I did, and most importantly his narration, his accent. Because that's the main reason why I requested this book.

Danny is one of the loveliest characters I've ever encountered. Through his narrative, it was obvious he was a teenager but his action seemed mature because, of course he thinks they are. At least for his age, they are indeed mature. I love it that he has a heart and that's seen to his decisions. He really did what he thinks would help his mother from her abusive boyfriend.

The plot is okay. In fact it's more than okay because it proves that YA can still have MCs who are normal and going through real problems. I'm not saying that other YAs' plots seem unreal. But in this book, Danny's problems are serious too and yet the novel is filled with humour. That's refreshing. And I think this book suits me because honestly I've been avoiding YA contemporary these past months because of my depression. Though this book, like I said, also deals with real serious life issues, the emotions I went through while reading were balanced. I got emotional, I smiled. It breaks my heart at times as I really care for Danny, but it also melt my heart with fondness towards the characters and the story itself. The only reason why I didn't give it a perfect 5 because I think this book can still be better. Not that I'm complaining. I'm already okay with what I read...

Anyway, overall, I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. :) :)

Told from the point of view of fourteen year old Danny, this is a heartbreaking story of domestic violence and it’s effects on children.

The story is set in Newcastle and the narration is done with a Georgie accent, so those unfamiliar with it may struggle a little, especially in the beginning. It doesn’t take long to get used to it if you are.

Although it tackles a dark subject, there is still some humour and it is a relatively easy read. I did think that the way Danny behaves seems a little younger than fourteen however, especially for someone who has grown up in difficult circumstances.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Whilst I was initially engaged by the blurb of this book, it no longer appeals to me. I have read the first couple of pages but I don't think this book is for me. Thank you for the opportunity to try it. I wish the author every success with the book.

This book is moving and we feel all the angst and fear of the teenage Danny as he watches his Mum allow herself to be manipulated. Danny makes mistakes - as you might expect - but he is crafted with such warmth that you cannot help but take him into your heart and you want to reach out and give him the hug you know he needs.
Some difficult topics are dealt with here and so whilst it might not always be a comfortable read, it is engaging and I hope will encourage its young readers to empathy whilst still enjoying meeting a great character.

Not for me. I've attempted to read this book a few times now, but I really have struggled to engage. It will find an audience, I'm sure, but I'm not it.

This book is heartbreaking but the story is well told. It's told from Danny's point of view and how he deals with knowing his mum is being abused by her boyfriend. It tugged at my heartstrings and the story will stay with me forever.

I had some issues with it....but overall, sadly it was very real.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for providing me with an ARC. I recommend you all to read this...you need to.

This book, though written with a heart warming sentiment running through it, is neither engaging nor interesting. The characters were two dimensional, and dull. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anybody below aged 14 as it doesn’t take a lot of brain capacity, and I think that books should.

A great little book about domestic violence told through the eyes of funny and naive Danny. Humour and tragic events mix and it's a great combination. The resolution is slightly far fetched but it works all the same.

For 14 years it’s just been Danny and his Mam, money was tight but they are close and happy. Then Mam meets Callum and is swept off her feet by this wealthy bloke who can give them everything she needs. Except he has a temper and doesn’t like her seeing her friends and family and maybe things aren’t quite so idyllic after all. In fact Danny needs someone to come and help them and the only person he can think of is the father who disappeared before he was born. All he has to do is find him then sneak away to meet him to ask for help. What could possibly go wrong? What a wonderful young narrator Danny is, the story just flies by and I was absolutely riveted, rooting for him and his Mam all the way as he slowly learns the dangers men like Callum pose to women. Although the story is strong on morals it never feels as if it’s a lecture. Loved it!

This book is real, relatable and very human. The main character, Danny, narrates the story in his Geordie accent, which gives it just that bit more; like your pal is telling you the story in confidence. His accent annoyed me a bit at first, but I quickly got used to it and I even grew fond of Danny and his accent.

It is more of a Middle Grade than a YA, which is what I usually read, but I think it was mature and real and could really help and inform Middle Grade children. It portrays the helplessness that kids in domestic violence situations experience and deals with this in a mature, but humorous way. Danny messes up but he grows and learns, and I think he is a relatable character to people his age.

The story itself is realistic and does not just explain Danny's point of view, but his parents' too, and even Callum's. It humanises every character in the story and gives them their own voice. It is clear where their portrayal is influenced by Danny's narration and where it is accurate and true to what is actually happening. This explains to us why Danny does what he does, but also why other characters do as they do.

Me Mam, Me Dad, Me is unique and real, and I hope it will become as influential as it has the potential to be.