This is a teen “beach read” with some depth to it. It discusses topics such as depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. I think teens will be able to connect with these characters and some serious issues, while also escaping into a sweet, heartwarming story.

This book would be ideal for teenagers aged 13+, wanting a light and easy read for over the summer. But where I am at currently with my reading preferences, this just didn't hit the mark for me and I'm DNFing at 50%. This was something that I thought about for over a week. If this was 13 year old me, I probably would have enjoyed this and can see how it would be enjoyable.

There were main issues that have led me to DNF are:
1. Lily.
2. The building of the 'relationship'.

Lily.
She's a super controlling character to the point where she micro-manages every little last detail. Sure, she's strong, independent, likes to get stuff done - but it was taken to a whole new level. Coercing school mates to join this event. Then takes over the event. Then gives those school mates jobs for the entirety of the summer without ever asking if it's okay, when they're available, do they even want to do it... She's also super oblivious to her mothers depression (whether this is the author making a statement about ignoring other's illnesses, etc, I don't know) it just annoyed me.
Of course, with all this I was super intrigued to see her character arc and how she'd change over the course of the novel, but... yeah.

My other issue is the 'romance' between Lily and Tom. It's a given they were going to have something. I wished there had been a build up. They're still part ignoring each other, still getting annoyed by each other when they kiss. And then right after their kiss they are both like, "I've liked him/her for so long now, she/he is so cute, I love her/his eyes." My favourite part about any romance is watching those initial steps form, but there was nothing, and then all of a sudden everything shifted. But after the kiss. It just didn't work for me.

Whether anything changes throughout the rest of the book, I don't know. I can see how this would be enjoyable to others, but it got too much for me and I had to DNF.

Lily's Just Fine by Gill Stewart
Rating: 5/5
Queer: not the main characters, but there are queer characters!

Summary: Lily is a planner who likes to keep busy. She’s the girl who knows it all and can fix it all. Well, until she can’t. Tom’s just trying to keep afloat with his current responsibilities and his sick sister. But he can’t predict that Lily Hildebrand is about to bulldoze into his life. (And heart).

Content Warnings: depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, absent family, water accident, hospital/doctor mention. (All handled well.)

Review:

I had a major issue with this book: IT ENDED. Oh maaaaan, oh man. I loved it. I loved Lily. I am Lily, Lily is me. I understood Lily, her desire to keep moving, her need to fix everything, to include everyone, to continuously push forward. Watching her struggle was extremely difficult for me, because I’ve been there. I know what it’s like. Lily was incredibly real, frustrating, brave, admirable, and inspiring. I’ll definitely come back to this book to read her again, because she felt safe.

Tom was fun. I loved his point of view, I love how he grew to love Lily for her ‘flaws.’ That he voiced his opinion, but he never asked her to change who she was. That he understood she’s always going to have the need to keep moving forward, and he’ll continue to set up boundaries. I also liked that Lily respected his boundary of not wanting to participate in the raft race, even if she went against his wishes to cancel it to begin with.

Let’s discuss how this fun book discusses and explores more serious matters, regarding Sarah (Tom’s sister) and her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Gemma (Lily & Tom’s mutual bestie) and her anxiety, and Lily’s mother with her depression. Because I’ll be damned if I didn’t feel seen in each of them.

This book hit a lot of personal struggles for me: last summer (2018), I got mono, and it’s almost exactly a year later, and I’m still struggling with my energy levels. Like Sarah, I spend a lot of time in bed, struggling to do normal things, and I want to be out and about. It’s gotten a lot better, but I’m no where like I used to be. I used to be Lily. Now, I’m Sarah and Lily’s mother. Struggling, but not ready to give up.

Gemma’s anxiety is so, so easy to relate to, but I’m so proud of her for pushing forward. It reminds me that there’s hope. Lily’s mother’s depression is a very real reality for me - and for so many people - and with Lily being young and taking on the world, I can completely understand how she didn’t know how to handle it. I was so relieved when the family came together again to help. That the weight would be lifted off Lily’s shoulders. I was relieved that they talked about how getting her mother onto meds isn’t a fix-all and that it could take some time.

This book hit so close to home. I saw myself in Lily. I saw myself in Tom. I saw myself in Gemma, Sarah, and Lily’s mom. I also saw myself in Lily’s queer sister. It was so believable, so real, so touching. It was fun, it was engaging, and it was sweet.

I’m so grateful I had the chance to read this story, and seeing that it’s Galloway Girls, #1 makes me excited for any other books that follow!

Thank you for letting me escape my reality into this one; it was a heartwarming read.

i admired lily's dedication to everything. gemma was such a good friend. sarah was adorable. tom was so cute. i really liked this book despite it taking me ages to finish.

it broke my heart that lily was always left to deal with her mom... she's only 16 she shouldn't have to be worrying about her mother it should be the other way around.

A cute and fluffy story about a take-charge girl who wants to reinvent her town's gala, and a boy who is just trying to not be caught up in her mission, Lily's Just Fine delivers a romance that balances itself well with the plot. Lily is the most capable girl in her town, and brimming with ideas and enthusiasm. Her mission to get over her breakup and keep busy this summer means she goes all in with the prep for her town's traditional gala. Tom, neighbor and friend to Lily's best friend, gets roped into joining because he doesn't know how to say no; he also feels exasperated with Lily because she has a strong bulldozer like personality. As they progress with the prep, so does their romance, subtly.In terms of a central conflict, this book doesn't really have one, aside from the grumpy gala committee staff who just want to keep things traditional. Lily's exciting new ideas don't always go down well, so she figures out new ways to get things done. Her personality is bossy, but she is also quite capable, and honest in her enthusiasm; qualities that draw Tom to her. Her attraction towards Tom is sudden to her, because she never really tried to get to know him, and now she does and she likes that he challenges her. In fact, they have a nice dynamic going: cute romance but also the occasional friction because of the newness of it. The romance keeps itself apart from the main plot, that is, Lily putting on an engaging and inclusive town celebration, while also sorta-not-dealing with her mom's depression, while Tom tries to involve his younger sister without making her illness flare up. It touches on topics like LGBT inclusivity, mental illness and chronic illness; I should also mention that these are discussed from external points of view, and not from the individuals affected by these issues themselves.

This was a really cute summertime read! It was quick and enjoyable with a decent, well-written plot line.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a perfect book to put me in the Summer mood.
I picked up this book mostly because of the cover and the title, because I was very intrigued by them. The synopsis promises an unexpected romance set in Scotland but it was more than that in the end.
I enjoyed the dual narrative - even though I don't, most of the time - and I liked both of the main characters more than I thought I will initially. Surprisingly Lily wasn't an annoying helpless teenager that was obsessed with boys She knows what she wants and gets it, even though she definitely was bossy. She is creative and is not afraid to speak her mind and I appreciate that. I loved the fact that she wasn't in the spotlight and we got to meet other characters because the book didn't focus entirely on her. Of course, her need to control everything was taken a little bit too far sometimes, but it didn't bother me too much. Tom was an amazing love interest and their relationship was very cute and nicely developed. Tom's sister was one of the characters that stood out to me and I enjoyed her character a lot.
The story also deals with topics such as LGBTQ+ and mental health (without romanticizing it, and I liked that).
I loved the Gala part of the story and everything that came with it, it was overall a fun experience.
All in all, the plot offered me everything I wanted from a cute summer read and I enjoyed everything about it.
I'm still not 100% sure about my rating, but it is at least worth 3,5☆ . So 4☆ it is.
I can't wait to read the sequel and see what it has in store for us.

This book is just so cute! The setting is so fun and the characters-the characters! I loved how they portrayed an amazing theme- how everything's deeper than the surface! Each character was deeply developed and intricately crafted. Loved this! I would definitely recommend.

Lily's Just Fine starts out light and fluffy but ends up being thoughtful and meaningful. I appreciated the distinctly Scottish cultural touches as well; these details made the story feel more grounded and real.

I will definitely be looking out for the Galloway Girls #2.

I received my ebook through Netgalley in exchange for my opinion.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Sweet Cherry Publishing, for providing me with a copy of Lily's Just Fine by Gill Stewart.

This oh so fluffy and sweet book was a great read with hidden depths. Lily is the girl who on the surface has it all, she is involved with everything and knows how to improve any event. However under the surface she has a mother who spends all day sleeping, a father who is too busy working to see his family, and siblings who only come home for the holidays. But she is fine.

Tom Owen on the other hand has enough on his plate, without being roped into Lily Hildebrand's schemes, what with his sister and her mysterious condition.

This book does deal with serious issues such as depression and LGBTQ rights in small communities. Although how the issues dealt with by the characters is sometimes negative, that is part of the reason that this book is realistic because the author didn't glaze over the issues and make them a fairytale - she also showed then negative ways that people can react as well as the positive.

The character development was done very well and in a way that you don't notice it all at once. Until the end and you realize how much the characters have changed and developed over the course of the book.

There is obviously romance in this book! But the relationship had ups and downs, there was no insta happy relationship here! Which was so refreshingly real and I really loved it.

So overall, I really enjoyed this book, Lily has so much energy and so many ideas - I envy her in that way. But the plot was easy and fun to read, I flew through the book and I really enjoyed it.

Recently I've been craving so many summery contemporaries and this defiantly filled up my need. I loved the important discussion about mental health throughout the story that made it feel like an individual to any other book following the same plot. I really connected with the character of Tom and believe that his romance with Lily was very healthy which is refreshing. The only point of improvement would be the length of the chapters as every time I started to get into one perspective it shifted and I believe it would have worked better with longer chapters. the rest of the story was a dream, I enjoyed the balance between focusing on Lily and Tom and the their family which was highly interesting and were not just side characters. This is an important red for many

(2.75) I don't really want to rate this. as I figured out pretty quickly that this just isn't my cup of tea. I went in expecting it to be fun and bubbly (my bad, admittedly), and it isn't that it was slow and depressing, it just wanted to discuss important topics more than I did at the moment. However, if you're looking for a deep-talk contemporary YA, then you'll most likely enjoy this.

There’s just so much to like about this book. It’s an easy reading YA novel, it’s based in my home country of Scotland (Always a bonus when I’m picking my next read!) and it touches on a variety of tough topics. From various mental health issues and chronic illnesses to LGBT rights. All taking place in a sleepy little town in Dumfries & Galloway on the Scottish west coast.
Lily is a complete busy body; she’s involved in anything and everything, whether others want her there or not. Taking the leap from prom committee to gala committee, she pushes her way in with big dreams of turning the towns usual dull gala into the most exciting event the residents have ever seen. All the while dragging her friends into the mess with her: Gemma, who is riddled with anxiety over everything life throws at her, and Tom, who is so caught up with his sisters mystery illness that he’s keen to keep away from Lily and all her grand plans if he can.
The book was entertaining to read, following this mismatched group of friends through part of their summer. I could see a bit of myself in a lot of the characters. Lily’s need to keep eternally busy, if she’s worrying about a dozen little projects she has on the go, then she won’t have time to worry about the big issue that is staring her in the face. Lily’s Mum, who’s depression sinks her so low that she can’t even bring herself to talk or get out of bed. Gemma with her anxiety, even over things that seem so simple to others – Such as Tom suggesting at one point that the two of them stop by Lily’s house as she isn’t answering her phone, this stresses Gemma out as they ‘Never go round unannounced, we always prearrange our visits’.
And lastly, Sarah, Toms sister. I would have loved to have seen more of her in the book, from her illness point of view. As someone who’s been there, with the constant doctors appointments with no answers, I can really empathise with Sarah and her family as they struggle with hr illness and lack of diagnosis. It was interesting to read the parts that were there, though, as they were from both sides of the coin; Sarah herself getting frustrated at her both her illness and her family being overprotective because of it, but also seeing her family cope with her being sick, worrying if she’ll ever get better, worrying about everything, worrying every day. It gives a small but accurate view into the world of living with a chronic illness.
Overall I do wish there had been more content in regards to both the chronic illness and the mental health issues, as I feel they were fairly important to the plot and could have been brought to the foreground more. That being said, I did enjoy the read, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for book two!

This was a cute little read. It was harder for me to get through, because I was not in the right mood for it, but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I was sitting on the beach or beside a pool. It was your normal teen romance, girl and boy who would not normally get together, but find that they really have more in common then you know. I am interested to see where the series is going to go, I felt that it works well as a stand-alone, so I am not sure where the next one will start.

Thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing and Netgalley for an Arc in an exchange for an honest review.
This book has a freshness about it that stands out in a field of novels touching upon similar themes and issues. Lily faded into the background for me a bit, but that's only because Stewart writes multi-faceted scenes and characters so well. The confusion soon unravels, and we get a comfortable path through some important issues, blended with natural character motivation. This is a worthy read, at times frothy, at times funny, at times a nicely-grounded experiential through illness that fosters the reader's empathy. Very engaging, and an excellent devotion of time to a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the book and really liked it. Waiting to hear more from the author. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

A really cute book with voices for important topics such as mental health that need to be spoken about more often, definitely will recommend to others. I’m looking forward to see what else Gill Stewart creates.

Lily’s just fine by Gill Stewart
3⭐️

Thank you to Sweet cherry publishing and Netgalley for an E-Arc in an exchange for an honest review.

A Ya contemporary with romance, family, mental heath and LGBTQ+ representation. I enjoy a book that can take hard topics to talk about and grasp the story line. I think the characters were well developed, the plot and story line were also developed pretty good. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light, but well written book to get lost in.

This book was an easy read. I don't think I'd like Lily in real life or, at least, I'd find her annoying. She takes over and she's pushy. But she and Tom are cute together and I like Gemma. I like the regatta story. You don't see sailing in books much, especially not told realistically (and not just stories of drinks at the yacht club). Tom and Lily both have tough home lives and she's a more sympathetic character than she seems at first.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a coming of age story that would be perfect for any reader.

Lily is a character that readers will love and connect to.

This is a YA read with heart that doesn't shy away from a serious topic like mental health.

I liked that the author addressed tough topics and developed the characters thoroughly.

I will look forward to more from Gill Stewart.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.