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.

I could not get into this book for the life of me. It's really rare that I DNF books but the linguistics in the book bothered me so much that I couldn't get into the characters.

Absolutely loved this book - quirky characters, highly emotional and pulls on the heartstrings from start to finish. A very special read.

Touching and sweet with an emotional backstory. I love the title and the subject matter. Great characterisation and premise. The story drew me in from the start and would reccomend.

In 1979 Hughie Mittman turns 13 and is trying to process the death of his mother, boarding school, a distant father and his only friend has moved far away.
This is a story about tragedy and how we cope, but it also had an unexpected magical realism element which is introduced quite late in the book and didn't really "fit". I feel like the book had lots of potential that it didn't quite deliver on. The relationship between Hugh and his father is terrible and quite realistic for the time ; and the relationship with his grandmother at least redeems the story from being awfully depressing. It just felt that there was something missing to bring the story together despite the writing being quite good and the characters realistic.
Perhaps read by those who grew up in Ireland during the time period and would like to reminisce.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

While I didn't enjoy this book, I can't say that I disliked it, either. The story is a strong and interesting one and the writing is solid. There's just something missing for me that I can't put my finger on.

Touching sweet sad at times Hughes life is filled with so much grief the death of his mother his father’s coldness the idea he’s adopted it’s heartbreaking .Hughie also has friends love surrounding him.A book that touches your heart, #netgalley #hatchettebooks Ireland,

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley.

This book focuses on a period of intense trauma and upheaval in a young man's life in the 1970s, and on how it changes him.

Hughie Mittman himself is the star of this book. The development of his character and personality is well handled, and he is at once human and likeable. If his rationalising and circular thinking are at times confused or frustrating, this only reinforces the accuracy of this depiction of a twelve year old. Hughie's relationship with Nyxi is also very touching and sweet. On the other hand, his relationship with his dad is cleverly handled, finishing on a more ambivalent note than I was expecting.

For some reason I was expecting this book to be a bit more light hearted, despite its subject matter (it just goes to show you should literally never judge a book by its cover!!) but there were moments of humour.

I'm not sure how I felt about the supernatural element of this book, but I suppose it is intended to show Hughie's emotional and mental state. To begin with, I found the forensic detail about Galway a little distracting and unnecessary, but towards the end I began to feel that this book is in part a nostalgic love letter to the city.

Overall, I found myself rooting for Hughie, and enjoyed the development of his inner life as his dealt with a number of difficult events.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I didn't read the reviews of this book until after I'd requested it from netgalley and then I was worried that it wouldn't be great. I kept dragging my feet and then finally sat down to read it today and I couldn't disagree more with the ratings.

This story is the story of a boy named Hughie who has some terrible tragedies all at once and then has to grow up in the shadow of all that loss. Yes, it's a coming of age story, but it's much more a story about grief, in my opinion. And some of the language in this book will stay with me for a long, long time.

I realised that sometimes you need the presence of other people to allow you to understand just how alone you are.


It didn't sound like my normal voice, but the sound did come from inside me somewhere. I knew I was crying, but I didn't know if the tears were falling outside of my body or inside. For all I could tell, they might have been cascading along the inside of my cheeks and spilling down into my heart.


...went back to the cocoon of my inner world, which, I was beginning to believe, was the only place where I would ever be able to survive.


'Sometimes there's something inside people that makes them believe they're not good enough. Not a good enough mother, not a good enough wife, not a good enough person even. There isn't always a cure for that, no matter how we try to help.'


I didn't know back then that people and places really only live and die in our hearts.....IT's a little like knowing that the people you love continue to live on inside you, even after they have gone.


I can go on and on. I loved Hughie's relationship with his friend Nyxi and with his grandmother. I even liked that the dad was so flawed though I would have liked that character a bit more developed since he is such a pivotal character.

There's so much good in this story. Touching, charming, sweet, sad, and it will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I started reading this book without reading the description so I didn't know what to expect at all.
I just want to give Hughie a big, warm hug and tell him everything is going to be ok! The first part of the book was quirky, warm, and endearing. But I found my attention wandering off halfway through the story and skimmed through the rest just to get to the ending.

"I did not know back then that people and places really only live and die in our hearts. [..] It's a little like knowing that the people you love continue to live on inside you, even after they have gone."

A coming-of-age story about a boy, Hughie, reflecting on the beginning of his awkward teenage years and how he dealt with his mother's death and father's indifferences. The writing is somewhat funny and endearing. His thought processes and actions were comprehensible. At the age of 12 (narrating as a 15 year old), the storytelling really felt like it was a a kid remembering a difficult phase in his life. Very convincing as Hughie even seems to be an odd character but likable nonetheless. He is awkward, weird, a sensible soul. His friendship with Nyxi was heartwarming. The questions and confusion was captured very well, once he finds out about his origins. I couldn't sense a real climax in the writing as the story unfolded, and wish if we were told more about his relationship with his father. Other than that, the depictions of Ireland were lovely. Overall a tender and humorous read.

I love the cover and premise of this book. The beginning was great but then it kind of fell flat for me. Just okay, in my opinion.

The story of a child growing up in Ireland, from the age of four to sixteen, who has trials throughout his life he has to contend with.

A tale of growing pains, losing his beloved Mother, his Fathers indifference to him, his origin, his accident with the family lawnmower and his friendship with another child who had an accident when young.

The descriptions of the places in the book where lovely and of life in the 1960’s as a child but I couldn’t put my finger on why I neither did or didn’t like this book. Perhaps I wanted something more that it couldn’t deliver.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I started reading this book and thought it was ok and then it just tailed off so just 3 stars from me.