I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Heartbreaking yet hopeful. Alice has run away from an abusive household in hopes of finding her father's ex-girlfriend who was kind to her. After spending the night in a shed, she befriends an older woman, Marla, who suffers from dementia. Alice clings to this new relationship becoming Toffee for Marla who slips in and out of time. Alice begins to forget herself - wondering if she has every truly existed, but her memories will never let her forget. When Marla is injured and in hospital, Alice must make a decision - but one thing she knows, she will not return to her father's home and his abuse. I would recommend it you like novels in verse and a contemporary coming of age story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love recommending novels-in-verse, and I am happy to know that Crossan's novels are a reliable choice when looking for new titles in this format. My reluctant readers are quick to pick them up, too, despite not usually being drawn into "larger" books.

I absolutely love novels in verse--there's something about them that just make reading so much smoother. 

Sarah Crossan is such a talented author, I can't believe that I've never read her before and that it took me so long to get to this book!

Once I started this one, I really had a difficult time putting it down. What an amazing story with amazing characters!

I'm not sure if it's the way the story was told or just the story, itself, but this was an emotionally moving book that I will be sure to read again.

tw // domestic violence and child abuse, sexual harassment, animal death, loss of a parent, elder mistreatment

This book was so good!! The size of it (400 pages) intimidated me quite a bit, before I opened it up and realized that it was written in a poetic style, which meant that there were only about 100 words on each page. I haven't read a ton of books in verse, but this one was really really well done: the details were all captured so intricately and carefully and I didn't feel like I was missing anything. Of course, there were some things that were absent, but I think the simplistic writing style was just so well done that I never felt confused at any point.

The verse also made this a really quick read: it only took me about an hour and half to read, which I really appreciated (especially since I put it off for so long haha).

The focus of this book was on Allison (Toffee) and Marla, two of the most ignored and overlooked members of society: a child from an abusive home and an elderly person with dementia. They find each other in the most bizarre of circumstances while Allison is running away from home, and they connect with each other.

There isn't much of a storyline, but I really think the appeal of the story is the style and the sentiment. It does provide commentary on abuse, neglect, and overall how society treats those who they think do not belong, and it does it so well, but overall, the story itself is fairly similar to a handful of other books that have already been released. The way it is told really amplifies its impact, and that is the reason I like it so much.

Overall, I could not recommend this story enough--the friendship, the writing style, the social commentary--the strong point of this book isn't in the story, but rather in the portrayal. It's like looking at memories through a vignette and I loved it so much!

You may like this book if you liked:
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews
More than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

This book was a perfect mix of heaviness and heartwarming. I have a love/hate relationship with books written in verse but this was really well done. Allison is running from an abusive situation and finds unexpected solace in Marla, an elderly lady with dementia. Both are in very difficult situations in this book and they create quite a bond with one another. I have not read Sarah Crossan's work before but really enjoyed this.

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan is the third Crossan novel that I have read, and by being a work of contemporary, realistic young adult fiction, it was quite the change from Breathe and Resist, the dystopian, science fiction duology from 2012 and 2013. However, Being Toffee confronts multiple issues, with the most apparent including… domestic violence and abuse, homelessness, dementia, and poverty, all in heartfelt poetic verse. Being Toffee introduces readers to a teenager named Allison who finally decided to leave her broken home, because of the mother she never met died after childbirth; the woman who was supposed to be her stepmother, Kelly-Anne, fled from her father, the “bastard,” for personal reasons, even though she did ask Allison to leave with her; and her mentally and physically abusive father, who she finally decided to ignore, “Every hour I do not call my father is a victory, a declaration: I do not need you. I do not want to be with you.” Allison ends up discovering a place of refuge with Marla, a fragile, elderly woman who believes that Allison is an old friend named Toffee. Allison decides to take this opportunity to become someone else, not simply out of selfish purposes, but also so she can heal and become “… a girl with a name for people to chew on. A girl who could break teeth.” Over time, Allison/Toffee uncovers evidence that Marla is also being neglected by her ill-mannered son, Donal, and her oft-incompetent caregiver, Peggy, and she decides to support Marla and continue seeking out Kelly-Anne while avoiding all abuse and abusers.

Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan is an unexpected and heartwarming read that gives proof that sometimes, the families of our own creation are what is meant to be, after all. I also appreciated a book that focuses on elder care and dementia, as this a topic near and dear to me. However, the novel does shy away from a final sense of closure between Allison and her father, and pushes forward with an ending that makes logical sense in some aspects, but is still a tad bit disappointing. I would have enjoyed knowing more about Marla and her final destination, although, in my mind, I feel like I already know that answer, and I don’t like it any better…

A warm-hearted and much-appreciated thank you to Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy! Please make sure to pick up a copy of Being Toffee at your local book depository.

I didn't think I was going to get into this book, as reading novels that are written in poetry/prose are hard for me to fall into. However, this one was different. I was pulled in and didn't want it to end. Toffee and Marla are two characters that will stick with me for a while.

I NEED THIS BOOK. I know I just finished reading an ARC, but I need to go out and get a copy of this, right now. And so do you! This is such a powerful novel in verse. The writing is solid both from the poetic standpoint as well as narrative—not an easy balance to achieve. How the characters relate to each other is so authentic. I had a grandmother with dementia, and connected so much with Marla, and “Toffee.” Their stories unravel so naturally, creating a great sense of suspense and investment. I also love that the ending is hopeful while still being authentic. “Toffee” takes steps to get help in her situation. She finds community. What a great message that even if you are in a difficult situation, you are not alone. There are others who are struggling as well, and there’s help. You don’t need to keep running.

Here are some of my favorite quotes and poems:

Fireworks

Banging and cracking.
Darkness filled with
the dust of gunpowder.
Marla hides beneath her
duvet like a kitten.

Who knows what lurks
in the minds of others—
the grief they have gobbled up
and stashed away?



People

what is it they want anyway?




“Kelly-Anne starts to cry.
I’m so alone, she says.

We all are, I say.
But now we’re alone together.”


If you are looking for a novel in verse to read, this is my top recommendation.

For the most part, this is a pretty standard verse novel. It doesn't break any new ground, doesn't especially experiment with form or structure. We don't even get a lot of detail about events. This is entirely an emotional exploration. Both Allison and Marla are hiding from truths. Truths that will eventually catch up with them and force them to face reality. We see the subtle change in their relationship from one of mildly guilty convenience to real emotional connection and concern. It's not always a comfortable read but the conversation it prompts is a valuable one and well suited to the verse novel format.

A beautiful story in verse of a girl escaping an abusive father and finding refuge and home with a woman who has dementia.

I struggled with this verse novel. I found it difficult to connect with the characters and follow the storyline. The plot was so dismal and dark, yet due to my disconnect from the protagonist I pulled away from the uncomfortable elements and wasn’t invested.

I generally struggle to read books in verse (I struggle even more to read standard poetry collections, to be frank), but I enjoyed BEING TOFFEE very much once I started to understand the way that the language itself was supposed to be working on me. (I'm sure some formatting issues were the result of reading a digital ARC copy.) This is a contemporary young adult book set in the UK and presented in verse, starring a main character who is the victim of domestic abuse and whose primary goal throughout is to find a place of safety. She connects with an older woman who is experiencing advanced dementia with rare moments of clarity, and into whose house (and closet, and pantry) our titular character invites herself while hiding from her father. On the subject of abuse, I appreciated that Crossan allowed the father-daughter relationship to breathe; there's nuance to their interactions that makes the shoe, when it drops, drop all the harder. The fact that love can coexist with abuse is part of what keeps victims in dangerous situations, and Crossan grasps that. Her eye for detail extends beyond the relational to the descriptive, as well. I found myself, appropriately for a book set near the seashore, swept away.

This story pulled me in from the very first poem. It left me with so many unanswered questions that I couldn’t wait to turn the page. I enjoyed the way each poem revealed a little more of Sophia’s story, as if squares of a quilt were being illuminated one at a time in a random pattern. There were many that stood out, including Victory, Back, Babyish, and When to Leave.

The pacing of the book is wonderful, but you might not want to take it all in at once because the subject matter is rather intense. I appreciated the growth in Sophia’s character, and the interactions between her and Marla are integral in that growth. As they remember and forget things together, there is both sweetness and melancholy.

While the somewhat unresolved ending may frustrate some readers, I found it to be beautiful. I’d love to know what happened to some of the characters, including Sophia’s father, but leaving your readers in charge of ending the story can also be a gift.

I picked this up just to read a little before bed last night (as I'm a sucker for YA novels in verse) and ended up devouring it in one sitting. I've been sitting on this review all day because it seems like everything I could say has already been said on here already - I cared about these characters, I feared for them, it made me cry repeatedly, etc.

Look, it was just GOOD, alright? It'll give you the sad feels sometimes, but (most of the) characters grow and change and end up in a better place than where they started. And these days a book where things turn out full of love and hope in the end is something I need more than ever. Highly, highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

When Allison flees her abusive home, she quickly finds herself in a tough situation with no money, no food, and no shelter. So, she sneaks into an apparently abandoned home where Marla, the house's elderly owner, mistakes her for "Toffee." Confused, but desperate to at least find a way to make it through the night, Allison's willing to play along. But how long can she keep this up?

Much as it sounds, BEING TOFFEE is a completely character-centric novel that focuses on Allison and her growing relationship with Marla. Minimal description is given about anything else, because the interaction between Allison and others is what is at the core of this novel. In many ways, it feels like a book about nothing, because we're not physically moving in a particular direction and it's not completely clear what the ultimate goal is. But that's not a bad thing. The story meanders through Allison's experiences, past and present, but since the novel is written in verse, we don't dwell there. Little by little, we build out the full picture of where we are and what's happened, which leaves us with the question of "What's next?" From the beginning, we can see the situation doesn't seem sustainable, but there doesn't seem to be another option and that, coupled with the beautiful writing, is what kept me turning pages in this engrossing and thought-provoking story.

Since I read an egalley, I didn't get to benefit from the layout of the text. It seems like it's a novel that plays with the appearance of the text itself to help bolster the tone of the novel and feelings of its protagonist. I'm curious how that text play might have altered my experience with the book. Regardless, I think the enjoyment of this book rests heavily on what readers bring to it, and thus by extension, what they expect from it, particularly where the ending's concerned.

BEING TOFFEE is a heavy read, but it's beautifully written and there are many pithy statements that transcend Allison's specific situation into the realm of universally relatable. I would recommend this book to those who like to savor moments in writing, who enjoy deep dives into a character's head, and who don't mind a little heartbreak. In some ways, it reminded me of Jason Reynolds's LONG WAY DOWN. Both novels use verse to tackle difficult subjects in a succinct and nonlinear manner. Thus, BEING TOFFEE may also appeal to reluctant readers who don't mind contemplation over action or fans of LONG WAY DOWN's narrative structure.

A beautiful and heartbreaking work told entirely in verse I could not put down. Teenager Allison flees an abusive relationship and finds a new kind of home with an elderly woman with dementia. This book does not turn away from hard subjects and exposes the many shapes abuse can take and how a person copes.

This book was really surprising to me! I believe it’s written in verse (though it was a little hard to tell with the NetGalley formatting). It’s equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. Allison is extremely damaged due to her abusive father and I was rooting for her so hard as she ran away and tried to figure out a way to survive on her own. Marla was also a really sympathetic character and my heart aches for the confusion and loneliness she must have been feeling. This is a book full of strong women who make their own choices. And I would definitely recommend.

This wasn't my favorite of Crossan's books, but it has definite appeal for teens with the verse prose and the topic of parental abuse. Heartbreakingly sad, but without pandering. I'll definitely buy this for my library.