Gemma's Not Sure has been on my To Be Read List for several years, and I've tried to start it several times and never make it past the first chapter. It's just not for me. Sorry! I'm sure someone else will love it.

This was a pleasant story overall, but I did find it was a little slow and difficult to get into. I sadly didn't enjoy this instalment as much as I did the first book.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into.

This was a decent read. Both characters were likable and relatable (at least to teenagers). Overall, the story was good, but the end was a bit abrupt for me. I recommend for teenage/YA readers.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading Gemma's Not Sure, such a cute sequel story and I really can't wait to see more from Gill Stewart.

Gemma’s Not Sure by Gill Stewart

Gemma is a very shy, nervous but talented musician who’s life is coming to a crossroads and she must make some choices and in part causes this shy quiet girl to have a bit of a meltdown . The book shows that the choices you make don’t have to be the expected . Her path crosses Jamie's the perfect former head boy who has dropped out of university and in who’s mind everyone thinks is a failure. He too is at a crossroads .

This book is part of ‘The Galloway Girls’ series. It is A beautiful coming of age novel.

Fabulous book a great read for any age group particularly those young coming of age it shows that we all have our own private issues and won’t always know what we want to a timetable.

Great well written book . Much enjoyed. Well done Gill Stewart.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Life takes a turn in Gemma's Not Sure, as Gemma is decided on which university she should go to next year, and whether she can get over her stage fright to perform, for real. Her teachers want her to go to an exclusive Conservatoire, and teach youngsters while she's home, but it a bit much for her. To be honest, she's not even sure university is for her at all, and meeting up with Jamie, Lily's ex boyfriend and her long term crush, shows her that life as a fresher is not all great. Jamie was pushed into an accountancy course by his mam, and the expectations that are piled on him are too much. He loves his music, and refereeing, so when he comes home and starts getting more involved in youth training, being close to Gemma is perfect.

I read Lily's Just Fine recently, and liked how real the book was - talking about school, imperfect home lives, and what it's like being a teenager these days. As Lily's best friend, we saw a lot of Gemma and I wanted to know more about her, and why she seemed so nervous all of the time. She's a quiet bairn, who doesn't like attention or change really, and her final year of school is a big moment. One of the best things in this book was seeing her growth, from the shy and retiring Gemma at the start, to the Gemma who stood up for herself, was real with Jamie, and tried to help little Rosie with her own issues. Jamie and Gemma together were sweet - there wasn't any awkwardness over the fact Jamie used to be with Lily, so that was good. Of course, we have the obligatory angst we always get in YA's these days, but it was dealt with well, and I reckon I'll continue with the series. I'm hoping the next book is Sarah's, because there's so much about her yet unexplored!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

In all honesty, it did take me a while to get into Gemma's Not Sure.

I'm not too sure why exactly... I'm blaming the fact that it was a bit of a slow burn sort of romance/contemporary. The pacing for a contemporary was kind of slow, it took a while for the stakes to be raised and for the characters to come to their life-realisation moment. After that massive build up, the book turned out to be alright. The characters, however, did a few things that did trigger me a little bit which I would dissect a bit later.

Gemma's Not Sure is told in two perspectives: Gemma's and Jamie's. Both characters are trying to work out their futures and what they will do after school. Jamie is in university and is unhappy with how it has turned out for him so far. Gemma on the other hand is dealing with all sorts of peer pressure from her friends and family. They want her to go to a prestigious music university however, her own desires sway away from those around her.

Throughout the story, the representation of peer pressure and the types of struggles teenagers deal with on the daily was highly accurate and portrayed very well. I really felt for both characters however, it was Jamie that really stole the show for me. It was through him that we could see this existential crisis of "What should I do with my life?" reflected back in his narrative.

For me, I didn't really like Gemma's character. Of course, her struggles were also portrayed and represented well, however, it was really the fact that she kept running away from her problems that infuriated me. Every time there was a problem, she would just run away from it all and often for no proper reason. In the last bit of the book, it seemed very rushed as though everything just seemed to fall into place just like that without any development. Almost as if her running away didn't happen at all.

Nevertheless, the writing and characters were okay but the representation was spot on

ACTUAL RATING: 3.3 STARS

When i requested this I didn't realise it was the second book in a series and thought that I probably wouldn't read it as I hadn't read the first one but I ended up giving it a go and I am glad I did. It was a very nice, if a little predictable YA read and I think I would go back and read the first one.

Gemma’s Not Sure - Gill Stewart (5/14)

Rating 3 / 5 Stars

** Thank you to Netgalley, Sweet Cherry Publishing, and of course, Gil Stewart, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will be the first to say I have not read Lily’s Just Fine… YET. As this was the first book I am reading for the series, I must say I really enjoyed it. I am really happy that this book felt like a standalone while also being a part of the same story. I never felt lost. There were a lot of mentions of Lily, which was slightly frustrating but did not really take away from the story.

I really liked the Gemma and Jamie. I found them to be very relatable and great storytellers from their own points of view. We see them at their rawest points and highest highs. I enjoyed seeing them develop over the progression of the book. Rosie and Gemma’s relationship was lovely as well. I loved it when Gemma taught her how to play the piano and saw Rosie for her deepest issues and wanting to help.

The Romance in the book was lovely because it was not the entirety of the plot. I enjoyed that it was subtle and other plotlines were present. However, I did find the book to be rushed at the end, and the ending kind of abrupt. I wanted more.

The theme of music was one of my favorites, but even more, I loved the different themes which surround peer pressure, parent pressure, anxiety, and depression. It made this book even more relatable to me as a reader. I do recommend this book, especially to those who are younger and dealing with the same themes as addressed above.

I think I loved Gemma and Jamie’s story even more than Lily and Tom’s story in the first ‘Galloway Girls’ book. I always love seeing the perspective of a different character in a series like this. Gemma is someone you can really root for! And Jamie is just as charming.

This is the first book I've read by Gill Stewart, even though this is the second in a series. Which I didn't realize until later reading the reviews. That being said, I don't feel like I missed out on much with this being my first week and I overall enjoyed this book!

The description piqued my interest and the book kept my interest the whole time! I enjoyed reading about Gemma's struggles and how she overcame them. I think this was a very well written book that touch on struggles that many youth are facing today.

I took one star off because overall, I did feel that it was a very predictable plot line. But I'd still recommend it if you're looking for a light YA read for this summer!

What I really loved about this book were the characters. I just loved them, even though I did not agree with all of their choices and sometimes they did feel a bit off, but I didn't mind. I love the way the author writes dialogues and have each of their personalities laid out on the table for the reader to get at ease with. I did have trouble with some of the things of the plot, because it felt too predictable. I didn't once have a shock moment, an unforseen plot twist or even a shudder of what-is-happening?
I did enjoy the book, but I think I could've lived without reading it. It's a bit of a love-hate relationship I guess. I think this book is particularly well for people who want something light and enjoyable to read in between other books! The cover is amazing, I really love that so I am still going to buy this book to put onto my shelves!

Apologizing for the cut off of the authors name.
Gemma's not sure by Gill Stewart ARC release date July 26, 2020 YA book
Gemma is in her final year at school and shes struggling to decide what she wants to do next. She goes for a music audition at a uni and bumps into Jamie who is struggling at uni himself. Throughout the book they discover themselves and more about each other as people and friends.
I haven't read the first book in this series, but I plan on it. Lily's Just Fine came out in 2019. This book does great as a stand alone book if I should mention that.
Pros: short chapters, great character development, amazing storyline, fast paced easy read.
Cons: I had none honestly.
#reading #reviewing #bookstagram #books #bookaddict #justkeepreading #newbook #gemmasnotsure #gillstewart #lilysjustfine #gallowaygirls #jamie #gemma #lily #music #yabooks

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher the opportunity to read this book. I wasn't a fan of the first one, but wanted to continue with the series. Unfortunately this one fell flat for me as well

I'm sorry that I didn't see this was book two in a sequel, I must've missed that information when I requested the arc! My apologies! But not a total loss because I added the first book to my TBR because it sounds great. 😁

Thanks to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for this ARC.

This was definitely a quick read for me. The book is about a shy girl named Gemma as she finds herself. Sadly, I found that none of the characters were really engaging. It was a quick read, but to be honest at the 75% mark I really couldn’t continue. Maybe it’s because bands don’t really interest me.

This is a charming story about two young adults, Gemma and Jamie, who help each other discover which direction in life they should go despite what other people in their lives are telling them to do. It is perfect for teen and YA readers.

The book is set in Scotland, but I think it resonates with any teenager that is making life decisions about what they want to do with their life after graduating High School. The characters are easy to relate to and the interaction between them is typical of the relationships most teenagers experience. I enjoyed the love story between the two characters because it was not overly dramatic and was a joy to read. You feel uplifted when you finish reading the story.

I also liked how the author wrote so the reader saw both sides of the story. One chapter was from Gemma's perspective, the next chapter was usually from Jamie's side of the story. It helped the reader to connect with the characters by getting to know what they were thinking and how they were feeling about the situation. It also kept the story moving and the reader engaged.

I will definitely be recommending this book to others!

this was really fun and a meaningful read. The characters were fun to get to know and I felt like I could really relate.

Gemma’s Not Sure by Gill Stewart (2020/05/22)
Rating 3 /5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tw: Death of an animal, Depression.

Although I didn't read the first book in this series I wasn't confused while reading this story. I liked this story, Gemma and Jamie were really relatable characters. It was nice to get both of their points of views. I liked how we got to see Jamie in post-secondary and we got to see him struggle and realize that university wasn’t for him. I also liked how we got to follow Gemma and how she knew she loved music but wasn't sure if it was something, she would want to pursue long term.

I liked seeing both characters grow throughout the story. I loved how related this story was, I wish I had read something like this when I was in high school. It talked a lot about the struggles that teenagers go to when taking the next step to going into post-secondary. It also spoke a lot about peer pressure and anxiety which I appreciated. It also had scenes with what it's like to like with pressure from parents as well as their expectations for their children. I liked the scenes between Rosie and Gemma, especially Gemma teaching her how to play the piano. I liked that Gemma saw that Rosie was sad and needed help and how Gemma wanted to help Rosie. I enjoyed seeing Jamie and Gemma bond over music while creating a band. I appreciated that we got to see both characters grow and learn more about themselves and what they wanted to do in life. It was great to see both Gemma and Jamie both find happiness.

I liked how the romance was very subtle and it didn't take away from the other plots in the story. I didn't really like how the main characters motion Lily so much it seemed unnecessary and didn't really add to the plot. I do feel like the ending of the story was rushed. I wished the characters would have communicated more because to me the ending was too abrupt, and it just didn't feel realistic. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially to teenagers who are in high school who are experiencing similar problems as Gemma and Jamie. Once again thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a copy to review.