Fragments of Youth is the cute, charming coming-of-age story of Will Green, aged 17, who dreams of making it big as the guitarist and song-writer for his band SharpShooters. Although the storytelling mainly focuses on Will and, to a lesser extent, Amy, it occasionally veers off to provide insights into other characters' thoughts or feelings, which I do love a side character feature. I really enjoyed the music theme - I felt like I could hear the SharpShooters play in my head - and it reminded me of my youth and all the local gigs and shows I want to. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book! This is my first book by Williams and did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

A fantastic debut novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters and going on their journeys with them. As well as the great characters and story really enjoyed the nods and references to late 90s life evoking a lot of nostalgia.

This was such a sweet romance. I loved all the talk of music and musicians and the commentary on grief.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Tragic story, a little disjointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

I really enjoyed this book! The storyline was very interesting and I felt connected with Will from the beginning. There were some aspects of the storyline that could have been expanded on more, things that I wish had been. Overall, this book was really good!

I enjoy dynamics among the bandmembers and their relatability. My hang-ups were that the references to bands and other pop culture mentions from 90s UK took me out of the story because I had to keep looking them up as I read.
I would recommend to others who have an interest in that era of music, or who able to glance over those details and just enjoy the characters.

With thanks to netgalley and the publisher and the author Richard Williams

I really enjoyed Fragments of Youth and finished the book with in a day, I couldn’t put it down.

Fragments of Youth is mainly a love story between the two main characters, Will and Amy and the ups and down of their relationship. It also a story about the bonds of friends and how they affect people.

The book is also an ode to all things 90s.

Fragments of Youth is a coming-of-age story mostly written from the POV of Will Green a 17 year old who dreams of making it big with his band SharpShooters. One day he sees Amy and is instantly enamoured by her, the story follows Will gaining confidence in himself and trying to pursue Amy whist also battling problems within the band. Some chapters also follow Amy POV to allow insight into her thoughts and feelings.

I did like a lot of elements of this book, I felt that Will's character had a lot of depth to it and I rooted for him from the beginning, I also liked how emotionally mature he was. In comparison, I didn't like Amy as much and at times I found her slightly annoying. I also felt the story was a bit slow. However I did enjoy that this wasn't just a simple romance and there was themes of the troubles of growing up, grief and learning who you really are, and want to be.

Fragments of Youth is the cute coming-of-age story of Will Green, 17, who dreams of making it big with his band SharpShooters, for whom he plays the guitar and writes songs. Although the storytelling mainly focuses on Will and, to a lesser extent, Amy, it occasionally veers off to provide insights into other characters' thoughts or feelings, which was slightly odd, but not unpleasant. I particularly enjoyed the music theme - I felt like I could hear the SharpShooters play in my head - and it reminded me of my youth. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book!

A decent book about Will and Amy set in the '90s. The description really focuses on Will and I wish the book was from his perspective throughout. I felt his character was really well developed and had some great depth. The music, band and gigs side of the book really came alive and it was clear the author's own music experience really helped when writing those sections. You could imagine being at the gigs and I enjoyed reading the lyrics dotted throughout.

I found Amy's character lacked the emotional depth of Will's. She had plenty of experiences that could have been taken a step further particularly with issues around consent which were barely acknowledged.

Not something I'd usually write in a review and I am not a writer but had a friend come to me with this concept I'd have suggested they wrote the book from two perspectives, in a similar way to the format of The Flatshare, focusing on Will and Jake. The twist in the book would have hit even harder and I'd be more intrigued to see how things played out. I felt Jake had some turmoil and his love for Will (just platonic?) would have made for an interesting read.

Lovely nostalgic read for lovers of music and the nineties. A great read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I was surprised by how much I couldn't put this down. It was slow, and kind of moseyed along at its own pace but it felt genuine. The emotions, especially about Jake, were real and intense. It feels like the prologue to a 'going back to the one he can't forget' romance novel (and I love those).

Absolutely beautifully written, so much detail and imagery from the author. It was a solid story, definitely a coming of age type book. I personally found it a little slow for my taste but I genuinely enjoyed reading this book regardless!

This was a really well done book. It's a bit heavier than what I normally read and I truly felt that a few times throughout the book, but I'm glad that I read it. The characters were written well, I'm a sucker for anything British character or atmosphere based, and I thought the author carried out their arcs well. Would recommend, Almost reminded me a bit of the upbringing for some of the Beatles.

I really enjoyed this book! It is not one of my typical reads (as in not romance), but enjoyed all the music references and Will’s journey. I didn’t really feel Amy’s and Will’s connection, but I did understand how they were each other’s support system. This is definitely more of a coming of age story than anything else, but regardless was still a good read.

The book is slow to get into at the start, but I'm so glad I pushed through and finished it with a day. The writing is filled with so much details, it's phenomenal! I love seeing how Will and Amy started out as stranger and how their relationship progresses throughout the book. I had to constantly remind myself that it is set in the 90s', because I was so used to books with texting and a lot of technologies involved. It's a great reminder and reminiscence of how "slow" a relationship used to be and how people used to really get to know someone physically - honestly I can't say I don't miss that.

This book started out with the promises of a better future and slowly slipped into loss, grief, losing oneself and slowly finding themselves again. It has a sort of open ending and while I'll be more than happy to read what will happen to Will next, I guess it makes sense that it ended this way, because the future is always unknown, just like the situation with Will and his career, and Will with Amy.

This also contains a lot of jargons that people who do have experience with musical instruments may have difficulties understanding it. These takes up a relatively large portion every time the band performs, which in my opinion, is not essential in moving the story forward, but these details differentiates this book from the other music-based novels.

Highly recommend for people who is searching for an easy, music-based read, people who wishes to reminiscence about the 90s', and people who likes the burn of loss, grief, and the searching into the unknown for a better future.

This looks sooo good especially for a areas now choice. I’ve been loving books like this especially since Daisy Jones & The Six and this looks really good! Can’t wait to share more!


It’s the mid 90s; sleepy British suburbia. Will Green is a teenage songwriter who wants nothing more than to be on Top of the Pops and gracing the cover of the NME with his band SharpShooter. Still reeling from his father's death, being on stage provides him with vital escapism from the day-to-day reality of dealing with his heavy-drinking mother and caring for his little sister Izzy.

When it comes to relationships, Will is living in the shadow of best friend and tempestuous lead singer Jake. That’s until he meets Amy, a girl with headstrong aspirations of her own, who seemingly sees him for who he really is.

As SharpShooter embark on a riotous tour of the UK, Will must navigate tragedy and temptation to keep both his band together and first love alive.