Really enjoyable book, the idea of a gay main character drew me into this story, well written, good storyline, well drawn characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

The idea of a gay main character drew me into this story.
But i found it rather disconnecting when i found out that clancy's crush and in a way her obsession was the "town's hotty" (issue in itself in my option!) that she barely -if at all - knew. I also found the stalker tendencies that clancy had in this book very creepy. Since when is following someone around and watch them from a distance okay in any way or form?

Overall this book had nice ideas but i found it a bit lacking in a lot of aspects. Still it wasn't a bad read, just not a great one.

Really enjoyable book, well written, good storyline, well drawn characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Clancy is a bit of an outsider, and her family have stopped bothering to really communicate with each other. But when her dad is involved in a car accident that kills two local teens the town turns against her family. Clancy's family has to work out how to understand the events, deal with the anger of the community and tackle their own challenges.

*3.5 stars*

An appealing YA coming-of-age novel, set in a small Queensland town.

The story centres around Clancy (obviously) and her coming to grips with her sexuality, as well as being an outsider in a small town. She likes the girlfriend of the school bully; her father was involved in a traffic accident that has made her whole family the target of abuse and threats; and a new girl to town, Nancy, who has her own physical and psychological scars.

The whole book sort of felt like I was reading a diary of Clancy's day-to-day activities. The flow of the story wasn't quite what I was hoping but it was enough to keep me turning the pages and not give up. For that I am glad.

Things to really like about this story? The characters. Absolutely, 100% the best thing about this story is the portrayal of the characters. From lonely Clancy, to the angry locals, to the bullied Nancy and the unaware Sasha - well-written, well-observed...and well worth reading.


Paul
ARH

I don’t know why, but I really didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. And as I recall, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a bit unexpected, although I totally knew what the thing with Sasha was going to be. Honestly, I was just super pleased with it. Not everything in life turns out perfect, and not everyone in life will be kind or reasonable, even your idols. It’s hard to realize that sometimes, but it happens to everyone. Clancy had a very unique and interesting writing style, which definitely added to the atmosphere. I might reread this at some point to see if my feelings have changed at all.

The family relationship within the Underhill household was portrayed in a very realistic way. What we saw in that family is the reality for many families of the actual world, so I think the author did a great job by portraying it as best as he could.

Clancy of the Undertow was okay but left me a bit cold. I liked the fact the main character was gay. I think this can be lacking in gay fiction and is one of the reasons I wanted to read the book. Clancy is a pretty decent character but nothing special. I thought her behaviour was a bit pathetic at times, especially when she becomes fixated on a straight girl who she stalks in the park with her boyfriend. A gay person falling for someone straight is a tired and old plot and I was hoping for something original. The book starts off well but starts to drag and I found myself getting bored. I got that Clancy was an outcast and struggling with a lot of things but I just didn’t find the plot compelling enough. Nice try though, and a thumbs up for tackling LGBT themes in YA fiction.

I ought to have liked this book much more than I did. It has lesbians and is set in Australia. Two states up from my own home. Instead it felt like, while there was no lacking of plot, the writing itself was tame and uninteresting.

Clancy's father is involved in a car accident that has the police in her home fairly on, puts him on leave from work immediately and makes them pariahs in their small town in Queensland. Clancy is worried about this, and at the same time she's also a young lesbian going to school in a small town where she is attracted to one of the most popular girls, Sasha.

I spent the whole time reading this book waiting for either the romance or the family/town drama to amp up. And things kinda amped up between Clancy and Sasha, though they were dashed far too fast for me to feel there was a real pay off. We don't even see Clancy go back to school after she bombs. Also, I was shipping her with Nancy who actually seemed like a full fleshed character.

Even the drama with the car accident was tied up too neatly, with the blame landing squarely on another family. Lots of good in the premise and the plot line was solid, but the writing let this one down a bit.

Clancy of the Undertow is a contemporary novel about Clancy. A lesbian, Australian teen who is growing up in a not-so-progressive small town where her dad is being blamed for an accident involving the death of two local teenagers making Clancy and her family Public Enemies No. 1.

I loved the family dynamic, (one word: Angus). I loved that this was a *discovering they're gay* story, Clancy knows she's gay she's just scared of what the town will do if they find out, but her obsession with Sasha was. . . uncomfortable? Like, she doesn't know her, and she stalks Sasha and her boyfriend at the park? It's strange. I loved that this wasn't set in the US, but in Australia. I like this book tackles the issue of how people of poverty are treated.

I love/hated that there wasn't really a *REALLY* happy ending for Clancy, but I still really liked this book non the less. I think it's a great read for anyone looking for a lesbian protag.

Characters 4.5/5
Dialogue 4/5
Plot 4/5

Overall solid 4/5