The Lonely Teddy Bear

When I first saw the cover of this book it intrigued me, it shows a journal, a teapot, a suitcase and a hat standing on a railway track and that along with the title influenced me to request a copy to read and review with Netgalley.
It only took me three hours to read and I can honestly say this is one of my favourite books of the year so far. In a word this book was amazing and a lot darker than it seems at first glance. I loved it.
Jink’s is a special teddy bear who loves to spend his time drinking tea and looking out the window of his beautiful house. However, after years of waiting for his friend Janie to return he becomes tired of reliving his bittersweet and painful memories that are “like honey and glass.” He realises that his beautiful home is like a prison and after realising this he decides to set out in search of adventure.
One point I would make to anyone thinking of reading this is that it is definitely not for young children despite its title and description on the blurb, it is definitely one for teenagers or adults.
I love the opening sentence of this book, “Once there lived a rather special Teddy Bear.” In fact the whole of the first chapter was enchanting and reminiscent of the style of Enid Blyton. I loved the fact that the author said of Jinks that of his many skills nothing was more impressive than his manners.
There are some brilliant characters in this book including a fisherman Jinks meets on his travels named Sam. They spend many nights discussing their painful pasts and slowly developing a friendship. Sam tells Jinks about his wife who died 9 years ago and Jinks talks about the war and what a scary time it was for everyone and how day Janie’s parents picked her up from school and never returned. “Jinks felt something he had not felt in such a long time; or rather he didn’t feel something: loneliness.”
The author uses lovely phrasing to describe everything from the scenery to the characters. My favourite was a description of a character called Amber as having a demeanour that was “”strong and lone-wolf-like.”
Amber discusses the death of her parents and once again Jinks talks about Janie. Jinks and Amber help each other with their loss but once again Jinks becomes restless and moves on. I found the words to Amber’s song beautiful.
Eventually after moving place time and time again Jinks comes up with a plan to try to find Janie.
I cannot stress enough how much I love this book in particular the way it deals with grief and loss throughout and also the twists and turns in plot throughout. My friends and family will certainly be having this book recommended to them.

This remarkable book written by Chelsea Radojcic, The Lonely cover92860-medium Teddy Bear is about reality, our perception of reality and the real self.


What kind of reality and world do we choose for ourselves?

Who is a stranger? Or better: who can be a stranger we meet along our way and we treat as our brother?



Our perception of the world and the beauty of it, if we are not good people would change when we look at a pot of flowers, a wonderful sunset, or at the poeticity of the world? A strong lack of humanity brings with it horror or in the scheme of things a soul can accept the big discrepancies and divisions existing into ourselves, accepting also the beauty, relaxing part of the living as a biggest scheme?
Maybe, sometimes for compensating the horror of the reality?

Can a man with a heart like a stone feels the beauty of the world?


It's an impressive, captivating story from the beginning The Lonely Teddy Bear.

I started to read it yesterday and in a few hours I completed it.


The first part, bucolic. This man Jink is missing a lot Janie, a girl, it will be explained later, with which he lived when she was still a kid and that she should be 18 years old now. Still unclear why he lived with this kid. At first, with terror, you think this world and the other, of course.


It's 8 years that he doesn't see her and he is missing her a lot.


He starts a trip, discovering various people, Sam, a past as a veteran and his choice of living in a tent. Jink will join him for a long while. Then Amber a girl with a sad past of abuses, and a dad often too drunk for being present and good for all of them.


Then a nice couple who will feed and give hospitality to Jink for months and months before he will leave them and the memories of their beloved son Jimmy dead in war, behind.


His works at a bar and he knows the young waiter...


You will love all the characters Jink will meet along the way because they're all beautiful souls.


I had recently read a book about "famous" couples like the ones portrayed in this book. The one of Jink and later Janie. Strong situations.


The life of Jink appears perfect although limited by windows. He doesn't want to look at the world through windows but take action. That's why he leaves his idyllic Yellow House for searching for Janie.


The style is shockingly interesting, because when you think you are reading a certain kind of book, later you will discover that you have in your hands something completely different.


But...This one is a book that for creativity and geniality is able to make the difference and I warmly suggest it to all of you.


The cover is beautiful, and it attracted me from the first time and it was why I picked up this book at first. I was right because you can't put it down for any reason but you must discover what will happen next.

With fia

Lovely. I love this book, and it's one that I'll buy for friends and family for special occasions.

Definitely not what I expected! I was enjoying the story and thought it was adorable and fun, but wasn't sure where the "thriller" part came in. Once I found out, I loved how it played out and the way the author wove everything together. This was one of the most creative "outlooks" I've ever seen in a book.

What an unusual style of writing. I began reading and felt immediately that I had picked up a nursery book that needed to be read aloud to children. However as Jink went on his journey to find his friend Janie, who he loved and desperately missed, the story began to get sadder and stranger. It appeared to become magical and mysterious. I enjoyed being drawn into the story, Later, I realised I had fallen into some sort of trap. I thought I knew where it was going and became anxous to get to the end. When I realised where the ending was going, it was too late. I was at the bottom of the dark rabbit hole, I couldn't not finish reading but I really hadn't wanted it to end as it did.

It's because of my love of teddy bears that made me request this book.

Junk the teddy bear searches to find happiness after being left behind by his human Janie. He spends his time looking out the window and drinking tea

This is not a children's book. It's a bit dark for small children but will suit teenagers and adults.

I would like to thank Net Galley, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform and the author Chelsea Radojcic for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.