I’m back with my first review in a while and it’s for a gripping YA psychological thriller which takes a very dark turn. ‘Birdy’ is Frances Bird, a loner who had a difficult upbringing. Her life changes forever when she gains a real friend, new girl at school Alberta. The two girls are misfits and soon become best mates despite their differences. However, Frances’ jealousy takes over as Alberta starts making other friends. At the same time, someone is trying to cause Alberta’s downfall.
This is one of those books where you realise how cleverly the author crafted the narrative. As soon as you finish, you go back to the beginning and flip through it again. I enjoyed the book more than I expected to and I’m glad I gave it a second glance in the charity shop, where I was searching for an ’emergency paperback’ for when I didn’t have access to e-books. The only aspect I wasn’t keen on is that Frances repeats the same phrases, most notably ‘I suppose’. She was always supposing things and I think that teenagers are more likely to say ‘I guess’. She does have a slightly old-fashioned way of speaking but this could be an influence from her grandma who brought her up. In summary, a good read!
First published by Hot Key Books, 2016.