Stay Another Day - Juno Dawson

Genre: Christmas Story | Fiction | Romance | LGBTQ+

Release Date: Expected 14th October 2021

Publisher: Hachette Childrens | Quercus Childrens Books

CW: Eating disorders, biphobia, References to self-harm, sexual content, alcohol.

The McAllister house on Arboretum Road has seen 120 Christmases since it's completion.

There's four sleeps till Christmas, and the McAllister siblings are all heading home for the holidays.

Fern is bringing her new boyfriend, Thom, and escaping her exhausting life in London for a few days.

Her twin, Rowan, with their friend Syd in tow, are more excited about partying and sex with new strangers than eating turkey … and they're sure they've seen Ferns hot new boyfriend before.

Willow is still living at home and fighting a dangerous eating disorder … and she's dreading Christmas.

With everyone back at home, this could be the perfect family Christmas - but every single person in the house has a secret that could explode their peace on earth once and for all.

"It's why we've got to be kind to each other, even when it's really fuckin' hard. You just don't know. You can't tell by looking."

Juno Dawson has a magical way of crafting such important stories about relevant issues and still creating a beautiful work of fiction with that feel-good glow throughout. If this was another time, I might be calling witchcraft right now.

Each character, from the main family to the cousins and friends we see over the holidays, is expertly written to be a fully rounded person - messed up, flawed, and so loveably human. Each person has their own flaws issues or identities without that being their sole characteristic. Brimming with inclusivity and acceptance, I found a little peice of myself in most people we meet along the way.

There were some deeply uncomfortable moments, mostly due to the way outside forces reacted to things they don't understand, like Willows ED, or Rowans' sexuality, and shows the ways that uninformed people can assume and get angry at things they don't understand. On the other hand, this was packed with utterly ridiculous self-aware humour that had me laughing out loud too often.

This beautifully packaged tale has everything - romance, suspense, drama, exceptionally drunken antics and one very beautiful Christmas. For anyone who is dying for Christmas to come but dreading the chaos that it often brings, grab a hot chocolate, get cosy and settle down with this future Christmas classic.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Juno Dawson, Hachette and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Comments

REVIEW: This Could Be Us by Clare McGowan

Genre: Fiction | Literary Fiction Release Date: Expected 1st June 2023 Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group | Corsair Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard to build a perfect life for herself, while ignoring her growing unhappiness. But when her second child was born profoundly disabled, reality hit. Unable to cope, Kate left - disappearing without a trace. She ends up in LA, with a glittering career and a new family of sorts, but the guilt is still suffocating. Husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces and care for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on Olivia, Kate's best friend. She's been by his side ever since, ignoring her own needs to meet his. Years later, Andrew has written a memoir about his daughter learning to communicate against all odds. But when Kate's new producer husband decides he wants to make a film of it, their worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must return to the life she abandoned and reck...

REVIEW: Live, Laugh, Lesbian by Helen Scott

Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGTBQ+ Release Date: 19th October 2023 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love. The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge the Essex-isms. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family...

BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

" This town has secrets that are best left alone." Author Hannah is a success, on paper at least. She's receiving critical acclaim and praise worldwide and her work is regarded as some of the best. She writes literature, not just books. But the reality is, outside of the literary circles nobody actually reads her work. But when she finally snaps at a book event and publicly criticises the genre fiction books that outsell hers, claiming they're easy and mindless she's challenged to write her own crime fiction novel in just thirty days by an author she loathes. Desperate not to lose to him, her editor arranges for her to spend a month in a quiet, cold village in Iceland hoping that the solitude will spark inspiration. But instead of writing a murder story - she's in one . Just before she arrives, the body of a young man is pulled from the icy waters and her search for ideas soon becomes a search for a killer. And if she's not careful, she might end up the...

On Bee's Bookshelf

Search This Blog