Author: Beth Garrod
Publisher: Scholastic
Read why Simon chose Truly Madly Awkward as his nosaferplace Book Club pick here:
Funny books not only entertain and make reading a pleasure, they can totally hold their own when it comes to capturing the raw emotion, heartbreak and confusion of growing up – which is why I like to shout about them, and why I chose Truly Madly Awkward for the book club. Funny books rock. And if, like me, you like your fiction fast, fresh and laugh-out-loud funny, then you’ll adore Truly Madly Awkward. This sequel doesn’t just live up to the ‘hilarity bar’ that Super Awkward set – it smashes it… and then catches you off-guard with some beautifully tender moments on the way back down.
There’s silliness. There’s awkwardness. There’s (Bella’s favourite word) mortification. And it’s glorious. There’s laugh-out-loud moments aplenty here, (I particularly enjoyed Bella’s hilarious reaction to Luke’s Instagram hashtag wankery), but what I love about Garrod’s writing is the way she combines all that with a beautiful (and sometimes heartbreaking) story: a mum who is trying her best whilst facing financial ruin; a best friend, under pressure and cracking; a boy too sweet to really make a first move; and in Bella Fisher, a main character who is adorable in her dorkishness and completely human in her foibles. We want her to come out on top because we all are, or were, Bella Fisher. Oh yeah. Been there, done that, got the (super) awkward T-Shirt.
Garrod hooks us further with a couple of villains who we desperately want to be found out, and another who we really enjoy seeing knocked down a peg or two. The plot, revolving around Bella’s efforts to win a competition to get mega-cool band ‘The Helicans’ to play at her school, while desperately trying to help keep her mum’s crazy business idea afloat, and work out what the boy of her dreams really feels about her, is full of twists and surprises, but never once loses sight of the central theme: the redeeming power of friendship and family.
Well done, Beth. I Truly Madly LOVED IT!
Lol, just by making weird faces doesn't make your blog attractive, that's what I think. Rest of the decision depends upon you.
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