Girlhood by Cat Clarke
Check out my review over at Amazon!
In a bittersweet twist, Harper’s parent’s won the lottery the day after Harper’s twin sister died. With this windfall she is able to go to a very expensive boarding school of which she really doesn’t fit into. Or maybe she does? Just not in the way you expect.
When Kirsty the new girl appears, she and Harper get on very well. They have so much in common it’s unbelievable! And that’s just the point. It soon becomes clear some things she’s told Harper do not quite add up, but why would she lie to such a good friend? What could she be hiding?
I have to say this story surprised me, because I felt the pink cover portrayed a completely different theme to what I was expecting, which was a lighthearted YA/ children’s book, but the characters had much more depth and were so realistic, it was an absolute pleasure to read! I’m pretty keen to check out Cat Clarke’s back list and I know she has a lot more books out now.
In addition, Girlhood is a diverse read with characters from different ethnicities included. Yes, it is largely LGBTQ+ themed too, but it’s not the main basis of the plot, which is quite suspenseful and at times deliciously creepy. Like I said, not what I expected – in a good way!
Real, compulsive and intense: Cat Clarke is the queen of emotional suspense. For fans of Jandy Nelson, Paula Hawkins, and Megan Abbott.
‘Emotive, creepy AND funny. A quality page-turner’ SARAH CROSSAN
‘A new Cat Clarke novel is always something to celebrate and Girlhood could be her best yet’ JUNO DAWSON
Harper has tried to forget the past and fit in at expensive boarding school Duncraggan Academy. Her new group of friends are tight; the kind of girls who Harper knows have her back. But Harper can’t escape the guilt of her twin sister’s Jenna’s death, and her own part in it – and she knows noone else will ever really understand.
But new girl Kirsty seems to get Harper in ways she never expected. She has lost a sister too. Harper finally feels secure. She finally feels…loved. As if she can grow beyond the person she was when Jenna died.
Then Kirsty’s behaviour becomes more erratic. Why is her life a perfect mirror of Harper’s? And why is she so obsessed with Harper’s lost sister? Soon, Harper’s closeness with Kirsty begins to threaten her other relationships, and her own sense of identity.
How can Harper get back to the person she wants to be, and to the girls who mean the most to her?
A darkly compulsive story about love, death, and growing up under the shadow of grief.
Cat Clarke is the bestselling, award-winning author of six YA novels. She was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people. Cat lives in Edinburgh with her partner, two ninja cats and two decidedly non-ninja cocker spaniels. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.
Cat Clarke’s GIRLHOOD is a Zoella Book Club Pick for Summer 2017.
Web: http://www.catclarke.com
Twitter: @cat_clarke
Instagram: @catclarkewriter
Facebook: @catclarkewriter
Contact : Sassy.Brit@gmail.com
Don’t you love it when a book surprises you and has much more depth than you were expecting. I’d love to read this!
Absolutely! Even though there are burnt used matches on the cover, the pink threw me!