A story that is told through the eyes of Jesika of her life and her mother and sickly brother. It made the book a lot more emotional to read and it was easy to feel empathy for the family and their plight.

She’s 4 and a 1/2.

We read this through the eyes of a child and my oh my what a read this was.

I have had this on my shelf of netgalley books which must have slipped down the net of my kindle, so I read it.

It’s an emotional read and yet somehow uplifting too.

Being a mom I wanted to just pick this little girl up, save her, protect her and simp,y love her and make her little life better.

If you’ve not read this and this blurb and all the fab reviews then please do.

The reviews are right. They are real and not hyped.

I will remember this little family.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Fascinating hearing the story through the voice of a 4 year old. Takes a little while to get use to reading through a young voice. A great page turner. Tackles a lot of dark issues but in a very delicate way

The way that Amanda Berriman creates, and then carries the voice of pre-schooler, Jesika over the course of 'Home' is truly astounding. It could have become wearisome, as the narrative is written in the way that a 4.5 year old would speak, but as with real life, the clear and innocent observations that Jesika makes are rounded out by the experience of adults.

So , for example, when she is in pre-school and overhears her teachers taking about 'another Baby P,' she thinks they are comparing the children to baby peas whilst the adult reader gets the implications loud and clear. Safeguarding, child protection and keeping a family together are all noticeable to the adult reader, but so is their inalienable right to a place to call home. It's the very basic foundation of a life, the bottom layer of Maslow's famous triangle is the most important one on which a person can build up to self actualisation. However, where we live and how we create a home is, in modern times, often at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords,councils and a society that reinforces the idea that people like Tina do not deserve a good home-what she has and where her children live is enough 'for the likes of her.'

Through Jesika's eyes we see the colours of her world, her love for her mum and her brother,Toby. It's a world full of contradictions but threaded through, consistently, with love and dreams and hope. It's a beautiful, horrible, heartbreaking read that I embraced wholeheartedly as a reader, holding this small family so close and turning each page, hoping on the next one that Toby's cough would have gotten better, that Tina,their mother, would have a better home or some support at least and that Jesika isn't playing join the dots with the mould on her walls.

This is a book of great beauty and honesty and I am not ashamed to say that it broke me in reading it-it's more than a book it is a lived experience and so common to so many houses and communities that I could relate to this so much. But at the same time, no one should be living like they are. It's grounded, as the best fiction is,, in reality but through the eyes of Jesika, the world is painted in colours and hope for the small pleasures that she takes such joy in. I would absolutely join her in eating jam sandwiches every day, they are the best kind.

Please read and love this book and hold this small family to your heart, it is a wonderful, life affirming read with such strength and warmth in it.

Clever, emotional and at times harrowing, Home explores the themes of trauma, poverty and the power of true friendship. The narrative voice is incredibly unique, told from the perspective of four-and-a-half-year-old Jesika. It's fascinating to look at how she interprets the world around her and how she expresses herself. Author Tor Udall wrote that "Jesika jumps off the page and into your heart" and I had exactly the same reaction reading Home - she's such a brilliantly crafted and wonderful character. Tender and compelling, raw and heart-breaking, I recommend reading this powerful novel by Amanda Berriman - though make sure you have tissues close by!

Narrated from 4-year-old Jesica's point of view, this book is such a rollercoaster.

I think the author did a great job capturing what it is like to be in the shoes of a young child, someone who looks at everything in the world with such naivity and is learning what her place is in it. It forces you to look at yourself from the eyes of the child and, although you can relate to the adult in the story, you cannot help but do some introspection.

It certainly made me think twice about the child in my life. How it is so easy for an adult to get lost in everything that needs to be done and forget that the child has needs too. Or make the mistake of sweeping something under the rug as so small and unimportant, when to the child it is quite huge and means the world. And sometimes it is something so simple like listening. Or reading a story. Or answering their many questions.

Jesika's story is a very difficult one to read about. No family should live in the conditions that hers does, but unfortunately that is the reality for many people. And it is all Jesika knows. She did live in a different house and remembers it, but this is her reality now, and it is incredibly how she adapts and it becomes normal do her.

And that is really how children think, isn't it? Outside very simple things, they don't much know what is wrong or right, or bad or good, unless a grown up tells them. And if the wrong grown up tells them the wrong thing...
Like I said, a though story to ready, but Jesika's narration brings an entirely new dimension to the bad things that happen and you cannot help but praise that brave girl in your heart.

There were few instances when the narrator's voice broke character. The author did a really great job on this book. It moves you and it gets you thinking about such important things; not only what I mentioned above, but also the importance of listening to your children, to try and put themselves in their shoes, to know that if you get cross, that is all they are going to see, they are not going to listen to what you are saying.

If you want to read something different, something very realistic but also different because it forces you to see things from a different perspective, do pick up this book.

<i>Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.</i>

Home is narrated by four-and-a-half-year-old Jesika. It was such an interesting way to decide the narrate the story that contains dark matters. It shows how poverty, poor conditions and limited food is reflected in the eyes of a child.

I am in awe that this is Amanda’s debut novel, it’s incredibly moving and skillful the way that she has written it. Jesika stole my heart from the first page, I was completely immersed in her world and I just wanted to protect her and her family.

Amanda Berriman is a phenomenal storyteller who has created a beautiful suspenseful heart-breaking novel. It was one of the most outstanding novels that I have ever read.

I would definitely recommend this book, it’s a story about life’s joy, challenges, and morality through the eyes of a child. It teaches you to let people help you and be aware that children see and hear everything.

Thank you, NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really interesting way of telling a modern day story of poverty and community. It is narrated by Jesika who is only 4 and she tells it how it is, through her own eyes. I found it a bit inconsistent in that sometimes it sounds like an adult narrating and sometimes a small child. However, the impact of the story is all the more when seen through the eyes of a four year old. I enjoyed this book, wanted to gallop through it but I did find some of the adult characters were not well developed, didn't quite ring true.

This is an awesome book. Written in the voice of a child, through her eyes, it tells the story of child abuse from a unique perspective. What it also does, and why I'm giving it 5 stars instead of 4, is that it doesn't include details of the gritty side of that, so there is just enough detail to add to the storyline, but without needing the torrid details to entrap readers. Well worth the read.

This was cleverly done in terms of narration, with just enough cute spelling mistakes to keep reminding the reader we are listening to a 4 year old, but not so many that it becomes irritating and difficult to decode. I read it pretty fast and felt outraged and disappointed and furious in turn at the injustices perpetrated on the central family due to circumstances beyond their control. A pretty damning indictment of our society for sure,but with plenty of hope as well.
I did wonder if there might be a smidge too much condensed trauma though? Poverty, bullying, indifference of faceless organisations, sexual predation and blackmail of adults, sexual abuse of toddlers, emergency hospital treatment of multiple characters, foster care, explosive and fatal destruction of entire homes all seem to happen within a couple of weeks to the same family of three. I suppose if you're trying to make a point, you need stakes, and the marginalised, vulnerable people in society are more likely to topple under a domino effect of issues which pile up though, so maybe it makes sense in context.

One of the best books of the year for me! I don't know what I was expecting but this was the most harrowing and realistic thing. I loved the portrayal of the social care system and kindness of neighbours etc. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child in this kind of situation is painful and I teared up.

Emotional and sometimes harrowing tale told through the eyes of 4 year old Jessica. She lives in a damp flat with her mum and younger brother - they are struggling to make ends meet with no support. Jessica loves pre-school and makes a new friend there - but Paige has a secret that will turn everyone's world upside down.

Highly recommended.

Read this one with tissues close by. You'll need them.
Wonderful written and from such an interesting and vivid narrator. Home deals with some tough subjects, told from the perspective of a young child, and what results is a compelling, often heartbreaking story.
I'd definitely recommend this book.

I loved this book. Warmth and love shine through this story and the kindness of friends and neighbors is moving. Everyone should read this especially those working in childcare.

I decided to read this as it was recommended to me, and what a read it turned out to be. I found it almost impossible to put down.

The whole of Home is narrated by a four and a half year old character called Jesika. At first I found it so cute to read. The way Jesika spoke and her view of what’s going on around her was endearing. However, that amusement quickly wore off for me, as I started to imagine the life of poverty she was facing, living in poor conditions and struggling to eat enough food. I found myself gradually settling into the book, and although feeling sad about the life Jesika was living, she knew no different, so it was fascinating seeing her mostly positive experience of life through her thoughts and feelings.

(Possible spoiler due to trigger warning in the rest of my review. Proceed with caution):

This story does delve into darker matters, and I have to be honest, I did find it rather hard reading some parts of it. I felt sick to my stomach at times. This is a wonderfully written book and Jesika has become one of my all-time favourite characters, but as this story does cover the subject of child abuse, some readers may find parts of this book quite distressing and emotional. I have mixed emotions warning others about this, because if I knew that topic was included in part of the story, I almost definitely wouldn’t have picked it up, which means part of me wouldn’t have had to experience those yucky feelings inside me, but at the same time I would never have met the wonderful Jesika, and that would be a shame.

I definitely highly recommend this book, if you’re not put off by the sensitive subject matter, and can enjoy it for what it is, a wonderful touching story about life’s joys, challenges and right and wrong through the eyes of a child, and the power of love and friendship no matter what life throws at you. This book teaches you to let those close to you help you through your struggles, be aware that children witness and take in a lot more than you might realise, and always, always listen to what your children are trying to tell you.

What a truly moving story. Extremely well written and totally believable. This book had me in tears on more than one occasion. Jesika is a four year old little girl and this is her story written by her. Jesika struggles with the words sometimes but you can easily get to grips with the narration. Jesika lives with her mummy, Tina and baby brother, Toby. Tina is struggling beneath the poverty line but nobody can argue that she loves her children dearly. Jeskia makes a new friend, Paige, at preschool and it soon becomes clear to Jeskia that Paige is unhappy and that the source of her unhappiness is her Uncle Ryan.
This books covers some sensitive subjects very thoughtfully and without causing too much upset. Jeskia learns what it is to have real friends and people who care for others.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.

All I can say is WOW this book was a page-turner from beginning to end ... but found myself stopping every so often to make a cup of tea making myself emotionally ready for the next part of the book!! I found this book easy to read having a toddler myself so never found it tricky reading from a child's preceptive and found that to be the most interesting and amazing idea ... The author deals with some very dark issues but deals with them in such a manner you are routing for the little girl and the journey that you embark on... this book is a must read and will be thinking about this book for a long time to come and will be in my top ten books for sure .... cant wait to see what book comes next

Amanda Berriman: Home


Home is written from the perspective of four year old Jessika. This is an inventive way of writing, and I loved Jessika's way of expressing herself. It gave me great insight into her character and her thoughts and feelings, particularly when she was scared and thinking about things that may not be obvious to an adult. I had great sympathy for Jessika in her situation and I wanted things to work out for her and her mother,  Tina. This kept me reading until the very end.

Jessika is surrounded by a colourful cast of characters she considers her family and friends. I enjoyed reading her observations of  Tina, Nandini and Emma in the laundrette and Ade from the Rainbow Shop. They are all keen to help Jessika and her family, but Tina finds it difficult to trust people.  I found the sense of community as they tried to gain her trust incredibly heartwarming.

When Jessika meets Paige at preschool, she learns that Paige has a secret. Berriman does not leave the reader to guess what this secret is, and it's easy to see what's coming even in the early stages of the novel. It is uncomfortable to read at times, and even more poignant and we only have Paige's viewpoint, but the issues are addressed sensitively and there is lots of food for thought.

I’m so bad for not giving feedback on this book. Talk about being upset it truly pulls the heart strings. Growing up poor myself you can see where this all comes from and makes sense to a level far beyond normal people’s understanding. Hopefully others will read and learn