I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but still I was surprised. The story of Augusta and her twin sister Julia was emotional and I really felt that I was rooting for Augusta to find her place in the world. She had a different way of looking at life than the rest of her family and over time there was a feeling of foreboding about what was going to happen.
Joanna Glen has written a thought provoking and at times heart breaking story, which I found staying with me even when I wasn’t reading it. The contrast of characters was interesting though I found the final section of the book taking an unexpected and not altogether comfortable turn.

The Other Half of Augusta Hope is a quirky read on a par with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I say on a par as there’s a quirky main character who is alone in the world and who everyone thinks strange.
It’s also similar due to the beauty of the writing and the subjects within. That’s the end of the comparison as Augusta stands on her own two feet (as does Eleanor)
I liked Augusta from the off. She’s considered off as she loves dictionaries and books. Well, hello! A lot of what she said and did took me back to childhood days and I think that’s how Augusta started to get under my skin and how she will with other readers too.
She travels to Spain in search of many things, herself included. That’s where the story of another person without a place in the world ends up. Parfait is, like his name suggests, perfect in many ways. He’s the other half for Augusta, lives in another country, yet shares so many traits with her.
She’s from England and he’s from Burundi and these two cultural differences are what drive the story. Very opposing experiences yet what brings them together is human contact and emotion. We all look for some where to feel safe and loved. Burundi, England become the shared story of Tarifa in Spain , where the locations take the story to their joint conclusion.

The locations worked really well here to propel the story, share the history and showcase how differences can make us more similar than we would think. More unites people than divides them. What a message for life in general.

This is a beautifully told story. It took me a while to get into this book and I am so glad that I persevered. Augusta Hope is definitely unique. She spends her life trying to find where she fits in. A world away Parfit is growing up and is trying to find his place in the world as well. This is a memorable read,

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Augusta has a twin sister Julia while Parfait has a brother Wilfred. We follow their lives and experiences and only later find out how their lives are connected.
A beautiful read, full of hope and promise even when pain fills their lives. Cannot recommend this book more, enjoy it.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I first started it but I'm so glad I preserved! It's about two beautiful and sad tales, one set in the UK and one set in Burundi. About love, loss, fitting in and the connections we make. Has a beautiful poetic way with words.

"We kept going without speaking, our heads down - and Julia walked between us"

This story tells the story of Augusta and Parfait. An original and clever book. People will talk about this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

The tale of a girl who likes words and books, who wants to travel, see the world and live.
Also the tale of a boy from Burundi who wants to go to Spain, yet feels he should stay and look after his siblings.
I was undecided part of the way through the book, but was totally engrossed as the story progressed.
Good writing, good research and a good idea.

I really wasn’t sure what to think of this book when I initially started reading it. So I thought I had better persevere before I gave up on it.

Augusta Hope is one half of a twin and she is really a bit strange with very strange ways about her. She is astonishingly clever and loves words, she becomes obsessed with certain things and all her focus will be on that, like Burundi a country in Africa. She wants to live in Burundi and this is her focus for all her life.

When she gets to her twenties a tragedy occurs and her worlds is turned completely upside down and she feels like she doesn’t belong anymore and seeks to find that place where she belongs.

This story turned out to be a beautiful story of love and happiness and I am glad that I stuck with it in the end as I really enjoyed it.

I was overjoyed to receive an advance copy of the Other Half of August Hope from Joanna Glen. It was a wonderful novel, joyous yet heartbreaking at times. It follows the life of young girl Augusta, living with her twin Julia in suburban England. She longs for change and feels like she doesn´t fit in, losing herself in words and imagination. Parallel to the story, we follow the life of the young and hopeful Parfait in Burundi. Augusta and Parfait are hit by an unspeakable tradgedies and we follow their lives as they pick up the pieces and figure out where exactly they belong.

I felt like this was a novel of our times and raises some important questions about identity, belonging and asylum. I wanted to stretch out reading this novel, but I am afraid I inhaled it over two days. I loved reading about Augusta and I hope to read more books from Joanna Glen in the future.

Augusta Hope has never fit in. As a child, she memorised the dictionary and corrected her teachers. As an adult, she has no interest in the dull, small town her family lives in. When tragedy strikes and severs her connection with her beloved twin sister, Julia, Augusta is more determined than ever to find somewhere she belongs.

I loved this book so much more than I expected. This isn’t a genre I particularly like, though there are always some gems (like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine) so I do give a few a try. It took me a while to get into; it wasn’t really until around halfway through the book that I realised how engrossed I was. But this is one of those books where pushing on is really worth it.

Augusta is quite a difficult character, but that’s kind of the point. She’s spiky and weird, but she knows she’s weird and all she wants is to find her place in the world. She and her family are eccentric and challenging characters, not always particularly likeable, but it just works.

The book is also about Parfait, a boy from Burundi who makes his way to Spain (to the exact place Augusta and her family visit). As the narrative alternates between Augusta and Parfait, it is inevitable that they will meet, but getting to that point is an emotional roller-coaster.

The Other Half of Augusta Hope presents a striking comparison between two people from very different worlds, coming together through their own individual tragedies. It is beautifully written and poignant. A surprising page-turner.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

'The dragonfly symbolises transformation. Can move direction very suddenly. Is capable of flying across oceans' ____ Joanna Glen

I picked up this book with absolutely no idea of what it was about.. I started reading it....and nothing and then 20% in and pow! Just like that I started to love it and it became all-consuming.

This is a beautiful and clever story of life, loss and 'duende'. The story moves between Augusta and Parfait, two vivid characters who despite living a world apart, are in many ways so alike. Their lives weave in and around each others and the reader assumes that one day they will meet and their worlds will collide together.

It's a book that will move you and mess with your emotions. One minute it will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, like being wrapped up in a warm blanket, and the next, it will break your heart into a million pieces.

This is a story to be savoured and treasured and is one that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

Wow! This book had me laughing loudly and crying copiously. Augusta brings a smile to your face with her insightful comments, and worldly wisdom.

The storytelling was woven through threads of Burundi and Spain, and at times I suspected or thought I had a glimpse of the ending, but some of twists were certainly not expected. My heart broke a few times, but kept being restored. One of the best books I have read for a long time. Absolutely loved it.

No need to write about the story, others will tell that. But know that you will fall in love with Augusta, and you’ll feel better for having met her.

Thank you #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsPublishers for the chance to read and review.

This was a story of two halves; two sides of the coin. It felt a very gentle story, even though it was a tale of such loss and death, it still had hope and belonging. I enjoyed Augustas character very much, and I hoped for a happy ending for her.

The Other Half of Augusta Hope is a unique and sometimes melancholy tale that focuses on two very different worlds. First we meet Augusta and Julia – named respectively for the month that they were born in, living in a little town in England, and then, Parfait – far away on the other side of the world, In Burundi.

When she is very little, Augusta loves the idea of travel and when she sets herself the difficult task of choosing her favourite country in the whole wide world, she eventually settles on Burundi because she likes the word and the way it sounds and feels in her mouth. Subsequently she becomes rather obsessed with Burundi and like a sponge, absorbs everything she can find out about it.

Meanwhile, in Burundi, Parfait is a young man desperately trying to escape from a bloody and horrible Civil War that tears his family apart. He ends up fleeing to Spain, where Augusta’s family have access to a holiday home, and as the years roll by, they continue to visit.

As the years pass, Augusta becomes increasingly unhappy with her lot and feeling second best to her sister, she just wants to run away and escape the hum drum life in which she feels forced to live. In contrast, Parfait, still haunted by his past, would have loved a boring, yet comfortable hum drum life with those he loved, and not to have been forced to escape his home in fear of his life.

The juxtaposition between their worlds is glaring, yet touching. By the time adulthood has approached them, tragedy has struck both Parfait and Augusta hard, and as the years go by, their worlds cross and pass but will they ever stop and see each other, and if they do, what will they see in their very different worlds?

Augusta is an unsettled, chaotic soul. She is flawed and gets a lot wrong, but is well-intentioned and determined. Her story is one of feeling like you don’t fit in, loss, grief and ultimately optimism and grabbing hold of life with both hands.

Exceptionally well written, this book hangs around in your mind after you’ve finished reading it. So beautiful and emotive is Joanna Glen’s writing, I was surprised to find out that this book is her debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

4.5

The story interlinks the life of Augusta Hope with Parfait. Augusta studies the country of Burundi. Parfait leaves Burundi and crosses to Spain in a boat with his brother. Is there a link between the two, will they meet and how does the story develop. Beautiful from start to finish would recommend.

Bittersweet coming of age novel with twins Julia and Augusta, born a few hours apart which is enough to give them 2 different birthdays and allows them both to be named after the month of their birth. This isn’t the only difference, Julia was born to please and is happy to live up to their parents limited expectations, marrying the boy next door and staying close to home even though his family are Spanish. Augusta is the intellectual and fiercely contrary. She loves the dictionary and is fascinated by Burundi a country she first came across spinning a globe as a child. She’s also fascinated by Spain and is determined to live there once she finishes university so it’s only a matter of time before her path will cross with the young refugee from Burundi who has lost everything he holds dear. I almost gave up on this during the first chapter as I found the obsession with words and their meanings a bit dull, but I’m so glad I didn’t because I absolutely loved this book.

An enchanting read, with beautiful storytelling from the author - the type of tale that wraps you up with the characters as their stories ebb and flow, with an almost lyrical tone. An enduring and powerful story about relationships, destiny and love.

Funny, sad and moving I didn't want this book to end. The author seems to intuitively understand people as she charts the development of Augusta and Julia from childhood, through adolescence to adulthood with all the pitfalls on the way. Characters were so vividly individual you felt as if you knew them each personally. Running Augusta and Parfait's life in parallel as we got to know them worked well and I found myself desperate for quirky, intelligent Augusta, who doubted whether she was as loveable as her twin, to find her place in the world. The book also deftly illustrates the realities of the refugee problem and the hardships people face for a better life.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of The Other Half of Augusta Hope because Augusta is really rather odd. The way that she thinks is seen as odd by everyone around her, her mother seems not to know what to do with her and her father is embarrassed by her.

Augusta feels really quite alone, but she has a twin sister, Julia, who is always there for her. Until she isn’t. As they grow the siblings naturally grow apart, mainly because of a boy that Julia falls for.

Gradually, Augusta Hope worked her way under my skin, there was a lot to love about her and I think that I wanted to be her friend. Another book that made me feel like this was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I am sure that Augusta Hope will get compared to Eleanor Oliphant, as they both feature a quirky main character who is isolated and considered strange by many around them. I really hope that the books don’t get compared though, as that would be doing both a disservice.

Part of The Other Half of Augusta Hope is set in Burundi, a small country in Africa that Augusta decides is to be her favourite country in the world and so she devours facts and learns everything that she can about the country.

We also hear from Parfait, a young boy living in Burundi who at first seems quite random, how will he fit into the story? Of course, it soon becomes clear.

Some of this book is set in a small town in England, some are set in Burundi and the rest in Tarifa in Spain. I loved the parts in Spain, Augusta loves it there and that really shows in the story, I’ve never been there but I could see it all so perfectly in my mind.

By the time the book finished, I was totally in love with the story and the characters and I did not want it to end. It is very rare that a book makes me cry, but The Other Half of Augusta Hope came very close. It was beautifully written and it all felt so real.

That The Other Half of Augusta Hope is authors Joanna Glen’s first book is really quite amazing and I can’t wait to hear more from the author.

3.5 stars

To begin with,I was enjoying the story of less compliant twin Augusta,and felt the story of Parfait was spoiling the flow. But after his story broke up the narrative a few times,I could see that their lives were actually travelling towards each other.
I really liked Augusta ,she came across so well,with her never ending love for Julia,and her friendliness towards Graham Cook. 
Her father's attitude rang true too.
The whole story came together so well,though I felt the last bit dragged a teeny bit.
This isn't my usual sort of read,but I'm really glad I picked it up.