"I wasn't sure I could find the words for it either. You can't always, even though there are so many in the dictionary to choose from."

Augusta Hope doesn't fit in - she's obsessed with words and at six years old is memorising the dictionary. She lives with her parents and twin sister in a sleepy small town and dreams of getting away and moving on to bigger things. Her favourite country in the world is one she picked randomly off a globe - Burundi. She finds out everything she can about this place, a distraction from a sheltered life. When she turns 18, she moves to Durham for uni and for the first time begins to live her own independent life.

Parfait lives in Burundi and dreams of escaping to Spain. He tries to convince his family to go, but they all want to stay as they think the political situation will get better with time. Eventually, he convinces his brother to go with him as they make the hazardous crossing across the sea to a new life.

When a tragic incident turns Augusta's world upside down, she can't find the words for it and is now unsure where home is and where she belongs. The Other Half of Augusta Hope is a book of parallels and I loved how the stories of Augusta and Parfait were so cleverly intertwined. Beautifully written, this book absolutely broke my heart and made me cry more than once 😭

I was very surprised this was a debut novel. It read like the author was a confident and well versed writer. I enjoyed it a lot, moving and fun and refreshing. A great read.

Really enjoyed this book thank you. Vibrant, believable, characters and an absorbing plot. I will ensure I look out for this author in the future!

Beautifully written, moving and thought-provoking book. It's something to savor. The writer is very talented and definitely one to watch.
thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Augusta Hope is a twin. She is the youngest sister. She never feels that she quite fits in. Her twin Julia, conforms, says the right things at the right times and in Augusta's eyes is the favoured daughter of staid, middle class parents.
The story is told in alternating first person narratives and at first there does not seem to be a connection between Augusta from England and Parfait from Burundi. As the story evolves and weaves between them we realise the connection long before the characters do. I found I cared more about Parfait and his family than I did Augusta.
At times she seemed to be totally confused with/ by life and muddled along making people uncomfortable with her manners and ways.
Towards the end of the book the author writes and deals well with some serious and very topical issues which makes it worthy of 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance reading copy of this book.

I feel bad about this review because as I’d heard so many positive reviews about it but unfortunately this time it was not for me. I’ve really struggled wanting to engage with or care about the characters and have to say that sadly I’ve given up and not finished it. maybe another day or time it will be right for me to read but not at the moment.

I was unable to finish this novel as I struggled with the slow storytelling and the overwritten narrative. Other readers may derive pleasure from the story but it was not for me.

Sadly I DNF'd the story after two or three attempts. Ok, so I sort of skimmed the book to find out what happened, but did not read it. I tried to read it (I even tried to listen to it) and could not gel with the characters at all and I felt like in August story absolutely NOTHING HAPPENED for years. I appreciate a beautiful writing, but the bits where Augusta is talking about words and their meaning, when she is precocious and clever - well, to me they were just too pretentious. Not even sure if Augusta was a likeable character. And then someone made me think more about the language used by the characters against disabled boy in the story,and oh, how only Augusta wanted to be his friend, how amazing was she, seriously. And the somehow sensational story of the escape one of the main characters from Burundia - not sure about it either. So I must finally decide, I do not want to force myself to read a book I do not enjoy, even if it was shortlisted for the costa award.

What an absolutely delightful book this is! It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think. Augusta is a different sort of person, who knows she doesn’t fit into people’s expectations from a very early age. The two strands work very well, coming together beautifully towards the end. I can’t wait to recommend this book to all my friends.

A unique, sprawling story that explores a heart's true destination and home. Augusta is a smart curious girl who has very little interest in the goings-on within her small English hometown and has dreams of going out into the world to find where she really belongs. Parfait is a young man living in intense poverty and civil war in Burundi, Africa. He's desperate to escape and create a better life for himself and his family. Told via their dual perspectives, both of them suffer immense tragedies which kickstart their journey to change and happiness. Despite living in such different circumstances, their lives are mirrored in so many ways and I never had any doubt that they were each other's destinies.

I've been meaning to read this one for a while to be honest, i thought it would be good, but it literally blew my mind...
The story surrounds Augusta who is a twin, but she's very different to her family. She is obsessed with words, language and learning all she can about the two. In fact one of her fave things to do is read the dictionary... 👀
Her story is a coming of age one, it's set over two decades and we follow her through the hurdles and tragedies of normal life.
Alongside Augusta's story is Parfait. He is from a small country called Burundhi and is navigating war, loss and huge personal tragedy. His struggle is for a better life for him and his family and we follow him on an epic journey.
******
These two characters are literally worlds apart with what they are dealing with, but the author manages to seamlessly interwine the two. As the story continues we get to see the way they both choose to get over obstacles and learn about themselves and their place in this world.

I found this book so easy to get into. Augusta is a wonderful, head strong character who is unashamedly different.
Both narratives are a reality check of the issues we are facing all over the world, big and small, and ultimately how we need each other in this huge, crazy world.
******
If you loved Where the crawdads sing, you will adore this!

Unfortunately I DNF'd this book 100 pages in.

I appreciate how beautiful this book is, both in writing and the story and therefore have still given it 3 stars.

However, the reason I DNF'd was due to the lyrical and flowery writing style. This is an issue with me and not the book. Unfortunately, I don't like that writing style and therefore decided not to continue with the book.

I would like to mention, I have had a lot of friends read this book and absolutely love it. I would still recommend. The issues I had with this book are mine, no fault of the author or the book.

A beautifully written emotional story.

Absolutely loved it. The characters are endearing and totally engaging. I was laughing one minute then crying the next. The raw emotions that are displayed really touched me. I have twins so i was completely enthralled in the connection and relationship of Augusta and Julia. Just beautiful.

Highly recommended book for everyone.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley.

This book made me laugh and made me cry, it was beautiful in every single way. Each and every character was truly wonderful and it is not a book I will ever forget.
Brilliant, just brilliant.

I liked this one but to be fair it didn’t grip me, it’s not my usual thing so maybe that’s why. I didn’t enjoy reading about Augusta and her sister I just want that invested in them both I guess and struggled to connect with them, not a bad read tho.

I really enjoyed The Oher Half of Augusta Hope. It was charming, really sad at times but ultimately uplifting. Augusta is a great unique and quirky character, totally convincing. I will definitely read Joanna Glen again in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The other half of Augusta Hope. I have read it cover to cover today,
i just could not leave it unfinished. I felt every emotion in it
. Joanna Glen is a true storyteller. I am so happy to have read this book and highly recommend it

I struggled to get into this book. For some reason I just couldn’t connect with it. A shame as I have heard good things.

I found myself reading "The Other Half of Augusta Hope" after a bit of a book slump once I finished a fantastic book. I started reading this and didn't expect much at the outset. Within a few chapters I was hooked. I lost myself in the lives of Augusta and Parfait and fell in love with their characters. It's such a moving, heart wrenching, yet uplifting book that makes you ponder the meaning of "home".

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys books about quirky personalities such as "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" and "The Cactus".

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, The Borough Press for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A gentle read that intrigues and mystifies. The relationship between twins is explored, with similarities and distinctions becoming more and more apparent as they grow up. Rivalry in love dominates their teenage years with Augustas twin winning the prize leaving Augusta to find her own way. The bond that ties twins together is strong and when tragedy hits the effects are widespread
The parallel life of a family from Burundi focusing on a young boy who dreams of escape from the turmoil of his country intersepts Augustas story with tragedys of its own and the ultimate mingling if the stories brings relief to both the characters and to the readers.
Light and dark in even measures that ultimately is won over by the brightness of the sun in Spain