A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Unfortunately this didn't work on any of my devices, for some reason - it just opened a page of code! But thank you very much for accepting me to read it. I will definitely be trying to get a copy when I can because it looks great.

Naomi is a vulnerable fourteen year old and in the English care system. Her mother committed suicide and Naomi took over looking after her alcoholic father until the social stepped in and placed her in care.
All Naomi really wants is a home.


I thought that this was a very realistic book of how things are in the care system and the author did a great job of giving Naomi a voice.
I can well remember being the same age as Naomi and feeling that I already know everything that I need to know.

My three-word description of Home Girl by Alex Wheatle is raw, tender and amusing.

Book Synopsis:
'This isn't my home. Haven't had a proper home since...This is just somewhere I'll be resting my bones for a week and maybe a bit. This time next year you'll forget who I am. I haven't got a diddly where I'll be by then. But I'm used to it'

New from the winner of the Guardian Children's Book Award: Home Girl is the story of Naomi, a teenage girl growing up fast in the care system. It is a wholly modern story which sheds a much needed light on what can be an unsettling life - and the consequences that can follow when children are treated like pawns on a family chessboard.

Home Girl is fast-paced and funny, tender, tragic and full of courage - just like Naomi. It is award-winning author Alex Wheatle's most moving and personal novel to date.

My Musings:
I found this a compelling and hugely entertaining story. Home Girl is a young adult novel about being in care and yearning for stability. Naomi Brisset, 14, is about to move in with new emergency foster parents, the Goldings. She enjoys drinking Coke, horror films, and dancing, and she used to care for her alcoholic father, following the suicide of her mother. The novel tracks her experiences with the new foster carers, hanging out with her friends in the Pupil Referral Unit (a school for those who are continually getting expelled) and looking for some continuity in her so far, unstable life, possibly even somewhere she could call home.

Alex Wheatle delivers a strong character in Naomi: she is fiery, vibrant, and isn't afraid to stand up for herself, though she is also very vulnerable. This is a powerful novel with a large helping of humour to counteract some of the sadder moments.

This authentic, gritty novel explores the complexities of fostering from both sides of the relationship. I found myself really rooting for Naomi, but it was hard to visualise a happy ending for her, and I could feel Naomi’s frustration at the situation that she was in. This book showcases what it means for children in the care system, and it certainly gave me food for thought...is it an infinite downward spiral or is there hope at the end?

Verdict:
Overall, I had no issues with Home Girl but it didn't bedazzle me.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Little, Brown Book Group UK/ Atom at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Another brilliant, hilarious and heartbreaking book by the very best writer of British YA. Each character springs to life and every line of dialogue leaps off the page.

Naomi is stuck in the care system, not many people want to adopt a teenager. Everyone has a story in the care system and Naomi's is tragic, she had to grow up too fast to look after her alcoholic father. Carrying her meercat toy from foster home to foster home she struggles to find happiness. She attends the Pupil Referral Unit, a school for people who continually get expelled, with two girls she knows. Life gets a little bit better for Naomi when she ends up being fostered by a black family. Even though interracial fostering isn't favoured in councils and her social worker works hard to place her elsewhere, this is the time Naomi finds herself fitting well in a family.

This book shines a light on what it means for children in the care system, is it an endless spiral or is there hope at the end? Naomi has a distinct voice, a person who you can't help but care for, and I really did, so much so I cried for her at the end. However, <spoiler>that ending felt rushed. I wanted to know why the meercat and what happened to her father. I wanted her to get her happy ending with Tony and Colleen. Instead her social worker ends up resigning and Naomi goes to a children's home.</spoiler> I didn't like the ending, but I kind of understand that's the whole point of the book.

When I read the synopsis of this on Netgalley I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into, I knew it sounded interesting but I wasn’t expecting to be “hit in the feels” as much as I was.

"This isn’t my home. Haven’t had a proper home since…This is just somewhere I’ll be resting my bones for a week and maybe a bit. This time next year you’ll forget who I am. I haven’t got a diddly where I’ll be by then. But I’m used to it"

This novel truly had it all, there were times when I wanted to laugh because Naomi has such a character and fiery personality.
Yet then there were times that I really felt for her- having never been in the care system I could never understand what it is like but I could almost feel Naomi’s frustration at the situation that she was in.

Naomi is definitely a young woman who in some ways has had to grow up quickly but is still very naive, she will believe anything that Kim tells her as Nats and Kim are her only friends in the system and of so she believes that Kim is just looking out for her.
Bounced from Foster family to Foster family I can see why Naomi would believe anything Nats and Kim would say- they were her only constant.
Spoiler alert- Kim isn’t looking out for Naomi at all, she is a very manipulative young woman who was praying on someone “weak”.

I absolutely loved Naomi’s bonding with The Goldings, especially Sharyna and Pablo, she definitely had a soft spot for them.
It was interesting to see the bond develop between Naomi and Colleen and Tony as the parental figures- as soon as she arrived they were treating her as one of their own.

I like the way Alex tackled the issue of racism and cultural appropriation.

The choice to leave the ending open is quite interesting, I would like to believe that Naomi went on to stay with the Goldings permanently (and maybe got adopted by them) but who knows, maybe there could be a sequel in the future.

If you want something that is a definite emotional rollercoaster then I would give this a shot.

Good read. It is aimed at YA reader but for me it was a very good story.
Thank you to both NetGalley and ATOM for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I think this book is intended for teenagers, as it is about a girl, Naomi, whose mother has died, and whose father is an alcoholic. She is being fostered, but complains about the foster father of the first family she is staying with has been looking at her when she is having a shower. so, her social worker Louise moves her to a home with a middle class family, where the daughter is at university. She seems to settle, but soon finds herself out of her depth. The next family she is moved to are black, with two children. She seems to find everything to her liking, but her two friends at the Exclusion Unit interfere verbally, and put pressure on her after an incident with the foster father's Dad.
Eventually she moves back to the Unit, but soon finds herself out of her depth, both physically and emotionally.
To cap it all she feels her social worker has let her down.
The ending leaves it up in the air, and I didn't enjoy the swearing and slang, but the characters are strong, and it is a strong plot, showing the difficulties facing teenagers today.

I loved the idea behind the message of this book. But I was instantly put off by the uber-colloquial, irritating phrases our protagonist uses constantly. I’m not sure whether the author was trying to convey a character or whether he believes this is how teenagers talk, but it was unbearable. Any heartwarming moments were thrown out of the window with the chaotic hodgepodge of a conclusion. Some of the plot points were so convoluted that I felt like I was watching a soap opera. I've heard a lot about Wheatle but I don't think his style is for me.

A solid read. Based more upon characterisation than plot, it is one that draws you in quickly and keeps you reading. Possibly unsatisfying at the end, but left me thinking about the characters.

I loved it! Home Girl was a wonderful read, and one that I didn't want to end! I would definitely recommend this book to others, five stars!

Naomi is 14, had looked after her alcoholic Dad since she found her Mum dead, and is now in care, moving from foster home to secure unit to foster home. Without a responsible adult to take her lead from, she listens to others who seem to know more than she does. She has the language and attitude to show she is not afraid, and pushes her social worker to her limits. She also has her trusted cuddly toy and nightmares and flashbacks. We meet Naomi on her way out of one foster home because her mate Kim has told her to complain. Naomi is temporarily placed with a family who are well adjusted and offer a stability Naomi has never had. Yet she is unable to trust her instincts. No easy life and happy ending, but a sense of hope that some adults do have her best interests at heart.

Thanks to Atom and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of Naomi, a young girl growing up in the care system. The book explores her past and present experiences in the care system and her interactions with social workers, foster families and children's homes.

This is quite a short read (I finished it in a few hours) and is very character driven as opposed to plot driven. On the plot front, not a lot really happens and the novel is more about Naomi and her experiences and relationships. The issue with that for some readers may be if they don't like Naomi's characterisation.

Naomi is quite a difficult character to like sometimes. She is brash and rude and can be hostile and aggressive. Every time I found myself getting annoyed with her though, she hugged her toy meerkat, a remnant of her childhood, and my cold heart thawed just a little. She reminded me of some of the more challenging students I've come across in my teaching career. Sometimes the 'bad' behaviour really is just a mask to cover years of hurt and abuse. The slang used in the book did get a tad wearying after a while for this old gal but may resonate more with the book's intended target audience.

Overall, a sometimes touching, sometimes infuriating (much like Naomi herself) spotlight on the realities of the care system.

I finished this book really quickly, because I couldn’t put it down. I found the characters to be believable if a little bit out of touch (odd use of slang in this book).

However I’ve had to deduct a star for the ending. The whole book builds to this huge betrayal and drama, and then it just falls of the edge and ends. Quite a disappointing ending really.

Naomi is 14, but she’s had more trauma, more disappointment, more stress than most adults will ever experience. She is angry and frightened, on edge all of the time. Kim may be her best friend, but she has her own agenda and drips poor advice into Naomi’s ear like it’s fact, adding to Naomi’s confussion and paranoia. Along come the Goldings, a couple who have already adopted 2 children and who are available as emergency foster carers when Naomi needs somewhere fast. Louise, Naomi’s social worker, has reservations about leaving a white child with a black family but she has nowhere else. Tony Golding is also unsure but before long they settle into a rhythm. Home Girl pulls no punches. The maelstrom of emotion surrounding Naomi is raw and convincing - I cried reading this, and dare anyone to get through it all without shedding a tear. Alex Wheatle writes with a power and immediacy that is hard to put down. I’ll be hunting down everything he’s written (I suspect I might find out more about some of the other character’s backgrounds). I’ll also be holding my breath for his next book - I hope it is more about Naomi, or Nats. I can’t stand not knowing what happens next!

A good emotional rollercoaster of a read, felt a bit repetitive and slow at times but overall I enjoyed this and would recommend the book.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Well written book about a foster girl who wants a home, the author also talks about racism, friendship, relatioship with parents and the characters are well developed! The drama in its right dose and in the end we miss them. Highly recommended.

This is a powerful story about a vunerable teenager in the care system desperately wanting stability but undertandably angry and defensive about her situation. Naomi is a colourful and complex character but unfortunately I just didn't connect with her.

I also found the plot lacking, this was more of a slice of life rather than going in any direction. That along with a lot of repetition (the bouncing down the stairs in particular) ultimately led me to not enjoy this book.

It just wasn't for me ....