Sadly, this just wasn't the book for me. I struggled with the language and as such I couldn't get absorbed in the storyline. Not pacey enough for my tastes.

This was a great read for people that love Derry Girls or are like me from Northern Ireland and currently living elsewhere, it was a wonderful little comic reminder of home. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be recommending it to anyone that is looking for their next great book to read!

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I gave up reading it 40% through. For me it didn’t have a story to hook me in. I found it quite repetitive and it just wasn’t for me. Sorry.

I wanted to like this book but it was a real struggle from the beginning. Lack of any really story line to hook me in meant I was tempted to skip large parts and although I could understand the vernacular well enough, Irish isn’t that far from Scots, I found it made for an unpleasant read. Not for me unfortunately.

There were several times when I asked myself, why am I still reading? I wanted some chips, craved that chippy gravy, and was there a plot here? This slice of life wasn't of a fun town or a city but rather of the dreary small town life (in N. Ireland) that is repetitive, gossipy, full of classism with a sense of stagnation and entrapment. Add to that, Majella is on the spectrum and finds much of this life truly unbearable and is unable to cope. Yet this book grows on you and though Aghybogey is full of characters, it is Majella who shines here.

Majella's life revolves around routine and this allows her to cope in the little world she has made for herself.

Shuttling between her job at the chip shop, being tucked up in her room watching Dallas, and the occasional night out at the pub, she does her best to ignore the parts of life she doesn't really understand - and keep a distance from her drunken mother as much as she can. Other people certainly find her strange, but she keeps herself to herself and finds her rituals comforting.

But change is coming Majella's way, whether she likes it or not. After her grandmother is attacked and dies, Majella begins to realise that she may be missing something and she may not be able to keep shutting in the upsetting parts of her life forever.

Is it time for this big girl to make her mark in this small town?

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I love a book that throws you in at the deep end with it's use of language and this one certainly does that - forcing you to start out like a wean splashing around trying to stay afloat, but turning you into a true pro who can co-ordinate their oxters into a pretty convincing butterfly by the closing pages. I haven't enjoyed myself quite so much negotiating vernacular since Trainspotting! Good job, Michelle Gallen!

So, what is Big Girl, Small Town all about? Well imagine a lovechild between Anna Burn's Milkman and Derry Girls, and it will give you an idea. Majella, our lovely autistic hero, breaks down her days in terms of the lists of things she likes and dislikes about her life in the border town of Aghybogey - and the wisdom she has learned from repeat viewing of videos of Dallas.

Routine is what gets her by and her rituals keep her more or less sane in a world that she does not understand. Who does, Majella, who does?
She has learned that sometimes you have to respond to conversation, and with a few standard responses/shrugs she manages to get by - she is a dab hand at the "blank face" - but really she just wants to be left alone.

But change is coming for Majella, and maybe the time is right for her to have some of the things she has been missing? Time to escape? You go girl! And being along for the ride has been an absolute pleasure!

I am totally in love with this wonderful experience of a book, having found myself rooting for Majella from page one. It is hilarious at times, deeply emotional and often surprisingly profound. I am not ashamed to say that I did not want it to end and cried my eyes out when it inevitably did.

"WhatcanIgetchew?"... more Michelle Gallen, please!

I really enjoyed this book and I am hoping for a follow up. The story is a snapshot of Majella’s life, and we also learn about her past too. There is so much detail you really feel like you know her. The language used in the book is raw and authentic and I found it to be a refreshing change to the books I usually read. I would like to know what the future holds for Majella, hopefully a book two is on the cards. I recommend this book, thank you #netgalley.

Big Girl, Small Town is a unique, brilliant, funny-tragic, almost fly-on-the-wall-style story that follows Majella living with an alcoholic parent in a small border town in Northern Ireland - but beware this is no Little House on the Prairie story!

Majella is dealing with a family tragedy from the start while working in the local chip shop in town (in spite of being capable more, we feel). Her repetitive life and experiences are due entirely to the limited opportunities in the small town and her decision to stick around when others have chosen to leave. As events unfold, could things change for Majella?

The generous use of the local vernacular anchors the book which will delight the locals but possibly leave others wondering!!

Michelle Gallen creates vivid characters that I am "sure" I have met somewhere, she succeeds in making the reader endure Majella’s frustration - in the end leaving the reader satisfied, but still craving more!!

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book fails from page 1 in its attempt to mimic the tone and setting of [book:Milkman|36047860]. If I was the latter author i would hate to have my name tied to this tawdry piece o furbish. 2 slovenly women and a chip shop order system. Over 40% of this book consists of the MC taking orders for fish or sausage suppers. The rest is how she eats her own free fish supper , has sex with the chef. It includes inserting a tampon and having a smear. It is -not to put too fine a point on it rubbish. My first and only book by this author

I fail to see how such tripe gets published

Majella is a woman in her late twenties living in a small town in Northern Ireland. She works in the local fish and chip shop. Her grandmother has just been found murdered in her own home.

I really, really wanted to like this book but I just didn’t. Honestly, this book was just really mundane and a little boring. From reading some other people’s reviews, I think that I might have not understood some of the things that you are meant to read between the lines but these things didn’t feel very clear to me. To be completely transparent, I had such a hard time with this book that I ended-up skimming it to finish, I don’t feel like I missed anything that would have contributed to my comprehension but I will accept that it is a possibility.

I loved the character of Majella, she plus size, seems to be neurodivergent, is found attractive by men, doesn’t have a weird relationship with food. I also really appreciated that the Northern Ireland depicted within this book felt real and believable. The problem was that the story didn’t seem to really go anywhere; a couple of minor events happened within the book but it was basically Majella wakes up, her mother whinges, Majella makes toast, Majella goes to work, Majella deals with unsavoury customers at work, Majella microwaves her fish supper, Majella eats her fish supper…. rinse and repeat.

From a technical standpoint, Gallen has written a really great book, especially as it is predominantly written in dialect – this is something to consider if you are planning on reading this book, I did not have too much trouble with the dialect as it had a lot of similarities with Scots dialect but it may be a challenge for some readers – and it features a protagonist that is very much a regular human being. This wasn’t my cup of tea but that is not to say that others won’t enjoy it.

Majella has lived her whole life in a small town on the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Her life is a drudge of routine and lack of opportunity, but Majella uses the routine to provide a detachment between herself and the grim situation she has grown up in.

This was a compelling read, but also a heavy and fairly depressing one. There's not an ounce of escapism here and while Majella is a sympathetic character it's like reading a Ken Loach film where not a lot happens but the poverty and lack of opportunity facing a lot of smooth town young people are scrutinised.

I totally adored this book by Michelle Gallen. I was surprised to learn this is the author’s first novel - a magnificent début set in a small, close-knit town in Northern Ireland, called Aghybogey. The book follows a young woman named Majella O’Neill, struggling to find her way through life after the death of her grandmother. She is also trying to cope with her alcoholic mother and an absent father.

I found this a really compelling and hugely entertaining story. Michelle Gallen delivers a strong character in Majella, and writing the book from her point of view was an inspired choice. She is a strong character with plenty of attitude and is autistic, so finds daily interaction with others a bind. Majella is wasting her academic promise by working six nights a week in her local chip shop, Salt and Battered. She keeps a list of all the things she doesn’t like, as well as a much shorter list of things she does like, and uses them to narrate the story. The author tells a really charming tale; in Majella's cynical, comical way of looking at the world and everything in it. She resolutely and tragically refuses to take her place in society, choosing instead to hide behind her routines and peculiarities.

I really liked the absolutely hilarious Majella, and I found myself fascinated by her. Many other characters were also vivid and interesting in their individual ways, especially her co-worker, Marty. Overall, I had no issues with Big Girl, Small Town. and it is a satisfying and very worthwhile read which I believe is bound for success.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from John Murray Press via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

There have been a few similar books of this ‘genre’ of late but this one breaks the mould somewhat. It’s searingly honest and up front in language and story. The characters are well rounded and quirky, to say the least. The book is funny, different but ultimately an entertaining read which keeps you cheering her on to the end.

I think a lot of people will love this book, and will make waves around its circles and will probably have some tv adaption! is sort of reminds me of young offenders meets derry girls. its great to see protagonists like these in books. would recommend for young women, particularly.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written and the characters were well fleshed out. I was impressed with the writing style and the story line. I almost wish it had been longer!

Loved, loved, loved this book. I do wish it hadn't ended so suddenly but I absolutely loved everything else - the characters (especially Majella, obviously), the storyline and the way it was written. Poor Majella has been through a lot in life and now her poor grandma has been killed in a horrific way. She doesn't have any proper friends but is well known in her small town in Northern Ireland. She has her routine (binge-watching Dallas, working in the local chippy, microwaved fish and chips for dinner, wee trip to the pub on a Sunday) an alcoholic mum and a dad who disappeared a few years previously. Life is tough but you pick up on the signs that Majella does have a good head on her shoulders and has a bright future ahead of her, if only she is brave enough to try. I really, really hope there is a sequel.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Majella lives in Ireland, in the shadows of The Troubles. She sticks to routine, lives in a small world, and is strict about the stuff she knows and doesn't know. Majella comes across as odd, and keeps herself to herself. However, this is hard when everyone in the town is currently gossiping about the fact that her Granny was recently killed.

One of the things Majella doesn't know about herself is that she is autistic. To anyone familiar with autistic traits, this comes across clearly from the start with Majella stuck in a strict routine. I felt this was represented well in the novel, as it can be a sensitive topic to write about.

However, I'm sad to say that the book didn't hold my attention for very long. There's no real story; it reads like a snapshot or diary into Majella's week, so I found it hard to stay interested for long. I think because of this, I read the book in a very broken way - putting it down for a long time, before picking it up and reading again, before putting down again for a few days - and this may also be a factor as to why I just didn't get it.

However, I did find it was well written, honest and a little quirky.

Majella is an only child and lives with her mum. Her Gran has just been murdered and it's the talk of the local community.
Majella works in the local chip shop, she hasn't got any real friends and apart from Marty her work colleague she doesn't really talk to many people.
I found this book really hard to get into but I enjoyed reading about life in the Irish community and trying to understand the Irish dialect.

I really liked this, it's not very linear and I would have liked to know what happened to Majella's grandma, but I did like the book. I liked Majella and her autism. Good book.

I went into reading this with high hopes. High hopes for the ready and easy humour of Derry Girls and when Majella sucks you into her life, that’s not what I got. For me that comparison is false. What I got was her life; warts and all. This is a story that will leaving you feeling for the life that Majella lives - her alcoholic mother, her father who’s disappeared and the recent murder of her beloved granny. Majella struggles to make sense of the world, through her autistic eyes and strange ticks and ways of coping, and how no one, not even her own mum understands (or tries to!) the way she is. There’s not much to the story, but this is all about the mundane, the everyday, her life. As with every small hometown, there’s the nosey neighbours knowing exactly what goes on in your house and life. It’s choc full of Irish vernacular and lots of bad language (be warned!), this also gives the perspective of the locals living through ‘The Troubles’ and their view on Protestants, the Brits and the PISNI. It was a real eye opener. It’s not an easy read with references to suicide. After finishing the book and Majella’s story, I’m left want to know more - what happened next! Majella will stay with me for a long time.