This review goes live on my blog, Serendipity Reviews today. I will also put a link on Twitter, Amazon, Goodreads and Instagram.

This was gifted to me for an honest review from Walker Books via Netgalley

This is one of those books that you won't ever forget reading!
This book is an important read. It is the type of book that should be read by every teenager. It looks at how females are ridiculed and made to feel dirty about having periods.

Written in verse, the author tells the story of Frankie, a teenage girl, obsessed by astronomy and not as into boys as her friends are. Until she meets Benjamin. After her first sexual experience with him, her life turns upside down when a meme about her goes viral.

The book is told in verse in a similar style to Sarah Crossan and I really think the author has done an amazing job of establishing herself in this niche market. Every word matters. Many are hard hitting and many make you feel really uncomfortable as the situation escalates and Frankie feels like there is on no where to turn. In an era where online bullying is so rampant, this is a book that should be taught in school.

When I think about what I came away with from this book, there are a few things.

1) Don't believe everything you read online. You can never know the full story from one person's point of view, especially if that person is talking about it secondhand. Unless you see it for yourself, don't alway believe it and certainly don't gossip about it.

2) It is just blood, folks, nothing else. Blood that can create a new life. Every woman has periods, so why so much disgust and hate about them among teenagers. Get over it!

3) Nothing has changed since I was at school. The obsession with sex which seems to start as young as eleven, if not before in some cases, is still going strong. It often feels like there is a competition on who can have sex first and anyone left behind will have to wear a bell to warn all they come in contact with.

If I could, I would buy hundreds of copies of this book and stand outside school, giving them out to both boys and girls. We all have done stuff we are ashamed about, but that doesn't give anyone else the right to spread rumours about it.

As you can guess, I absolutely loved this book and I really hope it goes on to win many awards. Mainly because then I will know that it is getting into the right hands of the kids who have to deal with this kind of abuse in real life and hopefully they will come away with the realisation that there is no shame in these matters.

Blood Moon - Lucy Cuthew
Published by: Walker Moon Publishing
Pub’ Date: July 2020

This was a gripping read. I was instantly hooked and managed to finish the whole thing within a couple of days! It is one of those books where - as a young female adult myself - I can relate so much to the characters and what they were feeling or going through. Every young girl goes through the traumatic experiences of periods, slut-shaming, sex etc. So this book is certainly a must for all teenagers, even if it’s just to show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel ❤️ 🌟🌟🌟🌟

When I first started to read this novel, I wasn’t sure it was for me. I was a little apprehensive about continuing the story, but I am glad that I did.

This novel demystified and normalized periods; this book is helping break down the stigma surrounding it. It also showed the level of cruelty that can happen to teenage girls and how toxic the internet can be.
I loved Frankie, she was intelligent, driven, and passionate. The exploration of relationships in the novel was magnificent. We saw a strong friendship between a group of girls. Things in this novel were messy, complicated, and deep. One thing that frustrated me a little was we didn’t know why Harriet behaved the way that she did.

What Lucy Cuthrow did so wonderfully in this novel was she managed to bring the characters to life in a few words. The characters felt real to me, and their voices were clear through Lucy’s use of language. The verses flowed very quickly and before I knew it, I was at the end of the book. The humor helped lift the story when it starts to get overwhelming, especially when it came to internet comments.

This novel is an empowering read, and it is absolutely one that I highly recommend and will read again.

#ItsOnlyBlood

A captivating verse novel, reminiscent of Judy Blume's Forever in its importance.

It tackles head-on topics that have traditionally been taboo and asks - Why? Why should anyone be ashamed of these normal experiences, especially when it's just human biology?

Frankie is really embarrassed when her period starts just as she and Benjamin are sharing their first ever physically intimate moment. But her embarrassment is nothing in comparison to the total humiliation she experiences when a meme about the incident goes viral. Suddenly, everyone knows what happened and Frankie's feed is full of horrifyingly abusive comments. Frankie suspects her best friend, Harriet, with whom she has just had a HUGE bust up, plus she can’t believe that Benjamin told someone what happened! Frankie feels completely isolated. But the meme isn't going away and Frankie can't bunk off school forever.

This is a read that challenges entrenched attitudes but there is a sense of relief from reading it. I read it in two sittings and I loved it. It should be compulsory reading for all teenagers!

Just superb - slut shaming, peer pressure and period shaming all wrapped up in a brilliant ya verse novel. Important, impactful and a damn good read. Discovering that the author is a fellow endometriosis sufferer after reading the book just made me empathise and admire her more.

I've just read this whole book in about 2 hours because I couldn't stop reading. I loved it!!

Why you need to read Blood Moon:

✨ It's a verse novel (I love a good verse novel)
✨ It breaks the stigma surrounding periods
✨ Great friendships & wonderful parents
✨ Shows the importance of girls supporting girls & owning your embarrassing moments
✨ Explores the effects of going viral for something out of your control, not knowing who started it, & how damaging it can be on someone's mental health

I can't wait to read more of this author's work!

Frankie likes Benjamin, Harriet likes Jackson, only after as situation involving a photo between Harriet and Jackson spreads around the school, the two friends become enemies.



As Frankie falls for Benjamin, she gets her period when they're alone but soon the school is talking about it after a photo get leaked about the situation and soon the exfriends situation is escalated



As the meme about their night is made viral, things for Frankie get so bad she can't bear to even go in to school, can the girls ever be friends again like before it will things just get worse?



All about feminism, sex and womanhood while growing up this book depicts how cruel people can be about natural women's bodies and the functions accompanying it too. It shows how billing can have a severe impact and it's unacceptable but also how much fighting back against it can cause a positive change for the future, a bold and vibrant read.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

5 Word Review: Friendship, first-love, shame, hope, periods.

Content Warnings: Slut shaming, bullying.

I very rarely read novels in verse. They're not something I commonly stumble across, and when I do find one I tend to be a little apprehensive about picking it up. I couldn't tell you why - every one I've read has been good. I think perhaps it's because it is very much different in style.

I can't say that I enjoyed Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew. It's not that I disliked it, it was excellent in fact, it's just that it's a bit of a tough read and if I'm honest with myself, I wasn't in the right head-space when I picked it up. It is funny, so funny, but it also made me despair with the world and the cruelty levelled at teenage girls. And that's not what I needed at the time.

I loved Frankie. I loved her intelligence and passion and drive and resilience. She felt so real, she came off the page. I could almost see her gazing at the stars.

The exploration of relationships in Blood Moon is truly magnificent. I never knew that inter-character relationships could be so well developed in this medium, but here we are. Things are messy and complicated and deep.

I found that I read Blood Moon quickly. The verse flows easily, it was difficult to put it down even when I was a little over-whelmed. The humour in the story helps to lift it a lot. And I loved that it's about periods - for something so many experience it's something I rarely find in books.

This is definitely an empowering read, it has so much hope in the pages, and the end is pretty uplifting. It's one I will absolutely read again when I'm in the right place, as I know I will appreciate it a lot more.

I don't quite know how to explain just how powerful this novel is. I have been reading a lot of YA verse novels recently and I think it is such an excessive but shocking way of getting a message across and Blood Moon was no exception to that. I cried with Frankie at what she went through and really hope this book reaches the people who need it. I think because of the people I choose to follow on social media and choose to interact with on a daily basis, I am very comfortable talking about periods. But I understand that this isn't the case with everyone and we really need to be taking more steps in removing the shame from it. I think both Blood Moon and Lucy Cuthew really has the power to make that happen.

An emotional and moving read that may just ben one of the most important YA reads this year. This is a book that every teen should read. Written in verse, it shines a light on topic that many authors and young people shy away from talking, Tackling the issues with humour, while conveying the importance of the topic. An uplifting read for all teens.

I've seen a lot of hype about this book and it deserves every single word. Blood Moon is brilliant. Here are three reasons you should buy it now.

1. We need more YA novels about periods, to help demystify and normalise them. Blood Moon does a great job of exploring the unnecessary stigma around periods, as well as the toxic nature of online shaming. The novel has a positive, empowering message which it's brilliant to see in YA.

2. I loved the friendships in Blood Moon. They were messy and imperfect and very real. Arguments feel like the end of the world because friendships often are your world when you're a teenager, so the implications of them breaking down are astronomical. I loved the group chats, the hashtags and the in-jokes, the laughter and the tears. Frankie's bond with Harriet is really special, but it also feels like a real teenage friendship. Frankie's other relationships, with her parents and the boy she likes, are also really strong and her brilliant support network is essential to the novel's success. I love how much, as an adult, I now relate to Frankie's Dad - he's outdated jokes and language really made me giggle!

3. This is the second novel written in verse I've read this year. It's a great format to read: fast paced, every word counts and every line flows. I think it works particularly well for teen novels because everything is so quick and fleeting - conversations flow in a very realistic way and you get a great insight into the protagonist's thoughts. Visually, Blood Moon is wonderful. It is immediately clear and accessible to anyone who picks it up.

I really loved Blood Moon and read it in two sittings. I would recommend it without hesitation.

I was provided with an advanced copy of Blood Moon on NetGalley.

I really loved the empowering message of this book and I also appreciated how it didn't shy away from depicting the brutality and effects of being publicly shamed. Unfortunately it's something that too often happens in our everyday society and I believe the author did a good job of showing it.

I think that this book can definitely be the starting point for a much needed conversation about periods and the absurd fact that this topic is still considered as a taboo. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's something natural and we should be able to freely talk about it.
This novel also deals with online bullying and threats, messy friendships and so much more.

I think this is a must read for everyone!

Gosh! This is a much needed book, right?!

In fantastic blank verse style - which brilliantly suits the novel - Lucy Cuthew delves into teenage friendships, periods, online shaming and love.

Cuthew confidently chips away at the taboo over periods - hooray! Seriously, this is very much needed!

This verse novel can only shock as social media sharing starts out to shame and quickly escalates into violent threats towards a young girl, guilty only of starting her period. Frankie and Harriet are best friends and part of a close group of others. But when Harriet does something silly and Frankie calls her irresponsible they argue. Things go from bad to worse as Harriet tries to enact revenge. So when a secret, known only to Frankie and a new boyfriend, is discovered and sent viral, Frankie thinks Harriet is responsible.
Frankie tries to manage the shame herself, but after the threats become seriously violent and abusive, she is forced to tell her parents. But it's the realisation by Frankie's friends that this is unacceptable for all girls that gives them the power to fight back.
This is a powerful message about how social media dictates society's treatment of girls v boys. What happens is not Frankie's fault, yet the online abuse she receives makes her life impossible. Peer pressure and crowd mentality takes over. It is easy to see how this could tip young adults, or even younger children, over the edge into taking steps from which there is no way back. We must educate everyone into thinking before posting and considering the feelings of everyone. This is a book all YA should read.

Unfortunately, there is some kind of issue with this title that means I am unable to download it in any format - there is no Kindle option and the PDF is corrupt.

This is such an empowering story and I honestly love how it's written in verse. This is a quick read that takes you on a rollercoaster of events that at one point had me in tears. This is a must read, especially for young girls!

Bea watched a film while I devoured #BloodMoon by @LucyCuthew on #NetGalley - a spectacular novel in verse that will make you laugh, cry, and scream in frustration. The unfairness of online shaming, unnecessary embarrassment about periods, & the strength of friendship. Fab #UKYA https://t.co/1uDz51VBom

I read Blood Moon in a single sitting last night and I was blown away. It's powerful and heartbreaking but also incredibly funny, deeply relatable and wonderfully uplifting.

Lucy Cuthew is a force to be reckoned with. Her writing is fresh and full of impact. Her characters are so real that you forget you're reading a book - it's more a film or memory. I love that Frankie is obsessed with astronomy too. We don't see nearly enough female protagonists with STEM leanings in books for young people. And she isn't the classic 'geek' (not that there's anything wrong with being a geek - I'm a self-confessed geek). She's cool (but not too cool). She's every girl. We follow her excitement, her joy, that feeling of an early crush - that thing where you don't even realise that you're smiling. Navigating life, navigating future aspirations. And then, the Incident. Everything escalates and that escalation is so masterfully executed that I couldn't put the book down. I read the second half with my heart in my mouth. I cried. Tears of devastation but also happy tears because, amazingly, this book that broke my heart also put it back together again. And somehow, amidst all of that, I laughed so much too. How is that even possible? It takes a rare kind of talent to do that to you over and over again.

I'll be recommending this book to everyone. It's a masterclass in writing and in the art of humour but also an urgent, compelling, and sensitive story about periods, online shaming, and relationships with friends and family.

I'll never get those words out of my head: 'it's only blood'.

I loved the concept of this book but unfortunately I didn’t read the synopsis well enough- I’m just not into novels written in verse. I think that it is a very important idea, and for someone who enjoys poetry I can see this being a very important and relevant piece of writing

I loved the positive message of this book! Sometimes people are made to feel ashamed of things that are completely natural and it's extremely unfair. People get periods, there's nothing shameful about that. The way Cuthew tackles the issues of online bullying going too far and being out of control is incredible. Not to mention the way the messy friendships were written and how it feels when you think there's no one on your side and you don't know who to trust. This was a very quick and easy read that covered some very important issues, which I enjoyed for the most part.