A classic YA novel with a great deal of joy and heart. This is the sort of book that you can read in one sitting. Perfect for fans of fun YA Lit. Though the beginning is a little slow it does soon pick up.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

The premise of this book was really promising. However, as someone who was heavily bullied as a child and teen this book struck too many nerves for me to continue.

So the premise of this book sounded really cool, but I don't know.. it wasn't really there. There was so much bullying and as someone who has gone through that, I don't understand how people can forgive bullies so easily. I'm definitely still holding a grudge for some people. I think it's an enjoyable read that a lot of people will probably enjoy, but it just wasn't really 'it' for me.

Absolutely loved this book. Really fun characters, young adult but with good strong themes with no childishness. Can’t wait for book 2!

Like others, I was fooled by the sunny cover into thinking that this would be a light, fluffy,romance story but there are a lot more layers to Norah's story. Can certainly see this appealing to Year 7 and up.

A super Y.A novel about Nora. I am used to reading Jenny Oliver's romances but I enjoyed reading this book in this new genre because the writing is easily relatable with fully rounded characters. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

A really sweet, rags to riches story with a bit of an edge. Norah had a simple existence, living on a houseboat with her parents, in a town where she knew everyone. Then her dad unintentionally jeopardizes the entire towns hard-earned cash in a ponzi scheme and becomes embroiled in a court case. Norah's estranged and wealthy grandparents step in and enroll her in an exclusive new school - where Norah doesn't fit in. Its hard enough finding your place in the world, without adding additional complexity like moving schools, being out of your depth and having the whole world hate your father.
The plot has a few holes but the characters were delightfully stereotyped and the plot moved at a good pace. There were some lovely touches like the vintage clothing store and houseboat living. It felt well written, with the narrative creating clear images so that I felt like I was also watching the movie. All in all, it was a delicious high school romp filled with teenage angst and love and something more.

4.5 stars

Chelsea High was a really cute read, but also had a lot more substance to it than I first thought it would. Norah is such a character! She has many sides and a lot of growth and I really enjoyed that about her. She is stronger than she would like to think, especially given the circumstances and the complete flip as her whole life is turned upside down.

I cannot fully describe my dislike for Coco Summers, I don't think I have ever disliked someone quite as much. But that's great, because I think that was intended. She isn't as clockwork as a regular school bully, she is sneaky and full of herself and simply put an absolute beep. But other people simply adore her, which makes her even more unlikeable and also that much more real. I really liked the representation of Coco, my dislike for her truly shows to me that she was amazingly written.

I ADORE Tabitha and Daniel, I cannot even describe it. I'm still on the fence of where I sit with Emmeline, but I think she's more on my good side now. I also am so in love with Norah's grandparents and Ludo! Oh Ludo, I love you so much!

I also really L-O-V-E LOVE Ezra! He is just perfect in this not so perfect way and I love him and Norah! I would definitely love to hear more of their story, and more of the others too. But also having said that, with more of them comes more Coco and I would at the same time like to just go on believing they are all living their best lives and living undisturbed and in peace in my head. But that seems it will never fully be the case, at least not with Coco around. I just want to send her off permanently on a photo shoot with her unicorn hair or something so the others will be free in my mind to live in their happy bubble together.

This was really enjoyable and a breeze to read! If you're looking for a story about a girl whose life is turned completely upside down and you love the fantasy of rich, uber posh private schools then I would definitely recommend this book.

The first thing I have to do is apologise for starting this in the expectation that I was going to get a fluffy cute read that would entertain me for a while and that I would probably then forget about. The cover and blurb had me begin it thinking one thing, when what we got was more than that.
The basic story is straightforward. Our main character has a somewhat bohemian lifestyle living with her parents on a houseboat and living in a very close-knit community. She helps her mum run a vintage clothes stall and is, generally, pretty happy with her lot. Her big dilemma here is that her father has got caught up in a money-making scam that has resulted in many people losing their savings. He is about to face trial, and the family are being uprooted. That would be unsettling...but we learn that her father’s family are very wealthy and come from a background of privilege. They are paying for lawyers and are paying for Norah to attend the exclusive Chelsea High.
Our story is about Norah coming to terms with her father’s actions and the impact it will have on their family and friends, but it’s also a ‘fish-out-of-water’ story as Norah has to navigate this new environment and the people within it. There’s the stereotypical mean girl queen, Coco, who is just as insecure as any teenage girl could be but is better able to hide it with her money and influence. There’s the hangers-on in Coco’s group who have to decide whether to follow what they’ve always done or to act for themselves. Of course there’s a love interest, and there’s the expected dramatic scenes so beloved of this kind of story to help people grow and develop.
While there’s a lot in this book that can be found in other books/films, the development of Norah was more subtle than I expected. She made mistakes, but she wasn’t too stubborn to admit them. The adult characters were also more intriguing than I expected, and I definitely think there’s more stories to come.
I was excited to see there’s a second part to come for this, and I look forward to catching up with Norah and cast in the not too distant future. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication.

Chelsea High is Norah's story. Norah moves from a little island in England to London after her father is mixed up in an embezzlement case. She enrolls at Chelsea High, a private school for the rich and fabulous.

To me, this was just okay. The story didn't really grab my attention and I didn't love the characters. I liked the main one okay most of the time but all the bullying just made me so angry. And I also felt like the side characters were forgiven too easily. Standing next to the person bullying and saying nothing is also bullying (or at least supporting bullies) and that makes you a shitty friend (if a friend at all)... Even though it was ingrained into the school, it just felt so wrong all around.
I don't know, it just wasn't really for me I guess.

This book definitely struck me as being very girlmore girls meets mean girls. The overall plot is a British gilmore girls in the way that the main character Norah is attending a posh private school, although not by choice, and has grandparents that she doesn't know. Initially I wasn't sure I was going to really connect with the characters but the more I read the more I connected with Norah. I naturally wanted to punch Coco in the face but I imagine that's the reaction that Jenny wants you to have. I kind of shipped Norah and Daniel more than Norah and Ezra but there you go.

I'll be honest and say that I expected more from the plot. The synopsis struck me as being kind of a mystery but it obviously wasn't. I was expecting more boarding school vibes. I also found the writing a bit tedious in places as I found the author quite descriptive in parts. Overall though I did enjoy the book and I can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes.

Nora has has had a quiet, unconventional upbringing on a houseboat, that all changes and her father attends court to plead his innocence and life changes upside!
Nora now has to attend the prestigious ‘Chelsea High’ which is being paid for by her grandparents...this school is a world away from what Nora is used to.
The story is based around a realistic school setting, involving a range of characters from your typical school boy crush to the coolest girl in school.
The journey the reader goes on is well paced throughout and the family dynamic is interesting but there is something missing that gels it perfectly together but cannot be pinpointed! Well worth a read and a good solid debut YA coming of age story.

DNF @ 30%

I don’t think this book was for me, nor was it what I expected. I think it’s better for younger teens (13-ish) from what I gathered. The main character was shallow and a lot of the setting was obnoxious — it was called MULBERRY Island. It felt like a predictable fish out of water story. However, I’m grateful for the chance to have tried this.

3 stars!

As a coming of age story, I think this book fits the part. As a YA contemporary romance, not so much.

Chelsea High follows Norah Whittaker just as her whole entire life has changed. Having been caught in a "get rich quick" scheme, Norah's father is now on trial and the everyone back on the island Norah grew up in hates her family. Norah's mysteriously wealthy grandparents take over the family and enrolled Norah in Chelsea High, the exclusive, rich-filled school that Norah knows she won't belong in.

There was something really disappointing about this book that's hard to pinpoint. Toward the end, it becomes really well paced and we get to see Norah grow into herself and have a deeper understanding of the world and what it's like to be alive. The journey of reading this book is worth it just to see the person Norah becomes and how she develops from the very closed off girl we meet at the beginning.

However, everything else about this was unfortunately average. There was a lot of telling rather than showing and the first half of the book goes by incredibly slowly.

This isn't to say that it is not an enjoyable read, because it is. Norah is a wonderful character and the concept of Chelsea High is intriguing. This unfortunately just left me longing for a bit more.

I enjoyed this book and really flew through it. It's fast paced, easy to follow and it has a good, solid plot. I think I read it in one sitting because it's just so easy to read. I liked the characters and seeing Norah's relationship with her grandparents grow. Actually, I think this book really followed Norah as she matured more and grew as character. It also felt like she became more aware of others rather than just solely focusing on herself.

I think this book would be really great for teens on the more tween/high school age end of the YA spectrum. I did feel a little bit old for this title now but I do believe it's something that I would've enjoyed more if I had read it when I was younger. I'd definitely suggest this book to younger people and also to school librarians who might be looking to grow their school library.

Norah finds herself at Chelsea High after her family moved away due to her father's embezzlement court case.

I really enjoyed the story, I felt so bad for Norah, one with her family, and two with the mean kids at school. It threw me straight back to being in high school, wanting to fit in while struggling to figure out life itself.

There's a lot more to the story so I don't want to spoil any more, but I would reccomend it to people looking for a quick read, that's serious in themes but has a feelgood element too.

*thank you to netgalley and Electric Monkey for the eArc to review*

Chelsea High by Jenny Oliver a fine five-star read. This is one of those stories that is very high school but tells a tale of life as old as time. Its well done and has some great characters, but it also has some that will push all of your buttons to the point I had to put this down before I threw it. Norah is a good character and she will surprise you with how mature she is, I don’t want to write the story as I won’t do I justice, this was a great story and even though I wanted to throw it a few times it still was very enjoyable.

A perfect summer read! It's the story of Norah, a teen girl whose Bohemian life is turned upside down when her dad is arrested, she and her parents are forced to move to London and Norah is enrolled in a exclusive school by her uber-rich Grandparents she has never met before. She doesn't fit in at her new school and everything else in her life is so confusing & strange, but the school play and her co-star Ezra might just help her feel like she belongs.
This was such a charming book. Norah is a great character, easy to sympathise with and immensely likeable. Her story felt like The Princess Diaries in the sense of fish-out-of-water discovering family secrets meets the school drama of Gossip Girl via High School Musical. I binged this as I was so desperate to find what would happen next - this feels like the start of an incredible compelling new series that I'll be recommending to my students. Perfect for students in year 7 and above, I know many young people who will love this book just as much as I did. Endearing, sweet, funny yet not without sadness or drama - delightful!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinions and feedback.

I thought this book was...okay. I liked Norah, and the characters in her 'real' life, I could really picture her mum on the market on a weekend, for example, but as SOON as the posh school was introduced, it just lost me.

Made no sense that she seemingly had no idea about how wealthy her parents' families were. And an 'influencer' at a British school being allowed to take time out to promote things? Haway, now. The plot with the wealthy grandparents and a reckless child had strong Gilmore Girls vibes, and I quite liked her getting to know them. And i'm sorry, but a posh school would NEVER do Grease as their musical.

Overall, a fun summer read, but I wouldn't revisit it.