First of all a big thank you to the author, the publishers and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

This was a really quick and interesting read. I struggled with some of the dialog and slang but it was enjoyable. I liked the plot and the fact that we don’t know who did it until the very end.

My review of this doesn’t accurately reflect the book - I don’t think I should have requested a story that was part of a genre that I no longer enjoy. I have moved past enjoying YA books lately so it’s a personal preference rather than an accurate reflection of the story and author.

Making Turquoise is a modern day Romeo and Juliet. This book is gritty, painful, and also hopeful. It leaves the reader feeling a bit of sorrow but also faith that life will get better.

This book is mainly about Hayley and Liam. They grow up as friends and fall in love, but their relationship faces many hardships, such as classism, rivalry, and loss. But, when it seems like they couldn’t get further from each other, Hayley’s brother, Callum, is murdered. The two prime suspects are Aiden, Liam’s brother, and Liam himself. At every turn they are being pulled away from each other but they always end up gravitating back together. This is the ultimate story of will they or won’t they?

What I like about this novel is that we get a full back story to Hayley and Liam, we watch them grow up together and make the life choices we all go through. They make mistakes and choices that help define who they are. The timeline is clear and we get to see where each character is at point A and then at point B, we get a full snapshot of their evolution. These characters could easily be you or your neighbor.

I didn’t really enjoy this book, the writing style was not for me so I didn’t wind up finishing it. Interesting premise though.

I grew up in Edinburgh, so when I saw the allusions to Glasgow, blue and green, I kinda got where the book was going, and I was right.
It's another book that talks about the issues faced by certain areas of the UK - blue and green - Rangers/Celtic - Catholic and Protestant too. And, once I realised that was where the book was going, I was a little disappointed - there were a very few nice details, but I also felt some of it was a little bit cliche - it honestly felt like someone was trying to set up a 'Romeo and Juliet' style story, but it felt a bit hamfisted in places - and unless you come from hardcore football families, as a Scottish national, I found myself more annoyed than sympathetic.
But it is fiction, the story elicited a reaction and it's worth reading if you like murder/romance/whodunnit's.
I was given a copy of this book to review on Netgalley by the author or publisher, in exchange for an honest opinion. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this book.

Unfortunately, I could not go further than the first 100 pages. The cover is beautiful, the premise caught my interest, the chronology chosen by the author was a good idea but I could not connect with the characters and they are the most important part of a book for me.
I am pretty sure many people will love it as it’s dark and mysterious. You will want to know what leads the characters to the events of the first chapter and what exactly happened. It just was not enough to keep me reading.

The book paints a pretty grim picture of life in the Glasgow neighbourhood where it's set, with tensions between Protestants and Catholics, poverty, violence, drugs and crime all having a strong influence on the characters' growth and choices. As a setting for a forbidden love story, it's got all the ingredients, and I really felt for the characters as they navigated one pain and unfairness after another. I found the pacing a little off, with perhaps too much time & attention spent on the younger parts of the story and not enough on the events leading up to the main crisis. I also wonder if it might have flowed better without Callum and Aiden's additional points of view, since they weren't the focus of the story.

Overall, a tough and emotional read that's worth picking up.

4 1/2 Colorful Stars!

Making Turquoise ....what a wonderfully written story. Green + Blue = Turquoise and it's such a beautiful color. Sadly, in this book, people didn't want "Green" and "Blue" to mix. They were very polarized. If you were Green, you didn't hang out with Blue and you certainly didn't start a romance with one. Apparently Green and Blue correlate to which football team you support and the rivalry is extreme..

Hayley and Liam meet when they are eleven and become friends. They drift apart but eventually find their way back to each other when they are older. Literally not one person supports Hayley and Liam's affection for one another. They find that they can't be fully open with their families or friends. Still, they can't give each other up. Then something dramatic occurs and Hayley is forced to walk away from Liam. After being apart for several years, an opportunity presents itself for Liam to see Hayley again. But is it worth the risk?

I was simply heartbroken with the way events played out. You could see the mistakes coming a mile away, but there was no way to stop things from occurring. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Many have compared this story to a modern day Romeo and Juliet. I can definitely see the similarities. It also gives me a Normal People vibe and I'm not exactly sure why, but it does.

I highly recommend this book. It's a sensitive coming of age story with a message. Also, even though there are some tragic events, there is a beautiful love story wrapped up in the middle of it all. The story pulls you in and holds onto you until the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for this reader's copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book and the opinions contained within are my own.

"Making Turquoise" was written in a very interesting way. I loved seeing how the characters developed and changed as they got older. I lost interest a couple of times but overall it was an enjoyable read.

This story is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, but the one who dies isn’t the star-crossed lovers and it’s set in Scotland.

The book opens with a classic murder scene, Callum Thomson was found murdered on his 21st birthday, his twin sister is distraught and the suspects are her ex-boyfriend Liam and his brother Aiden.
The story takes us on a journey from when the two young lovers met to the current day. Each chapter shows us how the characters are connected, and the events that unfolded that year that led to them to where they are in the present.

This book is not for the light-hearted, it’s dark and gritty and there are some serious topics discussed here. I didn’t know much about the rivalry between the Rangers and Celtics fans before I read this story, and I did have to do some research into some of the terminology used, like Tims, Proddys, and Feinyin.
The plot was extremely well thought-out, and I enjoyed watching these characters grow through the events that happened. I found myself frustrated at times but it was mainly because I just wanted to protect the precious beans.

The relationship between Hayley and Callum really shone through this novel, they were two sides of the same coin. My heart broke for Hayley when she lost Callum. Liam was a smart boy born on the wrong side into the wrong family. He was tarred with the same brush as the other men in his family and I really felt for him. He wanted to do the right thing, but no one really gave him the chance to.

I was truly impressed by this novel, and the way the characters were written. McFall wrote the complex characters brilliantly and I would highly recommend this novel.

Thank you Netgalley for another fantastic read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Making Turquoise by Claire McFall is this generations modern twist on a Romeo & Juliet style of love story. Told from the viewpoints of twins Hayley and Callum, as well as Aiden and his younger brother Liam, we follow the four from childhood to adolescence and then the cusp of adulthood. Hayley and Liam meet as children but find themselves on opposing sides. Tim vs Hun, blue vs green. But the McGaffney brothers are trouble and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The book takes you on a journey as Hayley and Liam whirl together and cause both sides to collide. Claire McFall paints a fantastic story full of love, innocence, abuse, prejudice heartbreak and the realisation of growing up. Each character uniquely and wonderfully written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself finishing it within a day. A great coming of age YA that will leave you hopeful, saddened and shocked.

his book opens up with a classic murder scene and the question of whodunit. Callum Thomson is found murdered at his 21st birthday party, that he shares with his twin sister Hayley. The two suspects are none other than the McGaffney brothers, Liam and Aiden.

Aiden has a history of being a big, fat bully and drug addict who loves to fight. Liam is Hayley's old lover, and old friend. So why would they murder Callum?

This book transports us through the different ages of our four main characters, starting at 11 years old and ending at 21. Each chapter is a different age and we learn how the four of them are connected, and what happens that year that affects all four of them.

This book is dark. There is no happy ending to this story. There are serious topics discussed and a trigger warning for drug abuse, physical abuse, murder, abortion, and teen pregnancy.

Oh, and it takes place in Scotland, which runs very differently than the US. In Scotland, you can get arrested for having a knife on you, any type of knife, including a pocket knife. Also there is a huge rivalry between Tims and Proddys, which I had no idea what that even meant until I saw a fellow reviewer report that football is basically a religion over there and Tims like the Celtics and Proddys like the Rangers. (Yeah, I have no idea.. it seemed much more political to me than that).

The plot was clever in the fact that I enjoyed seeing how each chapter was a different age for our main characters and seeing how they connected with one another through the events of what happened at that time. I had an issue with the Tics vs. Proddys though. There was no explanation, for a reader like myself who does not know Scottish culture, what this meant. I went in thinking that it had to do with political parties (like Democrats vs. Republicans) and I had to do some research, which did not come up with anything, and had to find out what this meant through other book reviews. That really made me rate this book a little lower because there was no explanation in the plot about this, but yet was a HUGE part of the plot, especially when it came to Liam and Hayley's relationship.

I really enjoyed watching Hayley and Callum's relationship grow through everything that happened to them through each of the years of this book. I also saw a lot of growth in Liam, and his dedication to Hayley was astounding. I was really rooting for them throughout the entire novel.

I am rating this a solid 3. It does not mean that the book is bad, it just means that it was okay for me. Not having an explanation for some things made it hard for me to follow parts of the story, that appeared crucial in many chapters. This book was dark, and it dealt with some pretty heavy topics and I thought that the author did a good job portraying those topics as realistically and delicately at possible.

I liked that the story started and ending with Callum's murder, and the middle was all about how we got to that point and how the four of our main characters were connected. I absolutely hated Aiden, and Claire did a good job at writing him as a villain.

This was written in a very interesting way and it was very interesting to see how the characters changed as they aged over time. I lost interest a couple of times but overall it was an enjoyable read

Liam & Hayley have always had a friendship that was dogged by the religious divide in Larkhall, Glasgow. They only see each other as friends but those around them cannot see past Liam being a ‘Tic & Hayley a Hun. As their relationship grows closer things only get worse & there is a downward spiral of threats, intimidation & violence. This culminates in the death of Hayley’s twin brother, Callum, - no spoiler alert since you find this out right at the beginning of the book - but did Liam stab Callum or will green & blue be able to blend & ‘ Make Turquoise’?
This was a view into the difficult world of religious division in Scotland and how it can still scar the lives of the young people involved. The journey through the teenage years of Hayley, Liam & Callum (told in their own voices) gives an insight into the fears & pressure they experience. A good read!

I don't know how describe this book. I've finished it in one day and it made me cry.

Making Turquoise tells about Hayley Thomson and Liam McGaffney, their friendship, their love, their problems... like a modern Romeo & Juliet.
From the beginning I was intrigued by the events. You start from the final and you go back in time, to when the protagonists are 11 years old to adulthood. (21y/o).
Hayley is from a protestant “blue-nose” family, supproting the Glasgow Rangers football team whereas Liam is a “green” catholic Celtic fan.
Hayley has a twin brother, Callum. I'm in love with their "relationship", how they protect eachother and even with the passing of the years and the various quarrels or misunderstandings, they are always ready to defend themselves from who or what wants to hurt him.

Hayley and Liam meet each other at the park. when they were 11. They soon become friends and had a great time. But, Aiden (Liam's brother) and Hayley's dad don't want the two of them to have relationships. Even so, they continue to be friends and growing their feelings will change.

This book is not only about love. There are some trigger warning like Parental abuse, assault, abortion, death of a loved one. I think that Claire McFall has developed these themes very well.
I'm impressed! The charachters are well written, the introspection It made me feel on my skin the feelings of the guys and the joy or fear they felt during their growth. I cried, I admit. Even knowing how it would end, I felt "bad". I’d really like a sequel, even a novel about Hayley’s life.

***TRIGGER WARNING***
Parental abuse, assault, teen pregnancy, abortion, death of a loved one

I think it was really smart to set up the novel by looking at our four characters from the ages of 11 to 21 to see how they grew as people and as they grew in relation to one another. I thought the connection between Liam and Hayley was indescribable, from meeting as pre-teens to their relationship as young adults.

I also really enjoyed the sibling relationship between twins Hayley and Callum. They went through the ebbs and flows of being siblings, but there is always a level of protectiveness between the two that was really touching. on the flip side, Aiden and Liam were volatile—Aiden in general is a menace to society. Liam says that Aiden is more like a father to him than his own dad, but we never see that as we follow them over the years. He was horrible to Liam, at all times. There is never a moment of redemption with him.

This book is about the relations between Celtic fans and Rangers fans - or the lack thereof. And unless you know the phrases 'Tim' and 'Hun' (from the blurb) refer to those two things, you are going to be lost for a fair bit of time before this book starts making sense. Luckily though, I've told you, so you will understand slightly better. But rather than me spend my review talking about the intricacies of football club rivalries which you can, and should, do a little reading up on; I'll actually review this book.

The book starts at the end and then jumps back in time 10 years to see how we built up to the situation, it's a really interesting way of doing things that I think works very well. As time passes and we see these characters grow their paths become more rigid and we see them either lean into them, or fight against what has been dictated.

Claire McFall writes brilliant characters that are nuanced and flawed and even characters you can't possibly like, you can still somewhat understand. The conclusion was devastating all the more for the build up, yet inevitable both because of how the book started, and the paths the characters had to tread.

YA books are one of my favourites to read and I adored this one. It’s a heartbreaking read but one is happily recommend to everyone.

Wow.

This book is pretty hard hitting, but I couldn't stop reading. And I can't decide who I love more: Liam, or Callum.

Both. I love them both.

This book looks at sectarian violence through a retelling of Romeo & Juliet. There are some pretty deep moments (drug taking, abortion, violence in relationships) and it just feels so real.

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Haley and Liam are childhood friends from opposite sides of the track. There is a lot of emphasis on the cultural rifts between the Proddies (posh) and the Tims (poor) reflected in the types of schools, housing, clothing, etc.

Liam has really drawn the short end of the stick with a dad in jail, drug addict brother (Aiden) and an alcoholic mother trying to make ends meet. His relationship with Hayley seems to be the one bright shining light in his life and even that is under attack from both of their families. Aiden or the other half of the McGaffney family is just pure evil, he is a manipulative bastard who only cares about himself and his next drug hit.

Haley has always been the good girl side of her twin Callum. She likes Liam because he was her knight in shining armor from her youth and they grew to be friends and then one time lovers. Her life takes a dark downward spiral and she latches on to the one thing that can ground her- Callum.

Callum deserved better, he really did! I am truly upset with his outcome after he has basically been the best thing about this entire book!

The ending was super splotchy to me and I didn’t realize it was a series. I truly believe a better compromise could have been made for some characters and others like Hayley need more growth and development.