This is a summer read. There was only one character that I warmed to. The storyline did not feel as though it was resolved. I felt this book was a bit disappointing

I absolutely loved All the Fun of the Fair and found it to be a moving and beautifully written novel. It's set in 1996 and 11 year old Fiona (Fi) is desperate to go to the annual town fair. She's the only one in her school who has never been but due to the fact that her sister Danielle died at the fair before Fi was born her parents have never allowed her to go.
Fi is so sensitively portrayed, she made me laugh and so many times my heart ached for her. I loved Fi's observations and 'spy' reports particularly those from her school. I loved the 1990s setting and the characterisation of Fi's parents, friends and teachers.
A gorgeous novel that I would really recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Fiona has always wanted to go to the fair. Everyone else goes, every year. She has a fool proof plan to ensure she can go. But Fiona isn’t allowed to go to the fair, because that’s where her sister died, and no one will tell her how or why.

This coming-of-age story was so raw and so funny. Hulse perfectly captures how is feels to be an 11 year old girl who thinks she knows the world, when really, she knows just a smidge more than nothing.

I loved the way she captured the hilarity of the way teenagers seem to have an absolute meltdown over the little things, but yet are cool as anything when they have to face the big grown up stuff.

I loved this book, and how much the author said without saying.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for this ARC.

Unfortunately I didn’t love his one. It wasn’t any big thing, I just didn’t gel with the characters and I find it quite difficult to connect to a book when that happens. Not for me, sorry.

Loved reading this - set in 1996, Fiona is an 11 year old who has just started secondary school and is trying to fit in and learn the unspoken rules, whilst also trying her hardest to work out the family mystery of what happened to her sister Danielle who sadly died before Fiona was born. Fiona is obsessed with the annual fair that visits the town they live in and is desperate to visit but her family have banned her - why?
It is full of the turmoil and stresses of being 11 - perfectly captures the not knowing how every one knows the rules, what the cool kids are wearing, the agony of being left out - funny and emotional

I found myself enjoying this a lot more than anticipated. Though its categorized as General Fiction (Adult), it definitely has plenty of Young Adult vibes, so I can see all range of ages enjoying this lovely coming-of-age tale.

The book is absolutely hilarious and will have you giggling like a schoolgirl alongside the actual school goer, main character Fiona Larson.
The elements of mystery and spying, really set the tone from the outset. It's such a feel-good, drag you back to your childhood type of read.

The only negative I have about this book is the dropping of clues that alluded to a second storyline, which are never tied up and acknowledged. It felt quite brushed over and discarded as an element of the plot... or is that just me?!!
I mean, the book overall can be truly enjoyed without HAVING to know what those clues were referring to. However, its the kind of annoying gnat that irks you enough to then rush to the reviews to see if anyone else noticed this discrepancy too!

Hopeful that this book is just the first of a series or duology and the above mentioned discarded sub plot will be resolved in the next installment!

Having read Adults, i looked forward to this. I found this even more enjoyable, quirky, gripping and did not want to stop reading. The premise is not gripping on first reading the blurb, but you are drawn into the whole family situation, the world of 11 year old Fiona Larson. It is a lovely coming of age story, it feels nostalgic, and captivates from the start. The book is a joy, heartwarming and humourous. Read and Enjoy

All The Fun Of The Fair is set in a northern town in summer 1996 and tells the tale of 11 year old Fiona whose only real dream is to be allowed to go to the fair.
She has never been allowed to go due to a family tragedy, but this year, she has her heart set on going by any means necessary. So, armed with her junior secret spy book and best friend Lewis, she gets herself into some very odd situations in her quest to find out what happened that made her parents so adamant that she was never to go to the fair.

This was a quirky, nostalgic story that was very easy to read.

This is a summer read that I imagine, had you ever been to a fair, pulls in childhood memories of how exciting that was. It is a quick read considering it's length and through the mind of 11 year old Fiona the reader gets pulled into practice spying, serious investigations, a new friends agenda and - somehow - the political moves of the 1996 Balkans.

I read this book in two very long stints and I think it would be perfect for a hot day reading by the pool or in the garden. It follows 31 days over the course of June/July as Fiona desperately tries to get herself permission to go to the fair when it comes to town.

I did struggle with almost every character other than Fiona. The adults know so much and no one tells her anything, they seem confused that she feels unsure and lied to and they're really just not very nice to her. She is a young child, she is struggling and the adults in her life just consistently fail to look after her.

The book finishes with one mystery solved, and you really do wonder why her parents thought she wouldn't be catastrophising the situation considering she was given no information, and another just left there for the reader to figure out. I just don't think all readers will figure it out, which leaves a full plot point looking very untended to.

Overall, a good summer read, but one that at times make me want to strangle Fiona's parents.

Set in the summer of 1996 in a small northern town called Monkford, All the Fun of the Fair tells the story of 11-year-old Fiona Larson who is most upset that she's never been allowed to go to the annual fair, unlike all her classmates.

Fiona's older sister, Danielle, died in 1982 aged 11, before Fiona was born, and her parents, Gail (a driving instructor) and Jonathan (a postman), both aged 52, are secretive about the reasons for Danielle's death and rather protective of Fiona as a result.

We follow the build up to the fair (over 39 days) and learn about all the amusing and daft scrapes that Fiona gets herself into! She doesn't really fit in and only has one close friend, Lewis Harris, but she takes it all in her stride and makes the best of things, taking advice from her junior spy secret handbook and writing lists.

Overall, this was a funny and thought-provoking coming-of-age story! Fiona has a hard time of life for various reasons and she struggles to get her parents to communicate but she's a right character, rather quirky but clever, and her personality really shines through. It's a nostalgic and rather emotional read at times.

A brilliant coming-of-age story that fully transported me back to the 90s and to being an early teen feeling misunderstood and like an outsider. Full of nostalgia and humour but also very moving in places. Fi completely stole my heart.

Written from the point of view of Fiona Larson, a nearly 12 year old, struggling with so many ‘young people’ expectations, school, friendships, how to fit in and issues of her own self worth. All of this running alongside her natural curiosity to find out how her older sister died before she was born, which seems to be surrounded by mystery and angst. This makes the book feel overall like a YA read and for me that is what made it a 3 star.
The story is easy to read and contains some quirky, well-developed characters who move the story along. Lewis, her erstwhile best-friend, who knows her better than she realises; Sean, a fair-weather friend; the groups of girls at school; the teachers and parents.
The settings and time period were effectively and accurately described transporting back to the 90’s ‘seeing’ the variety of places clearly.
I empathised with Fiona and found myself feeling frustrated with her parents, why couldn’t they be honest with her? The reason do become clear eventually. The characters have all been carefully designed and placed to add layers and meaning to the story, which is not obvious until the last part of the book.
Addressing important issues discreetly was cleverly and subtly handled, carried along until Fiona recognises what and why.
The ending wraps up the plot well, although leaving a tease- feeling we know more than Fiona about her backstory.
An enjoyable and clever story.

A truely delightful read. I wasn't sure what to really expect from the synopsis but was drawn into it instantly and loved every moment. A beautifully, warts and all coming of age story which many, like myself, will recognise scenarios they will identify with.

I received an advanced copy of, All the Fun of the Fair, by Caroline Hulse. This is not a fun book at all. It was depressing and I did not like the characters, they were not nice to each other.