The Worlds We Leave Behind blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. The style is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman, but unfortunately not as good. The concept works well and I was genuinely interested in how plot would play out.
The negative points for me were that some of the writing was too clunky for my liking. Some of the thought processes of the kids appeared to be ways of levering some philosophical ideas into the book in an unnecessarily leaden manner. Also I'd like more time spent on the central crux of the plot and how Tommo could help.
Two stand-out characters were Missus (very clever writing around her) and Special Agent Jofolofski who I hope gets her own series of books.
Overall not bad, but not quite as good as I desperately wanted it to be

The Worlds We Leave Behindis a story about friendship, retribution, and finding the strength to face down monsters, aimed at younger readers who enjoyed Stranger Things.

Enraged at how unfair life is, Hex runs into the woods and finds himself in a strange clearing that can't possibly exist where a strange old woman offers him a deal: she'll rid the world of those who wronged him. All he has to do is accept and they'll be forgotten, forever. But what Hex doesn't know is that someone else has been offered the same deal. When Hex's best friend Tommo wakes up the next day, half-whispered memories make him think that something-or someone-is missing from his life. He sets out to find a way to put the world back the way it was, or find a way to make a new world that could be better for them all.

This book was a wonderful read on so many levels for both middle grade and older readers. It has an almost nostalgic quality that both left me confused about which decade this book is set in and respecting the timeless feel. The illustrations are beautiful and haunting and are a perfect reflection of the book's mood. It truly does evoke the atmosphere and the themes of Stranger Things and also reminds me of select Neil Gaiman's works.

I think this book could've benefitted from being longer - the page count is incredibly limited for the amount of repetition that occurs in the plot and I was desperate for some new scenes as a break from the parts I'd already read. The repetition is impactful with the events that are occurring, but I just wanted more, more development to the main characters, more reasons to care about the side characters, more scenes that weren't directly related to the main plot.

I usually try to refrain from commenting on the formatting of the eARC because I know it's not a representation of the final product, but the formatting did severely impact my reading experience. Whole paragraphs were missing in places - I can only assume that they were covered by the images - and pages appeared to be in the wrong order at one point. I look forward to having the chance to read a physical copy of this book in the future so I can appreciate the illustrations in all their glory and not feel so long about what went on in those missing sentences.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars)

An amazing collaboration from AF Harold and the illustrator Levi Pinfold. A fantastic Middle Grade book that has a classic fairy tale feel with a new twist. There is a wonderful sense of de ja vu without it ever being repetitive or boring - instead, we get a creepy sense that something isn’t quite right. Realistic characters, atmospheric settings and emotive backstories make this an excellent read.

From the beautifully haunting illustrations to the lyrical weaving of the story, I was hooked right away. Hex and Tommo are best friends and an accident with a young girl in the woods leads Hex to a strange cottage where he is given a choice to change history, to rewrite the world and people in it. But somebody else has been offered that too. Then the narrator switches to Tommo and we unpick what is happening. Mysterious, and captivating as we explore elements of the unexplained, the supernatural. I loved this story and am left with questions and musings about what deja vu really is. My first AF Harrold novel, but definitely not my last!

I love A F Harold’s books and this one didn’t disappoint. It reminded me of The Afterwards in that it deals with life without a best friend.

What would happen if you could change time and start again? If you could wipe out actions and people? Life as you know it would be different; could be better, could be worse but the thing is, you wouldn’t know before it happened.

I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I literally couldn’t put it down!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fascinating read. I really enjoyed the world that A.F.Harrold has created and the illustrations by Levi Pinfold are so intriguing to look at; I could stare at some of them for hours. Even on my kindle paperwhite, they had some much depth and detail.

The book is so thought provoking and covers themes like revenge, embarrassment and shame, not knowing how you fit into the world or why you make the decisions you make. The story is told from the point of view of several characters, all of whom have to wrestle with the consequences of their decisions. It would be a great story to discuss with Year 5 and 6 pupils, especially thinking about the question, if you could change the world, would you.

This is not my type of book! However, that said, it was pretty gripping! I wasn't totally creeped out but I suggest it's not for children with vivid imaginations. Possibly more suited to KS3 than primary, but would depend on teh child.
Monday, Hex and his best friend Tommo ride their bikes to the woods. On the way they pass Sascha, she is younger but insists on following them to the woods. they ride the rope swing and Sascha knocks Hex into the stream making his trousers wet - Sascha and Tommo laugh but Hex gets angry. He throws a stone which takes Sascha by surprise and she falls off breaking her arm. Tommo runs and leaves Hex, but when he returns Hex laughs at them all, then realises he has done the wrong thing - he runs! As he runs he sees a dog and then an old woman. She does a deal with him. But so does someone else. He doesn't complete teh deal but someone else does.
And then it all begins again but it's Tommo and Jayce who are friends. But Tommo has memories he doesn't understand. Who is the woman Tommo meets and why is she investigating the old woman?
Who is the woman? What is the deal?

The blurb of The Worlds We Leave behind really intrigued me so I really wanted to love it however, unfortunately I just didn't. I didn't find any of the main characters particularly likeable so wasn't fully invested in their journey or them staying safe. The idea was brilliant but just not for me.

A F Harrold has created another mystical and surreal tale of friendship and betrayal. The Song From Somewhere Else was an incredible tale and this new story is equally intriguing. The plot involves an accident and how friendships can be broken . Following an incident involving a young girl, Hex meets a strange lady and her dog as is offered the chance to “ remove “ those people from his life who have caused follow up problems…But unbeknownst to Hex somebody else has met this lady and has plans to also remove people for revenge. What followings is an intricate plot that needs focus and opens up all the questions about what would happen if the existence of somebody was removed in a life. A gripping tale Levi Penfold’s fantastic imagery .

I really enjoyed this read and I read it really quickly. The description perfect for teens that love stranger things was absolutely spot on. It was well written with an intriguing and engaging storyline and well developed characters that were relatable and likeable, if somewhat flawed. I couldn't put it down.