While this is not my usual genre, I am a big Kerry Wilkinson fan for his psychological thrillers and I decided to give TRULY MADLY AMY a go...just because it's Kerry. And I tried to like it...I really did. But I couldn't. I couldn't connect to the characters and I felt like Joe and Amy (and everyone else) were in some kind of alternate universe and I was looking in at something I truly couldn't fathom or get a grip on. I don't know if it's an age thing or that I grew up in a different generation or even a completely different country. In 1999 I was approaching 30 and life as a 16 year old then was a far cry from what it was like when I was 16. I also never had summer camps, never partook in underage drinking and first love for me didn't happen till I was about 19 or 20. The seventies and eighties were the background for my childhood and adolescence...the nineties are different altogether.

TRULY MADLY AMY is described as a coming of age story and I guess it is and it follows Joe going from mid-teens to adulthood and all the situations in which he finds himself. He reluctantly accepts a job at a local summer camp as an assistant counsellor (which I think is a bit of a misnomer and should just be called assistants as counsellors require some form of training and thus the givers of advice and therapy...not the type of role given here). He is still grieving the loss of his dad two years previous and his home life is nothing short of miserable, especially as the only other sane one within those walls is his elder sister who packs up and leaves home within his first week at summer camp. Leaving him to deal with his difficult mother. He was cited as having "anger problems" and is now having to deal with being screamed at by hyperactive ten year olds. It's almost enough to make him give up on day one. Almost.

Then he meets Amy Ashworth. Her black hair shining in the sun. Her laughter that lights up her eyes. Her smile that makes his heart melt. And Joe learns that nothing hits harder than first love.

Amy fascinates and frightens him. And yet she is the first person he has felt anything for and it overwhelms and consumes him. He experiences many firsts with Amy from parties to kisses under the stars, but then what is left of his family is fractured into pieces, he isn't sure how he and Amy will survive.

Personally, I didn't like either Joe or Amy...or pretty much anyone else in the story. I felt nothing for any of them, felt no connection to them, and I doubt I will remember anything more about them upon closing the book. I made it 30% of the way through before giving up and skimming to the final chapter to see how it ended...and was left in confusion because I had missed all that happened in between. But I really didn't care to go back and find out. TRULY MADLY AMY will just have to be one of those books I tried but couldn't.

I am not really a fan of coming of age stories or young adult fiction. I only decided to check it out as I am fan of the authors psychological thrillers which are far more my thing...that and the fact I love his sense of humour and always appreciate his witty quips he tosses into his books. TRULY MADLY AMY was touted as being hilarious as well as heartwarming and all that but apart from a few witty words, I could find none of the sense of humour I was loosing forward to.

That's not to say that TRULY MADLY AMY is not well-written or a great read. For many, it is and from what I see of reviews it has been. But it's not for me and while I am glad I did give it a go stepping out of my usual comfort zone, it wasn't for me. But well done Kerry Wilkinson and hats off for a going a completely different road than usual. It shows versatility and flexibility as a writer as well as great talent.

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TrulyMadlyAmy in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Gosh I love Joe and Amy. They are adorable.

Joe is a bit of a lost sole. He’s a good kid just hangs around with the wrong guys and subsequently is known as a bit of a bully. While waiting for exam results, his sister hooks him up with a summer job as a caretaker at a 6 week camp for 10-12 year olds. This is where he meets Amy.

This book was so cute, I liked that it was told from the perspective of a 16 year old male rather than the typical female point of view. Truely, Madly, Amy is definitely a YA/coming of age novel that reminded me of all the firsts you experience as a teenager. The characters are at that weird limbo age where you’re not quite an adult but you are certainly not a kid anymore. The emotions are raw and real and both main characters carry their own baggage and spend the summer on a journey to find out who they truely are.

This was a quick read that’s got a bit of everything, family dynamics, mental health, grief, relationships, underage drinking, sex, and neglect. Worth the read.

This book was advertised as a feel good romance novel and being honest I didn't really feel like it was. There was a lot of triggering topics in the book which include underage drinking and drugs and also of depression and also mental breakdown. I spent most of the book worrying what Joe's mum would do next.

I felt really disappointed with the ending as well as I really did want things to turn around for Joe as he dealt with so much more than a 16 boy should of dealt with, but then again people treated him like he was a young child. A 16 year old understands a lot more than you give credit for.

Written from Joe’s viewpoint, it tells the story of Joe meeting Amy on his first day helping out at a local residential camp for young teenagers. He’s a teenager himself and the first impression is that he’s not particularly mature and the reader has to hold back judgement on whether he’s a nice kid or not. He hangs around with mates, all male, and is cajoled into working at the summer camp “so he can put it on his cv. “ With no father and a dysfunctional mother the family is held together by his no-nonsense sister Michelle who works locally as a car mechanic.
Joe and Amy’s relationship builds up slowly and they learn about each other and enjoy each other’s company rather than anything else. They feel like typical teenagers who don’t have lots going for them. Amy hopes to be at university after the holiday whereas Joe is just hoping to get a job. So can anything come of it? The plot turns are not thrillers but are familiar scenarios and there is some built in suspense about what will happen to Joe in the end. The ending is good but I don’t want to say more as it will spoil it.
I do think it sometimes is a little thin on details. The camp procedures wouldn’t be so casual in lots of ways but that lack of detail maybe fits in with Joe's narrative- teenage boys are probably not that bothered about health and safety, security or child protection.
Overall a gentle slow building book, like Joe and Amy’s romance, building up over time, but a lovely read overall.

I really loved this book. I think it is something we can all relate to, summer camps from our youth. I felt really sorry for Joe. He loves his mam and sister and seems to have taken on the father figure role.

I really enjoy Kerry Wilkinsons books especially the Jessica Daniels series, so was intrigued to see how his step into romance went, well I was pleasantly surprised, this is a lovely story about Joe who in the summer of 1999 helps out at a summer camp where he meets Amy. The story is set over the six weeks of the camp and sees Joe fall in love, make new friends who help him realise that his past mistakes don’t have to define him. This is a beautifully written coming of age story that I defiantly recommend reading.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I have read all of Kerry Wilkinson's books, and loved every one. This is no exception, even though it is a bit different to his other books.
A great coming of age story revolving mostly with young Joe & Amy who meet at summer camp.
This is a story of discovery. Discovering yourself, discovering family secrets and discovering new friends, and new love.
A perfect summer read.

4 Nostalgic Summer Stars! ☀️

Title: Truely Madly Amy
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Narrator: Joe Jameson
Story Rating: 4/5
Audio Rating: 4/5

📖 why you need to read this book!

• The book is jammed packed with nostalgic summer vibes.
• The summer camp setting was great.
• there really is nothing sweeter than first love!
• Joe and Amy are likable relatable characters.


🎧 why you need to listen to this book!
• I just love when a book set in the UK is told to me in an English accent.


This was a fun feel good coming of age summer read. I would say it is more of a book about Joe finding himself than a romance, but The innocence of first love is definitely present. I’ve seen other reviews that mention that there was “excessive teenage drinking“ in the story. I have no idea what the drinking age is in the UK, but as an American I didn’t find it excessive, just realistic. This is a very sweet summer story that will make you smile and want to fall in love for the first time again!💜

*** Big thank you to Bookouture & Bookouture Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Truly madly Amy told a story of two souls a summer longing their blossoming heart. It shows the main character Joe's life his family, friends, problems, and lessons he learned from that summer. And specially his relationship with Amy how it started and what happened after that summer.

Truly madly Amy  also proves that one summer can change you and how there is a promise you had never broken.

This book is truly heartwarming and well written I like how it mentions Little Women and lastly it has short chapters.

I thought this book was a sweet depiction of young love in the summertime and made me reminisce on my own time working at a summer camp as a counselor. The writing style reminded me a bit of Sally Rooney's work in the way the plot built up and focused heavily on the simple relationship between Joe and Amy. I would have liked for things to have moved faster at times since it felt like we didn't really get to know Amy until halfway through the book, even though her name was in the title.

I have read several of Kerry’s books in the thriller genre and loved every one so was interested to read this style of book. I loved the storyline, it was so well written and such a lovely coming of age story. I highly recommend this book and author. I look forward to reading more in this genre by Kerry

The writing style is great and it's fantastically written. A wonderful story, beautifully told. I absolutely tore through it! A sparkling, joyful read! Loved it so much got the audiobook!

Truly, Madly, Amy is my first book by this author. I am familiar with her work though and know that she typically writes crime/thrillers.

This was a sweet coming of age story. Lovely and honest. Joe and Amy as well as their friends are wonderful characters as we follow them through 6 weeks of summer camp and how it changes their trajectory.

I tend to enjoy his psychological thrillers, so of course I couldn't resist adding Truly, Madly, Amy to see how he would tackle the romance genre. Taking on different genres can be tricky to do and it's not something every author can pull off, but this story has proven to me that Kerry Wilkinson is one of them. I confess that I usually skim over the blurb when it's a title by a known author, so the fact that this story is in fact a coming of age romance with a YA vibe came a bit as a surprise... Once I got used to the idea, I ended up having a great time with Truly, Madly, Amy though.

The story is mainly set during the summer of 1999; especifically the six weeks where the main character Joe works at a local summer camp and meets his first love Amy. The setting has that nostalgic feel with many nods to what it was like back in the 1990s; I was a bit younger than the main characters in 1999, but it was still something that I could really appreciate. I do have to say that the underage, excessive drinking and (basically) alcohol abuse was a bit too much for me; I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I wasn't a fan of the blatant way it was described and done by the characters.

Truly, Madly, Amy is a story about first love, but it also incorporates a variety of different topics including friendship, growing up, bullying, family issues and mental health. The main character Joe doesn't have an easy home life, and it was intriguing to learn more about his past as well as seeing how he slowly changed over those six weeks. The different elements added extra dept to the story, and I much preferred them over the actual romance. While sweet, it went from lust to love a bit too fast; Amy's character itself was great, but I liked her more for how she helped Joe's character grow than the romance itself.

The writing style is once again solid, although I did have slight issues with the pace in some points and I did feel the story was a bit overlong. Truly, Madly, Amy is mostly character-driven and focuses on Joe's growth over those six weeks as well as the changing relationships with the people in his life. The 1999 summer camp setting was great, and the story definitely had that nostalgic feel for me. All in all a solid read if you like your YA romance and coming of age stories well balanced with a bunch of different elements.

A huge shock how much I enjoyed this book! I liked the description so I wanted to read it but I had a little trouble with some of the more English references. It is played out very dramatically but then I remembered how dramatic I was at 16 and it made more sense and also the author typically writes mystery and sci-fi so that also explained it. This was a really good read, some parts of gets very deep. Touches heavily on mental health and how our parents heavily effect our lives as children/teenagers. Overall I was thoroughly impressed by this book and I’m glad I read it. If only to now know to never flash a peace sign to a British person.

This book is advertised as a YA romance book, and it IS in part a romance, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a true coming of age book about a summer that changes the direction of Joe’s life while he works at a summer camp for 6 weeks.

Things I enjoyed about this book:

✨ I enjoyed the story centered around Joe’s family more than the actual romance story line. Joe’s dad is dead, his mom is in a bad mental state and his sister has moved out leaving Joe with a difficult home life. Watching this family heal and stick together was at times more compelling than other parts of the story. I was rooting for this family.
✨ The complicated relationship Joe has with his friends was one of the best parts of this book. I loved Joe for realizing his friends weren’t good for him anymore, but understood how hard and complicated it is to break ties with people that have been there for you at the hardest time of your life. Joe has been a bully in the past and is learning to accept responsibility for his past actions. I think this is such a realistic part of growing up and it was such a good part of this book.
✨I loved the themes of forgiveness, acceptance and healing. There were some really great messages about how past mistakes don’t have to define you.
✨ The relationship between Amy and Charlotte (one of the campers) was precious and so sweet!

Things I struggled with;
✨ There was a LOT of underage drinking in this book and it made me really uncomfortable. It wasn’t just hanging out and drinking but multiple establishments serving kids to dangerous levels of intoxication. I hated that - it was@portrayed like such a normal and expected part of growing up and I don’t think it has to be.
✨ I hate when people don’t think characters can handle the truth. The secrets that the family kept from Joe frustrated me.
✨the romance was only ok. It did get better as the book progressed. But I guess its pretty typical of young love -
Wild, intense and fast. I guess it just felt more like lust and fascination than real love.
It did get better as the book moved along.

Overall, a good summer read. I enjoyed it - just didn’t love

A coming of age story. Lovely and honest. Joe and Amy as well as their friends are wonderful characters as we follow them through 6 weeks of summer camp and how it changes their trajectory.

Kerry Wilkinson never ceases to amaze me!
Having read almost everything this author has written when i saw the cover and title of this book my first thought was ? bit unusual, hope I'm not going to be disappointed. Well i certainly wasn't.
A tale of first love but with a good insight into a somewhat difficult life at home, previously and in the present.
Kerry has the gift of writing about people we know and/or understand and always with some humour thrown in even when its a difficult or tense situation.

An extremely enjoyable read which i highly recommend.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

✨Book review✨
Truly, Madly, Amy
By Kerry Wilkinson

This is the second book I have read by this Author, having read The Boyfriend, which was a thriller, back in May. Loved it!

Wilkinson does it again, but this time with a Romance!
Truly, Madly, Amy is a book about first love. It transported me back to my very first summer of love.

This book also deals with topics of the loss of a parent, depression, and use of alcohol.

When an Author can write successfully in various genres, I’m a happy camper 🤣

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I found this to be a really great emotional read, it comes out on July 21st. I recommend checking this one out!

QOTD: Did you go to summer camp as a kid?

Thanks so much to @netgalley and @bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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When someone mentions an author’s name, you often are able to name the genre they write straight away. That’s of course because they are very good at what they do and have become famous. An then sometimes you see a cover and you have to look twice. Is this really the same author or is there someone else with the same name, because the genre they have written now is totally different from what you are used to seeing. And yes, it’s them and you are curious to find out if the are as good in this genre too.

I enjoy this author’s stories a lot and I was looking forward to find out whether he could enchant me with this book as well.

Well, I guess when you really like an author, it does not matter which genre they write. You love them for their storytelling and a great storyteller can tackle any genre, right?

Hands up if you remember your first love. I guess it’s not something you ever can forget. Maybe you still see that person around sometimes. Maybe you even remained friends or maybe they are your other half now or you might have lost sight of them completely. I know I sometimes feel myself going back to those carefree days, cherishing those moments and feeling no regrets.

First love. This is what happens when Joe meets Amy at summer camp. I love the way their story was built up slowly and how it changed both of them. Did they stay together? Did they go separate ways? That is for you to find out, but I am sure you will fall in love with their story.

It was fun, heart breaking, heart warming and lovely. 5 stars

Thank you