'Steady for This' is hilarious and surprisingly full of heart. I think it is fantastic to see the 'real' side of UK teenagers today, with relatable experiences and pressures. This book is a world away from a lot of the 'elite boarding school' trends we are seeing for YA books at the moment (as much as I love them!), and follows a protagonist who faces stress at school and at home in many different ways. The fact that Nathanael Lessore manages to inject so much comedy into a story that addresses some very hard-hitting social issues, is a testament to his writing skills and the authenticity of his storytelling.
The theme of 'true friendship' runs strong in 'Steady for This', and it is brilliant to see male friendship (and ideas of masculinity) explored in such non-toxic and heart-warming ways.
I had heard Nathanael read from and talk about this book before I read it, so I was not surprised by how genuinely funny it is, but I was surprised by how moving it is. It deserves all the awards it is currently being nominated for!!

I loved this book and our main character Growls. I laughed out loud and cried at times with this ultimately uplifting story that covers a wide range of serious topics.

Following Shaun AKA Growls in his quest to become an online rap sensation and date the popular girl at school we see what happens when things don't quite go to plan in a big way.

The entire cast of characters was so well put together that I didn't want this book to end. Highly recommend.

One of the very few books that have made me laugh out loud. In public. On a bus! Such a great voice - a diverse Adrian mole for our times.

Really slow starter.

Nearly put it down as I couldn't get into it, which put me in a reading slump. But I wanted to finish it so carried on.

The ending was really good.

I think it was just the writing style that put me off but it's because it's wrote like the character talks. Which isn't the best as he thinks he's all that and some big rapper that he doesn't talk properly 🤣.

I enjoyed the story overall though that's why I put it at 4 stars instead of 3.

This was given to me as an earc from Netgalley.

I am certainly not the target audience for this book as a 35 year old mother of 2 under 5. However I did mostly enjoyed this book. The characters grew on me as the plot developed. It is sad, funny, reflective and relevant to the current world. It certainly has a different style of writing and slangs that I don’t understand (perhaps culturally different and too old to learn?), however I read through the entire book in the rhythm of rap, or like long long rhyme.

I was really unsure of the book due to not understanding the slangs and style of writing thus making it a bumpy read where I need to pause and think about what I’m reading rather than just absorbing the words like a sponge. However the more I read, the easier it became and I’m left to enjoy the child-like joy and endearment amongst the characters. I’m glad I read through the book and did not give up, will recommend this to teens!

This book was an absolute delight to read, being full of clever wordplay and very likeable characters.
It features the very lovable, but not always very bright, Shaun, aka Growls the rapper, as he goes through a difficult period of his life. He has support from various people who can see him for the loyal friend that he is.
He is also a natural and talented rapper and finds encouragement as he develops his skills.
There is plenty of humour in the situations Growls finds himself in, but Lessore also writes very sensitively when the circumstances calls for it.
Street language is used throughout the book as this is Growls natural parlance. This could be a challenge for younger readers so, for this reason, I would recommend this to year 8+. It would be a great read for readers outgrowing a certain diary series.

Had a lot of fun, loved the characters and the plot. A coming of age story full of humour and well plotted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Good afternoon, unfortunately I have not received a copy of this book so am unable to give a full review as I have not been able to read and review it. Thank you.

Really enjoyed the humour in this and the relationship between the two boys. Written in an appealing easy-going style.

So, I am always looking for books that will appeal to my teenage son - when I told him about this he wasn't interested, then as he heard me laugh out loud - a lot - whilst I read it, he told me to hurry up so he could read it!
Growls is a great character: sweet, thoughtful and talented. One of the best young characters I have come across is a while. It's so refreshing to read a book aimed at young teens that isn't about gangs, drugs and sex. This is about a teen lad just trying to fit in and make his dream of becoming a famous rapper come true. There is an important message throughout and it deals with issues such as poverty, homelessness and mental health.

As soon as I felt comfortable we were laughing WITH not AT Growls — the lovely main character of this book — I devoured it in a couple of days, laughing out loud more times than I can count. Growls really is the sweetest and most original character I’ve met in a while, and his authentic voice will be a breath of fresh air for teen (/all) readers. The story deals with plenty of big issues in the background; poverty, racism, housing insecurity, young carers, but it’s mainly about a kid who’s a bit different, learning how to be his best self and to celebrate his talents. And it’s about loving your mates and falling in love, and rapping and family — all the good stuff!

I loved the banter between Growls and Shanks. I also really liked the metaphors that were used perfectly throughout the story. The dialogue between the 2 characters was completely on point as well.

I like that Shaun (Growls) had a role model in his English teacher. Someone who could point out the cruelties in the world when it comes to race, but also someone who could encourage positive change.

It was so much fun and certainly unique. It touched on very prominent topics without being too heavy. I think it is also really unique compared to other books on the market and will appeal to the target audience.

I am hoping there will be a sequel because I loved Growls, Shanks and Siobhan.

As soon as I felt comfortable we were laughing WITH not AT Growls — the lovely main character of this book — I devoured it in a couple of days, laughing out loud more times than I can count. Growls really is the sweetest and most original character I’ve met in a while, and his authentic voice will be a breath of fresh air for teen (/all) readers. The story deals with plenty of big issues in the background; poverty, racism, housing insecurity, young carers, but it’s mainly about a kid who’s a bit different, learning how to be his best self and to celebrate his talents. And it’s about loving your mates and falling in love, and rapping and family — all the good stuff! Would be a great book to re-engage readers who drop out of the habit when they hit Year 7, although it’s a brilliant, funny, full-of-heart read for anyone. Definitely recommended!

Steady For This follows the story of Shaun "MC Growls" an aspiring rapper who is dying to impress Tanisha, the girl of his dreams. When a practice session goes wrong on livestream for a competition, Tanisha won't even look at Growls. How can he remedy the situation to make Tanisha look at him again?

This is a really funny, comedic debut from Nathanael Lessore. Something that immediately grabs my attention as a reader is the writing style. It's a dialectic Gen Z slang of today's youth, it's fast paced and natural, adds so well to the humour of Growls's infamy after the hiccup of the livestream practice. He's a larger than life character with big dreams who is a glass half full kinda guy.

It's refreshing to read a story written in this way, using the modern language. While it may be harder to understand for older readers, for those who struggle to get into reading, I'd recommend this to any teen.

Really did enjoy this book, it was such an easy read so I ended up reading it in one sitting.
It is aimed at YA, but as a 41 year old, I really enjoyed reading this, it was a laugh our loud story. But it also touches on poverty, social housing, peer pressure, self image etc

A teenage boy who aspires to be a famous rapper finds new motivation to pursue his dreams when his family are in danger of being evicted

Aspiring rapper Shaun (aka Growls) wants to enter an MC battle with his best friend and is busy pursuing a dream date with disinterested classmate Tanisha, who fails to be impressed when he shows up for their first date with his buddy in tow, no money for the cinema tickets and snacks in the form of some yoghurts from his fridge at home. When he and his friend are humiliated by a viral video that gets shown around school, he finds himself isolated and at a loose end with his rap dreams hanging in the balance, and the threat of he and his family being evicted from their home as his mother struggles to pay the bills. But a ray of sunshine appears in the form of a new girl who he develops a very sweet friendship with - she has her own issues but shows Shaun how life can be different and encourages him to enter the rap battle as a solo artist and improbably, this all turns out a great success.
This was a really good read - warm, funny & often quite emotional read with an endearing character, a wholesome romantic sub-plot & a few genuine laugh-out-loud moments and Shaun's constant malapropisms and quirky take on life are genuinely amusing. Really enjoyable read

‘Steady For This’ is a modern book written for young teens using youth language and slang. I’m obviously not its intended audience, being as ancient as I am, but it was still really amusing and gave me serious ‘Adrian Mole’ vibes at times.

The story follows Shaun ‘Growls’ Thompson after a seriously embarrassing incident involving him and his best friend Shanks. Now the girl he fancies won’t have anything to do with him and Shanks is ill in hospital. On top of this, his family is about to get evicted from their council estate flat and his ‘evil’ mum is always out of food and busy working.

Luckily Growls meets a new friend who helps him navigate his problems and gradually he discovers what’s really important to him until a plan is hatched to help save his family from being evicted.

Overall this is a really good book that covers many important social issues that kids face these days. It’s funny, light and entertaining but it’s message is strong. Life isn’t about the insta bling bling lifestyle, it’s about surrounding yourself with love and support and nurturing those who provide that for you; because all relationships are a two way street and everyone has their own problems that they need help with. Ignore the haters and concentrate on those around you who really care.

I would definitely recommend this book for pre-teens and early teens and maybe even adults that want a fun read. It promotes healthy friendships, talking about your problems and realising that toxic peers shouldn’t have any impact on the things that matter.

Unfortunately I had a kindle ARC version of this to read and the formatting was terrible. It made it extremely hard to follow at times. I assume this has been/will be fixed but I mention it just in case.

Really loved this one as ir tackles massive issues deftly. Loved the characters and the story, it was good to see a 'normal' kids life represented in a fiction book, the reality of the mcs life was intriguing. Growls was such a good character.

I was really excited to see this book. I have been struggling to find books for KS3 boys who are stuck on Wimpy Kid. This looked as though it would fit the bill and would go down particularly well at my school after our recent author visit from rapper poet Karl Nova

.I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I have to admit, at first I was thinking there were some errors in the book, like missing words, before I realised it was Growls way of speaking. Growls is a great character - likeable, with a rather naive view of things. The book has plenty of humour ( shout out date with Tanisha and that livestream).but some serious topics are covered too as Growls faces the loss of his home and his friends face problems too. For me, it also ties in well with our recent author visit- what is it with rappers and Mufasa? There's malapropisms galore too

.I highly recommend this book. I can't wait to get it into our library.

This was pure joy! A novel bursting with heart, which tackles massive issues super deftly.

In all honesty I wasn't sure initially, I think because I was expecting YA and to me this is much, more like MG, so I was kind of wrong-footed, but once I'd adjusted I fell in love with the characters and the story, and didn't want it to end.

It's so good to see 'normal' kid life represented in fiction - I know a lot of the time it's hard to get 'reality' past the gatekeepers in publishing, but when it does make it through it shines - Growls' story will resonate with so many young readers and there's so much they can learn from him while they're having a laugh with him.

Proper thrilled to have read this, I won't forget Growls anytime soon!