I have been interested in reading one of Heathfield's books for a while now, so I was very happy when I got approved for this. This book really struck me and I've thought about it quite a lot since finishing it. Paper Butterflies is an extremely heavy read, but an important one too. It may be too much for some people, but I think that shows just how good of a book it is. You really become connected with June throughout the story, so much so that her life almost becomes yours for the period of time. A haunting read.

In an almost Cinderella-esque story, June is living a nightmare with her step-sister and step-mother following her mothers death. When June meets Blister and becomes part of a normal family dynamic, she finds hope and an escape from her everyday life. 

The one thing I hate in the world is people being treated badly. So this book was so difficult for me to read, but it opens my eyes to something that I know goes on, but I choose to turn a blind eye to. Every now and then, it brings you back down to earth to remind yourselves what some people in the world are going through, no matter how much it breaks your heart. 

This book surprised me, broke my heart, and allowed me to experience a great deal of empathy for our main character. It shows how quickly things can spiral downwards if you don't speak up. I would recommend reading this book, as it may encourage you to help others around you if you know something similar could be happening to them.

It's rare for a book to make me emotional. For it to be as disturbing as it is beautiful. But this book took all of my emotions, churned them all up and stamped on them for good measure. It's dark, upsetting and made me feel angry at the injustice and sick to my stomach all at once. For a single book, with quite a simple story, to be that powerful it has to be something special. 

Read this when you're in a good place. It's hard hitting. You live the life of June, through her eyes as a child and later as she grows up, as her step-mother physically and emotionally tears her apart. Where her father blindly enjoys his wonderful family life without truly seeing her. And where her step-sister helps the torture continue, not only by assisting her mother but by encouraging school bullies to hurt June too. 

I can't express how angry this book made me - more so at June's father for being so ignorant to June's cries for help and suffering, rather than at her disturbing step mother. Whilst what Kathleen did to June included some absolutely abhorrent things, this author does a great job of showing that neglect and abuse runs much deeper than this - how must it feel to ask for help, or tell the truth and have your father disbelieve or discredit you? The frustration at this filled me with up to bursting point - even her teachers failed to advocate for her. It's the kind of book that makes you want to scream at the characters and ask questions of yourself. 

The most interesting thing for me about this novel was Megan, June's step sister, and the complexity of her role in June's abuse as a child herself. This was intricate and much more interesting than it appears on the surface - I longed to try to understand her and delve into the domino effect this must have had on her too; complex issues like this kept me reading well into the night. Equally, I liked that such a dark book had areas of light - June finds a boy she connects with and becomes entwined with his family throughout. I became so invested in June and her well being that I felt like I was her - I was totally immersed. And to see those happy moments, and June having a chance to be part of a unit, was sobering.

The plot is interesting considering it's a topic that has been overdone in various ways before; I liked the twists and genuinely didn't see most of it coming! I absolutely recommend this book, but be prepared to lose yourself entirely to June's life for a few hours; it's impossible to let her go without knowing if she made it out okay in the end. 

This book was provided to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book a real page turner from start to end I highly recommend

This book absolutely floored me!
I was only going to read the first chapter to get a feel for the book and then "BOOM!" it grabbed me and didn't let me go until the very last page. This book has been only of the best books I have read in a long time, breaking my heart, taping it up and then breaking it all over again. 
I stayed up all night to finish it, crying my eyes out when June was treated worse then a dog, rejoicing when she found happiness and then devastation at the incident that separates before and after.
Fell in love with June and Blister. There's is a romance to be envied and aspired to.
ALL. THE. FEELS.
Love it.

To open this book is to step into a disturbing world – June’s world. June is a young girl who lives with her step-mother and step-sister. Her dad lives there too, except he’s away a good deal, working. June’s mother died, she drowned. 

Bad things happen all the time to June, it’s as if everybody is plotting against her. Then she meets a boy, Blister, and suddenly there is a bright spot in her life, something to look forward to and to protect. 

Much of the time I found this hard to read, uncomfortable in the extreme. But the writing is good and I’d quickly become invested in the fate of the lead character – I ploughed on. And I’m glad I did, it’s a book that packs a real punch. I knew there had to be a twist but when it came it wasn’t what I was expecting.

An excellent and impactful story that had me chasing through the last few pages holding my breath. One to catch if you’re up for an uncomfortable but rewarding short read.

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield absolutely broke me.  I thought that I was emotionally prepared to handle this book, as I knew beforehand that it covered quite a heavy subject matter, but ... no. I wasn't.  I was completely knocked over by this book. In short, I was destroyed. But only in the best possible way.  Because while this book is heavy, it is heart-breaking and achingly sad ... it's also really beautiful. And hopeful. And that more than anything shone through as I was reading this book. 

Paper Butterflies is June's story. And she tells the story in her own, flicking between chronological events as well as some time in the future where it feels like these two parts are distinctly a before and after but we're not sure what has happened in between.  And right from the first page, I fell in love with June. I felt for her, sure.  Lisa Heathfield dunks us immediately into a horrible situation as June has already started learning ways to survive her horrible childhood home with her father who isn't able to believe his new wife and stepdaughter can be so cruel and inhumane to June. We read of incident after incident of horrible child abuse against June. We witness numerous ways in which June faces acts of absolute cruelty.  But June finds comfort and hope in little things, big things, her friendship with Blister, the boy in the woods. But with that hope can June find freedom?

As I said, June broke my heart. And Lisa Heathfield so skillfully dismantled my heart. I'm not always so 'happy' when authors choose to describe child abuse/cruelty in as much detail as Lisa Heathfield does in Paper Butterflies but at the same time I also appreciated the fact that the author describes psychological abuse as well as other forms of abuse other than a standard form of psychical abuse. I think that a lot of child abuse narratives focus too narrowly on one type of abuse that it was interesting to read of other forms.

I think one of the reasons this book made such an impact on me personally is how rage-inducing several elements are. Obviously that June suffers at the hands of those meant to protect her. But also how little help or support June has available to her. Her father doesn't or chooses not to see. But so do teachers and other adults in June's life that are meant to be there for her.

Another reason I loved this book so much are the relationships. Obviously June and Blister's is the emotional heart of the novel. Blister and his family provide a ray of light in June's life that was very much necessary. I half fell in love with them all as I was reading. But aside from this simple friendship I also found all of the other, more complicated relationships to be fascinating as well, particularly June and her step-sister.

Paper Butterflies is such an incredible book, one that will stay with me for a very long time. It's painful and beautiful all at the same time and if you're up for it, I say give this one a chance.