A Gentle Start That Needs a Bit More Growth

Rebecca Emin's New Beginnings promised a story of fresh starts, personal growth, and perhaps a touch of romance or self-discovery. As a reader who enjoys uplifting and character-driven narratives, I was drawn to its hopeful title and the potential for an inspiring journey. The book certainly has a warm tone and some relatable moments.

The strengths of New Beginnings lie in its gentle approach to character development and its focus on the protagonist's journey of adapting to change. Emin creates a comfortable and accessible atmosphere, making it easy to settle into the narrative. There are moments of genuine charm and sincerity, particularly in the interactions between characters as they navigate new situations. The themes of resilience, finding one's place, and the quiet courage it takes to embrace change are explored with a certain tenderness. For readers looking for a low-stakes, comforting read, these aspects will likely be appealing.

However, despite its promising premise and pleasant tone, I found that New Beginnings didn't quite fully blossom. The pacing, while intentionally gentle, sometimes felt a little too slow and meandering, causing the narrative to lose momentum. While the focus on the protagonist's internal world is a strength, it occasionally overshadowed the plot progression, making the story feel less driven. I also found that the emotional impact, while present in glimpses, didn't consistently land with the depth I had hoped for. The conflicts, when they arose, often felt resolved a little too easily, preventing a deeper sense of catharsis or significant character growth.

Overall, New Beginnings is a pleasant and easy read that offers a comforting escape. It's a solid choice for those who appreciate quiet, character-focused stories about personal journeys and overcoming small hurdles. While it didn't quite reach its full potential to be a truly memorable or impactful read for me, it's a well-intentioned story that will likely appeal to readers seeking a more serene and hopeful narrative.

while I thought the writing style was flat and the storyline felt incomplete, I do think this is a well done book in that it creates a young girls perspective well in showcasing how kids respond to bullying. I think it’s a great addition to any library collection for that reason

I honestly did not read word for word I allowed my teenage daughter to be the critic. She wasnt enthralled but she said it was "OK" . well in teenage language that means it was pretty darn good.

Sam isn't enjoying her new school, because she has no friends, not one. But there are bullies, who trouble and make her feel horrible.

Thankfully she finds two girls who get along well with her.

Things turn worst when the bullies in her class cross their limits and hurt her.

She is helpless and confused. The rest of the story is about how she learns to fight back with the help of internet, friends and family. Great book as most students face bullying in school and are unaware of the ways to stop it.

The story progress really slowly but stays interesting all the way.

Sadly, I really didn't like this book. It seems to be mistakenly tagged as YA on Goodreads, but is really not (much more appropriately tagged here as children's/middle grade). I felt like nothing happened and there was so much potential. The characters (especially the MC) was almost artificially happy - I don't know any 12 year old kid that is that happy. She was almost portrayed as 'perfect' which was not only very boring, but also very unrealistic.

This is my first read by Rebecca Emin, it is targeted at YA and covers the strong subject of bullying.
Sam Hendry, comes across as a lovely normal polite, down to earth girl. Sam is 11 years old and with a passion for singing and acting, Sam has just left primary school and is not settled or happy at her posh new school. Sam is being bullied by Molly and her crew. As things get worse for Sam she decides to write everything down in a note book so she has a timeline when the time is right to confide in someone about Molly. I think this book has been handled sensitively and it was nice to see Sam making close friends with other people including hot Nathan. This wasnt totally focused on the bullying aspect which was nice as we saw Sam attending out of school clubs and going on a holiday with her family. Sam also used the internet to read up on bullying sites, which was an added useful tool as this could help somebody reading with simular problems to Sam. I felt this was being told from a younger persons point of view, which is so rightly should be as we are reading the story of an 11 year old. Great work from Rebecca Emin, looking forward to reading the next book.