Finding Phoebe

I’ve read and loved the five previous Gavin Extence books so was excited to be granted early access to his latest, Finding Phoebe.

A Young Adult debut for Extence written for his own daughter with autism in an attempt to help her negotiate the “weird, knotty and sometimes frightening transition from childhood to adulthood.” Whilst YA is not my go to genre, my appreciation of this author was enough to tempt me in.

Essentially it’s a book about a girl with Autism navigating her way through life - friendship, school and family dynamics. A joyful tale of self discovery and growth. Funny, poignant and thought provoking. Written sensitively and with insight.

It may sound like a lazy comparison but if you liked The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, you’ll probably like this. There are parallels which I won’t call out specifically as I’d consider them spoilers.

Thank you NetGalley and Andersen Press for sending me this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

This book is so captivating. The perfect book for teenagers, and adults as well. Being a teenager growing up is difficult, being autistic adds so many difficulties. Importantly having a friend you can share things with is so important. Reading I had to get the hankies out. Thank you Gavin for writing this story for your daughter, and sharing it with everyone too. Thank you to Anderson Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.