Wild Ground

An excellent story of first love in a terrible upbringing. With clear parallels to Juno loves Legs, this is a more gritty account of abuse and drugs as two teenagers try to come to terms with loss and neglect in their childhood. I loved the characters and couldn't put this book down for wanting to find out what happens to them. Overall a sad but uplifting tale with just enough ambiguity at the end to keep you wondering...
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Oh wow. This was a gem of a book. From the get go, I knew I’d love this. The setting is so close to where I now call home that I felt connected to the backdrop and the familiar accents and people. There’s a darkness running throughout this book, keeping you on edge and hoping and praying that the characters make the right choices. The story is something I’ve seen time and time again in people I used to know, it hits so close to home and is so real and raw.

Usher doesn’t shy away from the painful truths of poverty, racism and abuse. Despite it all, there’s so much hope and love. I absolutely adored Neef, or rather Jen’s, story. Her longing for love and acceptance was something I think everyone can relate to, and I’m so happy she got to feel that warmth eventually. Danny was so beautifully broken, in a way that’s often hard to convey in writing, but Usher manages it brilliantly. There’s an ache between these two characters, one that leaves the reader feel heartbroken for them both.

The entire book is brimming with emotion and humanity. I simply adored it, even though it was a tough read, it was done so well that I’ve come away feeling light. And I love the spotlight on the North. Simply mesmerising.

"Wild Ground" by Emily Usher is such a special book. Some have likened it to "Normal People" but whilst I found that and the characters trivial, "Wild Ground" really goes for the heart and once it has hold, it won't let go. Neef and Danny are such likeable characters and they have a great friendship set against the background of their troubled family. You can see the slow decline coming in both their personal lives and relationship but yet you read on clinging for that small seed of hope.