I don’t usually read books like this, I normally read animal stories or crime, but I enjoyed Chicken and Chips more than I expected.

The story kept me interested all the way through and I didn’t find any boring parts. It flowed really well and there were always things happening, so I stayed engaged from start to finish.

It was interesting reading from the point of view of a 14-year-old boy, as I’m not one myself. Jake felt like a realistic character, especially with the mix of normal teenage stuff like friends and girls, alongside what was going on at home.

The book focuses a lot on Jake’s dad and his alcoholism, and how it affects Jake, his mum and his sister. I thought this was shown well, especially the difference between how his dad is when he’s sober compared to when he’s drunk.
Jake’s sister has learning difficulties, which I would have liked to see explored a bit more, especially as I have personal experience of this.

The ending surprised me. Jake’s dad dies, and Jake says that he and his mum don’t have to worry about him anymore now he’s gone. It felt sad but also kind of relieving at the same time.

Overall, this was an interesting and engaging read, even though it’s not the type of book I’d normally choose.

Strong 4.5 stars

Review written by Ava-Mai aged 14

A powerfully insightful work which does not shrink from dealing with intense issues. it might be too intense for some YA readers, but in general it's going to be pretty good. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This tackles difficult subjects sensitively, but in a voice that teens will definitely be able to relate to. It felt very real, with a hint of wry humour to alleviate the dark subject matter. In some ways, it was difficult to fully engage with the story, as the protagonist isn't the one driving the story forward. I can see how that's the right choice, since it conveys his powerlessness around the adults in his life who are letting him down, but it still made it harder for me to relate.

It's great to see a book aimed at the 13 - 15 demographic: they are way under-represented!

This was certainly very dark like there are a lot of themes that make it welllllll not a very ya book or at least one for mature readers.
Which reminds me of
tw- alcohol abuse, sexual assault, violence

We fall in step with the story of Jake, your around-the-corner misfit who's dad is a raging alcoholic, which, naturally, gives rise to a host of "issues" in his personality (anger management being one of them).

Now, I would like to highlight here, that Jake is by no means a very good protagonist. He is flawed and has a whole menu of faults, but he is unflinchingly real. I could see the fourteen-year-old struggling with his life becuz of a sad who wouldn't stop his substance abuse, under the surface. This family dynamic, also gave rise to a lot of bullying.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏

Bullying is another major aspect of the book. Particularly, extreme bullying and the tendency of the figures of authority to ignore said bullying. It broke my heart to see these young kids being bullied and yes, being violated by their peers (LIKE FR DUDE WHY DOES NOBODY LOCK THESE BULLIES UP IT PISSES ME OFF SO BAD).

Throughout the book, Jake is not only supposed to fend for himself and his family against the raging alcoholic that is their dad, but also grapple with the uncertainties posed by these bullies.

𓎢𓎠𓎟𓎠𓎡

Frequently, Jake muses "why do I have to take care of him, he's supposed to take care of me. He's the dad". And honestly it was such a raw emotion. Because of how real it was. His frustration at just not being understood and anger at his dad for being a raging bumbum was something that eased me into his story.

His relationship with his dad is a complicated one. Ofc he hated him. He layed his hand on his mom, and scared the shit out of everyone when he was drunk. But he still loved him. He saw hs good side when he was sober and it was this dichotomy of characters that made it difficult for him to hate him, even when he didn't like him.

3.4-menu-of-issues/5

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼
Side note

Rosalind is such a queen. It pmo the way Jake treated her for most of the book like I was like GIRL STOP IT ATP YOU CAN DO WAY BETTER. But whatever makes you happy girly 🥹

Adolescence is rarely straightforward, but few people have to deal with the number of challenges that teenager Jake has on his plate. With a father who is the town drunk, a mother who is beaten down (both literally and figuratively speaking) by the challenges of life, and a younger sister with learning disabilities, Jake is finding it difficult to cope.

Bullying at school, unwanted attention from the headmaster's daughter, and his own shameful secrets are not making his load any lighter.

This is a powerful and insightful piece of storytelling which comes with T trigger warnings. It gets 3.5 stars.