Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This type of book is not normally my thing, but I had to read a book written by my namesake!
A YA fiction set in Brighton. Teenage girls can be so self absorbed!
Caddy and Rosie are best friends, whose friendship is put under strain when a new girl comes to town. Suzanne appears to have it all, but is hiding a past filled with emotional turmoil.

We follow the two best friends at the beginning, who were together at their previous school, but now attend different secondary schools. Suzanne comes along to Caddy’s school and at first seems fun, a bit reckless, but otherwise a bubbly personality. Over time the three girls get to know each other better (with the usual falling-out periods that teenage girls always have). Suzanne’s past and home life are revealed to be more complicated than she lets on, leading Caddy and Rosie astray at times, before her emotions start getting the better of her.

As a study of the relationship of British teenage girls, it’s fairly accurate (from what I can remember from my old school – WAY back in the 90s anyway!). It’s well worth remembering that people only show you their public side, and even when you think you know a person well sometimes there are still hidden depths and experiences that are not often talked about. Whether it’s past trauma, or difficult relationships, you can’t judge people at face value – especially teenagers!

View all my reviews