It would have been tempting to overplay Suzanne’s personality and sensationalise her backstory. She’s a stark contrast to the lifelong best friends who are both drawn to the charismatic newcomer.īarnard does a great job with Suzanne’s character. The arrival of Suzanne into Caddy and Rosie’s life changes everything. In fact, at 16 years of age, Caddy bemoans her lack of Significant Life Events – both good and bad – and feels her life is lacking as a result. She and Rosie very much remind me of my own childhood and friends – good kids eager to experience life and desperate for adulthood (oblivious to the responsibility that comes with it). The book’s written in first person from Caddy’s point of view, so it’s only natural we relate to her the most. The characters were realistic and complex and Barnard really nails their teenage voices. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated.Īs Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be.īut the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.ĭid I mention I loved this book? Indeed, I loved almost everything about it. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Published by Macmillan Children's Books (UK)īest friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable.

I have no problem with YA novels but don’t actually read many. So it was with great surprise I discovered I LOVED this book. I’m sure I must have realised this was a young adult (YA) novel when I requested it, but it wasn’t until I opened Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard that I remembered.