Description

A heartbreaking and hope-filled tale about the stories we tell ourselves to survive for fans of Kathleen Glasgow and Jennifer Niven. From the author of the Carnegie Medal nominated The Sky is Mine.

You are strong. You are brave. You are not alone.

Seventeen-year-old Iris is happy. She’s fearless, she’s strong. She is everything but a girl who lost her mum.

But Iris’s dad and step-mum have been keeping a secret. One big enough to unravel her. Only the magnetic Orla can provide an escape, until things get…complicated. As Iris questions who she is, it becomes clear she can’t run away from grief.

What happens when someone who has never faced up to the darkness lets it in?

‘This poignant YA story of long-frozen grief and gradual self-discovery is slyly funny, romantic and filled with unlikely beauty.’ Guardian

‘This beautiful book will floor you and deserves to be on every shelf, everywhere.’ Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces

‘I am in complete and utter love with everything Amy Beashel writes, but this one may just be my favourite.’ Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places

Publisher Review

'This beautiful book will floor you and deserves to be on every shelf, everywhere.' Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces 'I am in complete and utter love with everything Amy Beashel writes, but this one may just be my favourite.' -- Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places 'So tender, so beautiful, so exquisitely written.' Simon James Green, author of Gay Club 'An incredibly beautiful and moving book, as full of twists and turns as it is heart and compassion.' -- Kate Weston, author of Diary of a Confused Feminist 'A beautiful, nuanced and necessary book, handling difficult topics with great skill and without judgement.' -- Gina Blaxill, author of You Can Trust Me 'This poignant, beautifully written story, with a queer love story at its centre, is about living life to the fullest and how facing painful truths can set you free.' -- The Bookseller