Yvonne
I warmed to Hope's character from the start and appreciated her way of seeing the world. I had limited knowledge of FASD and it's effect on a child's development. The book was an easy read written with understanding of the challenges faced and the coping strategies which helped Hope to cope with day to day living. I enjoyed the book and give it a 9

Ffion
I’m sorry I didn’t connect with the book at all from the get go. I only got a few chapters in before I couldn’t go any further. The repetitive narrative- though it was explained why, I just didn’t get along with it. No score

Kirsty
I really enjoyed the way this book was written as it felt like not only was Hope talking directly to me but I liked that she also said her thoughts out loud which I do quite a lot too!!! However, I did start getting a bit fed up with some of the repetition in regards to her internal dialogue.
Not many people have heard about FAS so this is a great way for people to not only discover it but to see how it feels from someone who was born with it. I have previously worked with someone who has FAS and he was also abandoned by his mother. It is sad that they are the ones who have caused damage and yet they are the ones who escape. I found the storyline itself heartwarming, thought provoking, heartbreaking and funny at times (so quite a large range of emotions). It was quite slow to begin with but did start getting a bit more fast paced later on when certain events started taking place.
The characters were strong and realistic with the main ones being Hope and her mum Jenny but the secondary characters were all realistic with a mix of personalities. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a while. I would have to rate this book 7/10

Rachel
I adored this book. It took me a couple of pages to orient myself because of the internal monologue, but once I got in tune with Hope, I loved it. Her character is heart-warming and captivating, and most of the other characters are likable and interesting, too. There were plenty of unanswered questions that kept me turning the pages, and I really liked how everything was wrapped up in the end. Beautifully written - I highly recommend it! 10/10

Cat
I loved this book! Taking on a neurodivergent voice was a risky thing to do and could have gone horribly wrong but as the blurb at the back of the book showed, Caroline Day clearly did her research and the genuine tone of the book was appreciated by people who have FASD. I found the story absorbing, funny and emotional. It felt refreshing to be looking at the world through a different perspective. 8/10

Carolyn
I found the book very slow to start with and it didn't have much story. It could have been a bit shorter.
On the plus side I didn't know much about FASD before I read it and if the book makes more people aware that would obviously be good. I give it 5

Eve
This is another book that I thought I would not like – but I loved it.
I felt for the mother – Jenny – she had a very hard life bringing up Hope, and yet she succeeded very well. I know little about FASD, but it sounds difficult. I imagine that Caroline Day did a lot of research into this condition. Even when Jenny was very ill, Hope was really only concerned with her own life, living with this and still loving Hope would not have been easy.
The Novel explored friendship, as the writing group really seemed to get behind Hope to help her with her ambitions. The only one that did not was the man with the knotted scarf, who quite reasonably I think; thought as he had paid for the writing course, was entitled to full attention from the tutor. Hope likes words; she translates the names of the other course members into funny words or something she can relate to. Eventually, she relies on Connor Flynn, not such a good idea, as he has his own problems. Again, difficult situation to be coped with by the rest of his family, which they also do with love.
I liked the way that this novel was written in Hope’s voice, it made it all seem more realistic. It certainly made you think about your own life and how lucky you have been not to have these problems. Charming though Hope was, she certainly made her mother’s life difficult. The golden rules at the back of the book were very good and could very well apply to most children. I am sure we could all write a set of golden rules, with kindness being right at the top. I did enjoy this book and would give it a score of 10

Helen
I wasn’t sure I would enjoy this book - it felt like it was going to follow a very familiar plot and reminded me of other novels I’ve read before. However I found it impossible not to like Hope as a character. Although there weren’t many unpredictable twists and turns, the story itself was well written and enjoyable, not my usual genre but a nice change. The topic of FASD is something I’ve heard of but didn’t know a great deal about so that was also interesting. Plus no dog died! 8/10

Arleen
I found it a little slow at the start of the book and then it got more interesting. I found there was a lot of repetition but I certainly learnt more about what can happen if an expecting mother drinks alcohol when pregnant, and what could happen to her baby. I loved Hope and her lovely mother, and it was good that Hope found such a loving home. I also found it amusing that she thought she had a boyfriend but wasn't sure, as she didn't know quite what it meant to have a boyfriendat all. So bitter sweet, learning to be in an adult world.
I found the book was well written and went into the illness in great detail. I thought the author went into a lot of research for this book. 7/10

Mabe
I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about FASD and found it very educational and informative. A really interesting and enjoyable read. I would give it 8 out of 10.

Sonia
I found this a very disappointing book. The premise at the start was that Hope was writing a first person stream of consciousness account of part of her life; it was clear in the first few chapters that this was (as I had suspected as I have some knowledge of FASD) not something that would make a readable book. It was clear that Hope had a degree of brain dysfunction which made it impossible for her to write a comprehensible account. After the first 2 or 3 chapters the writing became much more fluent and the story became clearer which for me rendered the premise of the book null and void. It became a story written in the style of someone writing about someone who had FASD rather than the sufferer herself. For that reason I could only skim read the rest of the book and did not enjoy it at all. For me, the book has to live up to the original premise or it simply does not work. Had it started from the viewpoint of a storyteller recounting Hope's experience then I probably would have enjoyed it - I will never know! Very disappointing hence my score of 2 out of 10.

Average Score - 7.5