Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

This has been on my TBR for ages and I'm glad I finally got to it. I enjoyed it more than I expected and found myself speeding through it.

A very engaging devel into morals and activism. A hot topic for the modern age, it compares past acts of protest with those nows in a way that makes you question yourself and your own choices.

I don’t tend to read contemporaries, I’m definitely a reader of science fiction and fantasy first and foremost. However, when I read the blurb for ‘Troublemakers’ I was intrigued. We’re in a bit of a maelstrom in British politics, filled with the Brexit nightmare, racism, terrorism and general bigotry. We have a government that, honestly, can’t quell their infighting, let alone look after the complex needs of an entire country.

‘Troublemakers’ is a book about a young girl’s political awakening, but also about personal growth and values. Alena has, in many ways, grown up in a bubble of enlightened thought within her stable family unit of legal guardian elder brother, Danny, a journalist, and his partner Nick, who runs an ethical coffee shop. Hanging over her life is the spectre of her mother, a political activist who died when she was very young. Alena has been sheltered from the bigotry and hate of the world around her but the decision of her brother to take a job in the campaign team of a right wing mayoral candidate cracks that bubble right open.

This book is very much a story about morals. Danny takes this job because of financial concerns, because he’s terrified of not being able to care for his family, but in doing so he pushes his moral concerns to the side. Nick, a man who lives his entire life by his morals, is confused and abhorred by Danny’s decision. Alena in the middle is trying to come to terms with what it all means for her.

Alena’s confusion sends her searching for the ghost of her mother, trawling through internet archives and finding mobile numbers for her old colleagues. Over it all lies the storage crate, a mythical entity to Alena which contains her mother’s belongings and, maybe, her answers.

The story asks a lot of questions about grief. About how Danny seems to have never really come to terms with his grief and Alena, because of that, has never been allowed to explore her feelings about her mother at all. There were parts of this story that were so emotionally raw that I actually cried.

‘Troublemakers’ is a really intense, nuanced and emotionally intelligent story. It captures the heart of London and it’s diverse and sometimes slightly bizarre political landscape. It’s a very well timed book in an era where youth are having to become increasingly politicised to allow their voices to be heard. I think one thing that it maybe skated over is social media’s part to play in all of this. Alena, as a fifteen year old, would, without a doubt, be on social media and that would have a impact on the type of politics and views that she was engaging with. I think, from that perspective, it felt as if the story was taking place a couple of years ago, rather than in the up to date, very digital London that I know.

This is a book filled with hope but also aching sadness. It’s clever, astute, with an emotional clout that I wasn’t expecting when I started to read it. I’d recommend it to young adults but also to older ones, because I think it’s important that everyone remembers the weight their political decisions burden upon the youth of this country.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House for a copy in return for an honest review.

had such a great time reading this, it was really well written, simple and easy to follow and yet very entertaining, not boring in the slightest, Alena was a great narrator, she had such a personality to her and I loved reading from her point of view.

This was funny, entertaining and really made me think. I’m around the same age as Alena, I’m also paying closer attention to what’s going on in the world trying to figure out where I stand on things and what I think. With the added aspect of a bomber in this book and what’s going on in our cruel and crazy world really connected with me too.

I loved the representation in this book too, Catherine Barter wrote a very realistic couple with Nick and Danny, she treat them just like any other couple who fought, made cheesy jokes but there was still the added aspect of people asking questions about who Alena’s parents where and people did still whisper behind her back which was also realistic because that does still happen.

I really would recommend this book, I’m contemplating buying my own physical copy because I loved it so much, I also enjoyed reading a book set in the UK with the use of words like Mum, the tube, Mobile phone, etc.

Alena never knew her political activist mother, who died when she was a baby. She has been looked after by her older half-brother Danny and his boyfriend Nick. They’ve acted like parents to Alena. When someone starts leaving bombs around London, the atmosphere and area are precarious. It is in this fearful situation that Alena starts to learn about her activist mother which causes tension at home, especially when Danny starts working for a controversial politician, which also causes problems between him and his boyfriend.

I thought Troublemakers was an okay read. I’ve been meaning to read UKYA a bit more for a while now, and when I saw this on NetGalley I was intrigued. I did enjoy it, but it didn’t really have anything that actually WOW’d me. Troublemakers takes places in the East End of London, which I’ve heard is known for its poverty. Therefore, I feel like an opportunity was wasted to really discuss social issues and problems surrounding poverty and the working class of Britain. Poverty is really underrepresented in YA, especially UKYA and I do feel slightly let down that a book about Politics really doesn’t seem to actually discuss politics much at all, especially in terms of the working class and social awareness etc.

I did enjoy the discussions it had about the system of politics. How people are becoming disengaged, and about the morality and integrity surrounding politics and political campaigns, which was an enjoyable aspect.

I did enjoy Alena as a protagonist. She was bratty, and angry, and argumentative, but also a realistic 15-year-old. She had some really good development throughout the book, learning about her past and her mother. I loved the sibling relationship between Alena and Danny, but Danny himself did grate on my nerves sometimes with how protective and dishonest he was sometimes. But their relationship was developed and complex and had some really good moving moments. I also really loved Nick and his relationship with Alena. He was a really good parental figure and I loved how kind and compassionate he was. My favourite thing about Troublemakers was definitely the relationships and watching them evolve, especially when Danny and Nick realised that Alena is not a child anymore, but a teenager who is curious and stubborn.

Troublemakers is a coming-of-age book about families, love, and lies.

Troublemakers by Catherine Barter (Andersen Press) is a political coming of age story about memory and the stories that ground us and bind us to our past and our families. It's beautifully written and had a place in my heart within the first few pages.

'In three years I will be able to vote and I will still have less power than I did at the moment that I saw that email, which was such a tiny thing but look what happened. Fifteen-year-old Alena never really knew her political activist mother, who died when she was a baby. She has grown up with her older half-brother Danny and his boyfriend Nick in the east end of London. Now the area is threatened by a bomber who has been leaving explosive devices in supermarkets. It is only a matter of time before a bomb goes off. Against this increasingly fearful backdrop, Alena seeks to discover more about her past, while Danny takes a job working for a controversial politician. As her family life implodes, and the threat to Londoners mounts, Alena starts getting into trouble. Then she does something truly rebellious.'

Alena is a fantastic character walking that thin line between adolescence and adulthood and trying to find her balance. Barter has aced her thoughts and her uncertainties and her anger, doing a wonderful job of portraying Alena's struggle with her own self-awareness. She knows she is behaving like a brat but she embraces it and allows herself to be angry and to sulk and to argue her point. She is a fierce young woman and an awesome role model, flaws and all.

Troublemakers works as an introduction to political thinking for teens. Its storyline about integrity in political campaigning is something I don't recall ever coming across in a book before and something I wish I'd have read as a teen. I loved the beautifully casual inclusion within Troublemakers, but also that it doesn't shy away from talking honestly about homophobia and the fear of otherness and the way this fear is directly linked to the politics of our time. It doesn't preach but it does shine a light and suggests that there is another way, a better way to be. It is a hugely hopeful and inspiring book, encouraging our young people to expect better. To demand better.

I was reading this book on my phone when the news app notifications told me of the Manchester bomb attack. It was the perfect book to help me through all the emotions I'm sure we all felt on that night and the days that followed. Perfect because reading this book was a little like having someone holding my hand and saying it's all going to be ok. Saying, 'yes, this world is messy and screwed up and life is hard and confusing but ultimately, the best thing we can do to combat that is to be the best version of ourselves and stand up in the face of it all and try and make the world a better place'. It is very much a book that celebrates individuality and the braveness of being yourself. It is warm and hopeful and truthful and just might change the world.

You can get your copy here.

Source - e-copy kindly sent for review by Penguin Random House.

This wasn't at all what I was expecting. Which isn't a bad thing, but it was a surprise! Troublemakers is essentially a book about people, families, lies and fear of the unknown (and maybe a little bit of fear of what you do know). There is a bomber in Alena's hometown planting explosives in supermarkets. There's also some generally rubbish people creating hate crimes and vandalism as you go through. But most of all there is Alena's family dynamic, which is full of secrets, and Alena wants some answers. Her mother died when she was three, and Alena can't remember anything about her so she desperately tries to get information from her brother, and guardian, Danny and his boyfriend Nick. Usually to no avail; Danny is a closed book about it all.

The story builds and builds as Alena begins to unravel the truth about her family. I was expecting the story to have a massive climax, particularly given the bomber running around. But actually, although we got the answers to Alena's past, it was really quite straightforward. No massive ending, no action-packed bomb of someone Alena knows, which is kind of what I thought might happen. And so whilst this at first felt a little bit of an anti-climax, actually I think there's something really clever about this story. I didn't know what I was going to find out, it didn't go the way I imagined, but it did open my eyes to some of the harsher realities of politics.

This is an interesting book, largely about people, and so it isn't the most gripping. But it is an honest and frank depiction of what the average person probably sees throughout their routine lives. I like that it isn't hugely eventful and this it is brave enough to just be ordinary. It's also the first book I've read from this genre which dares to consider political influences and the impact these have on everyday people. A thought-provoking book; definitely worth a read.