I had to sleep on this one before I could review it. It's a story that's going to stay with me for a while.

3.5 stars but I've decided to round up after all. I Had Such Friends is a tale of two halves. The first half I found a bit frustrating, written in the style of a 16 year old boy & clearly trying to aim for that demographic, I didn't think I'd be able to push through. Hamish is an unpopular teenager living on a farm in the outskirts of a small town in rural/coastal Australia. He narrates the story of his final year of high school, beginning with the accidental death of one of his classmates.

I struggled with the simplicity of the narrative at the start. The second half of the story revolves around new relationships that Hamish forms, town secrets & grief. I loved how the after effects of grief & loss were explored and loved the realism of navigating teenage relationships.

I disliked that every person in the story had a "hidden secret". It was a bit overdone & the ending was a bit rushed. contrived maybe, a bit too neat & tidy. I saw the twist & the ending a mile away.

This is something I can picture being taught in English classrooms around the country although it may be just a bit too dark

Hamish Day lives in a small country town with his two parents on their cabbage farm.
He has one friend and they seem to get on just fine, until one of the popular boys from school is killed in a car accident - forcing Hamish and the rest of the school to put things into perspective.

This book focuses on some pretty heavy themes - death, suicide, LGBT-ness in a non LGBT-friendly environment.

I enjoyed this, and didn't expect half of the things that happened. A quick read but one that will leave you thinking about it for days afterward.

“It all started when a kid died.”

As chilling and captivating opening sentences go, this one was a good hook.

Charlie Parker, beloved by all, has died, and the community is left to pick up their shattered lives and move on. Hamish didn’t know Charlie, but he soon comes to know the people that Charlie left behind, and in the process he learns more about himself than he ever thought possible.

I’ve heard/seen this coming-of-age young adult novel likened to The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Thirteen Reasons Why, and I can definitely see Charlie’s innocence and Clay’s naivety in Hamish Day. I could also feel Finch and Violet’s (All the Bright Places) individual turmoils, as well as the isolation and exclusion of Jasper Jones.

This book does not pull its punches, it is raw, it is unforgiving, and it takes a serious (albeit on the surface) look at the vast array of social issues affecting our youth (and let’s face it - everybody) today: abuse, bigotry, bullying, depression, sexuality, suicide and death. What I felt, was a glimpse of the sheer desperation of people trying to hold on, emotionally, mentally, physically, financially.

While I enjoyed the poignancy of this story, and commend the difficult issues that it covers, it didn’t move me as other books in this genre have. It was well-written, and as an Australian myself, I could just about feel the dusty rural roads, and smell the salt in the air, plus there was a good use of breaking the 4th wall which kept me engaged, a week later, I am still thinking about this story and find myself missing the characters.

Thank you to Meg Gatland-Veness, Pantera Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* 'I Had Such Friends' is a haunting, sad book, with elements of hope. Ultimately, the book highlights the redemptive power of love. The protagonist is 17-year-old Hamish Day who lives on a failing cabbage farm in a rural seaside town, I believe in NSW, though I don't know if it is every overtly stated. The novel starts with the death of beloved teenager, Charlie Parker, in a road accident. As the town and high school mourn Charlie, Hamish discovers more about himself and the people around him. Hamish's high school years have not been kind to him and, alongside with his sidekick, Martin, he is relentlessly bullied - both physically and verbally. It is a beautiful story, but not without tragedy.

This was such a cute read. Love that it’s Aussie too. I picked up a lot of slang and related to the MC a bit. It reminded me of when I was in high school and we lost two girls in a car accident.
All in all, a solid read

There is a lot to take in in this novel which ultimately took away from what could have been some great character growth or story telling. The hard hitting topics were all there but they were either fodder or clouded by "too much information". The novel is entertaining as a novel that involves trauma can be, however a lot of the messages are lost in muddy waters.

17 year old Hamish isn't popular. But when a boy in his year dies in a car crash, it sparks some new friendships for him, and causes him to question some important things.

Sometimes I come across a book and I get a feeling that I'm going to adore it. This was one of those times. And that feeling was right. This book was powerful and beautifully written, and I would read it again without a second thought.

Hamish is a super awkward but very lovely character. He lives on an unsuccessful farm and doesn't have a great relationship with his parents, and his sister is no longer alive. He has a nerdy friend, Martin, who loves zombies and school, who also happens to be his only friend.

One day, a popular guy named Peter wants to hang out with Hamish. And so he does, time and time again. They go to the beach and they swim and play football. The Australian setting I feel is a perfect match for this book and you really get a feel for the surroundings.

The prettiest girl in Hamish's school, Annie, starts talking to Hamish, too. Annie was in a relationship with Charlie, the boy who died. He always knew she was lovely based on one time when she willingly sat next to Martin. The two get close, likely due to the grief they both hold close. Or is there another reason Annie wants to help him out?

I had a feeling from the start that this book was going to be gay and I was right which made me so happy, but there was homophobia so read with caution. The relationship was a slow build which I loved and it was ever so sweet and cute from the beginning.

I was majorly invested in the characters and what would happen to them, and I was desperately hoping good things would come to them as they deserved. This book goes into pretty heavy, emotional topics but they were all written with care.

I would easily recommend this book, and it's absolutely one of my favourite reads so far this year.

Looks lovely but the format is sadly incompatible with my device so I cannot provide proper feedback. My apologies. I will be certain to check it out once it’s published. Thanks for the opportunity!

From the opening sentence, "It all started when a kid died", this book kept right on going with the emotional punches. Hamish, our protagonist, wasn't close to Charlie, the kid who died, but he knew him as the most popular guy in the school, a sports star with a beautiful girlfriend, and the polar opposite of shy, nerdy farm boy Hamish, who only has one friend. As Hamish starts to spend time with people who were close to Charlie, he learns some surprising things , not only about Charlie, but also about himself.
The Australian setting is vividly brought to life by the author, and the writing style while simple is very effective. As the book goes on the emotional toll on the characters, and by extension, the reader too, gives the book a weight not always found in this genre.

This file has no option to download onto kindle very disappointing as I was looking forward to reading this but unfortunately I can’t comment on it

Unfortunately this file could not be read or accessed on an e-reader.
No review can be achieved if the file is inaccessible. No mobi file option was given, only e-pub which is not compatible with reader.