Gemma’s Not Sure by Gill Stewart (2020/05/22)
Rating 3 /5 Stars
Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tw: Death of an animal, Depression.

Although I didn't read the first book in this series I wasn't confused while reading this story. I liked this story, Gemma and Jamie were really relatable characters. It was nice to get both of their points of views. I liked how we got to see Jamie in post-secondary and we got to see him struggle and realize that university wasn’t for him. I also liked how we got to follow Gemma and how she knew she loved music but wasn't sure if it was something, she would want to pursue long term.

I liked seeing both characters grow throughout the story. I loved how related this story was, I wish I had read something like this when I was in high school. It talked a lot about the struggles that teenagers go to when taking the next step to going into post-secondary. It also spoke a lot about peer pressure and anxiety which I appreciated. It also had scenes with what it's like to like with pressure from parents as well as their expectations for their children. I liked the scenes between Rosie and Gemma, especially Gemma teaching her how to play the piano. I liked that Gemma saw that Rosie was sad and needed help and how Gemma wanted to help Rosie. I enjoyed seeing Jamie and Gemma bond over music while creating a band. I appreciated that we got to see both characters grow and learn more about themselves and what they wanted to do in life. It was great to see both Gemma and Jamie both find happiness.

I liked how the romance was very subtle and it didn't take away from the other plots in the story. I didn't really like how the main characters motion Lily so much it seemed unnecessary and didn't really add to the plot. I do feel like the ending of the story was rushed. I wished the characters would have communicated more because to me the ending was too abrupt, and it just didn't feel realistic. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially to teenagers who are in high school who are experiencing similar problems as Gemma and Jamie. Once again thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a copy to review.

Although predictable at times, I enjoyed the entertaining aspect of the story and the character development. I read this in 2 sittings so I was definitely engrossed in the story, I would say that the characters were why I enjoyed the book so much. Each one has distinct qualities, and the authors writing style really comes through!
Solid four star read!

Gemma wants to audition for music although unsure she should . Lily,her friend trys to convince her. The audition is in November. Lily already auditioned for drama.

3.5 stars
I definitely enjoyed the story. The plot was pretty predictable, I didn't mind, but it is one of the main reasons why I'm not giving it a higher rating. I think the story itself tackled a lot of important struggles teenager have nowadays, and I also found the representation to be accurate. One of those struggles is dealing with anxiety and shyness, as well as dealing with pressure. And to be more specific, peer pressure. Gemma and Jamie really had some character growth and it was good to read how they achieved this. The ending was fine, but in my opinion a bit too abrupt.

I've read 'Lily's Just Fine', and found that although I enjoyed the themes in that book, it wasn't my favourite. I just couldn't find myself truly loving Lily as a character. 'Gemma's Not Sure' was a different kettle of fish. I absolutely adored it! With a five-star rating on Goodreads with a plan to buy both of the books, you know that this series has won me over. I absolutely love Gemma as a character, I love the depth that Gill goes into with each of their backgrounds and what their individual struggles are. I also really enjoyed Jamie as a character as well. The plot was refreshing and honestly felt like a situation that could occur in real life. I really enjoyed this one, and I can only hope that she gets the recognition she deserves. Extremely well written. Please pick up this Scottish delight! It's simply remarkable.

This series is great for all teens especially the younger ages as they are very easy to read whilst dealing with some more serious topics such as anxiety,controlling parents and illnesses.

The romances in each are very cute and positive as is the coming of age of all the teen characters.

Although the first is written from Lily and Tom, and the second by Gemma and Jamie all characters have key roles in both books such as Sarah who I particularly connected with. I liked the fact we see each characters development throughout both books.

I definitely enjoyed these as a light and fun series to read and they are perfect for summer time.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Sweet Cherry Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Though I haven't actually read the first book in this series, I requested this book because the premise sounded exactly like the kind of light, fluffy read I wanted right now. And I was right! Gemma's Not Sure isn't exactly fluff but it is a well-written, enjoyable YA contemporary story centered around a romance. Our two main characters are Gemma, a shy girl struggling to decide what she wants to do when she finishes school, and Jamie, a guy who has started uni and is struggling massively with it. They meet, they start a friendship and our story goes from there.

You couldn't really tell this was a sequel which was something I appreciated. I believe the first book is focused around Lily (a secondary character in this one) and I'm kind of glad I skipped it because she is a pretty unlikeable person. She's not awful but she's not really a good friend to Gemma and I'm not sure I would be invested in a whole book about her. But apart from the odd character not being explained/introduced, this book stands alone pretty well.

The plot is good and it actually goes a bit deeper than I was expecting from the blurb. It's still a light and easy read, but it does deal with several topics not usually covered in YA fiction in terms of life choices and academic struggles. The characters are well-developed and grounded in reality. It doesn't suffer from a lot of the negatives of 'fluffy' YA but has a lot of the positives.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely works as a standalone and I imagine if you enjoyed the first one, this will give you more of the elements you liked. I hope the next book in the series will focus more on Rosie as that was a plot thread left dangling (though I suspect Sarah will be the protagonist). All in all though, this was a great read.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I gave this book five stars not just for the writing - that was great and you could tell it was written by an accomplished writer. And not just for location (not London, yay! And not even a big city in Scotland, but a small town - brilliant!) and well-developed characters (Lily was particularly well done) but for the content.
There are some amazing authors out there doing hard hitting issue-led YA books but we also really need lots of amazing authors writing about everyday realities, such as uni decisions, in Gemma's Not Sure. I think the content was spot on and the characters felt very authentic. Really, really enjoyed this read. Thanks so much.

I was not a fan of this book and had a difficult time following the story. I thought it was a bit shallow at times and that the characters were underdeveloped and the dialogue was hard to follow.

I will be completely honest here, I DNF'd (Did not finish) this book. I personally read Lily's Just Fine for the publishers (to review) and found that quite enjoyable. However I managed to read 50% of Gemma's not Sure and was just bored with the storyline. I do not know if this is because I could not click with the characters (Gemma moans about everything and doesn't try anything. Jamie is a party boy who just doesnt seem to understand growing up) OR because nothing deemed important enough to class a plot twist (in my opinion). Gill's writing style is perfect for contemporary writing and I think she will do well in this catagory, this book just wasn't for me.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Sweet Cherry Publishing, for providing me with a copy of Gemma's Not Sure by Gill Stewart.

This is the second book in the Galloway Girls series, I was so excited to jump back into this world! Gemma's Not Sure is set in small town in Scotland, following Gemma - she is the best friend of Lily from the first book in the series. I wouldn't say it's necessary to read the first book but I would recommend it because both books were incredible and are worth reading!

Gemma is finishing school, trying to figure out which University place to accept, whilst juggling anxiety about performing music in public and whether she wants to pursue a professional career in the industry.

Jamie is already at University, but can't seem to grasp his course - finding it more of a chore, only really enjoying his football refereeing and socializing.

Throughout the course of this book Gemma and Jamie spend more time together, trying to figure out who they want to be in the future, with friends and parents pulling them in different directions , it's harder than they thought.

This book was a perfect sequel to Lily's Just Fine, it builds upon the character development that was put in place from the previous book. As a book it explains how teenagers feel when presented with the huge question of: "What comes next?" Especially when under pressure from other people who know what they want to do, but can't understand you. This book also talks about friendships, family relationships and romantic relationships, but at the heart of the book it is about Gemma, who goes under a major character development whilst remaining herself - just more happy with who she is.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially for people who loved books by Stephanie Perkins and Jenn Bennett. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book when it goes on sale on May 14th!

The second book in the Galloway Girls series, centres around Gemma and her inability to decide upon what she wants in her future, to do the audition or not, and if her friend's ex is interested in her. As the novel progresses, we see Gemma learning to make decisions for herself and overcome her fears in the process, like performing in front of a live audience. It was an overall okay read.

This was an good follow-up to Lily's Just Fine. I liked how it developed the characters we saw in the first one and it built on those who the first book focused on. Gemma and Jamie were interesting and they were believable teenagers as their voices seemed to be in the real world. The story was light enough but it still had some moments of high drama that were handled well. I would have liked to have seen Rosie, the little girl Gemma was helping, developed a little more but she was given enough detail to make her somewhat realistic.

‘Gemma’s Not Sure’ addresses issues all teens need to hear

Book two of the Galloway Girls series discusses more issues facing teens today.

This book made me angry because I wish it had existed when I was 17, but I am grateful it exists for teenagers today.

I really liked that Gill Stewart chose to tell the story from two points of view. It gives the book just a little more depth, allowing the author to cover the topic of university from a more rounded perspective.
However, like the first novel, some of the characters had quite extreme personalities. I highlighted Gemma for this in my previous review, and unfortunately it was much the same in this book. Gemma is a worrier and likely has anxiety, although it is not explicitly stated. I see what Stewart was trying to achieve with her character, but I really wanted to shake Gemma at times. That being said, the strength of her personality is useful in the messages the author is trying to get across.

The main theme of this book is university. Jamie is already at university, but not enjoying it, and Gemma is deciding whether she wants to go. There are very real scenes and emotions coming through about this topic, and it is one I found myself relating to. University isn’t necessarily right for everyone — Gill Stewart does an excellent job of conveying this.

This novel could be read and enjoyed by anyone, despite being written for a teen audience. There are lessons for people of all ages to learn and yes, that means parents! Gemma’s Not Sure will be great at helping today’s teens to navigate the waters of deciding their future. And it will give parents something to chew on when guiding their children.

Gemma’s Not Sure is a lovely contemporary read. It is predictable, but in a comforting way. It’s perfect for summer and will give you something to think about, whilst fulfilling the desire for a little romance and a little friendship.

Some of the writing felt a little off for me as in places it was a little too obvious an adult is trying to write from a teenager's perspective. Despite these moments, Gill Stewart does a great job of talking about important themes whilst delivering an easy contemporary tale.

* Review to be published on Bookstacked.com on 4th May 2020 *

Not my cup of tea. As an American I had difficulties being immersed in the story which made this an arduous read for me. The story and characters were cute.

Gemma is facing tough decisions, go and play piano professionally as a performer despite her shyness, or persue a different career altogether despite her work playing.



Jamie has tough decisions to make too, after finding uni more of a chore only enjoying rhe social aspects and his refereeing.



However as the two get friendlier, they discover they have more in common than they thought, as they start a bad, Gemma helps a piano student she takes on called Rosie to have a better time at school and of course Jamie is Lily's ex, her best friend.



There's plenty of drama but this book is utterly relatable for the issues it raises throughout from tough life work choices and following your heart and your true passion. I loved that Jamie and Gemma came together in a very quick yet natural way and feel like this book was even better than Lily's story! I truly can't wait for more from Gil about these characters lives!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

This book, although written well with interesting characters, was not for me. I was not able to connect with the characters and, since I'm an American, found the European words slightly confusing. Others will definitely enjoy this sweet story about two college age kids trying to find a place in the world for them.

This is the first book that I have read from this series, and I absolutely enjoyed it.
Reading the description, I thought the storyline was going to be different from what it actually was, and I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. For one, it was very truth of what it’s like to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life, and how much pressure one feels about it all. The experiences were so authentic, that even if the characters were just finishing high school, as a young adult, I definitely related to their problems and claimed them as my current or past ones.

It’s so much more than a love story, as it talks about family relationships, friendships, and how a teenager feels 24/7. The main character has the biggest character development I have read in a long time, but not to the point where she’s not her anymore, but how, as a reader, you expect her to grow.

This was such a great reading! It’s the best book to read for people that are transitioning from high school life to the real world

This read more like a middle grade novel than YA it was hard to get past the immaturity. There was nothing new or refreshing to the plot. Very meh.

Set in a small town on the west coast of Scotland, it follows the story of Gemma Anderson, best friend of Lily Hildebrand from book 1. She's deciding whether she really wants to study music in the city of Glasgow, facing pressure from her family, friends, and teachers. It's perfectly relatable and anyone dealing with university choices will know the struggle. Gemma bumps into Lily's ex-boyfriend Jamie, the perfect example of what making the wrong university choice looks like. Jamie decides to move home and he's keen on spending time with Gemma as a refuge from his overbearing parents. As the teens look to the future, they also look to each other and a cute summer romance blossoms. While reading I felt as if I was reading a middle-grade book rather than a YA novel. The story is rather straightforward and it would definitely be a bit more interesting if some sense of humor was put into it.

The Galloway Girls series is a great coming-of-age series that 14-year-olds+ will relate to, especially those in Scotland. A great summer holiday read that I recommend to readers who loved books like Anna and the French Kiss and Everything, Everything.