This book what nothing like I expected, yet it hit all the marks I didn't know I set, and had me attached to the characters on such a deep level!

The story is told from two points of view: Freddie's and Violet. Homeless, dejected, and struggling to pull his paper-thin weight, Freddie finds himself desperate for anything resembling an actual life. A notebook one girl leaves behind, in her rush for her family vacation, is what gives him the break he needs... even if that break is on the floor of their attic. Violet's life is falling apart at the seams. Her brother hasn't spoken in almost a year, her parents are arguing all the time, she's transferring schools, and her friends seem to move on without her.

Despite being in the same proximity for weeks, their worlds finally collide when Violet's invitation to a new classmate is misinterpreted, and Freddie impulsively steps in to save her.

The concept is none like I've ever seen, and even though it's strange in the beginning, it conveys heavy themes so many authors steer away from. Homelessness, mourning, friendship, love, guilt, and loss are all delicately pried in this story.

It's a great read; heart-wrenching and heartwarming in the same beat. The characters grew on me so much I finished the book in one sitting!

Full review is up on my blog on 2nd July, 2021

I really enjoyed this book! I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, and this one was a poignant, emotional tale about homelessness and grief. This book is probably best-suited for readers at the younger end of the YA-spectrum, both because of the plot/writing and because I think it could be a good introduction to the complexity of homelessness as a social issue.

What an emotional read. I think if I had read this in high school, it would've wrecked me. Whereas I now have enough perspective to appreciate what this literature does and teaches. Well done on Cara Thurlbourn's part.

The Boy Who Lived In The Ceiling is heartwrenching, emotional, and yet heartwarming at the same time. I adored Freddie and Violet's relationship, so sweet and tender. They were each other's hope when they both needed it.

The author explores topics like homelessness, grief/ loss, PTSD and much more. Freddie experiences alot of downfall, and you find yourself emphasising with his character (even though he's basically an intruder hiding in someone's house).

The concept of the book was different and intriguing, but also weird and scary having a stranger live in your house. I believe the author explored the theme of hopelessness exceptionally well, being deep and dark.

Overall I enjoyed reading the novel. My only issue for me was the end felt a bit rushed and I wanted it to have more depth and clarity.

4.5

This was absolutely beautiful. I stayed up til 4 in the morning to finish it. One of the most human, lovely YA contemporaries I have read in a long time, it portrayed two very real characters just doing their best to go on. The relationships were three dimensional and complex, the side-characters nuanced, and a sense of hope pervaded the story as Freddie met with compassion after having given up on it. The author’s accurate depiction of grief, love, and the highs and lows of family was masterfully done and didn’t try to reduce them to something easily defined. Shoutout to Jamie and Scruff, my lovelies. Them and the overall depth of the characters, the cozy atmosphere, and the realism really made this one stand out for me.

My only criticisms that keep it from being a 5-star: Not much diversity. A smidge of I’m-not-like-other-girls-ism with the mention of those vacuous ones with “long hair and full-lips,” but pretty tame as things go. I appreciated the depth to Aisla. Also, an unnecessarily dramatic miscommunication towards the end, but it resolved quickly and wasn’t egregious.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling tells us the story of Freddie and Violet. Freddie is a boy who lives in the streets, and has a mysterious past, and Violet is a girl who is about to change schools and has a hard time dealing with losing her old friends and her parents fighting all the time.
I liked this book a lot because it has very interesting characters and it's nice to see how they complement each other. The plot is very original and so entertaining that I couldn't put the book down.
So, this is a very enyoyable book with memorable characters and situations. I hope that if you read it, you like it as much as I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of a honest review.

I enjoyed the book alot. It was a quick and easy read I finished it within the same day as starting it I recommend it. It's a rather sweet book and the main girl violet is an enjoyable character along with the main boy freddie.

DNF at 44%

Now, you may be wondering, why did I give a book that I DNFed 3 stars? Well, the short answer is that I didn't want to DNF The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling. But I decided that I needed to.

The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling follows the story of Freddie and Violet. Freddie is a teenage boy and he's homeless, abandoned by his dad and step-mom.

After noticing a family leave for vacation, and their door not lock, Freddie goes to close the house door. And he ends up staying at the house while the family is gone. This is where Violet comes in: Freddie is staying at Violet's house. And when Violet and her family return sooner than expected from their vacation, Freddie ends up hiding in their attic.

This story is one that tugs on your heartstrings. My heart ached for Freddie. I also hurt for Violet and her family problems. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to Freddie and Violet over the course of the book, especially since Freddie and Violet had just met shortly before I DNFed.

So now we get to the long answer of why I DNFed The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling.

Even though I was enjoying the book and wanted to know what was going to happen, I decided to DNF the book because I was uncomfortable with the amount of language and blasphemy in the book. I prefer to read books with minimal swearing and no blasphemy because of my convictions, so I decided that I needed to DNF The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling. I honestly was a little disappointed that I felt I needed to DNF it, but I did.

Now for some of my other thoughts on The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling.

The writing style of the author was very interesting. It honestly felt a little simple. But it fit the story. it was the right kind of writing style.

The story is set somewhere in the UK. I would have appreciated it if there had been a couple of things added to the setting that made it really feel like the UK. If you changed all of the money to US currency, I'm not sure you would have known that it was set in the UK except for a couple of small phrases.

In conclusion, The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling was a book that I really wanted to like. I wanted to finish it. But I couldn't because of the swearing and blasphemy. And because of the language in the novel, I can't really in good conscience finish it or recommend it to someone.

Cautions (for the first 44%): multiple instances of blasphemies and swearing; a brief, non-graphic attempted rape

I'm a sucker for a coming of age story and this was no different. It was short, sweet and definitely left an impact. We follow two young people, Violet and Freddie. Freddie is homeless and lives in the ceiling of Violet's family home while they're on vacation - when Violet and her family return earlier than expected, Freddie finds himself trapped there. When Violet discovers him, they develop a friendship and begin to help each other out. It's such a touching story and so well written. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book and have to give it 4/5 stars.

The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling is an engaging but easy read about two unlikely friends who meet when homeless Freddie secretly moves into Violet's attic. Of course, from there some interesting events unravel (I won't spoil anything for you - I recommend that you read it for yourself!) and each page just left me wanting to know what Freddie's big secret was.

Throughout this book, I really enjoyed the characters and how realistic they are. I found that I could relate (for better or worse) each of the characters to somebody I know in some way. I love that YA books like this are dealing with real-life issues in such an informative and matter-of-fact way.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

There was so much to like about this book. It was a little naive, a little happily ever after, but for a slightly younger audience, I don't think this was too big a deal.

Characters: The main characters are likeable and on the whole, genuine. Like I said, there is an element of naivety and their situations are a little simplistic, but if the author added the grit and harsh reality, the tone would have changed and it would have to be aimed at an older group. Freddie is the kitchen and of character who you want to do well. You find yourself wishing for his happy ending, even if in reality there wouldn't be one. Violet is also a really nice kid. She has those everyday teenage issues but somehow the author manages not to make her seem self absorbed and rude. Her family are ok. They are a little too perfect in places in that they all sort their issues, say sorry and live a wonderful life. But on the whole they are minor characters so again, I wasn't too bothered by this.

Plot: There is a serious issue here. In fact, a couple. There is the obvious issue o f homelessness, but the main issue is about grief. Freddie isn't the only one dealing with loss and all of the characters deal with things differently. Some of the bigger issues are glossed over, such as the safety issues on the streets, esp when Freddie gets drunk and wakes up in a strange place. He mentions the vulnerability, but I personally felt like the character involved was sinister, and it all seemed a little too convenient that he just walked off. Also the representation of begging felt a little naive. I understand the issue it is trying to raise but I'm not sure how if it didn't glorify it a little.

Generally though, these things didn't detract from the overall feel of the book. It was a lovely uplifting read. It raised issues on a basic level and might encourage younger tween readers to start thinking about these bigger issues. It is always difficult with this subject matter, to pitch it I think.
Definitely worth a read and I'd certainly follow w the author.

A homeless teen secretly takes up residence in a middle-class family's attic and ends up changing their lives for the better.

This story about friendship and belonging was a pleasant, light read. The suspense over whether (or rather when) the homeless boy would be discovered and questions about his past and the family's secrets added enough intrigue to keep me turning pages. The book did fall short for me in voice and intensity. At the start, the voice felt young (I actually wondered for a few chapters if it was middle grade) and although the homeless teen experiences panic attacks, I didn't believe them--didn't feel them through the writing. For this reason, when the truth about his past was revealed, it came as a shock and didn't seem grounded in the emotions of the first 80% of the novel. Despite these shortcomings, I'd recommend it to readers looking for a sweet friendship story.

This was a heartbreakingly beautiful story of homelessness, grief, and everything in between.
Thurlbourn's style meant this was was easy to read, and flowed flawlessly form one scene to another, and the development of both the plot and characters worked beautifully.
Although some moments felt slightly forced or underdeveloped, overall I felt myself completely drawn into the story, and there were multiple moments where I felt myself tearing up.
I found it difficult to put down 'The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling', and I think the very real themes and images will stick with me for a long while.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!)

this book was one of the first books that i read this month, and it was a great start to the summer! a fresh, enjoyable read that nevertheless deals with some intense and important issues and also so full of hope and healing. our main characters, freddy and violet, meet in an uncommon way: freddy, who is homeless and was living on the streets, is living in violet's family's attic. throughout the course of the book, freddy and violet, both who are struggling with loneliness and family history, slowly become friends....and eventually something more. i loved freddy and violet a lot, and i really enjoyed reading about their friendship and romance. on a more negative note, throughout the book violet makes some choices and reacts to events in ways that although are very realistic and human, were also very insensitive and harmful. i do wish that violet had owned up to some of the more harmful things she did. although she regretted them, you didnt really see her apologizing for the hurt she caused. overall, this book was great and i really enjoyed it!

I loved this book! I will be reading other books by Cara Thurlbourn, her writing style is so lovely to read and easy to follow. I was completely gripped with this story from the first page, and I never wanted it to end. There could be a potential for a second book, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you!

The Boy Who Lived In The Ceiling by Cara Thurlbourn is the story of Freddie, a homeless teen, and Violet a girl with her own problems.

“𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆: 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑰𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕.”

Freddie is a homeless teen, he was wandering the streets when Violet goes on vacation and they left the door ajar and he saw this as an opportunity to have a place to stay for few weeks until Violet’s family comes home. When they come back, Freddie is still in their home but he decided to hide in their attic and to continue to live in their home. When Violet needed help, Freddie helped her, and that way Violet found out that Freddie is living in her attic. At first, Violet was afraid of Freddie but Freddie told her his story and Violet believed him and she decided to help him and to let him stay in her attic.

“𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓…𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰’𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

Because Violet had her own problems, Freddie becomes her friend and the person who helped her with her problems. Violet helped Freddie to open up about his past and his problems and his family. I loved that they helped each other to accept their problems and to work at them.

I loved the beautiful friendship between Freddie and Violet. I loved the relationship between Freddie and Violet’s family. The Boy Who Lived in The Ceiling is a touching story about friendship, love healing, and second chance.
Blog Post: 6/13/2021
Goodreads: 6/13/2021
Bookbub: 6/13/2021

This was such a lovely story of friendship, second chances and new beginnings. The way it was divided up made it really quick and easy to read and I genuinely really liked the two main characters. My only criticisms would be that it ended too abruptly (I’d have loved another few chapters) and also the author seemed to be confused as to whether it was being set in the U.K. or elsewhere as there were some linguistic inconsistencies

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and Cara Thurlbourn for allowing me to read and review this early. It was such a wholesome YA contemporary book. If you like quick reads about subjects that will pull at your heartstrings, The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling is the book for you! Freddie and Violet are such good friends and I love the way Jamie took to Freddie right away. The way that all of the characters grew throughout the book was excellent. I really enjoyed reading this, I am glad I picked it up!

The Boy who Lived in the Ceiling is a poignant depiction of homelessness and how homeless people survive this world. I found many plot holes in the book, but I ignored it in the end. This was a very sweet and touching read. I’d recommend it, if you’re looking for a YA novel with social issues.


(Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC.)

I thought this was a lovely and sad book. The story is about Freddie who is homeless and is dealing with a lot of emotional stuff from is past and then he ends up staying in Violet ceiling . Violent is a teenage going through her own stuff but they both seem to help each other. The story talks about homelessness, forgiveness, hurt struggling with your own demons and love.
I really enjoyed this book it is easy read and you warm to the characters straight the way. I will definitely be reading more of her books. I like the colour of the cover it is really vibrant. Definitely recommend this book.