Bellies

It's like a Sally Rooney but a little more to my taste.

The writing was great, I enjoyed the style.

It was interesting reading about the challenges that arise from someone in a relationship transitioning.

The character of Tom was insufferable, and I am glad the author called out his Fisher Price socialism.

I found the pacing a bit uneven, I stopped reading for a while as I just wasn’t interested in some of the story.

What a lovely book about falling in love, meeting challenges in a relationship and friendship throughout. Also a great insight into being trans and having OCD.

unfortunately i didn't like any of the characters in this. maybe that's kind of the point

Gripping, stunning work. Beautiful prose. Deep characters. One of the best I've read of the year.

“Accepting responsibility doesn't mean accepting blame.”

~

“You can take charge of your own life without it being an admission of guilt or fault.”

Bellies would have to be one of my favourite reads of the year. I found it hard to sit down and try to find the words to explain just why this is one of my favourites so forgive me if this review doesn't do it justice.

You know when an animal trusts you when they roll onto their backs and show you their belly, the most softest and vulnerable part of their bodies. As humans, sharing your emotions, being open and laying out your deepest fears and hopes are the same. I think what is so beautiful and memorable about Bellies is that none of the characters are perfect, they each have moments where their fears manifest or come across as something hurtful. As humans, we often make mistakes or hurt people while we try to navigate our way through this world and Bellies depicted this in a way that was so raw and honest.

This book truly touched me and I know it's going to be one that I carry with me for a long time. I struggle to believe that this is only a debut when it's managed to impact me so profoundly. I can't express how excited I am to see what comes next from this author or how excited I am for everyone else to read this so I can scream from the rooftops about it. I feel that I am about to become a Bellies Marketing account.

Absolute Fantastic Read.