Making Friends With Monsters

In a Nutshell: Almost brilliant! A couple of things didn’t work well for me, but on the whole, this is a hidden indie treasure, albeit a somewhat emotional and depressing one. Better suited to the older YA segment and adults. Triggers galore: Reader discretion advised. Story Synopsis: 2006. Tamworth,......more

I feel the helplessness of the characters and it shouldn’t hurt this much! I really hope no one gets to experience such hard times because of a person we all care about becomes someone we hardly know. The story is quite realistic and the characters so damn convincing! It is so well written! This is th......more

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading this novel. And at the beginning, it was somewhat depressing. But as I continued reading, it became clear that there was a message behind the story. A message that would evoke deep and moving images in my mind. Samuel Nolen is seeing and feeli......more

Thank you to Sandra L. Rostirolla and @netgalley for a free copy of this ARC. Rural Australia, 2006. Sam Nolen is filled with misery. With a drought ruining his family’s farm and his older brother moody and distant, the sensitive twelve-year-old wishes he knew how to make his loved ones happy. But wh......more

The authors's note at the beginning, was useful in preparing the reader about the content of the book. Using the term 'monster' to encapsulate emotions and behaviours, is a gentler way to explore really overwhelming emotions and topics. Rating the book seems wrong because this is someone's reality an......more