patchworkbunny reviewed London belongs to us by Sarra Manning
Review of 'London belongs to us' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is one of those books that I felt managed to capture a bit of what it was like when I was an older teen. Nowadays, if I go out, it tends to be to one place and I’ll have a solid plan of getting home, and will probably be in bed by 11pm! But like Sunny, once I’d go out and go round a few bars, end up at people’s houses, then maybe go to a club or wander round looking for food. OK, my nights weren’t quite as actioned packed as this one, but it had me reminiscing.
It’s more of an anti-romance than a romance. Sunni slowly starts to realise Mark might not be that amazing boy she thinks he is as the night goes on. As a reader, you want her to dump him as soon as she sees that photo, but she is far more …
This is one of those books that I felt managed to capture a bit of what it was like when I was an older teen. Nowadays, if I go out, it tends to be to one place and I’ll have a solid plan of getting home, and will probably be in bed by 11pm! But like Sunny, once I’d go out and go round a few bars, end up at people’s houses, then maybe go to a club or wander round looking for food. OK, my nights weren’t quite as actioned packed as this one, but it had me reminiscing.
It’s more of an anti-romance than a romance. Sunni slowly starts to realise Mark might not be that amazing boy she thinks he is as the night goes on. As a reader, you want her to dump him as soon as she sees that photo, but she is far more forgiving, knowing Mark will have a good reason. Everyone around her knows he’s no good and they try and encourage Sunny to have fun instead.
However it’s hard to dissuade Sunny. She’s a girl on a mission, and some readers might get a bit frustrated with her. However, overall I found it loads of fun and would definitely recommend as a lighter read.
Each time Sunny moves to a new bit of London, the chapter has a little bit about the history of the place. It’s a reminder at how varied the city is, especially beyond the tourist attractions most non-Londoners associate with it. It would be a fun book to read in preparation for a visit, if only to prepare you for public transport nightmares. Yup, there’s a replacement bus service, rickshaws, bicycles and extortionate taxi fares.
Oh, and Sunny’s mixed race. It’s great that we’re getting books like these where the author doesn’t default to your white, middle class teen just because. The book is not about race, although you will find Sunny talking about her hair issues and some brushes with casual racism. It’s a book about a London teen and one night of craziness.
Review copy provided by publisher.