ARC Review: Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard
10:00
Series: None
Author: Sara Barnard
Published Published February 8th 2018 by Macmillan Children's Books
Goodreads Synopsis
When I was wild, you were steady . . .
Now you are wild - what am I?
Eden McKinley knows she can’t count on much in this world, but she can depend on Bonnie, her solid, steady, straight-A best friend. So it’s a complete shock when, five days before the start of their GCSEs, Bonnie runs away with a guy Eden knows nothing about. And it's the last person she would ever have expected.
As the days pass, and her world begins to unravel, Eden is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her best friend and herself.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
For Eden McKinley, she is expecting the Saturday before starting her GCSE exams to be normal. Her and best friend, Bonnie, have plans to head off to Cheltenham for the day to relax, and as she's getting ready, she is completely shocked when the police, and Bonnie's mam, turn up on her doorstep and reveal that Bonnie has run away, and with her form tutor, Mr Cohn. To say Eden is blindsided would be an understatement - she knew that Bonnie had been 'seeing' a mystery guy named Jack, but never could have guessed that would be a teacher. But when Bonnie starts contacting her from an unknown number, and revealing more about where her and Mr Cohn are, can Eden stay loyal to her oldest friend, or will she do the right thing and tell the truth?
I feel really weird saying I enjoyed this book. I've been on a bit of a Barnard binge at the minute, and this is the third of her books I've read in the last week. Obviously, the content of the book looks at a truly abhorrent and vile crime, and as a teacher myself, I felt sick seeing how Mr Cohn had groomed Bonnie into believing they were in love and running away. I also couldn't believe how much Eden kept hidden, until the very end. Yes, there is loyalty to your friend, but when it's a crime, and and that friend is in danger - even if she believes she's on an adventure - you should want to help get her back to safety. Eden was a character who was difficult to like. She had had a difficult life, in and out of the foster care, with an abusive and neglectful mother, but had been adopted by the McKinley's since she was 8/9, and had a loving family around her, including sister Daisy, and step-sister Valerie. The way Eden treated Valerie, though, I hated. All Valerie wanted was to be the best big sister she could to Eden, ever since they met, but Eden always pushed her away. I mean, Valerie was in the final year of uni, about to start her exams, and still came home to be with Eden after it was revealed Bonnie had fled. Eden just wouldn't either contemplate the idea of being kind to Valerie, even when Valerie dropped everything further to drive them to Glasgow to try and find Bonnie. I loved the way that the whole situation with Bonnie and Mr Cohn wasn't glamourised, or treated like something normal. It was always shown as abhorrent, with only Bonnie being the one to think it was normal. For Bonnie, I felt sorry for her. She'd always been told she was brilliant, and clever, and it seemed like she had the world on her shoulders when it came to exam results, and she was vulnerable and Mr Cohn used and abused his position of power. She wanted to feel loved, and cared about for her - not for her grades - and, unfortunately, this was when Mr Cohn pounced. All in all, a really thought provoking, and important book.
Dates Read:
January 25-27, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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