BOOK REVIEW: How Not to Disappear - Clare Furniss

Now that I have finished work for the next six weeks you can expect a lot more book reviews! I had been dying to start reading this book and it didn't disappoint! I had been aware of books by Clare Furniss but I hadn't read her debut book so I was very excited to jump into this book. This is one of the best books I have read this year and now I have to read The Year of the Rat next! How Not to Disappear Book Review
How Not to Disappear Book Review
How Not to Disappear is the second novel from Clare Furniss. This book takes on you a emotional journey of Hattie and Gloria (who is Hattie's great-aunt who she had no idea existed until a phone call one day). With Hattie's summer not going as planned with finding out she is pregnant and her two best friends have abandoned her for the summer she finds herself going on a road trip with Gloria. Kat has gone to Edinburgh with her new girlfriend and Reuben is off in Europe to 'find himself', little does he know Hattie is pregnant with his baby... Gloria has the early stages of dementia and she wants to share her past with Hattie so she won't forgotten about. 

''Our memories are what makes us who we are. Some are real. Some are made up. But they are the stories that tell us who we are. Without them we are nobody.'' 

This is a different book than what I would usually read but I have been really surprised at how much I enjoyed reading every page. It only took me a few days to read it cover to cover and I am glad I took my time with it as it takes you on a journey that shouldn't be rushed. Like all of my book reviews, I am going to keep this spoiler free so you don't have to worry if you do want to read this book as I won't be spilling the beans!

 As soon as you open the first page of this book it is about to take you on a emotional rollercoaster so get ready. This book is beautifully written and covers sensitive topics such as teen pregnancy and dementia brilliantly. My heart broke for Gloria, ''...the terminal illness where you get to die twice..'' when she talked about her early stages dementia. I loved the way this book was written as you not only got chapters of Hattie's point of view but you also chapters from Gloria which were both very easy to follow. I loved that you got to see more into Gloria's past and things from her point of view which it made it different from any other YA book I have read recently. I also loved the feature of emails between Hattie and Reuben, both the sent and deleted ones, many made me laugh out load. I cried a few tears reading this and felt every emotion that was pouring from the pages and laughed out loud many times. 

 I find it very rare to find book set in England, almost all of the YA books that I read have been set in Europe or State side so I liked that this book took you to places such as Cambridge which is pretty local to me. Hattie is a very likeable character and I found her to be very mature for her age. Reuben however I wasn't really a fan of. I really liked the unusual friendship between Gloria and Hattie and the joinery that came along with it. This book is a must read. 


How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss is around 400 pages in length and is out now. It is available for purchase for £7.99 - HERE

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This post contains a press sample, all opinions are my own.

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