I knew going into this book that I would enjoy it. If you’ve seen the film Pride, the premise is basically: what if the arrival of LGSM to a small Welsh village helped a young woman in that village realise she was gay?

📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚

What follows is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1980s social change, and firmly rooted in south Wales. Eluned, the main character, goes on such a journey, taking one step at a time further and further away from her front door. While it did take me a few chapters to settle into the writing style, Eluned is a compelling lead and you can’t help but hope that things work out for the best for her.

This book is messy in the best way. It’s about the mess of real life: of family drama, romantic successes and disasters, and the scrapes we get ourselves into when we leave the nest for the first time and attempt to fly. There was also a wonderful full circle moment towards the end, which tied together Eluned’s past and present for an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.