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This Can Never Not Be Real
Book Review
Even when I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it
This Can Never Not Be Real was a very fast paced book, it had so much action and there never seemed to be a good place to put it down. Despite this, it was harrowing, and Milano created very real characters. It took me a while to connect with and distinguish between characters because the book is very action driven and at times, I did confuse the stories of each person.
As well as this the way the book is written means that each character narrates their story in very short paragraphs, sometimes only a sentence long. However, by the last 75 pages or so they felt much more established and the ending of the novel invoked many emotions in me and I felt very invested in the characters.
I think the choice to focus on those trying to survive the event instead of the attackers, their motive and the wider effects was very interesting, and it was something I hadn’t seen in any other book. I think this choice was really good for connecting with the events, and I felt very absorbed into the story.
Even when I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it, and it was an interesting, emotive novel. That being said, it deals with multiple very heavy topics and I would definitely recommend looking up trigger warnings if you’re worried about the content.
About the Book
This is a thriller for young adult readers by Sera Milano that comes with warnings about content as it describes a a relentless terrorist attack on a group of partying teenagers at a rural music festival.
The descriptions of the victims’ fear and the violence are vivid, but there is a beauty to the selfless concern the teenagers have for the people who are living in the same nightmare, and reading about the strong bonds of friendship that grow from their shared experience is rewarding for the reader. Ellie, Joe, Peaches, March and Violet each describe how they tried to stay alive whilst being attacked and are coping with the aftermath of the trauma.
Author
Sera Milano
Sera Milano is a UK-based author who writes contemporary YA — she’s best known for the novel This Can Never Not Be Real and more recently Vile Stars. Before writing full-length novels, she worked in theatre, bookselling, and taught drama classes — even giving romantic advice online, and she’s published light teen rom-coms under the pen name Birdie Milano.
Reviewer Profile
Martha, 14
- Reviews: 5
- Likes: Mamma Mia, running and reading
- Dislikes: physics and tomatoes
- Favourite Book: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Favourite Song: Something Great by One Direction
- Favourite Film: Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!
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