Description
Summer, 1995.
July Hooper knows eighteen things about her mother.
Like number thirteen: she loved dancing on the kitchen table. And number eight: she was covered in freckles.
And then there's number two: she died after being hit by a car when July was small.
She keeps this list hidden in a drawer away from her father. Because they're not allowed to talk about her mother. Ever.
But an anonymous note slipped into July's bag on her tenth birthday is about to change everything she thinks she knows about her mum.
Determined to discover what really happened to her, July begins to investigate, cycling around the neighbourhood where her family used to live. There she meets someone who might finally have the answers.
July wants her family to stop lying to her, but will the truth be harder to face?
Review
I absolutely loved this book.This book is not like anything else I have read before, and these days that's getting rarer for me.
Set in the summer of 1995 we follow July, whose turning 10 years old. She knows 18 things about her dead mother and she is desperate to know more. She has a step sister and step mother who have an on off relationship with her emotions and a Father who doesn't want to talk about his dead wife. She craves affection from her Father, but it's given out in very small doses.
Covering domestic violence this book deals with the issues in such a way that it isn't a terrifying read, but the danger is obviously present. July becomes a bit of a detective which is enabled when she receives a bike for her tenth birthday. Now she can go further afield to find out more about her earlier life and her Mother. Unfortunately that knowledge brings her into more danger.
I raced through this book, especially when it was getting nearer to finding out what had happened in the past. There was a bit of a twist which I didn't immediately understand. At first I found this additional information irritating, but as more was revealed it all became clear.
A brilliant read with down to earth everyday characters. July's voice is amazing and so well written, you can't help but fall in love with her. The story is evenly paced throughout the book and flows with beautifully descriptive writing.
I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. What July Knew is published on 9 February 2023. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.
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