Ellie Pillai is Brown

Product Information

I never considered DNFing though, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel that's released next month! It’s how she describes herself when introductions are required during Mrs Aachara’s first drama lesson with her Year 11 class. Making matters worse, Ellie has also lied to her parents about her GCSE subjects and sooner or later they will find out.

I found the whole idea of using QR codes throughout the book to connect to Ellie's playlist absolutely genius! They think she’s taking computer science when all along she’s been taking Mr Grange’s drama lessons….Ellie finds expressing her true emotions very hard, but by using music she can express her feelings more openly. Der Schreibstil erzählt aus Ellies Sicht und das sehr leicht und flüssig, zudem sind die Kapitel meist angenehm kurz. I connected with Ellie is so many ways; from not wholly belonging to the Brown crowd, nor the White crowd to living life with a soundtrack in my head (albeit Ellie would argue her taste in music is much better, I'd have to argue that indeed it is not).

Insgesamt also ein nettes Buch, das man einfach mal lesen kann, aber es muss auch nicht unbedingt sein. It’s a great coming of age and accepting yourself story and I like that she got her happy ever after. It was cute, and I have a feeling I would have liked it a lot more had I read it when I was younger. Or maybe she does, as when she’s dancing around the room, constructing her playlists, or presenting backing groups in her imagination? There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors.It reminded me of Never Have I Ever (which I also love) and it's different having a South Asian girl going thorough teen angst. With classics such as Ted Hughes's The Iron Man and award-winners including Emma Carroll's Letters from the Lighthouse, Faber Children's Books brings you the best in picture books, young reads and classics. She’s pretty much the only brown girl in her school and she’s hiding a big secret from her first generation immigrant parents (they think she took computer science GCSE when really she’s doing drama, a subject she’s actually not doing even doing well in). There were so many times I was cringing but I think that’s just because I’m not the target audience. Warm, funny and hopeful, this story is about a girl struggling to like herself and growing to learn that she is enough.

This book looks at the challenges life throws us, how to be OK with being yourself, and how to show love to those that matter in your life. The music woven into the story and the importance it holds for Ellie is a brilliant addition, and I loved the references made to bands from all over the decades. My rating might change to a 2 star because honestly, I didn't really enjoy this as much as I wanted to but there are some things I appreciated. Faber Members get access to live and online author events and receive regular e-newsletters with book previews, promotional offers, articles and quizzes.The only part I wish had been more fleshed out was the romance - it felt a bit out of nowhere when we learn that [you know who] had feelings for ellie all along for me. I think my favourite thing about this was that it very much has the coming of age, British John Hughes-style vibe I was expecting, but kind of turns some the typical beats of that story around and subverts expectations, to the point I actually wasn’t sure who would end up with who because there were so many plausible possibilities for how things could turn out.

Love the characters dynamic although mostly were freaking overly dramatic and Ellie did frustrate me somehow when she goes judging her opinion and not trusting her friends when they said she was good (don't go being too toxic to yourself, kiddo). A draggy mid part with unnecessary dialogues/scenes (think it could actually be less than 400 pages? I don't think I'd recommend this book to people my age , but I'll definitely pass my copy onto my younger cousins as this is the type of book I would have really appreciated and loved if I was a lot younger. This is the kind of story that highlights the best of humanity, friendship, and what it really means to find your voice and confidence within.

Friendships are getting complicated especially now she’s fallen in love with Ash, a new boy at school who she has a real connection with and who then immediately starts going out with her best friend. Revolves mostly on friendship, family conflicts, bit on sexuality and those emotional hurdles and mental crisis of finding and exploring one's identify, the plot was a bit cliché to me yet quite interesting as it goes. The author, Christine Pillainayagam, has written a cracking debut YA book threaded through with popular musical references which I particularly enjoyed.