Truly Madly Amy by Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary fiction
Read: 16th July 2022
Audio links:
UK
UK
Published: 21st July 2022
★★ 2 stars
DESCRIPTION:
We all remember that one magical summer that changed our lives.
For Joe, it’s 1999. School is over, and with zero idea of what he’s meant to do for the rest of his life, he’s reluctantly accepted a job at the local summer camp. Anything to drown out the sharp grief of missing his dad and move on from what school calls his ‘anger problems’. But getting screamed at by hyperactive ten-year-olds is almost enough to make him quit on day one.
Almost.
Then he sees Amy Ashworth for the very first time, her black hair shining in the sun – and learns that nothing hits harder than first love.
She’s the only person he knows who reads for fun, or who’s seen Titanic fourteen times. But there’s another side to Amy. Soon, she’s the only person he’s ever been to a wild house party with, or kissed under the twinkling stars. It’s the happiest Joe has ever been… until the terrible day when what’s left of his family fractures into a million pieces.
Caught up in Amy’s whirlwind, Joe can’t bring himself to tell the truth about his life. Would his dad have wanted him to fight for the girl he loves, or protect his family, no matter what?
Only one thing is certain: this is the summer Joe will grow up. But when he looks back decades later, will he be ashamed of his choices? And will Amy still be by his side?
Heart-warming, hilarious, nostalgic, and bittersweet, Truly, Madly, Amy explores first loves, last chances, and the summers that shape us. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Mike Gayle, and anyone who remembers the carefree days of being just sixteen, when the world was full of possibility.
MY THOUGHTS:
While this is not my usual genre, I am a big Kerry Wilkinson fan for his psychological thrillers and I decided to give TRULY MADLY AMY a go...just because it's Kerry. And I tried to like it...I really did. But I couldn't. I couldn't connect to the characters and I felt like Joe and Amy (and everyone else) were in some kind of alternate universe and I was looking in at something I truly couldn't fathom or get a grip on. I don't know if it's an age thing or that I grew up in a different generation or even a completely different country. In 1999 I was approaching 30 and life as a 16 year old then was a far cry from what it was like when I was 16. I also never had summer camps, never partook in underage drinking and first love for me didn't happen till I was about 19 or 20. The seventies and eighties were the background for my childhood and adolescence...the nineties are different altogether.
TRULY MADLY DEEPLY is described as a coming of age story and I guess it is and it follows Joe going from mid-teens to adulthood and all the situations in which he finds himself. He reluctantly accepts a job at a local summer camp as an assistant counsellor (which I think is a bit of a misnomer and should just be called assistants as counsellors require some form of training and thus the givers of advice and therapy...not the type of role given here). He is still grieving the loss of his dad two years previous and his home life is nothing short of miserable, especially as the only other sane one within those walls is his elder sister who packs up and leaves home within his first week at summer camp. Leaving him to deal with his difficult mother. He was cited as having "anger problems" and is now having to deal with being screamed at by hyperactive ten year olds. It's almost enough to make him give up on day one.
Almost.
Then he meets Amy Ashworth. Her black hair shining in the sun. Her laughter that lights up her eyes. Her smile that makes his heart melt. And Joe learns that nothing hits harder than first love.
Amy fascinates and frightens him. And yet she is the first person he has felt anything for and it overwhelms and consumes him. He experiences many firsts with Amy from parties to kisses under the stars, but then what is left of his family is fractured into pieces, he isn't sure how he and Amy will survive.
Personally, I didn't like either Joe or Amy...or pretty much anyone else in the story. I felt nothing for any of them, felt no connection to them, and I doubt I will remember anything more about them upon closing the book. I made it 30% of the way through before giving up and skimming to the final chapter to see how it ended...and was left in confusion because I had missed all that happened in between. But I really didn't care to go back and find out. TRULY MADLY AMY will just have to be one of those books I tried but couldn't.
I am not really a fan of coming of age stories or young adult fiction. I only decided to check it out as I am fan of the authors psychological thrillers which are far more my thing...that and the fact I love his sense of humour and always appreciate his witty quips he tosses into his books. TRULY MADLY AMY was touted as being hilarious as well as heartwarming and all that but apart from a few witty words, I could find none of the sense of humour I was loosing forward to.
That's not to say that TRULY MADLY AMY is not well-written or a great read. For many, it is and from what I see of reviews it has been. But it's not for me and while I am glad I did give it a go stepping out of my usual comfort zone, it wasn't for me. But well done Kerry Wilkinson and hats off for a going a completely different road than usual. It shows versatility and flexibility as a writer as well as great talent.
I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TrulyMadlyAmy in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
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