Review: Dear Dylan - Siobhan Curham

Fourteen year old Georgie Harris feels as if the summer holidays are over before they have even begun.  Banned from going to the local drama workshop by her bully of a step-dad and her increasingly fragile mum she is consigned to six long weeks of babysitting her kid sister.

Sick of feeling like the outsider at home and at school, she starts emailing the one person she thinks might understand; Dylan Curtland, star of the popular soap opera Jessop Close.  And when Dylan starts emailing back Georgie finally feels a spark of hope.  At last she has someone who really gets her, someone who really wants to help.  But in the faceless world of email all is not as it seems...

Visit Siobhan Curham's website for more information

Review:
Georgie has a lot going on in her life and feels like she has no one to talk to about her problems.  Feeling lonely she starts to email her favorite actor Dylan hoping desperately for someone who understands her.  At first the replies she receives are just standard responses but as the person who is replying starts to discover more about Georgie's home life they reach out to offer her friendship. 

When Siobhan Curham asked me to review Dear Dylan I was intrigued by the idea of a novel written purely in the form of emails.  I've not read anything like it before & I was very curious to see how it would work - I have to say I was impressed.  Reading took me right back to my teens reminding me how the smallest embarrassment felt like the world's biggest disaster and how just a smile from the boy you liked left you feeling on top of the world.

Georgie is a very real character, in her first few emails I was reminded of a typical teen who hero worships the actor Dylan - I can remember being very similar at her age.  As you get to know her you can't help but like her and hope that her dreams come true.  Georgie's situation at home is very difficult and I was genuinely concerned for her safety at times.  That for me is a sign of a great book - one where you care what happens to the characters.

I don't want to give away any of the storyline so I'll just say that this book will have you laughing out loud one minute and close to tears the next, I actually had goose bumps towards the end and really couldn't put the book down until I knew how things turned out.  This book may be aimed at young adults but it is one that I'm sure most adults will enjoy too & I'd highly recommend it.

Source: Thank you to Siobhan for sending me this book for review

Other reviews of this book:
Darlyn & Books
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