This Northern Sky

I thoroughly enjoyed This Northern Sky.Once again Julia Green does what she does so well: make good story-telling look so very easy.Kate is taken away on holiday to a remote Hebridean island; a world away from all aspects of her every day life.In this vast and beautiful place she is confronted with the reality of her parents' failing marriage, and feeling as alone and exposed to the elements as the island itself, Kate matures and learns to stands tall and strong in the raging currents of her life.Kate ends up showing an emotional maturity that triumphs over that of her mother, a bitter-sweet reminder that there comes a point in a parent's life when they should consider stop trying to "protect" and instead offer honesty, and open up to the wisdom and understanding of their children.Beautiful book, easy read, get it now.

I was expecting a sweet YA chick lit when I picked this up, and I think the synopsis is very misleading. It says `And there she meets the islanders, who are prepared to accept her and listen to her. And possibly fall in love with her.' Emphasis on the word Possibly, because actually, it's quite clear 1/3 of the way through, that's never going to happen. They love her, but nobody falls in love with her, which I was disappointed with. However, this is a YA novel, and the focus wasn't particularly on Kate's love life, but making new friends and noticing her parents that are growing apart. It was also very nice to read some UKYA!Other than that, This Northern Sky by Julia Green was rather enjoyable, and quite a small, easy read. It didn't take me long to finish, because this isn't an action book or anything, it's a quick contemporary.A lot of teenagers could relate to This Northern Sky because Kate faces her parents rocky relationship, and turns to the solitude of the island to keep her centred. There were many questions asked wondering if Kate was to blame herself or if things were different, could her parents still love each other? I really liked the idea of leaving everything behind and finding new friends, and there was a quote in it that was my favourite, and very true:`You have to think about why people move over here,' Isla says. `Quite often they're running away from something. People who aren't so good at getting on with others, they don't understand how a real community works.' She laughs. `They forget that they bring themselves with them, where ever they run.'This was not the deepest or grittiest of books, for me. However it's a great book for teenagers with divorced/divorcing parents to relate to, and quite a touching novel in that respect.The ending was nice, and left me satisfied, but it didn't leave me with a huge imprint. Overall, I'm going to give it 3 Stars.

I was drawn straight away to this book not because of the blurb, but because of the very pretty cover. One thing I will say is that the synopsis is a bit misleading as it says "And there she meets the islanders, who are prepared to accept her and listen to her. And possibly fall in love with her. You find out quite quickly this is never going to happen. They love her, but nobody falls in love with her, which I was disappointed with. Overall I did find the book enjoyable, it is meant for teenagers so it's a good short story but I was left wanting more and to tie up loose ends.

This Northern Sky is yet another brilliantly written book from Julia Green. It's the third I've read by her and is equally as good as Breathing Underwater and Drawing with Light, keeping me hooked all the way through and making it seem like summer is truly here! The whole novel takes place in the Hebredes (islands off the coast of Scotland, I believe), as Kate holidays there with her mum and dad over her summer break from school. The island and weather is described so vividly it's like you're there, and even travel-hating me now quite fancies visiting the islands.Julia Green really is a fantastic writer, everything flows so smoothly and her prose is lyrical and lovely. That's the only way I can describe it. She is, in my opinion, grossly underrated, and should be more recognised for her teen novels. I've always thought she was like the UK's answer to Sarah Dessen, and I'll happily say that again. She writes very true, keeping her characters and plots realistic and easy to believe; she never strays into the unbelievable, which is another aspect of her writing that I love. It's just straight-up, down to earth teen realism - her characters have flaws and they know it. I wish there was more YA fiction like this, just because it's so relatable and accessible.Along with Kate's endless exploration of the Hebredes, she's also dealing with her mum and dad's marital problems, a past boyfriend and a group of new friends. Feelings are complicated and present and, for her fifteen years, she's experiencing a lot of hard stuff. Not every family is perfect - far from it - and This Northern Sky does an excellent job of highlighting that. It makes Kate's story that much more grounded, knowing that she's going through something that thousands of families go through. For the record, I really liked her mum and dad, even through all their faults. They're a realistic family unit, which is something I'd like to see more of in contemporary teen fiction.Another thing I like about Julia Green's novels is that romance and love isn't the be all and end all of her characters. They don't live by it or let it define them; they're their own person and I appreciate that. Romance doesn't have to always take centre stage, sometimes simple friendship can be just as important, especially at a younger age. See, there's that realism creeping in again!I can't recommend Julia Green's books enough, and I'll be catching up with a few I've missed, starting with Bringing the Summer. I hope she continues to write books like this, and I hope she eventually gets more recognition. She's an unsung YA hero, in my opinion, quietly writing ridiculously good books that seem to be overlooked in the sea of young adult fiction. If you like contemporary fiction, or just fancy reading a good story, pick up one of her books. I think you'll love them as much as I do.