Official Review: The Guilt Club by Lauren Tomsett

[inlovewithbooks]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Guilt Club" by Lauren Tomsett.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Guilt Club by Lauren Tomsett is a young adult novel that deals with the very serious subject of teenage drinking. The book is narrated by fifteen-year-old Emma Stanley, a very shy and reserved teenager. At the beginning of the story, Emma’s parents are concerned that she is depressed since she has withdrawn from her friends and never wants to leave the house. To prove her parents wrong, Emma decides to attend an unsupervised party with her two friends, Ivy and Charlotte. Unfortunately, Emma ends up getting extremely drunk and loses consciousness. She later wakes up at a hospital to find that she and her friends have been in a fatal car accident that has claimed the life of one of her peers.

The book deals with the aftermath of the car accident and the guilt Emma suffers for not only the death of her peer but her bad decision to drink. Although the subject matter is serious, the story is actually not intense and focuses more on everyday teenager struggles than the actual event. I believe the book could be enjoyed by both adults and young adults alike. The story did keep me entertained and there is a surprising twist at the end, but I have to give the book 2 out of 4 stars for the following reasons:

First, the book has many grammatical errors. I was forced to re-read various sentences to make sure I understood what the author meant which interrupted the flow of the story. There are also many misspelled words, especially by the end of the book. I’m not sure if the author felt hurried to finish the story, but the errors did seem to get more careless as the book progressed.

Second, I sometimes had a problem believing that the character narrating the story was 15 years old. Emma’s thought process seemed too adult at times and out of character. I understand that Emma is supposed to be very studious and smart, but I believe her thinking may be too advanced for her age. For example, Emma was daydreaming during English class. “My eyes haven’t left the trees and I wait for English to be over. In a certain place in time, there is a 13-year old me in that tree, balancing on a branch and pondering over life as if I knew anything. Just as this 15-year-old me will forever be preserved in this place in time, looking out the window and pondering over life as if I know anything”. I don’t know any 15-year-olds who speak that way, or maybe I’m just out of touch with 15-year-olds.

Last, I found the book a little hard to read due to the author’s writing style. I thought the author added too many unnecessary details that stopped the flow of the story. I don’t feel like the author kept up with the theme of the book but rather focused more on other issues that deviated from the guilt that Emma was facing. Other readers might feel different, but I expected more out of the story. I did not feel that the seriousness of the theme was properly addressed. Please don’t let this personal comment keep you from picking up the book. Other readers might find the writing style very enjoyable.

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The Guilt Club
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