BOOK GROUP REVIEW - A GIRL IN BETWEEN by Sarah Carroll

I know the mill has a story cos there’s something strange going on. I heard something. I’ve decided that I’m going to find out what it is later today when Ma leaves. Cos even if it is scary, we live here and we’re never leaving. So if there’s something going on, I need to know.

In an old, abandoned mill in the heart of Dublin, Sam and her ma take shelter from their memories of life on the streets, and watch the busy world go by. The windows are boarded up and the floorboards falling in, but for Sam neither of those things matter. It’s The Castle – a home of her own like no other, and a place of safety.

But hard as she tries to hold on to her world, things are starting to change. As the men in yellow coats close in on their refuge, and her ma spins further out of control, Sam finds herself seeking friendship in the ghosts of the mill – and questioning who is really there.

Our Year 7 Book Group, Shadows read a reviewed The Girl In Between and here is what they have to say about it...

Charlie Herondale-

"The Girl In Between is a book about a girl named Sam who is on the run from the Authorities with her Ma. Sam is invisible; no one can see her...

Sam’s Ma is an alcoholic who is an irresponsible mother who loves her daughter dearly. She drinks in attempt to let go, but it is impossible to let go when you are clutching on to the fragments of your past.

Different characters in the book reflect different aspects of Sam’s life, which brings me on to the best part of this book – it makes you think. The Girl In Between plunges you into innocent little Sam’s brain and hands you the puzzle pieces to put together, at that point understanding sweeps you off of your feet and leaves you breathless…

One thing that I brought me out of The Beautiful World Of Books was that some parts were dragged on whilst others kept you others edge of your seat, I would have preferred being on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.

This is a beautifully written book with incredibly deep meaning behind it that will be revealed only if you dare to breathe underwater. I feel that Sarah Carroll has put a lot of thought into this book and has done a wonderful job; I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of thrilling mystery. The Girl In Between is definitely well worth a read."

 Zoe Moore -
"The protagonist, Sam, and her Ma are homeless. Hiding from the Authorities, the invisible girl and Ma find refuge in the Mill.The Girl In Between is Sarah Carroll's compelling debut novel. It had a slight slow pace but my patience was rewarded. This story lightly touches on some big issues (eg. alcoholism/homelessness).
The Girl In Between is pitched at those interested in YA novels and is completely suitable for younger readers aside from the occasional swearing.
Due to the slow pace I wasn't particularly certain how I felt about it, but the plot twist in the ending helped me to make better sense of the novel, so I came to appreciated how wonderfully written it was.
Overall, The Girl In Between is intriguing, with a unique storyline. Although it took a while for me to value the beauty of the plot; it was beneficial on my outlook on life."

Applyby Queerditch Marsh -

"The book- girl in between is a book that is really sweet. It reveals how true a mother's love is. But it also shows the other side which looks more abusive. It includes lots of well-hidden metaphors and the book has a really pure moral.It got me hooked in the beginning but I drifted off during the middle but re-connected near the end. It got me asking questions and hoping they would be answered but they supposedly weren't, leaving me intrigued.All in all, it was an amazing book and I can't wait for any new books coming out from the author!"

Firefly12-

"This book is different to other books I've read because it has more of an edge and it also has a deep meaning towards it. It is very mysterious and got me thinking deeply into what happened. The meaning I found was that sometimes you need to step out from the shadows, and into the light. This is because the girl in this book was unknown even her name was, but eventually she found the right thing to do and to stop being invisible and not be afraid to step out into the light. Three words I'd use to describe this book is mysterious, deep and moving. This basically sums up the book to me. I feel this book is sort of like a cliff hanger because their are lots of questions that are unanswered to me like what will happen to her when she is now gone out to the light? What has happened to her family? In this book as the invisible girl is invisible she doesn't have much friends but lots of interesting characters are introduced who have had a bad past. There isn't much "laughing moments" in this book which makes it different to others I've read. I would recommend this book because it is a something different to read and it is unique with a different feeling when I read it."

Firefly11-

"I really enjoyed reading the girl in between because it is different to books that I usually read and that I had to look deeper into the book to understand the meaning of it. The book was about a girl and her mother and they are homeless and are always looking for a new castle (home) to call theirs. They found a windmill to live in, however it is really old and the floor boards are weak. There is one problem, the authorities are looking for them so the girl and her mother have to hide. The girl can't leave the windmill and has to stay hidden in the shadows while her mother goes begging for some coins to pay for new light bulbs and some food for them to eat. The girl is very adventurous and loves reading fairy tails so like in one of the tales she read, she placed some coins all over the mill and pretended that she couldn't find her way and followed the trail, but then something strange happened. The coins had disappeared and the girl thought that it was a ghost so she went on a hunt to look for them but it turned out that it was the caretaker who thought it was his dead daughter leaving them for him. But then the girls worst nightmare occurred right in front of her eyes the authorities had entered the mill and wanted to tear it down so the girl had to make traps to run them out. At the end of the book, the girl and her mother separated. This book left me having loads of questions and I do recommend it."

Myra -

"I like The Girl In Between because it was unlike any book I had read before and it had a very interesting story-line. There are many untold details and unsolved mysteries in the book, but I extremely liked this feature because it enabled me to think deeply about it and look for hidden metaphors or clues inside the book. Three words I would use to describe this are: emotive, mysterious and captivating. I would recommend The Girl In Between to children in Secondary School because for younger children, it may be harder and more confusing to comprehend the events in the story."

Lily Read -

"I liked reading this book because of the description in this book. The writer describes the atmosphere so deeply that you could just imagine it in your head. I also liked this book because I don’t usually read books that are too depressing or haunting but it was nice to read a type of book that is different from the books you usually read.

The fact that I didn’t enjoy reading this book was, because the writer isn’t really clear about what’s actually going on in the book. I also think the writer used the word “Ma” too much because it gets a bit boring. From my opinion I think the writer could’ve used different words to describe the character rather than just keep saying their name again and again."

Overall Rating - 🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Toppsta for providing this books in exchange for an honest review. Find out more information here.