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Robbie's Radical Ramblings

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Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

Author: Tobias Madden

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 287

Formats: Kindle

Rating:  5 stars


There’s quite a lot I can say about this delightful YA book, but I will start by saying it really hit me in the feels. 

I knew I was going to be in for something different in the first few pages when I discovered it was set in Ballarat- a semi major country town in Victoria, Australia. The fact that it’s set away from the capital is great if you ask me, always good to see different places represented in fiction. 

The story opens and is based around Luca, a 16 year old openly gay ballet dancer, whose on the cusp of auditioning for the Australian Ballet School when a major accident shatters his dreams. 

This book explores the themes of loss and acceptance while you’re just a teenager; after all who could rightly handle their dream being taken away at any stage in such a cruel and heartbreaking manner?

Tobias Madden handles this in a tender and sensitive way; while the themes explored  in this novel aren’t anything revolutionary, Madden has a writing style that draws you in and makes you feel for each character- all of the major  characters are richly drawn out and you feel invested in them and their journeys.


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