An astute and hard-hitting portrait of Bernadette, a misjudged and somewhat lost young girl, and the unhealthy friendship she develops with the older and more worldly Jenny. It's a story about growing up too soon, and about the cruelty of teenagers, and about yearning to fit in. I felt myself thinking of the girls I went to school with - the Bernadettes and the Jennys; those on the peripheries with the bad reputations. It made me want to go back in time to the school playground to seek them out, offer friendship, or just an ear.

Told in the innovative novella-in-flash form, this book is succinct and artful. Karen Jones is a master of the short form, and as a reader you can relax and know you're in very safe hands. Every word counts and works to create this young woman's world, and to hint at the world beyond the book, the back stories, the future of the protagonists - which shows Jones' great skill. Highly recommended.