Do you know what we need more of in YA lit? Positive female friendships. And in Paper Aeroplanes, Dawn o’Porter gives it to us in spades.
From the very first few pages, the author had me absolutely hooked on Renee and Flo’s stories, which were told from alternating viewpoints within the chapters. Don’t get me wrong, their friendship isn’t all skipping through a field of daisies and wildflowers, and Renee and Flo are both flawed characters, but I instantly completely shipped their friendship - I was desperate for them to get together and booed every time Flo’s horrible friend Sally came in the room.
There were some really frank discussions about sex and sexuality and dysfunctional relationships (which Dawn o’Porter has explored before in her TV programs) and this was really refreshing. The book was so much grittier and true-to-life than a lot of YA contemporary fiction out there.
And even though I’m usually a sucker for a good romance, I loved the fact that there were no heart-swoony romances in this book. There are a couple of boys, and a whole lot of talking about sex, but the heart of the book is the friendship between Flo and Renee.
The only thing that stopped this book from being five stars was that I felt the ending was all wrapped up a bit too neatly and felt a bit rushed because of it. Other than that, it was an amazing read. Go and buy a copy.
4.5 stars