Fan bloody tastic

Heartbreaking, mind bending, belly laughs a plenty. As a survivor of Wolverhampton in the 80s and 90s. I can tell you this book is bloody brill.

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3 people found this helpful

as if Moran wasn't hero enough already

I had read Morans non fiction works but for some reason put off reading the novel for ages. I shouldn't have put it off. it is luscious and funny and clever and honest and absolutely recommended. partly autobiographical anyway it has Morans trademark witty wordsmithery and class narrative it manages to so expertly capture the mundane drama and desperation of being a teenage girl in the 1990s in such a clever and hilarious and absolutely vital way that I just don't have the words to explain how good this book is. as if Moran wasn't hero enough already. a fresh flavour of feminist voice that resonates hard against my childhood memories and my funny bone. can't rate highly enough.

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Raw, deep, sad and honest.

Hard to listen to at times because of the language but still very insightful and clever. The author is one to watch. You made me care about Dolly.

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Read me and grow.

extremely well written and very funny. Wise and rude in equal measure. Brilliantly observed and set in a well remembered cultural millieu this book shout.what I want my teenaged daughter to hear. I am truly happy that she is reading the hardcopy version.

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Cultural eye opener

As a 44 year old man I consider the time I've spent digesting this book as a strange kind of cultural exchange exercise. Having recently become a dad to 2 daughters the title swung it for me but I have to be honest it's not exactly what I had in mind. On reflection this was even better than what I was expecting and if there's a moral to all this it's that boys and girls aren't so different. We all want to be loved, we all want to make our mark in the world and we all need to masterbate from time to time. Well performed, this is a fun and funny page turner. A real reminder how crap the teenage years actually are.

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Observational/reflective gold for the post teen

A delightful perspective of teenage angst and triumph. Hilarious and hitting close to home, HTBAG follows Johanna in her quest from innocent northerner to fully fledged and dysfunctional young woman. Do yourself a favor!

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Fly on the wall of a teenagers life.

Very good read the narration was excellent. Only criticism is the fowl language used and the repetitive sex references but l wont be marking it down for that ....maybe lm just more prudish than the average listener but it would have been good to know before hand about the language.

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7 people found this helpful

cringingly good

fantastic journey back to the 90s with cultural references to make you smile in every chapter

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Interesting, gritty YA

Review: I've been wanting to read this book for ages. I bought it as my world book day buy either last year or the one before, and in the end I downloaded this on audiobook so that I could enjoy Moran's witty cynicism on the way to work and back. I don't know what I was expecting from this novel, I realised it was fiction and a story about a teenager but it was completely different from what I was expecting. As the book progressed though I heard a lot of the author and her own experiences at detailed in How To Be A Woman (one of my favourite books of all time) in it-great!

The protagonist in this novel is brutally honest and is also very aware of her family and where they sit within society. I really liked the different relationships she has with the different members of her family and how they vary. She obviously loves them to bits and is especially protective of her brother because he is referred to in almost every other simile she uses! I also love the fact that she was determined to be the one that got out, that got the career she wanted and that went after things no matter what.

There are some seriously funny bits in the book when 'Dolly' enters the world of work and discovers mosh pits, smoking and drinking. These events in particular really highlight just how young and naive she is not just because of her age but also because she is from outside of London, not famillliar with the big city. I really liked her take on relationships and sex, it reminded me of my teenage years and what I thought should have been happening and the reality of it all. This novel is brutally honest, there are some moments which are definitely not for the more sensitive reader but definitely one that is worth reading, especially for the feminists among us!

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Brilliant

Does exactly what it says on the cover. Brilliant observations from the midlands and the 80s and 90s music scene (the Phil Oakey one is my favourite of them all 😭) fantastically rude and genuinely laugh out loud (while out in public walking my dog 🤪) funny.

Louise Brealy gives so much to the narration, An amazing performance, and it’s great to see its being turned into a film this year.

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