Paper Aeroplanes Review




Paper Aeroplanes
Author: Dawn O’Porter
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Paper Aeroplanes (Paper Aeroplanes, #1)
It is 1994 and fifteen-year-old Guernsey schoolgirls Renee and Flo are not meant to be friends. Thoughtful, introspective Flo couldn’t be more different to extroverted, sexually curious Renee. But what they have in common runs deep. Loneliness, frustration, and the longing for escape from their dysfunctional families…
Fifteen is an age when anything can happen, where life stretches out before you. Where every happiness feels like heaven. And every betrayal is the end of the world.
For Renee and Flo, it’s the year they become themselves.

My review
Thoughts on the book: Paper Aeroplanes is a coming of age book that everyone will enjoy, but especially girls as it brings up so many issues that even girls of today are dealing with such as periods, sex, death and love. It is the story of two completely different girls who end up coming together and discovering that they really like each other and want to be friends.
Wow this book transported me back to my high school days. My best friend and I were a lot like Flo and Renee and reading this brought back so many memories of the fun times that we had together. It was set in the mid-1990’s which I was in primary school at that age and when they started talking about the Spice Girls I couldn’t help but laugh because at that time we were so into them and I even brought their incense spray that they had out at the time (geeky moment I know).
I was thrilled to learn that there would be a sequel to this book and couldn’t wait to read it to see where Flo and Renee were headed after the ending that we received in Paper Aeroplanes.

Favourite character: I think my favourite character would have to be Flo in Paper Aeroplanes.  She goes from being bullied by her so called best friend Sally, to suddenly losing her beloved dad, to being humiliated at a party, to becoming friends with Renee and finally living her life. Flo is the smart one in this friendship and always tries to look on the bright side of things. However when it comes to Sally it takes her most of the book to realise that what she thought had been friendship all these years is actually not, its bullying and I cheered when she finally stood up to her and told her where to go. I did however feel sorry for her when Sally turned around and said that her brother got her pregnant and when it was later proved that he infact didn’t get her pregnant there was no real apology from Sally or her family. But then again Flo didn’t really give her brother the benefit of the doubt either.

Favourite part/quote:
“What's the point in worrying about the future? Who says there will even be a future? What happens if you die tomorrow and all you ever did was sit in maths classes and play the clarinet and moan about your family? What good is the future to you then?” 


Rating: 4/5

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