Babushka by Natasha Devon begins with a gripping prologue. A flashback to the past it grabbed my attention straight away. The main protagonist Cerys who grew up in a village in the Welsh Valleys gets to fulfil her dream of studying at the London School of Fashion. She will be living with her aunt Wyn. Cerys aspect on life is based on the insights from her favourite magazine Adept. So how does life in London compare in realty? This is Devon’s exploration of the joys, pains and distress that Cerys experiences in this coming of age novel. In the first chapter I learned why the book was called Babushka. Umm...that had me hooked and I wanted to know more of Cerys Babushka. The characters were real and life like. The story felt familiar as one that could happen to a teenager down one’s street or town. Yet there was magic in its telling. This made the entire novel a gripping read. Throughout, the novel has many flashbacks to the main protagonist Cerys life. It didn’t bother me as it was well crafted and flowed seamlessly. As her story unravels I realise that this could happen to any teen. What kept me reading was Devon’s bravura in skilfully interbraiding Cerys past and present. Here was a story of a teenager who had made mistakes but with the help of family and friends got back onto her feet. These were folks that I would want around me in times of trouble. True there were also characters I would not want in my own life – mean and obnoxious. And that’s it – the real life like characters the good the bad and the ugly were all crafted by Devon to make an awesomely inspiring read. The story was full of twists and turns often when least expected. It kept me glued to my Kindle and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough. This was largely due to the fact that Devon has mastered the art of keeping the reader in suspense till the very end. All the more significant as Devon transforms an ordinary tale into an uplifting read. I hurt with Cerys and rejoiced as she triumphed through her difficulties. Her distress became mine as did her dilemmas. I was eager to know how she resolved her problems. Only then did I glean the whole of Cerys story. I closed my Kindle with a sigh and felt enriched for having read Babushka. This novel though, is not just for teens. Adults would benefit from reading this book as they would gain a greater insight into teens feelings.