Headlines: The first year of uni life Trying to fit in First LGBTQ+ relationship experiences As a fan of Sara Barnard's previous books and in particular the two books related to Something Certain, Maybe (Beautiful Broken Things and Fierce Fragile Hearts), picking this book up was a no-brainer. But you don't have to have previous knowledge of Rosie, Caddy and Suzie, it can be read as a standalone. Content warnings at the bottom of this review. This book focused on Rosie but with her two buddies there in the background. Leaving Brighton, her mum and friends behind was a bittersweet experience for Rosie but she had a plan. This story was all about that first year of her plan and it didn't play out how she expected. Rosie spread her bisexual wings in this book and she dealt with some microagressions in relation to her bi-ness but any issues were dealt with really well on the page. Rosie's blossoming relationship with Jade was lovely reading and the positive focus of the plot. Rosie navigated some mental health challenges which felt authentic as well as deep family worries. Talking of authenticity this university lecturer (me) thought this first year at uni was written so darn well. Kudos to the real feels that were conveyed and the whole reason why I read and enjoy YA...it helps me connect with my students' experiences. I loved seeing these three characters in an adult (young adult) light. Yes, there were dramatic moments and if you know these three, that felt just right. It felt like a sweet reward getting another book with these characters. Thank you to Pride Book Tours and Macmillan Children's Books for the review copy. Content warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, discussion of previous suicide attempts, bi-erasure

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! Sara Barnard is one of my favourite authors and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to read her latest book ahead of its release! The trouble with loving this author and her book 'A Quiet Kind of Thunder' so much, is that I end up comparing everything else she writes to that book, and nothing quite matches up in my head, BUT this book is still fantastic! Something Certain, Maybe is a companion to her other books, Beautiful Broken Things and Fierce Fragile Hearts, and it follows Rosie, the final member of the trio. She's off to university, and straight away I could tell that she was attending UEA, which was so funny and also worrying to me because I have spent lotsssss of time at UEA due to my boyfriend being a student there, so I was excited and nervous to see how accurate it would play out. But it was so accurate, and I was thrilled to see that the author is actually an alum of UEA! It was completely accurate down to the descriptions of the Ziggs (if you know, you know), even down to the road names (shoutout to literally the road over from my boyfriend's house). The accuracy made it even more enjoyable to me, because I could feel completely immersed in the story and picture myself in every single scene. I really enjoyed the more realistic take on university that this book offers. The idea of not enjoying it, regretting your course choice, changing your mind, struggling to make friends, not knowing if you're doing the right thing.... I felt all of that SO HARD, and it felt so nice to not feel alone in those thoughts, even if this character is fictional. We're shown that university is not for everyone, and how okay that is, and I think so many people need to hear that sometimes. It's so, so, SO relatable and definitely something that needs to be talked about more in books, and in real life for that matter. Sara Barnard has a really lovely, easy style of writing and I read this start to finish in a day, so that's always a good sign to me.