A fab YA read! I found it really refreshing to read a YA book dealing with mental illness that wasn’t triggering, romanticised or overplayed. The description of an increasingly toxic friendship was really well done - subtle at first with gradual and realistic escalation over the course of the book. I did find Aretha difficult to believe in at points but I was fully prepared to forgive that because all of the other aspects of the book were well done. I’d definitely recommend this to young adults and lovers of YA fiction!

This story follows Llewella (Loo) and Aretha; the former is a successful blogger and straight Grade A student, yet she has never had a best friend. Aretha, the new student in the sixth form at St Edith's High School for Girls in Chiddingwell, suburban Surrey, southern England, is confident, from London and seemingly enjoys a glamorous life. Loo sets out to befriend Aretha... I enjoyed reading this book immensely and experiencing Loo's self-journey through the toxic relationship she had with Aretha. Well worth a look. I received a complimentary copy of this novel from UCLan Publishing via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Toxic was a good YA read about the progress of a toxic friendship and its effects on main character and narrator, Llewella (her mum's Welsh, though why she picked "Llewella" as a name over far prettier, equally Welsh alternatives is anybody's guess). It does have the dubious advantage of being able to be shortened to "Loo", handy when you write a blog about public toilets, as she does. Seventeen-year-old Llewella (I'm sorry, I can't call her Loo) has a lot going for her - she's bright, talented and from a well to do family (she's never met her father, but her single mother has done well for herself), but suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. As a mixed race, not-thin girl at a private Surrey girls' school otherwise entirely populated, it seems, by thin blonde girls, she's also never felt she fitted in. When a new girl, Aretha, starts at the school, Llewella is immediately drawn to this apparent fellow outsider, and sets out to befriend her. Llewella seemed quintessential Gen Z to me. My daughter is a similar age, just slightly younger, and all her opinions are exactly the same (and loudly expressed). It's obvious to the reader, if not to Llewella, that Aretha is a toxic and manipulative individual who's all about herself and has no genuine interest in Llewella's wellbeing, using her and abandoning her as it suits her, and telling multiple self-promoting lies. Aretha clearly has her own issues, but her behaviour is atrocious and has devastating effects on Llewella, damaging her confidence and causing her to lessen herself and turn down opportunities for fear of upsetting Aretha, who can't tolerate anyone else's success. That's never a good sign! The progress of their "friendship" is very well portrayed - it's hard to understand how someone as intelligent as Llewella doesn't get wise to Aretha's behaviour a bit sooner, but I guess she's young and vulnerable. Llewella's mum seems remarkably hands-off, particularly given her daughter's mental health struggles. She says supportive things from time to time but seems to have little idea what's going on in Llewella's life. I did like the Welsh grandparents. The story was very readable and although I couldn't really relate that much to Llewella's issues (I'm not in the target demographic, for one thing), she was a sympathetic character and the relationship with Aretha was expertly portrayed. I was never quite sure how much of her awful behaviour was conscious (we see a bit of her family life which suggests she's rarely challenged on anything) - but then we only see her from Llewella's viewpoint. It did seem to fizzle out a little at the end, but it was a very good read which I'm sure will strike a chord with many readers.

Llewella has always felt different due to her skin colour and body shape in a school full of thin white girls. Having anxiety doesn’t help either. She is a straight A student with a lead in the school play and a successful blog about toilets. Only thing is she has never had a best friend. Along comes new student Aretha. Could she become the best friend that Llewella wants and needs? Before long, Llewella is following a diet Aretha has given her. She’s determined to be the greatest friend she can be, even when Aretha says and does things which make her feel less than great. Could the anxiety disorder be returning in full effect and is Aretha really good for Llewella after all? The author does say at the beginning of the book that the story does contain vivid descriptions of panic attacks and references eating disordered behaviour but they do make sure that no sizes, calories or specific weights are mentioned. I think that this is a good thing as it could be triggering for some people. I think overall that most people have had a toxic friend (I have) so this can be relatable to a lot of readers. I liked Llewella as a character and I really enjoyed reading this book.

Natasha Devon's first YA novel is going to be a big hit, I can already tell! We meet Llewella (A.k.a. Loo - in part due to her brilliant blog about toilet quality in public spaces) who, like most teenagers, feels out of place in her own skin and is just trying to find her way as best she can, with her loyal mate Olivia. Then, in comes Aretha, like a big wrecking ball of confidence, taking Loo under her wing. But as their "friendship" develops, Loo starts to change and people around her start to question whether her friendship with Aretha is doing more harm than good. Honestly, sometimes I find YA a bit hit and miss, but this was a real page-turner! I found myself morbidly curious to see what stunts Aretha would pull next, and infuriated but compelled to see if Loo would ever stand up to her! The characters on the whole were fantastically written. Aretha, despite being the obvious villain of the story, was deeply layered and even her most outrageous moments were somehow portrayed in a completely believable way. And I'm taking this moment to give a bit shout out to Loo's grandparents - perfectly placed moral compass characters! I did find that sometimes I was slightly irritated by Loo herself and her submissive behaviour, although I know this is absolutely true-to-life behaviour of an insecure teenager feeling 'cool' for the first time. However, I did feel that some of these moments ended up being too contrived for my liking. I can't say I loved her, but I'm sure that's the point: you don't have to like someone to be kind to them! All in all, this is a great message for young people (and old!) about healthy relationships and fun friendships. My dad always said "fun is when everyone's laughing" and I've always done my best to stick to that motto. This book teaches that lesson perfectly.