Cuts Both Ways

Product Information

Many thanks to Hachette Children's Group and NetGalley for providing me with a Digital Review Copy. A self-confessed beauty and fashion obsessive, Candice has a style segment on Lorraine on ITV where she has become known for gently encouraging people to be bolder about embracing colour in their wardrobes. Through ‘Cuts Both Ways’, Candice has captured the reality of many young people in London and other cities marred by gun and knife crime. I was drawn into a world I could only imagine before reading this story. The knowing you really like / love someone and then finding out they aren't the person you thought they were, you've been manipulated they have omitted information, they have told you lies BIG ONES and the deceit urgh, awful awful feelings. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.

Cuts Both Ways by Candice Brathwaite - Books - Hachette Australia Cuts Both Ways by Candice Brathwaite - Books - Hachette Australia

Candice captured the story of Cyn’s mum and dad beautifully - at times I was infuriated by Cyn’s dad but he was also grieving. I loved the grace Candice gave both parents and how she handled the cultural differences that have a funny way of playing out when a family is dealing with stronger forces than they are used to. I thought this book had the potential to be a good book, but instead, it was underwhelming and poorly written. I am no stranger to Candice Brathwaite’s writing; I'm certainly not a fan, but I do believe she has produced much better work than this without sounding too rude. I do not think fictional writing is for everyone. The thing that causes a lot of Young Adult books to be unsuccessful is that people write for an audience that they don’t already have. Unless you're well-established like John Green, you have to develop your style of writing before trying to put yourself in a box for a specific genre. Cuts Both Ways did a poor job of targeting a particular audience.Anyways…..I feel like my thoughts are legit all over the place. All in all, I LOVED this book. I rate it HIGHLY and I would recommend this book to ANYONE and EVERYONE. A self-confessed beauty and fashion obsessive Candice has a style segment on Lorraine on ITV where she has become known for gently encouraging people to be bolder about embracing colour in their wardrobes. Cuts Both Ways was a really powerful read and its ending – whilst not ambiguous – certainly allows for more of the story to be told and I really home that Candice Braithwaite turns it into a series. The characters had so much potential, especially our main characters, Cynthia and Issac, but they were underdeveloped and rushed. Their interaction and inner thoughts throughout the book were very amateur and cringe-worthy. It was so evident that this book was written by someone much, much older with not much sense of modern youthfulness and their interaction.

Cuts Both Ways by Candice Brathwaite | Goodreads

Candice Brathwaite is normally a non-fiction writer and I've read one of her other books so was intrigued to see what this one was about. It's definitely YA which I wasn't expecting! I'm not sure I would use it in the curriculum, but I would definitely recommend it to students. Mature Yr 8+, Really enjoyed reading this. The storyline, the characters and writing style. Everything was top notch.London is all Cynthia knows, but a traumatic incident means her family relocate to the middle of nowhere leaving Cynthia feeling adrift. Bonding with two brothers leaves Cynthia feeling torn but both are keeping secrets.

Candice Brathwaite | The Guardian Candice Brathwaite | The Guardian

This is a brilliant read and it leaves you both wanting a sequel and realising not every story has a happy end. The story's twists were predictable far ahead. It contained repeated phrases such as 'it was like she was reading my mind'. Physical perfection was rated very highly. Morality loomed high.I have decided to stop saying that I don’t like reading YA because this is the second one I have really enjoyed in as many months. But I must admit there are certain part of this book is a little bit cringy but I think it was intentional by Brathwaite. I would recommend this book for someone who want to read something different from the normal setting of YA romance book but let me warn you, this book will leave you dumbfounded. This is my second time exposing myself to the culture of BPOC through books. The first was Ace of Spades but in Cuts Both Ways, I get to travel deeply in their culture. It is the story about Cynthia. She is starting a new school and leaving her old life in London behind. The murder of her older brother has had her family moving away from the living memory of the crime but Cynthia struggles when it comes to her new way of life.