Book Review: Deleted by Sylvia Heir

Format: Paperback

Pages: 198 pages

Published: May 28, 2020

Publisher: Garmoran Publishing

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Mystery

Synopsis:

How much worse can Dee’s life get? Having already suffered a traumatic break up with her boyfriend, her best friend is now warning her off the handsome new boy in the village. And that’s without all the problems she’s having with her mobile phone.
A young adult romance with a hint of mystery.

---

This was a very uniquely told YA novel. It was written well but at the same time had the capability to capture that young adult voice. The writing was managed to describe the scenes eloquently and expressively, allowing me as the reader to imagine the world that I am reading. However, there were times that I would lose a grasp at what was going on in the story. It was interesting, however, there were times the plot hard time grasping my attention. Although the pacing was off, the story could have been developed a bit more and the fantasy element was a little out of place, I overall enjoyed this story. It was a different compared to YA novels I have read in the US and I think that was a breath of fresh air. I think really gave inside look into the village life of a teenager but with a personality and a life of not knowing what was going to happen in the future.

This novel of had the whiff of a “coming-of-age” theme and also the theme of acceptance and judgement, two strong themes that are prevalent in YA literature. My only complaint is that I wished it could have been delved in more. It also had a supernatural/paranormal theme which was interesting to read but threw me a curve ball because, appealing as it was, I didn’t feel it was necessary in the story and it just felt out of place.

For parents and teachers, this is a great book to get your middle grade and teenage readers to start reading. The easily accessible text and simple story will make it approachable for reluctant readers.