(4 Stars)
Published: April 3rd 2014
Synopsis: When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant. Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend. Alex can’t help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive… But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.
Review:
This review might be slightly vague because I don't want to accidentally spoil the book. If you're unfamiliar with Cat Clarke's books (which I recommend you change immediately) you won't know that there comes a certain point in each book where you literally feel like you're watching a car crash happening with an awful sick fascination, unable to look away and cringing the whole time. A Kiss In The Dark was not an exception to this, and it was brilliant.
Many authors shy away from the grittiness that Cat Clarke puts in her books and I only wish I'd had them when I was a bit younger, when I was eager to find YA books that would not lie to me or sugarcoat the teenage experience. One of the things I absolutely love about Clarke's books is that they are so unbelievably real that it's unsettling – especially for British teenagers.
A Kiss In The Dark was unlike anything I've ever read in YA. I'm not the hugest reader of Contemporary, but when I do read it it's usually quite fluffy and everything-ends-well. That's another thing about Cat Clarke's books, you literally have no idea how it will end. I can't even tell myself 'there's always a happy ending!' because there's not. I get a kind of adrenaline rush reaching those last pages, knowing it could all continue to fall apart, hoping that somehow there will be some kind of happiness at the end.
I know this was a weirdly vague review but I don't want to say too much. All I will say is that if you're a fan of gritty stories, teenagers in love, serious issues and some moments that will make you grin at paper, I'd recommend A Kiss In The Dark completely! It was nothing that I thought it would be but I finished it feeling sad, happy, and content with the ending. A Kiss In The Dark is a complete must-read for Cat Clarke fans, and basically everyone else in the world!
A Kiss In The Dark was unlike anything I've ever read in YA. I'm not the hugest reader of Contemporary, but when I do read it it's usually quite fluffy and everything-ends-well. That's another thing about Cat Clarke's books, you literally have no idea how it will end. I can't even tell myself 'there's always a happy ending!' because there's not. I get a kind of adrenaline rush reaching those last pages, knowing it could all continue to fall apart, hoping that somehow there will be some kind of happiness at the end.
The topics dealt with in A Kiss In The Dark are not commonly written about, and they should be. I was at YALC this year where I attended the panel called I'm Too Sexy For This Book, where four authors – Cat Clarke, Non Pratt, Beth Reekles & James Dawson – discussed issues of sex in YA books among other issues and, as well as it being absolutely hilarious, it was really inspiring to see that there are authors who will not shy away from real issues that teenagers deal with everyday. It was one of my favourite panels of the weekend!
I know this was a weirdly vague review but I don't want to say too much. All I will say is that if you're a fan of gritty stories, teenagers in love, serious issues and some moments that will make you grin at paper, I'd recommend A Kiss In The Dark completely! It was nothing that I thought it would be but I finished it feeling sad, happy, and content with the ending. A Kiss In The Dark is a complete must-read for Cat Clarke fans, and basically everyone else in the world!
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