TEN BIRTHDAYS
BY KERRY WILKINSON
Published: 6th June 2019
BOOKOUTURE
It’s Poppy Kinsey’s birthday.
She should be blowing out candles and opening presents – but hers falls on the type of heart-wrenching, agonising anniversary she would far rather forget.
The worst day of them all. The day her mother died.
But this year is special because the person she misses most in the world has left her a set of letters, one for each of her next ten birthdays.
As Poppy opens them year by year, she discovers that no matter how tough life gets, her mum will always be by her side, guiding her along the way.
I like that this contemporary fiction title is a departure from the crime and psychological thrillers that Kerry Wilkinson is typically known for, as it shows his aptitude in another genre. Ten Birthdays is a stirring coming-of-age saga that will have wide appeal to the young adult market as well as enticing adult readers.
Beginning on Poppy’s sixteenth birthday and with each fresh chapter checking in with her a year later, the character’s growth shines. We see how her relationships with friends, including Freya and Mark, change over the ten years, and what effect growing up and the content of her mother’s letters has on Poppy’s life.
Ten Birthdays is a poignant, thought-provoking, yet easy to read novel that showcases the diversity of the author’s writing.
Thanks to Bookouture and Kerry Wilkinson for the ARC provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.
5 / 5
An exceptional novel that showcases the author’s diverse writing style