Weirdos vs Quimboids - Natasha Desborough

Pages: 287

Publisher: Catnip

Release Date: 12^th September 2013

Edition: UK proof, review copy

Adrian Mole meets Georgia Nicolson.

‘I intend to leave the trampoline club ASAP – especially after the horrible last term where Mei Miyahi’s sanitary towel shot out of her leotard while she was mid-straddle? Amazingly, Mei didn’t seem at all embarrassed by the incident, not even when the sanitary towel slapped a stunned Kirsty Mackerby across the face.’

Cursed by the initials BUM, saddled with woolly liberal-minded parents and UNDYING love for the Proper Real-Time Hot Felix Winters, BLOSSOM UXLEY-MICHAELS is a seething mass of sexual frustration and political confusion. But when she’s invited to work on the school radio, Blossom’s convinced her status is about to rocket from Weirdo to Winner...

I’ve been hearing rave things about Natasha Desborough’s debut for weeks and weeks so I was most excited to get stuck in.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed Weirdos vs Quimboids, it didn’t blow me away or make me full-on belly laugh like I was expecting to. With comparisons to my beloved Georgia Nicolson, that’s what I was comparing it to all the way through and it didn’t live up to it for me.

As well as lots of ridiculous and embarrassing incidents Blossom and her parents managed to get themselves involved in which made me snort and cringe, a brilliant musical focus and the ramblings of besotted teens, Weirdos vs Quimboids also really delivered on subtle but serious content. I really enjoyed the aspect of the story that dealt with Blossom’s worries about her parent’s relationship and the fallout of a shocking revelation of her mum’s. It’s an unusual situation and one I know for sure that I’ve never come across in YA before so it was really interesting to read about.

Most of all, I loved the message that Natasha Desborough pushed with this novel: everyone is a weirdo in their own way. Every single character had something about their personality, appearance or likes that made them at least slightly odd in the eyes of someone else, and yet they all handle their weirdness in different ways. But what I loved the most was that Blossom, Walter and Petrina were together in their weirdness and it was a part of why they were friends. Love it!

I really don’t know why Weirdos vs Quimboids didn’t quite hit the spot as there was nothing I didn’t like about it! Hopefully there’ll be a second book for me to fall in love with.

For my 2013 British Books Challenge, 2013 YA Contemporary Reading Challenge and 2013 Debut Author Reading Challenge

Thanks to Catnip for sending me a copy to review.

Sophie