I picked this up at the library along with my last book. It's one of those Barrington Stoke books that are friendly for dyslexic people with separation between paragraphs, thicker paper, and a friendly font. I love these novellas, they're always so cute to read. Plus this one is set in the same universe as Keren's previous book The Liar's Handbook which I read and enjoyed last summer! River appears as a character in this book and I really liked seeing him.
In this book, Esther is friends with Natalie, Shaq, and Sophie, and like most Year Eleven girls, they all spend a lot of time of their phones. They have lots of WhatsApp groups but Esther feels quite self conscious in them, and often like she is being left behind by her friends. She lives with her mum and stepdad who own a cafe that isn't doing brilliantly, so they're worried about money. Esther spends a lot of time sending texts back and forwards with her sister Rosa, who lives in New York with their dad, and her little son Zack. Esther is desperate to see Rosa and her dad as she hasn't seen them in so long and misses them.
Then an entrepeneur comes to school. She is offering any student who can give up their smart phones for six weeks £1000 for it. Esther realises that with that she could buy plane tickets to New York so she's determined to do it. She'll be given an old type of phone so she can text and call someone in emergencies, but that's all. Natalie joins in and so does River and his friend Tommy.
At first Esther feels a lot of FOMO, but then good things start to happen...
I really loved this little novella, it's just such a good story. I'm giving it five out of five.
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