Finn is a mystery. His birth not registered. How he lives, even stranger. But his story is impossible not to read.

‘I wanted to say Jesus, Finn, didn’t anyone ever talk to you? But I could imagine that no one had.’

It’s the 1960s.A young boy now faces his third boarding school, St Oswald’s. His mind drifts here and there. But now he discovers something new: a feeling he had not felt before. Love.

This was my favourite book as I found it gripping and exciting. Once you have read the first few pages you really become hooked and almost part of the story. You watch what is going on from the boy’s point of view and other times are broken between how you should feel. The book tells of a mysterious boy called Finn and his secret life behind the door of the beach hut. Through out the story the young boy who discovers Finn is compelled to visit him more often. Every time he visits he discovers more.

I love how Meg Rosoff uses her description to make the simplest things in this book interesting. You really see the depth behind a normal boy’s life and how it was all changed because of one person. I found that Finn’s character was believable but at the same time impossible, making him great to read about. Although there is a lot of description, this is a key element: the way she makes lying on the beach or going to the market so interesting. Every time you read the book a new image comes to mind.

Each person in this book has their own story to tell, but they have all been woven together. You see how Finn lives his quiet life until this boy from the outer world comes along and disturbs it. You watch as the young boy, Hilary as we later discover, adapts to Finn, starts to read him more clearly and is almost hypnotised by him. The closer he becomes to Finn, the further he has to stretch himself.

When I was reading this book I really did not want the story to end. Yet when it does come to the end it stays strong. The story has a twist to it, which really worked for me. It was there all along but you never would have thought of it. It’s very clever and complements the story leaving you feeling good when you have finished reading. I find this important in a good book. This is why I would give this book at 10 out of 10. It ticked all the boxes for me and it great for a huge range of ages from 13 to 18.

What I Was some way or another will please everyone and you could read it more than once.