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What I Was

Reviewed by Emily Mitchell
Hilary is a sixteen year-old boy who has been excluded from two schools because he is too lazy to bother properly with his work. Now he has been sent to a boarding school on the coast of the middle of nowhere.

Immediately he is rejected by the bullies and followed by the annoying boy who, also, has no friends (Reese) hanging off his every word, which isn’t many because he mostly ignores him. During his time bunking from PE he meets a pretty boy named Finn. Instantly Hilary obsesses over him, his hut, his simple life. He knows who he wants to be, but he just can’t get there.

This was a very good read in my opinion: the storyline is fantastic, and you can really connect with the emotion demonstrated. It's quite depressing, however, you are unable to put it down from the first word to the last. Although the ending is rather abrupt – I think the author may have been in a rush to finish it – it was a great read all the same.