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I'm Not Really Here
Paperback

I’m Not Really Here

$19.99
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Footsteps approach behind me. I turn and see an Aboriginal boy arriving at the doorway. He's tall, taller than me. He's got curly hair. His body is fit. His chest is chiselled and bare and he's wearing only football shorts.

When 17-year-old Jonah arrives in a new town - Patience - with his dad and younger brothers, it feels like a foreign place. A new town means he needs to make new friends - which isn't always easy. Especially when he's wrestling with his body image, and his memories of his mother.

When he joins the local footy team so he can spend more time with his new crush, Harley, he feels like he's moving closer to something good. But even though he knows what he wants, it doesn't mean he's ready.

Emotionally compelling, honest and featuring warm and authentically vulnerable characters, I'm Not Really Here is a beautiful novel from an internationally acclaimed bestselling Indigenous author about navigating family and friendships, and finding a way through grief towards love.

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MORE INFO
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Allen & Unwin
Country
Australia
Date
3 September 2024
Pages
384
ISBN
9781761180767

Footsteps approach behind me. I turn and see an Aboriginal boy arriving at the doorway. He's tall, taller than me. He's got curly hair. His body is fit. His chest is chiselled and bare and he's wearing only football shorts.

When 17-year-old Jonah arrives in a new town - Patience - with his dad and younger brothers, it feels like a foreign place. A new town means he needs to make new friends - which isn't always easy. Especially when he's wrestling with his body image, and his memories of his mother.

When he joins the local footy team so he can spend more time with his new crush, Harley, he feels like he's moving closer to something good. But even though he knows what he wants, it doesn't mean he's ready.

Emotionally compelling, honest and featuring warm and authentically vulnerable characters, I'm Not Really Here is a beautiful novel from an internationally acclaimed bestselling Indigenous author about navigating family and friendships, and finding a way through grief towards love.

Read More
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Allen & Unwin
Country
Australia
Date
3 September 2024
Pages
384
ISBN
9781761180767
 
Book Review

I’m Not Really Here
by Gary Lonesborough

by Alicia Guiney, Aug 2024

Both heartwarming and funny, Gary Lonesborough’s new YA romance is a really fun read during which you will become absolutely enamoured with the two leads.

The story follows Jonah, a 15-year-old boy who has recently moved to the town of Patience with his father and two younger brothers. In Patience, Jonah meets Harley, and quickly begins to develop feelings for him. Harley is on the Patience rugby team and, by all accounts, straight. But as the two become closer Jonah begins to wonder if Harley could also be interested in him.

Their budding romance is adorable and heartfelt. Through Jonah, the reader feels the ecstatic highs of first love, as well as the crushing anxiety that it can cause.

The story also tackles a number of heavier topics throughout. Five years prior to the beginning of the novel, Jonah’s mother died, and he continues to struggle with this loss and grieves her throughout the novel. He also struggles with his body image, social anxiety and homophobia.

While the crux of the story is Jonah’s relationship with Harley, I also loved the exploration of his relationships with Teagan, a new friend at his school, and his dad. Neither relationship is easy, but I found them to be incredibly moving, and loved watching them navigate different challenges together throughout the book.

I would highly encourage readers aged 14+ who are looking for an absorbing new romance to pick this one up. I promise you won’t be able to put it down!

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