The Trouble with Goats & Sheep

Title: The Trouble with Goats & Sheep
Author: Joanna Cannon
Type: Hardback
Read: 24th January - 27th January 2016
Rating: 5/5
Published: 28th January 2016 by Borough Press

England,1976.

Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands.

And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find much more than they imagined…

I try so hard to avoid books that have a massive hype. But this one really caught my attention. So much so, june last year i asked Borough Press if i can have an ARC copy and even tried to pre-order on various book sites before a date of release got annouced. Somethin about this book really made me want to read it. And these past few weeks theres been Goats & Sheep everywhere over twitter! But yay for Waterstones sending out early i finished this just before release date. And it matched the hype!

Firstly i have to say i adore the cover, the whole design is just stunning. I love that the cover doesn't give anything away about what is inside. Is a book on farm-yard animals? No. It a tale set in the heatwave of 1976 and told through Grace and Tilly, ten year old best friends. I adored these two. I loved Tilly a teeny tiny bit more - but together they're awesome. Grace is just a little mini grown up who has an older head on her shoulders. We also discover Mrs Creasy has disappeared and Grace & Tilly take it upon themselves to find out where she has gone and after a visit to church, decide to find god along the way.

Once Grace & Tilly are back on the Avenue they decide to talk to all their neighbours in the hope of finding god in someones house. If they find god, then he will keep everyone safe and bring back Mrs Creasy. Through their innocent questions you begin to realise not everything is as it seems within the Avenue and that secrets are hidden waiting to escape. Through their questioning, they make the adults being to rethink the past and the parts they've played in situations.

The chapters do change from the girls view and then we get the adults side to understand the mysteries they are unraveling. It's addicting. I really couldn't put this book down. You get drawn to all the characters, you can't help but adore Grace & Tilly and you just want to help them every step of the way.

I have lots of favourite parts, but i'm very geeky when it comes to places i can very much relate to. When Birmingham was mentioned i had a goofy smile and then just a teeny mention of a drink, makde me giggle and tweet Joanna. The drink was a mention of a place I work at and i just loved that reference, so much so i've told the company I work for!

This is a stunning debut, it really does match all the hype surrounding it. Joanna is an excellent story teller. I really can't wait to see what comes next!

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
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