All the Invisible Things – Orlagh Collins

Vetty us about to move back to London and all that is on her mind is seeing Pez again. When the pair were younger, they were inseparable, they roamed the city together and shared everything. The thing is that everyone is telling her that it’ll be different now. Is it possible for a boy and a girl to be friends without their feelings getting in the way?

All the Invisible Things is such a powerful and heart-warming YA novel all about finding real connections with people and learning to be honest. I love a good coming-of-age story and this is certainly that. It tackles some serious topics but also makes the topics easy to read and has humour elements throughout.

This YA shows readers of all ages that there is not one way to be yourself and sometimes it isn’t easy to be true to yourself even if you are around the best people for you. This book and the way it discusses the topic of bisexuality stood out for me. I haven’t read many books where the main characters are bisexual, and it was both interesting and eye-opening to read. I loved that Vetty doesn’t have a large coming out, it is more subtle and to the point. I am not a fan of when in books the coming out of a character is such a big event, when it isn’t necessary to be like that. Vetty’s coming out in this book is excellently written!

Vetty is such a bright, complex and true-to-life narrator who has many complicated elements to her life. She is a role model for her younger sister and Vetty has also lost her main passion which is photography. Vetty is trying to be an excellent role model but also rekindle her love for her photography passion. March was one of my favourite characters throughout the book, she is strong, independent and all-round excellent character. Also, Pez brought some excellent aspects to the book and I enjoyed his character. The friendship element of this book is excellent. Orlagh Collins wrote these friendships authentically and made sure they weren’t perfect. I loved reading this book to watch Vetty and her friendships grow!

I’ve seen a few people discuss this regarding this book, there isn’t much big drama. I didn’t find this an issue at all and enjoyed the fact that there was any big drama throughout the book. It didn’t stop me from turning my page and keeping reading. I flew through reading this book!

Overall, I feel that All the Invisible Things is a book for older YA readers that we need more of! It looks at issues such as identity, mental health, sex and the realities of growing up in this day and day. It is a very character-focused YA contemporary fiction that is real, heart-warming and witty. I will certainly be recommending this book to many people!