Sofia is a 14-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select weeks, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role! She talks about it below, but you can find her on Instagram here!
Hi readers! Before you read this review, I just wanted to let you all know about my new Instagram account, @sofias_ya_book_nook! On this account, I will be posting each time a new review comes out, along with some other types of fun book posts. I would really appreciate it if you checked out my page and followed so you can stay up to date! Thank you, and without further ado, onto the review!
Dear readers,
Let me introduce you to a book that will truly transport you into Northern-Irish society, Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin! This Romeo and Juliet-style love story shows the harsh divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern-Ireland. I learned a lot about Irish history, including the Troubles, and how those events still impact society today. This wonderful story is told from two perspectives, Aidan, a Catholic boy living in Derry, and Iona, a Protestant girl living in Londonderry. They live in the same town but refer to it differently, demonstrating one of the many divides between the religious groups. Aiden is ambushed late at night and beaten up, because of his Catholic beliefs, which leads Iona to save him. They slowly become friends, defying the societal barriers built between them.
Goodreads Summary
Derry. Summer 2016. Aidan and Iona, now eighteen, were both born on the day of the Northern Ireland peace deal. Aidan is Catholic, Irish, and Republican.
With his ex-political prisoner father gone and his mother dead, Aidan’s hope is pinned on exam results earning him a one-way ticket out of Derry. To anywhere. Iona, Protestant and British, has a brother and father in the police. She’s got university ambitions, a strong faith and a fervent belief that boys without one track minds are a myth. At a post-exam party, Aidan wanders alone across the Peace Bridge and becomes the victim of a brutal sectarian attack. Iona witnessed the attack; picked up Aidan’s phone and filmed what happened, and gets in touch with him to return the phone. When the two meet, alone and on neutral territory, the differences between them seem insurmountable. Both their fathers held guns, but safer to keep that secret for now. Despite their differences and the secrets they have to keep from each other, there is mutual intrigue, and their friendship grows. And so what? It’s not the Troubles. But for both Iona and Aidan it seems like everything is keeping them apart, when all they want is to be together …
My Thoughts
I picked this book up at a local bookstore when I was visiting Ireland this summer. I was looking for a book by a local author that could immerse me in Irish culture and teach me about the country I was visiting. I did not expect this powerful book to be such a rollercoaster of emotions! The struggles Aidan and Iona faced in their day-to-day lives were truly eye opening. I love the power books have to fully immerse readers into new places and this novel did just that! Filled with Irish sayings and historical references, I really felt as if I was an Irish teen. The amount of political tension in this tiny Northern-Irish town was wild. This “forbidden romance” does a great job of portraying the stress Northern-Irish teens face when just trying to be themselves. While this definitely wasn’t a light read, I still found it to be easily enjoyable!
Guard Your Heart is a YA novel, but still features mature themes of drinking, drugs, domestic violence, alcoholism, gun violence, suicidal thoughts and the death of a parent.
**Thanks so much, Sofia!**