Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield- Review

Publication date:

June 30th 2016

Publisher:

Electric Monkey

Goodreads Synopsis:

June's life at home with her stepmother and stepsister is a dark one—and a secret one. She is trapped like a butterfly in a net. 

But then June meets Blister, a boy in the woods. In him she recognises the tiniest glimmer of hope that perhaps she can find a way to fly far, far away from her home and be free. Because every creature in this world deserves their freedom... But at what price?

REVIEW:

*I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

Cover- I actually really like this cover. It does look like a typical contemporary cover with the pastel colours and the simplicity of it but it's still gorgeous.  I don't feel like it is a good representation of what the book entails however, it looks more like a cutesy romance.

Plot- This was such a beautifully heartbreaking book from start to finish. I cried from the first page right until the very last. If you're looking for an upbeat and happy read, this is definitely not the one. I know a lot of readers are wanting to read more diverse books this year so I would recommend this book if you're trying to achieve that as well. I found this so real and honest, which is maybe what crushed me the most. A story about an innocent child, being abused and never believed when she tries to speak out is a horrific concept, but worst of all, it's true. It happens all over the world and I love that this book raises awareness of that and really makes us think, and realise how blessed we are. The plot twist was something I completely did not see coming at all, I'm still shocked about it now but it was brilliantly done. Although romance was a small element of this book, it wasn't the main focus and I'm glad there are still books out there focusing on things other than romance. Family and friendship is shown to be an important and at times, life saving thing. I cannot explain to you enough how emotional I was reading this. I must warn, it is quite a triggering book as you feel connected to, and almost inside the main character's head.

Characters- June is the main character and narrator of this story and she was wonderful and pure and did not in any way deserve any of the terrible things that were thrown at her. I loved how strong she was despite her awful situations and how beautifully her character developed as she aged during the story. She realised her own self worth and that allowed her to stick up for herself more. Her growing confidence, I believe, was down to the influence of Blister. I loved Blister in this story, he was that one bit of light and hope that June needed to keep going. He never judged June, and he was the one person who constantly believed her and was there for her right until the very end. His whole family really welcomed June into their lives and helped her to believe that she was special. Their connection was so strong and just lovely. Megan is a very controversial character and she was obviously written that way. I'm not sure if this will be an unpopular opinion but I did feel sorry for her throughout. You could tell she was making an effort with June and wanting to connect, but June was so blinded by hatred and thinking she could never be liked that she ignored this and saw her to be evil. Megan was obviously scared too, and I wish they'd just both confided in each other and had someone to talk to at home to help them both get through it- though I completely understand why June wanted to stay away.

Writing- Lisa had a way of writing the story so it felt like it was happening to you, like all the horrible things June had to endure were happening to you too and you were genuinely frightened. It's rare to find an author who can capture that kind of emotion in you but she did it perfectly. This was my first book by her, and as disturbing as this book was, I will 100% be reading her other works because she writes fantastically. You feel so invested in the character's story because of the way she describes things, it was beautiful.

Overall- This book is utterly heartbreaking but a truly beautiful read that I would recommend entirely to anyone who wants a diverse and gripping read. This was totally unique, I've never read anything like it and the relationships within are so strong. You'll be hooked from the first page until the very last.