Book Review : The Gifted The Talented and Me by William Sutcliffe

By Murtaza Kuwarawala -
Title : The Gifted The Talented and Me

Author : William Sutcliffe

Genre : YA

A year or two back if I was asked my opinion on a Young Adult book, I wouldn't have had much to say since I had hardly read much of them. Now, I have read quite enough novels on YA to differentiate between a promising one and a book that will again take up the same old plot, try a bit of tinkering and serving it back. Honestly, quite a lot of YA fantasies have been treading this path and so I was pretty much surprised when I picked up this one which tries to explore the Young Adults in today's times. 

Sam apparently had a pretty normal life with his days spent as a famous vlogger and chatting with friends but his life apparently turns outside down when his parents suddenly get rich and shift to North London. He is enrolled into North London Academy for the Gifted and Talented which is apparently a school where your talents on Drama and Art are explored more rather than sports. The plot explores his dilemma and daily struggles on how to get accepted in such a school as he considers himself as someone who is pretty normal with no talent as such.

What makes the book stand out from the most of YA books of the date is that most of the characters in the novel do not fit into the stereotype that we often see in the Coming out story. Though the book does seem to be something that you feel that you have read earlier and can easily predict the outcome, this one is quite a refreshing book with humor in correct places that brings a smile on your face. The plot is pretty streamlined and is quite quick to grasp. Alas, the book only lacks in one place. The characters except for the major ones, the minor ones are hardly someone you could connect to. There could have been a bit more elaboration on those minor characters which did need their own share of recognition.

So will I recommend this book? I would ofcourse recommend it to everyone who loves reading YA but are fed up of complicated plots which stretches to a trilogy (which is quite common these days). The book has more ups than downs and can be read in 2 to 3 sittings and honestly do not need much of brainstorming. A feel good book that deserves a bit of recognition.

My Ratings - 🌟🌟🌟🌟 ( 4 out of 5 )

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