I was really looking forward to reading this novel by Mandasue Heller as I'd read one of her previous books and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had concerns that this one might not live up to my expectations, but I needn't have worried as Respect is just as impressive.

Sixteen year old protagonist Chantelle lives with younger brother, Leon, and their erstwhile mum, who thinks nothing of swanning off for weeks at a time, leaving her children to fend for themselves. Chantelle does her best to look after Leon, but the situation rapidly spirals out of control when Chantelle bites off more than she can chew.

Chantelle is a magnificent lead, believable and wonderfully written; her situation described impeccably and supporting characters both colourful and engaging. The world that Chantelle lives in is brought to life with Heller's clever use of language and descriptive prose.

I found this novel so hard to put down that I read it in just one sitting! The story gripped me from the outset and played havoc with my emotions. I'm so glad I got to devour Respect, and would like to thank the great team at bookbridgr for enabling this. 5/5. ( )

Respect is a standalone novel by author Mandasue Heller. Chantelle Williams has everything going against her. She wants to be a top student to escape her Manchester life but her feckless mother has decided to head off to Spain with her latest boyfriend leaving her to look after her younger brother. But Leon has made some friends who are teenage gang members bringing violence to her door. And the only person she can turn to for help seems to be as bad as the people she is trying to escape.

This was quite a heart wrenching tale of what it is like to grow up living at the bottom edge of society.Read the full review here ( )