Forbidden Friends
When Lizzie and Bee meet on holiday, it feels as if they were always meant to be friends. Escaping their parents and exploring, everything seems perfect in the hot summer sun. As the two girls grow closer however, strange questions rise to the surface. Is Lizzie an only child? Why has Bee’s dad disappeared? And why, as the holiday comes to an end, are the two girls forbidden from seeing each other again? Could one dark secret from the past hold the answer? Could one fateful night keep Lizzie and Bee apart… for ever?
This is the first book I have read by Anne-Marie Conway and it most definitely won’t be last. It’s one of those stories that plays on your senses, taking you to another period of time. I was instantly brought back to a recent holidays abroad, slathered in sun cream with a book in one hand and an ice cream in another.
Told from alternate viewpoints, Forbidden Friends introduces us to wonderful girls Bee and Lizzie, each quite lonely in their own way. Despite the differences in their characteristics, they still embark on a new friendship while holidaying with their families. As the holiday nears an end, they realise their lives are more entwined than originally thought, each struggling to understand why they are forbidden to ever see each other.
As the story progresses, the mystery of the past slowly unfolds and the truth finally comes out. I was completely absorbed in the story as I waited rather impatiently to find out what happened all those years ago.
This book has some strong themes in it. It looks very closely at bullying and both girls experience it in varying degrees. They both support each other as they try to confront the people who bully them. The book also explores family relationships and how easily they can unravel. Each family was suffering due to the events that were clearly an accident.
Forbidden Friends is a brilliant summer holiday read and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I think it would be ideal for the 9 to 12 age bracket, particularly children dealing with friendship issues.
