I have mixed feelings about this one. Some of the chapters/essays absolutely smashed it out of the park and left me feeling empowered and silently cheering. Other chapters felt somewhat irrelevant and self-indulgent. At times, it was clear to me that the authors have some serious growing up to do. The best friends highlight the trials and tribulations of early adulthood with entertaining commentary, witty anecdotes and solid advice thrown in for good measure. Much of their advice is applicable to everyone, not just twentysomethings Herald Sun This is the first novel I've read by Michelle L. Teichman and I was impressed enough with how she captured this specific experience to want to read more from this author. Yes, recommend. The Space Between by Michelle L. Teichman is a young adult coming of age story. It follows the lives of two 9th grade girls that have different experiences entering high school. The journey is sweet, goofy and sometimes agonizing as they both venture into uncharted territory.

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar | Goodreads The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar | Goodreads

I also love that the book is set in Toronto, in an area I know well, it's always nice to see a little bit of your real life portrayed in a book. Thank you for bringing lesfic characters home! I liked the book, I couldn't stop reading it but I felt awkward that the protagonists are so young, like they are 14/15 years old and doing so many... stuff - I don't mean that they get to know themselves, their body and sexual orientation better, but while reading I sometimes forgot that they were so young because of their behaviour and way of thinking. Maybe I'm too old and don't know how the newest generation is thinking or what they are doing. The book is written in four parts - Love, Ambition, Mind and Body, and Voice. Michelle and Zara write about heartbreak, friendship, being in love, careers, being lonely, not enjoying university, not making your bed, mental health, sex, shame, feminism and trauma. Please, please, please do yourself a favour and buy this book, you’re not only helping out these wonderful humans but you’re helping out YOURSELF by reading it. I feel like a new person. I am obsessed. ⁣ I was in this book once, in the sense that I had a really hard time coming out "all the way" when I was younger. I was out to most of my friends and online but not to my family, and that was stressful as hell and insulting to the person who is now my spouse. So every time the Uncool Girl was like "I need more time" I totally got it. I also got how hard that was for Cool Girl. I hope kids who are still wrestling with that find validation in this kind of representation. (And you know what? I don't think the book makes it clear whether or not Uncool Girl has come out to her parents even three years later as the girls are about to leave for college together, and that's good because coming out is not safe for everyone and it's important for those kids to be validated, heard, and represented, too.)I did not have high expectations prior to reading this book and nor were they met. If you rated this anything above a 3 star - have you ever read a good book in your life? I will admit I have not listened to a single episode of Shameless but this book was outstanding. I resonated with every chapter and really really enjoyed their writing. I went in expecting a ‘how to guide to your twenties’ and I think that’s why I avoided reading it for so long - I don’t want a guide I’ll work it out myself, thanks. The Space Between defied my expectations, Zara and Michelle weren’t trying to encapsulate a universal experience. The Space Between Worlds is fascinating, complicated, compelling . . . a jewel of a novel.” — Locus Targeted at directionless, insecure young girls who have a millennial complex that ‘adulting is hard’, this book offers no depth, insight or humour as to what your twenties is like. It glamourises being unkempt whilst simultaneously frowning upon people who have their shit together - god forbid you make appointments on your own, remember your green bags and clean out your fridge.

The Space Between: An Outlander Novella - Penguin Random House

I have to mention that the next biggest thing that I loved about this book was that this story took place in Canada. More specifically in Toronto. I've not read any YA with Toronto as a setting and I think that is sad. This city has so much to offer and is so culturally diverse that I am surprised that it is not always a place of interests in book. Its like the New York of the north. Either way learning that the author is Canadian and that the places they discussed in the book were relevant to me was an added bonus. I loved that the characters were ones you were able to watch grow in places Ive actually travelled too. Harper is nervous, like most teenagers, for her first day of school. Thankfully she has her older, popular sister Bronte to help her (I gotta say I LOVE the names in this book) adjust and tell her the ins and outs of high school. Johnson bursts onto the scene with this thought-provoking, high-concept sci-fi debut that impresses with exceptional worldbuilding and a distinctive protagonist.” —Publishers Weekly surprise, but also the overwhelming love. I take another step forward, my leg burning, my chest aching. I reach out my hand, palm up. She can take it, she can take my hand and we can walk away, leave all this behind together. I’ve loved riding the wave of this novel, through the poignant and honest stories of Michelle & Zara. It is clear that they have placed parts of their hearts & souls into this book, and for that, I am grateful - as I imagine putting this much of yourself out into the world is not easy.

I loved reading this. So many of the chapters are really brave (especially the ones about working at a women’s publication, anxiety and chronic pain), and I think that many readers will relate and feel empowered to speak up about about similar experiences. Felt that this book really offered no depth and it was fairly bland. Although some sections funny, I felt bored and unproductive reading it. I felt there was no really knew insight into anything, but just a few shared experiences.