“Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mum has one, too, so it’s probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she’s dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina’s tummy trouble isn’t going away…and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What’s going on?”
What is the book about?
Raina was just hoping to have a completely normal school year, but one night she wakes up with a horrible stomach ache. At first she and her parents just seem to believe that it is just stomach bug, especially as her mother isn’t feeling very well either, but it turns out to be so much more. She finally returns to school and back to the usual drama of close friends, enemies, presentations and gross classmates. Soon, it becomes apparent that Raina’s stomach ache is so much more than just a bug and might even be linked to the stress she feels from school and her home life. Her parents finally take her to a therapist who they think might finally help with the pain and stress as it becomes even more of a strain on her daily life and she is missing more and more school each day. Raina must learn to face her fears and learn that sometimes stress and pain is just a part of life and you just have to deal with it.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
Obviously, as soon as I finished reading Sisters (the second book in the series), I knew that I immediately had to read Guts. I was slightly upset because this was going to be the last book in the series, but I knew I had to read it because I was not going to lose the opportunity to read another absolutely amazing graphic novel. As soon as I got my hands on it, I started by admiring the matching cover to the first two books and then I read the blurb, which just added to my immense love for a book that I hadn't even started reading yet. Before even opening the front cover, I already knew that this was going to be another book I was going to absolutely love and I was prepared to be amazed. Once I finally began to read, I knew that I had been more than right and I got through the book wanting to reach its end, but also wanting to make it last because I knew it was going to be by the last one in the series.
Who was your favourite character and why?
My favourite character was definitely Raina because of how courageous she was and how she managed to face her fears. My favourite thing about her was how she was like any other young girl with somewhat simple issues, like friends, enemies, schoolwork, etc. However, to her all of these problems seemed impossible to overcome. I know that she is completely based off a real person so obviously she is going to act like a real person, but I still found that the fact that she and I and all the other girls in the world are so alike made it so much easier for me to understand her and to really feel for her and everything she was going through. I also really liked how she never truly gave up, even when the world seemed to be ending, and she continued to try her best in everything, but still managed to be exactly like a normal girl.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book was definitely when Raina was able to not just face her fears but learn to understand them. I liked how after this it wasn’t like all her fears just disappeared and she was all of a sudden completely ‘cured’, but instead she learnt to cope with the fact that she was always going to feel scared at times and nothing was going to go back to the way it used to be, but it could be near enough to normality if she could just live with the emotions she was feeling. This book was not a stranger to thoughts and feelings like some of the past books I have kind of read (meaning I read a few pages and gave up) but instead it deals with them as if they were real and not just parts of a person that can easily be dismissed. This part of the book made me feel like I could also overcome my fears and understand my body, as long as I was prepared to put in the effort.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I really enjoyed Guts and I thought I was a really incredible read. One of the things that I really loved about it was how relatable it was and how it really made me think about my own life. This whole book is based off a true story and is centred on the idea of gaining the courage to face your own fears. Riana has to learn how to face her troubles and, as a reader, I was able to go through everything with her. All of the things she went through made me realise that there were a few things that I am afraid of and maybe I should start trying to gain the courage to face them. Another thing that I really liked about the book was how incredibly fast paced it was and how there wasn't a single moment where I was bored or though the plot wasn't that good. Every single moment I was reading I enjoyed it and I felt like I completely flew through the book and reached the end before I even realised that I had got so far. It really is a great book to read if you're struggling with reading books and you tend to find them boring. One last thing that I really liked about the book was, once again, the absolutely amazing illustrations. I know that's essential for a book to be called a graphic novel, but it completely amazes me just how well drawn they were and how all the drawings added to the fast pace and the way that it really made me relate to the characters and be a participant in the story and not just a witness. It really was an incredibly well-written book, and I can’t believe that the series is actually over.
Which is your favourite book in The Smile series? (1, 2, or 3)
Although all 3 of the books were incredible, there can only be one favourite and I think that the best one out of all three was Sisters. The main reason for this was because of how relatable it was to my own life. It just described my own life and my relationship with my sister perfectly and I found that nothing could have been more accurate than this book. There were so many moments where I completely understood what Raina and Amara were feeling because something almost identical had happened between me and my older sister, Jimena, so I found that Sisters just spoke to me on a whole other level as I related to it so much. Another reason why I enjoyed this book more was because it wasn't just all about Riana and her story; it was also about her little sister and her whole family, so it was easier for me to understand the book because I could relate more easily to at least one of the characters. One last reason why I definitely enjoyed Sisters more than Smile and Guts was the flashbacks that only this book had. It was so cute to go back to when Amara and Riana were younger and that made me look a back on my own life and to all the memories I have my own sister. These were definitely the parts that I most enjoyed and they made the book stand out from the other two. All three books have been absolutely incredible, but Sisters was by far the best. I still can’t believe that I finished a whole series of books, even if they are just graphic novels, and I think that this series will always be one of my top ten reads.
Would you recommend this book?
I would definitely recommend this graphic novel for anyone over 9 who are struggling to find a book that they aren’t bored to read. It is a great first read, though I do advise reading the first 2 books in the series before this one, but it doesn’t really matter that much.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An engaging and thought-provoking novel on facing your fears.
Reviewed by Aldara Gutierrez Reviriego
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