Naked

Naked

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15  ·  rating details  ·  132 ratings  ·  30 reviews
London, 1976: a summer of chaos, punk, love . . . and the boy they called Billy the Kid.

It was the summer of so many things. Heat and violence, love and hate, heaven and hell. It was the time I met William Bonney - the boy from Belfast known as Billy the Kid.

I've kept William's secrets for a long time, but now things have changed and I have to tell the truth. But I can't...more
Paperback, 390 pages
Published 2011 by Penguin
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Ruth
This is the first Kevin Brooks book I've read but it will definitely not be the last. This was a raw, exciting novel set in the burgeoning world of punk. The main character is Lili, a young classically trained musician who finds herself swept into this dirty, unglamorous music scene that began sweeping its way through 70's-era England. She finds herself becoming the bassist of a group called 'Naked' but is never really sure if she fits into this world.

The characters are at the heart of this nove...more
Jo
Some of the best books I read are the ones I stumble on accidentally. I can’t even remember why I decided that I might like this book. I’m not a huge fan of the 70s. I have an aversion against bands in YA fiction. I’d never even heard of Kevin Brooks.

So why would I read this YA book about a fictional band in the 70s… written by Kevin Brooks?
Maybe I was feeling particularly crazy that day.
I don’t know, but I did and it was brilliant. Seriously, it was brilliant.
If I could sum up what this book wa...more
Charlotte
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Lyndsey Rushby
I’d never read a Kevin Brooks book before this one but I know a lot of people rave about his writing so when I got the review request, even though it didn’t totally look like my kind of thing, I decided to give it a chance!

Each character in this book was so unique and different from the next and that was something I really loved. The main character, Lili, is quite sweet and innocent at the beginning and a massive contrast to Curtis, the boy who takes her under his wing. In one way, I kind of th...more
SJH (A Dream of Books)
This is the first Kevin Brooks book I've read. He's an incredibly popular author and as I've been wanting to read one of his novels for a while I was excited about the opportunity to review his new title. I also discovered while reading the press release that he hails from my home town so I was doubly pleased!

The main thing I enjoyed about 'Naked' was the way in which Kevin Brooks really captured the essence of the seventies and set about recreating the culture of the day, including the differen...more
Kirsty (overflowing library)
Naked is one of those books by a well established author that you just know is going to be huge. While not entirely for me as I'm not sure I'm into the topic it covered I enjoyed reading it and I'm sure someone far more into music than me (or someone who can remember those early days of Punk) will devour and love it.

The thing that struck me most about this book is that the main characters voice is so brilliantly realistic. Reading this is actually like reading the diary of a teenage girl (grante...more
Tricia
This has to be my favourite Kevin Brooks novel so far. I read it over four days and I could feel how the characters were growing and changing, how they were going somewhere and I was going with them. I was born far too late to know how accurately this novel depicts the 70s, but I can safely say it's extremely well-written. I could smell the booze, feel the energy, experience the violence. Everyone says this, but there's no better way to say it: I felt like I was there.

I didn't expect Brooks to w...more
Frezanda
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Sammee (I Want to Read That)
Having really enjoyed iBoy by Kevin Brooks I jumped at the chance to review this one. Set in the summer of 1976, it is an atmospheric and realistic tale of a girl's experiences. I was completely and utterly gripped!

Lili is a wonderful character - I loved her and felt that I really understood her. Curtis was someone that I hated and was enthralled by in equal measure - so I perfectly understood why Lili let him get away with what she did. William was by far my favourite character - I loved him an...more
Clover (Fluttering Butterflies)
This review was originally posted on Fluttering Butterflies

Oh how much did I adore Naked by Kevin Brooks?! If I'm honest, I was slightly worried about it beforehand. Even though I'm becoming an increasingly bigger fan of Kevin Brooks with each of his novels that I read, I was still a little bit wary about reading a book set in the late 1970s AND a book about punk rock. Mostly because I wasn't born in the late 70s and have almost no knowledge of punk rock.

Even so, I loved this book to bits. Kevin...more
Mia
Oh.My.God. I can't even begin to express how much I loved Naked. For me, it has to be one of the best books I've ever read. It was just THAT good. It had everything a perfect book needs. The first thing in Naked which got me hooked was the catch line. 'Live Fast, Play Dirty, Get NAKED'. Totally catchy right? And it totally sums up the story. Naked has romance, hardship, despair and a great bonus, music that reaches you to the very core!

Naked starts off with a woman, Lili, reminiscing in the yea...more
Aly (Fantasy4eva)
The story begins with a women reminiscing to a time in 1976. The year she came across both William and Curtis. Both would change her life, forever. Curtis has always been the cool, rebellious, bad boy in school. Both boys and girls adore and admire him, so when he catches her playing on the piano and gazing at her with his intense eyes she can't help but feel her heart flutter. She's ordinary and nothing special in her opinion so when he asks her to audition for his band "NAKED" she's shocked bu...more
Rhys
Review originally posted on ThirstforFiction.com

It’s 1976 and the punk genre comes into the spotlight in the music scene of London. Amidst them is Naked, a band comprised of sixteen year old Lili and boyfriend Curtis, Stan the drummer, and a Belfast boy named William. Their music is good, they’ve got their act together, and Curtis hopes to be signing a record deal soon. But things soon start coming in the way, and William is a lot more than he seems to be…

Kevin Brooks’ prose comes across with in...more
Nadia
I didn't think this would be my kind of book, but I read it for The local Book Awards I was invited to by my school and I was really pleasantly surprised.
At first the storyline was abit slow, but it does up towards and by the time William had been introduced I was hooked. :)
I definitely felt an attachment to the characters and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something different to read.
:)
Marisa Murray
Oh my that was amazing. I'd had a few years break of reading Kevin's books and reading Bunker Diary and this back to back has been awesome. So different, so gut wrenchingly emotional. Fool me for having a break. (I've just ordered his adult books. Look forward to see if writing style changes).
Hannah Gibbons
A nice and easy read, nothing impartant really to say about itself and I didn't bond very well with the narrator... but apart from that I enjoyed the insight into the music scene and issues of the 1970s... The ending was pretty bleak, but yes a good read that I would probably reccomend to a younger reader.
Chloe X
My favourite book ever!! Kevin brooks is incredible but this book is at a different level to his other books despite them being almost perfect!! I would have to say this book was perfect!!!
Lisa Erin
Loved this book! Couldn’t put it down! It was a brilliant insight into the punk culture during the 70s! However, it had a rather predictable ending in my opinion, which was a disappointment.
Angela
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Kevin Brooks. I love his style of writing and his gritty take on the mundane. It's also no secret that I love punk music; it's my favourite musical genre, and Brooks has written a near perfect punk music book. This book made me want to listen to all my punk CDs, which I did, and at high volume as punk should be loud.

I've read nearly everything Brooks has published now and this is by far my favourite book of his. Incorporating a strong female protagonist, a bi...more
Cíara
Naked raakt grote literaire thema's als familie, liefde en dood, maar is bovenal een roman over rebellie. Brooks verbindt op ingenieuze wijze de opkomst van de Londense punkscene met de terreuracties van de IRA. Zie de volgende Welp voor een uitgebreide recensie!
Jenni
Mar 01, 2013 Jenni added it
Shelves: did-not-finish, ya
Really love the idea of this but I just couldn't get into it. Think it's just a case of it not being the right time, I definitely plan to return to this book at some point and read it.
Clarissa Wee
This book was amazingly dark and gripping... I didn't know Kevin Brook before this but this book has definitely made me want to read more
Catherine
Absolutely stunning!!!! Loved this book. What a roller coaster of a story. Brilliant!! I've just finished and I'm quite stunned really!
Beth
loved this story, i loved how it showed the highs and lows of the band and a sad ending for lili but it was an amazing story
Kristin
Gritty, tragic, romantic, compelling... KEvin Brooks at his best
Gaynor Thomson
I got this book to try something new and as much as I hate to not finish I book I really cant with this one im sure others love this book but to be honest didn't capture my attention enough to the point where I had to find out what happened to these characters so I've decided today I wont finish but that I hope others wont rite this off it has a good story line just not enough to captivate me.
Juwi
surprisingly i really enjoyed it!!!

about punk bands in the 70s, growing up in the 70s, the IRA, love, loss and chaos. =D

Mafalda
This was a really good book. I wasn't expecting to like it so much. I was, however, quite devastated by the end.
Chloe
Kevin Brooks is an amazing author and Naked is one of his best books so far. I could really get into this book and I love how it keeps you interested throughout with its unexpected turns and characters emotional feelings. this is definitely one of the best books so far and everyone should read it!!
Mehar
I'm speechless. I don't even know what to say, other than the fact that this book was simply amazing, just freaking amazing!!

P.S. Thanks to Kelly for sharing this book with me, if it weren't for you i never would have found this amazing gem.
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Naked (Kindle Edition)
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Kevin Brooks was born in 1959 and grew up in Exeter, Devon, England. He studied Psychology and Philosophy at Birmingham, Aston University in 1980 and Cultural Studies in London in 1983. Kevin Brooks has been in a variety of jobs including: musician, gasoline station attendant, crematorium handyman, civil service clerk, hot dog vendor at the London Zoo, post office clerk, and railway ticket office...more
More about Kevin Brooks...
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