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The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay (Rachel Hill #1)

3.41 of 5 stars 3.41 · rating details · 586 ratings · 74 reviews

Seventeen-year-old Rachel Hill is the girl most likely to succeed. And the girl most likely to have everything under control . . . that is, until her dad invites Nick McGowan, the cutest boy at school, to live with them. Rachel worries that this could only be a recipe for disaster, but her best friend Zoe thinks it’s the perfect opportunity for lurve. Sparks start to fly f...more

Hardcover, 208 pages

Published April 8th 2008 by Knopf Books for Young Readers (first published May 1st 2006)

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Oct 18, 2012 Maree rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the 80's and Aussie YA

Recommended to Maree by: Mandee

Shelves: aussie, ya-contemp, in-the-bookshelf, 2012-read, favourites-2012

4.5 Stars

Rachel is a slightly spoilt teen who is completely devastated when her parents offer to take the troubled, but very handsome, Nick McGowan. It is, understandably, the worst thing ever. I mean, he’s going to see her in her daggy PJ’s and he’s going to find out she’s not cool. I too, would be utterly mortified by this.

This was such a fast-paced, fun read that I think it would be almost impossible not to enjoy it. However, there was something about it which I really connected to and I thin...more 4.5 Stars

Rachel is a slightly spoilt teen who is completely devastated when her parents offer to take the troubled, but very handsome, Nick McGowan. It is, understandably, the worst thing ever. I mean, he’s going to see her in her daggy PJ’s and he’s going to find out she’s not cool. I too, would be utterly mortified by this.

This was such a fast-paced, fun read that I think it would be almost impossible not to enjoy it. However, there was something about it which I really connected to and I think it all comes down to proximity. This was so authentically Aussie and so close to home. I don’t think I’ve read another book which has mentions of Yeppoon, Middlemount, Emerald, and, my hometown, Rockhampton. There were also mentions of my favourite football team, The Broncos. I’m not entirely sure why this actually makes a difference, but I just felt like I could really connect with the setting. I also felt like I could really connect with Rachel. It’s not even a year since I finished high-school and it was so easy to remember my first few weeks of grade 12 and put myself in her shoes.

Rachel as a character was quite likable, however, she could be a little bratty and didn’t appreciate how lovely her parents were. She’s aiming high and, like me, has a real competitive streak. She’s also not exactly the coolest of cool girls at school and I often felt embarrassed for her because I could totally see myself getting into some of those situations. I was so glad to see how she changed over the course of the book.

I loved Rachel’s relationship with Zoë and Nick. Both felt so incredibly natural, I felt like I was back in high school gossiping with my best friend. Nick and Rachel’s mutual dislike for each other was understandable, as neither really took the time to look deeper than their first impressions. I was really happy with how their friendship developed, it felt authentic and thankfully there was no instalove.

Despite the brevity of the book, I had no idea how it was going to end until, well…it ended. I so desperately wanted a fairytale ending, but was happy when that wasn’t what was delivered. Instead it was, like the rest of the book, so authentic and believable; realistic, but with a note of hope.

This was utterly delightful, from the shoulder pads to Huey Lewis, and so Australian. Take a break from whatever you’re doing and read this book – you’ll laugh, cry (from laughter) and possibly even break out into song. “That’s the power of love!”

This review and many more can be found at Maree's Musings.(less)

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Feb 24, 2012 Vinaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-kool-aid, books-i-loved, favorites, fluff-fluffy-fluffest, fluffy-5-stars, i-ll-stalk-you-til-you-read-it

“Well, I just asked the Psychic Lettuce what my future holds, and it said, ‘You will live alone with sixty guinea pigs. And they will all be called Peter.’”
“Hang on a second. You asked what? Did you say Psychic Lettuce?”
She puts the fern down.
“It’s a lettuce that predicts your future. I found it at the games arcade next door.”
“Lettuce as in vegetable? As in iceberg and romaine? There’s a lettuce in this shopping center claiming to have psychic abilities?”
Zoë grabs my hand and leads me out th...more

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Keertana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie, why-the-hype

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I hadn't heard of this novel until I came across Mandee's review of it on Vegan YA Nerds or Maggie's review of it on YA Anonymous, but I knew upon reading both their gushing reviews that I had to get my hands on this one. Luckily enough for me,The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay was readily available in the US and I was thrilled beyond measure to be diving into this short, but witty tale. Ultimately though, while this novel was definitely satisfying, it wasn't satisfying enough....more

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Mandee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie, aussieya2012, aww2012, contemporary-fiction, library, realistic-fiction, ya-lit, review-on-the-blog

The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay by Rebecca Sparrow is set in Brisbane. The year is 1989, Rachel Hill is seventeen years old and is in the final year of high school. She has plans to study hard and win the clown award at her fast food chain job but when her parents offer to take in fellow student, Nick McGowan, her year gets turned upside down.

I've had this on my to-read list ever since I read another of Rebecca’s books, Joel & Cat Set the Story Straight, but I recently read Maggie’s revie...more The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay by Rebecca Sparrow is set in Brisbane. The year is 1989, Rachel Hill is seventeen years old and is in the final year of high school. She has plans to study hard and win the clown award at her fast food chain job but when her parents offer to take in fellow student, Nick McGowan, her year gets turned upside down.

I've had this on my to-read list ever since I read another of Rebecca’s books, Joel & Cat Set the Story Straight, but I recently read Maggie’s review and knew I had to make this book a priority so I ran out and borrowed it from the library the same day.

Rachel is not the easiest character to like, she’s smart but she is also majorly bratty, rude and selfish. Although her conversations with best friend Zoe were hilarious (especially when they ask a psychic lettuce for advice) and the fact that she takes her clowning job seriously made me think of her as a mini Elliot from Scrubs, one of my favourite characters, ever. She’s not keen on popular Nick coming to stay because then he will know how dorky she and her parents are and tell everyone at school. She quickly decides to re-do her room and remove her Huey Lewis posters and replace them with Ramones posters but Nick sees right through that though he is never mean to her and I felt that Rachel should have given him a break but her lack of social skills was a little bit Bindy McKenzie-esque so she wasn't that good at being sensitive or nice.

I loved Nick, it was clear there was something going on with him yet he never took it out on Rachel and instead tried to be helpful to her parents. He’s also a smart little bugger and cleverly tricks Rachel into admitting something towards the end of the book. And I liked Rachel’s parents for taking him in and allowing him to do as he pleased. I also loved their family tradition of breaking bad news with some form of chocolate baked goods (chocolate crackles, brownies, jaffa pie, cupcakes) – at least Rachel gets a treat each time she gets told something she doesn't want to hear!

This book was so Eighties and I mean that in the best way, there were so many Aussie and Eighties references that just made this book for me, such as: Degrassi, working out your love score by counting the letters in your name and your crush’s, Holly Hobby, Felix the Cat, It’s a Knockout!, as well as mentions of classic daggy Eighties things like apricot chicken and shoulder pads.

This is a really quick book to read, so quick that I could see I was almost at the end but I didn't know how the story could get resolved in what little time it had left and while the ending wasn't what I expected or hoped for, I did appreciate it as it didn't feel forced or unrealistic. I desperately wished for a sequel right away and I am happy to know that The Girl Most Likely is a sequel, though it’s set ten years later.

The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay is an extremely funny and entertaining contemporary with lovable characters set to an Aussie/Eighties backdrop. I recommend it to all fans of contemp YA.(less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Maggie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-aussie-aussie-oi-oi-oi, aussie-2012, 2012, i-ve-just-read-you-and-i-love-you, crushworthy-guys

It's always harder for me to talk about books I love, but basically, I was so utterly charmed by this book that I haven't been able to finish a book since. Yes, people, it's that serious.

Nick McGowan was the perfect all-around guy, good looking, popular, and the top of his class. Then something happened over the summer and he dropped his classes and started acting out. Rumors are swirling about what happened, but no one knows the cause. He's a boarder at his school and after his last stunt pulli...more

23 likes · like · see review

May 13, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

What's worse then waking up, having morning breath, and looking your worst? Having the hottest guy in school see you every morning when you just woke up, looking your worst. Rachel Hill has experienced this firsthand, and it is all because of her parents and their kindheartedness.

Nick McGowan (a.k.a. the hottest and most popular guy, a.k.a. every girl's eye candy), has become somewhat of a troublemaker. No one really understan...more Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

What's worse then waking up, having morning breath, and looking your worst? Having the hottest guy in school see you every morning when you just woke up, looking your worst. Rachel Hill has experienced this firsthand, and it is all because of her parents and their kindheartedness.

Nick McGowan (a.k.a. the hottest and most popular guy, a.k.a. every girl's eye candy), has become somewhat of a troublemaker. No one really understands why, but of course rumors take care of that. Most of them evolve around drugs. The school's PTA calls a little meeting and, in no time, Rachel's parents agree to let him stay with them, since he does need a little guidance. Of course, Rachel isn't too happy about this, since not only is she not the prettiest or most popular girl in school, but she doesn't want him to see how dorky her life is. Like having to use an egg timer keep track of how long she can talk on the phone, all because she accidentally created a generous amount of charges on the phone bill because she made a long distance call to her sister.

Rachel tries everything to convince her parents that this is a very bad idea, especially having two hormonal teenagers under the same roof. But since her parents won't budge, Rachel slowly sees that this could be the perfect opportunity to make Nick fall in love with her.

Of course, this little arrangement doesn't go so well in the beginning, since Nick thinks Rachel is a little diva while Rachel finds him to be a complete jerk who can't do anything for himself. Not only that, but in the heat of the moment, Rachel created her very own fake boyfriend just to impress him.

As the days go by, though, both begin to see a different side of each other and secrets that have kept them wondering will open up a whole new friendship that they never thought was possible.

A hilarious novel, THE YEAR NICK MCGOWAN CAME TO STAY will be on everyone's mind. Taking place in 1989, Rebecca Sparrow lets us see what the teen angst and drama was like almost two decades ago. Rachel will be the girl who everyone wants to be since she got to live with Nick McGowan! (less)

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Dec 09, 2011 Erin Forson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, two things about The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay which I absolutely love:
1. It's set in the big-hair stylin', neon wearing, jean's purse totin' days of my youth....the Eighties! Rachel Hill, the main character might as well be me in high school.
2. It's set in Australia. That doesn't make a whole lot of difference of course, unless you have a kickin' Aussie accent that reads to you in your head, or if you listen to it on audio (which I highly recommend), but it helps you to see that A...more

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Oct 10, 2012 This Charming Mum rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay is essentially a prequel to Sparrow’s 2003 Bridget Jones-esque tale of Rachel Hill - The Girl Most Likely. This time around Sparrow has the hard to define (and harder to please) ‘young adult’ market in her sights, taking the reader back to Hill’s senior year at high school complete with exam pressure, embarrassing parents and unrequited love. When enigmatic tearaway Nick McGowan is invited to board with the Hill family, Rachel’s small, orderly, teenage world co...more The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay is essentially a prequel to Sparrow’s 2003 Bridget Jones-esque tale of Rachel Hill - The Girl Most Likely. This time around Sparrow has the hard to define (and harder to please) ‘young adult’ market in her sights, taking the reader back to Hill’s senior year at high school complete with exam pressure, embarrassing parents and unrequited love. When enigmatic tearaway Nick McGowan is invited to board with the Hill family, Rachel’s small, orderly, teenage world comes crashing down around her. An assortment of the expected teen life lessons are encountered along the path to the denouement of Nick’s secrets, as the likeable Rachel stumbles through 1989 with all the finesse of a contestant on her family’s favourite game show It’s a Knockout.

This is an affable, amusing, easy read. Moral messages, such as ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, are sweet and timeless (if rather heavily underlined) and the relationships depicted feel authentic. Sparrow evidently loves, and has a good memory for, the music and other popular cultural representations of the era, which also were peppered through The Girl Most Likely. Music, film and television references will resonate for those in Sparrow’s/Hill’s generation, although at times Rachel’s cassettes and posters do seem to reflect the whole of the 1980s, rather than the more usual capricious teenage penchant for a hero of the week.

Rachel is an interesting protagonist: distinctly middle-class, academically minded, and a school prefect with a cosy family life. Her sister is studying in France, providing her conscientious, P & C parents with space to accommodate the curious loner of the book’s title. Though not without her insecurities, Rachel leads an unusually comfortable life for the lead player in a contemporary youth novel: Australian young adult fiction so often strives to reflect social diversity in its extreme that it almost seems risky on Sparrow’s part to wrap a teen story around this safe and conventional community. This particular type of Australian teendom, though, provides ample space for comedy set-pieces – around demoralising part-time jobs and high street fashion slavery, for example.

The ‘80s setting may appeal to younger readers in the spirit of retro curiosity, with the storyline easily transposed to almost anyone’s high school years. At the same time, the most welcoming readership for this novel will probably be Sparrow’s adult fans, for whom it would be a guilty pleasure polished off in a lunch hour. Though lacking some of the wit, punch and character development that made The Girl Most Likely a success, Nick McGowan does provide a positive, smart heroine for younger girls and a comical dose of nostalgia for older readers.

An extended review can be read at http://thischarmingmum.com
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Jun 13, 2012 Chantelle Finley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Best Free Feeling: picking up a book you thought would be a brainless, hormone-charged, why-doesn't-he-love-me book from an Australian author you've never heard of, and instead finding a sweet and witty little story you weren't expecting.

I think I have a crush on this book.

It's not sophisticated, not thought provoking or very deep. There was a bit of a mystery, but it wasn't a thriller, a suspense builder or particularly complex. Technically, I could nitpick a bunch of things about this book (s...more

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May 20, 2012 Leeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I know I just gave this YA novel 3 stars. But, I will say I did really enjoy this book. Quite a lot actually! It was the fact that the story fizzled out at the end, no climax. And the title of the book was misleading ‘The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay’, it says a year, yes? Well in the book he’s actually only there for a couple of weeks! Irritating. To be sure.

Besides the fact the ending was crap. I admired Zoe, her fun feisty wicked sense of humour, and Rachel, even though cast as a goody-two...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Aimee (Coffee Table Reviews) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya

I had read a few reviews of this and thought I'd give it a try. I hadn't heard of this one before. It was pretty cute. I had a hard time imagining this set it 1989, but one thing I didn't miss in this book, was the cellphones. No constant texting or checking of the phones at all times. It was a nice break from the texting era.

It was a given that Nick and Rachel wouldn't hit it off right away, but I liked the growth of these two characters. Not much in the way of romance, but there was a buildin...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Angieleigh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, bc11-12

Whenever something happens - be it good or bad - Rachel's mom always serves something chocolate. Like when Rachel's parents decide to board Nick McGowan in Year 12. Nick is considered THE hottest guy at the private Christian school they attend in...some Australian city whose name I have apologetically forgotten. But see, he's had kind of a breakdown and everyone thinks he's lost his mind, especially after he pulled the fire alarm at the boardinghouse and got kicked out.

This story had so, so much...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sweet!

I love how almost all the Aussie YA's I've read have open endings~ I love the possibility those endings present. The year Nick McGowan Came to Stay is funny, with bits that were positively of embarrasing (particularly for her,) but most of all, it's sweet. Moments were absolutely side splitting; I'd laugh at how out of proportion things looked from her perspective. For one whom I thought to be level headed, she sure came across as a drama queen!

She's in Year twelve and has to focus. She...more Sweet!

I love how almost all the Aussie YA's I've read have open endings~ I love the possibility those endings present. The year Nick McGowan Came to Stay is funny, with bits that were positively of embarrasing (particularly for her,) but most of all, it's sweet. Moments were absolutely side splitting; I'd laugh at how out of proportion things looked from her perspective. For one whom I thought to be level headed, she sure came across as a drama queen!

She's in Year twelve and has to focus. She thinks herself plain especially when next to her striking best friend Zoe. Not that that's a problem, she's perfectly fine with how things are, knows what she wants and how to get them. Things change when Nick McGowan has to stay the year. her self-consciuos self shows itself with a vengeance! She starts changing her musical taste to make herself seem a little bit more cool; then she starts seeing an imaginary boyfriend, aka Paul (Snuffy.) Not only does she become quite self conscious, she also could not fathom the need for him to stay with them in the first place. So while simultaneuosly trying to look cool and figure out why he's in her home, she pieces togther a bunch of theories that have him coming out in her (and in every other girl's) imagination as cute, hunky but troubled and maybe even suicidal. But the best part? It wasn't angsty and that's even after all his issues surfaced! It stayed sweet and fun. Yes, he wasn't perfect, but neither was she (as seen from pages one, onward!)

Another bonus is the setting: It's 1980-something, and I totally got a kick at what she described as popular and cool. Normally I find name dropping annoying, this time around I thought it added something special. I enjoyed her descriptions of their "cool" clothes, ultrabig shoulder pads, stone washed jeans, and puff skirts. Her references to some of what was popular was also cute: Phil Collins, the Eurythmics and even the Bangles, the Ramones too. And the shows she mentioned like Knots Landing and Twenty One Jump Street! While these referencs to these things added just a little extra something , the book really was about Rachel and Nick.

So what's to love?
A set of MC's who aren't too angsty but definitely quirky,
a setting that's different from the norm,
and an ending that leaves much to look forward to

3.5

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Dec 12, 2011 Stephanier76 rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://freak-ya-tastic.blogspot.com/2...

This book is a one shot very quick to read that takes place in 1989. Even if it's a little strange to "see" characters without cell-phones and all the technology we've got today, teenagers stay teenagers.

I can't really write a negative review because there're good things in this book like Nick McGowan or Rachel - the main character - but I'm not really fond of this book. I'm not delighted I had read it and I'm a little disappointed by the end that's just a...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Thebookbutterfly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie, breaks-my-heart, crush-worthy-love-interests, favorites, funny-stuff, own-2011, unputdownable, best-of-2011, reviewed, rocks-my-socks-off, contemp, beach-reads, girl-pov, lost-sleep-just-thinking-about-this

I am completely tempted to rate this book 5 stars.

Something about it was absolutely pitch-perfect for the mood I was in, and the characters were so authentically heartfelt, and all the little quirks (hello chocolate desserts on the front cover :) were so sweet and real and gosh, I really love this book.

So, because I just finished up Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, have I mentioned how much I love Rebecca Sparrow's main characters? Because I do. Rachel Hill is frank, genuine, and utterly t...more I am completely tempted to rate this book 5 stars.

Something about it was absolutely pitch-perfect for the mood I was in, and the characters were so authentically heartfelt, and all the little quirks (hello chocolate desserts on the front cover :) were so sweet and real and gosh, I really love this book.

So, because I just finished up Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, have I mentioned how much I love Rebecca Sparrow's main characters? Because I do. Rachel Hill is frank, genuine, and utterly true. Anyone who has a secret guilty pleasure for Johnny Depp or any band that is today's version of Huey and the News (Britney Spears, perhaps? Just kidding ;) will relate. She's an overachiever, who cares about her prefect status and collage and such, but she's not a perfect, straight-A, honor roll student. And really, what percentage of teenagers is? We all struggle with something and it's unrealistic for authors to put characters in their books that are in every advanced class and on the road to Harvard because it is probably very rare that those teenagers do much other then study their brains out. Rachel was just as normal as the rest of us, and somehow that made her all the more unique :) And the birthday parties that Rachel did for work so she could earn the "Party Hostess of the Year" award, those made me laugh.

Anyway, the point here is that Rachel Hill is fabulous.

And then there was Nick McGowan and all I have to say is SWOON. I adore the prologue of this book which has the paragraph:

On the night of the swimming carnival, at eleven-forty-five, Nick McGowan got out of bed, changed into his school uniform and systematically set off every fire alarm in the boy’s boardinghouse. They eventually found him sitting on the Chapel steps—in clear view of the principal’s house—smoking a pack of Benson & Hedges and doing his German homework. When Mr. Tallon, the principal, asked Nick what he was doing, he said that he had a German quiz the next day.

I love the balance of tension between Rachel and Nick. I love the whole unfolding of their relationship/friendship/getting-to-know-each-other. Both of them were fully fleshed out and the sarcastic quips were quick and some of the parts that had me laughing were just your basic conversation, except not basic because Rachel and Nick were the two people have it, obviously. Nick also had a fondness for the Ramones which didn't come off as at all contrived, and while I was reading I listened to some Ramones (I always read with my iPod in) and could fully, completely, beyond-words understand why this was Nick McGowan's favorite band.

I liked the setting of the 80's and only wish that John Hughes was discussed.

I very highly recommend this book, because once again, Rebecca Sparrow proves that she has the best sense of humor, and there were parts that even made me a bit teary. Plus, I found the ending charming (but it also broke my heart a little, in the best way) rather than unnecessary.

Now I have to go put The Girl Most Likely on hold, because I have a complete addiction for Rebecca Sparrow books :)(less)

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Aug 15, 2008 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

What happens when a gorgeous boy with a mysterious secret comes to live with the family of a driven success-obsessed girl?

I liked this short fresh book. The author didn't take the expected path and the result was a wry and charming book with a lot of nice humor. I listened to the audio and the australian narrator was wonderful.

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Oct 06, 2011 Siew Ee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seventeen-year-old Rachel Hill was devastated (and also secretly pleased) when his father decided to let Nick McGowan stay at their house after he was kicked out of boarding school. What you have here is a very simple story line about their friendship and her secret crush on him. All this took place in 1989 but even then, I'm sure teenagers now can still relate to the characters in the book because teenage angst, follies & the rubbish that goes on in their mind never change thru' the ages, y...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Claire rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jess, read-2012, aussies

This wasn't too bad. I wasn't sure I would like as my GF wasn't a huge fan, however I found it quite funny! Zoe talking to her breasts was hilarious! I liked Zoe - she was my favourite character! Very honest and a little crazy! I thought Rachel needed to unclench! Although the washing up scene after the spaghetti dinner was really funny! It's a shame we didn't get to see more of Caitlin, she sounds like she would have been a scream! The real reason Nick has come to stay is just heartbreaking. Go...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Aleeza Batara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-40-book-challenge

I read this book because the cover was interesting and I know a lot of people say, do not judge a book by it's cover, but I tried to do it this time. I predicted that the book will be happy and exciting, but now, I got the wrong answer. The book was really exciting in the start and then somewhere in the middle, it gets really exciting, but take note, it wasn't really happy, the book was sad. Then in the end, there, it all gets warm and loving. And ends pretty sad....If you want to know what happ...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Chili Public rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teens-humor, teens-reallife, teens-romance

It was okay. A couple of reasons I didn't give it more stars:

1. It takes place in 1989, but the references seemed forced and in some places I don't think it was accurate. Suddenly she mentions Kirk Cameron or Huey Lewis and the News. The only reference I think teens will get is Johnny Depp and then they'll realize how old he really is. :)

2. The curse words. I can handle curse words, but these, like the 80's references, seemed just thrown in there for no reason.

A cute but avoidable read. In times...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Pooja (On books!) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-5s, aussie-ya, super-awesome

Originally posted here as a part of my new feature, Two Minute Reviews

The cover is adorable! The Prologue was cute. The Epilogue wraps things up neatly. The middle is light, quirky and engaging all at once! I had so much fun reading this book! The writing was good but more than that, I fell in love with the quirky characters! Nick was awesome but he was kind of overshadowed by goody-goody yet amusing Rachel Hill! I liked how worked up Rachel got when she realised the school's hottie, Nick McGowa...more

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Nov 29, 2009 Tess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

When Rachel Hill comes home to find out that her dad has invited the hottest guy in school, Nick McGowan, to stay at her house, she is nothing more than shocked. While her friends tell her that this is a good thing, she can't see the bright side.
After he moves in, she sees him as lazy while, to him, she seems spoiled. They go through scenarios, some embarrassing, that help them find out more about each other until they share a secret that bring them closer.

This original book was very entertaini...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Bethfarley_3 added it Recommends it for: Tween Girls

Shelves: tweens

Her name is Rachel Hill and she's a ghood student, always thinks about her grades, if she will win the high prize at work for hosting the most birthday parties and now most importantly, she is always thinking about Nick McGowan...
This was a very fast read with losts of descriptions. There are some words used in which our parents have taught us not to say but we have found in cirtain circumstances there are no other words to use. I highly recommend this book to TWEENS but I ask that you NOT repea...more

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Jul 09, 2012 jo mo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars, aussie-nz-author, 2012, dramarama, moments-of-hilarity, family, school-life, young-adult, tugging-at-your-heartstrings, 2012-faves, laugh-out-loud

3.5/5

quote:
(view spoiler)

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Mar 07, 2012 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, 2012-march

This was a really cute book, it was a very quick read and really enjoyable. I liked Nick, and I liked how Nick and Rachel's relationship progressed. (view spoiler)

My only gripe was that I got tired of being beaten over the head with 80s references. YES, I UNDERSTAND. THIS BOOK TAKES PLACE IN 1989. I DON'T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THAT EVERY OTHER PAGE. ARGH!!!

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Aug 26, 2011 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, audio

This book was hilarious and I found myself full on shoulder shaking, laughing out loud several times. This is the second Aussie writer I've discovered in the last year and I'm loving it. Definitely have to look into this country's authors!

Technically it is a YA novel, but honestly, if it didn't take place in high school, I don't think you'd know the difference.

Bottomline: It was a nice easy read, filled with humor and a lesson.

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Nov 22, 2008 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

When her parents tell her that they have offered to let Nick McGowan, a troubled boy from school, stay the year with them, Rachel is mortified. She's worried he'll find out how uncool she is and tell everyone at school. Not only that, but his shenanigans might cut into her study time. What she discovers are a few things about herself, growing up, and grief that no one their age should have to know.

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Jul 16, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The cultural references were certainly the best part of this story.
I was 10 years old in 1989 but I still remember the family settling down to watch 'It's a Knouckout' on Sunday night, the McDonalds birthday parties you went to as well as my older and more sophisticaed cousins watching 21 Jump Street when Deppster mania hit the world.
Brisbanites will recognise the places mentioned as the author is a local.

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Jun 09, 2008 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: meg cabot fans

Shelves: humor, realistic

A funny look at fitting in and not taking people for granted. Australian high school senior Rachel has her life pretty much in order, until her dad invites Nick McGowan, a fellow senior at her private high school who got kicked out of being a boarding student there, to live with their family! And Nick gets Rachel's room! Rachel thinks Nick is a surfer boy loser; all the rumors say he attempted suicide over some mysterious event. Nick doesn't like Rachel either, he thinks she's pretty uptight abo...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Tressa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fiction, young-adult

The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay was a funny story with delightful characters. I really liked Rachel, Zoe, and Nick. The narration by Tamara Lovatt-Smith was fantastic. I look forward to reading more books by Rebecca Sparrow.

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About Rebecca Sparrow

Rebecca Sparrow didn’t always want to be a writer. When she was six-years-old she wanted to be the blonde woman out of ABBA, a movie star and Mrs Donny Osmond. And then she discovered Charlie’s Angels. Rebecca spent most of 1980 running around her family’s backyard wearing a bathing suit and her mum’s high heels, armed with a Super-soaker. In her one year reign of terror she arrested her dog, Mac,...more Rebecca Sparrow didn’t always want to be a writer. When she was six-years-old she wanted to be the blonde woman out of ABBA, a movie star and Mrs Donny Osmond. And then she discovered Charlie’s Angels. Rebecca spent most of 1980 running around her family’s backyard wearing a bathing suit and her mum’s high heels, armed with a Super-soaker. In her one year reign of terror she arrested her dog, Mac, 329 times.

When Rebecca was eleven, she begged her parents to send her to the Johnny Young Talent School so that she would be spotted as the obvious choice to replace Tina Arena when she left the YTT cast. Mr and Mrs Sparrow’s response to her pleas was to buy Rebecca a guitar and a book of music by some guy called Donovan (not the Jason variety). Rebecca continued to practice lip-synching to When Doves Cry in the mirror. Her crush on Vinnie Del Tito lingered on.

When she was a teenager Rebecca auditioned to be the host of different children’s television shows. She auditioned for Wombat, Saturday Disney, played "a big sister" on a pilot for a show called Happy Families and auditioned to be a reporter on some other new show featuring a sarcastic snake puppet.

While she waited for her "big break" she took part-time after school jobs to help her afford (for example) to be able to see the movie Cocktail nine times at the cinema. She dressed up as a Christmas Tree and walked through Myer, sold handbags and wallets and books and clothing and touch lamps. She did birthday parties and baby-sitting and telemarketing and asked "Do you want fries with that?" more times than she cares to remember.

And in between all of this, she wrote. In 1993 Rebecca graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Business (Communication) and started writing media releases, feature articles, speeches and newsletters for a living. She worked for The Australian Red Cross, The Flight Centre Group, The Nine Network and the British Millennium Commission to name a few. Her first article "The Haircut" was published in The Courier-Mail in 1995. In 1997 she found herself working as a travel writer and then editor of Trips magazine. She travelled everywhere from Kuwait to Kotakinabalu, San Diego to Southampton … and then got paid to write up her adventures. She had found her niche and a never-ending supply of hotel biros.

After three years on magazines (and a dodgy Vegas wedding under her belt), Rebecca decided to have a go at writing her first novel. The Girl Most Likely is a comedy about a former travel writer who tries to put her life back together after secretly getting married in Vegas. The novel was published by UQP in March 2003 and spent 16 consecutive weeks in the Mary Ryan’s Top 10. AFI award-winning Australian actress Pia Miranda (Looking for Alibrandi, Garage Days, Secret Life of Us) has optioned the film rights with Icon Films and hopes to turn the book into a feature film.

Rebecca’s second novel, The Year Nick McGowan Came To Stay, is the prequel to The Girl Most Likely and was released in May 2006 in Australia and April 2008 in the US. It debuted as a stage play at Brisbane’s La Boite Theatre in May 2007.

Rebecca’s third novel, Joel and Cat Set The Story Straight, was published in August 2007 and co-written with her good friend Nick Earls.

When she’s not writing novels, Rebecca writes a weekly column for The Sunday Mail newspaper and she gives motivational talks and runs writing workshops in schools and businesses across the country. Rebecca is an Ambassador of War Child Australia and The Pyjama Foundation. War Child Australia (www.warchild.org.au) is an international aid organisation dedicated to providing immediate, effective and sustainable aid to children affected by war. The Pyjama Foundation (www.theyjamafoundation.org.au) is a Brisbane-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing children in foster care the same opportunities in life as other children.

SOURCE: http://www.rebeccasparrow.com/about.a (less)

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Quotes from The Year Nick McGowan ...

“For a moment we sit in silence. Eventually, I turn to him and say, "Do you believe in God?"

His eyes narrow for a moment and he stares at me at me for a while. Stares in a rather intense way, like a doctor looking at a troubling X-ray. Then he looks out the and says in a voice like shattered glass, "Only in storms.” — 3 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2490879.The_Year_Nick_McGowan_Came_to_Stay?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320415269l/2490879.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2490879.The_Year_Nick_McGowan_Came_to_Stay?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay by Rebecca Sparrow[/url]

The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay (Rachel Hill #1)

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