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Webs
When Lily Stuart's mum resorts to the web for her romance - the world-wide-web - Lily resorts to her own bit of web-weaving to fend off the two candidates for replacement daddy.
The trouble is neither are quite how they first appear to be. Meanwhile Jas is getting on Matt, Melissa is being an utter bitch, Dad and Mum still don't get it that they should be trying again and The Hitler Youth Brigade - aka school -are on Lily's case to choose what her future is going to be like. If she still has one that is...
It's enough to turn a girl to drink. Luckily it doesn't, but it does turn Lily detective in an attempt to solve all her problems and evade the Russian roulette murderer.
***
A tricky tale of the internet, as told by Lily Stuart, intrepid reporter and PI – (which doesn’t mean P*** Ignorant, by the way) – in my diary, where Mum won’t see it, of course …
The trouble is neither are quite how they first appear to be. Meanwhile Jas is getting on Matt, Melissa is being an utter bitch, Dad and Mum still don't get it that they should be trying again and The Hitler Youth Brigade - aka school -are on Lily's case to choose what her future is going to be like. If she still has one that is...
It's enough to turn a girl to drink. Luckily it doesn't, but it does turn Lily detective in an attempt to solve all her problems and evade the Russian roulette murderer.
***
A tricky tale of the internet, as told by Lily Stuart, intrepid reporter and PI – (which doesn’t mean P*** Ignorant, by the way) – in my diary, where Mum won’t see it, of course …
- GenresMystery
230 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 15, 2015
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads.
After reading about this book and seeing all the great reviews about it I really liked he sound of the book and couldn't wait to start reading it.
The book is about a teenager called Lily and when she finds out her mum has started Internet dating decides she must do something to stop this from happening and get her mother and father back together again.
I wasn't keen on the writing style of this book and because of that I found it very hard to follow what was going on as I never really got into the book. I do like how it was written from a teenagers perspective though as it makes it a more interesting.
My favourite part of the book was when she was trying to help her father with the police case as it was interesting to see how she would try and come up with the solution. I enjoyed reading the last chapter or so of the book as it made things a lot clearer as to what actually had happened.
I had really hoped I'd have enjoyed this book but I didn't that much so I would only give it three out of five.
After reading about this book and seeing all the great reviews about it I really liked he sound of the book and couldn't wait to start reading it.
The book is about a teenager called Lily and when she finds out her mum has started Internet dating decides she must do something to stop this from happening and get her mother and father back together again.
I wasn't keen on the writing style of this book and because of that I found it very hard to follow what was going on as I never really got into the book. I do like how it was written from a teenagers perspective though as it makes it a more interesting.
My favourite part of the book was when she was trying to help her father with the police case as it was interesting to see how she would try and come up with the solution. I enjoyed reading the last chapter or so of the book as it made things a lot clearer as to what actually had happened.
I had really hoped I'd have enjoyed this book but I didn't that much so I would only give it three out of five.
September 10, 2014
Sometimes I have a bit of trouble getting into Young Adult novels, but this one was spot on. The style of writing was very gun and managed to echo the life of a teenager very well. I love Lily's sense of humor and way of looking at the world, but her relationships with those around her really made the book something else.
I think it is such a great story because it speaks to a whole generation (or 2) of kids with divorced parents. Its fair enough to always want to see them together, so when they begin to look elsewhere for companionship it does tend to feel like the end of the world. However, there were moments when I just wanted to laugh at the lengths Lily would go to stop the internet dating. Very mindful of a teen. Top story, I'd read another YA novel from this author.
I think it is such a great story because it speaks to a whole generation (or 2) of kids with divorced parents. Its fair enough to always want to see them together, so when they begin to look elsewhere for companionship it does tend to feel like the end of the world. However, there were moments when I just wanted to laugh at the lengths Lily would go to stop the internet dating. Very mindful of a teen. Top story, I'd read another YA novel from this author.
March 12, 2022
Very entertaining novel. Lily is a great narrator - witty, smart, funny and sassy. I think the writer captured the teenage lingo really well and I actually enjoyed the banter between Lilly and her mother more than the chilling mystery at the heart of the novel (although that was full of dark intrigue too). This is a very cleverly written book and definitely NOT just for young adults (in fact, you have to be quite an intelligent and literate young adult to keep up with it). There's enough here for everyone to enjoy and relate to, regardless of age or gender.
September 1, 2014
`Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.'
Popular British author DB Martin/Debrah Martin aka Lily Stuart is widowed, has two daughters and moved to Wantage, Oxfordshire in 2013, describing it as the friendliest place she's ever lived. She is also Chair of the Wantage (not just Betjeman) Literary Festival. As DB Martin and Debrah Martin she writes adult mystery suspense thriller novels, but as Lily Stuart, the pen name she uses for her YA novels, she has found a new niche - Young Adult stories that actually use the contemporary language, bodily metamorphoses and hormonal changes that YA readers are experiencing. No fantasy lightheaded silliness here, just solid writing on a quite grand scale that `examines real people in real - but unexpected - situations, and the way their life transforms because of them. Her work has been described variously as intriguing, poignant, irreverent, quirky and page-turning.' Before settling into writing as a full time career she was a teacher and ran the business networking for the University of Winchester and social event management.
To add to the fascination of her YA books she actually `becomes' her main character - Lily Stuart - and that makes for a further stretch from an adult mind into the mindset of teenagers - and that works extraordinarily well. Her characters talk about intimate drives and body functions and Internet speak and why not? That is the current status of the reading audience to which this terrific story is addressed. And making Lily Stuart narrate the story gives additional sense of immediacy and credibility. The author's manner if telling side-by-side stories could throw some readers into a state of confusion. The way Stuart writes it simply makes it expansively interesting. On her website the author leads us into her concept as follows: `So hey, this is me: Lily Stuart. Good shot - huh? I'm meant to be incognito. Mum's the one looking for fame and fortune. I'm just hoping for decent grades - and Matt of course. Anyway, I'm a detective - sort of. Not paid. Dad's the one for that. He's the expert in a lot of things - catching villains, working out mysteries, sneaking off ... However, that apparently is all in the past and he's straight as straight - the biz, he reckons. Mum still has other ideas. What else can I say? Welcome to my world and the world of Ubiks - catching the killers and psychos you'd never expect to find in it.'
And author's synopsis is difficult to improve upon so it is quoted here: `Webs opens with teenager, LILY, facing a gun just before it is fired at her. The story then picks up with her attacker's account of the events leading on from this and LILY'S diary recounting events leading up to it, starting three months earlier. The two narratives gradually converge. Alongside her own life and problems - her best friend MELEZZ, and her unreliability, her arch-rival for heartthrob, MATT'S, attentions - JAS, and her bitchery, and school with its academic impossibilities and ridiculous characters, Lily's irreverent teenager's diary tells of her mother's foray into the world of internet dating and how it leads LILY to uncover a murderer. Told in turn by LILY and the anonymous murderer - her attacker from the opening scene, their combined story examines different perceptions of love, obsession and relationships, and between them they tell the story of The Russian roulette murder.' For a book of creative writing with so many twists and kinks and fascinomas it would be difficult to match WEBS. Give it whirl - Lily Stuart is going to be around a while you can bet.
Popular British author DB Martin/Debrah Martin aka Lily Stuart is widowed, has two daughters and moved to Wantage, Oxfordshire in 2013, describing it as the friendliest place she's ever lived. She is also Chair of the Wantage (not just Betjeman) Literary Festival. As DB Martin and Debrah Martin she writes adult mystery suspense thriller novels, but as Lily Stuart, the pen name she uses for her YA novels, she has found a new niche - Young Adult stories that actually use the contemporary language, bodily metamorphoses and hormonal changes that YA readers are experiencing. No fantasy lightheaded silliness here, just solid writing on a quite grand scale that `examines real people in real - but unexpected - situations, and the way their life transforms because of them. Her work has been described variously as intriguing, poignant, irreverent, quirky and page-turning.' Before settling into writing as a full time career she was a teacher and ran the business networking for the University of Winchester and social event management.
To add to the fascination of her YA books she actually `becomes' her main character - Lily Stuart - and that makes for a further stretch from an adult mind into the mindset of teenagers - and that works extraordinarily well. Her characters talk about intimate drives and body functions and Internet speak and why not? That is the current status of the reading audience to which this terrific story is addressed. And making Lily Stuart narrate the story gives additional sense of immediacy and credibility. The author's manner if telling side-by-side stories could throw some readers into a state of confusion. The way Stuart writes it simply makes it expansively interesting. On her website the author leads us into her concept as follows: `So hey, this is me: Lily Stuart. Good shot - huh? I'm meant to be incognito. Mum's the one looking for fame and fortune. I'm just hoping for decent grades - and Matt of course. Anyway, I'm a detective - sort of. Not paid. Dad's the one for that. He's the expert in a lot of things - catching villains, working out mysteries, sneaking off ... However, that apparently is all in the past and he's straight as straight - the biz, he reckons. Mum still has other ideas. What else can I say? Welcome to my world and the world of Ubiks - catching the killers and psychos you'd never expect to find in it.'
And author's synopsis is difficult to improve upon so it is quoted here: `Webs opens with teenager, LILY, facing a gun just before it is fired at her. The story then picks up with her attacker's account of the events leading on from this and LILY'S diary recounting events leading up to it, starting three months earlier. The two narratives gradually converge. Alongside her own life and problems - her best friend MELEZZ, and her unreliability, her arch-rival for heartthrob, MATT'S, attentions - JAS, and her bitchery, and school with its academic impossibilities and ridiculous characters, Lily's irreverent teenager's diary tells of her mother's foray into the world of internet dating and how it leads LILY to uncover a murderer. Told in turn by LILY and the anonymous murderer - her attacker from the opening scene, their combined story examines different perceptions of love, obsession and relationships, and between them they tell the story of The Russian roulette murder.' For a book of creative writing with so many twists and kinks and fascinomas it would be difficult to match WEBS. Give it whirl - Lily Stuart is going to be around a while you can bet.
September 22, 2014
Young Adult fiction is a genre that has become bogged down with vampires, werewolves, ridiculous romance stories that are weighed down with over complicated relationships, clichés and two-dimension characters.
This book by Lily Stuart is one that avoids these terrible pitfalls that so many others fall foul of to create a piece of YA fiction that is well written and a refreshing change to the literary genre. The title itself is one of many levels as the reader soon discovers in the opening chapters.
The book is written in the first person narrative and shows a great understanding of young adults, their interests and the way they speak. Running a youth group you soon get used to the way that teenagers talk and what they talk about and reading through this book you see that the author has a similar level of familiarity.
The other brilliant thing about this book is that the pseudonym that the author uses for this book is the name of the main character of the story. The narration is carried between the character of Lily and her attacker in the opening pages.
The book begins towards the end of the story and the rest of the book is made up of the classic film noir style that shows how the characters ended up in the predicament that the reader sees at the beginning of the book. This refreshing of a long established element of a stylish and sophisticated genre helps to also cement this book as one that stands out from all the others in the young adult genre.
This book is a great opening book for what looks to be an interesting Young Adult series if the author chooses to continue in this vein. This is a perfect book for anyone who is looking for a great book and refreshing take on Young Adult fiction.
This book by Lily Stuart is one that avoids these terrible pitfalls that so many others fall foul of to create a piece of YA fiction that is well written and a refreshing change to the literary genre. The title itself is one of many levels as the reader soon discovers in the opening chapters.
The book is written in the first person narrative and shows a great understanding of young adults, their interests and the way they speak. Running a youth group you soon get used to the way that teenagers talk and what they talk about and reading through this book you see that the author has a similar level of familiarity.
The other brilliant thing about this book is that the pseudonym that the author uses for this book is the name of the main character of the story. The narration is carried between the character of Lily and her attacker in the opening pages.
The book begins towards the end of the story and the rest of the book is made up of the classic film noir style that shows how the characters ended up in the predicament that the reader sees at the beginning of the book. This refreshing of a long established element of a stylish and sophisticated genre helps to also cement this book as one that stands out from all the others in the young adult genre.
This book is a great opening book for what looks to be an interesting Young Adult series if the author chooses to continue in this vein. This is a perfect book for anyone who is looking for a great book and refreshing take on Young Adult fiction.
October 2, 2014
I heard Nancy Drew and I just had to give this book a try! I love Nancy Drew and when I found out there are similar things, well I dove right in and enjoyed this book.
Lily is staring at a gun, a gun that is pointed right at her. This whole story is told in her dairy right up to this moment. So it started with Lily doing some searching when her mum has decided to go looking for love online. Then she deals with school life. Then an unsolved murder comes along. Lily goes on and tackles these things and I;m sure she didn't expect things to get this crazy. Unless possibly about to be shot is a totally casual thing.
The thrills and twists and turns are perfectly placed. Just keeping you interested in the story and keep going until the last page. This book is a nice change for me. You get an idea into the lives of teens and what they go through, the way they act/talk. Its just fun and a great book to get into. I also liked the idea of putting this whole mystery in a diary, just like she was a real detective with her book and notes.
I loved the book and would read more from the author.
Lily is staring at a gun, a gun that is pointed right at her. This whole story is told in her dairy right up to this moment. So it started with Lily doing some searching when her mum has decided to go looking for love online. Then she deals with school life. Then an unsolved murder comes along. Lily goes on and tackles these things and I;m sure she didn't expect things to get this crazy. Unless possibly about to be shot is a totally casual thing.
The thrills and twists and turns are perfectly placed. Just keeping you interested in the story and keep going until the last page. This book is a nice change for me. You get an idea into the lives of teens and what they go through, the way they act/talk. Its just fun and a great book to get into. I also liked the idea of putting this whole mystery in a diary, just like she was a real detective with her book and notes.
I loved the book and would read more from the author.
September 28, 2014
Lily is a teenager, shes got exams approaching, a venomous best friend and her crush at school doesn't seem interested. Worse, her single mum has started internet dating and has terrible taste in men!
The book switches between the viewpoints of Lily's and "The Man", the villain of the piece who is reliving/plotting to get away with his crimes. You are kept guessing until the very end as to who he is!
I thought Lily was very well written, she embodies teenage brilliantly. She has very believable problems and concerns, she even has a background eating disorder which seems to feature highly in the lives of teenage girls these days.
Lily, who's dad is in the CID, has a penchant for puzzles and a keen mind; she spends her time collecting evidence and eventually building a case for who is the Russian Roulette killer.
I liked the story and the format and would have LOVED it when I was a teenager
The book switches between the viewpoints of Lily's and "The Man", the villain of the piece who is reliving/plotting to get away with his crimes. You are kept guessing until the very end as to who he is!
I thought Lily was very well written, she embodies teenage brilliantly. She has very believable problems and concerns, she even has a background eating disorder which seems to feature highly in the lives of teenage girls these days.
Lily, who's dad is in the CID, has a penchant for puzzles and a keen mind; she spends her time collecting evidence and eventually building a case for who is the Russian Roulette killer.
I liked the story and the format and would have LOVED it when I was a teenager
September 2, 2014
The front cover was very attractive. The detail really threw me off, but I hung in there to see where it led. I’m one of the kind that gets onto dating sites often, so that aspect was a plus. I really enjoyed the mystery from the jump and throughout the book. I recently began reading YA novels and this was the best one so far. Lily set the book off and it wouldn’t be as good without her. Her personality was extraordinary and of course she gave me a few laughs. I have recommended this book to my sister and will be recommending to a few more people thats into YA. I think teens would enjoy it much better, but adults will get a kick out of it too. Lily Stuart is a talented author and I look forward to reading many more books from this author in the future.
September 2, 2014
The front cover was very attractive. The detail really threw me off, but I hung in there to see where it led. I’m one of the kind that gets onto dating sites often, so that aspect was a plus. I really enjoyed the mystery from the jump and throughout the book. I recently began reading YA novels and this was the best one so far. Lily set the book off and it wouldn’t be as good without her. Her personality was extraordinary and of course she gave me a few laughs. I have recommended this book to my sister and will be recommending to a few more people thats into YA. I think teens would enjoy it much better, but adults will get a kick out of it too. Lily Stuart is a talented author and I look forward to reading many more books from this author in the future.
September 1, 2014
This book starts off exciting and had me intrigued right away. The setting up of the scenes with different people is always interesting to me because I anticipate the coming together of the stories. What I like is the language and wit that is written in the characters personalities. “They’re on an internet dating site. They must be d***heads – or desperate!”. One of the many hilarious lines Lily belts out in her diary. Lily is my favorite character. She is smart, sarcastic, fun, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how all of the characters are intertwined.
September 23, 2014
I really like novels that are geared toward teens even though I am well past mine...I really enjoyed the diary-style writing and thought Lily's diary was extremely funny and witty. Having a teen myself I can really relate to the moodiness of the main character, but the writing was done in a way that you can relate rather than it being annoying.
I thought the plot was well-developed and had just enough mystery. I like mystery without gore so this was right up my street.
I thought the plot was well-developed and had just enough mystery. I like mystery without gore so this was right up my street.
December 21, 2014
Webs keep you turning the pages. The author placed a premium on characterization, which was uncanny. The plot was brilliant. This book is well worth its price. I recommend this book as it is a four-star read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews