147 books
—
281 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Birdy” as Want to Read:
Birdy
by
Frances Bird has been a loner for so long that she’s given up on ever finding real friendship. But then she’s asked to show a new girl around school, and she begins to think her luck could finally be changing.
Eccentric, talkative and just a little bit posh, Alberta is not at all how Frances imagined a best friend could be. But the two girls click immediately, and it’s not ...more
Eccentric, talkative and just a little bit posh, Alberta is not at all how Frances imagined a best friend could be. But the two girls click immediately, and it’s not ...more
Get A Copy
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Birdy,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Birdy
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Birdy
Jess Vallance first novel Birdy builds such strong tension between school friends, chasing them into extreme situations.
Frances Bird was always been a loner she had given up on finding friendship.
On Frances first day in year ten, teacher Mr Hurst has been informed that a new girl is to join the tutor group. He wants Frances Bird to show the new girl around the school. Mr Hurst thought it might be nice for her to make a friend. Being lonely was hard enough for Frances with out people embarrassi ...more
This review first appeared on Readers in Wonderland
It’s been a while since I finished reading BIRDY so this review may not fully capture my original thoughts and feelings, but I can tell you BIRDY was one of the most deceiving books I’ve ever read. It started out as your usual high school contemporary but became progressively creepier.
The characters were what made the story for me. Which is sort of expected considering this is a character driven book hahahaha. The entire plot revolves around ...more
It’s been a while since I finished reading BIRDY so this review may not fully capture my original thoughts and feelings, but I can tell you BIRDY was one of the most deceiving books I’ve ever read. It started out as your usual high school contemporary but became progressively creepier.
The characters were what made the story for me. Which is sort of expected considering this is a character driven book hahahaha. The entire plot revolves around ...more
This was unassuming and relatively bland until the end where everything goes from nought to a million in the turn of a page. Not my kind of thing, but I respected the tone it achieved. Say no to toxic friendships, everyone!
I picked up Birdy after hearing about it at Hot Key's Blogger Brunch and because it sounded brilliant I found myself unable to leave it on the TBR pile more than couple of days.
Oooh this is good is book. It is dark and creepy with an unreliable narrator who you know you can't trust from the outset. From the start you just know it isn't going to end well and find yourself unable to put it down because you need to know what is going to happen next.
I don't want to go into anymore detail because I ...more
Oooh this is good is book. It is dark and creepy with an unreliable narrator who you know you can't trust from the outset. From the start you just know it isn't going to end well and find yourself unable to put it down because you need to know what is going to happen next.
I don't want to go into anymore detail because I ...more
Oh man. This was one of those haunting stories that you wish you could forget!
It was well written and I really enjoyed it. The twist at the end made me think of the whole book differently...It was so unexpected!
I really enjoyed Birdy. Do I actually have the words to formulate a review? Nope. Am I going to try? Right now - also nope. I'm tired and hungry but I definitely enjoyed this.
...more
A copy of this novel was provided by Hot Key Books for review.
I really liked Birdy. I read it in one sitting, because the writing style was incredibly addictive, and I wanted to know the outcome of all the events that happened.
The main thing that drew me in when reading Birdy was the element of mystery. The novel starts off with Frances/Birdy writing about how something pretty big had happened, and that people had told her to write “everything” down “from the beginning”. I immediately wanted to ...more
I really liked Birdy. I read it in one sitting, because the writing style was incredibly addictive, and I wanted to know the outcome of all the events that happened.
The main thing that drew me in when reading Birdy was the element of mystery. The novel starts off with Frances/Birdy writing about how something pretty big had happened, and that people had told her to write “everything” down “from the beginning”. I immediately wanted to ...more
Birdy nearly killed me with suspense. The premise is outlined from the very outset: main character Frances “Birdy” Bird befriends new girl Bert, and something terrible happens. We just don’t know what. Birdy is narrating after these events have taken place, and she reveals small snippets and hints slooowly and sneakily. It’s very clever, the kind of book that you don’t want to stop reading because you NEED to know what happened. And you know there's a big twist a-comin'! It definitely draws you
...more
The narrative is unassuming, yet creepy at the same time. What is the big secret? What went on with Bert and Birdy? I like the foreshadowing in the way of Birdy’s narration. The intrigue is there, even if the first part of the book is slow of the mark.
I had a need to keep reading to find out what the ‘something terrible’ was. As a reader, you find yourself hunting for clues in Birdy’s unreliable narration and taking mental notes.
The ending was worth plodding through the early narration. If you ...more
I had a need to keep reading to find out what the ‘something terrible’ was. As a reader, you find yourself hunting for clues in Birdy’s unreliable narration and taking mental notes.
The ending was worth plodding through the early narration. If you ...more
I thought I had it. I thought I knew what was happening. Much like the other reviews, nope. I didn’t see that coming. I couldn’t put this book down. In fact I had it read within 24 hours. It surprised me how quick the story turned, but I think that’s what I enjoyed most. Won’t ruin it, but if you like a great twist annnnd a little thriller, then give this a go.
to begin with I was not that into this book, it seemed quite normal and boring but it developed more and more creepier and the ending was very unexpected the events near the end were surprising making a really good storyline, it was unpredictable and got very exciting I couldn’t stop reading it
Overall an ok read but fekt the story only stsrted to get going on thenlast quarter of the book. Found the story predictable around 100 pages in but i did enjky the twists
Wow what a major plot twist in this one folks!!! I honestly thought something else was going to happened and felt quite smug that I figured it out but I was sooo wrong!!
The writing was clear and the characters were all full bodied. I thought the author did a brilliant job in getting us invested with the two girls. All details were looked after and no questions were left unanswered. It’s so great to find a book that doesn’t leave you ok a cliff hanger!!!
I normally don’t read suspense/thriller ty ...more
The writing was clear and the characters were all full bodied. I thought the author did a brilliant job in getting us invested with the two girls. All details were looked after and no questions were left unanswered. It’s so great to find a book that doesn’t leave you ok a cliff hanger!!!
I normally don’t read suspense/thriller ty ...more
Original review posted here
Big thanks to author Jess Valance, who sent me a copy of this book when I had packed all mine away while moving house (this doesn’t affect my review in any way).
First off, I have to say that is one gorgeous cover! It draws you in immediately and really sums up the book for me: dark and intriguing.
The book starts great as well: it’s France recording ‘her version of events’ which sounds foreboding and makes you want to speed through quickly to find out what happened.
Fran ...more
Big thanks to author Jess Valance, who sent me a copy of this book when I had packed all mine away while moving house (this doesn’t affect my review in any way).
First off, I have to say that is one gorgeous cover! It draws you in immediately and really sums up the book for me: dark and intriguing.
The book starts great as well: it’s France recording ‘her version of events’ which sounds foreboding and makes you want to speed through quickly to find out what happened.
Fran ...more
I really enjoyed this - it's a cleverly written thriller about a toxic friendship and the effect a sudden intense relationship can have on someone who has been sheltered from the real world for a long time.
Frances is given the task of shepherding the new girl Alberta, "Bert", around school. It's just supposed to be for a couple of days, but the two girls quickly become fast friends. Bert has only ever been home schooled previously and needs help navigating the tricky waters of comprehensive sch ...more
Frances is given the task of shepherding the new girl Alberta, "Bert", around school. It's just supposed to be for a couple of days, but the two girls quickly become fast friends. Bert has only ever been home schooled previously and needs help navigating the tricky waters of comprehensive sch ...more
Well, that was bleak. Birdy is one of the most sinister, clever and compelling novels that I have read about the frailties and nastiness that can fester within a seemingly harmless friendship.
Yes, Vallance takes it to an extreme that is unexpected, brilliantly imagined and jaw dropping, yet there are many truths hidden in the telling of the unbalanced friendship of Birdy and Bert. Birdy is a startlingly memorable character, whose obsession both with herself and Bert is as fascinating as it terr ...more
Yes, Vallance takes it to an extreme that is unexpected, brilliantly imagined and jaw dropping, yet there are many truths hidden in the telling of the unbalanced friendship of Birdy and Bert. Birdy is a startlingly memorable character, whose obsession both with herself and Bert is as fascinating as it terr ...more
I found this book really engaging and it made me desperate to read on and find out what it was that the author had hinted at throughout the book. I loved the portrayal of the girls' friendship. However, towards the end the book just fell apart. It became so obvious what the "answer" was that the revelation was a damp squib and the ending was so unrealistic. A disappointing end to what had the potential to be a great story.
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The voice of Birdy the narrator is fun and snarky in her loner observations about the characters at her school, and she is also a little bit too obsessive, especially when it comes to her friend Bert. There's a great twist in the last act and the ending is deliciously dark.
...more
I had a hard time finishing this book, I hated it since the beginning, but once I read more it became interesting, until the end appeared. It came from a teenage girl school problem to a severe problem in a turn of a page, it is not the type of book I like to read at all.
Birdy; a story about a toxic friendship, told by an unreliable narrator, who takes you down the spiralling journey of a year that ends with someone paying a hefty price.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
Oh my dear sweet Jesus this book is PHENOMENAL. It felt kind of like a YA version of Notes on a Scandal, but darker and better. Cannot recommend enough.
Not my usual kind of book: I got this in a subscription box. Ended up burning right through it in one sitting. It's a fairly dark story as I guess you'd expect from a thriller - again I'm really not that familiar with the genre - and has things some people might find hard to read about including mentions of suicide, alcoholism, a relationship between a teenager and an adult, and violence.
I don't think I'll be dipping back into the genre any time soon but I did enjoy my brief sojourn into it. Bi ...more
I don't think I'll be dipping back into the genre any time soon but I did enjoy my brief sojourn into it. Bi ...more
The blurb in the back was interesting, and to add to that, I bought it for an excellent bargain a few months ago. I've only decided to read it yesterday because on that same day, I finished 'You' on Netflix which was unhealthy obsessions, exactly what this book was about. And I mean, this book was okay. It was a little boring at times, like a lot of times there were just chapters where Birdy and Bert kind of just... do nothing? (view spoiler)
...more
Wow.... if you want to get spooked in an unusual way then you should definitely read this book.
Frances Bird is a Year 10 student who comes from an unpleasant background. She finds it hard at school because nobody want to be her friend and they always make fun of her. This carries on until a new and quite strange girl joins her tutor group called Alberta Fitzroy-Black. Francis is requested to help Alberta settle in to the school. As their friendship carries on throughout the book more and more s ...more
Frances Bird is a Year 10 student who comes from an unpleasant background. She finds it hard at school because nobody want to be her friend and they always make fun of her. This carries on until a new and quite strange girl joins her tutor group called Alberta Fitzroy-Black. Francis is requested to help Alberta settle in to the school. As their friendship carries on throughout the book more and more s ...more
I feel bad writing this but this was your pretty standard YA highschool mystery. Granted, I did find the twist unexpected but I'm not sure I found it believable in the context of the rest of the story? But maybe that's the problem with an unreliable narrator, they twist the story to fit their narrative, making it harder for the reader to know the truth. I did enjoy reading it, and it was a pretty easy read, but Birdy drove me up the wall and I'm kind of fed up of reading about insane, obsessive
...more
this is book was AWESOME. simply, simply AWESOME. im a quite a loner myself and this book just caught my attention in the first few paragraphs. I COULD NOT put down this book. this book has a (two, you can say) really big plot twist and well, that's what jm always looking for in books. some or maybe even more spice in the end. if you arent really interested in books that are a little 'over the line', maybe you wont want to check out this book. However if you're one of those whom likes dark endin
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
wow I was really impressed by this great book.
At first I was a bit confused, in the middle I really didn't understand what I expected to happen or if something should happen. But he really gave me the twist at the end, I thought it was incredible.
The best thing is how Birdy's thinking was written and that it really made her obsession sound the most natural. ...more
At first I was a bit confused, in the middle I really didn't understand what I expected to happen or if something should happen. But he really gave me the twist at the end, I thought it was incredible.
The best thing is how Birdy's thinking was written and that it really made her obsession sound the most natural. ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Related Articles
If you ask us, it's always the perfect time to lose yourself in a page-turning mystery. To help you sleuth out a new read, we asked the...
94 likes · 85 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I was a big reader. I could spend whole days absorbed in a book, whole weekends in the library or the park, completely oblivious to my surroundings. ‘Escapism’, I suppose they’d call it, but I never really liked that term much myself. I mean, who is it exactly who gets to decide which parts of your life are real and which parts are only allowed to count as an escape from that reality? I preferred to think that good books were my real life and all the other stuff - school, chores, all the rest of it - was just an interruption.”
—
0 likes
“Bert knows it would take more than a little row to get between us. Because friends like us, like Bert and me, we'll always be together.”
—
0 likes
More quotes…
