Indigo Donut

by Patrice Lawrence

A story of longing, belonging and trust. Two very different young people discover who loves them, and who they can love back.

Bailey is 17, mixed race, lives with his mum and dad in Hackney and spends all his time playing guitar or tending to his luscious ginger afro. Indigo is 17 and new to London, having grown up in the care system after being found by her mum's dead body as a toddler. All Indigo wants is to know who she really is. When Bailey and Indigo meet at sixth form, sparks fly. But when Bailey becomes the target of a homeless man who seems to know more about Indigo than is normal, Bailey is forced to make a choice he should never have to make.

A story about falling in love and everyone's need to belong.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Race, Young Adult Contemporary, Mental Health

451 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 2017

About the author

Patrice Lawrence is a British writer and journalist, who has published fiction both for adults and children. Her writing has won awards including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children and The Bookseller YA Book Prize.

Reviews

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

I HAVE FEELS.

[Karen Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indigo and Bailey...very different, with totally different backgrounds, but this story focuses on what they have in common.
Indigo is fed up of everyone thinking they know her. Sent from foster carer to foster carer, Indigo knows most people who meet her will immediately google her and discover she was found as a toddler by her mother's dead body and her father was imprisoned for the murder.
When the mean girls at yet another new school pick up on this and start giving her grief, Indigo expects to go it alone. But then we have Bailey. A mixed-race kid known for his ginger Afro and his 'cool' social worker dad, Bailey can't stand by and say nothing. After sticking up for Indigo on the bus one day Bailey starts to draw closer to her, and we're left wondering about the identity of the mysterious homeless man who seems to be following her.
A moving tale that explores family and identity.
Thoroughly recommended, and a huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Robin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book from Patrice, this is the story of Indigo, a kid in care who's falling in love with a boy called Bailey and struggling to understand who she is and where she comes from. London is a proper character here - I loved her descriptions of it, and I was totally caught up in the plot. 14+

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*

[Oli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nie, po prostu nie

Jakaś taka nijaka była ta książka. Niby miała poruszac ważne tematy, a wyszło na to że wsumie to miłość wszystko uleczy bla bla bla.
Główna bohaterka bardzo mnie irytowała, oczekuje od ludzi jakiegoś zrozumienia, a nawet nie dopuszcza ich do sobie, i jest przedewszystkim bardzo niemiła 💀

Zapomne o tej książce pewnie jakoś jutro

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

niby coś w tym jest wciągającego ale jednocześnie strasznie mnie męczyła

[Marta Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powiem Wam, dlaczego uważam, że ta książka zasługuje na uwagę większą, niż może się wydawać.
Przede wszystkim uwielbiam, że dorastanie pokazane jest w niej zgodnie z prawdą: jako beznadziejnie trudna, nie do końca oczywista, bardzo emocjonalna bitwa. Bitwa z rodzicami, równieśnikami, nauczycielami, przyjaciółmi, potencjalnymi zauroczeniami i... ze sobą. Czasem mniej, lub bardziej "krwawa", ale umówmy się: dojrzewanie to nie przelewki. Dla Indigo to szczególnie trudny czas: dziewczyna od lat żyje w "systemie", nigdzie tak naprawdę nienależąc, starając się odnaleźć sens w okrutnej prawdzie: jej ojciec zamordował jej matkę. Przekonana, że jest skazana na porażkę i nie zasługuje na miłość, bardziej lub mniej świadomie sabotażuje każdą ważną dla siebie relację.
I wtedy na horyzoncie pojawia się Bailey: bardzo wspierany przez rodziców, zwyczajny nastolatek o gołębim sercu, którego celem jest pomóc dziewczynie i okazać jej swoje uczucia.
Ale pewne mury są trudne do przeskoczenia. Pewne sprawy nie mogą być załatwione przez nadgorliwych nastolatków.
Podobają mi się poboczne postaci: przyjaciel Bailyego, jego rodzice, przyrodni brat Indigo. Każda z postaci jest wykreowana w uważny, wiarygodny sposób.
Uwielbiam! Londyn w tej książce. Okay, umówmy się, uwielbiam Londyn ogólnie, ale w Indigo Londyn to nie Big Ben i London Eye. To kolorowy Camden i nieskończenie długie podróże autobusami. To dzielnice, których należy unikać i wewnętrzna wojna pomiędzy Północem i Południem.
Jedyne, co zaburzyło moją lekturę, to, w mojej opinii, na siłę wprowadzony jeden z wątków. Nie sądzę, że będzie to spoiler, jeśli powiem, że chodzi o seks. Uwierzcie mi, normalnie nie mam nic przeciwko temu :D ale tutaj coś mi nie grało, chętnie podyskutuję na ten temat, jesli ktoś mi powie, czemu to był w ich opinii ważny i niezbędny element.
Książkę czyta się naprawdę dobrze, płynnie, ale bynajmniej nie lekko: to lektura, która zostaje w głowie. Na pewno sięgnę po inne książki tej autorki i Wam serdecznie ją polecam.
Według mnie to lektura +13 bez górnych ograniczeń ;)
Dajcie znać, czy czytaliście i czy zamierzacie: jestem mega ciekawa!

[Bookwormandtheatremouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indigo Donut is an amazing read. A brilliant collection of characters who all have so much to teach each other about life. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it will make you think about all the characters that you meet in your life and the invisible battles that they may be fighting!

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I loved Oragneboy and Rose Interrupted. The mystery in Indigo Donut fell flat in comparison and so did the characters. I know we are supposed to feel sympathy for Indigo giving how difficult her childhood was but I found it so hard to like her. I tried but I just could not connect with any of the characters.

[Megan (thebookishtwins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this free from the publisher via NetGalley

Indigo is new to London, having lived in the foster system her whole life, she’s moved from school to school and has a tendency to lose her cool, especially when people bring up her mother. Bailey is a 17 year old boy in the same sixth form as Indigo. When the two meet, they instantly hit it off. All Indigo wants to know is who she is, as she doesn’t remember her parents and lost contact with most of her siblings. When Bailey gets contacted by a homeless man that seems to know more about Indigo than she does herself, he has to make a decision that may ruin his new-found relationship with Indigo.

I read Indigo Donut a month ago but I’ve been in such a blogging slump it has taken me forever to actually sit down and write this review, so I apologise for our lack of posts.

I hadn’t heard about Indigo Donut until it popped up on NetGalley, but I had heard of Patrice Lawrence and her award-winning debut Orangeboy. So, despite my over-growing list of eARCs I had to read, I requested this. And I’m really glad I did.

I’ve tried to actively read more UKYA this year than I have done in previous years, mainly because more of it has started to appeal to me – there are more published works by BAME authors. Indigo Donut was an emotive and compelling read that largely focused on the foster system, a rare topic in YA. That, along with the compelling characters with strong personalities and an interesting mystery, made this an enjoyable read. Indigo and Bailey’s personalities complemented and contrasted with each other really well. Indigo was angry and distant while Bailey was calm and wants to get close to people.

Overall, Indigo Donut is a compelling read that highlights important topics such as race, class, and other things that teenagers face. It also has a nice music element which I’m sure fans of music will appreciate. Overall, an engrossing read that I would highly recommend, especially for those looking for a diverse UKYA read.

[Jessikah Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this a higher rating and the start of the book was a solid 4/5. The characterisation is so intense and it's hard not to fall for it. With that said, I couldn't figure out the attraction between Indigo and Bailey at all. They have nothing in common and I can't see how they could even sustain a friendship. 440 pages later and I'm still unsure as to what they would talk about when all the drama died down. I'm still intending on reading Orangeboy though because Patrice Lawrence's writing style is wonderful and I did enjoy Indigo Donut.

[xolusiaq · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

To było po postu NUDNE.

Miało niby poruszać ważne tematy, ale wszystko przedstawione było średnio. Wątki często przedłużane. Było kilka momentów, w których się uśmiechnęłam, ale tylko KILKA...

Książka nie spełniła moich oczekiwań.

[Kat Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this great second novel from Patrice Lawrence. Bailey and Indigo are so easy to like and root for, and their lives and backgrounds so skilfully drawn that they feel totally real.

Ben Bailey Smith reads the audiobook, and was just brilliant; if audio is your preferred format, I can definitely recommend. Indigo is a great follow-up to Orangeboy (also narrated by BBS), and has made Patrice Lawrence an insta-buy author for me.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A proper gorgeous story. I love Bailey and Indigo so much. Keeley gives me hope in life. I just think this was lush. A proper heart warmer. Ups and downs, but just lush.

[Rania T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been better with more careful editing, and the author could have got to the crux of the story a lot quicker.

[Johnny Macpherson Laidlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional storyline dealing with domestic abuse, drug and alcohol misuse, homelessness, mental health, murder, the care system and young love. A romance novel never to be missed.

[Paulina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank goodness that's over. I did not enjoy it. Soz!

[Zuzanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Suzanne Bhargava · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely boy meets girl story, with many complex layers. There's music, grief, anger mismanagement, London (lots of it), bullying, music, identity politics, drug and alcohol addiction, flawed but well-meaning parents, music, the foster system, dementia, and friends that make mistakes, and more music. Mainly Blondie, Grace Jones and Muse. Excellent.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eventually finished it, better towards the end.

[Amy Rehbein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read from start to finish. What I love about Patrice Lawrence is her ability to add realism to her stories. I was hooked from the beginning and loved the blossoming relationship between Indigo and Bailey. The book also touched on important issues such as identity, bullying, love, family, prison and growing up.

Full review over on my blog - http://www.amysbookishlife.co.uk/2017...

[aqilahreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay.....maybe its just how its written - this one just didnt get to me 🙁😩 tried to enjoy reading it but there are just so many parts where i think its irrelavant and could be cut off in the story. tbh i had to speed read some pages as it was getting boring. a bit disappointing & could have been better.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to Eleanor and Park but very good!

[Patrice Van Trigt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanneer je zeventien jaar bent hoor je nergens écht bij. Niet meer bij kinderen en nog niet bij de volwassenen. Toch wil je vooral het gevoel van geborgenheid ervaren, je veilig voelen en jezelf kunnen ontdekken en ontwikkelen. Maar wat als je achtergrond dusdanig traumatisch is geweest en de bagage eigenlijk te zwaar om te dragen? Onverwacht ontstaat er meer dan een vriendschap tussen jaargenoten Bailey en Indigo. De twee zijn elkaars tegenpolen, zowel qua achtergrond als persoonlijkheid maar toch delen ze dezelfde verlangens en wensen. Bailey is opgegroeid in een veilige thuisomgeving bij zijn ouders en is een laid back type. Indigo echter is dat niet gewend en heeft zichzelf een houding aangenomen die haar arrogant en zelfverzekerd doet lijken. Bailey breekt door dat schild heen en het effect is betoverend.

Wat een mooi boek weer van Patrice Lawrence! In haar vorige boek Orangeboy had ze me al te pakken met haar prachtig uitgewerkte personages en krachtige sfeersetting. Lawrence is in staat het kleine dusdanig uit te werken tot een vorm van realiteit, iets dat zomaar tot leven komt. Nu is het thema in Indigo Donut niet klein te noemen, het zal voor vele lezers – Young adult en volwassenen- niet onherkenbaar zijn. De emoties en twijfels zijn oprecht en authentiek, hierdoor sluit je Bailey en Indigo meteen in je hart. Dit komt ook absoluut door hun klik die levensecht aandoet.

Patrice Lawrence heeft een mooie manier van vertellen, de vertaling heeft daaraan geen afbraak gedaan, en dat is een compliment waard. Het boek is in vijfentwintig hoofdstukken opgedeeld en dat is precies goed. Ze zijn niet te lang maar omvattend genoeg om tot een echte vertelling te komen, en dialogen tot leven te wekken. Wat bijzonder leuk was, en herkenbaar, is het taalgebruik dat bij deze leeftijd hoort. Ondanks dat het soms best pittig was qua thematiek, toverde de wisselwerking tijdens gesprekken zo nu en dan best een glimlach tevoorschijn. Net zoals dat in het dagelijks leven gaat.

Indrukwekkend was de tweestrijd waarin Bailey terecht komt wanneer hij iets in handen krijgt dat voor Indigo heel belangrijk is maar catastrofaal kan zijn voor hun relatie. Wat doe je dan? Ben je op die leeftijd in staat om een dergelijk besluit te nemen en de gevolgen te overzien? Die interne strijd is heel overtuigend weergegeven door Lawrence en zet je als lezer ook aan het denken. Dit heeft als resultaat dat je enorm met de personages meeleeft en je wordt meegesleurd in hun emoties en verhalen. Een enorm pluspunt wanneer dat gebeurt tijdens het lezen in mijn optiek. Lawrence benoemt ook zaken zoals discriminatie, verwaarlozing, emotionele schade en het jeugdzorgsysteem.

Indigo Donut gaat over zoveel meer dan bovengenoemde. Alle denkbare fases waarin een adolescent zich begeeft passeren de revue, verzwaard met een persoonlijk dilemma. Zonder dat het té zwaar wordt is dit wel een serieus verhaal, eentje dat bij je blijft. Daarom krijgt deze Young adult van mij 4,5 dikke ster. En daarmee overtreft dit verhaal, voor mij dan toch, haar voorganger. Graag meer van deze getalenteerde auteur!

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indigo has been in the foster care system most of her life and now at a new sixth form struggles to keep her temper under control, especially at mentions of her mother but she is such a beautifully complex and headstrong character and I loved her sass, her attitude all of it. Her foster mum Keely was a joy to read same for Felix and Wade too, the emotions were a lot.

Bailey, a big fan of Muse, also attends the same sixth form and is in awe of Indigo when he first sees her, and when the two begin to hit it off there are so many sparks. I loved Bailey’s personality and the dynamic of his family and best friend Austin, who will make you laugh out loud on several occasions.

Indigo Donut is a story of not just love but family and friendships and although a story of two teens from two different worlds so to speak, it focuses on the things they have in common. Its an amazing book addressing so many topics from the care system to social services but it’s done so well and had me feeling for almost all the characters at some point.

It’s not often that you see yourself in a book and can relate to the characters on a level that’s deeper than just scratching the surface but once again just like Orangeboy, Patrice delivers and does just that. Her writing is always honest and she stays true to the story she’s writing, doesn’t try to make it fit the mould of every other book out there and that’s why I love this story so much. This book made me laugh, it made me cry and pretty much every emotion inbetween, and I can’t wait to read her next book as this is most definitely a memorable book of 2017 for me.

[Ika Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book! A YA romance set (partly) in Hackney with two mixed-race main characters, one of whom has grown up in foster care. Everyone in it felt very real, including the minor characters, and I really enjoyed the descriptions of Indigo's emotions and experiences of living with the aftermath of trauma. I also liked its portrayal of foster carers and social workers as neither saviours nor villains - it seemed to leave open the possibility of good relationships and good outcomes without being unrealistic about the people and systems involved in out-of-home care.

I don't read a lot of YA any more, and I read this book specifically because it was recommended to me as a book about family secrets, archives, and libraries, so I'll also say that I wasn't super impressed by the "family secret" plot - it was a decent enough framework to hang the rest of the novel on, but it didn't say much to me as a person raised in a family structured and fissured by secrets. The library was a presence only in one scene, as I recall - it is an awesome library, the glorious C L R James Library in Dalston (here is a photo of the library in 1985 with James Baldwin outside it). It featured as a welcoming space with helpful, non-judgemental adults who gave good advice and helped a main character with some family history research.

[Lisa Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am often heard saying that YA Fiction is the best fiction being released. That the authors of YA fiction are dealing with topics that are so respectful to their audience and realising and indeed relishing in the fact that a YA audience is mature and can deal with harsher topics. Things have certainly changed since I was a teenager and thank god it is for the better.

Indigo Donut is one such book that deals with difficult topics. It deals with: death, murder, the foster system, divorce, bullying and yet you still come away from the novel feeling positive and that change is just around the corner.

Indigo Donut focuses on the relationship between Indigo and Bailey. Bailey, to some extent is the antithesis of Indigo. He has had a far more “normal” upbringing and has been sheltered from the cruel realities of life. Indigo, on the other hand, has been hardened by life and wears an impermeable shell of armour and seen by others as an attitude problem. It seems strange that they would fall for each other.

Above everything else Indigo Donut is a love story – not just a physical love story but the love story of finding a friend who understands you and in Bailey Indigo finds just that and in doing so allows herself to be vulnerable.

Indigo Donut is a commitment of a book at 451 pages but it is a great story.

[Katie Greenwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I'd forgotten I owned and only ended up reading it through Sam picking a number from my spreadsheet catalogue (it's impressive) and I took that book to his to read. I fell in love with the story, so much so that I had to bring it home so I could read it quicker. I needed to know more.

Indigo Donut follows Indigo, a seventeen-year-old girl that has spent the vast majority of her life in the care system after she was found next to her dead mother's body. From this alone, you can see how hard-hitting this book is, however, each topic discussed is done so with the utmost care. We also follow Bailey, a seventeen-year-old mixed-race boy with a love of guitars and a huge crush on Indigo. They meet in sixth form and thus begins our story.

Whilst this was an adorable love story at its heart the book focuses on familial relationships and how a non-nuclear family is just as important and tightknit as a nuclear one. There were so many kinds of relationships depicted in this book. Friendships, relationships, family, how teachers interact with students. The story also looked at rumours, mental health, bullying and so much more.

A truly wonderful story, that for some may hit close to home.

www.a-novel-idea.co.uk

[kella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revolves around two characters: indigo and Bailey
Indigo: tough cookie , oddball not afraid to speak her mind - she lives with her foster mum keely
Bailey: nice kid , gullible but loyal lives with his parents and his dads a social worker
Bailey has always liked indigo since she came to his school she’s differen,t this book is about his feelings for indigo. However it is more interesting as after he stands up for indigo against some bullies a homeless man approaches him for help. He wants Bailey to explore indigos twisted past and help put it right.
Indigos mum was murdered by her dad when she was little and since then she’s always felt like she should push everyone away as she’s capable of such rage too. Abandoned by her newly found sister she finds it harder to deal with her last chance school but her closeness to Bailey begins to bring her out of her shell.
Plot twists : baileys mum knows indigo, how the homeless man knows indigo, what indigos grandad tells Bailey
I definitely got more into the book as I carried on reading however I did find the language thr kids used as a bit cringy and forced . I did like the ending although I wish keely was a part of it.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of plot twists and turns in this great YA novel.
Indigo had had a turbulent past stepped in tragedy that leads her struggling with extreme bursts of anger. When her path crosses with introspective Bailey at her new school he can see just how fantastic she is and, although a fascinated and scared in equal parts of her anger issues, he sees past that and wants het to realise just how great she is.
When Bailey is approached by a street sleeper who knows more about Indigo than even she does Bailey faces a difficult moral dilemma. Hey involved in her complicated life and maybe ruin everything, ignore and never give her the chance of finding out her true story or letting her go altogether.
Sometimes the choices are already out of your hands and you just have to try to hold on through the tough ride.
This novel had really 3 dimensional characters as well as an excellent sound track! I LOVED the positive role models with Bailey's parents and Indigo's foster mum. They showed how adults get stuff wrong too, but are always trying to get it right for their kids.