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No Number Nine
What do you do when your amazing, beloved sister dies?
Hide in your room for two years.
Sleep with a very, very wrong man.
Leave home and start a new life, lying to everyone you meet including your kind employer, your curious friends and the man you love?
Pip Mitchell’s an expert at making seriously bad decisions. But when her past, present and future collide at the Sydney Olympic Games, she’s going to have to decide whose side she’s on – or she’ll lose everyone she loves.
Hide in your room for two years.
Sleep with a very, very wrong man.
Leave home and start a new life, lying to everyone you meet including your kind employer, your curious friends and the man you love?
Pip Mitchell’s an expert at making seriously bad decisions. But when her past, present and future collide at the Sydney Olympic Games, she’s going to have to decide whose side she’s on – or she’ll lose everyone she loves.
- GenresSports
390 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2018
3 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
F.J. Campbell
3 books16 followersAuthor of ‘No Number Nine’, and ‘The Islanders’. There's some bio info about me on my website www.fjcampbell.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
August 6, 2021
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Eighteen-year-old Pip Mitchell has had it tough. Her big sister was killed in a hockey accident and she went off the rails a little shutting herself away and then sleeping with her sister’s widow husband.
Now she has left the family home in England to become an Au Pair for the von Feldsteins family in Germany looking after Max and Ferdi the youngest members of the family after their mother upped and left (again). She doesn’t realise that there are two more older brothers, both of who are hockey players and heading off to the Sydney Olympics, where her late sister’s husband will be, and why she took the job to get some cash so she can see him out there.
Pip’s life is complicated and is just about to get more so.
No Number Nine was an easy read and one that I rushed through. Pip was a character which although I struggled to warm to, and at times got angry at her actions, I also felt sorry for her. She had been through so much heartache in her young life and had now decided to place her life on hold in hope of a future with her late sister’s husband who tells her that they can not be together until after the Olympics.
The Von Feldsteins is how you would imagine a super-rich family to be. They are suave, sophisticated, big-headed, and think they can do what they like and stuff the consequences. Yet they were also friendly, helpful, and loyal. A real mixed bag. (with exception to their mother).
The book is filled with humour and I loved the bickering and back and forth between the older Von Feldstein boys and Pip. They brought a lot of joy to the story and gave me a giggle now and again.
This is a book about grief, moving on, love, life, and hockey. I can’t say that I was that invested in the sport, but even if like me it isn’t a sport you are into, the book is so much bigger than the game and is definitely worth a read.
Eighteen-year-old Pip Mitchell has had it tough. Her big sister was killed in a hockey accident and she went off the rails a little shutting herself away and then sleeping with her sister’s widow husband.
Now she has left the family home in England to become an Au Pair for the von Feldsteins family in Germany looking after Max and Ferdi the youngest members of the family after their mother upped and left (again). She doesn’t realise that there are two more older brothers, both of who are hockey players and heading off to the Sydney Olympics, where her late sister’s husband will be, and why she took the job to get some cash so she can see him out there.
Pip’s life is complicated and is just about to get more so.
No Number Nine was an easy read and one that I rushed through. Pip was a character which although I struggled to warm to, and at times got angry at her actions, I also felt sorry for her. She had been through so much heartache in her young life and had now decided to place her life on hold in hope of a future with her late sister’s husband who tells her that they can not be together until after the Olympics.
The Von Feldsteins is how you would imagine a super-rich family to be. They are suave, sophisticated, big-headed, and think they can do what they like and stuff the consequences. Yet they were also friendly, helpful, and loyal. A real mixed bag. (with exception to their mother).
The book is filled with humour and I loved the bickering and back and forth between the older Von Feldstein boys and Pip. They brought a lot of joy to the story and gave me a giggle now and again.
This is a book about grief, moving on, love, life, and hockey. I can’t say that I was that invested in the sport, but even if like me it isn’t a sport you are into, the book is so much bigger than the game and is definitely worth a read.
June 18, 2023
Most North Americans call this game ‘field hockey’ and think hockey means ice hockey. Many have the equally provincial notion that it is only a girl’s game’. But it is a game favouring team work, quick and accurate passing over running the pitch and assists as much as shots on goal. And one reason I prefer the women’s game is that they are better than men at relationships, with teams displaying a sense of sisterhood. But the exigencies of plot require a focus on men’s hockey, specifically the German and Australian national teams at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Philippa ‘Pip’ Mitchell is an eighteen-year old English girl who becomes an au pair looking after Max and Ferdi, the ten and eight year-old sons of a wealthy German family, the von Feldsteins. She is possessed of fluent German (and French - I was amused to discover that se taper has the same connotations as our word bang). Pip also possesses some heavy emotional baggage. Two years before, her sister Holly, a hockey player on the GBWNT, was killed by being struck on the head by a ball. (A hockey ball weighs about the same as a cricket ball or baseball - a goalkeeper kitted out in protective gear could easily be mistaken for a demolitions expert on a roadside in Iraq.) This loss has left Pip with a super case of PTSD, she also had sex with her sister’s widower husband, Troy Costa, a Kookaburra, the Australian MNT. (The women’s team are the Hockeyroos.) Pip hides her relationship (although she plans to fly out to Sydney for the Olympics at her own expense) and affects to despise the game of hockey, although she had been a very capable U-16 player. Which turns out to be a huge complication, because the von Feldsteins not only own a hockey club, but that Max and Ferdi have two twenty something elder brothers who are keen hockey players aspiring to playing in the Olympics on the German national men’s team. If you’ve watched a German national team play, the elder brother Leo will be no surprise - totally disciplined and keen on angles and sports psychology. His brother Billy lives and plays more like an Argentinian, all flair and gusto. (When Pip first discovers him, he’s in bed with Leo’s then girlfriend.)
I loved this book. It’s excellent and very erotic, including what I call the ‘erotics of competition’ - the thrill of playing a sport to the very maximum. Which another marvellous facet of hockey, the players run virtually nonstop whilst on the pitch. The clock only stops for penalty corners. I was disappointed with some of Campbell’s descriptions of play as perfunctory. ‘Australia scored an unstoppable field goal from a volley after twenty-two minutes, to which Germany responded with a goal from a penalty corner five minutes later.’ That’s an opportunity for exciting sports writing too good to miss. A penalty corner is about the only time the clock stops for the kind of set play you find in American football, with lots of opportunity for deception and usually a fearless first flyer defender rushing from the cage to prevent the offence getting a shot off. But I liked this score with Pip watching on television: ‘Billy dived in front of the goal. Pip’s heart hammering, he slid along the AstroTurf, Pip’s eyes glued to the screen, he stretched out his stick, Pip’s mouth opening in a scream, he gave the ball the lightest of touches to send it into the back of the goal.’ Last year in the FIH Pro League I watched the New Zealand striker Olivia Merry execute the same shot against USA. Brilliant.
The characters lacked some believability for me too. I could not understand why Pip would want to follow Troy out to Australia only to break up with him, except the plot required it. He has other plans, and his inept proposal scene is the funniest thing outside of a Jane Austen novel. And it takes Campbell forever finally to resolve the relationship between Leo and Pip. As a crazy romantic, I would have set it on a boat in Sydney harbour during a fireworks display to mark the close of the games. But the scenes with the retiring of Holly's number (the significance of the title) and the scattering of her ashes by her teammates were most affecting; what GBWNT would surely do.
I so hope F. J. Campbell will write some more hockey fiction. I’d love a slightly older protagonist, perhaps one who had played for an American uni (there were several on last year’s England U-21 team), who’s now graduated and playing for a club like Surbiton. And with both an American and British boyfriend, perhaps. You can see the possibilities.
Philippa ‘Pip’ Mitchell is an eighteen-year old English girl who becomes an au pair looking after Max and Ferdi, the ten and eight year-old sons of a wealthy German family, the von Feldsteins. She is possessed of fluent German (and French - I was amused to discover that se taper has the same connotations as our word bang). Pip also possesses some heavy emotional baggage. Two years before, her sister Holly, a hockey player on the GBWNT, was killed by being struck on the head by a ball. (A hockey ball weighs about the same as a cricket ball or baseball - a goalkeeper kitted out in protective gear could easily be mistaken for a demolitions expert on a roadside in Iraq.) This loss has left Pip with a super case of PTSD, she also had sex with her sister’s widower husband, Troy Costa, a Kookaburra, the Australian MNT. (The women’s team are the Hockeyroos.) Pip hides her relationship (although she plans to fly out to Sydney for the Olympics at her own expense) and affects to despise the game of hockey, although she had been a very capable U-16 player. Which turns out to be a huge complication, because the von Feldsteins not only own a hockey club, but that Max and Ferdi have two twenty something elder brothers who are keen hockey players aspiring to playing in the Olympics on the German national men’s team. If you’ve watched a German national team play, the elder brother Leo will be no surprise - totally disciplined and keen on angles and sports psychology. His brother Billy lives and plays more like an Argentinian, all flair and gusto. (When Pip first discovers him, he’s in bed with Leo’s then girlfriend.)
I loved this book. It’s excellent and very erotic, including what I call the ‘erotics of competition’ - the thrill of playing a sport to the very maximum. Which another marvellous facet of hockey, the players run virtually nonstop whilst on the pitch. The clock only stops for penalty corners. I was disappointed with some of Campbell’s descriptions of play as perfunctory. ‘Australia scored an unstoppable field goal from a volley after twenty-two minutes, to which Germany responded with a goal from a penalty corner five minutes later.’ That’s an opportunity for exciting sports writing too good to miss. A penalty corner is about the only time the clock stops for the kind of set play you find in American football, with lots of opportunity for deception and usually a fearless first flyer defender rushing from the cage to prevent the offence getting a shot off. But I liked this score with Pip watching on television: ‘Billy dived in front of the goal. Pip’s heart hammering, he slid along the AstroTurf, Pip’s eyes glued to the screen, he stretched out his stick, Pip’s mouth opening in a scream, he gave the ball the lightest of touches to send it into the back of the goal.’ Last year in the FIH Pro League I watched the New Zealand striker Olivia Merry execute the same shot against USA. Brilliant.
The characters lacked some believability for me too. I could not understand why Pip would want to follow Troy out to Australia only to break up with him, except the plot required it. He has other plans, and his inept proposal scene is the funniest thing outside of a Jane Austen novel. And it takes Campbell forever finally to resolve the relationship between Leo and Pip. As a crazy romantic, I would have set it on a boat in Sydney harbour during a fireworks display to mark the close of the games. But the scenes with the retiring of Holly's number (the significance of the title) and the scattering of her ashes by her teammates were most affecting; what GBWNT would surely do.
I so hope F. J. Campbell will write some more hockey fiction. I’d love a slightly older protagonist, perhaps one who had played for an American uni (there were several on last year’s England U-21 team), who’s now graduated and playing for a club like Surbiton. And with both an American and British boyfriend, perhaps. You can see the possibilities.
August 7, 2021
When I was asked if I'd like to review a book about sport and the Olympics, I was sceptical. My usual genre is crime and like many, I'd become a bit of a couch potato during the lockdown but with the Tokyo Olympics looming, I said yes.
To be honest, I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed reading about Pip and empathised with her over the loss of her sister (I lost my Dad last year). Pip's beloved sister was an Olympian who played hockey for GB and who was the apple of her parents eye.
When she died, Pip was left bereft, she struggled through school, deciding she needed to get away from it all before contemplating uni. She left England, taking a job as an au pair in Munich. Little did she know, she would be jumping straight into the lives of another Olympic hockey playing family.
Its here, that the author, F J Campbell weaves her magic, drawing the reader into, not only Pips life but also the lives of the family she is staying with, as we follow Pip's coming of age, realising that we all make mistakes; it's better to be honest; that all families are dysfunctional to some extent; true friends are keepers and that if you are lucky enough to fall in love, things can work out even if not in the way anticipated.
Rating 5/5 🏅
To be honest, I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed reading about Pip and empathised with her over the loss of her sister (I lost my Dad last year). Pip's beloved sister was an Olympian who played hockey for GB and who was the apple of her parents eye.
When she died, Pip was left bereft, she struggled through school, deciding she needed to get away from it all before contemplating uni. She left England, taking a job as an au pair in Munich. Little did she know, she would be jumping straight into the lives of another Olympic hockey playing family.
Its here, that the author, F J Campbell weaves her magic, drawing the reader into, not only Pips life but also the lives of the family she is staying with, as we follow Pip's coming of age, realising that we all make mistakes; it's better to be honest; that all families are dysfunctional to some extent; true friends are keepers and that if you are lucky enough to fall in love, things can work out even if not in the way anticipated.
Rating 5/5 🏅
February 27, 2018
I had the good fortune to receive an advance review copy of 'No Number Nine', in exchange for an honest review. This is a heart wrenching story of loss, coming to terms with not only that loss but the mistakes made and coming out on the other side. I cried... I laughed... I punched the air and yelled 'YES!!!". Watching Pip move her way through her pain and become strong woman with a firm belief in who she was and what was right and what could and could not be forgiven was a pleasure. I will recommend this book to everyone and I look forward to what F.J. Campbell comes up with next!
July 10, 2021
When Pip's older sister Holly died, she spiralled out of control as she was grieving. She also shut out the whole world except for Holly's husband Troy Costa. The pair spent time together and ended up sharing their grief via sex and soon Pip started to fall in love with Troy. Troy on the other hand wanted to focus on the Sydney Olympics and his hockey career as according to him he only had one shot left. The pair made a vow to cut contact and then see each other at the Sydney Olympics and pick up where they left off. The year leading to the Olympics, Pip gets a job as an au pair in Germany for a family of boys and chucked hockey into the back of her mind. That is until she arrives and discovers that the family is big into hockey and that the older two sons Billy and Leo are champion hockey players destined to the Olympics just like her sister Holly was and Troy was. The world she was hoping so desperately to avoid is now rushing to her at full speed as she is surrounded by the world of championship hockey. What will happen when starts to fall for Leo and he discovers her past with Troy Costa - his arch-enemy? Find out in No Number Nine by FJ Campbell, a book that shows us sometimes the only way to really move on from grief or to move forward with life is a dose of immersion therapy.
June 25, 2021
A pleasant read about Pip as she finds her path after the loss of her sister. The background of Olympic sports was what first drew me to this title and American readers need to know that Hockey here is field hockey not ice hockey or you'll be confused with all the talk of balls and such. I enjoyed the characters of Pip, Leo, Billy, Dominic and the extended family. I think younger adult readers will be more immersed in Pip's travails. All in all a good read.
July 14, 2021
Pip (Philippa) is our complicated protagonist. She isn't how I'd picture your typical eighteen-year old. A girl from England, who becomes an au pair looking after two boys - Max and Ferdi - sons of a wealthy German family, the Von Feldsteins. She doesn't lack smarts as she is able to speak fluent German (and some French) but what she does require is emotional support.
Having sadly lost her sister to a tragic Hockey accident, she carries around an unbelievable amount of emotional baggage, but she refuses to let others in, preferring to suffer in silence than letting anyone get close enough to ease her pain.
This was not helped when her sister's husband (Troy Costa, an Australian hockey player) took advantage of her vulnerability at the time of Holly's death, choosing to have sex with her and promise her a future, further messing with her mental health.
Now two years on, Pip hides her relationship status with Troy (although she plans to fly out to Sydney for the Olympics at her own expense) and claims to dislike the game of hockey, although in reality she too had been a very capable U-16 player. This is a decision she begins to regret when she discovers that the Von Feldsteins not only own a hockey club, but that Max and Ferdi have two older brothers who are very able hockey players aspiring to playing in the Olympics on the German national men’s team.
Those secrets and memories she's kept buried deep for so long threaten to make an appearance the more time she spends around The Von Feldsteins, especially the eldest son Leo.
Now I'll admit, I found Pip quite frustrating at times. Her actions seemed unnecessary, perhaps thoughtless at times but I had to remind myself that she is young and still learning. It takes life experience and making mistakes to be able to reach logical conclusions.
I adored the other Von Feldstein, Billy. His outlook on life, the banter he had with Pip. He was a real ray of sunshine in rather gloomy and confusing moments. He was that bit of positivity that everybody needs in their lives.
At the beginning of my review I mentioned that there were multiple levels to this book so I'll explain a bit more about that now. The author has done a fantastic, sensitive job of looking at many different aspects. I'd describe this as a sort of coming of age story but not one that focuses purely on the normal day to day life goings on.
Yes we read about friendship, about love, the things I'd say are more typical teenage subjects but Campbell dives deeper. We get a realistic view of the emotions, raw, honest and sometimes sexual. Nothing is glossed over. And in a day and age where mental health is so important, I was pleased to see that it wasn't a fleeting part of the story. The loss that Pip felt was ver apparent throughout.
The use of sport is another aspect that I really had a fondness for. I've not read many books that use sports as a main theme but it worked well with this novel and from my point of view it came across as well researched and actually made me want to sit and watch a spot of hockey!
Over all No Number Nine is a book that I'd happily recommend to others. It's a story that is filled with love, humour and self-acceptance, one that takes you on a journey alongside the characters.
Having sadly lost her sister to a tragic Hockey accident, she carries around an unbelievable amount of emotional baggage, but she refuses to let others in, preferring to suffer in silence than letting anyone get close enough to ease her pain.
This was not helped when her sister's husband (Troy Costa, an Australian hockey player) took advantage of her vulnerability at the time of Holly's death, choosing to have sex with her and promise her a future, further messing with her mental health.
Now two years on, Pip hides her relationship status with Troy (although she plans to fly out to Sydney for the Olympics at her own expense) and claims to dislike the game of hockey, although in reality she too had been a very capable U-16 player. This is a decision she begins to regret when she discovers that the Von Feldsteins not only own a hockey club, but that Max and Ferdi have two older brothers who are very able hockey players aspiring to playing in the Olympics on the German national men’s team.
Those secrets and memories she's kept buried deep for so long threaten to make an appearance the more time she spends around The Von Feldsteins, especially the eldest son Leo.
Now I'll admit, I found Pip quite frustrating at times. Her actions seemed unnecessary, perhaps thoughtless at times but I had to remind myself that she is young and still learning. It takes life experience and making mistakes to be able to reach logical conclusions.
I adored the other Von Feldstein, Billy. His outlook on life, the banter he had with Pip. He was a real ray of sunshine in rather gloomy and confusing moments. He was that bit of positivity that everybody needs in their lives.
At the beginning of my review I mentioned that there were multiple levels to this book so I'll explain a bit more about that now. The author has done a fantastic, sensitive job of looking at many different aspects. I'd describe this as a sort of coming of age story but not one that focuses purely on the normal day to day life goings on.
Yes we read about friendship, about love, the things I'd say are more typical teenage subjects but Campbell dives deeper. We get a realistic view of the emotions, raw, honest and sometimes sexual. Nothing is glossed over. And in a day and age where mental health is so important, I was pleased to see that it wasn't a fleeting part of the story. The loss that Pip felt was ver apparent throughout.
The use of sport is another aspect that I really had a fondness for. I've not read many books that use sports as a main theme but it worked well with this novel and from my point of view it came across as well researched and actually made me want to sit and watch a spot of hockey!
Over all No Number Nine is a book that I'd happily recommend to others. It's a story that is filled with love, humour and self-acceptance, one that takes you on a journey alongside the characters.
August 1, 2021
I’d like to thank Helen from Literally PR for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. This book was different from my usual read but I loved the synopsis and I’m really pleased that I gave it a go.
The story focuses on Pip, a young woman approaching her 20’s, who has arrived in Munich to be an au pair to the Feldstein’s. Unbeknown to her new employers Pip see’s this job and Munich as a chance for a fresh start and wants to keep her past choices and life in England a secret.
It’s not long before Pip is thrown into the life of the Feldstein’s and starts to make friends with other members of the social club. I particularly liked Tiny and thought her true motives were shown on the night of the dares. She obviously thought a lot of Pip and I liked how Tiny took her under her wing and showed her the ropes.
Pip initially annoyed me with her secrecy as I thought she was making it a lot worse for herself but I soon came to realise that this was probably due to her age and learning how to deal with her grief. As the story progressed it was great to see Pip embrace who she was and start to make roots with the Feldstein’s.
The Feldstein’s were a lovely family, apart from Elisabeth. I loved the different characters amongst them and how they treated Pip. Dominic was a great employer and I admired the honest conversations he had with Pip. He treated her as one of the family instead of a slave. Billy and Leo were brilliant brother’s and each of them held a special place in Pip’s heart. I couldn’t help but smile at Billy’s actions and some of the things he said, he was very good at pushing buttons!
The final section of the book took part at the Olympics in Sydney. During this part we saw a lot of action on and off the court. The hockey games were written with just enough attention to make them interesting without being overloaded. It was in this final section that I really felt Pip came alive, I was so proud of her when the incident at the house took place and how she stood up for herself after.
I couldn’t help but fly through this story, it was such an easy read, filled with well developed characters. It’s a story of discovery, grief, forgiveness and trust and I’m sure there are characters in this book that we all could relate to. Please don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour!
The story focuses on Pip, a young woman approaching her 20’s, who has arrived in Munich to be an au pair to the Feldstein’s. Unbeknown to her new employers Pip see’s this job and Munich as a chance for a fresh start and wants to keep her past choices and life in England a secret.
It’s not long before Pip is thrown into the life of the Feldstein’s and starts to make friends with other members of the social club. I particularly liked Tiny and thought her true motives were shown on the night of the dares. She obviously thought a lot of Pip and I liked how Tiny took her under her wing and showed her the ropes.
Pip initially annoyed me with her secrecy as I thought she was making it a lot worse for herself but I soon came to realise that this was probably due to her age and learning how to deal with her grief. As the story progressed it was great to see Pip embrace who she was and start to make roots with the Feldstein’s.
The Feldstein’s were a lovely family, apart from Elisabeth. I loved the different characters amongst them and how they treated Pip. Dominic was a great employer and I admired the honest conversations he had with Pip. He treated her as one of the family instead of a slave. Billy and Leo were brilliant brother’s and each of them held a special place in Pip’s heart. I couldn’t help but smile at Billy’s actions and some of the things he said, he was very good at pushing buttons!
The final section of the book took part at the Olympics in Sydney. During this part we saw a lot of action on and off the court. The hockey games were written with just enough attention to make them interesting without being overloaded. It was in this final section that I really felt Pip came alive, I was so proud of her when the incident at the house took place and how she stood up for herself after.
I couldn’t help but fly through this story, it was such an easy read, filled with well developed characters. It’s a story of discovery, grief, forgiveness and trust and I’m sure there are characters in this book that we all could relate to. Please don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour!
December 17, 2023
I was really excited to read this, as I’ve never come across a book about hockey before. The way it’s talked about feels really real; the club atmosphere, the training, etc. I wish there had been more hockey content to be honest.
The main character is young and her decision making frustrated me. But there are some tough topics covered well, I think it’s a good YA novel.
The main character is young and her decision making frustrated me. But there are some tough topics covered well, I think it’s a good YA novel.
July 29, 2021
No Number Nine is an intriguing layered novel that has themes of grief, relationships and family dynamics. There is a lot here to unpack which makes it a much deeper novel than it initially appears.
Pip's older sister, Holly, died two years previously while playing hockey. She and her husband Troy were famous hockey players, and both played on their respective national teams in the Olympics. The situation is complicated by the fact that Pip and Troy had an affair after Holly's death, to help each other cope with their grief. Looking for a fresh start (and using her German skills), Pip takes an au pair position with the wealthy Von Feldstein family in Munich. She has to learn how to care for the youngest two Von Feldstein boys, as well as how to get along with the older two brothers, Billy and Leo. What she doesn't realise before taking the position is that the family are all keen hockey players, and even own the local hockey club.
Pip is such an interesting character. I enjoyed following her journey to self-acceptance and finding a way to live with her grief. Mourning Holly has altered Pip's whole life — it's destroyed her relationship with her parents, it's taken away her own interest in hockey and isolated her from all of her friends, too. Pip was totally in awe of Troy, and just 16 when they started their affair to try and cope with their grief. While it was consensual, it's incredibly uncomfortable as Troy was 10+ years older. I did feel quite sorry for Troy and his loss, but of course that doesn't make what happened acceptable — he tries to replace Holly with Pip and it makes for a very sad and uncomfortable read.
F J Campbell writes about loss in a very raw, real way. She perfectly encapsulates the heartbreak and ongoing pain when someone dies in a shocking and unexpected way. In addition, the relationship between Pip and Troy is also dealt with really well — particularly the huge age gap between the two. Troy's ongoing pain at losing his wife is sensitively written, although his behaviour towards Pip is never excused. Pip's relationship with her parents is also explored — Holly was seen as the 'golden child' in her family, which only increased after her death.
I really enjoyed the setting, too. Both Billy and Leo are working towards qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I enjoyed this retro setting and it brought back fun memories for me of growing up around this time, such as references to songs on the radio and pop culture from this time period. And reading about the Olympics certainly made this a perfect read at the moment, during the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games!
I loved the characters and the romance in this book too. Nadine, Pip's best friend from England, is a great character and gives a much-needed reality check to some of the scenes. She is also great fun and the sort of best friend that everyone needs! Her dedication and loyalty to Pip after she loses her sister is really inspiring. Billy is also a great character — I loved the banter between Pip and Billy! All the conversations between Pip and her friends (old and new) are well-written and feel authentic, and not forced. Of course, this is a romance novel — and the romance is great (and steamier than I had expected, from the very start!).
There is definitely a lot more to this book than meets the eye from the initial blurb. While the story is centered around hockey, you certainly don't have to know much about hockey to enjoy the book — the focus is on the characters and the relationships between them. And of course, the Olympics themes makes this an excellent choice to read during 2021 and the Tokyo Olympics.
Pip's older sister, Holly, died two years previously while playing hockey. She and her husband Troy were famous hockey players, and both played on their respective national teams in the Olympics. The situation is complicated by the fact that Pip and Troy had an affair after Holly's death, to help each other cope with their grief. Looking for a fresh start (and using her German skills), Pip takes an au pair position with the wealthy Von Feldstein family in Munich. She has to learn how to care for the youngest two Von Feldstein boys, as well as how to get along with the older two brothers, Billy and Leo. What she doesn't realise before taking the position is that the family are all keen hockey players, and even own the local hockey club.
Pip is such an interesting character. I enjoyed following her journey to self-acceptance and finding a way to live with her grief. Mourning Holly has altered Pip's whole life — it's destroyed her relationship with her parents, it's taken away her own interest in hockey and isolated her from all of her friends, too. Pip was totally in awe of Troy, and just 16 when they started their affair to try and cope with their grief. While it was consensual, it's incredibly uncomfortable as Troy was 10+ years older. I did feel quite sorry for Troy and his loss, but of course that doesn't make what happened acceptable — he tries to replace Holly with Pip and it makes for a very sad and uncomfortable read.
F J Campbell writes about loss in a very raw, real way. She perfectly encapsulates the heartbreak and ongoing pain when someone dies in a shocking and unexpected way. In addition, the relationship between Pip and Troy is also dealt with really well — particularly the huge age gap between the two. Troy's ongoing pain at losing his wife is sensitively written, although his behaviour towards Pip is never excused. Pip's relationship with her parents is also explored — Holly was seen as the 'golden child' in her family, which only increased after her death.
I really enjoyed the setting, too. Both Billy and Leo are working towards qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I enjoyed this retro setting and it brought back fun memories for me of growing up around this time, such as references to songs on the radio and pop culture from this time period. And reading about the Olympics certainly made this a perfect read at the moment, during the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games!
She closed her eyes. It was like this every Olympic year. Everything stopped. Nothing else mattered. Every year of her life that she could remember had been marked by a World Cup or a Champions Trophy or European Championships, but most of all, the four-yearly Olympics. For hockey teams, the Olympic gold was the biggest prize of all. Pip's life was measured not by her birthdays or achievements at school, but by her sister's injuries or goals or medals won and lost. That was how it had been with the Mitchells and the Costas. And now with the von Feldsteins.
I loved the characters and the romance in this book too. Nadine, Pip's best friend from England, is a great character and gives a much-needed reality check to some of the scenes. She is also great fun and the sort of best friend that everyone needs! Her dedication and loyalty to Pip after she loses her sister is really inspiring. Billy is also a great character — I loved the banter between Pip and Billy! All the conversations between Pip and her friends (old and new) are well-written and feel authentic, and not forced. Of course, this is a romance novel — and the romance is great (and steamier than I had expected, from the very start!).
There is definitely a lot more to this book than meets the eye from the initial blurb. While the story is centered around hockey, you certainly don't have to know much about hockey to enjoy the book — the focus is on the characters and the relationships between them. And of course, the Olympics themes makes this an excellent choice to read during 2021 and the Tokyo Olympics.
July 30, 2021
Eighteen-year-old Pip Mitchell sets off to Munich to become an au pair to two small German boys, Max and Ferdi - and to try to get her life in order. Still struggling with the loss of her beloved older sister Holly, who died in a freak sporting accident two years ago while playing hockey for Great Britain, the time has come for her to emerge from her cocoon of grief and look to the future.
She finds the von Feldsteins to be full of surprises - not least the presence of two additional older, and very attractive sons Leo and Billy, and the mysterious absence of Mrs von Feldstein - but despite a string of embarrassing blunders, she soon makes herself indispensable to the family, filling the empty space left in the lives of the younger boys by their absent mother, and making friends with the father and older sons. She begins to feel at home in Germany as the fog of her grief starts to lift.
But Pip has secrets that beg to be uncovered. She has opted not to tell the von Feldstein's about her promising sporting past, the loss of her sister, or her unfortunate relationship with the wrong man - a relationship she has been hoping to rekindle by heading to Sydney for a reunion with him once she has saved up enough money.
As the time passes, it becomes ever more difficult to keep her skeletons hidden, especially when she finds herself falling for one of the older von Feldstein sons, despite some of their less welcoming relations, because this is a family obsessed by sport and Leo and Max both play elite hockey for Germany. The Sydney Olympic Games is looming, and with it the inevitable collision between her past, present and future. Does she have the courage to finally come clean and build a future based on truth and real understanding?
No Number Nine is a gripping story that combines a coming of age tale, with a compelling domestic drama, and a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the world of elite sport.
Pip is the central character here and we see everything through her eyes. She is a young woman full of realistic flaws and contradictions, very well written by Campbell, that make her a very sympathetic character. She has been through a lot in her young life and it's no wonder that the way she has coped with her pain is to retreat into herself and look for solace in the wrong place, with the wrong man. Pip has become stuck in a pattern of behaviour that she does not have the maturity or experience to break out of, and her default position of hiding within herself and ignoring the inevitable builds delicious tension into this story as we know the fall out from her half-truths will be explosive.
I don't want to go into too much about what happens here, because Campbell lays everything out so beautifully, it would be a shame to spoil it, but this not not your usual light hearted, young woman torn between lovers tale. Campbell covers a lot of deep and emotional themes in the coming of age and domestic drama parts of this novel - coping with loss; difficult family relationships; childhood trauma; abuse of power; and women's rights are all explored in different aspects of Pip's dealings with both her own and the von Feldstein families. There were times when I felt quite angry about the things we learn in these pages, and there are also many moments that are profoundly sad.
But what really drives this novel along is the pace and excitement drawn from the elite sport component of the story. The thrills and spills, the cutthroat competitiveness, the drive and ambition all come across so clearly, leading us onwards to the showdown at the Sydney Olympics when all the nicely contrived elements crash together in one almighty climax.
I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this story, but I think my absolute favourite thing about it is the way Pip seems so fierce in her beliefs about the freedom of women to make their own choices and be treated fairly, but it is not until she can admit to the truth about how she has been manipulated and taken advantage of herself that she truly finds the courage to become the person she was meant to be.
This the perfect read to give your emotions a work out and get yourself in the zone for the Tokyo Olympics!
She finds the von Feldsteins to be full of surprises - not least the presence of two additional older, and very attractive sons Leo and Billy, and the mysterious absence of Mrs von Feldstein - but despite a string of embarrassing blunders, she soon makes herself indispensable to the family, filling the empty space left in the lives of the younger boys by their absent mother, and making friends with the father and older sons. She begins to feel at home in Germany as the fog of her grief starts to lift.
But Pip has secrets that beg to be uncovered. She has opted not to tell the von Feldstein's about her promising sporting past, the loss of her sister, or her unfortunate relationship with the wrong man - a relationship she has been hoping to rekindle by heading to Sydney for a reunion with him once she has saved up enough money.
As the time passes, it becomes ever more difficult to keep her skeletons hidden, especially when she finds herself falling for one of the older von Feldstein sons, despite some of their less welcoming relations, because this is a family obsessed by sport and Leo and Max both play elite hockey for Germany. The Sydney Olympic Games is looming, and with it the inevitable collision between her past, present and future. Does she have the courage to finally come clean and build a future based on truth and real understanding?
No Number Nine is a gripping story that combines a coming of age tale, with a compelling domestic drama, and a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the world of elite sport.
Pip is the central character here and we see everything through her eyes. She is a young woman full of realistic flaws and contradictions, very well written by Campbell, that make her a very sympathetic character. She has been through a lot in her young life and it's no wonder that the way she has coped with her pain is to retreat into herself and look for solace in the wrong place, with the wrong man. Pip has become stuck in a pattern of behaviour that she does not have the maturity or experience to break out of, and her default position of hiding within herself and ignoring the inevitable builds delicious tension into this story as we know the fall out from her half-truths will be explosive.
I don't want to go into too much about what happens here, because Campbell lays everything out so beautifully, it would be a shame to spoil it, but this not not your usual light hearted, young woman torn between lovers tale. Campbell covers a lot of deep and emotional themes in the coming of age and domestic drama parts of this novel - coping with loss; difficult family relationships; childhood trauma; abuse of power; and women's rights are all explored in different aspects of Pip's dealings with both her own and the von Feldstein families. There were times when I felt quite angry about the things we learn in these pages, and there are also many moments that are profoundly sad.
But what really drives this novel along is the pace and excitement drawn from the elite sport component of the story. The thrills and spills, the cutthroat competitiveness, the drive and ambition all come across so clearly, leading us onwards to the showdown at the Sydney Olympics when all the nicely contrived elements crash together in one almighty climax.
I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this story, but I think my absolute favourite thing about it is the way Pip seems so fierce in her beliefs about the freedom of women to make their own choices and be treated fairly, but it is not until she can admit to the truth about how she has been manipulated and taken advantage of herself that she truly finds the courage to become the person she was meant to be.
This the perfect read to give your emotions a work out and get yourself in the zone for the Tokyo Olympics!
May 20, 2020
Globally, hockey is the second most played team sport and the third most played of all sports – yet it seems to be almost entirely absent from popular culture. Huh. So much so that a ‘hockey novel’ is a very niche, almost unique prospect. That was the main reason I was initially interested in reading No Number Nine when I was offered the opportunity, and I’m glad I did. Though accessible to the lay-person – anyone could enjoy this story – being a hockey player adds an extra dimension to your appreciation of the book; especially given how accurately the dynamics and complications of a large hockey club are rendered.
The story itself is a Bildungsroman (a coming-of-age-story in Germany) with a funny, conversational narrative which means it is easy to read and hard to put down – but that’s not to say it’s frothy or frivolous, it deals with complex and difficult issues in a comprehensive yet engaging way.
Ideal holiday reading in normal times, great isolation reading in today’s. The plot is like a good hockey game: fast-paced, exciting, end-to-end stuff with a result that is somehow simultaneously unpredictable and inexorable.
I will be recommending this novel to friends and family, whether they are into hockey or not.
The story itself is a Bildungsroman (a coming-of-age-story in Germany) with a funny, conversational narrative which means it is easy to read and hard to put down – but that’s not to say it’s frothy or frivolous, it deals with complex and difficult issues in a comprehensive yet engaging way.
Ideal holiday reading in normal times, great isolation reading in today’s. The plot is like a good hockey game: fast-paced, exciting, end-to-end stuff with a result that is somehow simultaneously unpredictable and inexorable.
I will be recommending this novel to friends and family, whether they are into hockey or not.
August 7, 2021
A Fabulous Read
No Number Nine is a fabulous read. The story of Pip and how she reacts to the death of her beloved sister encompasses the themes of coping with grief and loss, the importance of friendships and family and the heady days of first love.
After Pip takes up her job as au pair to the von Feldstein family in Germany, she finds that she cannot escape her past and the memories she has of her sister. Fate has a way of intervening in our lives for better or worse, and to protect herself and others Pip finds herself lying by omission. It is only when she finds herself in Sydney at the Olympics that she can no longer avoid revealing the truth, regardless of how devastating the consequences may be.
I really felt for Pip from the off as it is clear that the loss of her sister and events during the aftermath have affected her deeply. I enjoyed her journey and felt myself cheering for her as she grows in strength and confidence whilst she navigates new friendships, and grows attached to the complex von Feldstein family, including the two older brothers, Billy and Leo, the latter with whom she falls in love. The book contains some humorous scenes as Pip has a habit of speaking her mind and putting her foot in it, as well as some heartfelt moments. All of the characters have depth and are very believable. I particularly enjoyed Pip's interactions with Billy and Leo, who are both so very different to each other.
I was gripped when the plot takes the ensemble of characters from Pip’s past and present and brings them together at the Sidney Olympics. Here the drama and the emotion of the story intensified and I was rooting for Pip, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
The book is an emotional and entertaining read and will appeal to readers of women’s fiction, in addition to those who enjoy sports romance and new adult romance.
Please note I received a copy of this book from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a fair and honest review.
No Number Nine is a fabulous read. The story of Pip and how she reacts to the death of her beloved sister encompasses the themes of coping with grief and loss, the importance of friendships and family and the heady days of first love.
After Pip takes up her job as au pair to the von Feldstein family in Germany, she finds that she cannot escape her past and the memories she has of her sister. Fate has a way of intervening in our lives for better or worse, and to protect herself and others Pip finds herself lying by omission. It is only when she finds herself in Sydney at the Olympics that she can no longer avoid revealing the truth, regardless of how devastating the consequences may be.
I really felt for Pip from the off as it is clear that the loss of her sister and events during the aftermath have affected her deeply. I enjoyed her journey and felt myself cheering for her as she grows in strength and confidence whilst she navigates new friendships, and grows attached to the complex von Feldstein family, including the two older brothers, Billy and Leo, the latter with whom she falls in love. The book contains some humorous scenes as Pip has a habit of speaking her mind and putting her foot in it, as well as some heartfelt moments. All of the characters have depth and are very believable. I particularly enjoyed Pip's interactions with Billy and Leo, who are both so very different to each other.
I was gripped when the plot takes the ensemble of characters from Pip’s past and present and brings them together at the Sidney Olympics. Here the drama and the emotion of the story intensified and I was rooting for Pip, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
The book is an emotional and entertaining read and will appeal to readers of women’s fiction, in addition to those who enjoy sports romance and new adult romance.
Please note I received a copy of this book from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a fair and honest review.
August 5, 2021
When Pip arrives at her new au pair household, she is stunned – such a big house! So much space, and everything looks so shiny and expensive! Other than a short introduction by her new employer’s sister (who lives next door), Pip is left to herself. However, she doesn’t get much time to feel lonely, as soon after her arrival, she hears somebody. Burglars? But, how odd – these burglars are giggling and, well… let’s just say she sees something she really didn’t want to see. What a first day in her new household!
I immediately liked Pip. She is young and inexperienced and a bit overwhelmed with life, but she is also so brave. Two years prior to the story, Pip lost her older sister Holly, a very successful hockey player, in a tragic accident. Obviously, Pip is crushed since then. Furthermore, she made some pretty bad decisions ever since – so, more or less like any other teenager… only in her case it’s a bit bigger dimensions I’d say.
Obviously, ever since, she also despises hockey with all her heart. Unfortunately, as it turns out, her new employer owns a hockey club… and not only that. Something else she didn’t know, the two boys she is taken care of have two older brothers, both of which play hockey competitively and both of which aspire to play in Germany’s national hockey team in the Olympics. That… complicates things, as the world she was so desperate to leave behind comes crashing down on her again.
What will Pip do?
For my full review visit my blog:
https://theartsyreader.com/bookreview...
I immediately liked Pip. She is young and inexperienced and a bit overwhelmed with life, but she is also so brave. Two years prior to the story, Pip lost her older sister Holly, a very successful hockey player, in a tragic accident. Obviously, Pip is crushed since then. Furthermore, she made some pretty bad decisions ever since – so, more or less like any other teenager… only in her case it’s a bit bigger dimensions I’d say.
Obviously, ever since, she also despises hockey with all her heart. Unfortunately, as it turns out, her new employer owns a hockey club… and not only that. Something else she didn’t know, the two boys she is taken care of have two older brothers, both of which play hockey competitively and both of which aspire to play in Germany’s national hockey team in the Olympics. That… complicates things, as the world she was so desperate to leave behind comes crashing down on her again.
What will Pip do?
For my full review visit my blog:
https://theartsyreader.com/bookreview...
March 5, 2018
FJCampbell
This isn't usually the type of book that I enjoy, but someone gave me a copy (an advance copy, in return for an honest review) and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It had just the right amount of action and intrigue to balance out the love story.
I liked that it's set in Munich as I lived there for several years. In fact, if you've ever lived abroad, this is a great book to read - Pip, the main character, feels the differences in culture and language and, especially at the start of the book, there're lots of moments when you say "Ah! Yes! That's so true."
The start of the story, the first chapter or so, is slow-ish (but with a bit of a surprise in the middle of the night!); so that when, at the end of the second chapter, Pip discovers the true nature of the family she's living with, it's hilarious and shocking and after that I just got completely hooked.
My favourite part of the book is the ending, and I hope I'm not giving anything away when I say that, at the Sydney Olympics, the drama of the sport and the drama of Pip's life crash together and it's impossible to put the book down.
I suppose you could call this book 'chick-lit' - but with sport and humour, and a strand of darkness / danger running through the whole book, I can recommend it for anyone to read.
Fans of Chris Cleave’s ‘Gold’ will love this book, too.
This isn't usually the type of book that I enjoy, but someone gave me a copy (an advance copy, in return for an honest review) and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It had just the right amount of action and intrigue to balance out the love story.
I liked that it's set in Munich as I lived there for several years. In fact, if you've ever lived abroad, this is a great book to read - Pip, the main character, feels the differences in culture and language and, especially at the start of the book, there're lots of moments when you say "Ah! Yes! That's so true."
The start of the story, the first chapter or so, is slow-ish (but with a bit of a surprise in the middle of the night!); so that when, at the end of the second chapter, Pip discovers the true nature of the family she's living with, it's hilarious and shocking and after that I just got completely hooked.
My favourite part of the book is the ending, and I hope I'm not giving anything away when I say that, at the Sydney Olympics, the drama of the sport and the drama of Pip's life crash together and it's impossible to put the book down.
I suppose you could call this book 'chick-lit' - but with sport and humour, and a strand of darkness / danger running through the whole book, I can recommend it for anyone to read.
Fans of Chris Cleave’s ‘Gold’ will love this book, too.
March 25, 2018
I received an advance copy of "No Number Nine" in return for an honest review of the book, and I am really honest when I say that No Number Nine is an absolutely marvellous, entertaining story, a great pleasure to read.
At first I didn't really got to start reading it, but once I had turned the first pages I was completely hooked. It is an emotional story about a young adult going abroad after a personal tragedy, life being a total wreck, trying to find back into life.
The characters are well described and I really felt with the the heroine, Pip. There were many situations when I mentally said "Why do you do this" or "Why do you say that, don't make it so difficult for yourself" or "Yes, you're so right!". Watching Pip struggle, suffer, love and laugh until the great final at the Olympics is really compelling.
I am myself a German hockey player and am thus able to relate to the strenghts and loveable peculiarities of the hockey family. But you don't have to be connected to this sport, no rule knowledge is required to enjoy this story.
As soon as this book is out for sale I will buy a copy and read it again- to shorten the time until the next book of F.J.Campbell is being published!
At first I didn't really got to start reading it, but once I had turned the first pages I was completely hooked. It is an emotional story about a young adult going abroad after a personal tragedy, life being a total wreck, trying to find back into life.
The characters are well described and I really felt with the the heroine, Pip. There were many situations when I mentally said "Why do you do this" or "Why do you say that, don't make it so difficult for yourself" or "Yes, you're so right!". Watching Pip struggle, suffer, love and laugh until the great final at the Olympics is really compelling.
I am myself a German hockey player and am thus able to relate to the strenghts and loveable peculiarities of the hockey family. But you don't have to be connected to this sport, no rule knowledge is required to enjoy this story.
As soon as this book is out for sale I will buy a copy and read it again- to shorten the time until the next book of F.J.Campbell is being published!
July 18, 2021
With the #TokyoOlympics starting this week, its a moment every four years that we find ourself watching sports we might never otherwise watch, and No Number Nine by @fiona captures the Olympic spirit perfectly.
it’s the story of Pip whose life is turned upside down when her older sister Holly, a superstar hockey player who has played for her country at the Olympics and who Pip worships, dies. Pip struggles to deal with it but in her attempt to move on she takes a job as an au-pair in Germany, unaware that the family she is working for live and breath hockey. As her relationship with the family grows, will her decision to keep her past secret threaten the happiness she is beginning to find?
Campbell has created a strong protagonist in Pip - as a reader she is incredibly frustrating at times and you have to remind yourself how young she is and how much she has been through. Watching her struggle, find herself and move forward had me emotionally engaged and with a lump in my throat towards the end - the sporting background adds a fun and fascinating element that made this an engaging read for me that I read in one sitting.
it’s the story of Pip whose life is turned upside down when her older sister Holly, a superstar hockey player who has played for her country at the Olympics and who Pip worships, dies. Pip struggles to deal with it but in her attempt to move on she takes a job as an au-pair in Germany, unaware that the family she is working for live and breath hockey. As her relationship with the family grows, will her decision to keep her past secret threaten the happiness she is beginning to find?
Campbell has created a strong protagonist in Pip - as a reader she is incredibly frustrating at times and you have to remind yourself how young she is and how much she has been through. Watching her struggle, find herself and move forward had me emotionally engaged and with a lump in my throat towards the end - the sporting background adds a fun and fascinating element that made this an engaging read for me that I read in one sitting.
July 23, 2021
This is a beautiful coming of age tale following eighteen year old Philippa 'Pip' Mitchell.
Pip's older sister Holly was a hockey player, making the Great Britain Olympic team. She met Australian husband Troy through hockey and after Holly's untimely death, Pip reverts into herself, not leaving her room for two years.
Pip wants to go to the 2000 Sydney Olympics so in 1999, she takes an au pair job in Munich for a weathly family, the von Feldsteins, not realising that they are a hockey family too. The two older sons, Leo and Billy, both play for the German Olympic team.
She realises that they knew Holly and keeps the information about her sister to herself. She cements herself into the family, makes new friends and finds herself. She really sees what life is supposed to be like at her age.
This is a wonderfully easy read with a fantastic pace. I adored all of the characters, especially Pip and I loved her development as the story progressed. I had never read a book focused around the Olympics and I really enjoyed it. I was totally immersed in this world.
Pip's older sister Holly was a hockey player, making the Great Britain Olympic team. She met Australian husband Troy through hockey and after Holly's untimely death, Pip reverts into herself, not leaving her room for two years.
Pip wants to go to the 2000 Sydney Olympics so in 1999, she takes an au pair job in Munich for a weathly family, the von Feldsteins, not realising that they are a hockey family too. The two older sons, Leo and Billy, both play for the German Olympic team.
She realises that they knew Holly and keeps the information about her sister to herself. She cements herself into the family, makes new friends and finds herself. She really sees what life is supposed to be like at her age.
This is a wonderfully easy read with a fantastic pace. I adored all of the characters, especially Pip and I loved her development as the story progressed. I had never read a book focused around the Olympics and I really enjoyed it. I was totally immersed in this world.
July 24, 2021
'Pip' Mitchell, only 19, grieves the loss of her sister, a champion hockey player, and she feels guilty about getting involved with a much older man, although she pines for him. After hiding in her room for a long time, she runs away to look after two young boys in Europe. Here she works for the strange, mysterious and enormously wealthy von Feldstein family looking after two young boys. She soon discovers that the family is extremely keen on hockey playing, and sports generally so she can't avoid it! She also finds it hard to discover the true characters of the two older boys. Amidst the excitement of a trip to the Sydney Olympics, and the difficulties of coming-of-age, will Pip find happiness...?
Although I liked the quite sweet and genuine 'Pip' and the hero of this book and the exotic settings, it wasn't really my kind of book. There is a fair bit of sex and swearing in it, which some readers may not like. I liked the mysterious elements of the story, but I found it quite wordy.
I received this free ebook from Literally PR in return for an honest review.
Although I liked the quite sweet and genuine 'Pip' and the hero of this book and the exotic settings, it wasn't really my kind of book. There is a fair bit of sex and swearing in it, which some readers may not like. I liked the mysterious elements of the story, but I found it quite wordy.
I received this free ebook from Literally PR in return for an honest review.
December 15, 2018
The book reminded me of how naive and immature one can be at 16 and 18. Pip was a typical girl who loved her sister and had great friends. However, she was young and didn't have the confidence yet to make better decisions. She also convinced herself that certain men loved her and that she loved them. In actuality, she didn't really know them. This was due to her immaturity. It made me think about how we often don't give girls and young women permission to be strong enough to say 'No' to men. That's it's not our (women) responsibility to make men feel better about themselves.
One criticism of the book is how unbelievable it was that the von Feldsteins didn't know who Pip was before she came to their home as an au pair. The von Feldsteins are a wealthy family that have many resources that you would expect would use to find out more about a care taker. Pip was able to hide her identity from a whole hockey family and community. It seemed highly unlikely.
One criticism of the book is how unbelievable it was that the von Feldsteins didn't know who Pip was before she came to their home as an au pair. The von Feldsteins are a wealthy family that have many resources that you would expect would use to find out more about a care taker. Pip was able to hide her identity from a whole hockey family and community. It seemed highly unlikely.
August 25, 2021
You know the kind of books that give you the perfect escapism from reality?? This book was one of them.
It was so so engrossing and hooking, the author did a spectacular job of making me invested in the story and made me go through the book so quickly.
Although i have some reservations about some scenes, they were just not making any sense, they were a little bit weird because the reaction of the characters to some stuff wasn't ... Realistic??
Anyway, the book had more positive points than bad which should be my main focus for now.
The characters although sometimes frustrating, were so real, Pip was actually well written considering she was 19 years old which explains why her way of thinking wasn't mature sometimes.
I quite enjoyed it.
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review via netgalley and the publisher*
It was so so engrossing and hooking, the author did a spectacular job of making me invested in the story and made me go through the book so quickly.
Although i have some reservations about some scenes, they were just not making any sense, they were a little bit weird because the reaction of the characters to some stuff wasn't ... Realistic??
Anyway, the book had more positive points than bad which should be my main focus for now.
The characters although sometimes frustrating, were so real, Pip was actually well written considering she was 19 years old which explains why her way of thinking wasn't mature sometimes.
I quite enjoyed it.
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review via netgalley and the publisher*
February 27, 2018
No Number Nine is a cracking good read, A well written, page turner that kept my interest from start to finish. Hockey is the back drop but not necessarily the star. The characters are recognisable from the hockey world but they are not the 'jolly hockey sticks' brigade we usually read about. Quite frankly I want to know 'What Nadine did next' as I think there is definitely room for a second novel by F.J. Campbell with this likeable character as the heroine.
Give this book a try, it is fun, quirky and reminds us of the excitement and opportunities that await the young as they set out on their own. A summer read with a hint of international glamour, a sporting back drop and Olympians on every page..what is not to love!
5 Summer Stars!
PS so good I read it twice!
Give this book a try, it is fun, quirky and reminds us of the excitement and opportunities that await the young as they set out on their own. A summer read with a hint of international glamour, a sporting back drop and Olympians on every page..what is not to love!
5 Summer Stars!
PS so good I read it twice!
August 26, 2018
Essentially, the book follows Pip, who after losing her sister gets a job as an aupair in Munich. She is on a journey after this personal tragedy and we follow her story, as she grows up, learns about life and makes some great new friends. It has some funny moments and proved to be a good holiday read. I wasn't too keen on the 'love scenes' (descriptive scenes are really not for me) and there are parts in which Pip talks to herself and has a conversation with other characters, which I'm not sure is necessary. It's been a very long time since I've read a book like this which made me realise the majority of the books on my shelf are deep and emotive; definitely not the kind of books to take on holiday with you!
February 28, 2018
No Number Nine is essentially a young woman’s search for meaning after loss, for self-acceptance after blame and for love after let down.
The story invites the reader right inside Pip Mitchell’s head to encounter plenty of humour stirred in with the grief of her sister’s death. Although poignantly sad in places, Pip’s resilience and wit shine through. The dialogue is wonderfully zappy and the characters fully fleshed out. My favourite was Billy with his cheeky charm.
I’m not a hockey player but was happy to be given a glimpse into the world of high-level hockey. Much of the story takes place away from the pitch – no prior hockey knowledge needed.
Try it!
The story invites the reader right inside Pip Mitchell’s head to encounter plenty of humour stirred in with the grief of her sister’s death. Although poignantly sad in places, Pip’s resilience and wit shine through. The dialogue is wonderfully zappy and the characters fully fleshed out. My favourite was Billy with his cheeky charm.
I’m not a hockey player but was happy to be given a glimpse into the world of high-level hockey. Much of the story takes place away from the pitch – no prior hockey knowledge needed.
Try it!
August 3, 2021
This is not my usual read but I thought it was worth giving it a try, I thought it was good as a story, the main story was about Pip's journey for self discovery. The characters were all great and it was interesting to learn more about them, it is not necessarily about hockey, even though hockey is a part of this story you don't have to know anything about it which I didn't but felt as though I knew a little more after reading this story. The only thing I didn't get was the parts of this book that were like a scene in a play for me I just felt as though the book didn't need it. I thought this book was going to be predictable but it is anything but. I enjoyed it.
June 16, 2018
This book arrived just in time for my holiday and I barely spoke to my husband until I finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in a great story line with engaging characters. I played hockey myself (although you don’t need to be a sports player or fan to read this as the story is about far more than that) and, although I could recognise some of the characters in my team mates, I wish I had met some as sexy as the German boys!! A really entertaining read that keeps you turning page after page.
February 27, 2018
A brilliant book. I have given it a 5 star rating. If you want to reminisce about life in your twenties this book has it all. If you have ever played hockey or been to spectate at an Olympic Games then this book is definately one to read. But if you haven't ever touched a hockey stick or have only watched the Olympics from your sofa, then still read it, because this book has themes of travel and adventure, it has emotional highs and lows, plenty of relationship drama, and some fantastic characters who you'll end up wanting to meet. It was hard to put down; I read it and then read it again straight away. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the very talented author, F.J. Campbell.
March 4, 2018
I read No Number Nine in one sitting and literally stayed up all night just to find out what happens at the end. After rushing through it, I had to go back and re-read the last chapter to savour again the ending as I didn't want to put it down. Throughout the story I found myself so involved in the story that there were moments where I would be mentally saying "no… don't do that" or "go on, say it". A great book and I am definitely looking forward to reading the sequel as soon as it comes out!
May 1, 2018
I actually would give this 4.5 stars, but that doesn't seem to be an option. Really enjoyed this book! Once I got into about chapter 5 (delayed mainly due to my busy schedule), I couldn't put it down and luckily had a holiday to be able to finish it! Loved learning a bit about Munich and certainly hockey!
February 24, 2018
As a 52 year old man born and raised in “New” England, there'd be no good reason for me to seek out a book like No Number Nine. But a copy was gifted to me and I gave it a try. Truth be told, I couldn’t put it down. The book literally brought me back to my childhood - a priceless gift in itself.
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