Review by Suppafreak98 -- Small Change by Keddie Hughes

[Suppafreak98]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Small Change" by Keddie Hughes.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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If you’re looking for a book that has a little bit of everything in it, Small Change by Keddie Hughes, is the book for you! It has everything from scandal, to sports, to alcoholism, to murder, to an affair, and much more all in one. I found this book very entertaining, and it definitely kept me on my toes. Even if you are not a soccer fan, which I am not, I still found it very interesting. This book paints a beautiful picture of what Scotland looks like, which is a bonus.

Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Izzy and Jim are married and have a 17 year old son named Davy. Izzy interns at the Citizens Advice Bureau while going to college. Jim works with a security company that is bidding on a huge job for the Scottish soccer team, The Rangers. Along the way Izzy finds out some information with the help of a client, about The Rangers, and their finances, she tries to persuade Jim not to take the job. With all the stress from his job and home life, Jim feels drinking will take it all away. Each chapter ends with Jim talking to his therapist about everything that is going on. Izzy finds herself in some tough life situations, and has to make some really hard decisions that could affect her whole family. This novel sucked me into Izzy's and Jim’s life, and made we want to find out what happened in the end with her marriage and with the Soccer team.

I really liked the fact that the chapters felt like they flew by. Not too long, but yet gave just enough. I loved the conversations with the therapist at the end of each chapter. It made me feel like I was there with them listening in on the conversation. This book was full of different emotions. Some parts I was chuckling out loud, and others I was devastated for the characters in that moment. That is what I call an all around good book. Lastly, the descriptions of Scotland were incredibly detailed, and did a good job at creating a mental image of Glasgow, Scotland in the early 2000's.

Although only a minor issue, the only thing I did not like was the context in which words were used as I am not from Scotland, or familiar with the dialect. Some examples being words like bampot and dawdled. I had to look them up to understand what was being said. Although it was challenging to read, it was fascinating to see how the characters speak in Glasgow.

Overall I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The writing was not too graphic or obscene, but gave you just enough to know when something bad was happening, or when someone was angry. It did have some fowl language as well, but I felt, it only added to their character and personality. This was Keddie Hughes’ first book, she did a good job creating captivating characters and a story that was not drawn out or rushed. I look forward to read more by her.

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Small Change
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