Can't say it went to plan by Gabrielle Tozer

Schoolies events did not exist when I left High School…. We left school and started a holiday job and celebrated by earning some money. This book reveals that now the Schoolies event, that dominates the planning of many graduating Year 12 students, is bigger than Ayers Rock. Cohorts of ex-students gather together to celebrate their freedom from parental control and freedom from study (before they consider more study or a change of direction) by living life on the edge. The revelries are marked by a celebration of peer connection, excessive alcohol consumption and a variety of risky and messy activities that would probably horrify most parents. Into this environment Zoe, Samira and Dahlia arrive with dreams after their escape from school. Each girl comes with their own friends and their own plans, but they also must deal with the way that things don’t quite flow as they had imagined. With the heartache of a romantic breakup as the week begins; having to deal with the continuing grief of losing a friend to cancer; and the uncertainty and tension of waiting for an early longed-for confirmation of University entry, each girl contends with her own internal struggles as the wild week plays out. Gabrielle Tozer does not leave out the wild parties, the consequences of over-consumption of alcohol, the craziness of hormone-fuelled hook-ups and the threats of thefts and being separated from friends in a strange city. She also reveals the intrigues and complications of teen friendships in an insightful way and the internal battles for each of the girls.

This book highlights a slice of teen life in an absorbing story that links the three girls very loosely in their Gold Coast sojourn. The ‘live in the moment’ snapshot will appeal to young readers… but would horrify their parents. The journey though, told from the perspective of one girl’s story to another, also paints the picture of teens who are still connected to family and who still love their parents even when they are fiercely exploring independence and on the cusp of adulthood. The plans that fall into chaos, the lists of challenges to complete and the interplay of freedom and irresponsibility are all there…. a journey into the leap from childhood to adulthood – a virtual adrenaline-charged maturity ‘roller-coaster experience’ with the possibility for disaster, but with the hope that all will be well.  Surprisingly for the setting and the age-group, there is little or no swearing.

Themes: Schoolies, Love, Disappointment, Friendship, Grief, Freedom, Romance, Alcohol consumption.

Carolyn Hull