A city of eight million people. Eight million lives. Eight million stories. This is just one of them.

When Sunny is sent a photo of her boyfriend kissing another girl, she’s ready to forgive him, but first she wants an explanation. To her face. But Mark isn’t easy to track down, leading to one mad night, dashing around London with her friends.

This is one of those books that I felt managed to capture a bit of what it was like when I was an older teen. Nowadays, if I go out, it tends to be to one place and I’ll have a solid plan of getting home, and will probably be in bed by 11pm! But like Sunny, once I’d go out and go round a few bars, end up at people’s houses, then maybe go to a club or wander round looking for food. OK, my nights weren’t quite as actioned packed as this one, but it had me reminiscing.

It’s more of an anti-romance than a romance. Sunni slowly starts to realise Mark might not be that amazing boy she thinks he is as the night goes on. As a reader, you want her to dump him as soon as she sees that photo, but she is far more forgiving, knowing Mark will have a good reason. Everyone around her knows he’s no good and they try and encourage Sunny to have fun instead.

However it’s hard to dissuade Sunny. She’s a girl on a mission, and some readers might get a bit frustrated with her. However, overall I found it loads of fun and would definitely recommend as a lighter read.

But you believe me, right? She was kissing me, I wasn’t kissing her, and my hand kind of gripped her arse in shock. It sounds so shady, I know, but it’s the truth.

Each time Sunny moves to a new bit of London, the chapter has a little bit about the history of the place. It’s a reminder at how varied the city is, especially beyond the tourist attractions most non-Londoners associate with it. It would be a fun book to read in preparation for a visit, if only to prepare you for public transport nightmares. Yup, there’s a replacement bus service, rickshaws, bicycles and extortionate taxi fares.

Oh, and Sunny’s mixed race. It’s great that we’re getting books like these where the author doesn’t default to your white, middle class teen just because. The book is not about race, although you will find Sunny talking about her hair issues and some brushes with casual racism. It’s a book about a London teen and one night of craziness.

London Belongs to Us is published by Hot Key Books and is available now in paperback and ebook editions. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

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Also reviewed @ Pretty Books

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.