A powerful novel in verse that really made me think. I sat back and did nothing but contemplate just how difficult can be sometimes and reading Toffee made me seriously realise it!A young girl called Allison has left her toxic home environment and finds herself a runaway, crossing paths with an elderly lady who has dementia and staying in her home to keep her company. The rest of the lady's family doesn't know about Allison's existence. All she has ever wanted to be is happy. The verse format ma...

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]★★★★this was so sadddddd :( but also kinda hopeful? but wow, this definitely tugged at my heartstrings!trigger warnings: loss of a parent (in the past), domestic abuse and violence, dementia, homelessness, sexual harassment from a random creepy dude, drugs and alcohol, shitty friends, being attacked by a dog, mention of dog being put down, animal death (wild bird and pet goldfish).Thank you to bloomsbury for the r...

Trigger warning for child abuse and homelessness.Sarah Crossan does it again. This book is told in verse, which is typical of Crossan, and it's clear that it's her area of expertise. This story was so charming and hopeful and heartwarming, which is quite different to my last read of hers, Moonrise, which was almost the complete opposite. Toffee follows a young girl named Allison after running away from her abusive father and rooming with an older woman, Marla, who has dementia and mistakes Allis...

3.5 STARSI don't know why I keep trying books in verse, because I often struggle. Saying that, I did like this story and appreciate what the author was doing. But, it didn't 'move' me..

I am truly never moved so much!I love reading poetry and verse novel so much and this one was also good.I love Elizabeth Acevedo's book and I guess now Sarah Crossan is also coming in that list.I enjoyed reading her latest novel "Here Is The Beehive" as well.

I wasn’t going to read this book but then I saw it in the library & thought ‘why not?’*story of my life*Honestly, how could I ever have even considered not reading a Sarah Crossan?! I just love the way she writes & not just the tone but the format!And she always makes me cry - which is a good thing in these cases! 😭But so, so, so sweet & it’s crazy how attached you get to the characters when you can read the book pretty quick.Anyway, I’m off to follow Sarah Crossan because I hadn’t before now -

It's a nice story to read, but felt unrealistic to me. It's hard to really connect to characters when its written in free verse, so maybe these kind of books aren't really a thing for me? Marla is my favourite character though

I think Sarah might be one of my fave authors. The way she writes, the subjects, the characters, the emotions, my poor heart cant take it and I love it. Her prose packs such a punch.

This was such an original book and due to that, it was right up my street. It's a unique read which uses a poetic format and structure to tell the profoundly moving story of Allison and Marla whose paths cross inexplicably and they grow to become close despite the substantial age gap between them. Two different generations finding comfort in one another was heart-warming and as the story highlights issues both generations go experience it was topical, thought-provoking and intensely compelling.

3.5/5 StarsThis book tackles some serious issues using a poetic formal, the one I got to know and expect from Sarah Crossan's books. The main character, Allison, has just escaped an abusive home and finds herself in a city far away from her own and with nowhere to go. This is until she realizes that Marla, an old lady with dementia, lives alone. The two of them start living together and develop a wonderful friendship by giving each other what they desperately need: attention and care. It was tru...

I've read a few Crossan novels, but I Think this is my favourite. Because e m o t i o n s alright?! It's about hurt people and how abuse makes you feel so small, and I have such a soft spot in my heart for found-family. I just ached for Allison the whole time and her arc. It was like the whole book she was rigid with anxiety and then she got to thaw, she got to take a breath, and I am just like 😫💛It's written in verse! Which means it's quite a quick read. And oftentimes I struggle with verse bo...

Thank you Bloomsbury YA and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.Allison has never known her real mom but she feels like her mom did love her since she carried her for 9 months. Allison's father on the other hand physically and mentally abuses her and one day she runs away and meets Marla. Marla has dementia and finds Allison hiding in her shed and mistakes her for somebody named Toffee. As this story progresses Allison realizes that Marla needs her as muc...

Toffee is a beautifully written book and the fact that it’s written in verse makes it even more captivating. The poetry style of this book doesn’t at all take away from the story. Allison and Marla meet through the most unusual of circumstances and somehow become incredibly close despite the huge difference in age. It’s an incredibly heartwarming read about two lonely, isolated people who somehow find friendship and comfort in each other and I can’t recommend this book enough.Thank you Bloomsbur...

A wonderful and special book about abuse, dementia, bad friendship, finding a home, and more. It was beautifully written. Poetry still isn't entirely my thing, but I just can't resist a book like this one. I know I loved this author's other book, One, so I was eager to get this one started. I wasn't always a fan of the MC, like how she just got into the house and then how she kept sneaking around and making use of Marla's dementia as I would call it. I get it, she is desperate, afraid, alone, bu...

Such a beautiful beautiful way of storytelling! This will be definitely one of my favourite books ever! Would love to see a illustrated edition. Thank you for such a beautiful book.

"I liked the idea of beingsweet and hard,a girl with a name for peopleto chew on.A girl who could break teeth."Toffee is a great one. It's my second Sarah Crossan novel and even though it was slightly less perfect than Moonrise, I loved it a little more. First of all, I love the feeling of flying through a book and because this is written in verse, you can read it in no time. It feels simplistic and meaningful at once. Often you don't need many words to express a feeling. The emotions will hit y...

Allison Daniels is searching for a place to stay, discovering what she believes is a vacant outbuilding on an abandoned property to rest her weary body. Compelled to find her former stepmother and the only person who understands the abusive and adverse environment inflicted upon Allison, her meagre possessions are stolen and determined not to return to her abusive father, seeks shelter on the dilapidated property.Allison is a family violence survivor, her father a neglectful and abusive man sinc...

Wow, what a start. So keen to read the rest of the book. Will definitely buy it for my students. I’ll buy anything by Sarah Crossan and I have a boys school library, she is always a hit. Can’t wait to read the whole book.

I picked this up on a whim when I was at my local Dymocks bookstore, after seeing it float around on bookstagram and being intrigued by the Sypnosis! Aside from that, though, I didn’t know what to expect!What I didn’t imagine was how moved I would be by this book! It was so addictive, I couldn’t put it down! I found the unique way that Sarah Crossan composed this book was so eloquent and raw, I just found myself being so affected!The writing was just so lyrical and powerful, I couldn’t not feel ...

I have been a huge fan of Sarah Crossan’s young adult books since 2017, when I went along to a Waterstones event with a friend to hear her talk with Brian Conaghan about how they wrote We Come Apart together. I read the wonderful One just before the event and I was blown away. Written for older teenagers, her work is mostly written in verse, which make her books perfect for reluctant readers as they are easily accessible, yet write about quite hard hitting subjects.Toffee came out when I had got...