REVIEW! Skylarks by Karen Gregory

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for Skylarks by Karen Gregory

I really liked the sound of this book when I saw it available for request and I was not disappointed.

My Rating: ★★★★

So the blurb for this book (taken from Goodreads) is:
Karen Gregory's heartfelt, thought-provoking second novel about love against the odds is perfect for readers of Lisa Williamson, Sara Barnard and Sarah Crossan. 

When she was little, Joni used to have dreams that she could fly. But these days her feet are firmly on the ground – they have to be when money's tight and her dad can't work and the whole family has to pull together to keep afloat.

Then she meets Annabel. Annabel is everything Joni isn't, and yet there's a spark between them. Though Joni barely believes it at first, she thinks they might be falling in love. 

But when Annabel's parents find out about the relationship, it's clear they believe there are some differences that are impossible to overcome ...

What I liked most about this book is the relationship between Joni and Annabel. They are both very different characters and life isn't perfect for them, they both get to see life from the other side; what with Annabel's family being quite wealthy and Joni's struggling to survive. I also find with quite a few YA books with romance in them, that the problems the characters face are insignificant and very 'teeny', which obviously that's what you sign up for when you read YA fiction. But with Skylarks it's like a breath of fresh air because the problems that threaten their relationship are serious, and they have to be mature. Granted I do think Joni can be immature and not think things through, but at the end of the day she is still a 16/17 year old.

I was praying for a happy ending though, and as unrealistic as I think the ending was and that it seemed a little rushed, I loved that there was a happy ending. The character development of Joni was quite significant, we saw her go from a girl not bothered much by school to figuring out what it was she wanted to do, and she actually started working towards making it happen. With Annabel we saw her finally stick up to her dad in the end and do something to help Joni, and everyone else on the estate.