Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Racism, car accident and death of a relative from a physical illness in the past, PTSD and OCD mentioned, physical injury, bullying
Score: Four points out of ten.
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What a disappointment.

I wanted to read Have You Seen Ally Queen for a while. One library had a physical copy until they gave it away because it was too old, no one read it, or both. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on that one because someone else got it. Fortunately, another library had an eBook edition of Have You Seen Ally Queen. Ultimately, when I picked it up and closed the final page of this novel, it underwhelmed me.

It starts with the titular character, Ally, moving to a town in Peel from Perth after a traumatic event. Her mother saw a hit-and-run and now has PTSD. First, the full name is post-traumatic stress disorder, not post-traumatic stress. Second, I appreciated the author setting the narrative in my home state. Ally restarts her life by going to a new school and adapting to the new environment through activities like fishing.

A chunk of the story only features Ally escaping to the beach when she isn't at school, and another is for her discussions with other characters. My most prominent gripes with Have You Seen Ally Queen are the characters and the plot. I couldn't connect or relate to any of the people in this fictional composition. However, Ally was the worst as she can sometimes be irritating to read. Even the plot doesn't know what to focus on as it keeps jumping all over the place. It's so disjointed and confused on what's the idea. Is it about camping? School? Mental health? Friendship? Have You Seen Ally Queen touches on all of them but never goes beyond scratching the surface. The pacing is also off. For a novel barely above 200 pages, it sure is slow-paced. Toward the conclusion, Ally's mother has to visit a hospital to recover from her PTSD, and she does, finishing Have You Seen Ally Queen on a high note. I won't read any other creations from this author. ( )