All I Know Now - Carrie Hope Fletcher

I’ve expressed my dislike for how many books are being wrote by youtubers before but I’ve been very interested in reading Carrie Hope Fletcher’s book since the moment it was announced she was writing one. I don’t see her as a youtuber myself as I’ve always just known her as Tom from McFly’s sister who had an incredible voice when she used to post songs up on her MySpace page and now more recently for playing Eponine in Les Miserables on London’s West End.  

Carrie Hope Fletcher’s debut novel, All I Know Now is the ultimate help guide for teenagers which is the main age of her youtube audience. As Fletcher is an avid reader herself I had high hopes of All I Know Now being a good book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I think I made multiple mistakes with reading All I Know Now. First of all, I’m the same age as the author so even though I have different stories to go with what is being wrote about I pretty much know all of the things are being covered so I didn't benefit from reading the book. The biggest mistake that I think I made with All I Know Now is reading the book in one go like you would a normal book. I really think that the best way to read this book is to pick it up when you need certain pieces of advice. For example, if you have a relationship problem, pick it up and read that chapter. I found reading it in one go to be a little boring but that may be due to the fact that I don’t need to know the information and advice that’s being given.   

Now the negatives are out of the way I can move onto what I enjoyed about the book. My favourite thing was how the book was laid out like a theatre performance, which I thought was a nice nod towards Fletcher’s West End career. It was complete with acts and even had an interval half way through the book. Fletcher has given herself the title of an honourary big sister and I’m sure alot of her audience do see her as a big sister. Personally I was quite comfortable talking about problems I had with a parent or friends when I was a teen but for those who don’t this book will be great for them. It doesn’t necessarily tell you how to live your life but more advises you on the right way to go about doing things such as what to do if you have an argument with a friend or how to cope with bullies. The advice given is accompanied with real stories from Carrie’s teenage years which only helps to reinforce how it is good advice to follow. I really enjoyed the way that the book is written too. The language used is very good for the style of book and the age range it is targeted towards, and at times it does feel like it’s a friend writing you a facebook message rather than just a book giving advice. I also think that the addition of useful contact information for various different help organisations at the back of the book was a nice addition for those who are seeking more help but may not be too sure how to go about getting it. 

If you know a teenage girl who likes Carrie Fletcher, she will love this book and it might even help her through the sticky situations every teenager goes though. If you’re an older fan of Carrie’s you may enjoy reading her anecdotes but probably won’t enjoy All I Know Now as much as her younger fans. If you want a copy of All I Know Now I’d pick up a copy sooner rather than later, or order online to avoid disappointment. My local Waterstones was nearly all out of stock, only two days after its release when I popped in earlier today. Fletcher is also undertaking a book tour in a few weeks at Waterstones so check out their events page to see if she’s coming to a Waterstones near you.   

All I Know Now – Carrie Hope Fletcher. Click here to buy from Waterstones.