I just know for a fact that had I read this book when I was fifteen, it would’ve been an all time favourite and I probably would’ve orbited my personality around it. As an older reader I was a tad more critical, but this was still a brilliant read. We never hear directly from Stuart but there is quite enough going on in day to day life as well as “Zoe’s” gradual revelation of the events of the past year – May 1st is the first anniversary of the boy’s death. The author succeeds in weaving an intriguing tale of family relationships, the intensity of young love, the angst of the teenager as well as keeping the readers on the edge of their seats wondering who died and who is to blame. Since hearing about Ketchup Clouds, I was eager to get my hands on a copy of it! I absolutely loved the sound of the blurb and Annabel Pitcher is one of those authors that I think will always appeal to me - she has the most interesting ideas and a very unique voice.

I guess you know what they say: you shouldn’t judge a book by a gorgeous cover, a wonderful title and… well, you get the gist. It’s hard to imagine that Annabel could follow her debut, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, with a new novel that is even more… captivating, moving, memorable, deft, insightful, compassionate, true to life, brilliantly observed, accomplished and exceptional (and those are just a few of the things that people are already saying), but she has. Ketchup Clouds is an extraordinary piece of writing about life: families, love, infatuation and just getting through days and nights carrying the burden of a terrible, terrible secret. Zoe reveals all in a series of letters that she writes to a prisoner on death row. You cannot hep but read her story with your pulse racing and your heart in your mouth.I was very excited to receive a pre-publication copy of her second novel Ketchup Clouds which will be published by Indigo (an imprint of Orion) at the end of the year. The actual events of the book aren't enough to bring a reader from one chapter to the next. I didn't care about Zoe or her love life, given that nothing much happened, even if I cared about her family's drama. I hated her love life. I wanted to shoot her love life in the face, and sit her down in juvvie for a few years to think about her own unimportance, and require her to write lines about how other people don't just exist for her own edification.

Annabel Pitcher is a British author who wrote Ketchup Clouds (2012)., a young adult epistolary novel. The story follows the pen-pal relationship of a British 15-year-old named Zoe and an American murderer on Death Row through letters written by the British teenager. Ketchup Clouds was selected as the YALSA’s Best Young Adult Fiction selection for 2013, and it won the Waterstone Children’s Book Prize that year. Dot falls down the stairs and breaks her wrist, and an ambulance arrives to find Zoe lying on the ground. Max apologizes for the photo he took and kisses Zoe on the cheek as he looks at her with genuine remorse. After visiting Max, Zoe lies to Aaron about seeing his brother. Trigger warning: Sexual consent issues. Slut shaming. Sexual coercion. Talk of domestic violence leading to death. Indecent photos taken and distributed without consent; utilised for public humiliation. After reading Annabel Pitcher debut book My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece in my Carnegie Shadowing Club in 2012, I was first in line to read Ketchup Clouds. It is the second book by Waterstone's Children's Book Prize winning author Annabel Pitcher, and although I think My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is slightly better in the way it is presented, Ketchup Clouds is still an amazing read. Sadly, this fierce but delicately orchestrated novel ends on a bum note: a letter from the surviving brother to Zoe that is both patronising and mawkish. Its final words ("Spread those strong wings of yours. Fly") brought the wrong kind of lump to my throat. That cavil aside, Ketchup Clouds is risky, confident, compelling and ends, as all prize-winning teen novels seemingly must, with hope for redemption and self-forgiveness. Pitcher should clear her diary for next year's award ceremonies. Blending powerful emotion and darkness with ironic humour, it is a gripping and moving story about secrets, lies and growing up. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes wistful, often funny and always compassionate, this is a beautifully-crafted and unexpected coming-of-age story that will win readers' hearts. ( BOOKTRUST)So, I have to admit, I’m extremely underwhelmed by this book. I’ve never read My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece but I’ve heard it’s great. It never really appealed to me though, I’m not sure why. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an invigorating, coming-of-age book. The young adult category can often come off as whiney and "woe is me" but this book proves that that is not always the case, even when the main character does have a lot to whine about. There are good authors of every genre if you just know where to look and Annabel Pitcher is one of them. The events leading up to Zoe's "crime" begin around the end of the term before summer break. After her father receiving news that her grandfather is ill, tensions in her home begin to rise. For reasons unknown to Zoe, her mother seems to resent her grandfather and alludes to the idea that he is the reason why her sister, Dot, ended up ill and is currently deaf as a result. Zoe can say little to understand her mother's resentment towards him as she, Dot and her other sister, Soph have not seen him in years. Regardless, Zoe's sole mission is to make it to Max Morgan's end of term party.