Stay Another Day

By Juno Dawson

What it’s about?

When three very different siblings, Fern, Rowan and Willow, go home for a Christmas reunion at their family home in Edinburgh, it’s not long before some VERY BIG SECRETS threaten their cosy holiday …

The McAllister house on Arboretum Road has seen 120 Christmases since its completion.

This year, FERN is bringing her gorgeous boyfriend home and she wants everything to be perfect.

But her twin brother ROWAN would rather go on the pull than pull crackers with the family.

And their younger sister WILLOW is terrified of Christmas Day.

With FOUR sleeps till Christmas,
THREE secretive siblings,
TWO hot houseguests,
And ONE juicy secret …
This Christmas, there will be some BIG surprises under the tree.

Sometimes at Christmas, you don’t get what you want, you get what you need…

Sweet and sour, funny and moving, and very, very Christmassy – the perfect book to curl up with this holiday. 

What I think:

If Stay Another Day was the Christmas song that wasn’t, then this is definitely the Christmas story that isn’t about Christmas.

Why Christmas is the backdrop that brings the McAllister children home for the holidays don’t expect a Hallmark holiday reunion

Juno Dawson specialises in edgy YA and this is her at her finest.

The dynamics among the family are complex and fraught. Twins Fern and Rowan are growing further apart. Rowan is gay and parties. He sleeps around and enjoys an increasing hedonistic lifestyle that is not making him happy. Whereas Fern is studious and hardworking and in a longterm relationship. But is she really happy either.

Younger sister Willow had an eating disorder and is dreading Christmas as the holidays are completely centred around food.

There are some big and important conversations happening in this book. Sexuality, identity and relationships are explored sensitively and often humorously.

Despite their dysfunctional relationships and the arguing, the McAllister kids love each other fiercely and work to find ways to support each other as well as find their own individual paths.

Thank you Netgalley for my gifted copy of Stay Another Day. June Dawson continues to be one of my must read authors.