Review: This One is Ours by Kate O'Donnell

This One is Ours is a passionate YA novel about the importance of finding your voice ... and a higher purpose. Sofie has always been a bit of a dream. A talented artist, she spends much of her free time searching for things to draw. When she is given the opportunity to take part in a student exchange and study art Paris, she jumps at the opportunity. However, the reality of Paris does not match her expectations. The city is dirty, attending school where she is expected to learn in another language is confusing and exhausting and the Yellow Vests Protests (see more here,) are causing her to think of things other than art and beauty. Fortunately, her host sister Delphine soon shows her how she too can speak out about the things that concern her, and Sofie returns home ready to fight for what she believes in.

This was a beautifully written novel, shaped around the experiences of what it means to be young and living in a foreign country for the first time. I very much enjoyed the narrative voice and Sofie's innocence about her expectations and experiences and how she grows as a person. I disliked the subplot with Olivier, but I understand why it needed to be there and how it would be of interest to the target audience. The author is sincere in their message about activism and it flows very naturally within the story rather than appearing preachy. 

Recommended.

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