Representation: Asian Australians, Black Australians, biracial main character
Trigger warnings: Abduction and murder of a teenager, racism, assault

6/10, after reading another Australian book called When Rain Turns to Snow which I enjoyed despite its heaviness I was hoping that I would enjoy this as well; sadly I didn't due to the many flaws within this and I doubt that I'd pick this one up again, where do I begin with this. It begins with the main characters Chloe and Natalia living their normal lives and sometimes one of them sees racism and calls it out which I found preachy and initially I thought it was a one off but there would be more things like this. Everything looks fine right up until the disappearance of Yin Mitchell and that left me on the edge of my seat at first but as time ticked by the case got colder and no evidence or perpetrators could be found and Chloe and Natalia just spend their time on school stuff like art projects despite what's happening; I didn't like either character because they weren't fleshed out or developed at all, not to mention they were annoying. I can understand why the library put this in the realistic rather than the crime section because the only crime aspect is just Yin disappearing and it's not focused on finding her rather it's about her peers' reactions. In the end Chloe tried to find the perpetrator and she thought she did but it turned out to be a red herring but anyways Yin's body was found but not the killer and they just hold a funeral for her wrapping up the book on a low note. ( )

3.5 ( )

"The Gaps" was a dark, heart-wrenching YA novel with an intense plot line. The story follows the Year 10 students of Balmoral Ladies College after one of their own, Yin Mitchell, is kidnapped. The novel is narrated by Natalia (the queen of Year 10 and Yin's former best friend) and Chloe (the bi-racial scholarship student who is struggling to find her place at this new, prestigious school). The girls are starkly different characters but their narratives combine well to explore the concepts of grief, racism, privilege, censorship, artistic expression, and the treatment of females in society.

The author portrays the feeling so fear, guilt, anger, confusion, grief and hopelessness that the girls are experiencing in an authentic manner, and the tone of the book is tense and atmospheric. As I work in an all-girls secondary school I could easily imagine what it would be like if something like this happened at our school and the sense of vulnerability these young women would be facing.

If you are looking for an enthralling mystery then "The Gaps" is not for you. It does not focus on Yin's disappearance but on the reactions of the girls left behind. A poignant read. ( )

3.5 to 4 stars.
The Gaps is not a typical thriller or mystery, I usually don't read this genre but from the start of the book, I was into it and got so into it later on.

The plot follows the students of Balmoral Ladies College as they deal with a student abduction. Yin Mitchell, a well liked year 10 is the abducted. The story focuses on two totally different schools, Chloe, an Asian scholarship girl and Natalia, the queen bee of the year level.

This book had me turning the pages very quickly, the tension and suspense was written so well and I was in turn, invested in the outcome.

The writing suited the atmosphere and tone of this book which was fraught with tension. The writing was so realistic that it breathed life into the characters.

The characters made this book, they were so powerful with their thoughts and actions. They were written both so differently and both felt equally

Chloe was a well written character, she's not your typical fly under the radar student, her way of being an introvert and artist really have her some uniqueness.
I loved how someone so uninvolved with Vin as Chloe was could feel emotions about the abduction, showing that abductions affect not just people close to the missing person.

Natalia was very complex, and I loved how bold she was. Her personality really came through with the writing. She is definitely a lot more flawed then Chloe and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Her real emotions when written, felt so real that I could visualise the way she was feeling.



I loved the way they are polar opposites yet they seem to click and contrast eachother perfectly. I loved how Natalia kept everything under the mask to hide her true self, on some level, I really knew how it felt to try to express yourself a different way then you really want to.
I loved Chloe's introverted ways, fear of expression and socialising.
Both of them are not truly seen and I think that's something important to remember about them.

The outlook on sexism and racism was so relevant to the story due to the racial representation and obviously gender experiences. The feminism messages were cleverly written. I loved the way the paranoia of the girls of Balmoral was conveyed. The terror concerning Yin’s kidnapping was also realistic.

I loved the development of Chloe and Natalia. Chloe conveys her expressions into art, as well as important messages. For Natalia, her realisation of the casual things that were normalised was powerful to me and how she realised that normalised things aren't always okay.

Overall, this book was really powerful and very engaging. It has strong yet subtle messages of feminism as well as the struggles of teenagers and the true effects abduction has on the ones left behind. ( )