Matt Coyne

Book Review: The Trouble With Sister Francis by Matt Coyne

Posted on by Libby Price

I adored Matt Coyne’s first novel, Frank & Red, and so was delighted to receive an ARC of his new book The Trouble With Sister Francis. Here’s the blurb:

“Sister Francis is an unlikely nun.
She’s sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club.
Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet.
Set against early 1980s Britain, THE TROUBLE WITH SISTER FRANCIS is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope.
And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything.”

The book is told from the point of view of Richie talking about his time as a young lad in the 1980s going to a local boys’ club at the local church. It’s on a run down estate – and has been restarted by the eponymous Sister Francis. Whilst helping set up the club, Richie finds a diary of a teenager called Reginald who had been evacuated to the area at the start of World War 2 – and also attended the boys’ club when it first started. You therefore get a dual timeline of activties of the club.

Richie and his friends and family are wonderfully described – as are Sister Francis and the priests at the Church. As with Frank & Red – the book also looks at intergenerational friendships and relationships in a beautiful way.

I have to say I did guess some of the twists – but in a feeling smug way – it didn’t ruin the story at all.

As with Mat Coyne’s previous book – this really was a lovely, funny, emotional read – a warm hug of a book that I would thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC. It’s already out, so you can order it immediately if you like the sound of it. It would also make a perfect Christmas present for friends and family of any age.

Book Review: Frank and Red by Matt Coyne

Posted on by Libby Price

This book first hit my radar when Sarah Turner / The Unmumsy Mum talked about it on her Instagram. Sarah freely admitted that Matt Coyne is a friend – but said how much she loved the book – and given that Sarah’s debut fiction novel was one of my only 5 star reviews on Net Galley last year – I had high hopes. I requested an advance review copy from Net Galley and was delighted to be granted one. Then, on the very day I started reading it, Steph Douglas (of Don’t Buy Her Flowers fame) also posted how much she’d enjoyed it – so I was even more excited to get stuck in.

Here’s the blurb:

“Frank and Red are a mess.
Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the ‘ghost’ of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate.
And then Red moves in next door.
Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he’s got a trampoline.
From the moment Red’s blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born.
. . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.”

This book is SOOOO GOOD! From very early on I loved how well Frank and Red were written – they both felt incredibly ‘real’ and perfect embodiments of characters their age. The incessant wittering of a 6 year old versus the desperate need for quiet of the grumpy septuagenarian were just part of their personalities that were captured so well.

The supporting cast too, Sarah as a harassed single Mum, the classroom characters which you would recognise from every school – and ‘Marcie’ who was a loving – but forceful – ghost who was just wonderful.

I had this on my Kindle – so hadn’t seen the cover until I just saved the photo for this blog post – and it’s perfect. A massive thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC. It’s out on 1 February 2024, so I would definitely recommend pre ordering it now. Your future self will be very grateful!