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litagentsaritza's review against another edition
5.0
Love adventure books where you're on the edge of your seat wondering how it's all going to play out. This was one of my client manuscripts whose words, world and characters I just fell in love with.
sarahrita's review against another edition
5.0
Please see my full review at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com
I received a copy of this book free from the author via netgalley in exchange for honest review.
I received a copy of this book free from the author via netgalley in exchange for honest review.
kumabear's review against another edition
5.0
HAS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I READ IN A WHILE!!!!!! i am sad it ended there though
frothy's review against another edition
4.0
I wish this author would write more books faster.
This was a very exciting adventure story. The guys were great. The character development and learning of the MC was lovely. I loved the relationship development.
This was a very satisfying read and left me cheering.
Oh yeah, and it's an adventure story in Africa. Most enjoyable.
This was a very exciting adventure story. The guys were great. The character development and learning of the MC was lovely. I loved the relationship development.
This was a very satisfying read and left me cheering.
Oh yeah, and it's an adventure story in Africa. Most enjoyable.
speakingskies's review against another edition
3.0
*Thanks to NetGalley for the free advance copy*
Do-Gooder is a book about severely diabetic 17 year-old Isaiah Martin after he is caught with a gun (it wasn’t his, and the story behind becomes apparent in increments), and sent to stay with his father who runs a refugee camp in Cameroon for penance.
Isaiah hasn’t heard from his father in ten years. The way his father prioritises the camp over his own son has given Isaiah an aversion to “Do-Gooders”, and Isaiah isn’t looking forward to spending a whole summer surrounded by them.
When his father doesn’t even bother to pick Isaiah up from the airport, it isn’t the best start. Instead he’s picked up by Henry, an assistant at the camp, and the two boys start the two-day journey into the wilds of Cameroon. Things go very wrong very quickly, and they find themselves in the middle of a situation that will have wider repercussions than they can imagine.
Do-Gooder is an interesting book. Bailey clearly loves Africa, and this shows in her descriptions of Cameroon and its people. There is more presented than desert and scrubland large-eyed orphans: Yaoundé is shown as a thoroughly modern city, with a bustling University district. As Isaiah and Henry travel through the country towards the camp, the setting becomes more remote and deserted, and the heat and humidity of the rainforest they end up in is wonderfully evoked.
Both the main characters are gay, and talk about it quite early in the book, but there is thankfully no instant development of feelings. Isaiah is jetlagged and annoyed when they first meet, and the closest we get to instalove is him noticing that, yeah, Henry’s kind of hot. Instead, we get a wonderfully slow-building friendship growing from adversity. There’s never any doubt that their situation is the most important thing to think about, and everything but survival is stuck in the background. The book isn't about their sexuality, it's just who they are.
I loved the boys’ road-trip, and the way the rather dire situation they end up in is handled. Isaiah especially felt very real and relatable, as it’s from his perspective we see everything. Both boys acted how I think most people would in a hostage situation: there are no stupid acts of bravery or attempts at escape, and they worry that this makes them cowards. Their individual backstories are revealed slowly, as they talk on the road and when they’re being held.
When the international politics and the full extent of Isaiah’s father’s involvement in things starts to be unveiled, things get really interesting. The last third of the book escalates to international intrigue and almost feels like a political thriller.
The last couple of sections feel a little rushed and flat, though, and let the rest of the book down a little in my opinion.
This is a book with big themes and important subjects, but it doesn't feel like one. It's quite an easy read, and although there are some horrible scenes, it isn't harrowing.
Do-Gooder is a book about severely diabetic 17 year-old Isaiah Martin after he is caught with a gun (it wasn’t his, and the story behind becomes apparent in increments), and sent to stay with his father who runs a refugee camp in Cameroon for penance.
Isaiah hasn’t heard from his father in ten years. The way his father prioritises the camp over his own son has given Isaiah an aversion to “Do-Gooders”, and Isaiah isn’t looking forward to spending a whole summer surrounded by them.
When his father doesn’t even bother to pick Isaiah up from the airport, it isn’t the best start. Instead he’s picked up by Henry, an assistant at the camp, and the two boys start the two-day journey into the wilds of Cameroon. Things go very wrong very quickly, and they find themselves in the middle of a situation that will have wider repercussions than they can imagine.
Do-Gooder is an interesting book. Bailey clearly loves Africa, and this shows in her descriptions of Cameroon and its people. There is more presented than desert and scrubland large-eyed orphans: Yaoundé is shown as a thoroughly modern city, with a bustling University district. As Isaiah and Henry travel through the country towards the camp, the setting becomes more remote and deserted, and the heat and humidity of the rainforest they end up in is wonderfully evoked.
Both the main characters are gay, and talk about it quite early in the book, but there is thankfully no instant development of feelings. Isaiah is jetlagged and annoyed when they first meet, and the closest we get to instalove is him noticing that, yeah, Henry’s kind of hot. Instead, we get a wonderfully slow-building friendship growing from adversity. There’s never any doubt that their situation is the most important thing to think about, and everything but survival is stuck in the background. The book isn't about their sexuality, it's just who they are.
I loved the boys’ road-trip, and the way the rather dire situation they end up in is handled. Isaiah especially felt very real and relatable, as it’s from his perspective we see everything. Both boys acted how I think most people would in a hostage situation: there are no stupid acts of bravery or attempts at escape, and they worry that this makes them cowards. Their individual backstories are revealed slowly, as they talk on the road and when they’re being held.
When the international politics and the full extent of Isaiah’s father’s involvement in things starts to be unveiled, things get really interesting. The last third of the book escalates to international intrigue and almost feels like a political thriller.
The last couple of sections feel a little rushed and flat, though, and let the rest of the book down a little in my opinion.
This is a book with big themes and important subjects, but it doesn't feel like one. It's quite an easy read, and although there are some horrible scenes, it isn't harrowing.
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