Sad Girl Hours – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Raw, relatable, beautifully broken truths.
YA book title: Sad Girl Hours.
YA author: Anna Zoe Quirke.
Genre: Teenage Fiction / Self-Identity.
Published by: Little Tiger.
ISBN: 9781788956949.
Recommended for children aged: 13+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback September 2025.
This YA book is ideal for: teens who enjoy reads that tackle relatable issues concerning mental health, relationships, self-discovery, feminine experience.
To see the latest price or order, click on the book cover image. As an Amazon Associate, schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Our review:
Sad Girl Hours is narrated by two troubled university students, each with their own issues to contend with, desperate to be accepted by their shared group of friends and considered ‘normal’. Saffron suffers from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) but has hidden its undesirable and damaging impact from everyone, placing relationships and even her academic career at risk. But then she meets Nell, an outwardly confident, self-assured woman, passionate about poetry and life, surrounded by a group of intimate and supportive friends.
The reader shares the journey of both protagonists as they struggle with their emotions and begin to explore and understand the meaning of love and trust. Each wades through the endless cycle of depression and anxiety, cleverly relayed through Nell’s authentic poetry or the narrative of Saffron’s late-night journal entries, words which will resonate deeply with anyone who has found themselves awake at 3am, wrestling with their own thoughts.
Quirke ingeniously explores the complicated experience of navigating mental health while trying to maintain relationships, careers and a sense of self without the glamour, using honesty to enable the reader to equally recognise and appreciate their own dark moments.
Our verdict:
Sad Girl Hours is an essential read for young adults uncertain of their own sexual identity, navigating familial and romantic relationships, anxiety, depression and mental health, topics which are prevalent in modern society. The narrative voice is relatable yet honest and has a sense of authenticity and acceptance.
Many thanks to Little Tiger for the review copy.
To order a class set of this book, please click below to order via uk.bookshop.org, an organisation that supports local bookshops, or Amazon.co.uk.
Buy from UK.Bookshop.Org Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Disclosure: If you buy books using the buttons above, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops; as an Amazon Associate, schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Browse our Year 10 reading list.
