So, I was supposed to post yesterday, but I forgot to schedule the post. But here it is!
As I fell in love for Amelia Westlake, I looked for another book by Erin Gough. So, I've read The Flywheel. Another book that was really cute but with more drama.
I had a lot of fun with this challenge and I hope there are more like this one. Even though I couldn't read a lot, I got to know Erin Gough and I want to check her other works!
some ombre spines because they remind me of my favourite time of day (rather than the Stephenie Meyer novels lol)
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth
The Flywheel by Erin Gough
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
A/N: So, I have no idea what I’m doing. One shots aren’t typically my thing. But god bless @cass-trash for pushing me to be a better writer.
Fallon Fawkes is my OC: a mechanic from a small town in Oregon who is pulled to the bunker for a *specific* reason. She’s loud, proud, and don’t take shit from nobody. Talks with a bit of a drawl. She’s teaching Cas how to work on her 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle ‘cause that’s the only way she can bond with someone: over well-lubed parts and a socket wrench. And when I say “bond” I mean that in the loosest way possible. This is part of a massive fic that’s still very much in the works. If you have any questions, shoot me a message or comment.
Prompt: Choose an object of sentimental value, then let the story run it’s course.
Warnings: If you've got a phobia of cars and engines, should probably steer clear of this one. Actually, should probably steer clear of my OC, then. Other than that, not much.
Word count: 757. Lol.
After nearly three hours of labor, they had finally removed the engine from the Chevelle’s front end. It looked far more different lying on the floor of the bunker’s garage: more complex, more pieces than he ever thought possible. Dozens of small screws and bolts lay around her in a circle as she pulled the engine apart piece by piece. She kept muttering about something she called a ‘flywheel.’ Cas had been watching her work on her vehicle for a few weeks now, but this surpassed anything he had ever seen. Her hands moved through the build with the grace and care similar to a painter perfecting her artistic work; her fingers moving skillfully through each part as if she were created specifically for this purpose. It was possible that she had been. But Cas knew better.
They sat in silence for the better part of a half an hour. Neither of them minded. It was moments like this that Cas enjoyed most. No hunts, no monsters, no impending doom on the horizon. Just the smell of grease and rubber and a simple task at hand. The old cylinder that had been giving Fallon trouble finally released from its hold when his eyes drifted to the white bandana around her right wrist. He had never seen her remove it. He was unsure if she had ever removed it. All these months of knowing her and he never thought to ask.
“Fallon?”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you wear that bandana around your arm?”
The new flywheel she was in the middle of installing clattered to the cement beneath them. A grunt left her throat. “What?”
“The white bandana. On your wrist.” He pointed to it. Her fingers flexed around the part. “I have never seen you remove it.”
“It comes off ‘fore I hit the sack.” She muttered.
“Have you always worn it?”
Fallon was quiet for a moment. Maybe she hadn’t heard him. Or maybe she did not have an answer.
“No.” It was a weak answer. Almost a whisper. “Wasn’t always mine.”
“Who did it belong to?”
Another pause. “My pa.”
Fallon’s father. A man she seldom spoke about, but cared for nonetheless.
“I’m-“
“Kept it in the front pouch of his coveralls. Ever since I was a kid.” Fallon snorted and let the flywheel rest on the ground. “Claimed it was his ‘good luck charm.’ Hadn’t had a car roll out unsatisfied since he first found it.”
Cas went to voice his empathy.
“Swear, that man never washed it himself.” She didn’t let him finish. He wasn’t sure he had ever heard her talk for this long. “Shoulda seen it ‘fore I got it. Thing was practically black. But he always said washin’ it would kill its charm. And I believed it. ‘Til I walked in our garage and saw him on the floor-” Her voice broke.
“Fallon- “
“It was still in his damn pocket. Hangin’ out like his guts on the floor.” Her fingers tugged at the bandana as if she were re-living the horror. “Guess it’s luck ran out, huh?”
“I’m sorry, Fallon.” Cas sighed. “I didn’t mean to drum up dark memories.”
Her eyebrows were knitted so closely together they appeared to be one. She sniffed. “Part of me hoped he’d still be attached to the thing. Follow my ass around and haunt me til’ the day I finally kicked it.” Her laugh was toneless. Breathless. “Now I wear it jus’ ‘cause I’d feel naked without it.”
“You honor his memory by keeping it.” Cas said. “In a way, you are allowing him to live through you. It is a symbol of respect toward your father.”
“Well, it’s a damn good thing he can’t see me now.” She picked the flywheel off the ground and continued her task of attaching the part. “Pa’d roll in his grave if he knew what I’ve done.”
“Your father would be proud.” He scooted closer to her. She avoided his gaze, studying the engine with more focus than she needed. “The people you have saved? The monsters you have slain? You are doing good work, Fallon. It may not be the life your father would have wanted for you. But he would be proud to see how far you’ve come.”
Fallon glanced toward him and nodded. It took him a moment to realize what she was motioning at. The toolbox beside him. “Hand me a washer, will ya?”
He handed her three with a small smile. His lips threatened to speak but he held them back as best as he could.
Delilah has been secretly lying to her dad ever since he went on vacation. She tells him that school is great and that their cafe is doing great. In reality Del has been skipping school to take care of the business, since the manager was deported and she had to fire a worker. Del has to friends and work and her massive crush on the girl next door.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. A big thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for sending this to me.
I really wanted to love this book but it fell a little bit flat. Del is a 17 year old girl who is trying to balance the family owned business and life. Besides the cafe, she also left school because she was being bullied by a group of girls.
There was so much going on in this book. We had trouble with friends and family, past relationships, pinning for a new love, difficulties of coming out of the closet. There were so many plots but so little book to take each one on.
The romance between Del and her crush felt tacked on and rushed compared to the rest of the book.
This was a fun contemporary that sank under all of its storylines.
Review: The Flywheel by Erin Gough | #LoveOzYA
Rating: 4/5
also known as Get It Together, Delilah
"And in this moment I am happy. I don't know what's around the corner but it doesn't matter, because what I feel right now is enough."
Delilah Woolwich-Green has found herself quite suddenly alone. When she sent her father off on a round-the-world trip, she assured him that their family café, The Flywheel, would be perfectly fine. Since then, the manager has been deported, the barista has been fired for stealing from the cash register, and bullies have driven Delilah out of school. The Flywheel is all she has left but now the café is slipping through her fingers too. Delilah must get it together and find a way to keep The Flywheel afloat before she loses anything else.
I may or may not have read this entire book in ... 7 hours. Less than. It was a surprisingly engrossing read that I just couldn't put down. It kind of had the same vibes as Solitaire by Alice Oseman - angry girl struggling with friendships and school and feelings. I'm usually hit and miss with Australian YA but when I enjoy one this much, this quickly, I'm reminded of just how wonderful our wee publishing industry is. Especially now that I'm discovering all the LGBT+ OzYA we have to offer.
Delilah was a wonderful leading lady. I love seeing angry girls in YA - all teenagers are so full of angst and anger and frustration. I like seeing it represented and explored on the page and Gough does an excellent job of that. The bullying Delilah faces for being a lesbian is so heartbreaking and infuriating but it was cool to see how she worked through her anger and how the school realised they should have done more to help her. Her relationship with Rose was a little stilted in places but it was a good change of pace to see them struggling to figure out how to be together when Rose isn't able to come out the way Delilah was able to.
Friendships are a big part of this novel too. I loved Charlie and Delilah's dynamic - though I wasn't entirely sure about their brief dalliance. They brought out the best and worst in each other but were always on each other's side in the end. And I loved that Charlie decided to keep pursuing his education through a less traditional route, too - mainstream school isn't for everyone and that's totally okay. Delilah and Lauren's friendship was brilliantly written too though I feel like their resolution could've been drawn out a little longer.
A fun contemporary with an undercurrent of melodrama that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a book that celebrates community and friendship.
