Book info

• Title A Bicycle Built for Sue
• Author Daisy Tate
• Year 2020
• Genre Contemporary

Sue Young has never asked for much apart from a quiet life. She’s always been happy with her call centre job and dinner on the table at six o clock; that was until a tragedy tore her tranquility into little shreds. With her life in tatters, Sue is persuaded to join a charity cycle ride led by Morning TV’s Kath Fuller, who is having a crisis of her own, and Sue’s self-appointed support crew are struggling with their own issues. Pensioner Flo Wilson is refusing to grow old, gracefully or otherwise, and a teen goth Raven Chakrabarti, is determined to dodge the path her family have mapped out for her. Can the foursome cycle through saddle sores and chaffed thighs to a brighter future, or will pushing themselves to the limit prove harder than they thought?

Thoughts

I’ll admit to buying this book because I enjoyed the wordplay of the title, but also figured the concept sounding engaging enough so it was worth a read. I think potentially the title is misleading, because it’s not really all about Sue, there are a group of friends and all of them need this connection and this bike ride to get their lives turned around. It was super easy to read and with some nicely drawn characters, some emotional and moving moments, and ultimately an uplifting book to zip through.

Rating: 3 / 5