Sara Barnard’s Goodbye Perfect wins the YA Book Prize

The Bookseller’s YA Book Prize, now in its fifth year has been won by Brighton-based author Sara Barnard. She saw off stiff competition from previous winner Louise O’Neill, June Dawson and Laura Dockrill among others to claim the £2,000 award in May at the Hay Festival.

Goodbye Perfect is the story of a teenage girl who is forced to decide whether to betray her best friend’s trust or do the right thing and inform the police and parents about where her friend has gone when she runs away with her teacher before the GCSEs.

Speaking to The Bookseller about the inspiration for her book, Barnard said, “though this story features a student running away with a teacher, that’s not what the story is actually about – it’s about how it affects those closest to her and the people left behind” Hailed by the judges as ‘unflinching in its exploration of important and complex topics’ and ‘an utterly riveting read’ it is well worth including as one of this Summer’s must-reads.

The YA Book Prize 2019 shortlist includes:
Goodbye Perfect by Sara Barnard (winner)
Clean by Juno Dawson
Big Bones by Laura Dockrill
I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan
The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman
White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock
Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw
Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood