Mate
Jamie Turner never asked for change.
At sixteen, he's got a solid group of mates, Saturday football, and his GCSEs coming up - the usual routine in Norwich. So when his parents tell him they're going on a "family holiday" to California during school time, he doesn't think much of it. A week in the sun before exams? Sounds perfect.
But halfway through the trip, Jamie overhears something he was never meant to hear his parents aren't just visiting. They're moving. After his GCSEs, his whole life will be uprooted. His school, his mates, his club, all gone.
As the reality sinks in, Jamie finds himself torn between two worlds: the familiar grey skies of home and the blinding brightness of a new life he never asked for. Along the way, he meets people who challenge him, frustrate him, and change him and begins to wonder if starting over might not be the end of the world after all.
Funny, heartfelt, and deeply real, Mate: The Holiday is the first chapter in Jamie's journey across continents - a story about growing up, saying goodbye, and finding out what "home" really means.