“This book is likely to evoke empathy in young readers. It will give them pause for thought about the price of ambition and the things that matter in life.”
- Reading Time “Penny Tangey has a talent for writing light-hearted, humorous novels that tackle some big issues.”
- Good Reading “A charming story of dealing with life's ups and downs, learning resilience, dreaming and achievement.”
- Schooldays Magazine “I would certainly recommend this title: I enjoyed the story and the way in which themes including friendship, sibling rivalry, body image and competition were presented.”
- Buzzwords “This book would be a perfect class novel to be read aloud and discussed with students from Year 5 upwards.”
- Read Plus “This is a fabulous story about friendships both old and new, having a dream, being determined and being resilient.”
- Lamont Books “There are plenty of emotional highs and lows to engage young readers leavened by a delicious sense of humour.”
- StoryLinks “From the first page Vivian and her determination to never give up, sets the scene for a heartfelt story that will captivate.”
- Blue Wolf Reviews “I feel like my younger self would have been in love with this book.”
- Bookish Universe “As Fast as I can has it all. An adorable yet headstrong main character, caring parents, typical love/hate sibling relationship and one hell of a dream. ”
- Book and the Beauty “I enjoyed this book but I also found it really weird. I mainly found it strange because I’ve never read a book in which I so totally felt like I was seeing the world as my younger self did.”
- Confessions of a Readaholic “Vivian is a firecracker. From page one we are bowled over by her enthusiasm and energy. Her eagerness pushes the pacing of this book forward.”
- Bookish Intoxication “Diving into this book, I instantly found myself cheering for Viviam, despite all the setbacks that she hits within this book. ”
- Chemical Book Dragon “Vivian is an incredibly endearing character. ”
- Gilly Reads “An enjoyable middle grade book, it did a really great good is exploring the intersection between childhood goals, health barriers, family and friendship and growing up in Australia.”
- The Owl Reader “This was a story of glory, passion and loss. And it high-key broke my heart.”
- Otaku and Proud “This will definitely not be the last I read of Tangey who captured the heart of a ten year old so perfectly and made this book timeless. ”
- Thoughts by Tash “It was perfect in every way, from page one I felt a connection to Vivian.”
- Intently Reading “As Fast As I Can by Penny Tangey is honestly just such a beautiful, heart wrenching and completely at the same time, an uplifting and inspiring read! ”
- AusYABloggers “It is entertaining and thought provoking, bringing up important issues such as mental health and how sudden life changes can affect anyone of any age. ”
- Flamingo Seratonin “Penny never talks down to her middle grade audience. There are no easy answers to some of the issues raised, but importantly, there is always hope.”
- Aussie Kids Books 