Review for Remix by Non Pratt

Remix by Non Pratt 
Publisher: Walker Books
Release: 4th June 2015
Genre: Contemporary, UKYA
Source: Proof Copy Gifted



Synopsis: 

"Kaz is still reeling from being dumped by the love of her life... Ruby is bored of hearing about it. Time to change the record. Three days. Two best mates. One music festival. Zero chance of everything working out."

Review 
Kaz and Ruby are two best friends that dance to the same beat. Although they have very different personalities their friendship is perfectly in tune and this summer they’ve massively been looking forward to forgetting about heartbreak, putting their troubles behind them and going to music festival Remix to see their favourite band Goldentone live. Will the weekend be everything the girls dreamed of? One thing’s for sure – it’ll be a weekend they’ll never forget.

Remix is told between both Kaz and Ruby and jumps back and forth between the girls after sometimes as little as a few sentences. I loved the way this story was told, it made it easy to see Kaz and Ruby’s thought process and gave an inside view of the unsaid thoughts and feelings between them. With Ruby’s bravado and Kaz’s heart on sleeve approach to life the voices were distinct enough that it never got confusing to read. I loved how Non’s writing made me feel not only like I knew Kaz and Ruby intimately but also their friendship.

Non Pratt delivers these incredibly real characters who are openly flawed and make mistakes but as a reader you love them anyway – maybe even because of it. If Kaz and Ruby are the headline act then the secondary characters are brilliant support acts. From Ruby’s brother Lee and his boyfriend Owen, to the girls exes who I could never quite make up my mind about, to Lauren – Kaz’s new mate- whose presence drives a huge wedge between Kaz and Ruby. Each character brought something to this story – mostly trouble for the girls!

With an overall theme that friendship, like music, has the power to tear you down, build you up and bring you back to yourself Remix is a must read for the summer for anyone who has had a song or friendship change their life.

Review for The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell

The Last Leaves Falling 
by Sarah Benwell 
Publisher: Definitions
Release: 29th January 2015
Genre: UKYA, Contemporary,
Diverse YA
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Japanese teenager, Sora, is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Lonely and isolated, Sora turns to the ancient wisdom of the samurai for guidance and comfort. But he also finds hope in the present; through the internet he finds friends that see him, not just his illness. This is a story of friendship and acceptance, and testing strength in an uncertain future."

Review 
The Last Leaves Falling was one of my most anticipated books of 2015 and what a beautiful, moving book it turned out to be! The book is set in Japan and follows Sora a teenage boy living with ALS and his journey in coming to terms with his fate and making the most of now.

Sora’s illness keeps him pretty isolated. He spends most of his days at home with his mother because he can’t stand the pitying looks he receives when he goes out in his wheelchair. So it’s no surprise that he turns to an internet chatroom for company. It’s a place where he can be Sora again, just a regular teen, not the boy who is dying.

I really loved how this book portrayed internet friendships. It showed how the internet can be a lifeline for people who in the real world would be judged on appearance and lifestyle above who they are inside. I loved watching Sora’s internet friends become his real life friends. It showed how friendships you make online can be just as real and important as any other friendship.

I also loved Sora’s relationship with his family, especially his mother. Even though the book is told solely from Sora’s perspective and his mother was only a secondary character I could feel her love and pain for Sora on every page.

Sora has many meaningful relationships in his life but he doesn’t have a love interest which was a refreshing surprise for a book in this genre. All too often books about characters that are terminally ill show them finding their one true love to share their remaining time with and although that’s great it’s not entirely realistic. Instead I enjoyed the message of having all different types of love around you and the value of the love and support from family and friends.

The Last Leaves Falling put me in the mind of someone with ALS. It was raw and honest and sad and hopeful. I finished the book feeling broken and healed all at once. With a reoccurring theme of taking control of your own destiny no matter what life throws at you The Last Leaves Falling is the YA equivalent of “Me Before You”.

Review for The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Publisher: Transworld
Release: 15th January 2015
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. 
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.

Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…"

Review 
People watching is a pastime that most people indulge in on their daily commute. When you see the same faces every day it’s easy to imagine what their lives might be like.

Rachel’s train stops outside the same row of houses every day and so a couple who live at one of the houses who Rachel has named “Jason and Jess” have come to feel familiar to her as she watches them live their lives for a couple of minutes each day.

Then one day Rachel witnesses Jess kissing somebody who isn’t Jason and when she sees Jess – whose real name is Megan- is missing in the news the life that she’s observed for so long collides with her own as she becomes obsessed with unravelling the mystery.

It becomes apparent early on in the book that Rachel is an unstable character. In the last two years her marriage has broken down after her ex-husbands affair, she’s had to leave her beloved home and she’s been fired, all the while becoming more and more dependent on alcohol to get through each day. She uses the mystery surrounding Megan’s disappearance as a distraction from her own life and the lengths she’ll go to to be involved are certainly unhinged.

I think that a lot of people who pick this book up will find Rachel unlikeable but I was sympathetic towards her situation and found her such a compelling character to read about. The fact that she often experiences blackouts in her memory when she’s been drinking made her a very unreliable character who kept me guessing.

I have to admit that I did see where the book was going when I was about half way in but there was also a lot of new information uncovered throughout the book that made me question myself. I really struggled to put this book down because I had to know if I was right!

Overall The Girl on the Train was a well written and original thriller that I think would translate beautifully to the big screen. With the age old moral of never knowing what goes on behind closed doors it also shines a chilling light on the fact that we never really know those closest to us either.

Review for All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven 
Publisher: Penguin
Release: 8th January 2015
Genre: YA, Mental Illness, Grief
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis 

"Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?"

Review 
All The Bright Places is a book that has received a lot of advanced hype and I can certainly see why! It’s a hugely important book and is one of the best books I’ve read about mental health. Within the first few chapters I found myself quickly jotting down passages that stood out to me. Fans of books like “The Fault In Our Stars” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” are going to love wandering with Finch and Violet as they explore life, death and love.

For me, Finch was the brightest part of this story. He doesn’t like to put labels on who he is but it quickly becomes apparent that something is wrong. His moods are either ridiculously high or very low and he has an unhealthy obsession with death and suicide. To me it was clear early on that Finch has bipolar but it’s a label he struggles to accept throughout the book.

As somebody who has had a lot of experience with mental health I thought that All The Bright Places handled the topic incredibly well. Finch really questions how much of his actions and feelings are his illness and how much is just Finch. As well as seeing bipolar through Finch’s point of view we also get to see how society deals with mental illness which is where this book really shines. I found myself nodding along as Jennifer Niven examines how mental illness is perceived compared to physical illnesses, from ignorant classmates who’d call Finch a “freak” to parents who put his behaviour down to being a typical teenager. This book portrays the sadly all too common story of somebody struggling alone and in silence with a mental illness. Seeing how badly Finch was let down by the people around him completely shattered my heart.

The only reason this book is just shy from a 5 star rating from me is because as much as I liked Violet’s character I didn’t think that her side of the story was as strong or as developed as Finch’s chapters. Throughout the book we see Violet learn to live again after the death of her sister but her overcoming her problems felt very forced to me. I didn’t feel like we got to see her thought process behind the changes and so they felt quite random to read rather than a natural development. I felt like this got better towards the end of the novel but I would have liked to have seen it throughout.

Overall All The Bright Places made a huge impact on me and I think it’ll be a real eye opener on what it’s like to live with a mental illness for a lot of readers. Although it’s still early on in the year I can see this one still being a favourite of mine come the end of 2015.

Review for It’s Not Me It’s You by Mhairi McFarlane

It’s Not Me It’s You by Mhairi McFarlane 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release: 6th November 2014
Genre: Chick-lit, Women’s Fiction
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

"Delia Moss isn’t quite sure where she went wrong. When she proposed and discovered her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else – she thought it was her fault. When she realised life would never be the same again – she thought it was her fault. And when he wanted her back like nothing had changed – Delia started to wonder if perhaps she was not to blame… From Newcastle to London and back again, with dodgy jobs, eccentric bosses and annoyingly handsome journalists thrown in, Delia must find out where her old self went – and if she can ever get her back."

Review
Delia Moss lives a very ordinary life and she’s quite content with her lot. She lives with her long term boyfriend (soon to be fiancée when Delia pops the question) and their scruffy rescue dog and has a job that she neither loves nor hates so who is she to complain?

When Delia finds out on the night she proposes that Paul has been having an affair she’s pushed to take a leap into the unknown and start afresh in London. It’s there that Delia takes a good hard look at her choices and realises that she’s always picked comfort and safety rather than gambling on what she really wants when it comes to her career and love life. As Delia begins to open up to every day acts of bravery she discovers that any risk that could end in happiness is always worth taking.

It’s Not Me It’s You reads like a classic chick-lit. I cried both happy and sad tears reading this book. In one chapter I’d be giggling away to myself and with the turn of a page I’d be physically fist pumping for Delia. Delia is a ridiculously relatable heroine it’s very easy to like her and want what’s best for her.

It’s Not Me It’s You is one of those books where the characters are so hilarious and solid that before long it feels like you’re reading about your best friends. Even Paul who I would normally dislike by default for cheating on Delia had his good qualities so I could see why Delia loved him and how easy it would be for her to go back to what she knows. Mhairi McFarlane has this magical way of making these characters on the page feel like they’re made from flesh and blood with histories and futures outside of this story.

Initially I was a bit intimidated by the size of It’s Not Me It’s You but despite being over 500 pages I never felt like the book was overly long or boring. I thoroughly enjoyed every sentence and the pages seemed to turn themselves with no conscious effort on my part.

Hilarious and warm-fuzzy inducing It’s Not Me It’s You is the most enjoyable book I’ve read in a long time. Fans of Rainbow Rowell will love Mhairi McFarlane.

Review for Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Release: 3rd October 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction, YA, LGBT
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

"It’s 1959. The battle for civil rights is raging. And it’s Sarah’s first day of school as one of the first black students at previously all-white Jefferson High.

No one wants Sarah there. Not the Governor. Not the teachers. And certainly not the students – especially Linda, daughter of the town’s most ardent segregationist.

Sarah and Linda are supposed to despise each other. But the more time they spend together, the less their differences matter. And both girls start to feel something they’ve never felt before. Something they’re determined to ignore.

Because it’s one thing to stand up to an unjust world – but another to be terrified of what’s in your own heart."

Review 
It’s 1959 and the world is changing for two teenage girls who are thrown into each other’s paths as Jefferson High introduces black students to its halls for the very first time. Lies We Tell Ourselves is told between Sarah and Linda two girls who at the start of the book appear to be very different but little do they know are actually the flip side to the same coin in the battle for civil rights.

Sarah is one of the first black girls to be integrated and right from the first chapter I was equally horrified and heartbroken for her and the abuse she had to go through. Linda is a popular white girl who’s been told all her life that black people are beneath her and so when she gets to know Sarah during a school project she’s confused and torn by what she herself is learning to be true and wanting to uphold her family’s reputation and please her father whose career is built on segregation. Both girls are equally interesting to read about as they go on a tremendous journey to figure out for themselves what’s wrong and what’s right.

Lies We Tell Ourselves is set at a point in history where people’s minds were slowly changing towards equality and so I found it really interesting that author Robin Talley decided to take a look at gay rights as well for comparison. I thought this was well explored through Linda’s best friend Judy who’s one of the only white students to accept Sarah yet sees homosexuality as sinful and wrong. It was interesting to read about how minds move and at what pace especially when it comes to equality.

There’s a lot of important messages and themes throughout Lies We Tell Ourselves but my personal favourite is one that I believe stands the test of time and is at the root of all good change and that is to do what you feel in your heart to be right rather than what you’ve been told is right. Seeing Sarah and Linda find their own way and the strength it takes to do that is an incredibly empowering thought to take away from this book.

Every now and then a Young Adult book comes along that I want to push into every readers hands both young and old and Lies We Tell Ourselves is that book for 2014.

Review for Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Warning
This is a review for the fifth book in the Bloodlines series and so may contain spoilers from the previous books.

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Penguin
Release: 29th July 2014
Genre: YA, Vampires, Magic, Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought




Synopsis:

"In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now, in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him...

Their worst fears now a chilling reality; Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour."

Review 
Silver Shadows was a book that I was hugely anticipating not only because I love this world and characters so much but because of *that* agonizing cliff hanger at the end of The Fiery Heart. Silver Shadows was such an emotional rollercoaster to read with plenty of highs and lows for Sydney and Adrian. Once again the book is told in alternate chapters between the two which worked particularly well here with Sydney and Adrian being apart for a large chunk of the book.

Sydney is in the alchemists re-education centre and I have to say that Richelle Mead really impressed me with the world building for this. I was in equal parts fascinated and horrified at just how messed up the alchemists and their methods are. Their punishments for Sydney were really extreme and disturbing to read but at the same time I thought it was really clever how their lessons fit around their morals. Nothing is ever done purely for the shock factor but is appropriate for the alchemist’s beliefs and way of life.

Sydney really impressed me in this book. She’s grown so much and I was so proud of how strong, clever and bad ass she was despite everything she was going through. Adrian however really annoyed me at times. Sydney was being so brave whilst Adrian was off getting drunk and going to parties with a girl who blatantly likes him as more than a friend. I know that’s how Adrian deals with things but I couldn’t help feeling frustrated with him at some points.

The last hundred pages of the book gave me everything I love about this series. There was romance, high action, suspense and plenty of surprises that have really set up the conclusion to this series in the final book The Ruby Circle. I have so many theories but at the same time I have no idea how this is going to play out. February can’t come quickly enough!

The Ruby Circle Theory 
(Spoilers from Silver Shadows ahead!)
Highlight to read
So in Silver Shadows Adrian started hearing the voice of his late Aunt Tatiana. He was also carrying around the ruby cufflinks that she gave to him which he then had made into Sydney’s engagement ring. What if an undiscovered aspect of spirit is that you can talk to the dead if in possession of something valuable of theirs or something you both have a connection to? Or what if spirit users can somehow infuse someone’s spirit into an object kind of like a horcrux? Regardless I think that given the title these rubies and Tatiana are going to play a big part in the final book.

Review for The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne

The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne
Publisher: Usborne
Release: 1st August 2014
Genre: UKYA, Contemporary
Source: Bought




Synopsis:

"Bree is a loser, a wannabe author who hides behind words. But when she's told she needs to start living a life worth writing about, The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting is born. Six steps on how to be interesting. Six steps that will see her infiltrate the popular set, fall in love with someone forbidden and make the biggest mistake of her life."

Review 
Last year I was lucky enough to read Holly Bourne’s debut novel Soulmates before publication. It was one of my favourite books of 2013 and I hugely anticipated Holly’s second book which is of course The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting.

Manifesto is a little different from Soulmates in that it’s completely contemporary but one huge similarity is how honest it is. Once again Holly offers us characters who read like real teenagers who are going through relatable situations. It never feels like a fiction story with a typical beginning, middle and inevitable happy ending but more like we are getting a glimpse into a real person’s life and that’s what has quickly made Holly Bourne one of my favourite authors.

The book is about Bree a self-confessed loser who enjoys watching obscure movies with her best friend Holdo and dreams of one day getting one of her many novels published. After one too many rejection letters from agents and publishers and some advice from her English teacher, Bree decides that she needs to be someone who you would want to read about. Bree doesn’t want to be popular but she does want to be interesting and so her blog ‘The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting’ is born as she chronicles her journey into getting a life to use as “research” for her next WIP.

As you’d expect this book is witty and clever. I quickly connected with Bree and was chuckling away after a few pages. What I didn’t expect from Manifesto was it to be so moving. Bree is really insecure in who she is and although she’s a damn good writer she doubts herself and her dreams. Bree reads like a real teenager so although there are plenty of hilarious moments here there are also some serious themes covered too such as self-harm and bullying. I loved that this wasn’t a purely happy or sad book but a messy realistic in between – much like life really.

Basically The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting gave me everything I could ever want in a contemporary read. Holly Bourne’s books are sprinkled with pearls of wisdom when it comes to growing up. I only wish these books were around when I was a teen! If you’re looking for real honest UKYA look no further than Holly Bourne.

Review for The Rain by Virginia Bergin

The Rain by Virginia Bergin
Publisher: Macmillan
Release: 17th July 2014
Genre: UKYA, Dystopian
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

"One minute sixteen-year-old Ruby Morris is having her first proper snog with Caspar McCloud in a hot tub, and the next she’s being bundled inside the house, dripping wet, cold and in her underwear. Not cool. As she and Caspar shiver in the kitchen, it starts to rain. They turn on the radio to hear panicked voices – ‘It’s in the rain . . . it’s in the rain . . . ' That was two weeks ago, and now Ruby is totally alone. People weren’t prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn’t realize that you couldn’t drink water from the taps either. Even a drip of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn’t know where to start . . . After rescuing all the neighbourhood dogs, Ruby sets off on a journey that will take her the length of the country – surviving in the only way she knows how."

Review
I absolutely loved The Rain but it’s a book that I don’t think will be for everyone. You see, it’s not your typical Dystopian. Ruby Morris is no Katniss Everdeen and you’re either going to love or hate that about her. Ruby is your standard fifteen year old British girl. When the apocalypse hits in the form of toxic rain water instead of heroically saving the world she just wants things to go back to the way they were when she was on the cusp of *finally* becoming Caspar McCloud’s girlfriend.

Ruby was such a refreshing heroine to read about. The book is told in a stream of consciousness writing style as Ruby relays her story so far. I love strong self-assured heroines but it was fantastic to read about an authentic teenage girl doing what it takes to get by. Ruby’s guide to surviving the end of the world is going on a mission to find her mobile phone, looting designer make-up and her weapon of choice is her wee bucket which in a world with no water to wash in proves more effective than you might think!

The Rain is in turns sad, scary and hilarious as we see Ruby grieve, fight for survival and save the local animals amongst other mad adventures. Ruby’s attempts to clutch on to reality by doing normal teen things like dyeing her hair and applying fake tan may be seen as vain and superficial by some readers but all I saw was a young girl desperately trying to hold on to what she knows in a drastically changing world. Ruby’s just a young girl and makes mistakes along the way but ultimately she’s a true survivor and I loved following her journey.

Different, funny and British The Rain is *the* Dystopian that fans of Contemporary UKYA have been waiting for. With a clever and fast paced plot and a heroine who’s just trying to keep her head above water quite literally I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the sequel!

Review for Lobsters by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Lobsters by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
Publisher: Chicken House
Release: 5th June 2014
Genre: UKYA, Contemporary, Summer
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

"Sam and Hannah only have the holidays to find 'The One'. Their lobster. But instead of being epic, their summer is looking awkward. They must navigate social misunderstandings, the plotting of well-meaning friends, and their own fears of being virgins for ever to find happiness. But fate is at work to bring them together. And in the end, it all boils down to love."

Review 
Lobsters is a shining new gem in Contemporary UKYA. I only had to read the first chapter to know that I was going to love this book. When a book makes you genuinely laugh out loud several times during the first chapter you know you’re on to a winner! I haven’t laughed so hard over a book in a very long time.

Lobsters is told in alternating chapters between Hannah and Sam – two teens who are trying to lose their virginity, come out of their shells and find out who they are in the summer before university. Think Georgia Nicolson meets The Inbetweeners as we bounce from Hannah to Sam’s point of view as mishaps and misunderstandings lead to the couple meeting and parting throughout the summer.

Sam and Hannah have authentic teen voices and are two characters that teens will identify with as they discover that expectations don’t always meet reality when it comes to sex, friendship, first love and plans for the future. Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison ask the important questions when it comes to being a teen and aren’t afraid to give the brutally honest and often hilarious answers.

As well as Hannah and Sam there are a great cast of characters here and I loved them so much that I’d love to see them all get their own stories. Robin was a personal favourite of mine, he reminded me of Jay from The Inbetweeners in that he was completely full of it but in a strangely loveable and funny way. Although Lobsters is a cracking standalone the secondary characters are so well developed that they could definitely be the stars of their own stories.

Funny, rude and always honest Lobsters is the perfect read for fans of C.J. Skuse and Sarra Manning. It’s a firm favourite of mine for the summer and I can’t wait to see what teen dream team Lucy and Tom write next.

Review for You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher

You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher 
Publisher: Penguin
Release: 22nd May 2014
Genre: Fiction, Chick-Lit, Romance, Friendship
Source: Won via Goodreads




Synopsis:

"Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church. At the end of the aisle is Rob - the man she's about to marry. Next to Rob is Ben - best man and the best friend any two people ever had. And that's the problem.

Because if it wasn't Rob waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben. Loyal and sensitive Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned round and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen? And would he be right?

Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable. But love changes everything. Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely? Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it..."

Review 
Straight off the bat I want to put it out there that I am not a fan of love triangles. A story where one girl is in love with two guys and messes everybody around as she tries to decide which one she wants to be with has a tendency to rub me the wrong way. But once in a while a book comes along featuring the kind of love triangle that I adore, one where love runs not just between the girl and each man but between the two guys also. The love story in You’re The One That I Want is between three best friends and this anti-love triangle girl loved every minute of it!

The book follows Maddy, Ben and Rob from childhood right up to their early twenties on Maddy’s wedding day. From days of tree climbing and scraped knees the three best friends have been inseparable. Ben has loved Maddy for as long as he can remember but has worried what confessing his love might do to their friendship and so has kept his feelings bottled up for years.

On a school trip to Paris Maddy and Robert’s friendship blossoms into first love leaving Ben in a world of pain. Falling in unrequited love with your best friend is bad enough but watching her fall in love with your other mutual best friend? That is on a whole other level of hurt.

Right from the beginning Ben stole my heart and I just knew that he was the guy I wanted Maddy to end up with. He’s kind, selfless and loyal and my heart broke for his awful situation. Being such a Ben fan you’d think that I wouldn’t like Rob but I loved him and Maddy together too! They’re all such wonderful characters and friends that you quickly see why the situation is so messy and impossible.

The book is told between Ben and Maddy but I would really have liked Rob’s point of view in there as well. I’d constantly wonder what Robert thought of things and if he ever had an inkling as to Ben’s feelings.

The ending was hands down my favourite thing about this book. It’s not an ending I saw coming but afterwards you can’t imagine it ending any other way. It was perfect and bittersweet and the last couple of chapters and epilogue made me cry.

Overall I’d say that I enjoyed You’re The One That I Want even more than Giovanna’s debut Billy and Me. I was emotionally invested from start to finish and fell in love with all three characters and their beautiful friendship. Giovanna Fletcher is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Review for A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke

A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke 
Publisher: Quercus
Release: 3rd April 2014
Genre: YA, Contemporary, UKYA
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis: 

"When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant. Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy - everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend. Alex can't help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive... But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives."

Review 
Cat Clarke has struck gold yet again with her latest book A Kiss in the Dark. Her stories feel like they come straight from teenager’s hearts and A Kiss in the Dark is no exception. The synopsis for this book is very vague not really giving anything away about this story so I’m unsure of how much to say in this review so I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

In a nutshell A Kiss in the Dark is a tale of first love gone wrong. It’s about love and hate, betrayal and revenge, secrets and lies, boy and girl and how they’re not all that different. They are each a side on the same coin and A Kiss in the Dark shows two sides to the same love story.

Reading A Kiss in the Dark is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know it isn’t going to end well for the characters and you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for the impact that is inevitable and will change the characters’ lives forever. Needless to say I couldn’t put this book down and read it in a few hours.

At its heart A Kiss in the Dark is a story about identity and loving blindly. It was such a beautiful and powerful read and yes I had a little cry over the ending. Alex and Kate’s story touched my heart; they are two characters whose journey will stay with me for a long time to come. Despite my brief review I hope I’ve said enough to get you interested in picking this book up. If you love complicated love stories that blur right and wrong I couldn’t recommend this book more.

Review for A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon

A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon 
Publisher: Hodder
Release: 27th February 2014
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Netgalley/ Bought




Synopsis: 

"Letters from the only man she's ever loved.
A keepsake of the father she never knew.
Or just a beautiful glass vase that catches the light, even on a grey day.

If you had the chance to make a fresh start, what would you keep from your old life? What would you give away?

Gina Bellamy is starting again, after a difficult few years she'd rather forget. But the belongings she's treasured for so long just don't seem to fit who she is now. So Gina makes a resolution. She'll keep just a hundred special items - the rest can go. But that means coming to terms with her past and learning to embrace the future, whatever it might bring..."

Review 
A Hundred Pieces of Me is my first book by Lucy Dillon. The stunning cover and unique synopsis pulled me in for this one and I’m so glad it did because this was an absolute gem of a book!

A Hundred Pieces of Me is a simple story in plot. It’s about Gina a woman who has been dealt more than her fair share of sadness in life. But being a breast cancer survivor she knows she is luckier than most and looks at the recent separation from her husband as a chance at a fresh start. The book follows Gina’s new beginning as she leaves her old life behind and just keeps one hundred special items to build her new future with.

It’s Gina’s character that keeps you turning the pages. Gina leads a small but precious life. Her life has not turned out quite how she imagined it would with great loves and opportunities lost. I loved how real Gina’s story felt. It isn’t one of whirlwind romances, endless possibilities and joy but it isn’t a bleak and depressing read either. Instead Gina’s story has a quiet happiness to it and a longing for something more which is how I think most of us feel about our lives.

We get to know Gina incredibly well as we follow her in the present day but also get glimpses of her past as she sorts through her belongings and we see the memories attached to them and why they’re important to her. I loved experiencing the highs and lows of Gina’s life from childhood to where she is now. This book really made me think of my own cherished belongings and why they’re important as the book raises the question is it the object itself that we love? Or rather what the item represents and the feeling it gives? In many ways this book is about leaving our mark on the world and how we cling on to happy memories by having physical reminders of them around us.

Beautiful, hopeful, thoughtful and moving A Hundred Pieces of Me is a book about letting go of the past, not worrying about the future and grabbing the present with both hands. I was emotionally rapt from start to finish and believe that this gorgeous novel will propel author Lucy Dillon to new heights.

Early Bird Review for Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy 
Publisher: Harperteen
Release: 18th March 2014
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Received for review via Edelweiss




Goodreads Summary:

"What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukaemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?"

Review
There are an abundance of ‘cancer stories’ offered in Contemporary YA and most of them follow a similar formula with the main character being diagnosed with cancer, going on some sort of life changing journey and then dying at the end of the book. It would be fair to say then that Side Effects May Vary breathes new life into the genre, flipping your typical cancer story on its head, as we’re introduced to Alice a girl who has been living a life of no consequences after being given a grim cancer prognosis. Alice has lived her life as if she’s going to be saying goodbye to it soon only to be told that despite the odds she’s in remission. This isn’t a story about cancer and dying, it’s a story about living, second chances and hope.

The book is told in alternating ‘Now’ and ‘Then’ chapters. ‘Then’ goes back to when Alice is first diagnosed. Like most people in her situation Alice makes a list of all the things that she wants to do with the rest of her time. Alice is an angry and scared individual and that reflects in her list as we see Alice settling scores with an ex-boyfriend and frenemy as well as her wanting to do something memorable for her best friend Harvey and have new experiences like learning how to drive. The ‘Now’ chapters follow Alice in the present where she’s struggling to adjust to this unexpected second chance at life. When Alice was diagnosed she put on this hard exterior to put a barrier between her and those she loves to protect both herself and her family for when she wouldn’t be around anymore. Now Alice is struggling to let those people get close to her again because although the cancer is gone her fear of dying and losing everybody isn’t. Alice was a beautifully flawed character and I loved following her uneasy journey in learning how to live and love again.

As well as Alice’s chapters we also get to read from Alice’s best friend Harvey’s point of view. Harvey and his chapters were actually my favourite thing about this book. It’s not often in books that we get to hear directly from the friends or family of the character with cancer and so to experience Harvey’s thoughts and feelings made this book even more moving. I really connected with Harvey and so many of my highlighted quotes on my Kindle were from his chapters. Harvey’s a genuinely nice guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s actually the complete opposite of Alice and so brings out the very best in her and gets her to drop her protective armour that she wears around everybody else but him which I loved to see.

I actually can’t believe that Side Effects May Vary is Julie Murphy’s debut. You’d think that two tenses and two narratives would be too much for a reader to keep up with but Murphy’s writing is consistent throughout and flows beautifully making the way this story is told work in this books favour to give a rounded and developed story. Julie Murphy’s writing was effortless to read and every so often she’ll turn out a phrase that will catch your breath and hit you in the stomach. Hopeful, moving and beautiful Side Effects May Vary was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Review for Calling Mrs Christmas by Carole Matthews

Calling Mrs Christmas by Carole Matthews 
Publisher: Sphere
Release: 24th October 2013
Genre: Chick-lit, Christmas, Fiction
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review





Goodreads Summary:

"Cassie Smith has been out of work for a while but she has an idea. Drawing on her love of Christmas, she begins charging for small things: wrapping presents; writing cards; tree-decorating. She's soon in huge demand and Cassie's business, Calling Mrs Christmas, is born.

Carter Randall wants to make Christmas special for his children so he enlists Cassie's help, and his lavish requests start taking up all her time. Thank goodness she can rely on her partner Jim to handle the rest of her clients.

When Carter asks Cassie to join them on a trip to Lapland, she knows she shouldn't go. As much as tries, Cassie can't deny how drawn she is to Carter and everything he has to offer, but she still loves her warm-hearted Jim. Suddenly Cassie finds herself facing a heart-breaking choice that could change her entire life."

Review 
After enjoying my first Carole Matthews books A Cottage by the Sea this summer I was eager to read more from this author. Thanks to the snippet shared at the back of A Cottage by the Sea I got to read a sneak peak of Calling Mrs Christmas the latest festive offering from Carole – I loved the sound of it and was looking forward to snuggling up with a copy during the build up to Christmas. I’m going to say straight off the bat that this is one of the best Christmas books that I’ve ever read. I read the whole thing straight through in a day because I was so caught up in this story!

Calling Mrs Christmas is brimming with festivity and is perfect for getting excited for Christmas. The book follows Cassie – unemployed and struggling to stay afloat Cassie is not looking forward to Christmas this year (a time that she usually loves) because of the expense that comes along with it. Then Cassie gets the wonderful idea of turning her love for Christmas into a business and so Calling Mrs Christmas is born. Tree decorating; gift buying, organising Christmas parties, baking - it’s all in a day’s work for Cassie. As Cassie starts to really enjoy herself you can’t help but get caught up in the Christmas excitement along with her!

Unexpectedly my favourite thing about this book was Cassie’s partner Jim’s chapters. Jim is a kind and gentle soul whose meagre wage as a prison officer at a young offenders unit stretches to support both him and Cassie. Although their financial situation means that they live in a small flat and haven’t been able to get married or have children yet Jim would do anything in his power for Cassie and you see that time and time again through his actions. Jim was such a lovely bloke and he quickly became my favourite character.

Jim’s warmth and kindness also extends to two of the teenage boys in his care Rozzer and Smudge. The boys haven’t had the best start in life and Jim provides them with the chance to prove themselves as well as being a role model for the lads to look up to. Whilst Cassie’s chapters deal with the food and decorations and gifts, Jim’s chapters deal with the true meaning of Christmas tackling themes of taking care of those less fortunate than ourselves and appreciating our lot in life.

The only thing that stopped this book from being a perfect five star read for me was Cassie! She really started to annoy me towards the middle of the book, I felt like she became very selfish and ungrateful. It all went towards her character development though and so although at times I wanted to shake some sense into her I did make my peace with her by the end of the book.

I closed Calling Mrs Christmas with a big smile on my face, a tear in my eye, and that lovely heart-warming Christmassy feeling. Although everything was wrapped up nicely by the end of the book I feel like there is definitely room for a sequel – I’d love more from these characters and to find out what happens to them next! This year I have fast become a new Carole Matthews fan and I absolutely cannot wait for her next novel A Place to Call Home to be released next year!

Review for Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Publisher: Mira Ink
Release: 26th November 2013
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Received from the publishers in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary:

"The girl with straight A's, designer clothes, and the perfect life - that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list.

One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker - a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks - no matter how angelic she might look. But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other."

Review 
My heart broke for Isaiah in Dare You To and so right from the start of Crash Into You I was rooting for him to finally find the love and happiness he deserves. I’d seen a few mixed reviews before reading this book and knowing that a big part of it is about cars and street racing (something I know next to nothing about) I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this book as much as the other two in the series. I needn’t have worried, despite Isaiah and Rachel’s car talk going over my head at times, I actually loved the thrill of the car races and the excitement it added to the story. To my surprise I ended up loving Crash Into You even more than Dare You To although Pushing The Limits still remains my favourite.

I think the reason I loved Crash Into You so much is because of Rachel and her story. Rachel appears to have it all; wealthy parents, an expensive education, and four protective big brothers. Behind the façade her family are crumbling from the heartbreak of losing Colleen – a sister Rachel never knew and was born to replace. Colleen was girly, confident and had a strong bond with their mother. A bond that Rachel is desperately trying to forge by being who her family wants her to be - essentially another Colleen. However Rachel is nothing like her sister was; she’d much rather tinker around with her beloved car than go for pedicures with her mom. Rachel is crumbling under the pressure of living in Colleen’s shadow and as a result suffers from crippling panic attacks. Being somebody who suffers with anxiety I instantly connected with Rachel and felt sympathetic towards her situation. Rachel sees herself as selfish and weak and I loved reading about her growth as a character as she came out of her shell and realised that what she saw as her weakness actually takes strength to live with. By the end of the book I was so proud of her and got all emotional at how far she’d come.

A reoccurring theme throughout Crash Into You is how appearances can be deceiving and that was certainly true for Isaiah as well as Rachel. I’d read in a few reviews that people felt like Isaiah’s personality completely changed in this book but I just think that we finally got to see the real Isaiah behind the front he puts on. Isaiah’s the kind of guy you’d cross over the street to avoid if you saw him coming with the tattoos, piercings, and his reputation for being a bad ass. We learn in this book that that isn’t Isaiah at all but an exterior he wants the world to see. It’s the armour he uses to protect himself and stop people from getting too close or messing with what’s his. I loved getting to know the Isaiah underneath all that – a guy who is deeply damaged by his past and fiercely protective of those rare and special people who he lets in.

I loved Rachel and Isaiah’s relationship and thought that they had fantastic chemistry. Although there was an immediate attraction between them I liked how Isaiah still struggled with his feelings for Beth and how they didn’t just disappear as soon as Rachel came along. Rachel was the perfect match for Isaiah; she loves cars as much as he does, isn’t intimidated by how he looks and takes the time to get to know the person underneath. Not only did Rachel and Isaiah bring out the best in each other but they also challenged one another. Isaiah had to find faith that Rachel wouldn’t be snatched away from him like so much in his life has been and Rachel has to show Isaiah that she’s strong enough to take care of herself and that he doesn’t need to protect her.

Overall I absolutely loved Crash Into You! I laughed, I cried, I swooned and I’m left desperate for stories featuring Abby, Logan and Ethan who were brilliant secondary characters that I want more from (maybe Abby with one of the guys?) Katie McGarry has done it again and I’m looking forward to West's story in Take Me On.

Review for The Reunion by Amy Silver

The Reunion by Amy Silver 
Publisher: Arrow
Release: 12th September 2013
Genre: Fiction, Friendship, Women’s Fiction
Source: Received via Netgalley




Goodreads Summary:

"They thought they'd be friends forever.

Jen, Andrew, Lilah, Natalie and Dan were inseparable at university, but in the seventeen years since they left they have hardly seen each other. Until Jen invites them all to stay at her house in the French Alps. The house where they once spent a golden summer before tragedy tore them apart.

When a snowstorm descends, they find themselves trapped and forced to confront their unresolved issues, frustrated passions and broken friendships. And as relationships shift and marriages flounder, the truth about what really happened years before is slowly revealed. And Jen realises that perhaps some wounds can never be healed..."

Review 
Amy Silver is one of my favourite authors for women’s fiction and I don’t think that her books get nearly enough attention as they deserve. If you enjoy character driven stories about realistic, and at times difficult, topics then Amy Silver is the author for you – I love unravelling the messy tangle of her characters’ lives! The Reunion is moving and compelling and it makes a nice change of pace from the happy festive reads that you can find in abundance at this time of year whilst still being an ideal read for cosying up with by the fire.

This story of betrayal, friendship and secrets begins with five old friends who haven’t spoken in years being thrown together in a remote cottage in France during a snow storm. Best friends at University until tragedy tore them apart Jen, Dan, Nat, Andrew and Lilah haven’t spoken since that fatal day. With news to share Jen invites them under false pretences to spend a weekend at her home in France that’s haunted by the happy and sad memories of the summers the group shared there. When a snow storm hits, the group are trapped and are forced to confront the past and untangle the messy and complicated relationships they have with one another as well as confront the blame and guilt they feel over the part they played on that life changing day. Amy Silver doesn’t give up all of her secrets at once; everything is slowly revealed in chapters that are set both in the past and present so that we get to thoroughly examine each character and their actions and the revelations that add vital pieces to the puzzle keep on coming until the very end.

Each character is so well developed. They’re all incredibly human with both good and bad traits. By the end of the book I felt like I knew every one of them inside out from what makes them tick to what brings them happiness. Each character had their flaws but I couldn’t help but love all of them because I could always understand where they were coming from and the thought process behind their actions. Each character has a place in the group and holds a piece of the puzzle and I loved seeing how one characters actions would then go on to influence somebody else’s decisions and so on until that heart-breaking final.

The Reunion is such a hard book to review because I don’t want to give away any of its secrets but if you enjoy books that give you plenty to chew over and characters who you can’t stop thinking about once you’ve put the book down then this is the book for you. Amy Silver has delivered an emotional and enthralling read and I’m already looking forward to what she comes out with next.