Review for The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
Publisher: Indigo
Release: 6th August 2015
Genre: YA, Horror, Thriller
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?"

Review 
Anyone that knows me knows that I love a good thriller be it YA or Adult. This past year I’ve been on a real thriller kick – I can’t get enough of them! So when I first read the synopsis for The Dead House I knew it was a book I just had to have.

The Dead House turned out to be hands down the scariest YA book that I’ve ever read. The book starts with you finding out that two girls exist within the same body. They see themselves as a sort of twin, Carly exists in their body during daylight hours and when night falls its Kaitlyn’s turn. Neither girl knows where they go when it’s not their turn in their body.

Both girls personify the light and dark that they exist in. Carly is very much the “good twin” whilst Kaitlyn’s personality is significantly darker and more troubled. Their doctor believes that Kaitlyn doesn’t really exist and is a side effect of Carly’s mental state brought on by trauma.

I found the whole idea of your body being taken over by someone else for half of your life really freaky to read. It made me not want to put the book down and fall asleep at night, just in case, which I’m sure was Dawn Kurtagich’s plan to keep you up reading!

A lot of mystery surrounds the book from the very beginning and as a reader I had a lot of questions from the start. The biggest one on my mind was if the girls were some sort of paranormal phenomenon? Or is one twin the creation of a troubled young girl? More mysteries get unsurfaced as you read on and the book grows increasingly more disturbing as the character of Kaitlyn does.

I loved the idea of the story being told through diary entries, camera footage and interview recordings but at times I’d find myself getting confused trying to keep up with all the different formats. I also felt that a lot of the answers and explanations were a little rushed. I’d personally have liked more detail at times.

Overall The Dead House is a creepy and original YA Horror story that well and truly messed with my mind.

Review for Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Warning 
This is a review for the third and final book in the Burn for Burn trilogy and will contain spoilers from the previous books.

Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 9th October 2014
Genre: YA, Thriller
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come. After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve...If Kat had only stayed with Rennie...Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same. Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?"

Review 
The Burn for Burn series came as such a pleasant surprise to me. When I first picked up Burn for Burn I wasn’t sure if I’d like it but after devouring the first two books in the trilogy back to back it quickly became one of my favourite series. Ashes to Ashes was easily one of my most anticipated releases of 2014 – I couldn’t wait to see how this series would conclude!

For the most part Ashes to Ashes delivered everything I love about these books. The book begins with Lillia and Kat grieving over Rennie’s death whilst Mary comes to terms with the fact that she’s a ghost and begins to question her existence and what she was put here to do. Mary’s been a ticking time bomb throughout this whole series and her hunger for vengeance really builds the tension throughout this entire book.

I was really enjoying this book up until the very end. I was expecting the showdown of all showdowns with Mary’s anger building to a crescendo but it all felt very rushed and didn’t have the impact I was hoping for.

I also felt the same way regarding that three page epilogue. The girl’s futures felt really random to me and I didn’t really understand the choices that lead to them. Three pages to wrap up these characters stories didn’t feel like long enough and for me the ending felt detached from the rest of the series and lacked emotional impact.

Overall I enjoyed this series as a whole and this book for the most part but unfortunately those last few chapters have tainted my love for these books.

Review for Rooms by Lauren Oliver

Rooms by Lauren Oliver 
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Release: 25th September 2014
Genre: Fiction, Ghosts
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

"Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family-bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna-have arrived for their inheritance.

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself-in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide-with cataclysmic results."

Review 
Rooms is Lauren Oliver’s first venture into Adult Fiction and is a book I’ve been looking forward to all year. From our creepy UK cover to the promise of a ghost story I was really looking forward to diving into this one this Halloween season. Turns out that Rooms isn’t your typical ghost story. It’s not the spooky read I was anticipating and at first I was a little disappointed about that but before long I started to appreciate this book for what it is: a sombre and thought provoking look at the pasts that haunt all of us and keep us from moving on.

Rooms has a large cast of characters both living and dead. With so many characters and short chapters flitting from person to person it did take me a while to settle into the story and get a feel for the characters.

What really impressed me with Rooms was Lauren Oliver’s unique take on ghosts. From the way the old house would become the physical body for the spirits to inhabit to the way their conversations would translate to the living as a creak of a floorboard or the opening of a door. As with her YA books Lauren Oliver’s writing creates the perfect atmosphere for her story, this time she takes on a moody literary voice that will echo through your mind long after the final sentence providing a ghostly encore to Rooms itself.

At the beginning of the book it appears that the connections between the characters are down to the big old house and their individual unhappiness but as the story unfolds one layer at a time you see how expertly Lauren Oliver has crafted her story with one thread overlapping with another to create an entangled web of loss, secrets and bitterness. By the end of the book the whole story has come together. My only complaint is that I felt some characters got a more satisfactory ending than others and I would have liked more closure regarding some things.

Although Rooms wasn’t the ghost story I was expecting it was one I appreciated for its originality and thought provoking look at the things that truly haunt us.

Review for Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Publisher: Hodder
Release: 10th April 2014
Genre: YA, Thriller
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Synopsis:

"What if you had the chance to start again...but only if you promised never to look back? Samantha is popular, rich, and seemed to have it all...until the night she and her best 'frenemy' Cassie disappeared and only Sammy resurfaced, with no recollection of who she is or what happened. Sammy's a stranger in her own life - a life she no longer wants any part of. Losing her memory is a chance to start again. Then Sammy begins receiving mysterious notes warning her about that night, urging her to not look back. But she can't let it go. As she starts poking around in her past she begins to remember...and something sinister begins to surface."

Review 
Don’t Look Back was one of those books where I absolutely loved the first half of the book and was sure I was on to a winner only to be left a little disappointed by the ending. I can’t explain how addicted to this book I was for the first two hundred odd pages. I stayed up way too late tearing through the chapters without knowing where the time had gone.

Samantha has no memories of her life before she was found by the police whatsoever and that made her and the people around her unreliable characters. You’re never sure who to trust, who is lying, and who isn’t telling the whole truth about their history with Samantha. I think I suspected everybody at some point during the book! Jennifer includes plenty of red herrings which definitely help develop the characters as you go along and kept me on my toes. There’s one character who I was praying throughout would not turn out to be involved with Samantha’s disappearance and that was Carson Sam’s love interest who I completely fell in love with too. The romance in this book was fantastic and I also really enjoyed the relationships Sam had with her brother and his girlfriend who I also really liked.

I was really enjoying this book until I was just over half way through and suddenly all of the clues came together and I guessed both the killer and their motive. I felt at this point that Armentrout gave a little too much away; the clues are definitely there to find if you pay attention to them! Knowing the who and the why half way through kind of spoiled my enjoyment of the rest of the book – you want to be kept in suspense throughout with a thriller! I also found the whole unveiling at the end really rushed. The Epilogue didn’t feel like it fit in with the tone of the rest of the book and I was still left with some questions. After such a fantastic start I’m sad to say I closed the book feeling disappointed.

Overall Don’t Look Back was definitely a read I had mixed feelings over. If you don’t guess the ending I think you’ll really enjoy this but the fact that I did really affected my experience with this book which was a real shame.

Review for Deeper by Robin York

Deeper by Robin York 
Publisher: Piatkus
Release: 6th March 2014
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Goodreads Synopsis:

"When Caroline Piasecki's ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn't look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear; hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defence and punches her ex to the ground.

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he's shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger - even after promising her dad she'll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.

They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they're 'just friends,' their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself - and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.

When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper."

Review 
Deeper follows a similar formula to other New Adult books with the whole good girl falls for bad boy storyline yet the characters are more diverse than that. Caroline and West had both good and bad traits which is something I always enjoy and appreciate in my characters.

Caroline and West live opposite lives but manage to meet somewhere in the middle after Caroline’s ex-boyfriend posts naked pictures of her online and West is one of the few people to not treat her differently or judge her. One of the things I really enjoyed about Deeper was that Caroline and West really get to know each other and spend a lot of time together first before jumping into a relationship.

Unfortunately things are not smooth sailing for Caroline and West. West is the main provider for his family and works several jobs as well as attend college to get him and his family by. West is determined to better his life and wants nothing to distract him from that goal which means that he’ll often push Caroline away. Caroline and West would constantly put barriers up that didn’t need to be there and there was a lot of unnecessary drama at times meaning that I’d often get frustrated with them as a couple and so I wasn’t always 100% behind them which was a shame.

Hands down my favourite thing about Deeper was Caroline and her journey. Caroline is deeply damaged at the start of the book with her confidence and future in shreds after her pictures turn up online but as the book goes on she decides not to be a victim anymore and I was so proud of how strong she became. Reading about Caroline’s experiences with revenge porn was actually my favourite thing about this book and the author delivers some important messages about female empowerment and sexuality.

Although I did have a couple of problems with Deeper overall I did enjoy reading it and appreciated the unique themes and important messages it brought to the New Adult genre.

Review for The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon

The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon 
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 30th January 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, UKYA
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review





Goodreads Summary:

"My fifteenth birthday was the worst day of my life, and it's inconceivable to think that any single day in my future will ever be as bad. My mum was killed in a freak accident on her way to pick up my cake. Even when there was still no sign of her after two hours later, and my friends started to arrive at our house, it never occurred to me that she wouldn't be coming back.

That was six months ago. My mum died without telling me who my real dad was. And for a while I hated her for it. I thought she's taken the secret of my father's identity with her forever. But she didn't. Holy hell, she didn't. Because three weeks ago I found out the truth. And I'm still reeling from the shock of it. My dad is none other than Johnny Jefferson, mega famous rock star and one-time serial womaniser. And now I'm on my way to LA to meet him and his family. My tiny little world has just got a whole lot bigger…"

Review 
Jessie is a teenage wild child who’s been acting out ever since her mum’s unexpected death on Jessie’s fifteenth birthday. I have to be honest and say that Jessie didn’t make a good first impression with me – in fact I thought she was a bit of a brat with the way she treated people. But my advice is to stick with her folks! It soon becomes apparent that it’s all just a tough girl act to mask the pain and guilt she feels over her mum’s death and the fear that she doesn’t really belong to any one now that it’s just her and her stepdad Stu. Paige Toon did a fantastic job of capturing a young girl’s grief and those weaker moments with Jessie when her mask would slip and she’d let us in were some of my favourite moments in this book.

With Jessie’s behaviour spiralling out of control stepdad Stu thinks it would do her good to learn the truth about her real father who is none other than famous rock god Johnny Jefferson. When Jessie flies out to LA to get to know Johnny and her new family is where the fun really begins. There are A-list parties, designer clothes shopping, and yes, a cute boy. Whilst all this is really fun and glamorous to read about there are also some really touching moments as Jessie starts to bond with her family.

My favourite thing about The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson was how every character felt realistic. I could understand every characters thoughts and feelings over this big change in their lives and I loved that this book wasn’t all fun and smooth sailing in Jessie’s new life. Seeing how everyday things would trigger Jessie’s memories of her mum brought a tear to my eye on several occasions. And Jessie’s gradual character development was spot on to the point where I closed the book feeling really proud of how far she’d come.

Overall The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson was a lot of fun and had a lot of heart. I’ll definitely be continuing on with this series to see what happens to Jessie and her family next and I also want to pick up ‘Johnny Be Good’ Paige’s adult series to find out how Johnny and Meg’s story all began!

Review for This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith 
Publisher: Headline
Release: 4th April 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Received in exchange for an honest review from the publishers



Review 
This is What Happy Looks Like follows the story of Ellie and Graham. For months they have been anonymously corresponding over email after Graham accidently sends Ellie an email about the welfare of his pet pig, Wilbur. Not knowing each other’s identity allows these two teens with secrets to open up to one another and so they form an unlikely friendship. But when Graham decides he wants to meet Ellie, and possibly take their friendship further, their easy natural relationship becomes strained when Graham is revealed to be the latest movie star heartthrob and Ellie is a girl with a past that she would do anything to keep out of the spotlight – even if it means losing Graham.

I was actually really surprised when I started reading this book. I expected it to be a teen version of the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’ with the couple corresponding, falling for the online version, loathing the real life person, only to find out at the end that the two are one and the same. So I was surprised when things took a different turn and Ellie and Graham figured out who the other was pretty quickly. Instead their budding romance faces other obstacles. Most teenage girls dream of dating the latest teen Hollywood star but Ellie – who loves the Graham away from the camera- needs to keep their involvement hidden due to a buried family secret that can’t come out.

Graham and Ellie were two really great characters. Graham is a young rising star and is finding that the lifestyle of the rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Graham was a really down to earth, funny, easy going guy and I could understand his attraction to Ellie - a girl who knows him and fell for him for who he is inside without the celebrity status. Ellie is a girl with a good head on her shoulders. It’s just her and her mom so money is always an issue so Ellie works hard towards a brighter future. Ellie was a really admirable, clever girl who I had a lot of respect for.

Unfortunately despite loving both characters separately the romance was very slow simmering in my opinion. There were some cute scenes like the hunt for a whoopie pie and their funny emails but for me that chemistry wasn’t there, I just couldn’t feel it. I think that’s probably down to the amount of time this couple spent apart and the emails (which I loved) fizzled out as the book went on. I LOVED their emails; they were actually my favourite thing about this book. I loved their conversations about Wilbur the pig and what their happy looks like. All the online chemistry was there but when they were face to face it felt like we lost some of that adorable banter. For a book like this the romance is key so I was disappointed that their chemistry fell flat.

Overall This is What Happy Looks Like was a really cute, fun, summery read. But unfortunately it lacked that sparkle that Smith’s debut ‘The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight’ had. Happy Looks Like is a sweet and satisfying read whilst it lasts but I can’t say there was anything about it that left a lasting impression.

 

Review for Shadows by Paula Weston

Shadows by Paula Weston
Publisher: Indigo
Release: 3rd January 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Angels, Mature YA, New Adult
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Bought






Goodreads Summary:
"Love. Nightmares. Angels. War. A fast-paced, compelling debut novel from a fresh new voice in YA.

It’s been almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant.

It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams, he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense.

Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth – and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly – who can she trust?"

Review 
I love Aussie authors and settings, and I love paranormal Angel stories so when I heard about Shadows a book that features both I knew it would be a match made in heaven *cheesy pun totally intended* and so Shadows automatically became one of my most anticipated releases of 2013.

What surprised me with this novel was how mature it read. Our heroine Gaby is eighteen, lives with her best friend, and is out of school and working making Shadows appealing to an older YA/ New Adult audience. This wasn’t something I was expecting and was a really pleasant surprise as I enjoyed the mature writing style and characters.

I’ve read a lot of Angel books over the years and I think with so many of them out there it’s a tough genre to keep fresh and so I was really impressed that Paula Weston managed to add something new to the genre. Gaby thinks she is a normal girl, well normal regardless of her dreams about her killing demons every night with some hot guy she’s never met ever since the accident that killed her twin brother. When Gaby meets Rafa the guy from her dreams she discovers that she’s a descendent of fallen angels, a skilful demon fighter and holder of an important secret if only she could remember what it was. Her memories were altered on the night of the accident and she is in the centre of a war between the Rephaim who need her secret for either savour or destruction. Although Shadows covers themes that can be found in other Angel series I did find the overall plot to have a refreshing twist on the Angel legend.

What I loved most about Shadows were hands down the amazing characters and banter between them. I liked that Gaby wasn’t a helpless heroine and I loved the chemistry between her and Rafa. Rafa was protective of Gaby but also gives her space to do her own thing. Their relationship was fiery but also very grown up and respectful and I felt like Paula Weston got the romance spot on. There was also a great cast of secondary characters like Maggie and Jason who I loved just as much as Gaby and Rafa.

Shadows was consistent throughout but the last part of the book really amps up the action and is full of twists that sets things up nicely for the sequel. A lot of questions have been raised in my mind and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in Haze.

Review for Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans 
Publisher: Usborne
Release: 15th January 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopian, Afterlife, Contemporary, Paranormal.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review



Goodreads Summary:
" "I pause to look around the hive – all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories… I’ve wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me."

Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in Level 2, the waiting room between Earth and Heaven, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend…and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her…

Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing in Level 2, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves. A choice that will change everything…

THREE LEVELS - TWO LOVES - ONE CHOICE."

Review 
Lenore Appelhans is a book blogger who I’ve followed for a few years now and so when I heard that she was releasing a book I was really excited to read it and followed her from book blogger to debut author. 

Level 2 is like no other book I’ve ever read and is a total mash up of genres, Sci-fi, Dystopian, Afterlife, Contemporary and Paranormal. Lenore takes the best parts about each genre and creates something really unique and awesome with Level 2’s premise. What impressed me was how each aspect of the book tied together seamlessly so it didn’t read choppy or like I was reading several different books at once which I was worried about when I found out just how diverse this book was, instead it read very smoothly and felt like I was reading a whole new genre.

I really loved the setting of Level 2 and thought it was a really fascinating version of the afterlife. Level 2 is a waiting room of sorts between this world and the next where people view their memories and come to terms with their lives in order to move on to Level 3. I loved how we got to know Felicia by accessing her memories from when she was alive and that contemporary aspect was one of my favourite things to read about.

Felicia’s a very humane and flawed character who despite her faults I couldn’t help but like. The only thing I didn’t get was her obsession with Neil. Neil was the one thing I disliked about this book. I just found him very boring and flat as a character and didn’t really understand what Felicia saw in him at all. Needless to say I am totally Team Julian, who like Felicia, has his faults but I still loved him in spite of them. Heck I might come to regret this in later books but at least he was interesting to read about unlike Neil. Plus I felt like Julian and Felicia had much more chemistry between them.

I loved the twists at the end of this book and didn’t see them coming at all. And although the ending felt a bit rushed everything was tied up nicely. Overall Level 2 was a great debut. Lenore’s writing was full of feeling and exciting to read and I’m looking forward to seeing what she has in store for us next in Level 3.

Review for Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

WARNING
This is a collection of short stories from the Fallen series and by talking about the plot there may be spoilers from the first three books in this series.

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 2nd February 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Angels, Short Stories 
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for."

Review 
I have to say that usually I’m not really a fan of short stories mainly because I find that they’re not long enough to get to know the characters and there’s not enough time for plot development but when I heard about Fallen in Love I figured I’d give it a go as those reasons are irrelevant with these four short stories as they centre around the characters of the Fallen world, a series that I love.

The book is set alongside the same timeline as Passion, the third book in this series, and takes place in Medieval England on Valentine’s Day as Luce and Co travel through the announcers.

There are four short stories centring around each characters Valentine’s Day giving us readers a chance to learn more about the secondary characters love lives unlike the rest of the series where the focus is mainly on Luce and Daniel.

The first story is Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles where the friends blossom into something more whilst trying to help the Lucinda of the past have a romantic Valentine’s Day with Daniel. The second story is Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland where we get to learn of the only woman Roland has ever loved a mortal girl who Roland loved and lost during this time period and revisits on this Valentine’s Day through an announcer. The third story is Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane where we learn about Arriane’s great love with a demon girl named Tessriel and how being on opposing sides comes between them. And lastly for the grand finale we have the star couple in Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda which is the story of the one and only Valentine’s Day that Luce and Daniel ever got to spend together.

Surprisingly my favourite stories where Roland’s and Arriane’s. Both of them have sad heart-breaking tales of lost love which shows a different side to them both as characters and made me feel like I got to know them a little better. I found Arriane’s story especially interesting as it gives us some insight as to why she refuses to be on Lucifer’s side and why she’s a total martyr for Luce and Daniels love. I have to say that I’ve never been a particular fan of Roland but after reading his story and what he selflessly does for his lost love my heart really went out to him and I like him a lot more now.

Fallen in Love doesn’t add anything hugely new to the main storyline of this series but what it does do is give a deeper insight into the lives and loves of the secondary characters. It’s a short, quick, romantic, read that gives a little extra something to the fans of the series and also makes a good refresher of Passion ready for the series finale in Rapture. Although I don’t see why it would strictly need to be read as part of the series it makes a good little in between books read that I’d recommend to fans of the series.

Review for Fateful by Claudia Gray

Fateful by Claudia Gray
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 29th March 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, SteamPunk, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.

The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Travelling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.

When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him onboard. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.

Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realising that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over…"

Review
When I first heard the synopsis for Fateful I thought a book about the Titanic with werewolves was going to go either way. It would either be absolutely fantastic or just plain ridiculous. So I was surprised to find after reading this book that I fell straight down the middle and had mixed feelings about it.

The main thing that I found with Fateful is that it read like two completely different stories. There’s the historical fiction side, which I loved, that gives an in-depth look at a young servant girl named Tess’s time on board the Titanic, making plans to escape the ghastly family she works for to start a new life once the ship docks in America. One thing Tess isn’t banking on is falling for the rich and respected heir to a fortune Alec Marlowe. And just as I was enjoying this gorgeous blossoming romance between opposing society members that you just know is going to end in tragedy one way or another BAM the werewolves would come along and jolt me out of that story line and vice versa. I did however enjoy both aspects of the story, but the problem? I just didn’t feel like they worked well together. So much so that at times it felt like I was reading two separate books at once. The werewolves and the Titanic just didn’t complement each other at all and I found that some scenes with the wolves were in bad taste and overall gave the book a fun and entertaining feel which just didn’t sit well with the sense of foreboding and impending doom of the tragedy that was the Titanic.

That being said I did like this book it’s fun, enjoyable and exciting- things I never thought I’d say about a book about the Titanic but there you go! I did feel like the fun of having werewolves on board the ship did take away from the seriousness of the situation. I went into Fateful expecting an epic weepy romance but really didn’t get that from it at all. In short I would have preferred if Claudia wrote this as two separate books, a historical romance on the Titanic, and a historical- or even modern- paranormal featuring the werewolves.

One thing that I did love about this book was the characters. I thought Tess made a fantastic and courageous heroine and I loved reading about her growing relationship with Alec. I loved Alec’s complete disregard for the rules of society and how he treated everybody equally and with respect. I also loved a lot of the secondary characters like Irene, Myriam, George and Ned who make up Tess’s friends and are all so warm and hugely likeable. Each character has a different place in society and I loved reading about each of their journeys and experiences on the Titanic.

Overall I found Fateful to be a bit of an odd combination but enjoyable all the same. If anything it has the fact that it’s like nothing else out there going for it. If you like your steampunk and don’t take it too seriously then you may very well enjoy this book.

Review for Night School by CJ. Daugherty

Night School by CJ. Daugherty
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 5th January 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Sometimes school can be murder. . . Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested. Again. This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers. But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch. When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy."

Review
First off I want to say that I had a real love/hate relationship with this book. I say this because the first 200 pages I couldn’t stand and the last 250 pages I loved and absolutely devoured. So I guess I’ll split this review into two parts the first talking about why I didn’t like the book and the second what I loved about it.

Okay so the book begins with our main character Allie being shipped off to boarding school after her third arrest of the year. My main dislike at the start of the book was with Allie, she acts out and hates her life and is basically your stereotypical rebellious teen. Allie really annoyed me at the beginning because of this, she was just so rude and arrogant and at times I wanted to throw the book at the wall she irritated me that much. Allie also makes a lot of bad choices at the beginning of the book the main one in my opinion was getting involved with Sylvain. Sylvain absolutely made my skin crawl he’s just such a slimy sleezeball and I just couldn’t understand what Allie saw in him. So at this point in the book I wasn’t connecting with Allie and I didn’t understand her choices and because of that I very nearly gave up on this book. However I was really enjoying reading about the school and the strange mysterious things that were happening there so curiosity alone made me read on.

Then the summer ball happened and that’s when this book really got interesting. The last half of this book I felt completely different about and it really made up for the first half. Cimmeria Academy is such a fascinating school with a lot of interesting history and hidden rooms, quirky staff and strange rules to boot. The mystery surrounding the school is really unique and I loved how different it was to anything else out there. In the last 250 pages there is so much action, danger and suspense that I couldn’t put this book down. And as for Allie well she really grows as a character and I liked her more as the book went on. I also loved the new relationships she made with Carter and Rachel who are much nicer more likeable characters than the first set of friends she makes at the school.

So although I had my problems with this book at the beginning by the end I ended up really liking it, so if like me you have trouble getting into this one it’s definitely a book I’d recommend sticking with. Overall Night School is a unique and interesting debut and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with this series.

Review for Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans

Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 19th January 2012
Genre: Chick-lit, Adult Fiction, Woman’s Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received for review from the Amazon Vine Programme

Amazon Summary:
"At twenty-two, Eleanor Bee is sure about three things: she wants to move to London and become a literary superstar, she wants to be able to afford to buy a coffee and croissant every morning, and she doesn’t believe in happy endings. She saw what divorce did to her parents, especially her mum: happily ever after’s fine on the last page of a book, but it just doesn’t happen in real life.

Elle moves to London. She gets a job at Bluebird Books, a charmingly old-fashioned publishers. She falls out of pubs, wears too-short skirts, makes lots of mistakes and feels like she’s learning nothing and everything at the same time. And then, out of the blue, she falls in love, and that’s when she realises just how much growing up she has to do…

Ten years on, and Elle’s life has changed in ways she could never have predicted. Because no matter where you go and how much you try to run away, the past has a funny way of catching up with you, and Happily Ever After comes in all shapes and sizes…"

Review
Every now and then I love to read a book about books so Happily Ever After naturally was a real joy for me to read and I’m sure a lot of book lovers who are passionate about reading, especially chick-lit fans, will feel the same. Our heroine Eleanor Bee better known as “Elle” loves to read, particularly romance and woman’s fiction. Her love for books and support for romance against literary snobs- many of which she has to deal with in her job at a publishing house- made me instantly fond of her. Her love for strong heroines, romantic heroes, and the perfect happily ever after really shines through the pages.

The majority of this book focuses on Elle’s career in the world of publishing and so this is ultimately a real career girls kind of book although it does also tackle family problems, and of course relationship drama too. My dream job would be to work in publishing like Elle so I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her experiences in the behind the scenes book industry, from editing manuscripts to hosting fabulous parties for authors. I found it really refreshing to read a book about a young woman who loves her job and puts her career first before anything else.

Whilst I loved Elle and the bookish aspect of this book I have to say that I was a bit let down by the romance. Because Elle’s very much a career girl the book focuses mainly on her antics in the work place leaving the romance to be quite weak and barely touched upon. I felt that Elle and her love interest didn’t spend enough time together to properly fall in love and so things felt a bit forced and fake with that side of things and is my one complaint about this book.

Happily Ever After is a real book lover’s book with a smart headstrong heroine. If you love your career girl chick-lit stories and dream about rubbing shoulders with your favourite authors and reading books for a living this is the perfect book to live your fantasies through. But if you’re looking for an epic romance I’d maybe give this one a miss.

Review for The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey
Publisher: Ebury Press
Release Date: 27th October 2011
Genre: Chick-lit, Adult Fiction, Christmas, Winter
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"All Lydia's ever wanted is a perfect Christmas...

So when her oldest friends invite her to spend the holidays with them, it seems like a dream come true. She's been promised log fires, roasted chestnuts, her own weight in mince pies - all in a setting that looks like something out of a Christmas card.

But her winter wonderland is ruined when she finds herself snowed in with her current boyfriend, her old flame and a hunky stranger. Well, three (wise) men is traditional at this time of year..."

Review
The Night Before Christmas is a book, that for me, had both its highs and lows overall making it an average read. This is less of a Christmas story and more of a chick-lit novel with a Christmas backdrop. What I mean by that is that despite this book being set during those few days leading up to Christmas it just didn’t really feel festive to me and didn’t have an underlining Christmas moral which I think is key if you’re going to write a book about Christmas. Instead the book definitely reads like your usual chick-lit story focusing more on relationships and everyday situations than Christmas. Basically I guess what I’m trying to say is that Bailey could of taken advantage of the Christmas theme more than she chose to.

First off I’ll get my dislikes out of the way. Lydia and her friends aren’t exactly the most likeable characters I’ve come across. Lydia spends much of the book running from her current boyfriend, to her ex-boyfriend (not to mention who is also her best friends new man) to a hunky stranger. Her careless regard towards other people’s feelings and who she might be hurting in the process really grated on my nerves and to be honest I found her a bit selfish. Then there’s Joanna- who is currently girlfriend to Lydia’s ex- who’s really superficial and makes her own fair share of hurtful mistakes. Then there’s Alex possibly the world’s most unpleasant heavily pregnant woman ever. And Katy who to be frank is a bit of a doormat but probably the most genuine of her friends. There wasn’t really a female character that I could really get behind and connect with. If anything I felt rather sorry for their poor chaps for being snowed in with them!

Another thing that irked me was the poor editing that went into this book. The Night Before Christmas is littered with spelling mistakes and missed out words that left sentences that made little to no sense. I know that mistakes happen and being a book blogger who reads uncorrected proof copies this isn’t something that usually fazes me but for a finished copy this was just plain embarrassing, worse even, than any proof I’ve ever read. Although this is of course no reflection on Scarlett Bailey or the story itself at the end of the day if the presentations half arsed it makes the book seem sloppy and just cringey in general to read.

Those problems aside I did like this book. Scarlett Bailey writes a hilarious account of a perfect Christmas gone wrong, something I think that most people can relate to! Her writing style is fresh, modern and funny with some truly laugh out loud moments.

I also really liked the men in this story particularly the lovely Will. Bailey writes romance and complex relationships with honesty and humour and I loved reading about Lydia’s past and steamy encounters with the men she’s snowed in with. Trying to figure out which man she was going to end up with being the real highlight of the book.

All in all despite some issues I had with The Night Before Christmas I still enjoyed it for the most part and think that it would make a nice, fun, girly read for Christmas but maybe not so much if you’re looking for a book with a little more substance and festive cheer.

Book Thoughts: The Lying Game and Never Have I Ever

Book Thoughts
Definition: Where Jess groups together a couple of mini reviews on books she’s bought and recently read.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Amazon Summary:
"Sutton Mercer had a life anyone would kill for – and someone did. But thanks to a view from the afterlife and Emma Paxton, her long-lost twin sister, Sutton has a chance to solve her own murder. Emma slips into Sutton’s old life to piece together her disappearance. But can Emma keep up the charade long enough to discover what really happened to Sutton…or will she become the next victim?


Let the lying games begin."

The first book in this series I had a real love/hate relationship with. The plot kind of reminded me of one of those cheesy teen slasher movies and at the beginning I really questioned how believable it all was and if I was going to continue reading. The thing that I’ve found with this series is that it’s so bad it’s good and there’s something very very addictive about it.

It really took me a while to get into this story and the way that it’s written as it jumps from Emma to Sutton’s perspective at times without any warning or indication that the protagonist has changed and with Emma pretending to be Sutton it can get a little confusing.

I also didn’t really like any of the characters with the exception of Emma. The group of girls the story centres around are the bitchy, mean girl kind making them not very likeable but despite this books faults I absolutely flew through it and ordered and read the second one immediately.

There’s something so addictive about this Mean Girls meets The Lovely Bones meets Sorority Row book and it’s admittedly a fun, fast paced, thrill of a read. All in all there are better young adult thrillers out there at the minute but there’s something very addictive and compelling about this series and that alone may be strong enough to carry me through to the end. 3.5 Stars

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

Amazon Summary:
"MY PERFECT LIFE WAS A LIE.


NOW I’D DO ANYTHING TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH.


Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone – that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad. And my killer is watching her every move.


I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games – games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me – and now Emma – dead."

This book follows its predecessor on in much the same style with Emma still pretending to be Sutton to unravel the mystery surrounding her twin’s death. Never Have I Ever unearths some new clues and therefore some new suspects and I enjoyed this sequel a little more if only because I was used to the characters and writing style and knew what to expect.

Never Have I Ever picks up literally where The Lying Game left off with no time having passed at all so that the reader is automatically swept back into the action. Sara Shepard takes us in a new direction in this second novel and more is discovered about Sutton and her mysterious death.

This book has all the same thrills and twists as The Lying Game but with a brand new set of clues and suspects. Basically if you loved The Lying Game you’re going to love this one too. All of the faults I found with the first book are still present but so are the things I loved about it too. The Lying Game series is fast turning into my favourite guilty pleasure that maybe I shouldn’t like but I do anyway and I’m already getting impatient for my next fix, flaws and all. 3.5 Stars

Book Thoughts: Ultraviolet and Birthmarked

Because I receive so many books to review I decided to create this feature Book Thoughts. I don’t always have time to review every single book that I read so in Book Thoughts I group together 2 or 3 books that I purchased myself and give a brief summary on my opinions after I’ve read them. Think of them as mini reviews! I’m going to keep them quick and snappy whilst still informative and I hope you guys find them helpful! :-)

Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

Ultraviolet is honestly like nothing I’ve ever read before. Our main character Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens after killing her classmate, popular and perfect, Tori. Except Tori’s body hasn’t actually been found and all Alison can remember is noise, pain and- she knows it sounds crazy but hey if the shoe fits!- Tori disintegrating piece by piece in front of her.

I loved the fact that this book is told from the point of view of somebody who is seen to be mentally unstable. As the layers of this story unfold you can’t help but question everything Alison tells us. Especially as the story gets more and more crazy and unbelievable! Is there some kind of strange phenomenon going on? Or is Alison simply an insane and imaginative narrator? R J Anderson certainly keeps you on your toes and I absolutely raced through this book for answers. Anderson’s writing is so beautifully descriptive and this books ending completely blew my mind. I adored this books uniqueness and individuality and it comes with my highest of recommendations and a warning that once you pick up this intense psychological thriller you won’t want to put it down!
 5 stars.



Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien

Unfortunately this book fell a little short for me. There’s no denying that Caragh M. O’Brien’s writing is gorgeous her descriptions really sucked me into our heroine Gaia’s harrowing world but unfortunately the rest of the book didn’t really do anything for me.

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting from this book but with it being a dystopian I went into it expecting something futuristic and instead Gaia’s world despite being set 300-400 years in the future if anything has gone back in time and instead of the “code” that’s talked about on the cover being all high tech and extreme like I imagined it was all fairly simple and dull compared to what I’d built up in my head.

That being said when I got over my disappointment surrounding the books plot and the code I could appreciate this book for what it was. Gaia’s a strong likeable heroine and the future she inhabits is brutal and terrifying. O’Brien isn’t afraid to make her world unfair and cruel. With Caragh’s haunting writing she really paints a picture in your mind of a shocking future that’s easily believable. Is this the best dystopian story I’ve ever read? No. But would I recommend it? Sure.
3.5 stars.

Review for Passion by Lauren Kate

This is the third book in the Fallen series. Although this review will contain NO spoilers from Passion by talking about the plot there may be unintentional spoilers from the first two books in the series.

Synopsis
""Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever."

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever."

Passion is the highly anticipated third book in the Fallen series and let me tell you it certainly lives up to its name! Passion for me is the most romantic book of the series so far. Luce spends the entire book travelling from announcer to announcer going back in time through her past lives. Ever since finding out about Luce and Daniels previous lives together I’ve wanted to go back and see what they were like then and Passion gives readers the chance to do that.

Luce’s past lives fascinated me and I loved going on this race against time with Luce to try and break her and Daniels curse. Seeing a love span out across thousands of years makes for some very romantic reading and Luce and Daniel relight the flame they had in Fallen that dwindled into a lot of arguments and insecurities in Torment. It was great to have Luce and Daniel’s epic love story back on track with Passion and if anything Luce learning for herself about their love in past lives and the curse that bounds them makes them stronger than ever.

However it has to be said that I did get a little bored at some points whilst reading this book. With Luce diving into the past nothing is really happening during the present tense not really pushing the story forward and without the present breaking it up and the appearance of characters like Arriane and Shelby we’ve come to know and love the story gets pretty intense and repetitive with Luce going back in time and each lifetime having the same outcome. Some of Luce’s past lives were super interesting and provided a lot of food for thought on Luce and Daniels relationship but others not so much. They were just there because they needed to be and didn’t really add much to the story making the whole do over thing a little slow going at times.

That being said Passion seems to be very much a bridge book taking us from the events in the first two books to the last book Rapture. Passion needs to happen to tie together Torment and Rapture so whilst it may not be the most compelling book of the series fans need to read it in order to get some answers and to be in the know for the potential awesome that Lauren has set up in final book Rapture. Passion is the book that ties up loose ends and shows us the exit to the end making it a very important book that’s not to be missed.

As always Lauren Kate’s writing is haunting and beautiful. In Passion fans of the series will get to find out the answers we’ve all been craving about the curse and Luce’s reincarnations. Luce and Daniel’s love is put to the ultimate test making for some very tender scenes between our star-crossed couple. Whilst Passion might not be my favourite book in the series there’s no denying that it’s an important one and I absolutely can’t wait to see how Lauren ends things in Rapture.
My Rating 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis taken from goodreads
Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book to review

Review for The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Donna Underwood isn’t your typical teenage girl, she knows secrets, secrets about magic, other realms, secret societies and faeries and to top it off when she was a kid she was in a freak attack with a fey monster leaving her with mangled hands and arms and a dead father. After excruciating magical treatments Donna’s arms are left healed with Iron tattoo’s, giving her inhuman strength and a powerful iron enhanced weapon against the evil wood elves that attacked her and her father. So when the fey start kidnapping the people Donna loves and replacing them with faerie doppelgangers Donna knows it’s up to her to save them, and so with the help of gorgeous half faerie half human Xan Donna sets off to put an end to the evil wood elves who have haunted her nightmares all of her life even if it costs her the ultimate betrayal… I’ve read a few faerie books and I have to say that none of them have really impressed me. I was pretty much ready to just accept that maybe faeries weren’t for me when I heard about The Iron Witch. It sounded completely original and not like any other fey books I’ve read with the alchemist element thrown in and so I decided to give it a go. The Iron Witch had me intrigued pretty much straight away. I’m a sucker for all things magical so the alchemist part of the story really interested me and I loved how Karen Mahoney connected it in with a faerie world. The books fairly short but it packs a punch and for a debut novel to a brand new series it definitely has me wanting to know more about this world. Karen Mahoney answers just enough questions to leave you closing the book satisfied but at the same time has developed this world that has so much potential that you can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen next. As for characters I really loved Xan from the moment I met him but that’s not to say that I didn’t like Donna’s best friend Navin too. Although the romance was fairly limited in The Iron Witch I can definitely see a love triangle developing in future books and I have a feeling that Donna won’t be the only one torn between the boys! I found Donna to be a really interesting lead character. Her Iron tattoos and the abilities that come with them fascinated me and was a really original concept to the story. She was a strong, clever heroine and I especially enjoyed reading her journal entries as they really gave an insight into how Donna was feeling and I felt like I got to know her a lot better during that time. I can’t wait to learn more about her and the alchemists and their magic in future books. Overall I would recommend The Iron Witch to fey fans looking for a new take on the faerie worlds they’ve come to know and love and even to those none faerie lovers like me there’s still an enchanting, dark, new world to discover making The Iron Witch an enjoyable read for everyone. My Rating 3.5/5 stars ***1/2 Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book to review

Review for Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

"It’s 1929 and Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey have escaped their small Midwestern town to chase big dreams and even bigger secrets. Amongst the glittering metropolis of New York City, they meet Astrid Donal, a flapper who has everything she could ever want, except for the one thing Letty and Cordelia have to offer—true friendship. Set in the dizzying summer before the market crash, against the vast lawns of the glamorous Long Island mansions and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, three girls will find scandal, intrigue, and romance. . ." I am a huge fan of Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series and have been anticipating the release of the first book in her new series Bright Young Things for the longest time. Bright Young Things is set in the roaring twenties and the book's prologue automatically draws you in by informing you that come the end of the summer one of our heroines will be famous, the second married and the third dead which immediately gets the ball rolling with you wanting to know which character will end up with what fate. I spent much of the book trying to figure out where things were heading with each girl but its impossible to predict. There are so many possibilities and honestly all three girls could end up with any one of those destiny's. The girls futures keep twisting and turning making it impossible to put your finger on what's going to happen next. Anna Godbersen certainly does a fantastic job of keeping you on your toes making me eager to get my hands on the next book- it's going to be a long wait! I felt that despite their similarities Bright Young Things has a very different feel to it of that of The Luxe series. Whilst Bright Young Things has the drama and glitz and glamour that The Luxe had the girls are very different. With Letty and Cordelia being from a small town they have a certain innocence to them that the Luxe girls didn't. They make mistakes and their not as sure of themselves which makes for interesting reading. I have a feeling that were really going to see these characters grow in each book as they settle into the big city. Bright Young Things also has a more mature feel to it, there's less scheming and bitching than the Luxe and these girls dreams are even more ambitious. The stakes are higher and so each girl has even farther to fall from grace. It took a while for me to get used to the differences as I really did expect Bright Young Things to be like another Luxe only set in the twenties, but once I did I was hooked and quickly fell in love with the girls of 1929. Bright Young Things is a fantastic set up to what I believe is going to be an addictive new series. Anna Godbersen describes New York summer time during the twenties beautifully. She has a real talent for capturing the era she's writing about making the big city come to life right in front of you. Her writings as gorgeous as a glitzy flapper dress and she has a unique talent for really defining her characters making each girl original and special. Once I got over Bright Young Things not being exactly like the Luxe I really enjoyed my time with Letty, Cordelia and Astrid and can not wait for the next book to see what the future holds for these girls. Recommended to anybody looking for an exciting, fun, addictive new series. My Rating 3.5/5 stars ***1/2 Thanks go to Penguin/Razorbill for sending me this book to review. Synopsis taken from Amazon

Review for Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad

Sugar and Spice is the last instalment in the L.A Candy series. These books have been my sweet little guilty pleasures this year and although they may not be the best pieces of literature they keep me entertained which for me is the main thing. The L.A Candy series follows a year in the life of a group of young, L.A girls who have launched to fame through a hit reality TV show. These books are semi autobiography, semi fiction based on author Lauren Conrad’s time on MTVs hugely successful reality series The Hills. In Sugar and Spice things pick up where Sweet Little Lies left off. After recently being betrayed by supposed friend and co-star Madison, Jane’s fast learning who she can and can’t trust now that she’s living under the spotlight. Whilst the tabloids are trying to create a rivalry between the girls all Jane wants is to cut her frenemies out and take back control of her life and normality, but normal is hard to achieve when you’re the nations sweetheart and your ex-boyfriend from back home comes creeping out of the works. Add on top of that Jane’s current L.A crush Brandon and life proves to be just as dramatic off screen as it is on. Meanwhile Jane’s best friend Scarlett is having some boy troubles of her own. Her new boyfriend Liam is the guy of her dreams, sweet, kind and down to earth Liam has no interest in appearing on L.A candy – which would be perfect if the bosses of the show didn’t keep trying to set up flirtatious scenes between Scarlett and guys who are willing to appear on the show causing Scarlett’s real reality to come crashing down. As season 2 gets ready to air it looks like the girls have some big decisions to make about their lives on and off set but can both reality and reality TV ever co-exist smoothly alongside each other? What I love about the L.A candy books is that there’s never a dull moment. There’s always plenty of drama and backstabbing to keep you turning those pages and the characters of Jane and Scarlett are really admirable. If you haven’t read these books you may be lead to believe that it’s about blonde, ditzy, wannabes chasing fame in L.A and whilst there are some characters like that in the books the main characters Jane and Scarlett are nothing like that with Jane being a down to earth girl next door type and Scarlett an intelligent, ambitious, natural beauty. These girls are real and very relatable and likeable and it’s so entertaining seeing the girls trying to deal with being big stars in L.A and all the fakes and drama that comes along with it. On top of everything this series gives a very insightful look into reality TV and what really goes on behind the scenes in these shows told by a girl who’s experienced it all first hand. I’ve enjoyed these books a lot, there perfect light hearted escapism on days when I just wanted something fun to read. I thought Sugar and Spice was a great ending to a great series overall but I was a little disappointed by Jane’s love interest outcome especially because I liked a certain guy in particular but other than that I thought it was a perfect ending. Scandalous, dramatic and highly entertaining this is the perfect series to get lost in. The literary equivalent to a hot bubble bath and a glass of wine. Sugar and Spice will be loved by The Hills fans, reality TV show junkies and teenage girls everywhere. 3.5 stars. My Rating 3.5/5 stars ***1/2