Review for What’s a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne

What’s a Girl Gotta Do? 
by Holly Bourne 
Publisher: Usborne
Release: 1st August 2016
Genre: Contemporary, UKYA, Feminism
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"HOW TO START A FEMINIST REVOLUTION:

1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender

2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)

3. Always try to keep it funny

4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas..."

Review 
What’s a Girl Gotta Do? is the final book in Holly Bourne’s trailblazing feminist trilogy. It’s a strong series ender, driving home the overriding messages at the heart of this series about feminism, friendship and standing up for what you believe in as we follow Lottie and her campaign against sexism.

After being sexually harassed on her way to college one morning, something in Lottie snaps. She’s had enough of sexist comments and is tired of being at the brunt of them. Lottie decides that enough is enough and that it’s time to stand up for herself and women everywhere by calling out every instance of sexism that she encounters, filming her journey along the way. As the vagilante campaign goes viral, Lottie is attacked by online trolls trying to tear both her and feminism down. With her sanity and place at Cambridge on the line, Lottie has to decide, back down from the campaign just as it’s making an impact? Or stand up and fight for what she believes in?

I finished this book wishing that I could high five Lottie and applaud Holly Bourne. A book that tackles sexism and promotes feminism so unabashedly could easily be labelled as “preachy” but Holly goes for a show instead of tell approach which results in a true to life portrayal of everyday sexism and shows why more and more young women are turning to feminism.

Through Lottie’s experiences, Holly Bourne puts life as a young feminist under the microscope. I found myself relating so much to Lottie, easily recognising the instances of sexism as being similar to my own experiences. I think that any girl or woman who reads this book will find it scarily relatable too.

I love how What’s a Girl Gotta Do? shows how hard it can be to stay true to yourself and your beliefs, especially when other people are trying to bring you down. There’s a beautiful message in this book about staying strong in the face of adversity that is universal and timely.

Along the way we get to catch up with Evie and Amber, and find out what’s going on in their lives. At the end of this book there is a cliff-hanger as to how Lottie’s story concludes, but I actually didn’t mind it all that much because it seemed unimportant compared to the personal growth that Lottie goes through. There is going to be a spinster club novella released this November which made finishing this book a little bit easier!

Overall, What’s a Girl Gotta Do? is a thought-provoking, inspiring read that takes you on an emotional journey and makes you feel proud to be a girl.

Review for Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne 
Publisher: Usborne
Release: 1st August 2015
Genre: Contemporary, UKYA, Mental Health, Feminism
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review





Synopsis:

"All Evie wants is to be normal. And now that she's almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the-girl-who-went-nuts, there's only one thing left to tick off her list... But relationships can mess with anyone's head - something Evie's new friends Amber and Lottie know only too well. The trouble is, if Evie won't tell them her secrets, how can they stop her making a huge mistake?"

Review 
Every so often a book comes along that feels like it was written especially for you, Am I Normal Yet? was one of those books for me. Holly Bourne tackles the big issues that teenage girls face daily: feminism, mental health, friendship and boy drama and shows how these themes are intertwined and affect one another making life as a teenage girl treacherous to navigate.

The book follows Evie’s story as she tries to live a normal life, something that is fundamentally difficult with OCD rituals controlling her. I developed OCD in my teens and although it manifested itself in a different form to Evie’s I found myself nodding along as I recognized the anxiety and intrusive thoughts that Evie had as being similar to my own. Holly Bourne handles OCD compassionately and realistically as we see how the condition affects Evie’s life.

Along with her OCD, Evie is trying to manage the growing distance between herself and her best friend Jane now that Jane has a new boyfriend, as well as dealing with her own boy problems as she dips her toes back into the pool of dating. At college Evie meets two girls, Amber and Lottie, who quickly become new friends as they bond over heartbreak and feminism.

The way that Holly Bourne worked feminism into her story was really well done. Rather than telling the reader about feminism she showed how feminism was relevant to the numerous situations the characters found themselves in making it accessible and relatable to young girls. I loved how Evie and her friends were just getting started on their journey into feminism and so they were each at different stages and continued to learn as they went along.

For me, Am I Normal Yet? is Holly Bourne’s best book to date. At last a YA book has come along that challenges the mixed messages that modern society sends out to girls and introduces young openly feminist characters who I’m sure will become heroes to teen girls everywhere. Am I Normal Yet? is a must read for anyone who recognises just how tough being a girl really is.

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.

YALC Readathon Guest Post: When authors meet other (more famous) authors by Holly Bourne

Hi guys! We're on day three of the readathon now and I hope that you're all making great progress with your TBR piles. If not, no worries! We still have another four days to go which includes a weekend so keep calm and read on!

Speaking of keeping calm my YALC Readathon guest today is the lovely Holly Bourne who is going to be talking about her experience meeting an author she admires and sharing some tips on how to keep your cool.

I'm going to be meeting some of my all-time favourite authors during YALC. It'll only be my third book signing and so some tips on how to not get too overwhelmed by it all could not be more welcome!

Here's Holly to talk about her experience including what it feels like to be on the other side of that signing table...

When authors meet other (more famous) authors by Holly Bourne 

I don't want to sound anti-social but... I find meeting readers scary. Like, really scary.

I LOVE it, but I also spend the build-up to any author event hyperventilating into a bag and sweating all over the floor.

There is SO much to worry about. In my case:
• Swearing
• Spelling someone's name wrong when signing a book
• Spelling my own name wrong when signing a book (this has happened three times)
• Not being 'nice' enough - if people have gone to all this trouble of meeting you, what if you're not the person they want you to be?
• Etc...etc...etc... thus all the sweat.

It never occurred to me that it's equally nerve-wracking to be on the other side - the reader side. That was, until, I got to meet one of my own writing heroes recently.

EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert is a marmite book. If you love it, perhaps that's because it's like a heat-seeking missile that finds its way into your life exactly when you need it. When I was 24 and a miserable news reporter I picked up an old copy in an Oxfam shop and read it within a few days. It changed my life.

Within a month or two, I'd quit my job to go travelling, just like she did. While travelling, I stood on top of a mountain, feeling all deep and meaningful and a bit like Kevin Spacey at the end of American Beauty, and had a very profound thought I'll never forget:

"Holly, go home and write that book you've been thinking about writing."

Four years later, that book is on bookshelves. My life has changed considerably and for the better. Last month I got to meet the woman partly responsible for all that happening. Elizabeth Gilbert was coming to London to do a talk, and I got tickets to see and meet her.

Holly meeting Elizabeth Gilbert

It was so weird going through the process from the other side after only ever being on the 'author' side of these events and it came with its own set of anxieties:

• How early do you need to go to get a good seat?
• Whereabouts do you even sit? Isn't it too keen to go right at the front? But you ARE KEEN!
• Do I look too much like a crazy fan? Oh God, I'm at the front of the queue, I do!
• What the hell do I say to her? Do I tell her I'm a writer too? Or will that annoy her because I'm making it about me? Will I come across OK? Will she even remember me?
• Will it annoy her that my book is a secondhand copy?
• What if her talk is crap? What if I don't like her? Will that ruin the book for me?

It was oddly surreal when she walked into the room - suddenly I was sharing the same breathing space as the person who wrote those words. This person, who has no idea I exist or how her words and story have touched me, was now inhaling the same oxygen.

Of course, Elizabeth was WONDERFUL and her talk was everything I wanted it to be. Then for the really scary part, actually meeting her. WHAT DO YOU SAY?

For me, it all happened in a rushed blur. I blurted out: "Your book changed my life, and now I'm an author too. Thank you so much."

I waited for her to roll her eyes, or look at me as if I was bonkers, or both. Instead, she asked all sorts of questions: 'What's it called? What's it about?' And she looked pretty darn happy when I said her other book, COMMITTED, provided a lot of the research for SOULMATES. She finished by high-fiving me and saying 'ROCK ON.'

It's fair to say, my literary crush is now fully fledged. But despite the good vibes, I still left in a state of worry. Had I made a fool out of myself? Should I have said what I did? Should I have asked for a photo? Damnit! I should've asked for a photo! Did she enjoy meeting me? Will she remember me? Or do I just fade into the long line of fans?

That's when I remembered what it's like on the author side of the table, and how it feels to meet your readers. Here is the essence:

• The author is just as nervous as you are, I promise.
• If you love their book, TELL THEM. That is why they wrote the book - spending thousands of hours alone in their jimjams - for people like you to tell them they loved it. You won't sound gushing, or like a strange sad fan. To the contrary, you will be making their day/week/month/year.
• Please do write your name down beforehand so the author can see it and spell it correctly. A lengthy queue of Catherines and Katherines can easily produce some embarrassingly mis-signed books.
• But that should not suggest that we won't remember you. Anyone who has ever come up and chatted to me at a signing is etched on my memory forever in the section marked 'happy place'.

So, with all that in mind, my advice to anyone coming to YALC this year to see your favourite authors is this - don't panic, enjoy every moment, and make sure you take that photo if you want one!

 Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today Holly! I think I'm going to print these tips off and take them along to YALC with me!

 Holly will be appearing at YALC on Saturday 12th July

For news on Holly's new book The Manifesto on How to be Interesting check out my exclusive reveal post here. 

 Only just heard about the YALC Readathon? There's still time to sign up here.

Exclusive Reveal! The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne‏

So if you've followed the blog for a while you'll know that I've been a huge supporter of Holly Bourne's since before the publication of her debut novel Soulmates and so it's such an honor today to be exclusively revealing the title, cover and synopsis for her upcoming book *drum roll...*

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting

I absolutely love this bright coral neon cover and sprayed edges! It's definetely going to catch eyes in bookshops! And here's the synopsis for the book which sounds just as fab as the cover!

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting is a fearlessly frank take on school cliques, crushes and fitting in.

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.

Sounds great, right? So I bet you're wondering when you can get your grabby hands, that I just know you're all making at the screen, on a copy. Good news! The publication date has been brought forward to 1st August 2014.

AND THAT'S NOT ALL! 

If you're a fan of Holly's then you probably already know that she'll be at YALC on Saturday 12th July and I'm excited to reveal that copies of The Manifesto on How to be Interesting will be joining her! The book will be on sale early so fans attending YALC will be the first people to be able to buy and read the book.

 Do let both myself and Holly know what you think either in the comments or on Twitter @Jessheartsbooks and @holly_bourneYA 

Find out more about Holly and her books on her website www.hollybourne.co.uk