Review: Emmy a And Oliver by Robin Benway

Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Review: a book about a boy who was kidnapped doesn't sound very readable or light-hearted but keep reading and I'll tell you why this is actually an enjoyable read. Firstly, I had this books recommended to me and had no idea what it was about but I love the name Oliver and I'd heard good things so I got it on a whim from the library. Can we also take a moment to appreciate the cover. How simple and lovely is it? I love the fact that these fingerprints form a heart and I totally didn't notice that when I first picked this up-so simple, so effective! 

So Emmy and Oliver, two interesting characters, we meet them just as Oliver is kidnapped and then we pick up with Emmy some years later. I totally didn't realise until Emmy said it had happened and was totally stopped in my tracks, the effectiveness of not reading the blurb first! I really liked Emmy as a character because she is strong willed, and independent. There is so much that she keeps from her parents in this book and, whilst that is something you shouldn't do, I do respect her for wanting to have her own life and her own goals and dreams! Oliver is equally independent and so the two mesh well together. He will naturally have a hard time adjusting to life back in the 'real world' or his 'former life' but he is so laid back he seems to take it all in his stride, I love that about his personality. Caro and Drew from the rest of their friendship group, although the parental characters form an important part of this story as well. 

This most definitely the beginning of a coming of age for all of theses character and it is interesting to see the young people grow and develop and see how their parents respond to that. There are a whole host of issues dealt with in this book but I would say the key message here is one of identity. This isnt a novel which is entirely issues based. It is very much character driven and I like that the issues aren't shoved in your face, you don't feel that it is all about them. I also learned quite a bit from this books, I won't tell you what about because of spoilers but be prepare for that too. Of course there is a love story aspect to this and also a hidden message of loyalty. I loved the way the story played out, I loved the ending, it was an easy read and an enjoyable one. This isn't a life changing novel but it is one that will enrich the life you are living today. 

Review: Girls hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe

An inspiring, uplifting and sympathetic story about sexuality and self-acceptance, Lucy Sutcliffe's debut memoir is a personal and moving coming out story. In 2010, at seventeen, Lucy Sutcliffe began an online friendship with Kaelyn, a young veterinary student from Michigan. Within months, they began a long distance relationship, finally meeting in the summer of 2011. Lucy's video montage of their first week spent together in Saint Kitts, which she posted to the couple's YouTube channel, was the first in a series of films documenting their long-distance relationship. Funny, tender and candid, the films attracted them a vast online following. Now, for the first time, Lucy's writing about the incredible personal journey she's been on; from never quite wanting the fairy-tale of Prince Charming to realising she was gay at the age of 14, through three years of self-denial to finally coming out to friends and family, to meeting her American girlfriend Kaelyn. 

Review: I literally sat down to read this book and didn't get up again until I'd finished it. This book was an incredibly quick read but mainly because I found Lucy's story so compelling. I had heard so much about this book, it was all over twitter and of course Lucy's story is on YouTube. But you never know with hyped books... This one didn't let me down though. I really loved reading about Lucy's thoughts and feelings as she went through the process of growing up, falling in love and coming out. 

I really enjoyed reading about Lucy's early life because I could really identify with her feelings about primary and secondary school. Although I wasn't going through quite the same things as her, I did find the whole experience quite isolating and considered going to a different secondary school from everyone else in my class and I really applaud her for the choices she has made. I could also really identify with the latter portion of the book, moving overseas and leaving Freinds and family behind to be with someone you love so I couldn't have picked a better time to sit down and read this book. 

I think coming of age books are always a worthwhile read. It's always great to hear about others' experiences and thoughts and feelings as they're growing up and and discovering their true identity and so I do think this book is something important and something that anyone, not matter how they identify could enjoy. As I mentioned above. I stormed through this book, enjoying the entire reading experience and now I am going to go and watch their story on YouTube! 

Review: What We Left Behind by Robin Talley

From the critically acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves comes an emotional, empowering story of what happens when love isn't enough to conquer all.

Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They've been together forever. They never fight. They're deeply, hopelessly in love. When they separate for their first year at college—Toni to Harvard and Gretchen to NYU—they're sure they'll be fine. Where other long-distance relationships have fallen apart, their relationship will surely thrive.

The reality of being apart, however, is a lot different than they expected. As Toni, who identifies as genderqueer, falls in with a group of transgender upperclassmen and immediately finds a sense of belonging that has always been missing, Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside their relationship.

While Toni worries that Gretchen, who is not trans, just won't understand what is going on, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in Toni's life. As distance and Toni's shifting gender identity begins to wear on their relationship, the couple must decide—have they grown apart for good, or is love enough to keep them together? 

Review: I was really excited about this book, having loved Robin Talley's previous story. To be honest, she had a lot to live up to following the previous novel becaus that just wowed me so much! This story tackle similar issues but opened up another whole new world to me, how does this writer do that? This is another book that is not for the faint hearted and definitely not for a younger reader, but a book which I feel is As important as it is moving and demands to be read! 

I really liked meeting the characters of Gretchen and Toni and going on their journey with them. I have to admit that I got so sucked into this book, not only did I not put it down and read it cover to cover in one sitting, but it also felt the angst that they felt, I felt oppressed by societies labels in to he way that they did and I also felt as confused as they did by their (and my own place in that) I'm not sure reading it in one big chunk comes highly recommended but I really wanted to immerse myself in the story and felt I got to know these characters a lot more because of that. I have to say, I really didn't like some of the supporting characters in this book. I loved how supportive they were of their friends at times but I never really thought about the peer pressure that can exist not only to fit in and be 'normal' but also the peer pressure that one can face to not fit in and and yet to be something that is easily recognisable within society. 

There were moments in this book where I was a little confused by the terminology, just because I had heard all the words and phrases and yet didn't really know what they meant when it comes to gender identity and transitioning. I found that this meant the book took a little longer than any other 400 page novel. However I appreciate when a book teaches me new things and I learn from that and so I don't mind the extra time that it took me. I really love that this book is set when two people go off to college/university and it really made me want to start that journey all over again and discover the delights of reinventing yourself in a new city with new friends. There are also parts of the book where one of the characters doesn't use any pronouns which I think. Must have been a real skill to write and I really admire the author for this! 

Overall I really enjoyed this book and am really glad that I read it. The only thing stopping it from being a five star read for me, and therefore living up to the novel that Talley wrote before this one was all of the terminology. Sometimes it felt like there was a lot of pressure to out labels on things when the book was all about not conforming to labels and there were a lot of new labels to get my head around. I definitely recommend going into this book with an open mind, ready to have it expanded even farther and I commend this author on writing about a very real topic facing young people as they begin their adult lives today! 

Review: Will Grayson Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers cross paths. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, culminating in heroic turns-of-heart and the most epic musical ever to grace the high-school stage.

Review: from the moment this book started, it affected me, one moment I was laughing, the next I was crying and all of the time it made me really think! If you described the plot of this to someone who hadn't read it, they would probably think that the main focus of this book is the two characters called Will Grayson and the comedy of the fact that they have the same name and end up meeting. In fact this is not the main focus at all. This book is about growing up and friendship and finding yourself and about the pressures that society puts on young people to conform and to be something that they're not. 

Now whilst this sounds like a deep concept and not something that should have you in stitches, the way John Green and David Levithan have written this book means that you never feel as if you're being preached at or feel like these deep and meaningful things are affecting you but when you put this book down, you really do come away thinking and evaluating. There are some seriously funny moments in the book though, some proper, I am laughing out loud in a public place, kind of hilarious. There were also a couple of tears shed but I was very satisfied with the ending and I really didn't cry too much!

Of course everyone has their favourite characters in this book. Now Tiny Cooper is a major player in this story and he even gets his own musical and spin off book about that musical. I did like him but i had that trouble that I quite often have with teenagers in books in that he was quite self involved and in some part of the story, I just really found him to be completely selfish. i would have to say that my favourite character is Will grayson. Which one though? i think I like the Will Grayson who begins the tale, Tiny's original Friend. He's a little more down to earth that the other characters and I really like the way his character evolves over the novel. The cast of characters in this book though is seriously good and very well developed for a collaborative novel like this!

The writing in this book is really wonderful. the humour is dry and sharp and the narrative just addictive. Despite the fact that I had this book in paperback, I listened to the audio version of this one because I thought it would be interesting to hear it with the two different Will Graysons. It worked really well because I had their different voices in my head for each. There are also a few bit of musical merriment in this novel and so the narrator actually sings in those bits so it was really fun and I would really recommend a) reading this fabulously humorous novel and b) recommend getting the audio version of this book. I think there really is something for everyone here whether you've already grown up or not-seriously good!

Review: Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review: I read this book straight after finishing Anna and the French kiss and I would really recommend doing it this way because you totally stay in the lovely bubble that is Stephanie Perkins's writing. This book was possibly even better than Anna and the French kiss because I just loved the characters of Lola and Cricket even more so than Anna and St Clair. However, I didn't think that the storyline of this novel was quite as compelling as the first on these companion books. 

The reason I loved Lola so much was because she was such a free spirit and so independent. I loved her fashion sense, her confidence and her sense of hope in the world. She didn't whine, she had gay dads and a mom who'd gone off the rails and she as coping just fine, getting on without a fuss. When she saw something she wanted, she went for it, even if that mean schlepping across town in a yellow raincoat when there was no rain! 

Cricket was as much of a gentlemen as I could've hoped for, a bit like Lola, he saw what he wanted and he went for it and I loved that about him too. He seemed to be really close to his family and also wanted to do whatever he could to help Lola-such a cute little character! The character of Max on the other hand really was the bad boy and somebody many readers, myself included, will love to hate! Lola's dads are awesome, if a little over protective and of course there is the hitch girl character which every YA novel needs in the mix. 

The setting of this novel is fabulous and totally made me want to go to San Francisco. The streets and houses are really well written and described and I am literally desperate to go and experience that for myself now. This is another novel where not an awful lot happens and has the classic boy meets girl formula but it's wonderful in its inoffensiveness! It will leave you with the same warm and fuzzy feeling that Anna and the French Kiss leaves you with and you will definitely want to be creating shakier outfits and booking yourself on the next flight to San Francisco!