Review: The Julian Chapter by RJ Palacio

Over 1 million people have read Wonder and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. Now readers will have a chance to hear from the book's most controversial character—Julian. 

From the very first day Auggie and Julian met in the pages of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder, it was clear they were never going to be friends, with Julian treating Auggie like he had the plague. And while Wonder told Auggie's story through six different viewpoints, Julian's perspective was never shared. Readers could only guess what he was thinking.

Until now. The Julian Chapter will finally reveal the bully's side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?

Review: I was so excited for this novella which is an extra chapter to the fabulous Wonder! I was really lucky because I literally went from reading Wonder onto reading this in the space of a week so I would really recommend re-reading wonder to get you in the right mindset for this one. A whole novella from the bullies point of view? Inspired. This novella has all the same great qualities as Wonder had. It is quick and pacey, has all the feels and a totally realistic voice of a teenage(ish) boy! 

I thought Julian was a totally hateful character after I read wonder. Everyone I meet who has read wonder feels the same way and so I kind of wasn't looking forward to hearing things from his point of view. I thought that perhaps I wouldn't spend the entire novella hating him, but I was surprised to find myself sympathising and even empathising with him during the reading of this one. It was also really great to hear some of the events from wonder retold from another point of view. 

This novella had the same great writing as wonder had an it was an absolute pleasure to be reading something by this author once again. She really does have the voice of the boys right and each character she writes about has their own unique way of thinking, something which I'm pretty impressed with. I'd love to hear more about Julian and August and I think a Wonder sequel would be absolutely inspired! 

Slight spoiler coming...

I read this with the same group of children at school who I read Wonder with and they loved every moment of it, particularly the story that Julian's grandmother tells. They were convinced the Julian would go back to Beacher Prep and were slightly disappointed that he didn't. So much so, that they are talking about rewriting the ending so that Auggie and Julian do meet up again. This is the impact that this writer has, encourages people to read and write as well as thinking about their actions-just fabulous!

#ChooseKind 

Review! On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare ...

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well - until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street, where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he's determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won't be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her . . . down to the very soul.

Review: I read this novel as part of a New Adult Readathon and also because it was being discussed in a twitter book club hosted by Sophie Hart but I actually really enjoyed it although i wouldn't have picked it up independently. I loved the opening of this book, I thought it was really fast laced and I loved the concept of someone losing every thing and then moving to Edinburgh and finding a fabulous new housemate. The fact that this novel is set in Edinburgh is a real bonus for me, I love being able to picture where characters are when they are travelling around in a novel, and this was really nice for me to experience. The style of the flay is also typical of a tenement building just like those found in Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres.

Joss made a really good main character, although she did annoy me at points. She seems to mostly know her own mind although occasionally she will come out with things or make moves that I really didn't understand, or see where they were coming from. She seems to fly off the handle quite easily, something which seems to be indicative of young females in novels these days. She doesn't let herself be take advantage of though and I really liked that. She also comes to really appreciate family values and I was really pleased about this.

I really loved the character of Ellie-Joss's flatmate, she is bubbly and provides a very good platform for joss to push her boundaries. Ellie goes through a lot in the novel too and I would love to see a spin off featuring her, and telling her story, during or even post, on Dublin Street. Now Braden, opinions on Braden seem to differ somewhat. As the love interest in this novel, I wouldn't be able to describe him. I found him very one dimensional,with a very selfish personality and I really think that perhaps Joss ended up falling for him more out of convenience than any other reason. I'm really not a Braden fan, although this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel as a whole...

I would definitely recommend this novel to others, it was an enjoyable read, had good pace and a good plot line. The characters and the setting are very believable and I even found myself crying at points. The sex scenes in the novel really aren't too explicit meaning that those of a more delicate nature will still enjoy this for the quality writing that it is...

You can get yourself a copy of this novel by clicking here!

Review! The Naughty Girls Book Club by Sophie Hart

A quaint suburb. A quiet little book club. A very naughty reading list.

When Estelle sets up a book group in order to increase custom to her struggling cafe, what follows is more mind-blowing than she could have ever imagined...

As the first book club meeting flounders, Estelle suggests a spot of erotica to spice things up.

Inspired by their naughty novels, this group of shy suburban readers shake off their inhibitions and soon discover that their own lives can be just as scandalous...

Review: Now I LOVE books about book groups, and I do like a bit of erotica, so I pretty much knew I was going to love this book, but I was still surprised because it didn't take the plot direction that I thought it was going to, and in doing so, exceeded all my expectations! I thought it was a brilliant concept, with the development of 50 Shades of Grey and all the others that have been release since, erotica has definitely become more mainstream, and so a book group focusing solely on 'naughty books' is a great idea! 

Each and every character in this book adds to the development of the plot as well as to the readers enjoyment. Cafe owner Estelle, initially seems pretty reserved, a divorced mum with a teenage son, she is not as conservative and you might expect,however. Then we have retired Sue, again somewhat more conservative than the other members of the group, but the amount that she learns bout herself and changes over the course of the novel is truly phenomenal. Initially I didn't like the male character in the group, Reggie, I thought he felt as if the book grip was beneath him, but he is really brought out of his shell by other members of the group. Rebecca is your typical newly wed finding that marriage isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be. The novels she reads seem to bring out her character with each page turn. My favourite member of the group though is Gracie. I find it fab that she works in a library and I love the sound of her sense of style. She's definitely a whole lot of fun.

There are, or course, other male characters in the novel aside from book-club member Reggie and these guys all bring something the to the book as well. At some points I feel sorry for Rebecca's husband Andy, he really doesn't know what he's in for when Rebecca starts reading the books that the group discuss. The addition of the make characters mean that there is of course romance throughout the storyline! I think the balance of sex, and romance and plot was just fabulous, the author has got it spot on in this case, and that's part of what makes it such an entertaining read! 

Whilst there definitely are some slightly risqué scenes in this book, all the sex is dealt with incredibly tastefully and so don't be fooled into thinking this novel is going to be a complete bonkfest full of descriptions from the pages of the books they are reading. The sex is interspersed with the perfect amount of romance, but also a decent helping of real life. I think everyone will be able to relate to one of these characters, or at least something that one of them is going through, another place where this author has got it exactly right.

The Naughty Girls Book Club is a great read, something which I think any reader could pick up and enjoy as a fun, fast-paced novel. The characters are likeable, the storyline and realistic BUT it will make you want to go out and buy more books, so be warned! There is a fab section at the end of the book that has, not only suggested book-club questions, but also suggested reading material! I am proud to say that I have read a decent chunk of the books suggested, but there are at least three books mentioned by this author that are going straight on my wish list!

I'll leave you with a quote from the book that I found particularly thought provoking..."But life can't be like fiction, mum. People read books like that for escapism."

Losing my Book Group Virginity

Confession: I have never been part of a book club before-online or otherwise! I know this might seem hard to beleive, the amount of reading that I do, but I've never found anything that suits me. I moved to this area about two years ago now, but don't really know anyone here and so the thought of joining a book club here is slightly intimidating and before I moved here, the only book clubs around me were for the kind of books that I don't enjoy reading!

The ironic thing is that I love reading books about book clubs. Elizabeth Noble's the Book Group, The Jane Austen Book Club  and now the new Naughty Girls Book Club by Sophie Hart, which you can read my review of soon, have all been fabulolus books (although they did lead to me buying a load of new books to read alongside them) and so why had I never managed to find a book club for me?

Well that all changed one night on Twitter! I had downloaded The Naughty Girls Book Club to read on my Kindle and followed the author on Twitter. I knew that she had started an online book club, held once a month over Twitter. The last two books they had been talking about, I hadn't read and didn't reallty have time to start by the time I found out about it happening, but this month's book was Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire which was at the very top of my TBR pile anyway (as fans of the blog will know!) So I decided to take the plunge, read the book and take part in the book club over Twitter!

This was on Wednesday and, let me tell you, it was exhilerating! The most interesting thing for me was that my opinions on the book differed from some of the others. I'm not sure it would have worked with many more people because it would have been hard to keep up with the tweets, there seemed to be just the right number! I really enjoyed exploring the different aspects of the book. We explored the characters, the violence in the book, the naughtiness in the book and also touched on the book's sequal, Walking Disaster. Sophie Hart was hosting and was asking some excellent questions!

So now I've lost my book group virginity, and I can tell you... A good time was had by all. The next question is-what will we be reading next? If you have any thoughts on the matter, let me know! I LOVE to hear your comments!