Review: Running by Natalia Sylvester

Fifteen-year-old Cuban-American Marianna Ruiz’s father has been a politician Mari’s entire life, but when he runs for president, Mari’s family is subjected to a new level of exposure, and Mari starts to see her dad with new eyes. A novel about privacy, waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero—while the whole country is watching.

Review: Oh this book is so much a coming of age story about identity, family and heart all dressed up in one man’s campaign for president. I loved it. I love the fact that politics has become something we can talk about in Young adult fiction. I felt like this writer assumed I had prior knowledge of the electoral system and the political playground as a whole and I love it when I feel like an author doesn’t have to talk down to me. More politics in fiction please!

Mari was a great character to spend this book with because she is at that stage of life when she has her family loyalty and that is as strong as it has ever been but she also wants to be her own person and has her own ideals and values and sometimes those go against the family values. I loved watching her trying to overcome these struggles and find a balance at the same time as forming her own identity. 

There is an awful lot about friendship in this book as well. Friendships where you wouldn’t think to find them and friendships weathering the test of time. We have all been through those times when actually a friendship isn’t what it used to be and it can be painful to acknowledge that or throw away your preconceived ideas about where your loyalties lie. 

Identity is such a key theme in this book, racial ideaty, family identity and identity as a woman coming of age in today’s society, Throw into that mix some political identity and some gender identity and wow Mari has a lot on her plate. It was tough to read at times but overall this book has something for everyone and is definitely something I wish I had read when I was struggling with my own conflicting identities when I was her age!

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Review: Boys Don't Knit (In Public) by TS Easton

Meet Ben Fletcher, an Adrian Mole for a new generation

Ben Fletcher must get to grips with his more 'feminine' side following an unfortunate incident with a lollipop lady and a stolen bottle of Martini Rosso from Waitrose. All a big misunderstanding of course.

To avoid the Young Offenders unit, Ben is ordered to give something back to the community and develop his sense of social alignment. Take up a hobby and keep on the straight and narrow. The hot teacher he likes runs a knitting group so Ben, reluctantly at first, gets 'stuck in'. Not easy when your dad is a sports fan and thinks Jeremy Clarkson is God. To his surprise, Ben finds that he likes knitting and that he has a mean competitive streak. If he can just keep it all a secret from his mates...and notice that the girl of his dreams, girl-next-door Megan Hooper has a bit of a thing for him...

Review: wow I really totally loved this book. I felt like I was watching a TV show about some unlikely lads and how they all got themselves in and out of trouble. I laughed so much reading this and just generally had a jolly good time. 

I think it was interesting that the whole premise behind this book is that Ben is doing things that are all requirements of his probation and yet I found myself forgetting so often that he had done something wrong and was now dealing with the consequences. I really liked Ben as a character and he really does seem like a decent stand up gentleman. There are even knitting magazines hidden under his bed where you might expect other kinds of magazines to be hiding as well. Ben's friends, as I mentioned above, are also interesting characters. They just remind me of the lads that I went to school with and one of them is even attempting to write a sort of Fifty Shades of Grey spin off novel-how hilarious is that?

This book is very very funny but there are also some decent messages for life in here too. Ben really does grow and change because of his court mandated knitting and community service. He really is a decent person to start with but gains a level of maturity throughout the novel. He also finds out what happens when a lie spirals out of control. There is a little romance in this novel, and not just between Ben's parents (who are very much as embarrassing as a teenage boy's parents should be) and I liked that there was just a smattering of that left in there. Despite the fact that there is some slightly offensive language in there and allusions to sex in some scenes, I think this would definitely be something entertaining for the younger end of the YA audience, with those disclosures in mind. 

This is a very British read, despite me having read the US version and translating certain things in my head as I went along and I loved that about it. I really enjoyed getting to know Ben and his friends and also getting to know a little bit more about knitting and football (soccer). I would definitely recommend this read, it was very funny and thoroughly entertaining!

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Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear. 

Review: I don't know why it took em so long to get round to reading this book (do I start all my reviews like that) but having loved this author's previous two novels, and read them back to back, cover to cover, I really don't know why I bought this and then just left it sitting on the shelf! I really enjoyed this read although it was one of those that was actually really different from what I expected it to be.

This book deals with the issue of OCD because our main character suffers from OCD. She has various coping strategies including a new one which she discovers over the course of this book. I thought it was really good that we got to see what every day life was like for her because of her OCD and got to see her visiting her therapist and not being able to cope in certain situations. OCD is such a dismissive term these days, often used for people who like things clean or in order and so to see how it affects someone like this was really great to read. There is also a really good author's note at the end of the book which covers the OCD storyline so I definitely recommend reading that too!

There is also some lovely romance in this novel, as I would have expected from this author and I really enjoyed this aspect of it too. I like the fact that this follows a sort of enemies to friends to more kind of trope but with a little twist on the traditional. There is also an aspect of friends to enemies here and I enjoyed watching that develop too, perhaps I'm a little sadistic in that sense!

The main storyline concerns a group of people meeting up to perform their poetry and how that helps them deal with the other issues that are going on in their complicated teenage lives. This is all pointed out to Sam through her new friend Caroline, but like lots of others in the group, there is more to Caroline than meets the eye and this provides another branch of the storyline.

There are some very real issues covered in this book and also some magical elements, as this author does so well. The balance of real and fantastical/magical is just right for me because I am not usually a fan of things being not 100% real. Overall this was a really good read and I am sure that if you pick this one up, you will enjoy meeting Sam as I did. Obviously there is the OCD aspect of the storyline to be aware of and so you should definitely bear that in mind when choosing this lovely read.

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Review: Lobsters by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

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

Review: Why did I wait so long to read this book? I know I am always saying this but I bought this book when it first came out in the UK and so it has been sitting on my shelf that long waiting to entertain me. I loved this read right from the word go. It was entertaining, funny and relatable. I loved the fact that it is a YA novel but it is about grown up, British teenagers. Something which is often hard to find. This book is all about that summer between school and university when people are going off on group holidays, heading to festivals, travelling to their gap years, finding jobs and waiting for those exam results. Most people have gone through that time and so it is about time someone wrote a novel about how weird a time it is!

This is also a love story obviously. But, like all real relationships things aren't smooth and happy and jolly, there are some total cringe moments, as well as some hugely funny misunderstandings and I loved that about it. These characters of course, bring these situations to life and I loved spending time with Hannah and Sam and their groups of friends. Sam's group of friends felt just like watching an episode of the Inbetweeners and I think that's one of the reasons I found them so hilarious. Hannah's group is the usual frenemies situation and are always talking about sex and losing their virginity (remember when that's all you and your friends could talk about?). I really enjoyed the dynamic between them and any of them could have been the people I went to school with. 

I listened to this book on audiobook and because it is a dual narrative, this worked really well. The only aspect of the audiobook that let it down a little was the fact that the narrator gave Tilly a really squeaky voice so that she sounded 4 and not 18! The romantic aspect of the book isn't rammed down your throat, this is a funny story about growing up more than it is about relationships and so don;'t be put off by that. There are some very real relationship moments and I loved the bits that really were sweet in there, because that's real life isn't it? I just really loved this book, I loved what it stood for I loved the humour and I really want to know where these characters all are now!

To get your copy, just click the link UK or US

Review: Notewrothy by Riley Redgate

A cappella just got a makeover.

Jordan Sun is embarking on her junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts, hopeful that this will be her time: the year she finally gets cast in the school musical. But when her low Alto 2 voice gets her shut out for the third straight year—threatening her future at Kensington-Blaine and jeopardizing her college applications—she’s forced to consider nontraditional options.

In Jordan’s case, really nontraditional. A spot has opened up in the Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite a cappella octet. Worshipped…revered…all male. Desperate to prove herself, Jordan auditions in her most convincing drag, and it turns out that Jordan Sun, Tenor 1, is exactly what the Sharps are looking for.

Jordan finds herself enmeshed in a precarious juggling act: making friends, alienating friends, crushing on a guy, crushing on a girl, and navigating decades-old rivalries. With her secret growing heavier every day, Jordan pushes beyond gender norms to confront what it means to be a girl (and a guy) in a male-dominated society, and—most importantly—what it means to be herself.

Review: How much fun was this book? Tons! I loved the premise behind this book before it was even published, the idea of combining an A Capella group with a bit of hidden and mistaken identify sounded like so much fun and it really was just that. I'm trying to think of another way to put it so I don't continue to use fun over and over again. It was entertaining, it was thought-provoking, it was real, it was just an excellent read. Not just for the YA audience but for anyone. 

Let's start with Jordan. I loved her as a character because she was so determined. She is at this posh school for the arts and she knows it is a privilege for her to be there, unlike some of her fellow pupils, and so she is willing to do what it takes to make a success of herself and make her family's hardship worth it. I mean whatever it takes. I loved the fact that she builds relationships with people quickly and gets on with most adults and the rest of her cohort. 

There are some other really likeable characters in this novel too. The A Capella group that Jordan, as Julian, joins is full of characters, diverse characters and I really enjoyed seeing how they interacted with each other, as well as how they reacted to each other. There are other A Capella groups on campus too and they also bring interesting characters. I really liked Jordan's adviser too and I hope that that is the kind of teacher I am. 

The storyline is great. It is fast paced and your will definitely find yourself turning pages over and over again as you read this. There is of course a singing competition, which provides a certain level of intrigue, then there is whether Julian is going to be found out. And of course there is some relationship drama, Jordan has more than a few skeletons in her closet. There are also some scenes of real, difficult family dynamics, throughout the book, and not just involving our main character and that really grounds this book and makes it more relatable to just the average Joe who doesn't attend a fancy arts school!

I loved this book, as I say I don't think that this is just for a YA audience, I think that this book would appeal to anyone with a sense of humour and a reader who wants the good guy to win for a change. This is quite a difference read from this author's previous novel and so don;'t be expecting the same thing, but do be expecting something wonderful!

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Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love-she's lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can't stomach the idea of rejection. So she's careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie's orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly's cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness-except for the part where she is.
Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny, flirtatious, and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's an awkward Tolkien superfan, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Review: This is such a cute and easy read and I enjoyed it so much. I loved the fact that the storyline deals with real issues that teenagers have to deal with. I remember feeling left out when my friends were in relationships. I remember counting the crushes I had had and I remember feeling like the only person in the world who looked different from other people. I can only imagine all of that must be 10 times worse when it is your twin who is counting your crushes and getting with somebody else and looks perfect. 

Then there is the fact that these twins have two Moms. Again this is something that is coming up more and more in YA fiction, and adult fiction for that matter, and I love the fact that people are getting more real about this sort of thing. I also really liked the fact that neither of the parents is evil or dead and the girls get along with their family so well. We don't always have to have conflict in that kind of way to have a good time in a book. There are also issues like getting your first job as a teenager, having your first drink and dealing with the difficulties of growing up! These are all dealt with incredibly well by Becky Albertalli in this book and were a pleasure to read. 

In terms of the characters. I really loved getting to know these sisters and their lives. I found them easy to like and easy to empathise with and I really cheered Molly on the whole way through this read. I loved getting to know their friends a family too, especially Reid. I had a real soft spot for Reid and I would dearly like to keep him for myself because he was just lovely. This book was definitely a feel-good read, it had interesting characters, a strong storyline and an interesting setting. I would definitely recommend giving this one a go, especially if you are after something optimistic to add to your TBR!

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Review: How To Make Out by Brianna Shrum

Sixteen-year-old Renley needs three thousand dollars for the math club’s trip to New York City, and she knows exactly how to get it: she’s going to start a how-to blog where people pay for answers to all of life’s questions from a “certified expert.” The only problems: 1) She doesn’t know how to do anything but long division and calculus. 2) She’s totally invisible to people at school. And not in a cool Gossip Girl kind of way.

So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with).

As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year.

Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.

Review: oh this was such a cute read. I absolutely flew through this one and read it in basically one sitting, that's how much I wanted find out how things were going to unfold for Renley and her friends! This book reminded me of a lot of teen romance movies and would make a great movie itself. It is very much a coming of age and self-discovery novel and I really enjoyed watching Renley as she made her way along the steep learning curve towards not quite adulthood but away from childhood that;s for sure!

I really loved the characters in this novel. I could definitely picture where they fitted into the social hierarchy of the American High school and they definitely met a few of the stereotypes I have leaned about growing up watching these teen films in the UK. Renley was an easy character to like, even when she wasn't always making the right choices. That is because we all have our faults and I liked her better because she was fairly open about those faults, she felt bad about them and knew that she needed to speak to someone about them. 

I have to admit, I totally fell in love with bad boy Drew. I know I wasn't entirely supposed to because we also have Seth to swoon over in this book but I just loved what a decent human and what a good friend Drew was throughout this novel, I really hope I get to hear some more from him soon! April fits into the role of best friend so well. She is the slightly rebellious girl that still attends math club and still knows how to do the right thing, and therefore I could really identify with her (I'm the teacher that ran math club with the tattoos and the coloured hair) so I would really like to find out what happens to her as well!

I liked the storyline, parts of it were slightly predictable, but reassuringly so, and I really like the fact that it features a blog and someone trying to make money off of a blog too. As I say, this really was a coming of age story with some seriously romantic parts to it as well. I think that if you are a fan of contemporary/romantic fiction then you will definitely love this one and I can't wait to read more from this author soon!

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The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

Hawthorn wasn't trying to insert herself into a missing person's investigation. Or maybe she was. But that's only because Lizzie Lovett's disappearance is the one fascinating mystery their sleepy town has ever had. Bad things don't happen to popular girls like Lizzie Lovett, and Hawthorn is convinced she'll turn up at any moment-which means the time for speculation is now.

So Hawthorn comes up with her own theory for Lizzie's disappearance.  A theory way too absurd to take seriously...at first. The more Hawthorn talks, the more she believes. And what better way to collect evidence than to immerse herself in Lizzie's life? Like getting a job at the diner where Lizzie worked and hanging out with Lizzie's boyfriend. After all, it's not as if he killed her-or did he?

Told with a unique voice that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Hawthorn's quest for proof may uncover the greatest truth is within herself. 

Review: There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and sometimes that means that one picks up a book which has been championed by the hype and is somewhat disappointed by what they read. I wasn't hugely disappointed by this one but I wasn't as blown away by it as some people seem to have been.

This book was very easy to get into and was definitely a real page turner in the beginning because of the nature of the missing girl and trying to work out where she was and what had happened the night she disappeared. At the same time, we have Hawthorn's own storyline, her position as an outsider at school, seeing her relationships with her classmates and her family. For me though, the book starts to slow down after this initial rush of action. We get to see Hawthron's take on the disappearance and how her reaction compares to others in the community. But that's all that really happens. Obviously by the time we reach the end of the novel, we get to find out some answers about both girls and the pace definitely picks up again, but there was definitely  slump in the middle in terms of the storyline and the pace for me.

I thought Hawthorn was an interesting character and i could definitely relate aspects of her life back to my own time in high school. I think the main crux of Hawthorn's story is that she is having a bit of an identity crisis, as so many of us are as teenagers and so she sees Lizzie's disappearance as a chance for reinvention herself, but she ends up mirroring a lot of what Lizzie did in an attempt to be liked. There is much deeper forces at play throughout this storyline and I liked the story of Hawthorn's self-discovery much more than I liked the mystery aspect of the book.

There is also a little romance at play here and, of course, I really loved that story. There were some really cute moments and some other moments that were appropriately cringe-worthy given the fact that this is fist love territory. I really like the way the book ended and I was highly satisfied with the way all aspects of the plot wrapped up. This was a good read but unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype!

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Review: Forever Geek (Geek Girl 6) by Holly Smale

My name is Harriet Manners and I’ll be a geek forever…

The FINAL book in the bestselling, award-winning GEEK GIRL series is here!

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is. Modelling isn’t a sure-fire route to popularity. Neither is making endless lists. The people you love don’t expect you to transform into someone else. Statistically you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there.

So on the trip of a lifetime Down Under Harriet’s to-do lists are gone and it’s Nat’s time to shine! Yet with nearly-not-quite-boyfriend Jasper back home, Harriet’s completely unprepared to see supermodel ex, Nick. Is the fashion world about to turn ugly for GEEK GIRL?

It’s time for Harriet to face the future. Time to work out where her heart lies. To learn how to let go…

Review: Ok you know I am a huge Geek Girl fan and so I went into this books with a heavy heart because it is the final book in the series. But I was also excited to see how Harriet was going to wrap things up, which of my favourite characters would be returning, and what trouble our Geek Girl was going to get herself into this time. This book has a fabulous storyline and features all our favourite characters returning, you name it they are there somewhere, and it totally had those laugh out loud moments that you expect from Holly Smale's writing, but I also cried more than once during this reading. Let me tell you one thing though, once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down! This is definitely a one sitting read!

Let's start with those characters. I loved that we had a healthy dose of Harriet in this story. She goes off to Australia with Nat and Bunty, therefore we don't have a lot of action with her friends of her family aside from emails and phone calls. I really liked that she kind of got most of the book to herself. It means that we have funny incidents involving Toby and Rin and Jasper and Harriet's Dad, but we get to see Harriet's fill reaction and her reaction to those people and how she strikes out on her own in this book really shows us how much she has grown over the course of the series. I also really loved the fact that it is best friend Nat who features with her on this journey. I loved Nat from the beginning and she and Harriet have had their ups and downs. It felt great to get a little bit of closure on Nat's storyline too, I really loved seeing them work together and grow together in this book and indeed the whole series. 

Of course I love hearing about all the other characters in the book too. I love how they all contribute to the humour and to Harriet's growth and success. Bunty was an absolute star in this book and so many good on-liners. there wasn't enough Wilbur for my liking though and I really began to dislike Jasper, I don't know why, he just annoyed me somewhat! There are of course some hilarious moments in this novel and of course, this book comes with the usual warning of not reading in public because of sudden loud laughter after you read some of the things that Harriet does and says-social media virgin Harriet discovering Instagram-hello?! But this also comes with a warning not to read in public because you will cry, at least once! Now of course you will cry because the series is coming to an end, but there are other emotional moments too!

Overall this was a great read. This book has many pages but I absolutely could not stop turning them and this book really will stick to you once you have picked this up. Because this is the final book in the series, I don't think it would be the ideal place to start in the Geek Girl series, of course I would recomend starting at the beginning and working your way through but there is probably enough background and recap that you could read this book as a standalone, if you really and truly honestly must but I wouldn't recommend it! This book and series has it all, humour, life lessons, actual lessons/facts, a great main character who is totally relatable;grows with each and every book and just excellent storylines that will allow you to explore the world and see exactly what it is like growing up as a Geek!

Farewell Harriet Manners-you will be missed!

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Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.

At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of dares on her favourite bookshop shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept. Curious, snarky Dash isn’t one to back down from a challenge – and the Book of Dares is the perfect distraction he’s been looking for.

As they send each other on a scavenger hunt across Manhattan, they’re falling for each other on paper. But finding out if their real selves share their on-page chemistry could be their biggest dare yet….

Review: So I had wanted to read this book for ages and I don't know why I hadn't got round to it until now, but I can definitely say it was worth the wait. I had heard that this book was set in New York but I didn't know how prominently it would feature in this novel. I loved how much of a character New York itself was and I think that this was one of my favourite things about this book. I could really picture where the characters lived and were heading and the places they met. What is great about the writing is that the description is so vivid, you don't need to have visited there, you can live from the descriptions on the page-wonderful!

The eponymous characters are, of course, wonderful as well! I liked the fact that they seemed to be the kind of people who don't normally go off on adventures like the one they encounter in this book. The book starts off with Dash finding this notebook, he could have left it alone, but his sense of adventure means that he picks up the notebook and takes on the first challenge. We can tell that both these characters are confident children of the city, as they are able to speak to people in shows, movie theatres, coffee shops and have no problem in attending a party on their own.

I identified with Lily more than Dash because this is something that she has done in an attempt to put herself out there and you can tell that she doesn't really know exactly what she's doing. I like that she has the confidence to do this. Something else i really liked about this character was the relationship that she has with her grandfather, I think this is a really sweet part of the story. Dash also forms a relationship with one on Lily's relatives and I definitely found this aspect interesting. I like the bond that he was able to form with Lily because of this too.

There are definitely some moments in the book where Dash and Lily seem to exhibit the typical teenage behavior of growing up , a bit of rebellion if you will, but on the whole I found them to be mature individuals. They definitely go on a journey over the course of the novel but I think that this isn't just something to be enjoyed by Young adults, I think that anyone who has a love of adventure and a love of New York would take as much from this book as I have.

The other thing I must mention that I particularly enjoyed about this book is the characters love of books as well. It all starts off in a bookstore and The Strand bookstore in New York features heavily i this novel. This book is therefore perfect for book lovers, it was a pacey read and I loved every moment of it!

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Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When they meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the two loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship--the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through their friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves--and about the kind of people they want to be.

Review: I listened to this book on audio download from the library and it was read by Lin-Manuel Miranda which made it extra special so I would definitely recommend listening to this book if you can. Having said that, this was one of my first reads of the year and I absolutely loved it so I may just have to invest in a copy so that I can read this one again!

The storyline of this one is definitely hard to explain. It is the story of two friends and their journey on self discovery as they grow up both physically and emotionally. This somethings involves them growing together and sometimes involves them doing their self-discovery solo. I loved the friendship between these two characters and this is the strongest theme in this book. There are also LGBTQ issues dealt with as well as issues to do with bullying and immigration/racism. It is an incredibly relevant book, despite being set a few decades ago. Therefore it is definitely something to read if you are feeling slightly despondent about the state of the world!

These characters are really easy to like. I loved the fact that Ari takes on the role of the kind of stuck, in the mud, happy with his own ways boys boy and Dante becomes the wild, carefree character. Its like that saying about someone helping someone to be wild whilst the other helps them to stay grounded, this is definitely the kind of relationship that these boys have. I loved the relationship that they each had with their families too and I'm glad their families play a key part in the storyline. One of the reasons that these characters are so easy to relate to is because they are so realistic and you can easily imagine finding yourself in their shoes.

None of the issues explored in this book are shoved in your face, they are all woven into the storyline and the characters' personalities and are just so cleverly Incorporated and important. Because your become so involved with their lives, this becomes a quick read. Although this is a young adult book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as a 30 something and I think no matter what your age or reading genre preference, you would be able to take something from this book, enjoy the read and fall in love with these characters just as much as I did!

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Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible . . .

A love story about opening your heart by Rainbow Rowell, the New York Times bestselling author ofEleanor & Park.

Fangirl now comes with special bonus material; the first chapter from Rainbow's irresistible novel Carry On.

Review: I know I am late to the party with this one but i had actually bought two copies of this already so it's not all bad! I ended up getting the audiobook of this one so it would finally force me to read it after having bought the paperback and a collectors edition and having some of the children that i teach read it and tell me how good it is, some of them came to me to borrow it for a re-read and then bought it themselves so I had testament that I should be reading it, and so should you!

So I love the idea of twins going off to university but not sharing a room and trying to make their own way in the world. I also love the idea of someone taking a writing class and someone being a secret fan-fiction writer. Basically the premise behind this book was extremely attractive to me and I want dispaointed. This book also featured the feelings you get when you first go off to university. Not wanting to hang out in the communal eating areas, not knowing who to sit with and what happens when someone tells you there's something wrong with what you've always been good with. This books also deals with the issues of mental health and alcoholism and so it really has It all in one package! 

The characters in this book include the twins I have already mentioned wren (awesome name!) and cath. They are great characters, very relatable and very likeable. They don't come off as too similar on the page so it would be interesting to see whether they were very similar if they were real and I met them... We also have a couple of love interests in the book, one works in a library and one works at Starbucks, I have no idea how I would choose between these two, seemingly perfect, guys, how awesome are both those jobs! We also have Caths and Wrens respective roommates and their parents. I thought it was interesting that the parents exist as their own separate entities in this novel, not just as the girls' parents. It was an interesting choice but definitely one I approve of. 

The structure of this book is a chapter about Cath and her time at university preceded and proceeded by a chapter of either an extract from Simon Snow or an extract of Simon Snow Fanfiction. I have to admit that I wasn't a massive fan of these extracts and didn't feel that they linked the storyline very well. I might have preferred if they were linked to the same issues that Cath was dealing with. They sometimes did but it would have felt a little more cohesive if this were always the case. The great thing for me was knowing that Carry On, Cath's fan fiction about Simon is out as a whole book so I could get to read it afterwards (I'm reading it now!) and so I did switch off a little during the non-cath based chapters. 

I also really connected with the setting. This book is set in Nebraska and I just literally went to Nebraska for the first time a week before I started this book. I could picture the landscape and the characteristics and Cath and Wren and co resonated with me more deeply because I knew where they were coming from and what it was like there. I love when a book has a real setting that I can actually visit! 

Overall I'm glad I finally got round to reading this book, I don't regret leaving it so long though because I don't feel I was affected by the initial hype that came when this books was first released. I like that fact that I can read the spin off Carry On and I know that my opinions in this review are not affected by any hype other than the popularity this book has had with my pupils. I listened to this book on audiobook but i do love my special edition hardback so I'll let you choose for yourself what format you want to read this book in, just know that you should be adding it to your TBR regardless if you haven't already! 

To grab yourself a copy, just click here!

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.