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: Doing It! by Hannah Witton

Sexting. Virginity. Consent. The Big O ... Let's face it, doing it can be tricksy. I don't know anyone (including myself) who has sex all figured out. So I've written a book full of honest, hilarious (and sometimes awkward) anecdotes, confessions and revelations. And because none of us have all the answers, I've invited some friends and fellow YouTubers to talk about their sexuality, too.

We talk about doing it safely. Doing it joyfully. Doing it when you're ready. Not doing it. Basically, doing it the way you want, when you want. So. Let's do this ...

Review: I was so excited about reading this book so when my friend gave me her proof copy, I set about reading it straight away! I read this book from cover to cover on a plane journey over the Atlantic and broadcast the phrase 'Let's Talk About Sex' to anyone who passed me in my aisle seat! I can definitely say that this is fast paced read and as this author says at the beginning of the book, you can dip in and out of various parts of it and pick out things that apply to you at that moment or skip over things your don't want to read about right now for one reason or another. 

As someone who has taught Sex and Relationship education, I think that this is a really great reference for young people. You can tell it is pitched at a younger audience than myself and yet at no pint did I feel it was patronising or sugar-coating anything. There are some frank discussions about consent, rape and other subjects which might be considered taboo for a teenage audience such as kink and porn but i like that fact that it gave the facts, and sometimes diagrams and didn't tell the reader that this was something they should go away and further research for themselves, it laid it all out there. I thought the inclusion of diagrams and the inclusion of personal accounts from Hannah were really important and made the book more than just a reference book. 

This book also has contributions from other people, people who can give examples of real life experiences and how sex and relationships play out in today's world. There are accounts of what it is like to be pan sexual, what sex is like when you're deaf and even a couple of sections written by a law professional about sex and the law, the age of consent and what it means. I really liked the fact that there are some first hand accounts in here and that this author admitted that she didn't know anything when it comes to sex and relationships. 

Overall I found this to be a really enjoyable read. I didn't learn anything from it myself but it was reassuring as an educator that this book is now out there for young people to pick up. The book itself has a great structure with illustrations, accounts from other people, facts and figures and tweets and personal accounts from Hannah herself. I thought it was well-balanced, a good example for books of it kind and it even managed to make me laugh out loud on a full plane!

To order your copy now, click here!

Review: The Gospel According To Drew Barrymore by Pippa Wright

Friendship is like a shark: it has to keep moving forwards to survive. Esther and Laura have been best friends since they were seven, when Esther was chubby and Laura was already perfect. So much has changed since then - school, boyfriends, drink, experimental hair-dye, university, jobs, London, babies - and their friendship has changed just as much, but they are still close, still inextricably linked to one another. 

So when Esther is told that Laura has gone missing, she leaves everything behind - including her husband and small child - to fly to San Francisco and trace her friend's last movements. All she has is an email from Laura: 'I'm channelling Drew Barrymore, as ever. The Gospel, right?' 

In trying to understand why Laura has disappeared, and what on earth Drew Barrymore has to do with it, Esther needs to look back. Back at the secrets woven into their friendship and the truths she's avoided facing for so long.

Review: I thought this was such a cool idea for a book. The whole thing is tied together by references and citations from Drew Barrymore films and I think this is an excellent way to structure it. I would have expected to see a little more of Drew in there or reference to the films, it was like sometimes, the Drew Barrymore focus was lost and I was a little disjointed by this. 

I liked the fact that this story is also anchored by two female leads. You don't often get two female leads who both play as big a part as the other as opposed to one being the lead and one being the supporting actor, this aspect I really liked. I can't say that I liked both of these characters to be honest I found Laura's unpredictability a little draining, I felt as if she never actually felt anything real or tied herself down to one particular thing...I didn't have much more love for Esther either, although she is the mother figure in the story, she is still fairly self pitying and will wallow in her own shortcomings given the chance! The men don't play too big a part in this, unlike many other books in this genre, I found that refreshing. 

The overarching storyline, of Laura's disappearance was my favourite part of the book, I really expected it to take a dark and sinister turn at any Monet! Some of the flashbacks  were endearing and some amusing but generally I found these to be a little bit of a distraction from the main part of the storyline. Although we get to learn a lot more about Laura's character in these sections, I felt myself skimming through some of them to get to find out what happened to Laura in the present day, or in real life as I thought of it...

Overall I thought this was a fun read but it didn't grip me the whole way through. I loved the way the book was structured and the idea behind it is original but I would've liked to see ore made of Drew and her movies. I haven't read anything else by this author before but this book has definitely intrigued me and so I will be trying other novels by her in the near future.