Now You See Me - Emma Haughton

UKYAExtravaganza is in two days, and I'm so glad I've finished this book in time to tell Emma how much I enjoyed it!

Danny Geller was thirteen when he disappeared, and nobody knew where he went. Least of all his best friend, Hannah Radcliffe. Having recently lost her mother in a car accident, the loss of Danny was yet another blow she wasn't prepared for.

Three years later, Danny's family are still looking for him, and haven't given up even one tiny shred of hope. But when their hope is used as a weapon against them, what can they do? Should they continue to hold onto it, and ignore the reasons telling them not to, or should they let it go?

It's really difficult to review this book without giving too much away, and since the twists are what got me hooked, I wouldn't want to spoil them for anyone else. All I will say is drop everything, go and buy this book, and clear your schedule so that you can read it. I kept getting distracted and interrupted by work and university, when all I wanted to do was keep reading this book to find out what happens. Seriously, read this book and you won't regret it.

It was a brilliant, gripping read, and I can't wait to see what Emma writes next.

Verdict: 5/5

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

This is the first instalment of one of my favourite series, but I only read it last year. I regret not reading it sooner. I think the 'and the french kiss' put me off, because I just thought 'ew, long, detailed kissing scenes' but it wasn't like that at all, so I really regretted making such a ridiculous assumption.

The first book follows Anna Oliphant, who lives in Atlanta, until her father thinks she would be better off at boarding school. It's her senior year, she has a best friend, Bridgette, and crush, Toph, she would be leaving behind, but she's sent to The School of America...in Paris.

When she gets to SOAP (I love this acronym, it always made me laugh in the book!), she makes friends far quicker than she expected she would. She first meets the girl in the room next door to hers, Meredith. She introduces her to Rashmi, and her boyfriend Josh, who is a Junior. And then...Étienne St. Clair, who everyone calls by his last name. Immediately Anna falls in love with St. Clair, even though she knows he has a girlfriend.

Despite St. Clair having a girlfriend, I really wanted him to be with Anna, right from the start. I shipped them! All of the characters were so much fun, and I loved how even in Paris, they all formed an American high school-esque clique.

I also enjoyed the rest of the series, and I'll be putting up reviews of them soon.

Verdict: 5/5 :D

Geek Girl: Picture Perfect - Holly Smale

This is the third instalment of the Geek Girl series, and the most recent. That is, until All That Glitters is released on Thursday, which I can't wait for! 

Harriet Manners was looking forward to starting Sixth Form, until her arch-nemesis Alexa steals her diary, which contains her budding relationship with Nick in embarrassing detail. She is absolutely mortified. But on the plus side, her exam results were amazing, and her dad has an announcement...

They're moving to America!

Bye school, bye Alexa, bye... Nat and Toby :(

But on the plus side - Harriet will see Nick when he has modelling jobs in New York City!! This is the best thing that could happen to their relationship, and she starts planning romantic get-togethers almost immediately. Our Harriet sure does love to plan!

So the Manners family jet off to America, along with the new addition to the family, the adorable little Tabitha. She is so adorable and Harriet's commentary of her crying and screaming is hilarious! I can't wait to see (read?) her grow up in the following books. I hope she's a geek, just like her big sister.

I love the setting of this book, as New York City is definitely my favourite place in world, excluding Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World. There's a lot of rebellion in this book, more than any of the others, and I related to this a lot. I was a good girl, like Harriet, but sometimes I just needed to go out, sometimes just leaving a note so that no one could tell me I couldn't go. Harriet is really gaining confidence now she's a model, and has managed to land Nick as a boyfriend.

As you can tell, I'm really emotionally invested in the life of Harriet Manners. And in a few days, I get to check in with her again - eeeep! I absolutely love this series, and in my opinion, it just keeps getting better and better. Which is a rare thing to happen with series, I've found in my experience of reading. Or maybe I'm still emotionally scarred from the ending of Mockingjay... But back to Picture Perfect, I actually cried at something that happened towards the end of this book, because I'd had a huge argument with my family member, and a scene in the book made me want to reconcile it there and then... until I realised it was 1am and they probably wouldn't be awake. 

I am so excited for All That Glitters, I'm going to explode! If my internet plays up and stops it loading on my kindle, I'll scream so loud the whole of Birmingham will hear me.

Verdict: 5/5, of course!!

Me and Mr J - Rachel McIntyre

As soon as I saw a review of this book, I wanted to read it. I was counting down the days until it would be released and I bought the first copy I saw.

Lara Titliss is extremely badly bullied, and not just for her surname. She's ginger, she's clever, and her mom works as a cleaner for the school bully, Molly Hardy-Jones, and her super-rich family. Money has been tight since her dad lost his job and they were forced to downsize. And Lara's school fees don't help. She's unhappy at her school but can't tell her parents, knowing they gave up so much to send her there.

Enter Ben Jagger, the new English teacher that every girl falls in love with...including Lara.

As the bullying gets worse, Mr J is the only one who takes notice and tries to stop it. I found this ridiculous because the bullying was SO obvious, I don't see how no other person saw it. Maybe they did, and didn't care enough, unkike Mr J, but does he care too much?

Lara can't admit to anyway that she is being bullied, or that Molly is blackmailing her - if she reports the bullying, Molly will accuse Lara's mom of stealing, and lose her the only thing keeping their family above water. This got me really angry, as it reminded me of a scene in Mean Girls 2 that always got my blood boiling whenever I saw it or was reminded of it. Oops, might need some gaviscon after this!

The bullying in this book was so horrific, that it had me gasping in places. I never experienced this, I had a girl who was distracting me in lessons by calling me names, and her friend pushed me in a puddle so I was covered head to toe, but as soon as my dad saw something was wrong he went to my school and sorted it out. Sadly, Lara doesn't have this. Her parents are too worried about money to notice how depressed she is. Ben is such a caring person, and Lara deserves that - someone fighting her corner when the rest of the school, and the boys school next door, seem to hate her. 

Rachel took a taboo subject and handled it delicately. It must have been hard to write, with allegations of child abuse being a hot topic at the moment, but there's no child abuse in this book, except from the bullies! This is a love story, and though it wasn't right for her to fancy her teacher, he was the only one to notice her being bullied and stand up for her, which I think is the real problem there. Are schools so bad now that bullying that bad goes unnoticed?

The ending of this book really upset me, but it was real and true to life so I can't complain. I'm really trying not to spoil this book for anyone, so I won't say any more. Just read it for yourself!

Verdict: 5/5 :)

Geek Girl: Model Misfit - Holly Smale

It has probably become quite obvious that I'm reviewing the previous books in the series quickly, so that I can read All That Glitters as soon as it loads on my kindle on February 26th. (Don't judge me for not buying the hardback, I always wait for the paperback and then buy that for my shelf.)

Harriet is back! And this time, she's planning the best summer ever with her best friend, Nat. Until she's gets a modelling job in...Tokyo! While she's there, she shares an apartment with two other models, Poppy and Rin, who she tries to become friends with. She's working for Yuka again, and that can only mean... Nick. He's back, and just when Harriet was starting to get over him.

Of course, Geek Girl wouldn't be Geek Girl without the over-the-too fabulousness of Harriet's agent, Wilbur. He's been my favourite character from the beginning, followed closely by the one and only Richard Manners, Harriet's father. But now, there's a number three favourite, and that's Bunty Brown, Harriet's grandmother. She is so eccentric and I absolutely loved her! And I also can't review this book without mentioning how much I loved Rin's affectionate nickname of "Harry-chan"!

As with the first Geek Girl, Model Misfit is a highly enjoyable read, which I would recommend to anyone who loves fun facts, humour and/or romance. 

Verdict: 5/5

Books I'm looking forward to this year!

I decided I would write this post, when I bought a signed copy of Under My Skin by James Dawson on Monday, ahead of its release on March 5th. Sadly, I missed the event where he actually signed it, but I feel lucky to still have an early copy of the book. Needless to say, it's shot straight to the top of my to-read pile.

So, here are ten more books that I'm looking forward to this year, starting with the most recent. I'm being really organised this year, so I know exactly what's coming out and when, so I can finish whatever I'm reading in order to start some of these straight away!

All That Glitters by Holly Smale: this is the fourth instalment in the Geek Girl series, and since I read the third book the day it was released, I've been waiting for this book for a long time. I already have it pre-ordered on my kindle, to get it straight away on February 26th, because I have all the books in paperback and can't wait that long to read it, so I end up buying the book twice. *fingers crossed* I'll be meeting Holly in a few weeks, to hopefully get my Picture Perfect paperback signed. Harriet is in Sixth Form now, and Nat is at college! I'm really excited to see what Harriet gets up to in this story.

Othergirl by Nicole Burstein: Erica and Louise are best friends, and on the surface, normal girls. But Erica is a superhero. Since I love the Avengers, I think this is going to be a brilliant book, especially as it's a girl! This book is out April 2nd and I simply cannot wait!

Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby: This book has such an interesting plot, that as soon as I read the synopsis on Goodreads, I knew that it would be something I would be interested in. Quinn Sullivan lost her boyfriend to an accident, and contacted all the people who received organs from his body. She didn't hear back from Colton Thomas, the boy who got his heart. This leads Jessi to go on a quest to track him down, and when she does, they appear to have a connection. Usually I steer clear of books like this, but I'm really intrigued by it and I can't wait for its release, which is April 21st. It looks like I'll be buying it in May to reward myself for finishing University!

The Last Summer of Us by Maggie Harcourt: Out on May 1st, this is the story of three best friends who take a summer road trip, and try hard to ignore the bubbling romance that could turn the three-piece into a two-piece. I follow Usborne's young adult-centred Instagram account, and when they mentioned this book was coming out, I had to add it to my list of books to buy!

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler: this book follows Elyse d'Abreau, a girl who can no longer sing or speak after a tragic boating accident. And she was a beautiful singer. Christian Kane is a playboy, but helps Elyse to express herself. His little brother, believes she is the legendary mermaid of Atargatis Cove come to life. This book takes its inspiration from The Little Mermaid, and I absolutely love modern re-tellings of fairy tales, so this is one of the books I'm most excited to read, but I've got to wait until June 2nd.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han: I've also got to wait until June 2nd for the follow-up to To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Lara Jean was only pretending to like Peter, until all of a sudden she wasn't pretending anymore. She becomes even more confused when a boy from her past shows up, and the feelings she had for him come flooding back. I absolutely loved the previous book, so I can't wait for this. I just hope I can remember where the book finished!

House of Windows by Alexia Casale: I love Alexia, and I was so excited when I found out her next book was coming out this year! This comes out July 2nd, my mother's and my best friend's birthdays! Nick is going to Cambridge at 15, but he hates the label 'genius'. He's only doing this so his father might one day pay him some attention. At university, he struggles with the workload and the social aspect of life there. This really speaks to me, because I had a really hard time when I started university, so I can see myself relating to Nick quite a bit.

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne: This book doesn't have a cover yet, so have this awkward blank Goodreads cover as replacement. The book follows Evie, a teenager who is recovering from OCD. She's close to coming off her medication, and she's started at a new college in order to get a fresh start. She really wants a relationship, to complete the transition into 'new Evie' but this could be tricky. I've loved both of Holly's books, so I know I'll love this one! It's out August 1st according to Goodreads, but Amazon won't let me pre-order it yet :(

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: This book is about a girl who is allergic to everything, and cannot leave her house as a result. So the only people she sees are her mom and her nurse. But when a new family moves in next door, she ends up falling in love with her neighbour Olly, and risks everything. Apparently, the narrative contains diary entries, lists, charts etc., which makes me really excited because I love books that find multiple ways of telling the story. This comes out August 27th.

Tonight The Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales: I haven't read This Song Will Save Your Life yet, but nonetheless I'm really excited for this book, which is about falling for someone you haven't met. Arden falls her a blogger called Peter, and when he announces his girlfriend has dumped him, she goes to New York City to see him. This sounds like a really exciting premise for a story, especially with the rise of internet dating. It's out September 15th.

Seven Days - Eve Ainsworth

Here is another book I've read in time to meet the author at UKYA Extravaganza, and right from the first time I heard about it, I couldn't wait to read this book! It definitely deserves a place on my 'favourites' bookshelf, both the physical and the goodreads ones.

As the title suggests, the events of this book take place over seven days, from Monday to Sunday. And as I love, the book is told from two perspectives. 

The first person the reader meets is Jess. She is overweight, her clothes are shabby, and she only has one friend, Phillip. She lives in the rougher part of the area, as there's not been a lot of money coming in since her dad left to start a new family. Her mom is always tired from working long hours, leaving Jess to take care of her little sister, Hollie.

Kez is beautiful, popular, and lives in the better part of the area. But ever since her dad lost his job, he's become a monster, and the drink just makes it worse. Kez just hides out at her friend Marnie's, leaving her mom to suffer the beating's that come from her dad's frustration at having no control over his daughter. But no one knows this is happening, as Kez is very good at hiding how she's really feeling.

Weak, submissive Jess reminds Kez so much of her mom, that she takes all of it out on her. She bullies Jess and generally makes her life miserable. But one day, she's going to take it too far. And all her friends and her boyfriend, Lyn, won't be able to take her nastiness anymore. But how far is too far?

I really enjoyed this book. Seeing both sides of the story just goes to show that not everyone is easy to read, and shouldn't be judged on how they act. Anyone can be depressed, or bottling something up. This is a really important book, and though Kez's home life does not in any way condone how she treats Jess, it hits home that not everyone is as happy or as fearless as they seem. 

Verdict: 5/5

Geek Girl - Holly Smale

I'm finally getting around to reviewing the first instalment of one of my favourite YA series, and just in time for the fourth to be realised. All That Glitters will be available on kindle and in hardback from the 26th February, and I can't wait! I wish I'd booked the day off work to binge-read it.

(Note: that orange nose is, indeed, Olaf from Frozen. my bedsheets are cooler than me *sniff*)

When Harriet Manners visits the Clothes Show Live (in Bimringham!) on a school trip, she doesn't expect to be discovered by a modelling agency. Harriet, a model? She's far more comfortable being...a geek. A clumsy, well-read nerd. It's actually her best friend, Nat, who has always dreamt of being a model. Uh-oh!

Harriet knows something about everything, and the facts scattered throughout this book are fascinating! I should be ashamed of this, but I actually highlighted my favourite quotes in my copies of the Geek Girl books, so that I could find them easier. And if that wasn't bad enough, I cracked the spine a little as well, which I never do. Are these signs of a well-loved book or bookish sins?

All the characters in this book are absolutely fabulous. There's Toby, Harriet's stalker. Alexa (grr), who I actually don't like, obviously, but is still well written - she's Harriet's arch enemy. Then there's the countless models Harriet meets in her new life as a model, but it's been a while since I read it so I couldn't tell you all of them. Her step-Mom, Annabel, and her amazing Dad - funniest parent I've ever read in a book! Harriet's love interest, Nick, although my thoughts on him changed throughout the book. And last but certainly not least is my favourite character of all, Wilbur (that's with a bur and not an iam!) who is the king of pet names and hands down my favourite book character of all time.

Harriet is an incredibly relatable character, who hides from her problems under tablets, and I loved following her journey. I'll be posting my review of Geek Girl: Model Misfit in a couple of days. 

Jessica Cole Model Spy: Code Red Lipstick - Sarah Sky

This is one of the books that I'm hoping to get signed at the UKYA Extravaganza event in two weeks. I'm so happy that I read it before going to that, because now I can tell Sarah how much I enjoyed her book. 

When Jessica Cole gets a phone call from her father, who is away on business in Paris, telling her to invoke their agreed 'Code Red' protocol, she has every right to be worried. Her father's gone missing, and as an ex-spy, it comes as a shock to Jessica that MI6 aren't trying to find him. Instead, they're accusing Jack Cole of being a traitor, who was posing as a private investigator in order to find the scientist Sam Bishop and hand him over to a terrorist called Vectra. Jessica doesn't believe a word of this, and instead sets out to not only find her father, but clear his name.

Sam Bishop was working for the beauty firm, AKSC, when he disappeared, and her father's 'Code Red' call was traced to their headquarters. So Jessica must use her status as an up-and-coming model to get into AKSC and snoop around. But she can't do a lot of snooping when MI6 are following her every move, just in case she is helping her father.

This book is full of twists and turns that kept me turning the page, and the ending made me want to go straight out and buy the next book. Had it not been quite late when I finished this book last night, I probably would have. 

I loved Jessica's character, I thought she was a mixture of Harriet from Geek Girl and Cammie from the Gallagher Girls books - two of my favourite series! (I haven't reviewed those yet, but I will soon.) 

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read the next one! I'm so glad it's already out, or else I'd be losing my mind waiting for it!

Verdict: 5/5 

2015 Reading Challenge

As always, I'm a little late to the party, but I've decided to take part in another reading challenge!

I'm going to be posting my progress on here, whether or not the book I read was young adult or not. I really hope I can complete it, as I love challenges that make me alter my normal reading habits and take me out of my comfort zone. Also, it will get me closer to my goodreads challenge of 100 books in 2015!

The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson

I am in the group 'Addicted to YA' on Goodreads, and since this was one of their books of the month for February, I pushed this book to the top of my to-read list. This was a bold move, considering I have so much to read for the upcoming UKYA Extravaganza, but I really liked the idea of reading something at the same time as a lot of other people.

When Bailey Walker dies, she leaves behind a lot of heartbreak. Her sister Lennie, her boyfriend Toby, her Gram and her Uncle Big. In their grief, none of them know what to do, and Lennie finds herself turning to Toby for comfort, as well as the new boy, Joe Fontaine, a fellow musician who is separate from her life before Bailey's death.

Joe teaches Lennie that you can let your hurt out through your music, and this is something that a lot of people do, with many different art forms, and is something that I really admire. I thought it added a lot to the book and I really enjoyed their relationship.

For the majority of the book, I didn't like Lennie. I feel really bad admitting it, but she was just too self-centred for my liking, and couldn't see past her own grief and heartbreak to see that her family were hurting too, and needed her to help them through.

This was intentional, as we see a lot of character development on Lennie's part towards the end of the book, but by this point she had hurt too many people for me to change my mind about her, and I feel really bad about that. I could like her a little more after that, but not entirely.

This book, despite its themes of death and bereavement, was really funny in places. Uncle Big likes to go up into trees, has had five marriages, and tries to resurrect bugs. Lennie finds herself becoming horny for pretty much any boy she encounters, and coins the word 'dildonic' to mean lamer than lame, which I really liked. And Gram came out with my favourite quote of the book: 'if only I had wheels on my ass, I'd be a trolley cart.'

But there is another theme to this book and its abandonment. Lennie and Bailey were abandoned by their mother, who left and never came back. Gram raised them, and assured them she'd come back. But even if she did come back, she would return to one less child than when she left, and Lennie wants to know what kind of person would do that to her children. But she begins to discover the story is a lot more complicated than she thought...

The book has little poems scattered through it, which confused me at first, and I came up with my own theories as to what they might mean, but when it was revealed, I was actually so happy that it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I'm clearly not cut out to be a writer, as I can almost never guess the plots of books. 

I was considering giving this book a low rating, because I didn't like Lennie, whose perspective the book is solely told from. But all the other characters were so weird and wonderful, and I didn't completely hate Lennie by the end of the book. The ending made me so happy that I didn't want my initial dislike of the main character to take away from what was a really good read.

Verdict: 4/5 :)

P.s. I'm also really excited to read Jandy's next book, which is called I'll Give You The Sun, which comes out on March 19th. (My papa's birthday and two days before my own!)

Jessie Hearts NYC - Keris Stainton

I am a sucker for books about New York City, as it is my favourite non-Disney related place, and because of that I had to read this book. I am also very excited that I'm getting the chance to meet Keris at the UKYA Extravaganza event at the end of the month, so that I can tell her how much I enjoyed the book and hopefully get my copy signed!

Jessie Hearts NYC is told from two perspectives, which I've said on many occasions that I love. Jessie is staying with her mom in New York City for the summer, along with her best friend Emma. Jessie loves New York so much that she doesn't want to go back home to Manchester at the end of the summer.

Finn lives in New York City with his parents, and hates working at the insurance firm his dad works for. He really wants to work in architecture, but he doesn't have the courage to tell his parents that he wants to change his major, as he fears they wouldn't approve. Finn also doesn't have the courage to tell his best friend Scott that he is in love with his girlfriend, Sam.

When Jessie and Finn's paths repeatedly cross, they have to ask themselves...is this fate?

I really enjoyed this book, the popular culture references reminded me of when I was in New York City myself. It also made me remember just how many brilliant films and television shows have been set in New York! It was a lovely book and I'll definitely be buying Emma Hearts LA soon! And fingers crossed I'll be able to return to New York soon too! :) 

Verdict: 5/5 :)

Girl Online - Zoe Sugg

There has been mixed reviews of this book, especially when it had emerged that it had been ghostwritten. Nonetheless, as a reader, I try not to let other reviews and - in this case - media coverage, dictate how I view a book. I went into this book with an open mind - I hadn't even watched any of Zoella's YouTube videos yet. (But I have since!) 

A lot of my friends were shocked to learn that I was reading this, and I'm not sure why. It isn't an autobiography of Zoe Sugg, so a person doesn't even have to like her in order to read it. I had only briefly heard of her when the book came out, so at first I wasn't sure whether to read it, but I had a friend recommend it to me, so I decided to buy it. With all the bookish things I post on Instagram and Twitter, my friends are pretty good at guessing what books I would like.

Penny is the creator of Girl Online, an anonymous blog where she talks about personal issues without fear of judgement. She blogged about things that every teenage girl could relate to, such as outgrowing a friend, a sad occurrence we all much face at some point. She was astounded when her blog began to get popular, as it made her feel like she wasn't alone. That's exactly how I feel when I read a book with a character that I relate to, and although I've never done it anonymously, I do use the Internet to express how I'm feeling a lot of the time. 

When Penny's family and her best friend Elliot - the only one who knows her real identity, kind of like a superhero - fly to New York, she doesn't go there expecting to fall in love. She goes there so that her parents can plan a wedding, and she can take photos as a budding photographer, at the Waldorf Astoria. I absolutely loved that it was set there, as that is the hotel featured in one of my favourite films, Serendipity. When I went to New York myself, I found myself finding all the sites I'd seen in the film, including this beautiful hotel. 

As Girl Online is anonymous, Penny thinks it will be harmless to blog about the boy she is falling in love with. She doesn't know a lot about Noah, only his first name and where he lives, so she just gives him the alias Brooklyn Boy. If only she knew him a little better before letting her bloggers in on the secret...

I really loved this book. The twists kept me turning the page, and especially when I was reading it in the staff canteen, I found myself not wanting to put the book down to go to work. I also thought that the blog parts were really relatable, and if Zoella's is anything like this, then I'll definitely be tuning in to her more!

Verdict: 5/5 :)

February reading round-up!

This is the second wrap-up post I've done, and these are all the books, YA or otherwise, that I've read this month and a brief little description and rating. If you want to know more about what I thought of them, feel free to read my earlier posts or add me on goodreads (lizebronwen). Enjoy!

The pile doesn't look that big, but that's because I read 1 hardback, 6 paperbacks, and 3 kindle books, resulting in a total of 10 books this month. And if you're wondering how I'm doing with my goodreads challenge, I've read 19 out of the 100 books I want to read. Pretty sure that puts me ahead of schedule, but I could be wrong. So, these are the books I read...

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg - Penny anonymously blogs under the persona of Girl Online, and only her best friend Elliot knows it's her. When the family go to New York, Penny finds herself falling for a mysterious boy called Noah, and blogging about it. What could possibly go wrong? 5 out of 5 stars

Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton - Jessie is visiting New York City for the summer with her best friend Emma. Finn lives in New York City, working in insurance when he would rather work in architecture, and is in love with his best friend Scott's girlfriend, Sam. When Jessie and Finn keep bumping into each other, they begin to wonder - is it fate? 5 out of 5 stars

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - the first book in the Oz series, when Dorothy is transported by cyclone to the mysterious land of Oz. Desperately wanting to return home, she ends up making friends along the way. A tin woodman, a lion and a scarecrow all accompany her to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz to grant their wishes. 4 out of 5 stars

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - when Lennie's sister Bailey dies, she leaves devastation in her wake. But how can Lennie be falling in love when she's also grieving the loss of her best friend? Does that make her a bad sister? 4 out of 5 stars

Code Red Lipstick by Sarah Sky - when Jack Cole, ex MI6 spy, goes missing, it is up to Jessica to find out who could have taken him and why. First in the Jessica Cole: Model Spy Series. 5 out of 5 stars

Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth - Jess is overweight and bullied about it. Kez is her bully, but lives with a bully of her own. Lyn is Kez's boyfriend, but has a soft spot for Jess. What will happen when Kez's finds out? The events in this book play out over one full week. 5 out of 5 stars

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - Alice falls down a hole in search of the White Rabbit and goes on a weird and wonderful adventure in Wonderland. Full of eccentric characters and, at times, confusing events, 3 out of 5 stars

Me and Mr J by Rachel McIntyre - Lara Titliss is horrifically bullied, and no one can see but Ben Jagger. She soon starts to fall in love with him, but she can't have him... He's her teacher. 5 out of 5 stars

Now You See Me by Emma Haughton - Danny Geller, aged 13, disappears suddenly. No one knows why, at least at the time. But three years later, there's a glimmer of hope. But should everyone hold onto it, or let it go? 5 out of 5 stars

All That Glitters by Holly Smale - Harriet returns to sixth form, the first school year without Nat, and tries to make friends. And her latest model mission takes place in Morrocco. 5 out of 5 stars

Hate List - Jennifer Brown

This is a book that I had been looking forward to reading for a long time, until I finally found it in Solihull Waterstones and was absolutely overjoyed! So far that's the only store I've seen that stocks her books, and I'd liked to read more from her ever since I read this.

The book takes place in an American high school after a school shooting, and follows the life of Valerie, the girlfriend of the shooter, Nick. When Valerie and Nick started a 'hate list', a list of everything and everyone that the couple hated, Valerie just thought it was a bit of fun, or perhaps maybe just a way of letting those feelings go by putting them on paper. But the victims of the shootings all came from that list, and they would have all died, had Valerie not stood in front of a victim before Nick could stop her, getting a bullet to her leg for trying to intercept it. This led to Nick killing himself, leaving Valerie to clean up the mess, and explain his actions. Everyone at school thinks she was a part of it, that she must have known he would do it, and this makes her return to school, after her leg gets better, absolutely unbearable. 

Although the book is told solely from Valerie's point of view, there are excerpts from newspaper articles to tell the story of the shooting in more details, especially telling the reader of the victims that the reader obviously never gets to meet. It was strange to read a book about a school shooting, as it was and still is a delicate matter, especially in America, where this book comes from. But I thought the subject matter was handled delicately and with respect to anyone who may have been affected by events like those in the book.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it's a really important book to read. You don't know how deep someone's resentments lie, until the day they take it too far. If people had a decent outlet for their anger, perhaps massacres like that in the book could be prevented. 

Verdict: 5/5

Solitaire - Alice Oseman

This book is definitely in my all-time favourites list, and it's obvious why. I also had it in my ten books of 2014, which I posted to my Instagram account. 

Despite being twenty years old when I read this, I really connected with sixteen year old Tori Spring. I had been to Sixth form, I didn't particularly enjoy it, and I would have treated Solitaire as a welcome distraction from exam revision and other unpleasant things...at first.

Tori is the first character I've encountered who encapsulates my teenage years. She is this angsty, cynical, sarcastic person who, unlike so many, sees the world for what it really is.

I remember being at YALC at London Film and Comic Con last July, and seeing the book for the very first time. I overheard a lot of people talking about it, and a few even got copies a month ahead of the release. I wasn't so lucky, but I knew as soon as it came out I was going to buy it, and that's what I did. I finished it within a couple of days, which is something I only do if I'm really enjoying the book. I can definitely see myself re-reading it in the future, which is again something I don't normally do.

The tagline is this is not a love story, and it definitely isn't. I've seen reviews saying they have a 'ship', but as for me, I don't see Tori as someone who would care much for boys and dating. I could be wrong, but that's how I felt, and I don't blame her for it. I read so many love stories that it was refreshing to have a story that was a little bit deeper... It is essentially a voice for anxious, confused teens who don't belong in the inner-circle of school, and from the ukyachat's that I've been involved in recently, it seems Tori speaks for much of the YA community.

I loved the influence of Tumblr in the book. For something that, though not new, is not recognised as a popular social media site by parents and teachers, it was refreshing to have it included. This made it obvious to me, before I'd looked her up, that Alice was around the reader's age, as I don't think an older writer would have included it. Tumblr was my life when I was Tori's age, and even now when I casually check it now and again, I'm following Tori's page and I relate to a lot of her posts. I absolutely love how she has her own Tumblr, separate to Alice's, as it added a new dimension to my reading experience. 

On a personal note, I adore Alice, and I fangirl each and every time she replies to me. The fact that someone one year younger than me has written such an amazing book, it has truly give me the courage to pursue my dreams. Solitaire is the book that best represents my teenage years, and for that, it will always be a part of me, as a book that changed my life. Because I realised reading this book, that not everyone loved high school and sixth form, and I wasn't alone.

Verdict: 5/5 <3

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