Starring Kitty - Keris Stainton

I only bought this the other day, and I couldn't wait to read it. I absorbed it in two days straight. It was a lovely, short read that I could have read in a day, had I been free that day. I love books like that.

Kitty is keeping a lot of secrets. When Hannah is complaining about how she never sees her mom, Kitty keeps quiet about how everyone at home is struggling with her mom's illness. When Sunny complains that her parents won't let her have a boyfriend, Kitty doesn't mention that she likes someone...a girl. Even though Hannah and Sunny are her best friends, she can't find the words to tell them. Especially about Dylan, the girl she's seeing. Kitty distracts herself from her problems by taking part in a local film competition with her friends.

Kitty doesn't know a lot about multiple sclerosis - her parents won't talk much about it and she was told not to google it - but she knows enough. Her little sister Grace, however, doesn't really understand what's happening. My heart broke for both of them.

In the midst of her mom's illness, Kitty is struggling with her sexuality. But she isn't worried what her friends and family will do - her older brother, Tom, is gay - it's the bullies at school she's worried about. What will they do? And I think that's what got to me the most, that someone can make your life so miserable that you can't even be yourself.

I really enjoyed this book, the only way I can describe it is that it's a very special story. I love how Keris writes, and I love her as a person - I can't wait to start her writing course in May! I'll definitely be getting Spotlight on Sunny as soon as I see it.

Verdict: 5/5

Crow Moon - Anna McKerrow

I read this along with the readukya book group on goodreads, and I really enjoyed it! I'm so glad I didn't leave it on my shelf, like I have with so many books I've bought in the past.

When the earth starts running out of fuel, and countries begin wars with the few that still have some, it becomes a corrupt and terrible place to live. In England, a select few decide to move to Devon and Cornwall and create the Greenworld: a civilisation that lives naturally, without the need for fuel and electricity.

The Greenworld is split into covensteads, which are protected by witches. Danny's mom is one of them, and when he sets out on a quest to replace her destroyed tarot cards, he meets another witch, Saba, who he falls in love with instantly. The only downside is her boyfriend, Tom.

Danny soon learns that he, too, is a witch - a very powerful oen, and he has a psychic connection with the evil gang leader and former witch, Roach. He wants to use the magic portals - sacred places within the covensteads, as the door to the afterlife - to solve the fuel crisis in the Redworld. And he will do anything to gain control of the portals.

I really liked this book, but I didn't like Danny's character much, due to his disrespect of Saba and Tom's relationship and his desire to sabotage it. I think my favourite character was Saba's sister, Melz - she seems like my kind of person. I really enjoyed the details Anna includes of the magic rituals, as it made the story seem more real to me. I can't wait for the next book, coming out next year!

Verdict: 4/5

First, Last and Always - Kim Lehman

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Lucky Stars Publishing for this book. In return, I have written an honest review of the book.

Charlotte Hubbard is overweight and shy, living in the shadow of her pretty and popular sister, Alexa. Charlotte dreams of falling in love, and wonders out loud to her best friends, Lani and Miles, who could ever love her?

Miles Fiester has loved Charlotte since the third grade, but has never found a good time to tell her. When she thinks the new boy, Grayson, may like her, he panics. He might have lost his chance.

As they start their first year of high school, is now finally the right time for Miles to tell Charlotte how he feels?

There is so much heartache in this book, I could barely cope. I really felt sorry for Miles. Nothing ever goes right for him - he can't tell Charlotte how he feels in case it ruins their friendship, his deadbeat is always making promises he can't keep, and his dream of finally making the basketball team after so many failed attempts looks further away than ever. I really liked Miles, and I found it admirable that he never gave up. 

Also, Charlotte gets bullied quite a bit. But it's not only from the kids at school, but her own sister does it too. Alexa may not see that she's doing it, but it's still hurtful to be called fat by a member of your own family.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved that it was dual perspective, because that way you could follow both Miles and Charlotte around. It was really well-written, and I especially loved hoe sarcastic Miles was. 

Verdict: 5/5

P.S. thank you all so much for reading my reviews! I haven't been doing this very long, and I've just hit 1,000 views and I'm overjoyed that people are interested in my blog. I really appreciate each and every one of you. <3

Under My Skin - James Dawson

I've had this book for over a month now, and I've finally found the time to read it amongst my university work - and I'm so glad I did. I absolutely loved it! Another brilliant offering from the reigning Queen of Teen, and one of my favourite authors.

Sally Feather is a shy seventeen-year-old girl. The closest she has ever gotten to an evil being is watching episodes of Satanville with her best friends, Stan and Jennie. Until one day, she is lured into a tattoo parlour, where she chooses to have a pin-up girl tattooed on her back, by the name of Molly Sue.

Just when Sally thinks she can't regret this decision any more, Molly Sue starts talking to her. She can move around Sally's body and even take control of her. She returns to the place she had the tattoo, House Of Skin, to find it has disappeared. What is going on - and what does Molly Sue want with her?

When Molly Sue starts taking control of Sally's life, she tries everything she can to get rid of her possessed ink. But Molly Sue is strong, and it will take death to get rid of her.

I really enjoyed this book, it made my skin crawl in places because it was so creepy. James' books could never disappoint me, and even though this isn't my favourite (Cruel Summer still has the number one spot in my heart) it's still a brilliant book which I have already recommended to a few friends. And as evil as she was, I though Molly Sue was a brilliant character, I loved the way she talked and the things she said. She had so much sass!

If you haven't read this yet, you really should. 5/5

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli

I read this during my #readukya readathon, because I was just so excited to read it. I'd heard so many good things about it, so I jumped straight in, forgetting it was a US book. But even though it won't count as part of my readthon - which didn't go as well as planned to due personal problems anyway - I don't regret a single second I spent reading this amazing book.

At sixteen years old, Simon Spier isn't ready to come out as gay yet. Even when someone at his school reads his emails and threatens to tell everyone, Simon does everything he can to stop this from happening - if not for his sake, then for Blue's.

Simon emails Blue everyday. They go to the same school - they found each other on 'the Tumblr' - but neither will reveal who they are because, like Simon, Blue isn't ready to come out either. So Simon is even more keen to keep Martin from telling everyone his secret. But if he looked more closely at Blue's emails, he would know who he was straight away. All the clues are there.

I loved Simon's friendship group. Nick and Leah have been his friends forever, and Leah has a huge crush on Nick. So when new girl Abby steals Nick's attention, Leah becomes distant. I actually really loved Leah, and I think she was my favourite character, especially towards the end. It was a lot of pressure on Simon to have to hide who he really was from his friends and family, and I assume this is what it's like for a lot of young people today. 

I love the way the book is written, because Simon's voice is just so funny! It's told entirely from his perspective, but emails from Blue are interspersed in there, so you get to know Blue a little as well. I love dual perspective novels, but I think this worked better as a single perspective, as when Blue is revealed, it is much better than if I had known from the start who he was. It made it more exciting, I thought.

This book is so wonderfully diverse, I advise you all to go and pick up a copy straight away! It completely lived up to the expectations I had from reading other reviews of it, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

And as one last comment: I will be using the phrase 'almost too Disney' in my everyday speech from now on. Be prepared!

Verdict: 5/5, of course!

Trouble - Non Pratt

This is an amazing debut from Non, whose next book, Remix, is due to come out in June - which I am so excited for! So many of my friends have been lucky enough to have read it already, and I wish I had too because June is too far away!

When Hannah Shepard finds out that she is pregnant, her ex-best friend spreads it around the entire school. Scared and alone, Hannah ends up having a meltdown in her back garden. 

Enter: Aaron Tyler. The new kid, the transfer student, the father? Aaron offers to pretend to be the father so that everyone will leave Hannah alone and stop asking questions, and Hannah says yes.

Prior to her pregnancy announcement, every guy wanted Hannah. Aaron is the one person who doesn't - he just genuinely wants to help.

This book is a dual-perspective, which I loved because you get to see Aaron's life as well as Hannah's. This book had me hooked from the beginning, and I feel like I need to re-read it pretty soon to refresh my memory. It's been so long since I read this!

There were so many twists and turns in this book that I didn't see coming, which I really enjoyed. I remember, I was reading it home alone in the bath one day, and when something was revealed, I gasped so loud that my dog tried to get into the bathroom to see if I was okay. That's how surprised I was! It was definitely a thrilling read.

It's such a brilliant book, and my copy is extra special for me because I got it signed at YALC last year. I've met Non twice, and I hope I can meet her again in the future. The countdown for Remix's release begins here! I love Non so much and I hope everyone picks up a copy of Remix!

Verdict: 4/5

Othergirl - Nicole Burstein

I have been looking forward to reading this for months, and I started recommending it to friends as soon as it came out - even before I'd read it myself. I just knew that I would love it!

Erica Elland and Louise Kirby are best friends, and even if they drift apart sometimes, there will always be this secret keeping them close - Erica is a superhero. Like, flying and everything. And nobody knows except for Louise.

Louise covers for Erica when she's out testing her powers. She does her homework twice so that Erica doesn't fall behind, and does the repair work on her burnt-out costume. Because Erica can not only fly, but she can produce fire from her hands, which has led to a lot of hilarious accidents in this book, which I loved. 

When Erica meets Jay, a recruiter for the Vigils - a team of superheroes known worldwide - Louise has a bad feeling about him. Along with Vigil-fanboy Toby, she sets out to investigate and hopefully save the day.

As Erica starts to find new Vigil friends, she no longer needs Louise as much as she did when no one else knew about her powers. This leads to some distance forming between the girls - but Louise isn't giving up on their friendship.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was funny, thrilling, and it definitely lived up to my expectations - everyone should read this book! I read this so fast, because I just loved it that much. I can't wait for what Nicole will write next!

Verdict: 5/5

Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard

I'm a little late to the party, but I've started watching the television series, Pretty Little Liars recently. I'm on series three, so I thought it was time I began reading the books, as I couldn't possibly overtake myself on the show and spoil the ending. 

Pretty Little Liars is a series of books that follow four girls; Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields and Hanna Marin. The book begins three years after the disappearance of their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis. 

Aria has just returned from Iceland, where her family moved shortly after Alison went missing. She returns not knowing whether Ali has been found, and feels like she has changed a lot since she moved away. 

Emily loved Ali - as more than a friend. She thought it was just because they were so close, but when new girl Maya moves into Ali's old house, she starts to realise she doesn't know herself as well as she thought.

Spencer tries her best to out-do her older sister, Melissa. When she meets her sister's new boyfriend, Wren, she feels they have a connection far greater than his and Melissa's. And this isn't the first time she has had feelings for one of her sister's boyfriends.

Hanna is finally happy with her body, after years of being chubby and dorky, and wanting to be like Ali. Now Ali is gone, and after some bad nights, Hanna is beautiful, and damning Ali for not being here to see it.

There is someone out there. Someone who knows all their secrets, and is intent of exposing them. As the girls start to regain the friendship they had three years ago, A is trying to break them apart. 

I really loved this book, as much as I love the television series, if not more. The book only covers the first few episodes of series one, so I'm safely ahead of the books. This means, I'll be reading the second book very shortly. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes the show. And if you haven't watched the show, give it a go!

Verdict: 5/5 

My Heart and Other Black Holes - Jasmine Warga

I was really excited to read this book, as I'd seen a lot of good things about it. I bought it the very first time I saw it in Waterstones and now I'm confused. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I think I may have built it up too much in my head first, and let expectations get the better of me.

Aysel and Roman meet on a website called Smooth Passages, and make a deal to become each other's 'suicide partner'. This is when people pair up, to make sure they both go through with their suicide rather than giving up at the last minute. 

Aysel and Roman are completely different people, and convincing people that they're friends and not something sinister is difficult - a physics nerd and a basketball player hanging out together is a bit too suspicious.

Roman will only agree to be Aysel's suicide partner if they can do it on April 7th. This leaves them with exactly one month to do what they have to do before their deadly deadline. But as the date draws closer, Aysel starts having second thoughts. Will she back out of their deal?

I really struggled to get through this book, but towards the end I began to like where the story was headed. If it had got to that point sooner, I think I would have enjoyed it more. I'm glad I carried on, because I hate giving up on a book, but this wasn't really for me. It was still a good book, and I don't doubt many others will love it, but I just wished the story had gone a little differently.

Verdict: 3/5

P.S. I will be taking part in the #readukya readathon from tomorrow until next Sunday. I have five books in my to-read pile that I've selected, but I'm not sure I'll get through all of them. Reviews of all the books will be put up as and when I finish the books, and to see how I'm doing, head over to my twitter and instagram accounts. Thank you for reading!

Instagram: instagram.com/asdfghjklize/
Twitter: twitter.com/t4ngled_
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/lizebronwen

March reading round-up!

Another month is over, and I'd like to share with you all the books I've read this month. I've read 1 book on my kindle, and 6 paperbacks - a total of 7 books. I haven't read as much as I wanted to this month, because of family stuff - but hopefully I'll pick it back up next month. I'm still 2 books ahead of schedule for my reading challenge!

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury - the first book in the trilogy, Twylla has a gift from the Gods - the power to kill people with one touch of her poisonous skin. Beautifully written, one of my favourites of 2015 so far! 5 out of 5 stars

Benjamin Buckingham and the Nightmare's Nightmare by Gregory Gerschwin - nine year old Benjamin goes on a quest to restore people's ability to dream and stop nightmares from taking over. 4 out of 5 stars

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian - three girls become unlikely friends as they get revenge on the people who have made their life hell - but how far will they go? first in the trilogy. 5 out of 5 stars

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens - the first case for the Wells and Wong detective society is a gruesome murder of the science mistress at their school. such a gripping read, I love Robin's writing style! 5 out of 5 stars

The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell - Sora is dying from ALS, but his new friends are giving him a new life. They may make Sora forget, but no amount of friends will stop fate. a wonderful debut! 5 out of 5 stars

Hook's Daughter by Heidi Schulz - when the infamous Captain Hook is finally defeated by the Neverland crocodile, his daughter Jocelyn runs away from finishing school to avenge his death. 4 out of 5 stars

Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill - freida is an eve, designed to one day fulfill a purpose, either as a companion, a concubine or a chastity. as the Ceremony approaches, the pressure to be perfect builds. 4 out of 5 stars