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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