Tag: contemporary

Review: If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L Armentrout

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If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very emotional and occasionally heartbreaking read. The story may not be the most original but it’s very well written. I found it difficult to put down and devoured the whole thing in one sitting.

THE BLURB

Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic—one of opportunities and chances.

Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything.

Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened.

For what she let happen.

With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when her and her friends’ entire existences have been redefined? How can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?

MY REVIEW

Phew, that was emotional. I can’t remember the last time I cried so much reading a book, it should really come with a warning or at least a free box of tissues.

I started this early(ish) on Sunday morning planning just to read a few chapters before I got up and got on with my day but once I started I literally couldn’t put it down and demolished the whole thing in one go, bawling my eyes out for probably half of it.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on the plot but it’s a not unfamiliar story in YA contemporary. It’s about how you live with the consequences and the guilt of one wrong decision, one mistake that changes your life and the lives of those around you forever. Main character Lena Wise has her whole life in front of her but that all changes at a party when she doesn’t listen to her instincts and makes that one mistake that I’m sure many others have and probably will.

I really liked Lena for the majority of this book. She has a lot to deal with and doesn’t always act the way she should but I could definitely relate to her and a lot of her actions are very understandable. I could very easily imagine myself acting in the same way even though hopefully I’ll never find out. The highlight of the story for me was however boy next door Sebastian. I’m not sure he’s wholly believable as a teenage boy (he’s just too good to be true) but he’s just sooo sweet and funny and lovely I could definitely understand why Lena had a major crush.

There is a little bit of romance but it too is very sweet and not at all heavy. I absolutely adored Lena and Seb together before everything changed for them and even afterwards I loved how he tried to stick by her despite her pushing him away.

This story does deal with some very heavy issues but it does it in a very responsible way. There are the proper consequences and it gives the right messages without ever really becoming too preachy.

There is definitely a lot of good in this book, there were however a few things that forced me to knock a star off my rating. Firstly, it’s just not original enough. The writing is great and the storyline really got to me but I’ve read it before, more than once. I do think it has messages that are worth repeating but I would have really liked something to make it stand out from the rest.

Secondly, I didn’t 100% buy into the friendship between Lena, Megan, Abbi and Darynda. I’m not sure why but there was something about it that just didn’t feel true to me. Possibly it was just that it was more tell than show. And lastly, the plugging of books written by the authors friends just really irritated me. If the main character is a big reader she would get through more books than just the ones by those two authors.

These are fairly minor niggles and despite them I did find myself completely immersed in the story. If you like YA contemporaries I think you’ll enjoy it. Just don’t expect it to be too original, and make sure you have a lot of tissues.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

Mini Review: Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh

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Cherish Hard (Hard Play, #1)

Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet, funny and very steamy, I found it difficult to resist reading at every opportunity.

THE BLURB

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh kicks off her new Hard Play contemporary romance series with a sizzling story that’ll leave you smiling…

Sailor Bishop has only one goal for his future – to create a successful landscaping business. No distractions allowed. Then he comes face-to-face and lips-to-lips with a woman who blushes like an innocent… and kisses like pure sin.

Ísa Rain craves a man who will cherish her, aches to create a loving family of her own. Trading steamy kisses with a hot gardener in a parking lot? Not the way to true love. Then a deal with the devil (aka her CEO-mother) makes Ísa a corporate VP for the summer. Her main task? Working closely with a certain hot gardener.

And Sailor Bishop has wickedness on his mind.

As Ísa starts to fall for a man who makes her want to throttle and pounce on him at the same time, she knows she has to choose – play it safe and steady, or risk all her dreams and hope Sailor doesn’t destroy her heart.

MY REVIEW

This is only my second Nalina Singh book and the first contemporary romance from her I’ve had a chance to read but it won’t be the last.

Main characters Sailor and Isa are extremely likeable and from pretty much the first page the chemistry between them had steam rising from my kindle. Both are troubled by events from their childhood, Isa pretty much ignored by her family who thought work was more important and Sailor by a father who walked out on the family leaving them destitute, and they’re looking for very different things in life. When they meet however they just can’t resist getting involved despite expecting it to end in disaster.

I had a lot of love for Isa and the way she fought for her family but honestly Sailor has to be the sweetest, kindest and sexiest man alive. The secondary characters were also brilliantly done and I loved how the author worked in a lot of diversity as well as issues such as arranged marriage, bullying and neglect.

The pacing is spot on and I absolutely loved a lot of the dialogue. Sailor and Isa definitely have a lot of chemistry and the sparks certainly fly between them at every interaction but there’s a lot of affection and humor between all of the characters.

I only really had a couple of small niggles the first of which was Isa’ s inner alter ego Devil Isa. That was wandering a little too close to the Fifty Shades inner goddess for me (although I promise it’s nowhere near as bad). I also would’ve liked a bit more struggle, a few more obstacles on the path to “Twue Love” but maybe I’m just mean.

Overall though I did love this book. It’s funny, sweet and has just enough chemistry to keep you going back for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. This has not influenced my review.

Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

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When Dimple Met RishiWhen Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

(I know, I really thought my rating would be higher too)

This is a book with a lot of hype around it and unfortunately for me it didn’t quite live up to it. It’s an enjoyable read and it’s fantastic to see this type of cultural diversity but it lacks that special something to make it stand out from all of the other YA contemporary romances out there.

Synopsis

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Review

I’m a big fan of YA contemporaries, so when I saw all of the fantastic reviews for When Dimple Met Rishi I was so excited to get my hands on a copy. Unfortunately I think all of the hype around it may have been where it all went a bit wrong for me as it led to high expectations it couldn’t possibly live up to. There isn’t anything particularly bad about it but I think I just wanted more.

I do have to applaud the author for finally giving us a culturally diverse YA romance. I don’t know how accurate its portrayal of the Indian culture is (I suspect not completely given some of reviews I’ve seen) but I loved the way elements such as the language, importance of family, customs and even religion were woven into the story in a, for the most part, natural way.

I also loved that it was Dimple who was the driving force in the story. She’s the one who’s into computers and science and is determined to win the app design competition at all costs. It’s so good to see female characters in traditionally male dominated areas and also to have a female character who rates her career and future as more important than finding a boyfriend.

I do think though that the author could have taken this further with a bit more time spent on creating the app (I know nothing about techie stuff but I’m sure girls who do would have appreciated it). Unfortunately though, other than some discussion over the concept, Dimple and Rishi don’t seem to do any actual programming or anything remotely IT-ish. Instead the focus and the majority of the book is taken up with a scavenger hunt and preparing for a talent show, with everything else being brushed over. Why a talent show would be a vital part of the competition was a bit of a mystery to me and seemed more like an excuse to work some Bollywood dancing into the story.

It would also have been good to see at least one other female character who’s there to compete. Her roommate and friend is more interested in finding a rich and popular boyfriend and the only other girl seems to just be tagging along with the guys and doesn’t give the impression of being the brightest. I know it’s a male dominated area but I would have loved to have more than one female character who’s serious about it.

Dimple is also not the most likeable of characters. She is passionate and driven to succeed which I loved but had a bit of a tendency to throw a strop at the drop of a hat. She came across as unreasonable and immature a lot of the time and I hated the way she treated Rishi.

Rishi, is almost like the exact opposite of Dimple and I adored him. For him family and tradition are more important than what he wants. He’s proud of his background and his culture and speaks up for himself and others. He’s super sweet, generous, funny and a bit of a romantic. If someone wants to arrange for me to marry him I would not be against it 🙂

The romance was quite cute and I loved how it started as an arranged marriage but other than that there wasn’t anything particularly unique or stand out about it. There was the odd moment that made me laugh however, it’s one of those stories that you quite enjoy at the time but more or less forget the moment you finish.

Overall, an enjoyable read which definitely gets a thumbs up for a strong female main character and lots of diversity but isn’t quite the stand out read I was hoping for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all thoughts are my own.

Thirteen Reasons Why, You Should Read the Book

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If you’ve been reading my posts or tweets over the past few weeks you’ll probably have seen that I have been obsessing over Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why, and I’m far from the only one. There’s definitely a lot of hype around it and it’s easy to understand why. It’s not an easy watch but it’s completely engrossing and at times heartbreaking.

The book the show’s based on was actually written more than 10 years ago by Jay Asher and was one that I’d been wanting to read for a while but had never gotten around to until very recently.

If the show’s so good you might be asking yourself what the point is in reading the book so rather than doing my usual review I thought I’d give you the 13 reasons why I think its worth reading (I may regret this as 13 is quite a lot). Before I do though, here’s the synopsis, just in case you’ve never heard of it 🙂

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Thirteen Reasons WhyYou can’t stop the future.

You can’t rewind the past.

The only way to learn the secret is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home to find a strange package with his name on it. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and first love – who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Hannah’s voice explains there are thirteen reasons why she killed herself. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening – and what he discovers changes his life… forever.

13 Reasons Why You Should Read It

Reason 1 – It’s the original story

I always think it’s good to know where the idea and the basis for shows and films come from. I have been known to pick my reads based on which shows or films are coming out as I like reading the source and being able to compare the two.

Reason 2 – It deals with some very difficult issues

Suicide, sexual assault, harassment, mental illness and dealing with loss all feature at some point in this book. You may not think the author deals with them correctly or you might think he does it perfectly but it will definitely get you thinking and more importantly discussing them. They’re all important issues and the recurring theme throughout the book is that if Hannah had really reached out and asked for help or if others had paid more attention and just been nicer things could have ended differently. These are all issues young people will no doubt encounter so it’s important that they’re discussed.

Reason 3 – The format is very unique

In the authors notes at the end Asher says that the format of this book actually came before the idea for the story. He was inspired by audio tours (you know where you wander round a gallery/castle/museum and listen to a recording of someone telling you about the thing you’re looking at) and wanted to do a book that was like that, he just needed the right story.

The book captures this feel exceptionally well and for me this was definitely the highlight. You essentially listen to the story along with Clay and travel with him to the places Hannah identifies on a map. Her story in her own words is interspersed with Clay’s reactions to what he both hears and sees on his journey. It did take me a little while to get used to this format but once I did I absolutely loved it.

Reason 4 – It has a very narrow and intense focus

The focus is very much on the tapes and Clay’s reaction to what he hears. Unlike the show, there are no side stories about a court case, or Hannah’s family’s struggling store. It’s just Clay learning what exactly was going through Hannah’s head and what drove her to do what she did (or what she claims were the driving forces). It makes it a very intense and absorbing read.

Reason 5 – Everything happens over a short space of time

It’s a very quick read and the whole thing takes place over the space of a night as Clay makes his way through the tapes and follows the map to various points around town. Again this makes it quite an intense read as Clay swings through a range of emotions in a very short space of time. It does possibly lack a bit of the depth from the TV show but the show has 13 episodes and releases the tapes gradually over that period (something which frustrated the hell out of me), allowing it to focus on each name in a lot more detail. Personally I think the author does a fantastic job of putting so much into such a short space of time (and it feels a lot more real than someone taking days to listen to tapes which name them as responsible).

Reason 6 – Hannah is a bit of a mystery

Hannah only appears in the book as a voice on a tape and through Clay’s memories so for me she remained a bit of a mystery. The tapes are essentially a suicide note so you have to assume she’s not in a stable frame of mind and not a reliable narrator. Even Clay as he listens to the tapes begins to realize how little he really knew her or what was going on in her head. She comes across as quite bitter and angry and I found it difficult to have a lot of sympathy for her. A lot of the time I was actually quite angry with her, why would you send tapes to people blaming them for your death, but I think it’s good that the author created these complex emotions around her as you can feel what Clay feels.

Reason 7 – Clay

Clay is an absolutely wonderful character. The author has done a brilliant job of portraying your average, clueless teenage boy who’s struggling to deal with the loss of someone he cared about. In fairness he does come across as very sweet and innocent (and nicer than most of the teenage boys I know). He’s clever, well mannered, insecure and obviously had a major crush on Hannah but didn’t know what to think about the rumours about her and her reputation. For me this book actually felt more about Clay in many ways than Hannah.

Reason 8 – There are no flashbacks

The whole story is very much in the moment, something which I loved. You listen to the tape with Clay and you get his instant reaction (at times it’s almost like a dialogue between them). There’s no jumping around in time or long drawn out flashbacks. Hannah tells you what happened and Clay reacts. It’s simple but it works.

Reason 9 – No other perspectives/secondary characters

You may like this or you may hate it but there are very few characters who interact with Clay while he listens to the tapes (his mother, a bus driver, a waitress, Tony). We hear Hannah talk about other students and teachers and their behavior and actions but you never get anyone other than Clay’s perspective. No one is given the chance to tell their side of the story or argue their case against inclusion on the tapes. You have no way of judging whether Hannah’s telling the truth or not.

Reason 10 – More open/raises more questions

Linked to the previous point, because none of the characters are given the chance to tell their side of the story it does make you question whether events happened as Hannah claimed and whether there’s an element of over reaction. Was it really so bad that Hannah had no other choice but to commit suicide? A lot of the events described in the book seem quite mild, particularly when you compare to how they are portrayed in the show, and it did make me wonder if these were the real reasons or just a chance to get revenge. I also thought there were a few people who really didn’t deserve to be on the tapes.

There are also a few hints scattered throughout the story that Hannah’s had issues in the past which again made me think that the tapes may not be the whole story.

Reason 11 – It’s less brutal and shocking than the show

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying they felt that the book glamorizes suicide or at least makes it seem like a good way to get back at people who’ve upset you. I honestly don’t think that’s the case although I can understand why some would think this given the light touch the author uses. The show is more explicit and more brutal and I think that’s right for it but I don’t think the book needs it or that it would work. I feel like if the author had made the story more brutal and shocking it would have faced more criticism. I do think it lacks a little of the emotion it could have had but it’s still quite a powerful read.

Reason 12 – The writing is just really good

I really like Jay Asher’s writing. There’s something very real and natural feeling about it. As I mentioned it was missing a little depth and emotion but Clay as a character is brilliant and the whole format and style of the book works so well.

Reason 13 – You can say you’ve read it

Like Clay, this probably doesn’t belong on the list but lets face it who doesn’t like being able to say they’ve read the book when everyone is talking about the show. You can point out all of the differences and why you think this worked better or that’s not as good.

So that’s my thirteen reasons. Overall I did think it was a really good book and definitely worth reading, ideally before watching the show. If you want to know my rating I gave it 4 stars.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts are as always my own.

Review: Release by Patrick Ness

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ReleaseRelease by Patrick Ness

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really, really wanted to love this book. Ness is by far one of my favorite authors and while all of his books are very different they have all been great in their own way. That’s not to say that Release isn’t great (it is), I think it’s a simple case of this book not being for me.

Ness has said himself that he was making the most of his current popularity by taking a risk and writing the book he always wanted to write, the book he wishes had been around when he was a gay 16 year old looking for something he could relate to.

The story is based on Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolfe and Forever . . . by Judy Blume (neither of which I’ve read) and like Mrs Dalloway all of the events take place over the course of a day. Also just like Mrs Dalloway, the day begins with main character Adam Thorn going to get flowers and ends with a party but this is a day with a lot of changes and challenges for Adam. It’s a day of endings, heartbreak, confrontation, sex and love. There’s also a side story involving a spirit which eventually collides with Adam’s story.

For me Adam’s story was by far the more compelling. If I’m completely honest the whole ghost/spirit side left me completely confused and I ended up kind of skimming a lot of it as I wasn’t sure what was going on and kind of didn’t care. For this reason I probably would have enjoyed the book more had it just stuck with Adam but I suppose a normal YA contemporary probably wouldn’t be very Ness.

It’s definitely an action packed day for Adam and as always the author manages to write some truly memorable moments, the confrontation with his Preacher father being one. I’m not actually sure if I liked Adam. I found him a little on the mopey and miserable side. He does have good reason for this but I really didn’t like the way he treated certain people within the novel.

BFF Angela was for me a much more likeable and relateable character. She is the one who brings a lot of the much needed humor to the story and I kind of want her as my best friend.

The writing is as always wonderful (I would expect nothing less) and the author does create a strong cast of complex characters and brilliant dialogue. I did feel like it was maybe a little bit slow in places but I think my biggest problem was that I didn’t connect. I could definitely appreciate the writing and the story but I found it all too easy to put it down and go off and read something else.

I don’t think however that I’m the right audience for this story. I think others who are struggling with similar issues to those dealt with in the book or who can relate more to Adam will get so much more out of this book.

I definitely applaud Ness for creating the book that he wanted and for putting something new and unique out there for an audience desperately in need of it. It just wasn’t for me.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume’s Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It’s a big day. Things go wrong. It’s intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches…

Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It’s a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won’t come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

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The Upside of UnrequitedThe Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Smart, funny, sweet and emotional. I loved this book even more than Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

It’s incredibly well written, with a diverse and likeable cast of characters and an incredibly cute romance.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. 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. 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 a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Thoughts

OK confession time, I didn’t love Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I wanted to, had really high hopes for it but while I did enjoy it there was that little something missing for me.

This book however, this book I did love. I don’t know if it was just that I went into it with slightly lower expectations (my expectations were through the roof for Simon vs) or if I could just relate more to Molly but I thought it was so much better.

Albertalli’s writing is absolutely wonderful. She manages to capture the voice and feeling of being a teenager so well that it took me right back to my teenage years. There isn’t a huge story, it’s pretty much your usual coming of age/YA romance but main character Molly is so likeable it’s difficult not to get hooked in.

Molly was definitely a character I could relate to. She’s smart, creative and close to her family and friends but is self conscious, anxious and quiet when it comes to meeting new people and boys in particular. She develops crushes at the drop of a hat but is too scared to act and therefore ends up worshiping the boy of the moment from afar.

I loved how her character developed over the course of the story and in particular the very real way in which the author portrayed the changing relationship with her twin sister. In many ways the romance within the book was almost secondary, although it was very sweet and one of the highlights for me.

One of the other highlights was the amount of diversity. This is possibly one of the most diverse books I’ve ever come across and it felt like almost every group was represented in some way. Molly has two moms, she’s Jewish, her sister is a lesbian who is involved with a pansexual character, she has weight issues and suffers from anxiety. In the beginning I did wonder if this was too much and the author was forcing too much in but thankfully this turned out not to be the case. It all feels very natural and the issues raised are dealt with in quite a subtle and realistic way.

Overall a great read and one I’d definitely recommend if you like YA contemporary with diverse characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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The Hating GameThe Hating Game by Sally Thorne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My new favorite contemporary romance.

I loved, loved, loved this story about co workers at war. It’s brilliantly funny, witty and sharp, with great dialogue, lovable characters and some serious heat. It takes a familiar trope and turns it into something unique and memorable.

If you’re a fan of the genre I think you’ll love this book.

The Blurb (from GoodReads)

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

My Review

This is the best game I’ve ever played in my entire life

OMG I loved this book so much. I’d heard a lot of good things about it but if I’m honest I didn’t buy into the hype. When I read the blurb my first thought was “haven’t I read this before?”. It is quite a common trope, man and woman who hate each other are forced to work together and find out there’s a fine line between love and hate.

Despite having read more than one of these stories, this one was truly a stand out read. We’ve all had those people we don’t get on with at work but Lucy and Joshua take this to a whole other level. This is not the odd snarky comment or prank but a constant daily battle of wills as each tries win. It’s gotten to the stage where they have standard games they play, the staring game and the “you’re just so…” game. They’ve complained so much about each other they’ve worn out the HR department.

The story is told from Lucy’s point of view and I loved her so much. She’s 5 feet of bubbly energy and absolutely full of fire which means she gives as good as she gets when it comes to Joshua. She’s one of those people who wants to be liked, so is a bit of a pushover, but is actually kind of lonely.

Josh couldn’t be more different. Over 6ft calm, confident and super organised the whole office is terrified of him and he constantly looks down at Lucy (literally and figuratively) treating her like something he’s scraped off his shoes. He’s a bit of a mystery and like Lucy I found him absolutely fascinating

Needless to say the relationship between them is explosive. They glare at each other, they fight and they constantly try to one up each other. It makes for some absolutely brilliant reading. Honestly there were so many sparks flying I nearly combusted. It’s hot, hot, hot but also hilariously funny (don’t read in public or you will get funny looks) and occasionally very sweet and cute.

This is a story that’s been done before but the writing definitely lifts it above the usual to one of the best romances I’ve ever read. I kept thinking there’s no way the level of sexual tension could be maintained throughout but somehow it is. It’s not predictable either and I genuinely wasn’t sure how it would all work out.

If you can’t guess from all of the above I loved everything about this story. I’m trying to think of something bad but I’m coming up blank.

Read this book if you like a good steamy romcom.

Book Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

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A Quiet Kind of ThunderA Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was my first book from Sara Barnard and it won’t be my last. It’s a very sweet coming of age story and is absolutely packed full of feels. I was worried it would be an angsty and depressing story but it couldn’t be further from this. Yes I did shed a couple of tears but mostly it just made me smile and laugh. I loved it.

The Blurb (from GoodReads)

Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn’t a lightning strike, it’s the rumbling roll of thunder.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things comes a love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.

My Review

As Steffi seems to be a lover of lists such as “The 10 stupidest things people say to you when you don’t talk” and “The Top 5 Worst Times to be Mute” I couldn’t resist creating my own list of the 7 Things I Loved about A Quiet Kind of Thunder:

  1. The lists – I’m a lover of lists and Steffi’s lists are used to great effect. They’re often funny (as you can probably tell from the previous examples) but the author makes great use of them to demonstrate a number of different things including Steffi’s previous experiences, the attitudes of others and sometimes whatever she’s thinking about what’s going on right at that moment. Beware there are a couple of lists which made me laugh out loud (thankfully I was at home at the time).
  2. Steffi – I loved Steffi from the very first few pages. She’s been struggling with selective mutism for years but rather than giving up she keeps trying. She wants to get better, to fit in or at least be included and accepted and to be able to do what others her age can like speak to a shop assistant, ask for help and go to Uni. She’s also just a  genuinely nice person, with a tendency to think the worst of herself (something I can definitely relate to).
  3. How it portrays living with anxiety – it’s so realistic at times I found it scary. As someone who has suffered from anxiety since my teens I was impressed with how well the author reflected those feelings. You’re inside Steffi’s head so you get her stream of consciousness as she worries about things, panics over nothing and becomes frozen and unable to move or speak. While I have never been mute (although I am quiet) I can honestly say her thoughts at times were a mirror of my own.
  4. Rhys – OMG Rhys!!! (yep I OMG’d), he’s just sooo cute and sweet and just loveable. He’s deaf so is almost the opposite of Steffi in that she struggles to be heard and he can’t hear but they have a surprising amount in common. He’s also just so lovely and understanding and funny and a bit mischievous. One of the highlights of this story for me were the text conversations between him and Steffi. I loved how he teased her.
  5. The romance – sorry romance haters but there’s a really cute (I seem to be using that word a lot) romance between Steffi and Rhys. It’s not lightning bolt, insta love but a slow building, realistic and healthy relationship. They just seem to instantly click and have some real chemistry. I was rooting for them to get together and make it even though they do have some issues. Even if you don’t like romance I think you will like this one.
  6. There’s no magic cure – I hate to tell you this but meeting a boy doesn’t result in Steffi suddenly becoming happy, confident and outgoing (if only it were that easy). She works at it and she gets professional help and support.
  7. The feels – there are just so many feels in this book and most of them were happy. I did have a little cry at one point (only a couple of tears, I promise) and I got frustrated and angry but mostly I found myself smiling and laughing.

Overall this is just an easy, enjoyable and fun read that I couldn’t put down. I did have a little niggle about the ending but it’s fairly minor. I’d recommend this book to everyone and I will be hunting down Beautiful Broken Things as I loved this author’s writing and want to read more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All gushing is my own 🙂

Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

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The One Memory of Flora BanksThe One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe it’s the first day of 2017 and I’m already giving a book 5 stars but The One Memory of Flora Banks definitely deserves it.

I love books that are unique, different and a little bit weird and this story is all of those things and more. The writing is incredible and draws you in to the life and mind of Flora Banks from the very first page and I could quite happily have stayed there.

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Book Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

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The Unexpected EverythingThe Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is a slightly better than OK story about a teenage girl, Andie, who find her plans for the summer go out the window when her congressman dad gets pulled into a scandal. She finds herself doing things she never would have dreamed of, spending time with her father, taking a job walking dogs and starting a relationship that could last more than her previous 5 week record.

I have to admit I struggled at the start of this story. There were too many characters, strange names (for me at any rate) and I just couldn’t warm to Andie. Even her friends Toby, Palmer and Bri describe her as a Type A personality. She’s an overachiever with her whole life planned out who needs to be in control of every situation including her relationships. It’s kind of understandable given her father’s job and the fact that she’s always in the spotlight but it does make her a difficult character to like.

I found myself not having much sympathy for her when things started to go wrong. What she viewed as a major crisis didn’t really seem like the end of the world to me but that may have been partly due to me being tired and stressed. I also found myself getting frustrated about how she dealt with things. Rather than just accepting and moving forward she bottled everything up and refused to accept it. The opportunities she got, like being offered a job as a dog walker, she viewed as beneath her. Honestly, I kind of wanted to give her a reality check and say welcome to the real world.

Anyway, it was probably around a third of the way through that this started to turn around for me. When Andie is faced with a real problem, when she starts to relax and form a real connection to someone, that’s when I began to finally engage with the story.

I do think it’s a little on the long side and a bit slower than I would have liked but there were some really good moments and some real emotions. I did find myself in tears on a couple of occasions and some parts made me smile (scavenger hunt and emoji bet). While I did think the romance and the dog walking was cute probably the best part of this story for me was the relationship between Andie and her father. It’s quite unusual to find any parents in YA/NA reads so I liked that this was a big feature of this one.

Overall a good story that I enjoyed but probably a little too long and dragged out to justify more than 3.5 stars.

Blurb

Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life. Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?