UPDATED REVIEW | Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Click here to read my original review!

Back in 2013, I read and reviewed 'Fangirl', and since then I've read it again only to find my thoughts and opinions have changed!
When I first read the book, I remember being so frustrated with Cath for throwing away her University degree by not doing her assignments because she didn't feel like it. But it wasn't because she didn't feel like it, it's because she actually COULDN'T do it. I get it now, because I recently went through something similar where my anxiety got so out of control that I literally couldn't do anything, let alone assignments. So I totally get it now that I've truly been in Cath's shoes! She's such a relatable character for so many people and I love Rainbow Rowell so much for creating her and sharing her with us!
Another thing that changed from my original review was the fandom aspect. This time around, I found myself skimming the Simon Snow excerpts, and even in some cases, skipping them entirely. I was just so invested in what was happening in the real world with Cath and Levi and all of their friends/families that I didn't care about Simon, to be honest. And all of the Simon Snow bits were taken from all over the place (the original series, Cath's fanfiction, etc.), and I think it would have worked better if Rowell had just sticked with ONE Simon Snow story, instead of all of them combined. 
Other than that, I really enjoyed the story in its entirety. It was cute and fluffy with just the right amount of drama, and the characters were all really well rounded. The family aspect was spot on and the romance was SO cute.
Originally I rated it 4 stars, and even though I don't have the same issues with the book, I found other problems with the book so I can't really raise my rating. I still give it 4 stars and still definitely recommend it!

BOOK REVIEW | A Step Towards Falling by Cammie McGovern

Book Review | One by Sarah Crossan

Title: One

Author: Sarah Crossan

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 1st September 2015

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley & Publisher (Bloomsbury Childrens)
My Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Goodreads

Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins.
And their lives are about to change.
No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love?
But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined…
From Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this moving and beautifully crafted novel about identity, sisterhood and love ultimately asks one question: what does it mean to want and have a soulmate?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Childrens for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review!
Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins and throughout this novel we follow them as they go to school for the very first time and while they have to face some really tough decisions that could impact their lives forever. When I first heard what this novel was about, I knew I needed to read it. I'm so passionate about having characters with disabilities and medical conditions in YA literature. I think it's so important that we write about and discuss these topics because they're real and a lot of them affect so many people in the world. I also really wanted to broaden my knowledge on conjoined twins and thought this novel would be perfect to do so. However, I was slightly disappointed by this book in this regard. The topic was SO interesting, but I felt like I didn't get to know much about it and it wasn't discussed very much. I would have liked to have seen more about the twins' daily lives and how they go about doing things, but we aren't really shown that very much. 
So you're probably thinking that since this book centres around twins, that there'd be 2 points of view. WRONG. We only follow one of the twins which I thought hindered the storytelling, the element of surprise and getting to know the other twin, Tippi. 
The novel is told in verse and at first I was excited because I love how Ellen Hopkins is able to fully flesh out characters and a story just through verse, but I didn't feel Crossan achieved this unfortunately. I found it harder to connect to the characters and I felt that a lot of the novel could have been fleshed out more, but the writing style prevented that from happening. It also felt like things moved so quickly (especially at the end) because of the verse-type writing style, when I wanted things to happen at a slower pace. I also wanted more information at the end, because I feel as though it ended very abruptly and lacked closure on certain things. 
Despite all of these things I didn't like about the book, I couldn't put it down because I just wanted to know what happened and I loved the idea of the book, so I ended up reading it in one sitting and giving it 2.5 stars.
It was really interesting and I recommend you check it out when it comes out if it sounds interesting to you!

Book Review | The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

Title: The Lost and the Found

Author: Cat Clarke

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary/Mystery

Publication Date: 2nd July 2015

Format: ARC

Source: Publisher (Quercus)
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads

LOST. 
When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister. Faith’s childhood was dominated by Laurel’s disappearance – from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever wanted to talk about her sister. 
FOUND.
Thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the garden of the Logans’ old house, disorientated and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Laurel is home at last, safe and sound. Faith always dreamed of getting her sister back, without ever truly believing it would happen. But a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated and paranoid, and before long she begins to wonder if everything that’s lost can be found again…

What a rollercoaster! I didn't go into this book with many expectations so I was extremely surprised to come out of the reading experience gushing about how good this book was. I'll start of by saying that my biggest fear is being kidnapped so I probably shouldn't read books like this, but for some reason I find them so fascinating. I loved that this book followed what happens after Laurel is found and how she and her family copes with the adjustment and also with the police trying to track down the man who took her. It was so interesting to see how Laurel coped with being put back into the real world.
At about the half way mark, I honestly couldn't stop flipping those pages because I just HAD to know what happened. The mystery aspect was fantastic and gripping and was super intriguing the whole way through. I did guess the twist at the end though which was a bit disappointing, but I love how the author did it (if you've read it, you'll know what I mean). 
The thing that stopped me from giving this a full 5 stars was that I really wanted an epilogue. LIKE, JUST A COUPLE MORE PAGES PLEASEEEEE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 
I loved the rawness of the emotions from the family members and all in all I just feel like this book was really well done. I highly recommend it!

Book Review | The Flywheel by Erin Gough

Title: The Flywheel

Author: Erin Gough

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 1st February 2015

Format: Paperback

Source: Publisher (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Delilah’s crazy life is about to get crazier. Ever since her father took off overseas, she’s been struggling to run the family’s cafe without him and survive high school. But after a misjudged crush on one of the cool girls, she's become the school punchline as well. With all that’s on her plate she barely has time for her favourite distraction – spying on the beautiful Rosa, who dances flamenco at the tapas bar across the road.
Only her best friend Charlie knows how she feels about Rosa, but he has romantic problems of his own. When his plan to win an older woman’s heart goes horribly wrong, Del is the only one who can help Charlie stay out of jail. 
All this leaves Del grappling with some seriously curly questions. Is it okay to break the law to help a friend? How can a girl tell another girl she likes her without it ending in humiliation and heartbreak? And – the big one – is it ever truly possible to dance in public without falling over?

Thank you so much to Hardie Grant Egmont for sending this book my way! The Flywheel follows Delilah as she struggles with a lot of things while her father is away on holiday - she is struggling with her sexuality, managing the family cafe, balancing school, bullying and a whole range of other things. I'm so glad more and more books are being released that revolve around LGBTQ characters. It's so important because this is what society is like today and I believe that new literature should definitely reflect that! I also want to mention that this book is a part of a program run by Hardie Grant Egmont called 'The Ampersand Project', where they find YA novels by unpublished writers and publish them. This is their second time doing this and I just want to say that I think it's so great for the publisher to give more opportunities for Australian debut authors! 
I found this book to be really relevant for High School students, as it focuses on some really important topics revolving around friendships, sexuality, bullying, family issues and how different families from varying ethnicities are. It teaches a lot of important lessons and is so realistic and relatable. I think this is one of those books that should definitely be on display in school libraries for teens to read because you never know, it might be exactly what they need to find acceptance in who they are and other answers to certain issues they may be relevant in their lives. 
Personally, there was something lacking for me, and I have a feeling it's to do with my age. A lot of the issues being dealt with in the book were things that aren't relevant for me anymore. I can still appreciate it for what it is though. 
It was a great story with lovely quirky characters and I'd definitely recommend it! I gave it 3.5/5 stars!

DNF Book Review | Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood

Title: Inherit the Stars

Author: Tessa Elwood

Series or standalone: 1st in a series

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Publication Date: 8th December 2015

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley 

Goodreads

Three royal houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.
Asa is the youngest daughter of the house of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She thinks she can save her family’s livelihood by posing as her oldest sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the throne of the house of Westlet. The appearance of her mother, a traitor who defected to the house of Galton, adds fuel to the fire, while Asa also tries to save her sister Wren's life . . . possibly from the hands of their own father.
But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?
Author Tessa Elwood's debut series is an epic romance at heart, set against a mine field of political machinations, space adventure, and deep-seeded family loyalties.

I'll just start off by saying that I didn't finish this book. I only got 25% of the way through before I decided I didn't want to continue. I won't go too into depth because this book is yet to be released so I'll just quickly state the issues that I had with it. Young Adult Sci-Fi is one of my absolute FAVOURITE genres and this sounded absolutely epic, but as soon as I started reading, I knew this book wasn't going to be for me. 
The lack of world building and descriptions of the planets/worlds was astounding. There was hardly anything for me to form even a snippet of an image in my head. 
It was also really obvious that this was heading into a VERY romance heavy novel, so if you were looking for more of an epic sci-fi story (like I was) then maybe give this one a miss.
I also wanted more of the sci-fi elements, but there wasn't any apart from the fact that it's set on different planets, but when they travelled between planets, there was no mention of how they got there and how the heck they managed to get from one solar system to another in like, a day. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? WHERE IS THE SCIENCE? WHERE IS THE WORLD BUILDING? WHERE ARE THE DESCRIPTIONS? There were none and I'm very disappointed. I realise that as the book continues, it could have improved but to be honest I just wasn't enjoying it at all. 
I didn't rate it because I don't feel like that's fair because I didn't finish it, but based on the first 1/4, I'd give it a 1.5 star rating. 

Mini Review | This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Title: This Raging Light

Author: Estelle Laure

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 22nd December 2015

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley & HMH Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 2/5 stars

Goodreads

Can the best thing happen at the worst time?  Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page. 

I won't go too into depth with this review as this debut novel won't be released until December, but I certainly have a few things to say about it! First of all I just want to thank NetGalley and HMH for this eARC! Already, this book has been receiving some praise so I was excited to see what it was all about!
It follows the main character as she tries to hide the fact that her mother left town and she's now the only carer for her 9-year-old sister. Their father is mentally unstable and they don't know where either of their parents are and are scared of coming clean for fear of being separated and put into foster care. 
I loved the idea of this novel as it sparks some really strong emotions and questions. However, I was a bit let down by this book.
The writing was beautiful and metaphorical, but I found many other aspects of the book to be quite bland. I found that I didn't really connect to the characters or the story at all until one point that had me almost choking up at the kindness of some people. Other than that, I found it to be very predictable and some big aspects of the plot I found kind of unnecessary to the overarching theme and storyline. 
I also have a huge problem with unresolved plotlines, and this was one of those, so be aware of that if you are like me and always need a complete resolution.
In the end, I didn't really find it that memorable or amazing, but it is a nice, hopeful little contemporary that might interest some of you!

Book Review | Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

Title: Hello, I Love You

Author: Katie M. Stout

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 1st July 2015

Format: Paperback

Source: Bought 

Goodreads

Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who’s topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother’s breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.
She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie’s twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a tenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol. 
Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what it means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.

This book sounded so promising! It has been compared to Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins except set in Korea and features a hot KPOP star! UMM SIGN ME UP! But unfortunately, I was really disappointed with this book. The idea was so great and had just enough originality to separate itself from Anna and the French Kiss, but essentially, a quite few things let it down for me.
Firstly, I found the main character to be EXTREMELY unlikeable. She was rude, really nosey, judgmental, a little bit racist and extremely insensitive. She was so horrible to her new friends' brother and it wasn't even for a good reason! She would just straight up insult him just because he wasn't paying her the amount of attention she wanted. She also complained a lot and insisted on asking really personal questions to these people she hardly knew, in a blunt and insensitive manner. I just couldn't find any redeeming qualities about her to be honest. She did start to get better towards the end of the book, but I just really didn't like her.
Another thing I really didn't like (and is something that I have seen in quite a few YA novels) is that she purposefully lied to Jason and said that she basically didn't give a rats arse about him (when she clearly did). WHY HIDE YOUR FEELINGS? OR IF YOU MUST HIDE THEM, AT LEAST DO IT WITHOUT HURTING THE OTHER PERSON BY INSULTING THEM. It just didn't make any sense. 
I also feel like even though KPOP and Korea are super important parts of the story, they weren't explored hardly enough. I honestly struggled to picture Korea just from the descriptions in the book and found myself googling what it looks like and I would've loved to delve further into KPOP but it's only briefly mentioned here and there. 
I definitely wanted more of a backstory on other characters such as Yoon Jae. And I'm sad that what happened with Sophie and Tae Hwa?? I wanted more of a resolution with them!
The things that I really enjoyed about the book were definitely the supporting characters, especially Sophie. She was so cute and fun and a lovely person to read about, in contrast to our main character, who acted like a spoiled brat the majority of the time. I also thought that there were definitely some really cute parts of the book, but I definitely wanted more of them! 
Overall, I would recommend this for a light and fluffy contemporary, but keep in mind that it has a really frustrating main character and lacks some other elements that I mentioned above. 
I gave this 2 stars!

Mini Review | When You're Back by Abbi Glines

Title: When You're Back

Author: Abbi Glines

Series or standalone: Book 12 in the Rosemary Beach companion series

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 30th June 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

Source: Bought 

Goodreads

The future is bright for Reese Ellis. She has Mase Colt-Manning, the man of her dreams, and a family she didn’t know existed until her long-lost father arrived on her doorstep in Rosemary Beach. After growing up with a cruel mother and abusive stepfather, Reese is eager to get to know the caring and charming man who wants to be a part of her life. Everything is finally falling into place.
While Reese is visiting her new family in Chicago, Mase spends time with his “cousin,” Aida, who has worshipped him since childhood. Though they’re unrelated by blood, Mase and Aida have been raised to think of each other as family. But when Reese returns, she can tell something isn’t quite right with Aida, who clearly resents Reese and excels at manipulative little games. And though Mase is unsuspecting, Reese knows Aida doesn’t love him like a cousin should...


Okay here's the thing. I LOVE this series to death even though it's not a literary masterpiece or anything. I love these books because I love all of the characters so much and the same goes for this book, except this book lacked other things for me. Usually throughout these books, there is a main plot-line going on regarding the two main characters of the story, and I felt like the actual plot of this book didn't happen until 70% of the way through the book. The rest was just sex. So that was disappointing. But when the story actual starting developing and things started to happen, I was like YES THERE'S THE ABBI GLINES I LOVE WHERE WERE YOU GURL? So usually I rate these books really high because the blend of character development, the plot and the sex are all usually balanced perfectly, but in this one they weren't. Also, another thing that might bother some people (but didn't bother me that much coz I realise these books are pretty unrealistic in terms of the love story) was that some of the things that came out of Mase's mouth just weren't things that normal guys say. The things he says are just too romantic and cheesy and I really don't think guys in real life talk like that (at least, my boyfriend doesn't talk cheese to that extreme) but I still love it because I love these characters and this series is my guilty pleasure sooooo yeah just some quick thoughts about this book! I still absolutely adore this series and I realise that it isn't for everyone!

I gave this 3 stars!

REVIEW | Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Title: Nowhere But Here

Author: Katie McGarry

Series or standalone: 1st in the Thunder Road companion series

Genre: Mature YA Contemporary 

Publication Date: 26th May 2015

Format: eARC & Paperback

Source: NetGalley (Harlequin Teen) & Bought

Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighbourhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father — the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent — but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father, and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re...family. And while Emily — the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member — is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Nowhere But Here definitely exceeded my expectations by around 50000000000000 (plus maybe 10 more zeros). I went into this book expecting it to be a YA version of Sons of Anarchy with a sexy romance and I definitely wasn't wrong, but what I didn't expect was the depth and the HUGE amount of emotions that it would evoke. I've read Katie McGarry first book, Pushing the Limits, and I loved it a lot so I knew that no matter what, I'd at least enjoy this novel, but not only did I love it, it had me in tears, it had my heart racing, it had my stomach in knots, it had me feeling butterflies, it had me feeling EVERYTHING. 
I loved the idea of the biker club because you never really see that in YA, and I think it was done exceptionally well and with authenticity. There are so many characters and you really begin to feel like a part of this huge family and I could literally feel the love pouring off of the pages between these fictional people who seemed so real to me. 
I also really appreciated how some topics were dealt with in the book like broken families, death and disabilities. One thing that I didn't like at the beginning was when Oz would constantly think about Emily's body and how sexy it was and I thought it was a bit unnecessary, but then I realised that that's how Oz grew up. He grew up in a biker club where women were seen as objects and playthings until the men in the club found that one woman who meant the world to them. So I can sort of see where that was coming from, but it did make me a little bit uncomfortable. 
Another thing that isn't just solely from this book, but from many YA books, is how sex is shown (or not shown) in them. I think it's important (especially as this is a mature YA book) that authors don't gloss over certain things. Like when a character orgasms and then just puts his pants back on. Um..... are you going to clean that up or??????? Just stuff like that that gets left out that makes it really unrealistic.
Other than those very minor things, I absolutely adored this book. My feelings were all over the place and I fell in love with not only the characters, but that sense of family and home that they had. It was truly beautiful! 5 stars!

REVIEW | Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Title: Every Last Word

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 16th June 2015

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley (Disney Hyperion)

Goodreads

"If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling."
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 
Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for this review copy! 
This book was phenomenal. It was one of the best young adult contemporaries that I've read that deals with mental illness. The main character, Sam, has OCD which is an anxiety disorder. I suffer from an anxiety disorder too, so I really wanted to read this and see how I could connect with it and how well Tamara Ireland Stone portrayed it. I have to say, she did this fantastically. You really get a feel for what it's like to go through her mental disorder and I think people who don't suffer from mental illness firsthand will really get to see what it's like and the effects that it can have on a person, their life and the people around them. 

I was honestly hooked from the start. It had a plot-line that kept me completely engaged the entire time and the romance was portrayed so realistically and was so swoon-worthy it had me smiling to myself while I was reading. I just think that the romance is so real and fun to read about and it was perfectly paced. The characters were all great! I loved her psychologist and the poetry group and everyone in it so much! I just felt for them all and felt like I was friends with them too by the end! I also loved how poetry was incorporated into the novel. It was done wonderfully and the poems were all so unique and different and lovely. 

The only criticism I have for this book is that there is a HUGE absence of Sam's family. They appear a couple of times, but other than that, I don't know anything about them at all! I really wanted them to be fleshed out a lot more because I feel as though they played a huge role in helping Sam through everything (especially at the start and end of the novel, as well as before the events in the novel even happen.) 
Other than that, what a beautiful, engaging and inspiring novel. Absolutely adored it! 5 stars!

REVIEW | KISSING IN AMERICA BY MARGO RABB

Title: Kissing in America

Author: Margo Rabb

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 26th May 2015

Format: ARC

Source: Publisher (Penguin)

Goodreads

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love. 

Firstly, I just want to thank Penguin for sending my workplace an ARC for us booksellers to read! 
I've seen a couple of negative reviews of this book on goodreads and all I can think is, Did we read the same book? I thought this book was absolutely hilarious, honest and exhilarating to read! I loved every moment of it. I knew I was going to love it because I was literally laughing out loud by page 2, and it takes A LOT for a book to make me do this. I think it's because the type of humour in this book is EXACTLY my type of humour. It had me giggling like an idiot! 
I want to stress that this isn't a romance. It's a coming of age story that focuses mainly on friendship, family and grief and how these affect Eva throughout the events in the novel. I absolutely loved the poetry theme and the depth to the family issues and the road trip was just brilliant! I also loved how we got to see REAL issues that impact REAL teens today. I found the main character to be really relatable even though I haven't been through a grieving process or anything, I just felt like I connected to her for some reason, and props to Margo Rabb for creating a character that I easily could attach myself to! 
I love the theme in this book that true love comes in all different forms, not just romantic love. I loved reading about Eva's growth as a person and I loved joining her on her journey to self-discovery.
I loved everything about this book and I highly, highly recommend picking it up if you love a good contemporary that has a romance throughout, but isn't solely romance focused. LOVED IT. 5 stars!

REVIEW | FINDING AUDREY BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

Title: Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publication Date: 4th June 2015

Format: Paperback 

Source: Publisher (Doubleday Children's)

Goodreads

Audrey can't leave the house.
She can't even take off her dark glasses inside the house. Then her brother's friend Linus stumbles into her life. With his friendly, orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again - well, Starbucks is a start.And with Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she'd thought were too scary. Suddenly, finding her way back to the real world seems achievable.
Be prepared to laugh, dream and hope with Audrey as she learns that even when you feel like you have lost yourself, love can still find you . . .

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book! At first I was so excited for it because it sounded perfect for me because when I was Audrey's age, I had actually gone through something freakishly similar to her in this book! But then again, I had issues with it that I was hoping wouldn't arise but unfortunately I couldn't ignore. 
I'll start off by saying that a lot of things about Audrey and this book were so similar to me that I was freaking out a little bit. Like, Sophie Kinsella, did you steal my diary from when I was 14 or what? When I was 14, I was bullied and had a really rough time in high school, so much so that I couldn't go to school, or even leave my own house (all of which happens to Audrey). I also developed a relationship with a boy who helped me greatly and moved schools (like Audrey plans to do). IS THAT NOT FREAKY? 
Anyway, Sophie Kinsella's writing style is so great because it's hilarious and it reads like one of those comedy tv shows! This book is under 300 pages and I could've finished it in a couple of hours if I hadn't had things to do! It just reads so easily and the book also contains film scripts and notes that speed up and enhance the reading experience! 
Moving on to the things that I had issues with:
 - The fact that you never find out what happened in detail to cause her anxiety to dictate her mind.
 - The unrealistic and stereotyped parental figures. Her mother was the typical "video games are bad for you and you need to play outside because that's what I did when I was younger" except exaggerated TIMES A THOUSAND. Her father was a classic 'always on his blackberry and never hears what his wife says and just agrees with everything she says' kinda guy and I found them to be REALLY unrealistic. I mean, I'm sure there are parents out there that are like this, but to the extent where I found myself questioning how exaggerated these stereotypes were was ridiculous. 
 - The insta-love. Now, I understand that at Audrey's age, you get into a relationship and you're telling each other you love them straight away (I know, because I did that too. Oh how silly I was!) but I thought it was a bit strange that one minute Audrey was having such bad anxiety that she couldn't look him in the eye or even face him and the next minute they're making out? It just didn't make that much sense to me, especially coming from someone who has experienced severe anxiety at that age and throughout my entire life.

But it was fun and quick and easy to read. It had its cute moments and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a quick contemporary or anyone interested in mental illnesses and such. I really wish I could have loved it :(

I ended up giving this 2 stars!

REVIEW | Shadows of the Master by Emily Rodda

Title: Shadows of the Master

Author: Emily Rodda

Series or standalone: Star of Deltora #1

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Publication Date: 1st August 2015

Format: Paperback ARC

Source: Publisher (Omnibus Books)

Goodreads

Britta has always wanted to be a trader like her father, sailing the nine seas and bringing precious cargo home to Del harbour. Her dreams seemed safe until her fathers quest to find the fabled Staff of Tier ended in blood and horror. Now his shamed family is in hiding, and his ship, the Star of Deltora, belongs to the powerful Rosalyn fleet. But Brittas ambition burns as fiercely as ever.When she suddenly gets the chance to win back her future she knows she has to take it whatever the cost. She has no idea that shadows from a distant, haunted isle are watching her every move.


If you watch my videos, or know me at all, you would know that the Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda is the series that got me into reading when I was 10 years old, so when I heard that Emily Rodda was coming out with a new book set in the same world, I was beyond excited! 
This is the first book in a new series that takes place a few decades after the events in the first Deltora Quest series and follows a female protagonist called Britta, who has a passion for trading and wants to be everything her father used to be before he betrayed everyone and left Britta and her family in forced hiding. She now has a chance to redeem herself and become an apprentice who would eventually take control of the Rosalyn fleet and the famous ship, the Star of Deltora. But first, she has to become one of three finalists in a competition set by the old commander, and then, if she can do that, set sail and undergo various tests and challenges!
I may be biased, but this definitely isn't as epic as Deltora Quest. The scale of the protagonists adventure just doesn't compare to Lief's in DQ, as he had the entire world of Deltora's fate resting on him succeeding in his quest, whereas this book focuses on a small scale competition that purely benefits Britta and not the whole world. I understand that as the series goes on, this may change and the scale of her adventures may increase, but it just didn't seem as huge and epic as DQ. 
It was a strong start though and I can see that this book was merely a build up which will undoubtedly be something great because Emily Rodda is a fantastic storyteller. I think younger readers will thoroughly enjoy how action-packed the story is and how adventurous Britta is as a main character. 
I definitely think that the story shows promise and I would highly recommend reading all three of the Deltora Quest series' and then picking up this one! It's definitely a new middle grade series to look out for! It hits stores on the 1st of August in Australia!

BOOK REVIEW | THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness

Title: The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Author: Patrick Ness

Series or standalone: Standalone

Genre: Mature Young Adult Fantasy/Contemporary/It's impossible to describe haha

Publication Date: 27th August 2015

Format: Paperback ARC

Source: Publisher (Walker Books)

Goodreads

What if you weren’t the Chosen One?
What if you’re not the one who’s so often the hero in YA fiction; who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you were like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend might just be the God of mountain lions...

Firstly I just want to say thank you to Walker Books for providing me with this ARC to read and review!

I think it's fair to say that Patrick Ness is a literary genius. I've read almost all of his published works and have loved every single one of them! The Rest of Us Just Live Here, however, is very different from not only his other books, but also anything I've ever read before! 

It's an extremely unique book that follows characters that aren't the 'chosen ones'. Each chapter starts off with a quick summary of what would have happened in the chapter if it was from the perspective of the chosen one of the story. However, this book follows a teenage boy and his friends who have absolutely nothing to do with the exciting paranormal freaky stuff that's happening. They just happen to live in this town where weird things happen to a certain group of kids and it follows them and how that affects their lives. So basically, it's like if Harry Potter was told from that random Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott. 

What I loved, not only about this book, but also Patrick Ness' other books, is his characters. They are always so expertly developed and realistic, no matter what the genre of the book is. I especially appreciated the incorporation of various mental illnesses that were portrayed and also the LGBTQ aspects! I think it's so important for characters to be shown with mental illnesses because it's just way too common for their not to be at least one character with a mental illness! The same goes for characters who are LGBTQ! I loved how Patrick Ness has characters like this, but it's NORMAL. Because it is normal in our society and that's how modern literature should portray characters! 

The storyline itself was really weird at first because it's so different and so it took me a little while to get into it and understand what the heck was going on, but the characters made the confusing period totally worth it because they were so rich, relatable and wonderfully written. 

Patrick Ness always has a way with words in all of his books and it just flows so effortlessly that the book just flew by for me! As I got more and more into the story, the more exciting it became and the more attached I was to these characters and their lives! It wasn't about the fantasy/paranormal stuff that was happening in the background. It was such a character driven novel, about them finding themselves and dealing with certain mental illnesses and family issues and their friendships and relationships. I loved how it almost read like a contemporary! 

That's all I'm going to say for now, as it hasn't been released yet, but I plan on filming a discussion video later on where I'll discuss spoilery things from the book! Make sure you go and pre-order this one because we all know Patrick Ness never disappoints!

I ended up giving this one 3 stars because it didn't have as big of an impact on me as the Chaos Walking trilogy but I still really liked it!