Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Title: Saving Francesca
Author: Melina Marchetta
Published: 6th May 2004
Publisher: Puffin Books
Source: Own Copy

Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian's, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about.
Then there's Francesca's mother, who always thinks she knows what's best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.

This was my first Melina Marchetta book. As soon as I finished it I was online buying up everything else she had ever written. After reading the final words I dried my tears and felt a sudden urge to go and hug my mum. This is the story of Francesca who is only of only a handful of girls who attend St Sebastian's boys school. Francesca has to deal with much more that the politics of being befriended by girls nothing like her and becoming the nemesis to Will, to whom she can't seem to say anything right. Francesca has a home life where her mother has not come out of her room for days and her father seems to be barely holding on.

I was expecting a usual high school coming of age book, with comedic situations and everything would be nice and happy and tied up with a bow. This was a little different from that, in fact it was a lot different from that. This was a raw book of a girl who is really struggling to make it though a normal school day. She is trying to keep it together and function like anyone else.

The writing in this book was beautiful. It felt raw and poetic at the same time. It pulled you in so quickly and kept you reading to see if Francesca's life would improve of get any easier on the next page. I wanted to hug this book and all the characters in it. Melina Marchetta is a magical writer and I can't wait to move on to the next book of hers that comes through my door!

Review: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Published: 22nd April 2008
Source: Own Copy

"Ruby, where is your mother?" Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she
hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give? - From Goodreads

With my love of contemporary fiction growing quickly, I now have another author to add to my list with Sarah Dessen. This was the first Sarah Dessen book I have read and I can assure you that it will not be the last!! I had heard many good things about her so I decided to randomly pick up one of her books to read and this was the one I set my hands upon. I knew what to expect from contemporary fiction, what I was not expecting was how this book would grip me and not let me go. I think if you could fall in love with a book, I would be on my way as I could not put this down.

Ruby has been living on her own for a while now. She has been trying to make ends meet and keep herself out of trouble at school so that no one will find out that her mother left a few months ago. After the authorities find out she is on her own she is placed in her sisters custody, the only problem is that Ruby has not seen her sister Cora in ten years. Ruby has no idea where she fits into Cora's life and would rather set off on her own again than stay and find out.

Ruby was a great character. Right from the start of the book I empathised with her and wanted her to find a safe home to live in with people who loved her. I was solidly on her side right from the start, however this did not stop me from wanting to grab ruby and shake her to try and stop her from making some really stupid mistakes. Even though she does really stupid stuff, you can see through this whole book how much Ruby wants to keep her life together and I found myself rooting for her the whole way through.

The other characters in this book are also great and there was no one in the story that made me want to punch them. Even Ruby's control freak older sister Cora is well meaning, even if some of her guilt and remorse is misdirected. In contrast, Nate the boy next door seems like he leads a charmed life and it seems like he has everything, but he is far more complex and as his story unravels we learn that Nate is just as tortured as Ruby is.

This book was not too deep or dreary and the story kept going at a good pace. I never felt like there were any parts that I was struggling to get through, the plot just kept pulling me along. There were nice touches throughout this book and I really liked that all the characters were flawed in some way, it made them all very likeable. This was a good story with an engaging character who does stupid things.

This was a great book, I don't think it was ground breaking in any way, but I was engaged for the whole book and I admit that I got a bit teary on occasion. I think that I will be reading more Sarah Dressen books whenever I am in need of some really good contemporary fiction. Is there a Team Sarah Dressen I can join?

Review: Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Title: Goddess Interrupted
Author: Aimee Carter
Published: 27th March 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Series: Goddess Test #2
Source: eARC, thanks to NetGalley and HarlequinTeen

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone. - From Goodreads

I was so excited to read this book as the first book had really taken me by surprise. I didn't think I was going to like the Goddess Test, but it became clear to me within a couple of pages that I was going to love it! So after enjoying the first book so much I was excited to read the second. I was a little worried that it would fall into the usual pitfall of the second book not living up to the expectations set by a great first book. I should not have worried!!

After marrying Henry, Kate left for a summer vacation, with James, before she returns to live in the underworld with Henry for the winter. Within a couple of days of being in the underworld, all of the Gods are attacked by the only thing strong enough to kill them, a titan. Calliope is working with the titan to exact her revenge on the Gods and Goddesses that agreed to her punishment for trying to kill Kate. After Henry and some of the other Gods are kidnapped, Kate has to go and ask for help from Persephone, the woman she is trying to live up to.

Kate has won the Goddess test and is now Henry's wife. She now lives with him in the underworld for at least 6 months a year, but she is still incredibly insecure. What bugged me about Kate in this book was how insecure about her relationship with Henry he was. she never stops to see anything from his point of view and try to understand how it looks to him. She is married for 5 minutes and then runs off to Greece with James, and fails to see how this might look to Henry. I think most of her angst in this book could have been solved by a little bit of reflection on her part and it may have stopped her being quite so paranoid about Persephone. On the other hand I loved how determined she was to help and thought that some of her enthusiasm was endearing!

I also liked learning more about the other Gods and seeing how they prepared themselves for battle. I thought that as usual this had a good story line and kept me wanting to know what was coming next. The world created for the underworld was well thought out and I could imagine it easily and picture myself walking there with Kate and Persephone.

I found that I had finished the book faster than I thought I would and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see what comes next and I hope that Kate finds her feet in her relationship with Henry and stops being so paranoid all the time.

Review: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Title: The Lying Game
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 7th December 2010
Series: Lying Game #1
Source: Own copy on kindle

I had a life anyone would kill for.
Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?
From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
Let the lying game begin. - From Goodreads

So my reasons for picking reading this book were exactly the same as the reasons I had for picking up The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Pretty Little Liars and The Secret Circle. I started watching the new TV series and I  wanted to know what was going to happen without having to wait out a whole season! Well the joke is on me as right away the book differs from the TV show in one significant way that I knew I was not going to learn any of the plot points from the series of books!

Sutton and Emma are twins who were split up at birth and ended up in 2 very different situations. Sutton lives a life of privilege and Emma has been bouncing around foster homes all of her life. After some investigation into her birth mother Sutton finds the twin she never knew she had. When they arrange to meet each other Emma leaves her life and travels to Arizona to meet Sutton, however when she turns up Sutton is nowhere to be found and she ends up taking Sutton's place. When she is told that Sutton is dead and she could be next she decides to try and find out what happened to the sister she never knew.

So the story begins with Sutton dead as a ghost that is watching her twin sister Emma. This sounds a bit weird, but it totally works in this book. We have the live sister, Emma, walking around and trying to fit in to Sutton's life with Sutton commenting on what she is watching. I really enjoyed how this worked. Now at this point you could be saying to yourself "Then where is the mystery? Why does Sutton not just say who killed her?" Well Sutton can't remember anything and only starts getting flashes once Emma starts living her life. We see some of these flashes in the form of "flashback" chapters in the book.

Emma is a good character and you can understand her struggles at stepping into someone else's life where everyone thinks nothing has changed and expects you to behave as you should. She struggles with the little things, like remembering who her friends are and their quirks, where her locker is and her combination, even how to behave in different situations. Saying this, I do love a mean girl, so I really enjoyed the nasty Sutton portions, however I did feel they slowed the pace of the book slightly.

I am looking forward to following this story and seeing how it progresses for Emma. I hope she can make it work as Sutton. She needs a good family, as she has never had one, and the Mercers seem to be the perfect family on the surface. I can't help but wonder how the story will progress in comparison to the TV show with the significant difference that one of the main characters in the book is dead!! What will happen to Emma and Sutton next?

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: 1st December 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate. - From Goodreads

I absolutely adore Friday Night Lights!! Even though I have very little interest in sport I had a massive emotional investment in the show and it made me feel like I would love Friday night football if I could just give it a chance (it might help if I didn't live in Scotland!!). So when I saw that this book was about a girl football player I was sold before I even finished reading the synopsis. I managed to avoid all reviews and discussions about this book before reading it as I wanted no spoilers. Oh it was so worth it!!

Jordan Woods is the captain of the school football team who has the respect of all the players. The unusual thing is that Jordan is a girl. All Jordan has ever wanted all her life is to play football and, with an NFL father and a collage star brother, she has big shoes to fill. When a new team mate threatens to take everything she has worked for from her, Jordan begins to see her relationships for what they really are. Will her Dad ever support her football dreams? Why is her best Friend, Sam Henry, being so weird? Will she still be respected if she dates one of her team mates? And will she ever get to play football for the university of her dreams?

At the start of this story Jordan Woods is a very simple character who is so focused on getting a scholarship to play football at university she is not completely aware of the relationships around her. When --- turns up he flips her life on it's head. This seems to be the first time that she has found a boy so attractive that she gets completely blind sided* and distracted. Slowly we get introduced to Jordan's slightly crazy and neurotic side (this includes writing poetry, hiding in her shed and crying every five minutes). All of this made me love Jordan as a character, I thought she was a joy to read and quite funny!

There were a great number of additional characters which helped make the book a really good read. I thought Jordan's family were well written and had a good family dynamic. Jordan's dad is totally disapproving of her love of football as he wants to protect her and her mother and brother just seemed really warm and supportive. I think too often in YA books the family gets dismissed as something that must exist but is not worth mentioning, in this book however they are an important and lovely aspect to the story.

Jordan's friends. I can't not comment on them. I loved them!! Jordan has never really had any friends who were girls, they have always been boys, and I thought that they had amazing relationships. You can see very clearly why the adorable Sam Henry is her best friend. he is such a great character and I felt he was a very human character with all of his man-whoring. We see Jordan's friendship with 2 girls also grow through the book as she realises that it is OK to be herself sometimes and it is OK to talk about your feelings!

I thought this was a very emotional book with the emotions written into every page. It made the book an absolute pleasure to read and you could really feel what Jordan was feeling! The pace of this book was great and I was never bored, even when reading about the football games, I'm not up to speed on my terminology and thought I might get lost, but it was fine! The only other thing I want to mention is how much Jordan reminded me of P.J. from My Boys**. Am I the only one who thought this? I am excited to see what Miranda Kenneally does in the future.


*see my use of sports terminology? Whoop!!
** Such a brilliant TV show. So sad when it finished!

Review: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Title: Forgotten
Author: Cat Patrick
Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd
Published: 7th June 2011
Source: Own Copy

With the intrigue of "Memento" and the romance of "The Time-Traveller's Wife", "Forgotten" is the perfect YA novel.

Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.
Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognise the power they have to control their destinies. - From Goodreads

I had seen this book a few times before I gave in and bought a copy. I mean of all of the supernatural books on the market just now this has to be one of the more unique stories and abilities. Not only that, it has an awesome cover. It was the reason I kept picking it up was that it called to me, and I am so glad I answered the call!

London Lane is a 16 year old girl who lives a relatively normal life, apart from the fact she can tell you detailed accounts of things that will happen to her in the future. Unfortunately she can't tell you what she wore yesterday, anything that happened over the last week in school or even if she spoke to her mother in the last few days. London's memory only looks forward. She has managed to cope this far by working a system of notes which she leaves for herself every night. This starts to fall apart when she begins dating the handsome Luke who she can't see in her future.

I really liked London Lane, and her name? London Lane. If she ever wanted to become a superhero then she already has the cool alter ego name. Through London's journey in this book we see how much she struggles with day to day. I loved London. I thought she was sweet and patient and managed to keep herself reasonably calm in some impossible situations. I men how often do you fall asleep in the back of someones car only to wake and find that your entire memory of how you go there and who you are with has been erased (That's without the addition of alcohol thank you!).

In addition to London I also loved some of the other characters. Luke. What a genuinely sweet and nice guy. He keeps chasing after London and is so patient and charming. Luke is not moody, brooding, dark or dangerous, he is just a sweet guy who makes it easy for us to fall in love with him. I also liked London's Mum, in so many books the parents are kept as minor parts, if they are in the book at all, but London's Mum is her foundation. London has someone who loves and cares about her which gives the book some warmth and heart.

The one stumbling block for me was the pacing at the start of the novel. I felt that we spent a little bit too much time just living in London's world to sympathise with her. I was drawn into her world and sucked into this dark mystery of the one dark memory that she can't pin in the future and can't remember from her past. I wish the crux of the story had occurred a little bit sooner for me.

This book had such a satisfactory ending that it almost felt complete. ALMOST. Cleverly hidden in the plot towards the end are a number of threads that I can totally see being picked up to create a thrilling series that I will want to consume all in one go! Unfortunately I will have to wait for the next book, and then probably have to wait some more for the book after that!

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc
Published: 6th January 2011
Source: Own Kindle Copy

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction. - From Goodreads

I knew very little about this book when I picked it up except for the fact it has a rocking cover, the blurb on the back and the girl has the same hair colour as me! This book was nothing like I was expecting and it took me on a journey I didn't expect.

Grace has decided to take her life. Before she goes through with it in a children's playground she speaks to a stranger on the swings and before she knows it she is being taken into a van and then she wakes up in a white room with a bed, a desk, pens and a stack of paper. After a while Grace starts to write her life story not knowing how long she is going to be in the room or if she will ever get out of it alive.

This whole book is a mystery from the start and the more we learn about Grace the more we realise that her life is troubled and more messed up than even she knew. I was unsure if I liked Grace. To me she seemed selfish, right from the start when she was considering suicide I took a disliking to her. After reading the book and hearing her story I am not sure if she is just selfish or incredibly damaged.

Grace also has a problem with self harming. I had read a review on Amazon where the reviewer believes that this book glamorises cutting. To me there was no glamour involved in this and you could clearly see that after a while even grace knew she had a problem. This problem is one that Grace struggles to control and for us helps to see how she views herself. I used to know a girl who also struggled with this, to a much lesser extent as far as I knew. In a way this book helped me see that there was very little I could do for her besides be her friend.

For the whole book we are as clueless as Grace is about what is going on. Why is she locked in this room? Who is Ethan and is he helping her or keeping her captive. Information is trickled to us slowly so that we are kept as much in the dark as Grace is, however I personally felt there were lots of questions left unanswered that I really wanted to know the answer to. The writing felt raw, powerful and gritty and that was what kept me on the journey.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2nd March 2010
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. -From Goodreads

I picked this up as it was my first Lauren Oliver book and it had a story that interested me, a sort of Groundhog day where the main character knows that each day she relives ends with her death. I really wanted to like this book and went into it with an open mind. Unfortunately something did not click for me.
Sam is a privileged teenager who has a sweet life. Hot boyfriend and a powerful group of friends who rule the school with Sam at the middle of it. After a party one night there is an accident which kills Sam, but this is not the end of her story as she gets the chance to come back time and time again to change her actions on the day of the accident.

Maybe I am too different from Sam, but I did not care for her and in all honesty did not care if she learned the valuable life lessons of repeating the same day over and over again. I found her to be quite fake at the start of the book, and thought that she had not grown at the end of her journey. I think this instant dislike of the main character meant that I never really invested in the book.

I have always thought that there could be a lot of mileage in the repeating days story, I mean I am a fan of Groundhog Day! For some reason in this book I found the storyline to be slightly dull and predictable. There was a real focus on certain things on the first day which you knew would be changed or manipulated later on during one of the repeating days. I like a bit of unpredictability in my stories. Once it was obvious that this was what was happening I felt there was little point in finishing the book (I did though as I hate leaving books unfinished!).

Following on from that, I was hoping for a really interesting ending, and while there were details in the ending that made me go "oh, that's how it fits together", I still felt the ending was very unsatisfying. I was left with a slight feeling of disappointment. I have not read any of Lauren Oliver's other books, but I will be giving Delirium a try as I do think that potentially the only reason I did not like this book was because I could not gel with the main character and that made the rest of the story fall apart for me.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Published: 9th April 2009
Series: If I Stay #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces - to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time. -From Goodreads

This book stunned me from the very beginning. It was nothing that I expected. This was a fresh new take on a story that I will admit made me cry quite a bit and left me speechless.

From the first chapter you are thrown into Mia's life, with her happy Family, love of classical music and amazing boyfriend. I was completely sucked in from the first page and then the crash. The way the crash was described was so heartbreaking and out of her whole family Mia is the only one who did not die on impact. However Mia is not OK.

This story is told by Mia while she is in the coma and her observations from her out-of-body experience. We hear Mia talk about her past and experience what is going on in the present. I loved the use of past and present, and often when I was wrapped up in Mia's description of her life as it was, I would forget what was actually going on.

I have been thinking about this book for months not quite sure how to express my feelings for it. I loved this book even though there was a rawness to it which made me ache inside and be grateful for everything I have. I don't want to keep gushing over how emotional a read this was for me. It made me cry, but it made me happy at the same time. To me this felt like a stand alone book as I would be completely satisfied to just leave the story as it is, but I am happy to be given the chance in Where she Went to read more!

Review: The Witches of the East by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: The Wiches of the East
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 21st June 2011
Series: The Beauchamp Family #1
Source: Copy Borrowed from AB

Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp love their sleepy life in the East Hamptons. A new engagement, promotion at work, a happy home - its all going perfectly. And, to top it off, no one's come close to discovering the secret of what they can really do in hundreds of years. But throw a few accidental love potions in the mix the Beauchamp girls are going to need more than a broomstick to clean up this mess... - From Goodreads

When I saw that this was in a pile of books one of my friends was lending me I was excited because I had not read any books by Melissa de la Cruz and this would be my first. It took a little looking on Goodreads for me to find out that this is actually the UK title for Witches of the East End which had been on my TBR list for ages, then started my happy dance!

This book is slightly older than the YA books I have been reading recently, but I loved it anyway. In the small town of East Hampton Freya, Ingrid and Joanna Beauchamp (even their family name is great!!) try to live a normal magic free life. Over the course of the book however the sisters Freya and Ingrid start to use magic more and more. Before we know it the police are looking for a scapegoat to some crimes and the fingers are beginning to point to the sisters.

This book was atmospheric and took a while to describe the town and the people who lived there. We are pulled into this small town and the rich descriptions bathes us in a feeling that we are actually there. This also gave some depth to the characters and allowed us a proper glimpse into how they lived their lives without magic. I really liked Ingrid as a character, even though she is the more sensible of the two characters in life, she is the one who is more willing to break the rules.

What I liked the best about this book was the mythology behind the Beauchamp Family, what happens when one of the sisters dies or is killed, where they came from and why they can't use their magic. I thought this was all well thought through and left me wanting to know much more. I wish this book had looked at this for longer, but it did not really come in until the end of the book, presumably as a build up to the next in the series.

I really enjoyed this book. It took a little while to get into the meat of the story as there was a lot of setting the scene going on at the start. Once I was into it though I found it hugely entertaining and I did not want to put it down. I wanted to know more about the witches and their history, so I will definitely be picking up book 2 (also because the cliff hanger at the end has left me with many more questions!!).

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson
Published: 4th August 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Series: Hunting Lila #1
Source: Own Copy

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them... - From Goodreads

I had been so excited to read this book ever since I saw it. The cover is stunning and the synopsis on the back of the book sucked me in. In comparison to some other books I have read recently I think the cover to Hunting Lila sets the tone for this books from the get go. This book is a fun action packed read with a lead character that I can relate to and found to be really fun and quirky!

Super powers? Check! Sweet protective brother? Check! Super hot guy? Check. Action and mystery? Check. This book had everything I wanted. I liked that Lila had this awesome super power to be able to move things with her mind, but she didn't flaunt it and when she uses it in public she freaks out and puts herself on a power ban. For me Lila was the 17 year old I was. She can be quite on the ball and clever at times, but is also a bit lazy when it comes to personal safety and gets distracted thinking about hot boys (or one specific hot boy) every 5 minutes; this is the main reason I didn't get round to finishing much as a teenager!!

The hot boy that Lila is obsessing over is the one she thinks she can never have... the brother's best friend! For me Alex is so worth daydreaming over, and in the story it actually go to the point that I just found it funny. Lila would be in some life threatening situation and would be worrying about dying, until she catches Alex's eye, then it's all about the precise shade and getting lost in them. All this time you are thinking "come on move you are going to die!!" Don't get me wrong I absolutely get it. Alex is described perfectly in a way that makes you swoon and wish he was real. I say day dream away Lila.

The characters in this were just right with the protective brother, the hesitant-because-he-is-older love interest and the super-sweet potential sister-in-law. Not to mention a whole cast of characters introduced towards the end of the book who were fascinating. They all added to the story to make it rich and exciting.

My one issue with this book was that I found it very difficult to put down! The story was exciting and it made me wish that I didn't have to get up for work in the morning, because then I could just keep reading through the night. The ending to this book left me gobsmacked and wishing that I could read the next book right away. I can't wait to get a copy of this one and I will be pre-ordering it as soon as it is available.

Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Published: 22nd November 2011
Publisher:Harlequin Teen
Source: eARC thanks to Harlequin Teen and Netgalley

Everyone's sorry. But no one can explain why.
Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going—California.
Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession…and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except…Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down—again. - From Goodreads

I started reading this book with the expectations that is would be a mournful book about Harper's struggle to come to terms with her sister's suicide. Oh, how I love it when a book surprises me! I am not exactly sure how I would describe this book, at times I was laughing and (I admit it but shhh... don't tell anyone) at other times I cried like a baby. This was an emotional rollercoaster with a genuine and flawed character who drags you along on her journey to understand a profound loss.

Harper! What can I say? She was a wonderful kind of awkward, who puts her foot in her mouth on many occasions, but incredibly selfish. What made me relate to her was that she never apologised for the things she did. She had a reason to do or say whatever it was at the time and she was sticking to it! She also never felt overly sorry for herself or spent too much time dwelling on how she can't cope with the loss of her sister. I have very limited experience of loss on this scale, but when Harper talked about missing June and her pain, it felt genuine and often made me shed a tear in her place. Finally on Harper, I love her name. It was always one of my top names as I am a Harper Lee fan. I understand why Victoria Beckham named her daughter Harper.

The other shining light in this story was Jake Tolan and his fabulous and varied music taste. Jake is the misunderstood "bad boy", although he has put many of his, less desirable, habits behind him. Jake is the handsome scruffy boy with the beautiful green eyes. He was well written and interacted really well with Harper's best friend Laney. Ah Laney, so much fun, I want to know you in real life!

For me the music and the references link the book together. The best thing for me was that most of the music were songs I used to listen to in the car with my dad (I am also STILL a bit of a Stones fan girl). Music lit up the book for me and finding the track-list for the various soundtracks mentioned in the book at the end made me clap my hands with glee and wonder just how much music Hannah Harrington has. I am so putting some of these soundtracks together for myself.

The one thing that really was the thorn in my side for this story was just how selfish the main premise of the story is. It really irritated me that there was no thought towards her parents when Harper decides that she will take her sister's ashes away from them. Not only does she take the ashes she then takes it upon herself to decide how and where they are to be disposed. For me there was not enough dwelling on the selfishness of her actions and if I had been a member of her family and the decision had been taken from me, I'm not sure it's something I could get over. It was a great story, but this one point stuck with me for the whole book.

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: 29th September 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. - From Goodreads

Oh Stephanie Perkins, won't you be my best friend? I will make us cookies and we can hang out in my flat drinking wine, eating cookies and you can tell me stories forever. Kind of like a cool, fun and in no way scary version of Misery! No? Well that's cool, if you could point me in the direction of whoever you based Cricket on then? Thanks!!

So I loved this book! I may have enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss more, but I think it was just because it was new and exciting. This book was filled with everything I needed and made me feel all happy and warm inside! Lola has the spirit of Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls (I love the scene where she is rocking out on her own in Rory's room and Rory and an Lorelai just watch her) and the creativity of... well.... Lola. I can't think of anyone else who wears different wigs teamed with anything from a tea dress, to Chinese print pyjama bottoms or a 1950's gingham dress she made herself. She is so adorkable!

The relationship between Lola and her two dads was wonderfully written and I thought it worked really well. It also made me smile when I saw how they acted towards Lola's rock-band boyfriend Max - can I also just say that I love that Max has a tattoo of Max, from Where The Wild Things Are, on his arm - compared to how they acted with Cricket. Cricket, the tall, gangly, geeky, handsome and sweet boy who reminded me of a slightly more suave Seth Cohen, from the OC. The perfect boy next door.

Oh and the appearance of Anna from Anna and the French Kiss made me laugh out loud and clap my hands with glee!! Fantastic. Stephanie Perkins, please never stop writing books. Your stories are like watching my favorite romantic comedy while I am wrapped up in a blanket with cookies, wine and my girlfriends! They make me so happy, I can't wait until the next one .

Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Title: Something Like Fate
Author: Susane Colasanti
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Published: 4th May 2010
Source: Own Copy

Warning Review Contains Spoilers!

Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy. So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him, and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have? - From Goodreads

I could have read this book easily in one sitting on holiday if my friend had not insisted we go for a walk and get a massage! Let me read my book woman (although the massage was spot on!). This book had an writing style I found offputting but I thought the characters were very realistic as teenagers right from the beginning (for some this may be good or it may be bad!).

I was torn with this book. There were some things I liked and there were some things that really annoyed me. Since I like lists, I will summarise these in list form starting with the good.

What I Liked
1. The Gay Best Friend - You have got to love a gay best friend and this one is particularly blunt and fantastic. 

2. The Parent's obsession with turning out the lights and not turning the heating up!! - This is how I grew up. My parents would refuse to turn the heating up ("Put on another pair of socks if your feet are cold" - My Dad) and you often got the light turned out on you (most often when we were in the bathroom!!!). So to me this was really familiar, realistic and to me amusing.

What I Didn't Like
1. The Writing - I am pretty sure when I was at primary school we were taught that it was bad form to start every other line of speech " Then I said 'blah, blah...'" we get know how dialogue works. (I was also told at primary that swallowing chewing gum would kill me - hmm...) To me it felt a little childish.
 
2. Lani needs to stand up to her bitch BFF - So I can be rather feisty at times, but I really think even a timid person would stand up to being treated like trash by a "friend"! Personally for me Erin would have been a goner as soon as she crossed me once.
 
3. The BFF - As should have been clear by the quotation marks above, I think Erin is no friend to Lani, especially not a best friend. I have a fairly close knit group of friends and in the past we have done some pretty crappy things to each other, however I think real friends are like family; things may seem awful when you are fighting, but you know you will make up eventually.
 
4. The coincidences!! - To me some of the coincidences are totally ridiculous! They both think of different water in terms of shapes and colours (is this not a disease?). Why only water? What about fruit juice or milk? NOT A COINCIDENCE, JUST WEIRD!!
Also they played together when they were babies? I live in the capital of Scotland, and if I stop 10 people on the streets of Edinburgh around my age, I will be connected somehow to at least half of them. If I narrow this down to speaking to people in the catchment area of my high school, or primary school, we will have gone to most of the same places, know the same people and probably have played with each other at some point. NOT A COINCIDENCE, JUST STATISTICS!!
I could go on, but I think I will leave it there!

Sorry for shouting, rant over, there was just so much about this book that rubbed me the wrong way. I think if it had been a longer book I may have given up. The things which annoyed me may be enjoyable for another reader, but for me I found them hard to overlook.

Rating: 1 / 5

Review: Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

Title: Charmed Thirds
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Published: 24th April 2007
Series: Jessica Darling #3
Source: Own Copy

Jessica Darling continues to grow, groove, lust, and hook up. In this witty follow-up to Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, Jessie studies and romps through three years at New York's Columbia University. When not soaking up Ivy League ambiance, this exuberant undergraduate is busy salvaging her long-distance relationship with her high school boyfriend Marcus Flutie, now a candidate for nirvana at an unaccredited Buddhist college in California. As usual, Jessie's perceptions are somewhat less ethereal but probably more interesting to readers. A stylish teen funfest. - From Goodreads

Jessica Darling, you are such a complicated girl. Just when I think we are similar and I probably would have done the same thing in your position you turn around and do something completely different. I love you, but sometimes you make me want to never speak to or hear from you again.

I admit I am being a tad over dramatic with that, however I see that it is the mark of a good character that I feel so totally that she could be a real person. No matter if I like her or loathe her at any specific point in the book I can't help but think of her as a real person.

I think that this was my least favorite of the Jessica Darling books so far purely because it covers 3 years in the book and I would have preferred to skip most of it and look at a more targeted period in her life. What about Marcus, I hear you ask? Well let me just say that we see Marcus at the beginning of the 3 years but we have to bear in mind that he is at school across the country, and that kind of strain is hard on a relationship. There were some "romantic" (not really romantic at all) situations that Jessica got herself into that made me laugh as you can relate to all of them and may well have been in the same situations yourself.

I will read the final books in the series, but for me they have started to lose a little of the magic which made me devour the first two books in only a couple of days. Lets hope that the next books can recapture it and that it has not been lost along with Jessica Darling's youth.

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 4th January 2011
Series: Unearthly #1
Source: Own Copy

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart. - From Goodreads

I am fascinated by angels. Some of them are pure and as we have seen in a number of other Angel based books there are also "bad" angels waiting to corrupt our main characters. Part angels or Nephilim are just as fascinating, have you ever seen the Paul Wesley mini series The Fallen? I thought was awesome! (If you have not seen this yet then check it out!!) With the popularity of angels being the main supernatural  increasing at the moment I was surprised to find that Unearthly felt really fresh and new to me. It was not what I was expecting, in a really good way.

For a start the main character is Clara who is struggling to come to terms with the fact she is part angel and has a destiny or purpose to fulfill. Before Clara began to get her visions all she really had to worry about was not being too good at school as being an angel-blood means she is faster, stronger and smarter than a teenage girl should be. Clara's visions start with a handsome boy standing in the woods. From this vision her family (Mum and Brother) move across the country to live where Clara has to be for her vision to take place.

We only find out small details about the vision at a time and the boy who has a starring role in it, Christian. He is not the only handsome man though; there is also the twin brother of Clara's best friend, Tucker. Now to me I felt that the character of Christian was a bit distant and a bit flat and Tucker was definitely the star of the show for me, I am Team Tucker all the way (although I do admit I have a thing for the rugged cowboy)! I think if Christian had been a bit more rounded as a character I would have felt more like there was anguish between the 2 boys.

I liked that a lot of this story was Clara's internal struggle of doing what feels right and what others perceive to be right. There is also a good number of issues left hanging at the end of the book which I am looking forward to finding out about in further books but none of them left me feeling cheated. Too often with books in a series I feel like parts of the story are just left to make you come back, but in this case it felt like there was just so much to know and we would find out in time when it was needed for the story.

I can't wait for the next book in this series, it promises to be amazing.

Review: Raw Blue By Kirsty Eagar

Title: Raw Blue
Author: Kirsty Eagar
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
Published: 29th June 2009
Source: Own Copy

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.

And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy? - From Goodreads

Raw is the perfect word in this title. The whole book is raw like an open wound with emotion dripping from every page. If there is one book I could give a hug and a cup of sweet tea to then this would be it! Look at it, even the cover is beautiful!

This is the story of a girl who at the start of the book is just trying to survive day to day. Every day for Carly is surfing and working to make the money she needs to surf. The back story of Carly's trauma is slowly revealed through the book, but it does not feel like this is being kept a secret from us, more like Carly is telling when she can.

The other characters in the book are also amazing and only add to the story. While on the subject of the other characters - Ryan!! Why can't I have my own Ryan? It is easy to see why Ryan keeps Carly afloat, he is charming, supportive, patient and smoking hot!! 

Right from the get go this is an extremely Australian book, using what can only be described as Australian sounds. I thought this was funny and my years of watching Neighbours and Home and Away when I was younger paid off. I also think that these years of viewing Home and Away made me think that surfing is super cool. I have no knowledge of surfing or any of the lingo but I never felt confused about the surfing talk.

I loved this book so much I think it will forever bin in my top 5 books. If you have not read it yet then out down whatever you are doing and get yourself a copy!

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Published: 1st September 2009
Series: The Hunger Games #2
Source: Own Kindle Copy

WARNING - DESCRIPTION AND REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR HUNGER GAMES

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol. Catching Fire maintains the adrenaline rush of Suzanne Collins's series launch. - From Goodreads

My love of Hunger Games saw me transitioning straight from one book right into the next. I absolutely adored the Hunger Games and wanted to clap my hands at the end of the book when Katniss and Peeta won!! Woo Hoo, those two deserved it, they worked hard to survive against the odds and it turns out that their triumph was the spark needed to cause unrest within the Districts.

This book had a slightly different feel to Hunger Games. We already know from the first book what the Hunger Games are about and the power wielded by The Capitol to keep the Districts in line. I thought that the start of Catching Fire felt a little unsettled, almost like it did not know where it was going, however I think we are supposed to feel this way.

Katniss and Peeta are back from the Hunger Games and as you would expect, after surviving against the odds, they are feeling like they don't know their place within the society they have returned to. Quickly though the story returns to the Hunger Games and the environment we are familiar with, not failing to deliver on the suspense we found in the first book.

I can't rave about this series enough and will be forcing my Mum read these as soon as she has the time, along with anyone else who will listen to me about how good they are!! I can't wait for the film to come out!

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Orchard Books
Published: 6th May 2010
Series: The Gallagher Girls #1
Source: Own Copy

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it's a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn't have a code name?

Cammie Morgan may be fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti), but the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without him ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, she's doing something riskier than ever—she's falling in love. - From Goodreads

So in my head if James Bond had a daughter with another super spy, said daughter would go to school at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. With classes in covert ops and days where you can only speak a specified language at the Gallagher Academy you learn all you need to become a world class spy. If we get past the all girls aspect of the school (I went to an all girls school and it was super bitchy!) this is exactly the school I dreamed of.

Cammie Morgan is a pupil at the Gallagher Academy, but she is not just any pupil she is the headmistresses daughter. Having grown up in the school Cammie knows all of the hidden passages (oh and there are loads) and has 2 bffs she lives with. During a practical covert ops lesson (which is run by Mr Hot-Spy-Teacher) Cammie is practicing her skills following and tracking, unseen. This is Cammie's skill and earned her the nickname Cammie the Chameleon. So when one of the local boys from the local town starts talking to her and noticing her Cammie has no idea what it means and launches her own investigation.

I really liked this book. All of the main characters were really likable and so were the secondary characters (I was a little sceptical about the "new girl" but I liked her in the end). I found Cammie's complete lack of "boy knowledge" to be familiar (I am a spaz when it comes to boys) and very amusing. This was a really easy and quick read and I found there to be no slow parts at all. Gallagher Girls is quickly becoming a series I love.

Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Published:  2nd March 2010
Series: Hex Hall #1
Source: Own Copy on Kindle

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her. - From Goodreads

I love a delinquent! I love a book about high school! I love magic and the unusual! I love being surprised! Luckily for me this book has everything I love and more. Hex Hall is a school for Witches, Faeries and Werewolves who misuse their magic.

When Sophie misuses her magic and creates a disaster at her old school she is sent to Hex Hall. Set away from society Prodigums (Supernaturals - Witches, Faeries, Shifters etc...) can learn to control their powers and more importantly, hide their powers from those who want to hunt and kill them. Sophie is assigned a room with the only vampire on campus and when students start turning up attacked all fingers are pointing at the Vampire.


This has a bit of everything I love and it did not disappoint me. The story was exciting, thrilling and fun all at the same time. The romance aspect of this book was good and has a way of throwing you in different directions. This book felt like it was over way too fast for me because I gobbled it up in one go and it left me wanting more! Bring on Sophie and her magical drama!!