Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2017

#readFreshers: BACK TO CAMPUS

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Freshers blog tour. This book is hilarious and so much fun and I'm so excited to have Tom and Lucy on the blog today! Here's Tom and Lucy's offering for today! As soon as we started writing FRESHERS, we knew we wanted to go back to York university.  We spent three years there between 2001-2004 (Lucy) and 2002-2005 (Tom), and we knew that if we wanted to write a realistic campus novel, we had to go back to the campus we'd once called home. So, back in February 2016, we did. Here's a photo of Lucy reminiscing outside the big central hall building (which features quite a bit in FRESHERS).  While we were on campus, we managed to sneak into our old corridors and have a look around, and it was comforting (and horrifying) to find out that students today are still as gross as we were back in 2001/2002. The corridors were sticky and smelly, and the kitchens were basically pasta-sauce-spattered bomb sites. We also s

Book Review: Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

Title:  Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index Author:  Julie Israel Series:   n/a Pages:   308 Publisher:  Penguin Date of Publication:  1st June 2017 Source:  For review from publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: It's hard to keep close a person everyone keeps telling you is gone. It's been sixty-five painful days since the death of Juniper's big sister, Camilla. On her first day back at school, bracing herself for the stares and whispers, Juniper borrows Camie's handbag for luck - and discovers an unsent break-up letter inside. It's mysteriously addressed to 'You' and dated July 4th - the day of Camie's accident. Desperate to learn the identity of Camie's secret love, Juniper starts to investigate. But then she loses something herself. A card from her daily ritual, The Happiness Index: little notecards on which she rates the day. The Index has been holding Juniper together since Camie's death - but without this card, there's a ho

Book Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Title:  When Dimple Met Rishi Author:  Sandhya Menon Series:  n/a Pages:   384 Publisher:  Hodder Paperbacks Date of Publication:  1st June, 2017 Source:  Publisher via NetGalley Synopsis from Goodreads: The arranged-marriage YA romcom you didn't know you wanted or needed... Meet Dimple. Her main aim in life is to escape her traditional parents, get to university and begin her plan for tech world domination. Meet Rishi. He's rich, good-looking and a hopeless romantic. His parents think Dimple is the perfect match for him, but she's got other plans... Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon, WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI is a frothy, funny contemporary romance set at a coding convention in San Francisco over one exciting summer. Told from the dual perspectives of two Indian American protagonis

Book Review: Girls Can't Hit by T.S. Easton

Title:  Girls Can't Hit  Author:  T.S. Easton Series:   n/a Pages:   288 Publisher:  Hot Key Books Date of Publication:  20th April, 2017 Source:  NetGalley* Synopsis from Goodreads: Fleur Waters never takes anything seriously - until she turns up at her local boxing club one day, just to prove a point. She's the only girl there, and the warm-up alone is exhausting . . . but the workout gives her an escape from home and school, and when she lands her first uppercut on a punching bag she feels a rare glow of satisfaction. So she goes back the next week, determined to improve. Fleur's overprotective mum can't abide the idea of her entering a boxing ring, why won't she join her pilates class instead? Her friends don't get it either and even her boyfriend, 'Prince' George, seems concerned by her growing muscles and appetite - but it's Fleur's body, Fleur's life, so she digs her heels in and carries on with her training. My Though

And Then We Ran blog tour: The Power of Coincidence

Hey guys! I'm so excited today to share this guest post from author Katy Cannon, whose new book And Then We Ran publishes this week! I've read and really enjoyed this book (see previous post for a review!) and I'm sure you guys will too! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sometimes it feels like the world runs on coincidence. There are 365 days in a year, and slightly fewer people in my immediate family, and yet we all seem to end up sharing birthdays. My childhood best friend and maid of honour never actually saw me get married, as she gave birth on the morning of my wedding day. Wherever I travel in the world I always end up bumping into someone from home. And then there’s my friend James. James has three gorgeous children with his wonderful, patient and generally awesome partner. They’re very happy. But James has always said - ever since I met him over twenty years ago - that he would never get married. He didn’t need a piece of paper to make him commit, a wedding was a waste

Book Review: And Then We Ran by Katy Cannon

Title:  And Then We Ran Author:  Katy Cannon Series:   standalone Pages:   352 Publisher:  Stripes Publishing Date of Publication:  6th April, 2017 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: A road-trip story about following your dreams and embracing the unexpected. Megan knows what she wants out of life and she intends to get it, whatever her parents say. Elliott has given up on all his plans for the future – but then Megan bursts into his life with a proposal that could change it forever. Together they embark on a road trip to escape their hometown and chase their dreams. But life is a journey and not even Megan can control where theirs will lead… My Thoughts: I was a massive fan of Katy's first two books, Love, Lies, and Lemon Pies , and Secrets, Schemes, and Sewing Machines when I read them a few years back, and so I was very excited to read this new release, and it didn't disappoint ! I read it quickly and really enjoyed it. The plot is qu

Mini Reviews: Heartless, Unconventional, and The Mystery of the Painted Dragon

Hello! Here are three mini reviews of some February releases! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ HEARTLESS by Marissa Meyer Published 9th February, 2017 by Macmillan Children's Books Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. In this prequel to Alice in Wonderland , Cath longs to open a bakery, but her family and the king have other ideas. Set in the world of the Looking Glass, it promises to be weird and wonderful and deliver a heartwarming story of forbidden love... But it didn't really, to be honest. After fifty pages, I found myself wondering where the book was going and when it was going to get started. Then fifty pages later, I was still wondering that. I wasn't excited about reading the novel, and I decided to DNF after 150 pages when I realised I just didn't care for the characters or what happened to them.  There's a big fat stench of instalove as well - Cath doesn't know Jest at all bu

Book Review: The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Title:  The Diabolic Author:  S.J. Kincaid Series:   The Diabolic, #1 Pages:   403 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  1st November, 2016 Source:  For review from publisher* Synopsis from Goodreads: Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator's daughter, Sidonia. The girl who has grown up by her side and who is as much as sister as a master. There's no one Nemesis wouldn't kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Now one of the galaxy's most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she's been told she doesn't have - humanity. And, am

REVIEW: Take Two by Perdita and Honor Cargill

Title:  Take Two Author:  Perdita and Honor Cargill Series:   Waiting For Callback, #2 Pages:   344 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication:  26th January, 2017 Source:  Sent by author* Synopsis from Goodreads: Elektra has finally landed a part in a film. It's the dream. Well ...until she works out that Straker is a movie so dystopian that within weeks most of the cast and all of the crew wish that the world had actually ended (preferably in scene one). And while it's obviously great news that she's moved from the friend-zone with Archie to become his almost-girlfriend, it would be better if he hadn't immediately relocated to Transylvania to play a vampire hunter surrounded by 'maidens of peerless beauty'. Full of humour and warmth, this new series is perfect for fans of Geek Girl and The It Girl. My Thoughts: I loved Casting Queen when I first read it last year, so I couldn't wait to get started with Take Two . I got stuck in

Book Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

Title:  A Quiet Kind of Thunder Author:  Sara Barnard Series:   n/a Pages:   307 Publisher:  Macmillan Children's Books Date of Publication:  12th January, 2017 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say. Rhys can't hear, but he can listen. Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder. Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it. From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things comes a love story about the times w

Book Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Title:  The One Memory of Flora Banks Author:  Emily Barr Series:   n/a Pages:   302 Publisher:  Penguin Date of Publication:  12th January, 2017 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life. With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she i

Book Review: Wing Jones by Katherine Webber

Title:  Wing Jones Author:  Katherine Webber Series:  n/a Pages:  384 Publisher:  Walker Books Date of Publication:  5th January, 2017 Source:  Gifted Synopsis from Goodreads: Jandy Nelson meets Friday Night Lights: a sweeping story about love and family from an exceptional new voice in YA. With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing Jones is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing's speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants. My Thoughts: I really liked Wing, and she was very relatable.  Her perception of fitting in and not belonging anywhere due to her dual heritage was portrayed realistically, and I enjoyed seeing her grow in confidence throughout the book.  Her conflicting feelings of first grief and sadness, then anger and frustration at Marcus and the accident were written sensitively