Review: I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

I got given a proof of this lovely book when it first came out for a review. I probably left it a bit longer than I should have to review it, but it was such a good book I knew I had to post my thoughts, even if late! 
 
Here it is:

For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world.

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

This book was like a blast of nostalgia from my teenage days when I had some serious fandom love - though I admit it was less boybands for me more books/films like Twilight. Though I did have a love for Blue, McFly and Busted! I will happily admit that.

It isn't often that I go to the contemporary side of YA, but I decided to start branching out - and so far nothing in this side has disappointed me - and they always make such a refreshing change from my usual fantasy YA. I also loved to see a take on modern day fandoms, as I was mainly a big fan when social media was just starting out so it was definitely interesting to read about this when social media is a lot more prevalent now and so I feel like fandoms are more investing than they were.

My favourite character had to be Jimmy. I loved him from the start, and kept on loving him throughout. I also haven't read a book where a MC deals with anxiety as intense as he did, so I think it really helped me to connect with him - you saw everything both his ups and downs and that was something that I think made the book so good.

Overall, I give this 4.5 cats. It was an interesting read, and I think I'll have to try some of Alice Oseman's other books too!

Have you read this book? Who was your favourite character? Comment below!

Review: The Exact Opposite Of Okay by Laura Steven

Okay, I read this before it came out, as it was an e-ARC sent from Netgalley for a review, but I adored it so much I had no idea how to do such an amazing book justice. But, after putting it off so long, I decided to finally try and put my thoughts into words that will show how great this book is.

First though, here's the book:

Izzy O’Neill is an aspiring comic, an impoverished orphan, and a Slut Extraordinaire. Or at least, that’s what the malicious website flying round the school says. Izzy can try all she wants to laugh it off – after all, her sex life, her terms – but when pictures emerge of her doing the dirty with a politician’s son, her life suddenly becomes the centre of a national scandal. Izzy’s never been ashamed of herself before, and she’s not going to start now. But keeping her head up will take everything she has...

It is so hard to put down how amazing this book is. I think it was just what I needed when I picked it up, and it's definitely one I'll read again, which is something I rarely say for books that aren't in my usual genre. In fact, as I don't think I'll do this book justice I'm just going to do my thing and ramble.

I adored this book, it gave me so many laughs so quickly, and I always adore a strong female character - and Izzy was definitely that. She never let things get to her no matter how hard it got - and I definitely respect that, I wish I could be as strong as Izzy is sometimes. In fact, I think Izzy is one of my favourite contemporary characters that I've read so far.

One of my favourite things about this book was that it brought in so many different points so quickly - the elderly, employability when young without experience, friendships turned love interests, etc. I couldn't believe how much was packed in this book, and that was without the main plot too, nothing was focused on too much and they all got, what I think was, the right amount of discussion time.

I've been hit hard before by internet/social media problems (nothing quite so big as Izzy, but at the time it felt like it) and I think it was so important to read something like this and see that sometimes there's no need to let the internet take over your life, or if it does you can still bounce back with the help of people in your life.

But, I'm rambling. All I can say is this is an amazing book and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one. (oh and I need to do a shoutout to Dumbledore the dog - of course I couldn't forget him - small HP references are my life).

So, I give this book 5 cats!

Have you read this book before? What are your opinions? Comment below!

Blog Tour: Floored!

"I wake up with a jolt when one of the packages slides off the pile on my lap and into the footwell."

Oops, I must be careful with these packages, don't want to ruin them. I'm Sasha, and if you haven't heard, we're doing a big book launch party for the book that's based on our group's crazy meeting, and our lives afterwards.

I came up with this idea that we should do a blind date with a book for the table centrepieces. It's such an interesting idea, and everyone loved the sound of it, so I've got a boatload of packages all wrapped up nicely with a nice little description about the book on a tag.

Which one would you pick up?

"He was called a swot. The perfect friend. Perfect son. But is that all he really is? Family problems, friendship problems, work experience problems. What will he do now? This is all about him taking his chance, and what happens after."

"Sometimes life can throw you into mysterious places. This book is about a girl who was just trying to help out her dad when a chance moment changes her life. Could it have been different? Who knows. But this is the story of the dutiful daughter who finally realises what she wants."

"I bet you know all about quintessential bad -boys? How about rich bad-boys? The players? You may not know everything about this one. You'll just have to read to find out."

"I bet you think all teen stars end up with perfect lives? Not this one. 'Washed-up' is what many people describe him as, 'ugly', 'reverse-Longbottomed'. But what happens when he has a chance to find his way after a string of bad years? You'll have to read to find out."

"Ever wondered what it's like to lose your sight? To be paranoid that everyone knows it? This girl does. But she will meet a group of people that will change her outlook on life forever."

"You might think this is just a general romance, after all it does include a few Mr Wrongs. It's not. Instead, it's about a girl trying to find her way in the world and realise she doesn't necessarily have to live the life her upbringing would dictate to her."

I bet everyone's in for a surprise though, because (if you haven't guessed yet) all the books are the lovely new Floored book! We all thought that as it's so diverse it's kind of like having a book per person, so there should be a description for each!

Cool or not? We liked it so it's happening!

I can't wait to see you all at the launch party, we're hosting it up North somewhere because it's where we all met.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

And that's it from Sasha, but here's some info for the book, which is out soon!

The Breakfast Club meets One Day in Floored, a unique collaborative novel by seven bestselling and award-winning YA authors: Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood.

When they got in the lift, they were strangers (though didn't that guy used to be on TV?): Sasha, who is desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he's the best-looking guy in the lift and is eyeing up Velvet, who knows what that look means when you hear her name and it doesn't match the way she looks, or the way she talks; Dawson, who was on TV, but isn't as good-looking as he was a few years ago and is desperately hoping no one recognizes him; Kaitlyn, who's losing her sight but won't admit it, and who used to have a poster of Dawson on her bedroom wall, and Joe, who shouldn't be here at all, but who wants to be here the most.

And one more person, who will bring them together again on the same day every year.

ARC Review: A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews

This is definitely not one of my usual reads, but as I have started branching out and everyone was talking about this book I decided to give it a try - especially with such a beautiful cover. So, thanks to Netgalley who gave me a copy of this book in exchange for a review!

Here it is:

An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music - because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

Okay let me just say how amazing this book was. I've been in a small slump lately where I do read, just not much and not very quickly. But this book threw the slump out the window - I finished it within a few hours, it was an unputdownable book in my opinion!

But, when a book starts with the MC talking about wanting to cut off his hands, you know you're going into something that will definitely be interesting, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that I adored it so much.

It usually takes me quite a while to get into a male-narrated book, I'm so used to female POVs I guess, but I connected with Beck so quickly. I loved his character, and the slight development that was slow-going but definitely there - I think because of August mainly. Which is another thing I loved - their relationship. It was so pure and refreshing to see something that didn't just jump into anything big. To sum-up I just love so much about the characters in this book, they were developed perfectly.

The ending of this book though is the thing that made this for me - I was close to tears it was so perfect. Overall, I think I could describe this book as so amazing it left me speechless - I don't think I can do it justice in my review, so I'll leave it here.

I definitely give this book 5 cats - it was just what I needed to recharge my book batteries!

This amazing book comes out in a few days (7th June) - I highly suggest you go buy it! If you've read it or plan to read it comment below, I'd love to hear your opinions!

May Wrap-Up!

So, I've been super busy this month starting a new job, but I get loads of travel reading time, so I guess my wrap-ups are becoming a regular thing now!

As before, these aren't all the books I've read this month, some get a full review but will be posted whenever I get around to it.

Mini review time!

The Beasts Heart by Leife Shallcross

I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley, but finished it so close to the release date that I thought I'd just do a mini review in my wrap up instead. As you should know, I adore re-tellings - of any form usually, all the writers differences in plot always fascinate me, and this was definitely an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast!

I loved seeing a book telling us of the Beasts POV. I've only seen one other take on it, and both are so different that it was great. I loved the history of the Beast - the backstory was filled out nicely and it was one of my favourite bits. I also liked the way the mirror was used in this book - to only see Isabeau's family, and only when the magic allowed it. In fact - the magic of this story was what drew me in the most - it was so intriguing!

4.5 Cats to this book (only because it took me so long to get into it)

The Extinction Trials by S. M. Wilson

I got this in a bookbox a while ago, and only just got round to reading it. There's been a big hype about this book, and it left me wondering if it could live up to it - it could and it did. This was my first dinosaur based book, as I've never really been a big fan of dinosaur based things, but this changed my way of thinking and I'll definitely be reading more in the future.

I admit, I always take a long look at maps before, so I saw Blaine's shack on the map and wondered about him - and where he might come in, so I wasn't as shocked as I probably should have been when he was introduced, but it did have me trying to guess about his origins which was fun.

Overall, I give this 5 cats, and I can't wait to see where it goes in the next book after everything that happened.

Carnivore by Jonathan Lyon

I got this book from the publisher, because I saw the cover and thought it was beautiful, and then the description had me intrigued. It's not often that I go out of my zone and read adult fiction, but sometimes I do and so far it's all been good.

This book was quite hard to read - not in a bad way, but because it was so intense and you had no idea where it would go. I've never read something as intense as this - and I warn you this is definitely not a book for those faint of heart and it has quite a lot of trigger warnings. But it was beautifully written - the descriptions in this were amazing, even if it was hard to keep up with the main character at times.


I give this book 3.5/4 cats. It was enthralling but totally not what I expected, and maybe a bit more intense than I thought. If I knew what I was going in to, I probably would have rated it much higher.

An Almond for a Parrot by Wray Delaney

I picked this book up for it's beautiful cover, and was slightly intrigued by the thought of a biography-like historical fiction so I bought it. I wasn't sure how much I would like it, but as soon as I started reading I got sucked right in to Tully's story - I especially liked how it went from her time in prison to her recollection - or 'memoir' of her time before she was imprisoned. In fact, I got so sucked in I almost missed my train stop because I couldn't tear myself away one morning!

There is one thing I will admit though, I wasn't expecting it to go into as much detail on her sex life as it did, and I definitely had a laugh at the terms Tully used during the more intimate scenes (I don't know if that's what they were called back then but wow they were weird) but other than that I had no complaints.

I give this book 4 cats. It is an adult historical fiction though, so maybe not for everyone!

April Wrap-Up!

So, because April was such a busy reading month for me, I thought I would jump onto the wrap-up bandwagon and show you some of the books I've read, and give them each a mini review.

These aren't all my books I've read in April of course, I've written a few full reviews too, but these are just some of the other books that I thought you'd like to see my thoughts on! (and you can click the link in the name to find the Goodreads page if you're interested in the blurbs)

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury:

This was a re-read of mine, that I finished at the beginning of April. I've read the first 2 books in this series before but I decided to re-read this because I went to the launch of Mel's new book Sorrow last month. This was my train read, and I forgot just how great the book was.

Reading this a second time just made me love it more, although I admit because I knew what happened it did make me dislike Leif this time round, and I had a lot more sympathy for Merek than I did the first time round.

I love the world building in this series and I loved the idea of different sins and what would be eaten - I'd love a longer list! Overall though this book gets 4.5 cats!

                  

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas:

So, the third in this series I decided to read it after having it a little while because of there is another book being released soon, and I wanted to be ready for it.

As with the other two books I adored it, as I think that Rhysand is one of my favourite characters out there, and I love the way he interacts with his court and Feyre. I was especially interested to see how Nesta and Elain's plots played out in this book after how it ended, and I really wanted to see if the Hybern situation would be resolved or not.


Definitely an action packed book, and I definitely loved it like the rest, but my favourite in the series is still the second book. However, I did like meeting all the new people in this one, and I can't wait to see where it goes. This book gets 5 cats!

I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan

I won this book in a competition, and I decided to read it because I was meeting the author at YAShot this month. Definitely glad I won it, it was such a good book! (But it did leave me feeling old because when reading it did take a while to get used to the teenager speak!).

It did take me a while to get into it, but when I did I was definitely sucked in, it was so different to see the POV of someone that was a Muslim, I've only ever read one book like that - and this one trumped that by miles.

I think my favourite bit about the book was the name - and the quote used - I am thunder and I won't keep quiet. It definitely resonated with me and I think it's one of my new favourite quotes - and something I need to live by I think. Overall, I give this 4 cats. It's definitely a thought provoking book.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

I decided to re-read this book because I got sent the second in the duology for a review, and I wanted to refresh my mind. My original read of this book was reviewed on goodreads before I started blogging, and I laughed a bit when I read my review. 

My opinion has changed from the first time - I loved it more than I did then. I think the re-read helped me to understand things a bit better and really helped me to get into the plot more and connect with the characters more too. It's definitely going to be one of the books I'll re-read again in the future, and my review of the second book will come soon in a separate post.

Also I've had a lot of people comment on the beauty of the cover, and yes that was the main reason I bought it from Costco's, the deep blue with slashes really caught my eye, and then the description intrigued me too. I give this book 5 cats (one more than last years review)

A Shiver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke

Although I have so many other books on my TBR pile I started on this as soon as I got it in the DrinkYA goodybag as I've wated to read it so much. It did take me a little while to get into it, maybe I was going in with too many expectations and it put me off? But when I did get into it I can see why it's such a popular book, some of the descriptions in this book definitely caught my eye throughout - they were so beautiful.

I adored Osa as a character - she was so strong throughout the book despite how she was brought up being blamed for her mothers death. I think her character development was amazing, especially at the end, and I think it was so great how her development was like a big circle - she learnt that it wasn't her fault and also really came into herself.

I also think the world building in this was great - I can't wait to see what the author will do in any future books if its as great as this one, it will definitely be a surprise as I can't guess where it may go at all. 4 cats for this book!

Review: After the Fire by Will Hill

Okay, so, I bought this book because of numerous recommendations by Zoe. She has been mentioning it for a long time, and when reading the description of this book I thought it sounded quite interesting.

It wasn't quite in my usual genre, but as you may have seen, I've started branching out, and trying to read a bit more YA that isn't fantasy, and I think this book was a great pick for me.

Well, here it is:

The things I’ve seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.

Father John controls everything inside The Fence. And Father John likes rules. Especially about never talking to Outsiders. Because Father John knows the truth. He knows what is right, and what is wrong. He knows what is coming.

Moonbeam is starting to doubt, though. She’s starting to see the lies behind Father John’s words. She wants him to be found out.

What if the only way out of the darkness is to light a fire? 

As you may tell from the description, this is a a very intense book, but I admit, I've quite liked the hard-hitting books lately that really get you thinking.

This book is all about Moonbeam, a 17-year-old who has grown up in a cult that centres around religion. It shows her story through both 'Before' chapters, where she describes different times in her life in the compound as well as retelling what happened in the lead-up to the fire, and 'After' chapters, where we see what has happened to Moonbeam, and a few of the children survivors, directly after the fire.

In the 'After' sections of the book, we meet both Dr Hernandez and Agent Carlyle, who are the ones interviewing Moonbeam to find out what she knows about the fire and the workings of the cult, though Agent Carlyle only comes into the book partway through as at the beginning Dr Hernandez was trying to get Moonbeam to open up after she had a lifetime of being told that 'Outsiders' were not to be trusted and shouldn't be talked to.

I must admit, one of the reasons I liked the book so much was the writing of the sessions between these 3, and the way they all interacted, especially Moonbeam and Agent Carlyle, I loved the dialogue between them at points.

But, the main reason I loved this book was because of Moonbeam. I loved how strong she was throughout the book, explaining her past and trying to overcome it, and I liked how she was written towards the ending, where although she had worked through a lot because of her sessions, she still had a way to go, which I think is really realistic. Moonbeam is now one of my favourite written characters, as she was written perfectly.

There was only one thing I wasn't too sure on, which was the ending (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it). I was happy it ended the way it did, but I just wasn't sure on it, but either way it was still an amazing book, and one I will definitely be putting on my re-reads list.

I give this book: 4.5 Cats! (so close to 5, but I just wasn't sure on the ending!)

Overall an amazing book, and I definitely want to read more like it, what did you think of this book if you've read it? Comment below!

ARC Review: Blackbird by N. D. Gomes

I received this book from Netgalley in an e-book form, in exchange for an honest review.

Of course, the beautiful cover was what originally drew me in on this book, the gold against the black was striking and immediately caught my eye.

But as I've recently started to branch out in my book genres, I thought I would request this book, as it looked so intriguing, and I've always been interested in mystery shows, so why not try the mystery book genre. I generally stick to YA though, so this book definitely ticked the box for both a YA book, as well as being something different than usual.

This book is out November 16th!

Anyways, here it is:

Olivia disappeared the night the blackbird died.

It was New Years Eve the night that dead blackbirds descended, hours before fifteen year old Alex McCarthy’s sister Olivia went missing from a party.

Committed to finding out what happened to her sister, within the previously safe walls of their subarctic Orkney village, Alex knows that dishevelled, sometimes intoxicated Detective Inspector Birkens is her best shot.

Yet as they uncover the secrets behind Olivia’s last night, Alex starts to find things she may be better off never knowing…

So, this book has been on my TBR list for quite a while, in the list of slowly piling up Netgalley acceptances, and my lovely twitter followers decided in a poll that this should be my next read, as it is out in November.

This book definitely didn't disappoint as a mystery book. It had me guessing throughout as to just what happened to Olivia, and I definitely didn't expect to find out what we did, it was a great reveal near to the end of the book.

But when watching, or now reading I guess, a mystery, isn't it just great when it keeps you guessing, and it turns out all of your guesses are wrong? This especially pleases me, as usually I am quite good at guessing what will happen in movies or books, but with this one I didn't get anywhere near guessing what happened to Olivia.

The book is narrated by fifteen year old Alex, and describes the time she spends trying to figure out what happened to her sister, after she goes missing. As well as that though, throughout the story you see just what it is like for a family who loses someone, as we see Alex and her parents struggling to deal with everyday life after Olivia is reported missing, and suspected to be murdered.

All I can really say is that this book is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and you definitely connect with Alex as a character when you read the book. I loved how it showed that different people grieve in different ways, as it shows you little windows into other peoples grief over Olivia's disappearance as well as Alex's, such as her parents', her friends, and her ex boyfriends.

This is definitely an interesting read, and I don't think I've done it justice when describing how emotional it is, but it has really made me want to read some other mystery books in the future, so I would definitely recommend it.

I give this book: 4 cats.

Blackbird is out November 16th, are you planning on reading it? Comment below!

Review: It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

So, as you may have known if you follow me on Twitter, I went to the launch event of this book at Waterstones Piccadilly on the 20th of September. It was my first book event as a blogger (and really just my first book event) and it was amazing.

From this, I got my copy of this lovely book, a week(ish) before release, and I loved it so much I read it in less than a day.

Now, it's been a while since I've loved a book so much I've read it in a day, and I admit I've really missed that feeling, I don't know about you guys but I feel like reading a book in less than a day really means something. But, I'm rambling, so here's the book!

Bad boys turned good, kisses in the rain, climbing through bedroom windows... It only happens in the movies.

When Audrey meets Harry, it's the start of a truly cinematic romance - or is it?

Audrey knows that Harry is every movie cliché rolled into one. But she still chooses to let him into her heart...

So, this hasn't been my usual read for a few years now, I used to read all types of YA books, including romances and contemporary like these when in college, but I then focused more on fantasy books coming into university. However, I saw the description for this and I was pulled in, and decided to go for it and go to this event, and I am glad I did.

This book made me remember why I used to read these types of book, it was hilarious, and I could relate to certain points in it so much that I couldn't put the book down once I started it. I even almost missed my train stop on the way home from the event because I was busy reading it.

The main thing I loved about this book was how it made me rethink romance movies. I've always been a bit of a secret romantic at heart, and I've always loved a little bit of a rom-com, but this book had little tidbits throughout, and at the beginning of each chapter, that really made me think about the way romance movies are done, and how they are all pretty much similar.

These tidbits about romance movies, and the whole book, is narrated by Audrey, who is a teenage girl in her final year of college. I found it so refreshing to read a MC like Audrey, and I really connected with her. I laughed with her, I cried with her, and I cringed along with her when things went wrong, and I think connecting with a MC is what really makes you love a book.

But, I could go on for ages about this book, mainly because it's so different to what I usually read it was so refreshing, and I'll definitely be reading Holly's other books if they're as good as this one!

I give this book: 5 cats!