Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
Top Ten Tuesday | Unpopular Bookish Opinions
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Monday, 10 June 2019
ARC Review | Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Title: Patron Saints of Nothing
Author: Randy Ribay
Publication Date: 27th June 2019 by Stripes
Format: ARC via Netgalley (352 pages)
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository, Waterstones
Trigger and content warnings: Grief, references to sex trafficking, references to sexual abuse, drugs and addiction.
Rep: Filipino-American Own Voices, lesbian side character.
Jay Reguero plans to
spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before
heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers
that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President
Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about
what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real
story.
Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.
Author: Randy Ribay
Publication Date: 27th June 2019 by Stripes
Format: ARC via Netgalley (352 pages)
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository, Waterstones
Trigger and content warnings: Grief, references to sex trafficking, references to sexual abuse, drugs and addiction.
Rep: Filipino-American Own Voices, lesbian side character.
Synopsis
Jay Reguero plans to
spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before
heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers
that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President
Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about
what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real
story.
Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.
Thursday, 6 June 2019
ARC Review | The Switch Up by Katy Cannon
Title: The Switch Up
Author: Katy Cannon
Publication Date: 13th June 2019 by Stripes
Format: ARC via Netgalley (320 pages)
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones
I was very apprehensive going into this book as I didn't realise just how young the characters were. They're both fourteen (I'm almost 23) so I was worried that I would feel no connection to anyone and it would be one of those cringe inducing books where the characters are all frustratingly immature. Honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be though. I hardly remember what I was like at fourteen but I think Katy Cannon did a great job with making both girls as realistic as possible. There were a few times when it got a little juvenile such as Alice with her crush and Willa acting like a total brat but I was probably the exact same at fourteen so I can't complain too much. The plot is very straightforward, predictable but fun.
I definitely preferred Alice to Willa. Alice was pretty much me as a fourteen year old, quiet, very organised and constantly with her nose in a book. She seemed very reasonable about the whole situation and her sections of the book were my favourite parts. Willa was a bit too spoiled and careless for me to like her, I just never really warmed up to her and that stopped me from enjoying her storyline. Alice's summer in Italy was a really great setting. The farm and village she stayed at sounded adyllic and so peaceful. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the entire book had just been about Alice and her summer rather then switching between the two.
The Parent Trap is one of my all time favourite childhood movies so I got a bit of a nostalgia kick from the similarities between the two. It didn't stop this book from being incredibly unrealistic though. The whole 'swap summers cause we're practically twins and no one will realise' is very far fetched. However, I can't completely hate it cause I know that as a fourteen year old it would've been my dream to do something like this and have an adventure in Italy for the summer. I admit I did have fun with this book, it wasn't amazing but it was a pretty cute read that would be perfect for younger readers just starting to transition to young adult.
Read if you like: The Parent Trap (obviously!), middle grade or younger characters, summer vacations and adventures.
* I received an ARC copy via Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.
Author: Katy Cannon
Publication Date: 13th June 2019 by Stripes
Format: ARC via Netgalley (320 pages)
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones
 |
| Source |
Synopsis
WILLA
Drama queen
Fashion guru
Spontaneous
Looks like Alice
ALICE
Bookworm
Allergic to fashion
Planner
Looks like Willa
LAX Departure Lounge. Two girls board the same flight to London as complete strangers. When the plane touches down, it’s the beginning of the craziest plan ever. Can Willa and Alice really swap lives for the summer?
Things are going to get complicated...
Rating
Review
Willa and Alice are two complete strangers trying to escape their controlling parents and who happen to look almost identical. After meeting in an airport they decide to swap lives for the summer and of course mayhem ensues...I was very apprehensive going into this book as I didn't realise just how young the characters were. They're both fourteen (I'm almost 23) so I was worried that I would feel no connection to anyone and it would be one of those cringe inducing books where the characters are all frustratingly immature. Honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be though. I hardly remember what I was like at fourteen but I think Katy Cannon did a great job with making both girls as realistic as possible. There were a few times when it got a little juvenile such as Alice with her crush and Willa acting like a total brat but I was probably the exact same at fourteen so I can't complain too much. The plot is very straightforward, predictable but fun.
I definitely preferred Alice to Willa. Alice was pretty much me as a fourteen year old, quiet, very organised and constantly with her nose in a book. She seemed very reasonable about the whole situation and her sections of the book were my favourite parts. Willa was a bit too spoiled and careless for me to like her, I just never really warmed up to her and that stopped me from enjoying her storyline. Alice's summer in Italy was a really great setting. The farm and village she stayed at sounded adyllic and so peaceful. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the entire book had just been about Alice and her summer rather then switching between the two.
The Parent Trap is one of my all time favourite childhood movies so I got a bit of a nostalgia kick from the similarities between the two. It didn't stop this book from being incredibly unrealistic though. The whole 'swap summers cause we're practically twins and no one will realise' is very far fetched. However, I can't completely hate it cause I know that as a fourteen year old it would've been my dream to do something like this and have an adventure in Italy for the summer. I admit I did have fun with this book, it wasn't amazing but it was a pretty cute read that would be perfect for younger readers just starting to transition to young adult.
Read if you like: The Parent Trap (obviously!), middle grade or younger characters, summer vacations and adventures.
* I received an ARC copy via Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
WWW Wednesday | 05/06/2019
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words that highlights three questions:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
What did you recently finish reading?
I've just finished reading Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher which is a YA dystopian about a girl called Eve who is the first girl born in fifty years and is therefore humanity's last chance at survival. The story follows her and a boy called Bram who controls her AI friend 'Holly' and they basically fall in love and try to overthrow the people controlling them as happens in every dystopian novel ever. I had mixed feelings about this, I only really got into it 100 pages from the end when the action picked up a bit but there was next to no world building and it just felt very recycled in terms of the plot and characters.What are you currently reading?
I'm about 25% off finishing Moonlocket by Peter Bunzl which is the second book in the Cogheart Adventures series. This one follows Lily and Robert (and Malkin of course) as they go on an adventure to track down Robert's mother. I'm really enjoying these books, I never thought I'd be a fan of middle grade but these ones are so much fun and I really love the sci-fi and steampunk elements, it makes everything feel very whimsical.What do you think you'll read next?
I'm going to be finishing off the Cogheart series by reading Skycircus by Peter Bunzl and it sounds just as fun as the other books as there's a freakin' flying circus in this one!When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can’t wait to step aboard… But there’s something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they’re captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious flying circus to somewhere far, far away…
I'm also planning on starting Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson today. I've been wanting to read this for a while as it's a murder mystery set in a boarding school which is exactly the kind of thing that I like so I have high hopes for this one.
Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. "A place" he said, "where learning is a game."
Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym, Truly Devious. It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.
True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.
Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!
Tuesday, 4 June 2019
Top Ten Tuesday | My Favourite YA Contemporaries
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Let's get it out in the open. I'm not a huge of fantasy and sci-fi books. *Hides*. Honestly though I don't mind them, they can be ok and everything but I'm definitely a contemporary girl through and through. Sure they can be predictable but I love the wide range of issues they cover and I'm a sucker for a cute romance without all the 'saving the world' stuff getting in the way.
This weeks topic is...
Books from your favourite genre so of course i'm going to stick with my trusty favourite, the good old contemporary. This was much harder then I thought it was going to be. I've read some great contemporaries and therefore I'm becoming harder to please within the genre and I rarely say 'this is my new favourite thing' so I've actually only listed 7 books, my absolute favourites that I always go back to and end up comparing to everything else.Monday, 3 June 2019
Book Review | The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
Title: The Art of Being Normal
Author: Lisa Williamson
Publication Date: 1st January 2015
Format: Paperback
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones, Book Depository
Rating
David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl.
On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan.
When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…
This book ended up going in a completely different direction then I thought it was going to. David is fourteen and struggling with how to tell their family that they are actually female and not the 'boy' their parents were raising. Leo is a boy who comes from 'the wrong side of the tracks' and who struggles a lot with his home life and his search for his biological dad. These two are thrown together when Leo defends David to a school bully and a tentative friendship is born.
Without being too spoilery, I initially thought this book was a romance between the two main characters but refreshingly it wasnt. It was definitely a friendship focused book that was a great change of pace from most YA contemporary's, especially ones that deal with gender identity and sexuality. We get to see two young boys being able to open up to each other about their problems without the fear of being judged or misunderstood.
I definitely preferred the character of David over Leo. David was a very sweet protaganist, they're a little shy and still attempting to work up the courage to be more open about their true identity both at home and at school. He definitely latches on to Leo a little bit and tended to follow him around like a puppy dog without an owner. I had to keep reminding myself that he is only fourteen and he thinks he's finally found someone to confide in, they're a little cringy but very adorable. Leo on the other hand does his best to ignore David for the majority of the book even though David is only doing their best to be friendly and welcoming. I often found myself annoyed about his rude exterior and generally thought David was wasting their time attempting to form a friendship with him. Both their characters do grow as the story goes on and I was pleased when Leo progressively lets his guard down.
I will admit I wasn't expecting the big 'reveal' in the middle of the book although looking back on it now I feel pretty stupid I didn't catch on a bit earlier! I did sit there for a few seconds with my mouth hanging open in happiness but also pure shock.
There are some slightly vague references that some people could take as being transphobic. I'm cis so I can't speak for the transgender community but some of the comments made by Leo towards David didn't really sit right with me and I could see how they would come across as offensive. I also wasn't keen on the issues of transphobia and bullying towards David not being properly addressed. It's a recurring theme but wasn't really solved properly and there was no clear punishments for the culprits.
Author: Lisa Williamson
Publication Date: 1st January 2015
Format: Paperback
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones, Book Depository
Rating
Synopsis
Two boys. Two secrets.David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl.
On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan.
When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…
Review
Who wants to be normal anyway? Here lies so-and-so- They were entirely normal - The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
This book ended up going in a completely different direction then I thought it was going to. David is fourteen and struggling with how to tell their family that they are actually female and not the 'boy' their parents were raising. Leo is a boy who comes from 'the wrong side of the tracks' and who struggles a lot with his home life and his search for his biological dad. These two are thrown together when Leo defends David to a school bully and a tentative friendship is born.
Without being too spoilery, I initially thought this book was a romance between the two main characters but refreshingly it wasnt. It was definitely a friendship focused book that was a great change of pace from most YA contemporary's, especially ones that deal with gender identity and sexuality. We get to see two young boys being able to open up to each other about their problems without the fear of being judged or misunderstood.
I definitely preferred the character of David over Leo. David was a very sweet protaganist, they're a little shy and still attempting to work up the courage to be more open about their true identity both at home and at school. He definitely latches on to Leo a little bit and tended to follow him around like a puppy dog without an owner. I had to keep reminding myself that he is only fourteen and he thinks he's finally found someone to confide in, they're a little cringy but very adorable. Leo on the other hand does his best to ignore David for the majority of the book even though David is only doing their best to be friendly and welcoming. I often found myself annoyed about his rude exterior and generally thought David was wasting their time attempting to form a friendship with him. Both their characters do grow as the story goes on and I was pleased when Leo progressively lets his guard down.
I will admit I wasn't expecting the big 'reveal' in the middle of the book although looking back on it now I feel pretty stupid I didn't catch on a bit earlier! I did sit there for a few seconds with my mouth hanging open in happiness but also pure shock.
There are some slightly vague references that some people could take as being transphobic. I'm cis so I can't speak for the transgender community but some of the comments made by Leo towards David didn't really sit right with me and I could see how they would come across as offensive. I also wasn't keen on the issues of transphobia and bullying towards David not being properly addressed. It's a recurring theme but wasn't really solved properly and there was no clear punishments for the culprits.
Sunday, 2 June 2019
June 2019 TBR
So this is my pretty ambitious June TBR especially when you consider the fact that ebooks aren't included in the photo above. I didn't expect to check out this many library books but I saw so many YA's on the shelf that I wanted to read and I just couldn't help myself! Let's just pray to the reading gods that I manage to make my way through this pile without having a breakdown! (Also, let's excuse the fact that this photo was taken on my slightly grimy windowsill, I have no idea where else to take my photos. My house is sadly lacking in pretty backdrops!).
Library Books
- Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
- Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
- The Life + Death Parade by Eliza Wass
- Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
- The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
- The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth
- Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture by Jon Savage
Owned Books
- Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce
- Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher
- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Ebooks
- Moonlocket and Skycircus (The Cogheart Adventures #2 & 3) by Peter Bunzl
- 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
- Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla
I sure do like making life difficult for myself. This is probably going to be the first month where I have a fully structured TBR as usually I read the library books I've checked out and then maybe one or two mood reads from the books I already own. However, I really do need to start reading all the books on my TBR shelf so I've created myself a little (Ha!) TBR box (I didn't have a jar so a box will have to do!) and I'm going to be picking my upcoming reads from that. This month I got Stolen by Lucy Christopher and Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce both of which i've owned for far too long.
My classic for the month will be The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, I think it's about time I got around to reading this especially when you consider the fact that I've already been watching the tv series, oops.
And finally my non-fiction book of the month will be Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture by Jon Savage, this was a library find and looks so interesting but it is absoutely huuuge so wish me luck!
What are you planning on reading in June? Have you read any on my TBR? Leave a comment or link your own June TBR's for me to check out!
Saturday, 1 June 2019
May 2019 Reading Wrap Up
I'm still in shock that I managed to read a grand total of 15 books in May. I think that's the most books I've ever read in a single month and I'm pretty damn proud. It helped that I had some great ARC's to read via netgalley and a couple of books I've wanted to read for a while now. It was a decent month, I didn't read anything below a 3 stars although I've been very harsh when it comes to giving out 5 stars lately, I seem to always find something that just brings the rating down slightly so no books recieved the honour this month.
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