Review: ...AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR? by Holly Bourne

...And a Happy New Year? by Holly Bourne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Evie, Amber and Lottie are having a New Year party to remember. For the first time since leaving college, all three girls are back together. It’s time for fun and flirting, snogs and shots. Because everything’s going great for these girls – Spinster Club for ever! Right?

—

...AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR is the final book (this time a novella) in Holly Bourne’s Spinster Club series. I devoured the other books and when I saw this one had been published, I just had to get a copy.

This book is told via alternating POVs between Amber, Lottie, and Evie, and takes place across a couple of hours in the lead up to a new year. A few months have passed since the end of the last book, and we see how the girls have grown apart a little, yet still rely on each other.

As a fan of the other books in this series, I really loved this novella. It was a gem and really reminded me why I fell in love with Evie, Lottie, and Amber. It was so nice to revisit them—and I particularly liked how Evie’s OCD is still there, it hadn’t just been ‘fixed’. And each of their personalities really shine through their first person narratives.

We also get to find out more about the girls’ boyfriends, particularly Oli and his struggle with mental health and how this affects Evie.

As with all of Bourne’s books, this book speaks truth. It shows what university can be like for some teenagers (via Lottie), how mental health issues don’t completely go away (Evie), and looks at big life changes (Amber), and ‘growing up’ and apart from school friends.

The only thing that makes this book a 4 star rather than 5, for me, is that the plot line seemed a little weak—nothing huge happens like in the other books, and this book is definitely written for those readers who are already familiar with the series. Whereas I felt the other books could be read in any order and each worked as a standalone, this one is one definitely to read after the others.

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Review: THIS RAGING LIGHT by Estelle Laure

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Can you fall in love when everything is falling apart?

Estelle Laure is a major new talent to rival John Green and Rainbow Rowell. Her debut novel, This Raging Light, is a heartbreakingly beautiful book that you'll devour in one sitting, but remember forever.

How is it that you suddenly notice a person? How is it that one day Digby was my best friend's admittedly cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

Lucille has bigger problems than falling for her best friend's unavailable brother. Her mom has gone, leaving her to look after her sister, Wren. With bills mounting up and appearances to keep, Lucille is raging against her life but holding it together - just.

—

THIS RAGING LIGHT is the first book by Estelle Laure that I’ve read, and I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I loved the writing. It was metaphorical and beautiful. I loved the set-up; Lucille’s father is “crazy” and is living at a half-way house leaving 17-year-old Lucille to raise her younger sister.

But for me, the romance totally let it down. I just didn’t understand WHY Lucille was attracted to Digby, and to be honest, he seemed like a bit of a jerk. (Warning: spoilers ahead!) He’s been in a long-term relationship with Elaine (they’re discussing marriage) yet he has no problem kissing Lucille in very passionate ways. And it totally didn’t seem to trouble him in any way that he was cheating on his girlfriend. And Lucille, although she says she felt bad, didn’t exactly do much to stop it. It was only when Digby’s twin Eden (Lucille’s best friend) says that it’s cutting Digby up, trying to choose between Lucille and Elaine, that I thought maybe he does care and have a sense of right and wrong. But his earlier actions hadn’t really shown it.

Eden was an interesting character. The “best friend forever...who has no problem ignoring you when you fall out.” I just wasn’t sure what to think of her at all—but I almost think that’s the point; we feel as lost about Eden as Lucille does when Eden stops talking to her. Neither Lucille or the reader totally understands Eden. All the same, Eden’s characterisation was solid—a ballet dancer, possibly with anorexia (though it’s not outright said) who seems lost and hurting inside. Her hurt runs in an almost opposite arc to Lucille’s hurt in the book, which was interesting. In short, I found Eden to be a much more developed character than Digby, the love interest. She had depth, whereas it felt Digby’s only purpose was to be the love interest.

The plot twist involving Eden was also one I didn’t see coming, so good points for that!

But the overall ending just seemed a little rushed. It felt like all the obstacles Lucille had been facing just suddenly disappeared; the whole book she was scared of repercussions if people found out she was looking after her sister, but then there weren’t any. It just seemed too neat an ending.

My rating: 2.5 stars.

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Edited to add: I’ve since found out that there’s a sequel to this book, and it’s told from Eden’s POV rather than Lucille’s. I’m now more inclined to try another book by this author than I was previously as Eden was my favourite character in this by far.

Review: CLEAN by Juno Dawson

Clean by Juno Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong.

Because rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.

As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... 

It's a dirty business getting clean.

—
I started reading CLEAN by Juno Dawson, not really knowing what to expect. And at first, I found it a bit intimidating—which is a sign of good writing, for me, as I was so overwhelmed by Lexi’s life and felt really uneasy. And I totally get that that’s the point of the writing there. It’s dark, gritty, and disturbing in more than one place.

Lexi is a wealthy seventeen year old with a drug problem. CLEAN follows her on her many ups and downs as she goes to the Clarity Centre for rehab.

One of the things I really appreciated about this YA novel is that it doesn’t shy away from dark topics that some might argue aren’t appropriate for YA readers. There’s drugs, addiction, sex, death, grief. And it’s all handled really well and in a respectful manner. Even when Lexi (when in withdrawal from heroin) insults one of the nurses, using a homophobic slur, she does call herself out on it when she’s clean and apologise to the nurse herself.

The diversity of the characters is great too. There are many characters of colour who are central to the book (such as Saif, Sasha, and Ruby), characters with different religious identities, and LGBTQ+ characters (Kendall is trans, at least two nurses are gay, and one of Lexi’s school friends is shown in a “sexually fluid” relationship) and the best thing about all of these diversities is it’s all treated so normally! It’s not pointed out as being “different” which is what I’ve seen in a few other YA novels unfortunately (or sometimes it feels like these characters have only been put in the book for the sake of diversity—not the case here). These characters’ ethnicities/genders/religions/sexual identities are NOT shown to be their only defining feature as in some other books I’ve read and—no, they’re fully developed, treated like everyone else (as they should be!), and as far as I could see, Dawson doesn’t fall into any stereotypes. This, for me, really made this book a good read and I’ll be highly recommending it.

In a book about addiction and recovery, it was obvious mental illness rep was going to be a big part of it, and I was pleased to see a large number of mental illnesses (addiction, anxiety, OCD, anorexia and other eating disorders, etc) examined; seeing them through Lexi’s eyes was also interesting, particularly how her thoughts on the others changed during her journey in recovery.

 However there were a few things that felt unrealistic, particularly in the treatment of anorexia: I doubted that nurses really wouldn’t be aware of Kendall’s nighttime exercise and when she was so underweight, why wasn’t she using a wheelchair? I was also surprised that the staff didn’t intervene in the water fight when Kendall joined in, chasing the others. Also, surely on an island, there’d be more staff watching the beach and the hotel in general. Why didn’t anyone but Lexi notice when Saif was high?

The romance, for me, built a little quickly and it felt a little like insta-love. But I totally get that that’s because of the vulnerable places both Lexi and Brady are in. It may feel a little fast, but it’s believable and realistic to Lexi’s situation. I guess it’s just my personal preferences that prevented me from really “feeling” the love between these two characters as I prefer more of a build-up.

While this is a solid 4 stars, what stopped me from upping it to 5 is the writing. For me, it would have been nice to have a little more imagery in it at times—possibly in the vein of WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson (which looks at anorexia) or THICKER THAN WATER by Kelly Fiore (also about addiction). For me, those two books used dark, disturbing imagery to really heighten the grittiness of the story, and I think if this book had had a little of that it would’ve truly made it a haunting story in places. As I was reading, I just wanted something more from the writing itself.

However, CLEAN does give us a very strong narrating voice and so I do realise that some more imagery may have lessened the impact of Lexi’s narrative had that been the case! So again this is probably just personal preference as I’m a sucker for imagery!

Overall, this is an important read. Highly recommended.

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Cover Reveal: ETERNAL SEAS by Lexi Rees

I always love taking part in cover reveals, and when the opportunity arose to get involved in the cover reveal for ETERNAL SEAS by Lexi Rees, I couldn't say no!

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book--a fantastic MG adventure--a few weeks ago, and let me tell you this, the cover fits it SO WELL. I am soooo excited! (Review to come in September!)

Without futher delay, let's take a look at the cover:

Isn't it beautiful?

About the book:

Eternal Seas

Such a small parcel shouldn't cause experienced smugglers much trouble, but this parcel is far from normal. Lost and scared after a violent storm, Finn and his sister, Aria, take shelter on a remote island. They discover the parcel contains a relic belonging to a long forgotten people. Locked inside are powers which will change their lives, and the world, forever. As Finn realises his connection to the relic, a vision strikes him - but what does it mean? Who should they trust? And if they decide to follow their hearts rather than their orders, will they manage to deliver the relic in one piece? Chased across the seas as they try to solve the mysteries within the parcel, the fate of this ancient people depends on them. Finn and Aria must choose between what is right and what is easy - and time is running out ... With brave protagonists and life lessons of courage and honour, Eternal Seas speaks from a `flawed' character perspective that everyone can relate to. Young readers who enjoy daring plots and exciting adventures will delight in this original story of different races and tough choices.

Pre-order Link - http://viewbook.at/EternalSeas

Author Bio –

Lexi Rees spends as much time as possible sailing and horse riding, both of which she does spectacularly badly. Attempts at writing whilst horse riding have been disastrous, so Eternal Seas was written on a boat; the storm described in the book was frighteningly real.

Social Media Links –

www.lexirees.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/LexiAuthor

https://twitter.com/lexi_rees

Review: THE WALLS AROUND US by Nova Ren Suma

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On the outside, there's Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement.

On the inside, within the walls of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there's Amber, locked up for so long she can't imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls' darkest mysteries…

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

—-

I’ve just this moment finished The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma, and I have to write about it.

This book, simply, is incredible. It’s haunting and deep, moving and disturbing. Suma lures us into a dark tale of murder, guilt, and justice, gives us more than one unreliable narrator, and fills us with lyrical words, images that just claw at us, and a twisting storyline.

I knew this book was going to be good, I just didn’t expect it to be THIS good. Really, it is.

Told from the dual perspectives of Amber and Violet, the novel focuses on these two girls and how they’re connected by a third, Orianna Speerling, who’s been imprisoned for murder. Violet is Ori’s best friend from before her arrest, and Amber is her new cellmate. Both narrators are amazingly unreliable; they both draw you in, and right away, we know something’s not quite right with each of them. We know not to trust them. Yet we want to. I particularly wanted to root for Amber.

The characterisation is brilliant. Seriously brilliant. I felt like I really knew who each of these girls was. I felt their pain.

The lyrical writing was probably my favourite part of this book—though the plot and characters are simply great too! But the writing itself is beautiful. Evocative, pure, and disturbing.

The ending? Wow. I was speechless. It was both cathartic and hypnotic, alluring and moving.

This is an addictive read, a modern ghost story, a book about friendship, betrayal, and murder. But it is also so much more than that. It speaks deeply to its readers, it grabs our souls and refuses to let go.

I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Nova Ren Suma.

Review: ARE WE ALL LEMMINGS & SNOWFLAKES? by Holly Bourne

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? by Holly Bourne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at “normality” for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make – who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself?

—

Oh. My. God. This book is incredible.

I’ve read all of Holly Bourne’s other YA novels and when I had the opportunity to pick up an early copy of this book, I jumped at the chance, cradling the paperback protectively against my chest. No way was I not reading it ASAP.

And it is incredible. I read it in just over 24 hours. Soooo good.

So it’s about Olive, a 16-year-old who suffers from mental illness (later assumed to be bipolar) and follows her as she’s sent to Camp Reset, an inpatient therapy-based programme. And Bourne definitely just GETS mental illness. She writes it how it is and in an accessible way. There’s no shying away from such a difficult, tough subject and she handles it soooo well. This book just bounces with Olive’s personality. We feel her depressive thoughts and her manias just as strongly as she does (warning: it does have some suicide ideation).

Bourne challenges/explores the notions of labelling and categorising illnesses, self-fulfilling prophecies, whether individuals are responsible for their mental illnesses and actions—and she does all of this in an amazing way. Seriously, this book is AMAZING (just like I knew it would be because all her books are).

In terms of the characters, they all felt so authentic and real. Bourne is an expert at characterisation, let me tell you.

Everyone should read this book.

Review: SAD PERFECT by Stephanie Elliot

Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). It is like having a monster inside of her, one that not only dictates what she can eat, but also causes anxiety, depression, and thoughts that she doesn’t want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she’s fine. 

At first, everything really does feel like it’s getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, and in Ben, the support and strength she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn’t have to control her.  

— 

It’s been quite a while since I read this book, but I wanted to write a review now as I’m currently reading and reviewing a lot of books about eating disorders, and so far SAD PERFECT is the only one that looks at ARFID.

As someone who struggles with disordered and restricted eating, this book really struck a chord. I empathised so much with Pea, the MC, and felt the portrayal of this eating disorder was realistic and informative—it’s not just fussy eating, and this story showed this brilliantly. I especially appreciated how well it included the anxiety-part of ARFID and showed how it can extend beyond just the eating and into any situations that could involve food.

From what I understand, the author’s daughter has ARFID and completed an intensive program just like the MC of this book, so from that point of view, it’s clear the author knows what she’s talkibg about and it is important to her to spread the word about this lesser-known eating disorder and shed some light on it. Yet as I do have disordered eating (which in my case has been triggered by diagnosed of mast cell activation syndrome and coeliac disease, but doctors have referred to it as likely being ARFID) I do wonder how close the representation actually is as it isn’t own voices...and there were a couple of things I didn’t agree with (but whether that’s just individual differences or not is hard to say as everyone’s experiences of eating disorders is different). That’s not to say this is a bad book or anything, because it isn’t!

The imagery in this book is amazing. As is the writing. Some really lovely metaphors. Characterisation was good too, and the author has built the tension and pacing perfectly. The romance was also well done and thought out too.

So the couple things I didn’t agree with/found problematic: firstly,  how it treats other eating disorders. The MC is quite scathing towards the girls with anorexia and bulimia who are also in her support group, and crucially she is not called out about this by the therapist (or the author). This was a little disappointing. The other thing I found (a little) problematic was the ending, but I don’t want to go into that in too much detail because of spoilers. I’ll just say it felt a little rushed, and I interpreted it as almost saying eating disorders like ARFID aren’t serious mental illnesses as they can apparently be treated by a simple changed mindset. Which I get is true on one level, but as the ending felt rushed it seemed the MC’s past struggle was essentially being presented as something the MC caused and chose to have and so it could, as it turned out, be easily fixed (despite the plot sayin otherwise).

Having said all that, I still rate this book very highly, and I read it in less than 24 hours. It’s THAT good.

For anyone who’s reading/studying the portrayal of eating disorders in YA fiction, this is an important read, and I highly recommend it as it’s rare to get a novel looking at the lesser-known eating disorders.

Review: WHISPER by Lynette Noni

Whisper by Lynette Noni

“Lengard is a secret government facility for extraordinary people,” they told me.

I believed them. That was my mistake.

There isn’t anyone else in the world like me.

 I’m different. I’m an anomaly. I’m a monster.

 For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four — ‘Jane Doe’ — has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word. As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new — and unexpectedly kind — evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.

—-

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t what I’d hoped it to be and it’s currently a DNF. Over the last couple of months, I’ve picked it up several times, but each time I just couldn’t get into the story much past the 60% mark and so it FELT like reading and I just wasn’t as absorbed in the story as I wanted to be.

Don’t get me wrong; the beginning was brilliant. Jane’s situation sucked me in right from the start and I was so curious. I devoured the opening.

But then the pacing just seemed a little off. I don’t know, it just seemed a bit too flat at times and way too tense at others—to me, the reveals and twists didn’t quite meant sense. I felt there were a lot of contradictions, especially regarding the supernatural abilities.

Ward was by far my favourite character and I loved the romance building and how he gave Jane a nickname.

But unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me at the moment.

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Review: WHAT I LOST by Alexandra Ballard

What I Lost by Alexandra Ballard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has lost so far: forty pounds, four jean sizes, a boyfriend, and her peace of mind. As a result, she’s finally a size zero. She’s also the newest resident at Wallingfield, a treatment center for girls like her—girls with eating disorders. Elizabeth is determined to endure the program so she can go back home, where she plans to start restricting her food intake again. She’s pretty sure her mom, who has her own size 0 obsession, needs treatment as much as she does. Maybe even more. Then Elizabeth begins receiving mysterious packages. Are they from her ex-boyfriend, a secret admirer, or someone playing a cruel trick?

—

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it’s an important read—it deals with eating disorders in a very respectful way, and tackling issues like this is always tough. The author does a good job of bringing such a sensitive topic to the forefront. Yet it seemed a bit flat in its execution.

The representation of anorexia is also especially well done, and from what I know, it was pretty realistic as well as it showed Elizabeth’s journey to recovery.

But for me, the writing felt flat. The tone pretty much stayed the same throughout and I struggled a little with reading it at times as I kept getting distracted and couldn’t always remember which character was which. But the story itself was powerful enough for me to pull through and finish it.

There also were a couple of things I did feel that read a bit like a how-to manual for deceiving people about how much you’re eating, so these “tips” at hiding food could prove a little triggering for some readers. Just something to be aware of.

I’ve been reading a lot of novels looking at characters with eating disorders recently, and this is the first one I’ve come across where the mother of the protagonist also has an eating disorder which she is made to realise and come to terms with too. That gives this book a slight edge in that respect.

Overall this is a good read, it just lacked the emotional impact I was hoping for.

Review: WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

About Wintergirls: 

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. 

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

---


This has to be one of the most disturbing books I've read in a long time. I don't mean that in a bad way--just that it is a VERY powerful and emotional read.

It delves deeply into the mindset of Lia, a girl suffering from anorexia, who is struggling to cope with the death of her best friend (who died from an eating disorder). Because of how deep the POV is and just how much we're put into Lia's shoes, I found this really hard to read at times. It's not a light read, but it's an important read, though I found it triggering.

There's also extensive self-harm too in this book, which, again, made it difficult to read at times.

I did however love the writing style, with the many crossed-out words, and how we really get to see Lia's mind and her thought processes. The imagery and metaphors were also especially good and evocative. These really made this book special to me--not just the important message within its pages, but the way this message is delivered both in terms of the plot and the writing.

I'd definitely recommend it to fans of Girl in Pieces (Kathleen Glasgow) and Thicker than Water (Kelly Fiore).


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Cover Reveal: CELESTIAL by S.E. Anderson

S.E. Anderson has fast become my go-to author for light sci-fi. Whenever I want an engaging read about space-travel with just the right amount of humour, or to read about the jolly (and not-so-jolly) antics of a (human) young woman and two time-travelling immortals, I pick up her books.

And, today, I'm delighted to be revealing the cover for CELESTIAL, book four in the Starstruck Saga. I'm currently reading an ARC of this book, and let me tell you this, it's truly amazing. We see a new side to Sally (the main character) as she finds herself promptly stepping into the role of Goddess for a society she's just met and trying to remain alive. But, anyway, review to come later!

For now, check out the gorgeous cover!

Isn't it just beautiful?

I love it so much!

You can find S.E. Anderson's books on Amazon.