Tag: contemporary

Review: When We Collided by Emery Lord

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

25663637When We Collided by Emery Lord
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mental Health
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 352
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★

I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I think I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I really liked that Vivi was representing a mental illness that isn’t usually talked about, and Jonah was a sort of child carer, but I’m not a fan of needing romance to accept yourself and Vivi was the essence of a panic mixie dream girl.  Continue reading “Review: When We Collided by Emery Lord” →

Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Foley-Doyle

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

23346358The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Published by: Corgi Children’s
Pages: 280
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★

Everyone on booktube seemed to be talking about The Accident Season, which is really cool since it’s UKYA! When it popped up at my local library I decided to give it a go! Unfortunately, it was a bit too abstract and unsatisfying for my tastes. The premise sounded so good(!): For about one month every year Cara, her sister and step-brother always seem to be getting injured; they’re basically attracted to unfortunate situations. Like the Series of Unfortunate Events but with teenagers and a more realistic contemporary background. However, even by the end of the novel, it’s still ridiculously ambiguous as to why the Accident Season is a thing and there are a few awkward relationships that aided my conclusion that this book really wasn’t for me.

Continue reading “Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Foley-Doyle” →

Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

18114890This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Genre: Contemporary, Coming-Of-Age
Published by: Macmillan’s Children’s Books
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5

I decided I needed to read everything by Leila Sales practically as soon as I finished Tonight The Streets Are Ours. It was an instant decision, and one of the best I made in 2015. Although I didn’t like TSWSYL and much, as indicated by the star rating, it was still an amazing eye-opening read. It starts with Elise who feels like she is completely alone and doesn’t fit in so she decides the next logical step is to kill herself. Heavy, right?

Continue reading “Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales” →

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

9548964Fracture by Megan MirandaMegan Miranda
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 262
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★

I picked this book up on a whim because it sounded similar to the movie ‘Age of Adeline’, however what I got instead was a weird mix of Mara Dyer and a high school thriller.

Fracture did not leave a lasting impression. As soon as I put the book down I practically forgot it. It follows Delaney Maxwell who falls into a frozen lake and almost dies. After her recovery she gets a strange twinge in her head that means someone in the local area is going to die.

Continue reading “Fracture by Megan Miranda” →

(Spoiler) Review: Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Published on by Heart Full Of Books8 Comments

20743262Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 368
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★
Series: Burn For Burn (#1) | Fire With Fire (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I was so unbelievably excited to read this book. Fire With Fire was one of my favourite books of the year and I needed to know what happened next. I’d seen a couple of reviews floating around Goodreads about how rushed the ending was and how it wasn’t as great as the other book in the series, but I refused to believe this would be the case. How could it be when Fire With Fire had been SO GOOD? But boy oh boy was I proven wrong. Ashes to Ashes was rushed and the ending was straight up ridiculous. What we have here, ladies and gentleman, is a perfect example of wasted potential.

(Disclaimer: you should still read this series if you haven’t because the first two books are 5 star reads and totally worth it, but just prepare yourself for a disappointing ending.)

Continue reading “(Spoiler) Review: Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian” →

Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

18660447The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I absolutely love Kasie West, and can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed everything she’s written. I am beyond excited for her next contemporary story PS. I Like You, and am desperately anticipating the time when I can read The Distance Between Us. I read On The Fence, a few months ago and liked it, but this one blew me away. I literally could not put it down. Continue reading “Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West” →

Review: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

26240663Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Amulet Books
Pages: 352
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The Seven Ways We Lie follows seven teenagers and each of them are struggling with one particular deadly sin, set against the scandal of a student/teacher love affair and the election of junior class president.

I was ridiculously excited when I read the blurb for this book. It was looking pretty great: debut novel written by a university undergraduate (one of my favourite things to discover), rag tag group of five seven, I was ready for this to be the next Breakfast Club. Bring it on.

And what I got was a beautiful written story, completely full of character depth, that I could not put down at all.

Continue reading “Review: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate” →

Review: Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

25437747Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Macmillan Children’s Books
Pages: 400
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Author | Amazon

All about friendship, this book is special. Focusing on the lives of Caddy, the protagonist, and her two friends Rosie and Suzanne as they try and navigate teenage life. Full of fun, friendship and the inevitable drama that comes with being 16 years old, ‘Beautiful Broken Things’ is an amazing novel and a masterful debut.  Continue reading “Review: Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard” →

Review: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

26799477Underwater by Marisa Reichardt
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Macmillan Children’s Books
Pages: 256
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon | Author

Synopsis
Morgan, a seventeen year old star swimmer, suffers from agoraphobia after her experience of a school shooting. Tired of being a hermit, Morgan wishes she could live a normal life. Luckily, a new neighbour, Evan, gives her a chance to do so, and with Evan’s reassurance and the support of her family, Morgan finds her way back underwater. Continue reading “Review: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt” →

Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

25787863This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 320
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Author | Amazon

I requested this book from NetGalley because I was in the mood for a short book, preferably a contemporary, that could be read in as few sitting as possible. This book delivered on all of those fronts. It was exactly the kind of book you need to get out of a reading slump! There are a lot of wonderful things about ‘This Raging Light’, and some parts that left me in the dark. Let’s discuss. Continue reading “Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure” →