Tag: contemporary

Review: Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski

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april2Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Contemporary, Magical-Realism
Published by: Hachette Children’s Group
Pages: 288
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Series: Don’t Even Think About It (#1)

Think Twice takes place two years after the class got telepathy, except…now they’re starting to lose it! It starts small, and suddenly the group have to question what really means more in life: the powers or each other? Losing power is a bigger problem for some, but we still get a glimpse into each Espie’s life and how things have changed for them, no matter how small. I didn’t realise this was going to be a duology but Think Twice is a pretty staple conclusion to the story, even if it did feel more character driven than plot driven.

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Review: Unrivalled by Alyson Noël

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29325755Unrivalled by Alyson Noël
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: MIRAInk
Pages: 368
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never read an Alyson Noël book before, so I was super intrigued about her writing. Also, one of the main characters is called Madison, so we share a name and I always find that hilarious. (Somehow my name is always used for the snooty mean girl, and I wanted to see what stereotypes were placed on my name in this instance!)

I was most sold on this book by the comparison to Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, but I wasn’t really getting those vibes while reading. The blurb promised that Madison would ho missing, but this didn’t happen until 75% through and everything before that was lacking the level of drama I expected when compared to the TV shows above. Continue reading “Review: Unrivalled by Alyson Noël” →

Review: The Lost and the Found

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20685157The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Crime (?)
Published by: Quercus
Pages: 441
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★

The Lost and the Found has been on my radar for a while. It follows Faith thirteen years after her adopted sister Laurel was abducted and suddenly reappears. Laurel is thrust back into her family life and it’s a lot to adjust to. Meanwhile, Faith is struggling with her older sister’s return as what little attention she got from her parents before is completely non-existent now that Laurel’s back. Last year I read If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch, which is about sisters who are returned to civilisation after growing up in the woods. It has a similar tone and the same mysterious and volatile tone that I really loved from Murdoch’s book and overall, I’m pleased I was immersed in the harrowing tale of the Logan family.

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Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston

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24917415Paperweight by Meg Haston
Genre: Contemporary with Mental Illness
Published by: Hot Key Books
Pages: 287
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★

Paperweight follows Stevie who is admitted to a rehab centre for eating disorders. Twenty seven days after she arrives it will be the first anniversary of her brother’s death, and to honour his memory, because she feels entirely responsible, she wants to kills herself. Heavy stuff, right? (Trigger warnings: self-harm, eating disorders, volatile relationships, manic-pixie-dream-girl.)

I’ve never read anything about eating disorders before and, if I’m being 100% honest, the topic scares me. I had the opportunity to review Paperweight when it first came out, but I declines thinking that because the subject matter wasn’t for me, I wouldn’t enjoy the story. I WAS WRONG. So wrong that it needs to be capitalised, underlined, and in a different colour.   Continue reading “Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston” →

Review: Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

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26270886Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
Genre: Contemporary, UKYA
Published by: Chicken House
Pages: 268
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5

After reading Lobsters some time last year, and enjoying the experience of reading more UKYA, I was more than happy to pick up this duo’s latest book, Never Evers. I have a soft spot for books that take place over a school trip, and books with celebrities, so basically all of the blurb appealed to me! I can say, whole-heartedly, that I enjoyed this book much more than the debut, so let’s discuss… Continue reading “Review: Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison” →

Review: The List by Siobhan Vivian

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10866233The List by Siobhan Vivian
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Harlequin
Pages: 336
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★

We were really looking forward to reading this book because it deals with eight different perspectives, much like our beloved Clearwater Crossing. Also Siobhan Vivian has co-authored the Burn For Burn trilogy with Jenny Han and I liked Siobhan’s character a lot more than Jenny Han’s. Basically, the book had a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, dealing with multiple perspectives can have it’s down side, mostly that one character can become more prominent, or all characters could be underdeveloped. While the characters themselves weren’t under developed – they all had their own issues! – their storylines came to an abrupt end. A lot of the conflicts were left unresolved, and we found ourselves waiting the whole time for that ‘something bug’ to happen.

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Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

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28756160What I Though Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Electric Monkey
Pages: 418
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Note: This book was given to us by the publisher in exchange for our honest review. 

I read My Life Next Door in 2014 and wasn’t blow away because I’d heard a lot of over-hyped reviews. With What I Though Was True there seemed to be a lot more mixed reviews, so I felt a lot more prepared. I was pumped to be reading something contemporary with lots of summery feelings, and I wanted to give Huntley Fitzpatrick a second chance. The first half was SO GOOD but the second half, well…

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Review: The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

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The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Macmillan
Pages: 336
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5

Now is the perfect time to start reading contemporary romances, and I’d heard a few great things about The Square Root of Summer. I was looking forward to a fun UKYA, with an ambitious time-travel element, after reading and being disappointed by Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. While I enjoyed the writing style, and the first 10% was really gripping, something about this book seemed to taper off towards the end.

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Review: Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges

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dreamingofantigoneDreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Kensington
Pages: 304
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. 

I waned to read this book mostly because of the beautiful cover, but also in hope that it would help me understand the Antigone story a lot more. Dreaming of Antigone follows Andria and her heart-broken family. Her sister, Iris committed suicide six months before the events of the novel and Andria suffers from seizures resulting in an overly protective mother. The premise sounded really intriguing and I was looking forward to that “heartfelt and emotional” journey promised by the blurb on the front, but I don’t think it lived up to my expectations. Luckily, unlike like the Greek tragedy that Andria relates her life to, there is a happy ending, otherwise it would’ve been too depressing!

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Review: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

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25322449Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 403
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★★

We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Radio Silence was one of our most anticipated releases of 2016. After Solitaire made it to the top of our favourites list in 2015, we couldn’t wait to see what Alice Oseman would write next. Solitaire established her as an author that understood teenagers and what they went through on a daily basis, the struggles and the successes. Radio Silence continues this trend, and includes messages about doing what you really want to do, regardless of what others expect from you and sometimes what you think you’re future should be, isn’t what it will be, and that’s OK. After reading, we’d consider Radio Silence a necessary read for any teenager stressing about university and school expectations. Basically, the book asserted that everything is normal, and completely fine, which is exactly what teenagers need to hear.

We went out and bought copies of Radio Silence, before we received copies from the publisher and this is definitely a book I’m happy to own more than one copy of!

Because we loved Radio Silence so much, this review will be a list of everything we loved and why we loved it. Different to usual, but a gushing review is always a pleasure to write. Continue reading “Review: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman” →