Tag: contemporary

Review: Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

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25063781Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Romance
Published by: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 336
Format: ARC e-book
Rating:
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There’s nothing we love more than summer. The weather’s been super nice recently, tricking us into thinking we’re closer to June than we are! So, to fuel those summery vibes, we started reading Summer Days and Summer Nights, because if there’s one thing better than summer…it’s romance! Each story is individually rated, so check it out!

Who'sWho

We tried to match the couples to the authors, so here’s the key!

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Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

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10798416The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Headline
Pages: 215
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5

I read this book years ago – in fact, it was the first book I ever bought on my Kindle – and since I’ve been doing a lot of re-reading recently, I decided that this SUPER SHORT book would be the perfect thing to read next. I remember really enjoying the story at the time, but at that point, I knew very little about YA and the genre tropes, neither did I know what good YA looked like. Unfortunately I don’t think The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight has stood the test of time.

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Review: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

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cover83907-mediumStargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 190
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been aware of Stargirl for a while. Firstly, it’s got such an interesting cover, with no title or author, apart from the spine. The design is genius and really draws you in. What’s Stargirl, you ask? Well, it’s basically a John Green book written before John Green books. Jerry Spinelli has somehow managed to create such a special book in under 200 pages that was so memorable.  Continue reading “Review: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli” →

Review: Read Me Like A Book by Liz Kessler

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25534237Read Me Like A Book by Liz Kessler
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Orion Children’s Books
Pages: 304
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

P  L  O  T
Ash is in a few tricky situations. Not only are her parents splitting up for good, and she’s wondering if she really likes her boyfriend, but she’s also started having feelings for her teacher, Miss Murray. Confused by her identity and family situation, Ash has to really figure out what would make her truly happy.  Continue reading “Review: Read Me Like A Book by Liz Kessler” →

Review: The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne

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22533460The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Usborne Publishing
Pages: 448
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★

I own all of Holly Bourne’s book, but have yet to read any of them. I thought that The Manifesto on How To Be Interesting would be as good a place to start as any. The premise was interesting enough, I just wondered if the book would live up to its title. Fundamentally, I think Bourne’s confused the word interesting with popular. I was thrown for a loop with the content, and got a lot of things I wasn’t expecting…mostly a slight rewrite of Mean Girls.  

P  L  O  T
Social reject Bree decided that in order to improve her life, she needs to radically change her appearance, become one of the most popular girls in school and start a romantic relationship with her teacher. None of these things sounds like a good idea to me, but she goes about them anyway. Along with this, she starts a blog to chart her progress.

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Review: Moth Girls by Anne Cassidy

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27766357Moth Girls by Anne Cassidy
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Published by: Hot Key Books
Pages: 304
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★

I was sent Moth Girls by Hot Key Books in exchange for my honest review.

WOW. Just wow. I was drawn to this book like a moth to a flame. Anne Cassidy has created a story which is compelling, character driven and impossible to put down. I wasn’t expecting much from Moth Girls after having read so much in this genre last year, but I was completely blown away by how beautifully this story was crafted and how invested I was in these characters. I just could not stop reading. Moth Girls follows Mandy five years after two of her friends Petra and Tina are presumed dead after sneaking in to a old house owned by a reclusive man. She blames herself for what happened to the girls and has struggled to let them go, and move on with her life. Until the house is being knocked down and it looks like one of the girls isn’t gone after all.

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Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

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26138742Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: ??
Pages: 400
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★.5

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

When I was reading the synopsis of this book, I was really excited. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to read a book with a blind protagonist, and this satisfied all of my curiosity! But, reading some of the reviews on Goodreads helped prepare me for what to expect from the romance aspect. But more on that later, now let’s talk about how chock-a-block this book was with plot strands.
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Review: Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

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24991736Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Revenge
Published by: Electric Monkey
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★

I dubbed 2015 the year of the contemporary mystery thriller, and even though I read a lot last year I still had a few lined up that I still wanted to read. This title is so enticing I just had to know what happened! I was really engrossed upon first picking this book up, it had a wonderful Pretty Little Liars vibe with the main character, June having lost her ex-best friend after it’s announced in a school assembly that Delia killed herself. June doesn’t really believe Delia would do something like that, so she gets sucked up in a quest to find out what really happened to her best friend.

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Review: The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

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22752127The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Genre: Coming Of Age, Contemporary
Published by: Random House
Pages: 380
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★★

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

I had no idea what to expect from this book. The title was intriguing but gives nothing away. Mostly, I took the chance because it was blurbed by Stephanie Perkins, and after reading her beautiful books, I could trust her opinion. But, this book gave me more than I could ever have expected and totally blew me away by the end.  Continue reading “Review: The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner” →

Review: Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend

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25666024Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 270
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5

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

P  L  O  T
The story focuses on Anna, a girl who’s mother has been hospitalised with bipolar disorder, so she’s had to go and live with her dad, his young wife and new baby daughter. As well as that family fiasco, her best friend, Danielle, has decided she doesn’t want to be Anna’s friend anymore. With family and friendships falling down around her, Anna feels completely lost, and like no one understands her. That is until she stops getting mad at the world and realises there are other people, besides her mother, who care about her.  Continue reading “Review: Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend” →