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Review: Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Published on June 14, 2016June 11, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Far From You by Tess Sharpe
Genre: Mystery, Romance, LGBTQ
Published by: Indigo
Pages: 343
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★

Upon first picking up Far From You, I thought I was about to read another YA thriller mystery similar to all of the ones I’ve read in the past year. (I don’t know how I’ve read so many, it’s just happened!) When I mentioned this book in a library check out haul, someone told me it was so much more than my mystery/thriller assumptions, and I’m really glad I gave it a chance. Because what I was not expecting was the LGBTQ aspect, and without it this would’ve been a very cliche story.

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Series Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Published on June 13, 2016June 11, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

https://heartfullofbooks.com/2016/06/13/series-review-across-the-universe-by-beth-revis/

Across the Universe, A Million Suns, Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance. Published by: Razorbill
Pages: 398, 404, 369 respectively. Format: e-book
Rating: ★★.5

The Across the Universe series seemed to be one of the staples of everyone’s shelves on the booktube community when we first joined almost three years ago. And I’m sure the majority of you will have heard of this series, if not for it’s content, then for the widely contested cover change. DUN DUN DUN. Not many people are talking about this series anymore, but we decided to give it ago anyway, because if it was popular once, then maybe it could be again. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the case. The whole series is very typical of what the YA market was like a a few years ago. Full of adventure, insta-love, and poorly explained enemies. Had we read it when it was first popular maybe we would’ve enjoyed the series, but instead we found ourselves slogging through for the sake of this review.

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Review: Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Published on June 12, 2016June 11, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism, Romance
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 358
Format: Paperback
Rating: It varies, but ★★★.5

When it comes to David Levithan I find that his co-written works are always the best, and Invisibility continues to prove this theory right. I absolutely loved the first 150 pages or so. They were so well written and I was completely absorbed by the characters and the situation. However, I do agree with the majority of the other reviews that this book lost its way in the middle, and began to feel like something completely different. Still, I really liked the magical-realism element, and I think you can explain away the majority of the strangeness to the situation. It’s still worth giving a go, and here’s why!

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Review: Between The Lines and Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Published on June 4, 2016May 26, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Between The Lines and Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Genre: Contemporary, Fairytale, Romance
Published by: Hodder
Pages: 351 | 372
Format: Paperbacks
Ratings: ★★★.5

I’ve been wanting read these two books since I stumbled across them on Goodreads, via recommended books and realised they’d be exactly the thing I needed to rekindle my love for the Inkheart series without having to read Inkheart for the sixteenth time! Reading characters out of books has always fascinated me since reading Cornelia Funke’s masterpiece, and I really liked the idea of a mother-daughter writing duo dealing with the relationships formed between real people and fictional characters. Basically, this book is a fangirl’s dream come true, and it certainly read like a fairy tale! Continue reading “Review: Between The Lines and Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer” →

Review: The Witch Hunter and The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker

Published on May 31, 2016May 31, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

The Witch Hunter and King Slayer by Virginia Boecker
Genre: Fantasy (Historical)
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 409, 400
Format: e-book, ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★

Not quite Holly Black, not quite Sarah J. Maas, not quite Robin LaFevers, and not quite Kristin Cashore but somehow all those ‘not quite’s add up into something pretty special. I was really excited to read The Witch Hunter because I think it was one of the book that came out at BEA last year, an my friend Lea really loves it. It sounded like something I’d enjoy and I did! Then I received the second book King Slayer from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina Lacour

Published on May 29, 2016May 26, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

You Know Me Well by David Leviathan and Nina Lacour
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Macmillan’s Children’s Books
Pages: 256
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★

I have come to expect a certain reading experience from David Levithan’s co-authored books, and I have to say that this was no exception. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing depends on how much you like to be surprised. I personally like it when an author’s books can be distinguished between one another by using different character types or different settings or ways to create plot/tension. So, although You Know Me Well fits perfectly into the David Levithan canon, maybe that’s not a good thing. Nina Lacour, on the other hand, had a jaunty style that was very similar to Levithan’s but they had their differences. I’m still not sure how I feel about her writing, but my previous experience of her work is limited to the short story she submitted to the Summer Days and Summer Nights anthology, so we shall see…

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Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Published on May 28, 2016May 23, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books4 Comments

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 519
Format: Hardback
Rating: ★★★★.5

I really wasn’t sure while reading this if I could give it five stars, but the longer I left it to write this review, I realised how much I adored it! Morgan Matson can seriously do no wrong, she’s my favourite author of all time, and if you’ve been following my reviews for a long time you’ll know that Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour is my favourite book of all time too. So, obviously, I went into The Unexpected Everything with ridiculously high expectations. I should also mention that I paid extra for the hardback US edition from The Book Depository so I could own this BEAUTIFUL cover! But I am really happy to announce that I loved it!

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Review: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Published on May 23, 2016May 21, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Two Boys Kissing by David Leviathan
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ
Published by: Electric Monkey (Egmont)
Pages: 239
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★

This book was in my sixth form’s library, and I just never got round to reading it while I was there, which I obviously regretted because as soon as I spotted it in my local library I was checking it out without a second thought. All I knew about it was that it’s pretty much a staple in any list about LGBTQ YA and that was reason enough for me to want to read it. I’ve read a lot of David Levithan so far, and have found that I’ve enjoyed his co-written works with Rachel Cohn more than his own stuff, but I thought I’d see how it went.

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Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

Published on May 17, 2016May 26, 2016 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

The Crown by Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Published by: HarperTeen
Pages: 279
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Series: The Selection (#1) | The Elite (#2) | The One (#3) | The Heir (#4)

After previously disliking The Heir, we were convinced that we weren’t going to enjoy The Crown. The Selection trilogy was incredible, and we were never entirely convinced that it needed to be continued. However, The Crown offers the most perfect conclusion…in some ways. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to read these two spin-off books, but if you read The Heir then be assured that The Crown resolves the story. So, for this review, I thought I would do something a little different! A Pros and Cons list – how exciting!

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Review: The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

Published on March 27, 2016March 28, 2016 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

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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