Just when I thought a Sally Hepworth couldn't get any darker, they do. I was so engrossed in this that I read this one day and nothing could stop me uJust when I thought a Sally Hepworth couldn't get any darker, they do. I was so engrossed in this that I read this one day and nothing could stop me until I read the last page. This story follows three women that grew up in the foster system, who come together many years later after bones were discovered under their foster home. What came after was shocking and unsettling. I don't know how Sally thinks of things that are so disturbing, but yet so good. My mind is still reeling over the final page reveal!
I have read most of Sally Hepworth's books now, and this is up there as one of the best. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to read this early, however; only downside is now I'll have to wait longer to the next one. Thank you to my Mum for sharing her prize!
Disclaimer: I won an ARC in a giveaway from the author for exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own
Quiet No More by Nikki Barthelmess iThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own
Quiet No More by Nikki Barthelmess is a YA contemporary following college freshman Victoria Parker as it follows the aftermath of a sexual assault from her dad, and the upcoming trial. Concurrently it shows Victoria advocating for her self and raising awareness through her college's sexual harassment and assault club. It is set for publication in October 2020.
This tackled some pretty dark topics including sexual assault, grooming, paedophilia, grooming, victim blaming... and the list goes on. This gave me a good insight into the ongoing implications of being affected by familial sexual assault. Saying that, this didn't make a huge impact on me. I must note that this is a sequel and I hadn't read the first one, so maybe that had something to do with it. But for some reason or another I couldn't really connect with the characters. Also, the main character's boyfriend's name was Kale (I know, like the vegetable) so I couldn't take that seriously.
I still recommend this, however; personally I have read a lot of other YA contemporary's that tackle this subject matter more and have made more of a lasting impact. I finished this and nothing really stuck out, unfortunately....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Finding Balance by Kati Gardner is an upcoming YA Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Finding Balance by Kati Gardner is an upcoming YA contemporary novel set for publication in May 2020. It follows two teens - Mari and Jace - as they reunite after summer camp for young people with cancer and the struggles they face dealing with their condition(s) and learning to embrace themselves.
I was so excited to hear that this was a sequel to Brave Enough. I read that book last year and absolutely adored it. Saying that, you can read this as a standalone. Coming from an #ownvoices author, I loved hearing about the characters experiences with cancer and the difficulties they faced at school, the community and within themselves. I have not had personal experience with cancer/amputation myself, however; as someone who lives with a physical disability themselves, I really connected with Mari's experience of bullying - people asking inconsiderate/inappropriate questions and neither characters feeling of being classed as "disabled enough", yet are still impacted greatly by their condition(s). Only small qualm I have with this book is that I always didn't agree with Mari's/Jace's actions towards one another. Saying that, I understand the protagonists are younger than me and I would have done the same at their age, realistically.
I am so happy this came in to existence and I can't wait to read more from this author - 4.5 stars...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith is an upcomiThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith is an upcoming YA contemporary set for publication in late January 2020. It follows two teens - Divya and Aaron - as they come together through their love of online gaming, whilst dealing with their own set of challenges.
I loved the examination of the impacts of online trolling/bulling and learning how to overcome adversity, as well as finding yourself and figuring out what you'd like to do in your life. I must say, I did not enjoy this as much as I was hoping but I think that it was a me problem. This book focused very heavily on online gaming and had multiple passages of game play between the characters that just went over my head because I am not a gamer. Saying that, if you love gaming, I'd still recommend this and think It'd be right up your alley....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review
Not Hungry by Kate Karyus Quinn is a YA story about June who is strugglThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review
Not Hungry by Kate Karyus Quinn is a YA story about June who is struggling with an eating disorder (unspecified binge eating/bulimia?) and is thrown into turmoil when the boy next door finds out her secret. I appreciate what this book was trying to do, but unfortunately it did not sit well with me.
➼ Ok, so this book is written in verse, which isn't a problem in itself, but what I didn't realise is this is classed as a 'Hi Lo' read - meaning it is intended to have a high impact with a low reading level - which is great, it just didn't suit the severity of this story
➼ This book is really short, like 30 pages on my kindle. Meaning a lot of the serious issues like eating disorders, bullying and relationship abuse weren't addressed in depth. In my opinion, they were glossed over.
➼ Saying that, I feel eating disorders were handled in a very insensitive and graphic manner so anyone who has been touched by an eating disorder should stay clear.
tw: fat shaming, bingeing, disordered eating encouraged by a parent, bullying, emotional abuse, sexual harassment
In short, If it wasn't so short and I wasn't trying to catch up on my reading goal, I probably wouldn't have finished this. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, let alone the young readers it is intended for....more
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc to read and review. All opinions I have expressed are my own.
I recently rea Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc to read and review. All opinions I have expressed are my own.
I recently read Starfish and absolutely adored it and was super excited to get this arc as this was one of my most anticipated new releases, and boy it did not disappoint! Summer Bird Blue is a YA contemporary, set in Hawaii that tackles difficult topics including grief, mental health and sexuality. It is released in Australia early April 2019.
I absolutely loved this and despite Rumi being unlikable at times, I found her and Kai's relationship precious. I think this book tackled grief perfectly - this book made me feel frustrated, angry, sad and everything in between. It was very insightful following Rumi's grief over the death of her sister and how it affected her life and relationships as she tried to move on without her sister.
I also appreciated the asexual representation in this - A + ! As someone who is questioning their asexuality, this book reaffirmed that what I am feeling is perfectly natural as I could empathise and see myself in Rumi's experiences.
All in all, Summer Bird Blue has been one of the most impactful books I have read in a long time. Akemi Dawn Bowman is one of my new auto-buy authors for sure!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read review. It Ends With You is a YA mystery/thriller that follows the aftermath of Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read review. It Ends With You is a YA mystery/thriller that follows the aftermath of a young girl's disappearance and subsequent murder. It follows the perspectives of several friends, peers and acquaintances as we try to figure out who is guilty of this horrendous crime.
With a book that had so many perspectives (about 7?), I would not have expected to enjoy it. However, I loved the multiple POV's as each character had secrets to hide. I loved how Wright kept me on the edge of my seat and I definitely did not guess the twists and turns throughout. My only critique is that this story built up to so much and then it just finished. I felt like the ending (or lack thereof) was too rushed and I am left wanting answers.
Nonetheless, I still highly enjoyed this and strongly recommend. Looking forward to reading more of this author's work in the future....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review Every Little Bad Idea is a YA novel written in verse that follows Sky Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review Every Little Bad Idea is a YA novel written in verse that follows Skylar Wise as she falls for 'bad boy' Cole and how she adversely changes herself to appease him. Please take my harsh rating with a grain of salt as I am not usually drawn to books written in verse. I appreciated the inclusion of such dark topics, however; this story was just too short (34 pages) making it impossible for me to connect to the story or characters. I took absolutely nothing from this.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review.
TW: Sexual assault/rape, murder, bullying, mental health, heavy drug uThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this to read and review.
TW: Sexual assault/rape, murder, bullying, mental health, heavy drug use, (view spoiler)[ abortion (hide spoiler)] (and most likely more that I am forgetting).
My Whole Truth by Mischa Thrace is a darker, YA contemporary set for release early October 2018. I apologise for reading this so early but I could not help myself, it was that good! Anyway, this story focuses on a young woman named Seelie who must defend herself after being attacked, and in doing so kills the perpetrator in self-defence. Next thing you know she's getting trialled for murder and this story focuses towards determining whether she's guilty or not.
I'm not going to lie, this book was difficult to read. The themes is this book were quite heavy and I'd suggest to be in a good head space / cautious when picking this up, especially if you have experienced sexual assault. This book went quite in depth into the themes mentioned above and described them quite vividly.
Saying that, I appreciate this novel bringing these uncomfortable, yet poignant themes to light as they are important in today's society. I loved the complexity of this novel, with great pacing and shocking plot twists thoughout. I must say though, I would of loved to see the ending more fleshed out and I believe it ended a bit too conveniently.
A great debut and I would not hesitate to read this author's future work....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way to read and review. Mick & Michelle is a young adult contemporary set for release latThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way to read and review. Mick & Michelle is a young adult contemporary set for release late October. The novel follows Mick, as he is struggling with his gender identity and trying to come out as transgender to his closest family and friends. I found it really interesting learning more about the psycho social toll that gender identity takes on someone. I applaud the author for bringing this topic into contemporary light and dealing with it in a respectable and realistic manner, for example (view spoiler)[ smuggling estrogen hormones to stop puberty. (hide spoiler)] I wouldn't hesitate to read from this author again....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this for review.
Caterpillars Can't Swim is an upcoming YA contemporary Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this for review.
Caterpillars Can't Swim is an upcoming YA contemporary about wheelchair-bound swimmer Ryan who saves a class mate from drowning and the challenges that follow. This book incorporated great diversity - LGBTQIA+, mental health and disability.
I thought the author did a fantastic job of representing a main character with Cerebral Palsy and I appreciate this as I do not see this enough in YA literature. Furthermore, as someone with CP themselves, I could really emphasise with the challenges Ryan faced, emotionally and socially, due to his physical disability.
Unfortunately, not all the characters were likeable, but I think that was the point. I especially appreciate how Ryan's best friend viewed him as an individual, rather than being defined by his disability.
Would of loved to see the ending fleshed out a bit more - I thought this was a bit too short. I definitely won't hesitate to pick up anything else from this author....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this for review. All Her Secrets is a YA psychological thriller set for release in laThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this for review. All Her Secrets is a YA psychological thriller set for release in late October.
The premise of this book appealed to me as I love thrillers, especially ones surrounding abductions. I thought that aspect of the story was done fairly well, especially with the alternate point of views. This book also had dystopian themes throughout which I thought was unusual. I enjoyed the ethics and reasoning behind this.
Whilst I enjoyed this, the psychological thriller and dystopian aspects seemed disjointed and needed to be fleshed out and explored more. Also, the ending left me unsatisfied as I felt it just ended without explanation.
I'd recommend this for people who do not like heavy dystopian and/or thrillers and like reading about important societal issues. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc to read and review. The Radius of Us is a young adult contemporary set for release in January 201Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc to read and review. The Radius of Us is a young adult contemporary set for release in January 2017. It follows the story of two teenagers - Gretchen and Phoenix of whom have both undergone significant trauma. I found this book refreshing and I really enjoyed it. Considering I am Australian, it was very informative about US immigration issues. I have not seen much of this in young adult literature before. I adored the characters and the way their stories were intertwined throughout the novel. The alternate point of views were engaging and easy to follow. I applaud the Author's use of diversity in this book - mental health, ethnic diversity, LGBT+, trauma and gang violence. I especially loved Marquardt's depiction of panic attacks. I fairly accurate portray considering I suffer with anxiety myself. Overall, I loved this! I thought it carried a very important message and I'd recommend it as a must read for everyone!...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this for review. This is a hard one to review as it's not a novel and not quite a novella - morThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this for review. This is a hard one to review as it's not a novel and not quite a novella - more of a short story. Maybe it's because I'm Australian and didn't have a strong connection to Amanda Todd, but this just did nothing for me. However, I do appreciate it's dedication/symbolism towards Amanda Todd. Firstly the story itself was too short and the writing was quite bland. The author was showing and not telling. I felt as if I was disconnected to the characters/plot as it wasn't fleshed out very well. Secondly, whilst the intentions of this book were good, it was very poorly executed. It seemed to devalue the effects of bullying, suicide and mental health issues as it suggested it is so easy to recover from whatever obstacle comes your way. As someone who has taken the strength to gain assistance with mental health, it questions the integrity. For myself, and I'm sure many others can agree - There is no 'quick fix' to recovering from such issues and maintaining mental health is an ongoing, sometimes lifelong journey. As said before, whilst it attempted to portray mental health struggles and speaking up, it was overly optimistic and black and white in it's portrayal. Whilst some stories in mental health/bullying are done well, this is not one of them. As someone managing a mental health condition myself, it makes me question the integrity of my illness, further reinforcing those stereotypes and negative stigma....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me this e-arc to read and review. Three Dark Crowns is the first book in a new YA fantasy serieThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me this e-arc to read and review. Three Dark Crowns is the first book in a new YA fantasy series by Kendare Blake. It follows three young sisters fight to the death to acquire the throne - each possessing a unique fantastical gift. It's set for release in late September
I had heard so many good things about this book so my expectations were set quite high. The premise of this book was unique and drew me in straight away. However, it failed to execute. This book was quite sluggish plot wise. Nothing seemed to happen for the first 75% of the novel, and then when it finally did, I was already too disconnected to care. I found myself quite disconnected and confused with the writing style. I couldn't quite grasp the differing perspectives in third person.
Saying this, you should probably take my criticisms with a grain of salt as I am not a fantasy buff. Despite me being disappointed with this, I won't let this experience deter me from reading Blake's other works....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this for review. Mistrust by Margaret McHeyzer is a young adult contempoThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this for review. Mistrust by Margaret McHeyzer is a young adult contemporary novel surrounding the darker topic of sexual assault. I commend the author for bringing to light such an important topic to YA fiction. I enjoyed her insight as I thought it was very influential. Following Dakota's inner turmoil as she dealt with the aftermath was heartbreaking, yet so important to the story. I loved the family relationships in this story (in particular Sam) and thought the character development was great. I think it is important to take away from this novel that sexual assault can happen to anyone, by anyone (even individuals the victim knows personally). I was pleasantly surprised by this and anticipate reading more from this author....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher this book to read and review.
Because I Love You by Tori Rigby is a Young Adult contemporary that surrounds thThank you to Netgalley and the publisher this book to read and review.
Because I Love You by Tori Rigby is a Young Adult contemporary that surrounds the themes of friendship, coming of age and teenage pregnancy. I have not read any YA books that have incorporated teenage pregnancy, so I enjoyed diving into something different.
I appreciated that teenage pregnancy was dealt in a realistic, accurate matter; rather than glamorised. I enjoyed following Andie's journey throughout the novel, particularly how she dealt with the adverse stigmatisation she received regarding the baby.
Whilst it had flaws, it was a fairly influential and enjoyable read. A solid debut....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this to review. Extinction Of All Children by L.J. Epps is a recently released young adult dystThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this to review. Extinction Of All Children by L.J. Epps is a recently released young adult dystopian/fantasy novel that follows Emma, the last seventeen year old in her territory come of age in a society whereby children are forbidden due to poverty. It follows her as she challenges strict societal norms and has to live with the adverse consequences. Despite the writing not being extraordinary, such as; the overuse of similes, I really enjoyed the themes surrounding this book and the family aspects. I would say this leans more dystopian than fantasy as I couldn't really extract those aspects. Despite the flaws, I enjoyed this read. Can I just mention that ending - I really hope there's a sequel as you cannot just leave me hanging. Kudos to L.J. Epps for being self published. I'm glad I could be of support....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this to read and review.
In The Blood by Sara Hantz is a YA contemporary/crime novel surroundinThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this to read and review.
In The Blood by Sara Hantz is a YA contemporary/crime novel surrounding the controversial topic of Paedophilia. It was released in early 2016.
I'm actually surprised and quite glad that this topic made it into the YA genre. This novel follows Jed and his struggles coming to terms with the fact that his father is a convicted paedophile. We see him suffer tremendous bullying and abuse. All throughout this novel we see Jed dealing with an identity crisis surrounding the stigma, as well as struggling with trust and acceptance.
It was really interesting seeing how horrendous acts like these affect not only the victim, but the family, friends and wider community. It was also quite shocking to realize that the perpetrator was a perceived normal civilian.
I would of liked to see more of an insight into the perpetrator's past - possibly a duel POV. Also, I don't know if it is just the format I got on my e-reader, but with the editing I would be reading and it would drop line/paragraph mid-sentence. This affected the synthesis of the story.
Over all, I enjoyed this book. A quick read for a cautionary tale. ...more
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