Father Christmas And Me by Matt Haig

Amelia lives in Elfhelm, a magic place hidden from humans thanks to Father Christmas saving her from a bad life in a workhouse along with her cat, Captain Soot.

When Father Vodol starts to cause trouble at Father Christmas's wedding, Amelia gets threatened by Vodol and along with starting her new elf school, she worries of what's to come.

There's bonding with pixie's and elves, breaking sleighs and riding reindeers. But there's danger ahead as Amelia learns of a threat to them all, an old evil enemy of their folk, living not too far away are the evil rabbits in Elfhelm. Unlike rabbits in the human world and they're ruled by the Easter bunny but they're not nice or to be celebrated!

Amelia, the elves and father and Mary Christmas have a battle on their hands to keep the peace and save Christmas...

Wow, what a book this was! It was truly different in a crazy creative way, evil Easter rabbits and Vodol alike Harry Potter's sounding Voldemort both enemies too this was a battle for Christmas which makes you laugh and worry at the same time. Amelia has faced all the bad things in her life and battles on strong even when the going gets tough again and it's great to have a strong young girl character in a book for children. I loved it and I'm not even a child, one for the family I feel this book can be.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Orthorexia by Renée McGregor

Orthorexia is a relatively new not yet official eating disorder but it still impacts many and is as dangerous as Bulimia or Anorexia,the most common eating disorders.

As a sufferer of Anorexia previously I have been recovered for five years but each year can still be a struggle and I see a lot of myself and past traits and actions in this book.

We learn of the combination which results in Orthorexic tendencies as well as OCD factors which come into it as well as forms of stress which can be added pressure on top of all the preexisting things occurring within us.

We learn of how it can start, flourish and manifest the person into believing a clean diet is the only option possible and everything else is bad when its not. We learn of types of strict diets and see through case studies the health side effects which can occur as result.

This is one of the most essentially eye opening books on the newest eating disorder happening around us and this book is educating just when we need it.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Draw And Colour the Baylee Jae Way by Baylee Jae

As an insanely talented artist I follow myself on YouTube, Baylee is a top artist to see produce such stunning drawings and artwork all the time.

This book includes your basics from selecting the right pens and tools to tips on gaining some inspiration and drawing the basic human face and form in varying ways complete with a colour theory chart and tips on creating more light or dark characters with certain colours blended together and outlining advice again with the right non smudgable ink pens.

The book features pop art, manga style drawings Baylee has created which are all super colourful and vibrant in a rainbow of colours proving her amazing talents as an artist.

I highly recommend this book if you love art or want to develop your techniques further.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Body Positive Power by Megan Jayne Crabbe AKA Bodyposipanda

Megan is a girl with a huge following on Instagram where she posts and promotes body positivity which has resulted in this book coming to life.

As a young girl Megan suffered with anorexia and body image issues which she goes into in detail in the book. She shares her tips on body love and how to change your mentality by looking into the history of bodies and attitudes towards them.

She teaches us to challenge our mind set and dare ourselves to embrace who we are despite anything we may deem as imperfect.

This is a truly needed and helpful book for anyone ever affected by the power of their mind vs their body.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Wild Embers by Nikita Gill

From one of our greatest modern day poets, we get a complete new set of poems about love, trauma and mental illness as well as the magic and wonder of the world being thought about through these works too we also see a spin on the idea of self worth with a back and forth narrative in some poems on the idea of arguing and disagreeing with how we see ourselves and the male vs female divide in the world around attitudes surrounding modern life.

The poetry addresses many topics from abuse to love in varying forms which will make you feel moved as we read on through these accounts and hear a spin on Disney princesses stories too which was pleasant and unexpected.

A fantastic new collection by Nikita Gill once again!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

147 Things by Jim Chapman

Youtuber Jim is well known for his videos he creates or known due to his sisters or wife whom are also big YouTube stars themselves.

In this, his debut book, we know this is one hundred percent Jim from the first word as his questions surrounding many odd things in the world come to light. As well as being a storyteller at times letting us in on a few odd mishaps he's had happen to himself as well as sharing his views on subjects he discusses.

Topics brought up throughout include;  Health, the world, life issues, confidence, birth, death, puberty, adolescence and more!

The whole book is backed up with plenty of facts interspersed throughout which are quite amazing to read also and you're sure to learn something from this book of wonders.

A great debut from Jim!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Confessions Of A High School Disaster: Chloe Snow's Diary by Emma Chastain

Chloe is starting high school but is typically unsure of whether she'll fit in, wear the right clothes and not never have her first kiss meanwhile, her mum is an author and is away for months to come working on her newest book to come.

Hannah is her best friend and Hannah also makes friends with Zac who is in a band and Tris from the school's drama production group. Just before starting high school though she meets Mac by the local pool but finds out online he has a girlfriend, Sienna.

As she befriends Tris, a fellow actor in the school play and her new gay best friend, they realise first love can go either the easy or hard way as well as throwing other partners into the mix for added drama, of course!

When her mum spontaneously comes home and goes away again, soon Chloe realises why as her dad and a certain teacher are caught together...but later finds out what her parents have been keeping from her while she discovers her new high school life and friends. She may be settled there but now home is full of uncertainty for her making her super emotional.

Chloe has a lot of life lessons from sex to first love, crushes to divorces and issues many teens really face, this Angus, Thongs and perfect snogging style diary novel is a great new way of informing young teens what could be happening in their lives, around them or to come while being hilarious and funny throughout. I have always loved teen fiction set in diary format but this is one of the best I've read so far!

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

Allison was adopted by Simon her gay adoptive dad at sixteen and a half but is now at college. However a chance meeting with Esben Baylor making a video of 180 seconds of eye contact with the help of his sister for his social media platforms makes a bond form between Allison and Esben.

Allison only knew of Esben as he is in her psychology class and she didn't know he was an internet sensation until Steffi her best friend whom she met in care tells her. The two are as close as sisters.

Esben and Kelly also have a lot of heavy discussions around parties and the rape/sex consent situation which often features in teen books. In this case, it also deals with guilt over a mistake.

As Esben, Kelly his sister and Allison all bond across country, Steffi finds out that her cancer is back and despite shutting out everyone, her foster parents and then Allison, social media gets them to her in time as she sees the error of her ways in being strong alone.

A very different book in terms of the story from the title but with a lot of usual storylines that are hard hitting and dramatic.

Undercover Princess by Connie Glynn

Eleanor is a princess and knows what she wants, to go to Rosewood School but it's at first against her parents approval until she wins them round.

Lottie is a girl from St Ives who's also heading for Rosewood after losing her mother but keeping alive her princess like thoughts and attitude.

When Ellie meets roommate Lottie she's amused where as Lottie takes a dislike to her new roomie after she shows she doesn't respect her or her belongings, it's clear they're opposites and will have to work through their issues.

This later involves Lottie taking the place of Ellie as she desires a normal life and not the forced one of being a princess!

Then Jamie, Ellie's childhood friend shows up to fins out what exactly is going on as reports fly that the princess isn't his friend Ellie but a stranger.

With boys and balls as well as royal duties including princess lessons, the girls could never have imagined their lives becoming the way they have or forming quite such a unique bond.

This book was a really great and anticipated read, as a follower of Connie's online platforms I expected this to be a Disney style tale and wasn't disappointed at all. A modern twist to the tale and being set around a boarding school added to the delight as the two main girls were forced into a strange bond which created tension, drama and lots of fun for us to read about. I got absorbed into the book and couldn't put it down it felt like I was there watching all the drama happening!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Pain Is Really Strange by Steve Haines

As a chronic pain sufferer since I was just fifteen, I have read a lot of literature about the subject and the different types of pain, from my Fibromyalgia to others like, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Scleroderma etc. For me, my torn muscle became a widespread pain issue as my body got used to feeling the pain, aches, tiredness and developed with my pre-existing rheumatoid issues.

The pathways in our bodies are very sensitive to change, Pain Is really Strange is spot on!

In the book, the writing is limited but key to the point and is simply written as the diagrams do half the talking too. The colourful diagrams show us many images from nerve pathways in our bodies to the brain and navigate us through the journey of learning the way pain develops as a result of negative things happening to us. The book explains and expands on how overlapping issues in our brains can effect the person we are today as our history, previous life events or trauma, damage or threats to us can result in negative outputs from the stress it puts on our brains and bodies causing pain, stress and other things.

That part of the book may be negative but then we learn some good ways to help overcome and put a positive outlook on life back into our mind and alter our mind-set so we don't dwell on our problems as much. Developing creative hobbies you enjoy, habits and exercise can greatly improve our mind-set and help us feel better.

This book is super, short, to the point and illustrated in a way that isn't childlike but not too professional either so it isn't intimidating for anyone to read. A very handy little book to help anyone understand chronic pain and how strange it is.

Many thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for sending me a copy to review!

Beautifully Said by Quotabelle A.K.A. Pauline & Alicia

This is a beautifully laid out book with a calming and powerful colour scheme of pale sky blue and sunny golden yellow font on the cover as well as inside pages having pretty background effects too along with black typeset font too. Pages throughout are filled with quotes from powerful women throughout history all ready to inspire a new generation.

Emma Watson and Rosa Parks along with sports woman and fashion designers whom we all mostly know of were the key people whom stood out to me when reading through the twenty one inspiring chapters.

This is a great book to remind you of how much we can achieve and keep your spirits up high!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The Lazy Girl's Guide To Life by Jennifer Byrne

The solution to your lazy procrastination days is here in a book filled with ways to get you doing your tasks and having them done asap. From your hair, make-up, exercise, dealing with people in any way at there's a friendly paragraph of advice set to help you out and feel less at sea with your issues!
This book speaks to us like a girl friend would do in giving us secrets and advice with the language being humorous and full of heart to push us forward and get that stuff done!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The Summerhouse By The Sea by Jenny Oliver

Ava ends up in hospital after reading a text then being hit by a car, a dramatic introduction to her indeed! Her brother Rory sends her ex boyfriend Jonathon to her aid. Claire her sister in law meets her at home when she's discharged.

After admitting to Rory she may have a touch of FOMO, she decides to go to Mariposa in Spain and soak up the sun while having a nice time like how she remembers it being when she was younger. Whilst sorting through stuff in the old family home, she finds her mum's fancy gowns and discovers Flora and Tom, the actor her teenage self had a crush on now owns the house on the hill with a vineyard!

Her brother and his son join her there after #vileRory starts on Twitter after he says some things that are heavily judged online...

She and Tom get close as she opens up her old family home as an Air BnB, making a business and life for herself there as she thinks of staying in Spain!

A thrilling joyful read despite the books premise and starting chapters. Overall I found this a great summer read with characters holding their own with enough back story and life issues to keep you rooting for the couples involved.

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

After losing her sister, Juniper is finding it hard to face certain people at her school, Lauren and Camilla were friends and then there's Heather and Kody too.

When she uses Camilla's bag and finds a letter addressed to a boyfriend or girlfriend Camilla had, Juniper takes it upon herself to find out just what her sister was keeping from her.

Frustrated at herself for not saving her sister and seeing flashbacks to the July 4/5 accident where Camilla was driving and filming at the same time resulting in the car crash accident which killed her, Brand sees her smash up the ceramics department and helps her by taking the detention punishment and helps Juniper dumpster dive for her lost index card from her collection of past events.

Juniper spends the course of the book trying to piece together the life her sister kept hidden from her and along the way finds out secrets of her closest friends which wrecks and repairs relationships.

The unique part of the book aside from the mystery romance her sister his from her, is the fact that she keeps a physical record of the most important memories from set days in a modern day where we mostly rely on technology, I liked that. It was also a promise she made to her sister she continued despite her being gone. Which shows her loyalty and connection is still strong.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

A Cottage By The Sea by Carole Matthews

Harry and Grace have grown apart she feels and he seems more stern and unhappy than when she married the charming younger him.

Ella and Art inherited the cottage after her dad and mum both passed away from terminal illness, cancer and a mix of illness's.

Flick their friend Ella and Grace went to university with in Liverpool arrives with Noah her new boyfriend.

Staying together in South Wales in Cwtch Cottage, relationships are falling apart as the partners all find themselves a drawn to the others partners as in Noah and Grace are happier hanging out exploring together whilst Harry and Flick are friendly upon return to each other's company but Ella is hiding a secret from Art until he disappears off before finding out what she's been hiding...

Ooh Carole always a guaranteed amazing read! I liked how all the characters attractions were made plain from the start, that there was issues in relationships but for Ella she kept on with her secret instead of sacrificing what she wants for a man. It's also a good read showing strong friendships in how the girls all care for each other.

Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle

Charlie is a teenage, Chinese boy whom lives his life as his parents only child, but overly protected still by his mum, the way she sneaks off and goes to evening classes all the time arouses suspicion in Charlie over where she really goes.

He wants to skate though despite knowing his mum would disapprove and he is very clumsy as well and when she finds out, the skate park kids and his best friend Sinus end up dubbing him bubble wrap boy after an incident.

Eventually, Charlie's mum's secret is out by accident and Charlie finds out why his mum is so overprotective of him and he can't blame her but he does want to help her as well as perform at the skate park event coming up.

The book deals with the effects of growing up in school and fitting in loosely while focusing on family secrets and parenting a lot. Charlie stands up for himself to prove to his mum mostly but his dad too that he can't always be protected from bad stuff that will happen as it's inevitable really to never expect it to happen.

It's uniqueness sells it to me as I truly enjoyed it and the developing mystery as you read on and untangle it!

Pretty Happy by Kate Hudson

In her book actress Kate discusses all about how being happy is to do with making our bodies and minds work together for not just harmony but optimal power.

Stop being self critical and trusting your body and how it feels, accepting what your body needs is a huge step. Kate tells us how pregnancy changed her body and mindset along with getting the right nutrition and exercise when she wanted or resting when needed anyway as she has such a busy workload and family life to contend with. This will resonate with most adults who will pick up the book I'm sure!

Working on her brand Fabletics, (a favourite of mine), she wanted the core message to be that anyone can be healthy and active and always change up things to keep it fresh and challenging your body. Kate tells us how tracking your feelings and journaling goals and changing negative energy to positive can benefit you so much more than staying unchanging and unchallenged.

The book is extremely detailed and well written even though Kate states many a time she's not trained to give this advice she explains everything thoroughly with quizzes and pictures throughout to aid her points.

The Summer Of Cotton Candy by Debbie Vogue

Candace needs money and finds herself stuck in a summer job she has no desire for, The Zone, a theme park offers her a job as a cotton candy operator which she takes over cleaning ladies toilets.

She works with Martha an old lady whilst the carts can move to wherever whenever and cause injuries when you don't know as Candy finds out!

She runs into guy leaving she calls the lone ranger later named as Kurt and crushes hard on whilst dealing with bitchy employee's too including his ex Lisa.

Subsequently, sabotage at work to get her fired including drugs being planted on her happens.

Tamara best friend rich family struggles to hang out around work with her and feels guilty over it as their friendship becomes strained and they fall apart a bit because of circumstance differences but confrontation forces them to rekindle their bond after crossed wires and seeing sense after all years of friendship lost over a summer job would be a big waste over nothing!

Then a work scavenger hunt with two enemies at work as well as getting trapped with Kurt in The Zone forces all the drama to happen around Candace herself, Kurt, Lisa, and Josh.

A summer of drama ready served for our delight!

I didn't enjoy this book a ton but I did like learning about the environment of a theme park as I personally don't like rides of any kind and so working around them must be a big task in such a crowded area meanwhile without jealous colleagues and such to deal with! It also had some characters I really didn't like for how they acted etc in Lisa and Tamara especially her for being Candace's best friend and not hearing her out easily!

Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen

Ambrose lives with his single mum who's a professor which means they move around a lot for her work. When at his current school, bullies take their game to the extreme and nearly kill him by not believing in his peanut allergy, his mum allows him to be schooled from home through the school so long as she works night classes and Mr and Mrs Economopolus look after him.

However when their criminal son, Cosmo randomly returns after being let out of his six month jail sentence he got for drug use and thus breaking and entering, the two become friends even though his mum doesn't want them hanging around together.

Ambrose and Cosmo join a Word Nerd scrabble group and Cosmo keeps going under the guise of being Ambrose's big brother to try and get somewhere with Amanda, the scrabble group leader until she finds out about his prison time and the two guys have to appeal to her to give Cosmo another chance.

Cosmo's ex con buddy who he used to steal with Silvero however keeps making threats and while Ambrose fakes his mum's signature to carry on attending his scrabble group, enter a tournament there and win a prize while his mum goes on a date with his teacher, just what is Silvero  planning?

Susin's books are always so fresh and fun, Ambrose was a great literally colourful character in nature as well as his choices of clothing. Being twelve, he made me empathise with him as if he was my younger brother, I'm twenty and don't have any siblings but Ambrose would be ideal as he's so different and doesn't stop being himself despite the bullying he endures!

Earth Hates Me by Ruby Karp

From a young teenage girl, comes and insane amount of wisdom about life growing up as a girl in modern day society with all the social media around us and pressure to be 'perfect'.

In the book, Ruby discusses a range of topics;
Appreciating every experience
Finding the humour
Being you and learn yourself
Throw yourself into trying things
Social media can have multiple side effects
Sexism in sports
Girl hate
Pressure at school
Teachers aren't always right
Crushes and unrequited love

Plus much more!

Ruby enlightens us to her experiences, how they effected her and how she moved on from the experiences she's faced. With many stories told throughout, relatable and not, one thing is constant and that for me is Ruby is an incredibly in tune teenage girl with how such situations can effect you but only if you let them.

Earth Hates Me is such a true title of how teenagers are made to feel in today's society which is really bad. We need more realistic things out there and more role models like Ruby for other teens to listen to and realise, it's okay to just be you, however you are so long as you are happy with yourself!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Summer At Coastguard Cottages by Jennifer Bohnet

Eights weeks together for Karen, Bruce and Carrie in their respectful summer cottages in Devon, means their lives change and for the better...

Karen's parent's bought the holiday house years ago and despite her bully husband Derek, she declines parting with it as she and her son Wills like it there.

Bruce lost his wife, Gabby and is a left with no children either after they suffered three miscarriages together. He throws himself into working on his renovation business for distraction and fulfilment until later a huge secret about his late wife comes to light.

Guy loved but had to lose Melissa as she became a shell of herself when they were together. At first he numbs his pain with drinking whisky until he meets Karen...

Carrie found out she was adopted and also inherited a fortune from said dead biological father, she takes leave from working as a vet before venturing to discover the cottage she's inherited and works to solve the mystery of her real father Robert Trumble by asking other locals who knew him, about him.

This was a good book, I would have liked more about Bruce's back story without all being focused solely on Gabby but I understand why it was that way. Over all it really worked and I loved Carrie's journey the most.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? By Liz Kessler

When Jessica suddenly starts to disappear, Izzy her best friend tells her and together they work to uncover what's happening whilst also having fun with the situation at hand.

A few weeks previous, her mum's friend Nancy gave her a necklace for her birthday, only when she first removes it does the invisibility stop!

They take it upon themselves to a start investigating into what's happening and bring their friend Tom, a geeky boy from their school year along as the usage of crystals causing the powers comes into play as they discover who's behind it and what caused the effects in the few it has given powers to.

Soon a large research history comes to light as well as a kidnapping twist in the plot comes into the book, the secrets revealed to Jess make her realize she may have been quick to judge some of the people involved...

I enjoyed this one and was super happy to have crystals leading to powers happening and changing people. The kids in this were great characters as the plot flowed on super well.

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Ann Peters

When Swanee passes away suddenly of a heart attack, Alix her girlfriend finds it a huge thing to deal with. Reliving memories, like how they met on a school ski trip, Swanees's sister, Jewell sticks around Alix to share memories with her and support her.

When she finds messages left on her girlfriend's phone from an LT, she doesn't know what to do. Half written in English and Spanish, she perseveres and finds herself uncovering a whole other relationship Swanee was having with Liana, a girl whom even believed herself to be in an engagement with her!

From a bad situation however, the two girls bond and enjoy a relationship together combined grief and love from the betrayal they've both suffered.

Both Alix and Swanee's parents are supportive of their relationship and that's such a good thing to include in a YA. The plot was very simple but effective as we see cause and after effects of one person's actions on lives of others. I found Joss to be a bit too dramatic a character in this book as a grieving sister I felt she would mellow a little whilst still harbouring some anger but that didn't happen.

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Demeter may be the boss at her work but no one likes her and they all moan about her behind her back. When she makes Cat dye her hair and doesn't have the courtesy to listen to her ideas for company projects.

Then Alex turns up, a client for adult toys like drones and enlists Cat's help as Demeter is stuck with hair dye all over her. As Cat find's out what a big deal his family is in business, she can't believe he's interested in meeting up with her.

However, she uncovers Demeter and Alex previously were together whilst she gets sacked by her as well resulting in her reluctantly going home to help her dad and step mum run their glamping business as it begins to flourish.

Then Demeter turns up there on holiday... let the revenge commence!

She comes to realize Demeter's life isn't perfect and her image on Instagram changes to the title in honor of Cat's life now with that new perspective.

I really like Sophie's books and own all of them but this one isn't my favourite unfortunately as I found myself waning in concentration throughout reading it as it wasn't as gripping as her previous novel's. I think it is just me not really able to immerse myself into the story enough and still did enjoy the more dramatic parts of the book.

It won't make me not read her future books in any way and I still love her work!

Summer With My Sister by Lucy Diamond

Polly loses her job despite success and is forced to return home from her lavish London life and moves back in with their mum and dad but memories haunt her of her brother suffering in her care...

Clara is Polly's sister with her son and daughter, Alex who's eight and Leila as well as their dog, Fred. She works one day in the reception of the medical center and can't afford much but cares so much for her little family even when bad things happen or the kids dad arrives out of the blue and things get a bit stressy.

Clara is about to see her sister isn't as perfect as she thought and maybe they are more alike when hard times come, family is always there.

Debbie's Claire's best friend who is very rich and also despite her husband being Leila's dad her life isn't all roses...

This was a fun book with so much drama in each woman's life it kept me hooked and reading on. The writing was fun and witty and drew me in to read it all in a day, many of the women are in relatable situations too.

Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon

Bryony recalls her life with her mental health and how it caused so many other issues to coincide and keep her condition a persistent problem to be solved though nothing can completely fix a mental health problem, you can improve your condition.

In the book we learn of how when she was growing up her OCD became a known condition to her by chance as her symptoms and rituals got worser over time until she and her mum first went to the doctors who tried to down play the help she needed immediately not in the future.

Over the years, we see how her parents divorce, finding love and accepting her body all created more problems piling up with bulimia, alcohol, drugs and not just the prescription kind she needed were all a factor in Bryony's health.

This book is useful if you are interested in mental health, if you too suffer with any of the conditions or want a real life read packed with truly humorous or saddening times. This is a gripping read by a brave woman.

My Sister's Wedding by Vicky Pattison

Becky is settled in a relationship with Daniel and has been since university but knows now their amazingly weird but wonderful engagement has occurred it's a time bomb until their families meet. Daniel is set to inherit a lot and has a rich upbringing whilst her family are of a less well of nature...

Her sister Lizzie however, is twenty three and out getting drunk most nights whilst being poor and struggling to get by as well as waking up in random bars.

When their families finally meet, a supposed incident occurs making Lizzie become seen as wilder and more dangerous under the influence of alcohol which is only the start of issues to come as newspaper stories and scheming Nicole Becky's future sister in law all play their part and have their say and judgement on the impending wedding.

Becky and Lizzie also can't believe it when their long vanished mum suddenly reappears and isn't to be taken at face value after she walked out on them she has heard how well off Daniel's family is and thinks all can be forgiven for the future, only Becky's not having it one bit but as Daniel hides a secret Lizzie overhears a little about things begin to sour, until Becky finds something on his phone that creates a whole new load of mess for them to deal with...

I loved this book, Vicky has some great ideas in her as every book by her has made me feel like I get her more as in how she speaks and others like her as she's so fun and out there bubbly. This book is a heartfelt one with high as lows as you can see from before, I did like it but nothing can beat All That Glitters in my mind!

It's also alike to Jill Mansell's, You and Me, Always if you enjoyed that pick this one up!

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel by Lilly Bartlett

Rosie works in a hotel where she has just celebrated three years at, however her boss has shocked them all by selling the hotel and so in transition, Rory is sent in as the hotel company from the US makes staff, restaurant and building changes.

Rosie left the USA after an experience with Chuck as she began an intense relationship with him whilst she had just planned his companies work Christmas Party. But then it effects her relationship with Digby as she would sacrifice anything for love and Chuck despite what a user he turns out to be, a Tiffany necklace broke their relationship, along with lies and Rosie was heartbroken but better off without him!

But now in Scarborough, Rory and her are getting close while she fights off the feelings reminding her of her failed relationship, can she make this work between them as he will be leaving in the coming months?

I enjoyed reading this book, even if I did think it was longer and more drawn out but I did enjoy the split past/present split narrative as we died find out all about Chuck and their past not just her life now with the odd sentence thrown in. Lilly is a new author to me and she's definitely one to watch out for new books from in the future!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Alice is in her forties, living up north after moving from her home in Brixton with her children, leaving her parents suffering Alzheimer's in full time care. She is able to run her unique map crafting business in peace by day to keep her family afloat.
Derry is her best friend she met through taking her children to school day in day out and worries for Alice when she takes in the possibly forty year old strange man she has watched sitting on the beach getting soaked by the pouring rain.

Carl is missing and Lily his new Ukranian wife is clueless how to find him when he doesn't exist on police database as reporting him missing.

Carl has no memory of who he is but goes with Alice and so becomes 'Frank', the mystery man.

Rabbit cottage has been Kirsty, Gray, Pam and Tony their mum and dad's holiday home full of happy memories year after year.
That is until stranger Mark starts hanging around Kirsty and Gray becomes suspicious of him.

Throughout the book, the story is unravelled around twenty years apart in actions to consequences to date.

Highly intoxicating reading, mysteries and questioning ahead when you pick this book up, you have to!

Lola Offline by Nicola Doherty

After Delilah makes a mistake online for all to see, she wants a fresh start somewhere new and away from all she knows so she decides to move, alone!

Now under the new name Lola, leaving all she knows behind and moving to Paris alone she meets Vee and Fletcher whilst still thinking about Jules, Nisha and Ellie, her old friends back home.

However, when students at this school find out just what was tweeted by her they react in many ways. Her new friends still like her whilst Tariq, her could become boyfriend needs space to go over things as culture and racial issues are bought into the mix...

A pleasant short read for teens, raising issues around social media backlash and how words can really hurt not just you.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Vlad The World's Worst Vampire by Anna Wilson

Growing up as the only young vampire in his a house, Vlad is a lonely nine year old who dreams of human life as in his favourite book series he reads secretly so his parents won't find out as they being vampire's dislike humans. Vlad also struggles to learn to fly as a bat which is an important lesson his family wants him to achieve.

After Vlad dares go out in sunlight, he ventures to a school like in his favorite books and meets Mixzie a girl who accepts him as her new best friend. He finds he fits in well at the school with everyone except bully Boz who doesn't believe anything about Vlad and growing up on Transylvania.

Yet when Lizzie ends up at his house he better hope no one see's her as she's a dreaded human his parents won't want to meet!

This is a really fun and imaginative book for kids. I GRE up watching Young Dracula and to me this would be super alike that series being humorous to read. Anna is a beloved author and her other animal works are also the same style of writing so if you check any of her books out you for sure won't be disappointed!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The Forget Me Not Flower Shop by Tracy Corbett

A chance meeting happens when Evie calls in a random plumber, Scott to deal with their boiler at her flower shop, she doesn't expect any of what happens next as life takes a lot of twists...

Evie along with Saffy run The Forget Me Not flower shop together and Evie looks into buying it from the overseas owner thanks to a helpful customer. Laura runs a bridal shop where she send customers to get flowers from Evie's shop as they are friends not just in business.

Scott is a plumber who looks after his disabled mum and his nephew Ben as his sister works abroad. He often has to cancel clients from his plumbing jobs due to care needs for his mum.
Ben has a girlfriend called Amy whose plan to get married at their ages of both being eighteen but put up a good fight to both sets of guardians. Patricia, Amy's mum knows Martin, Laura's ex husband to be and so all their lives collide by chance and through each other.

Drama ensues the whole way through this book with chick lit classic drama of divorce, marriage and love taking off and causing a classic case of I can't put this damn book down for one second, it's so good! I really loved Evie and Ben and Amy mostly for their fun yet mature in the teens cases parts of their personalities as it created not just vibrance but memorable characters you will remember for a long time!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Sydney is a young girl in her brother's broken shadow, never in trouble but massively sheltered from life by her parents because of his actions she begins to rebel and just be herself unapologetically.

Peyton, Sydney's brother is sentenced for a drink driving accident after he originally started doing drugs and breaking and entering it spiralled until he was put into jail long term after disabling a young boy when he hit his bike.

Ames, Peyton's best friend from a narcotics anonymous group is left to look out for Sydney for Peyton only he's a very creepy guy and not just Sydney but Layla her new friend from the pizza parlour she goes to notices it as well.

Layla's brother, Mac, becomes close to Sydney and shares with her his past weight issues and his self belief in Saint's with a necklace he wears. He later passes on another one to Sydney to keep her hopeful of change to come for the better after moving from private school to Layla and Mac's school she feels like she fits in better and finds herself having masses of fun until her parents try to stop her going out to concerts.

Her mum is a very Peyton only focused character and misses all the good Sydney does meanwhile when Ames stays and he and Sydney are alone, things get tense as things come to ahead just what will Ames do...

A very good book, not my favourite Sarah Dessen but nevertheless a great read about teenage life and being in the shadow of a sibling.

How To Make A Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

Grace has come back from a holiday to find that her mum has uprooted their home and moved in with her latest guy.
But the craziest thing is that her ex boyfriend is now her kind of step brother for however long the relationship plays out for.
Plus his dad is totally over the top in physical affection of her mother, including in front of the teens.

Grace's friend Luca, lives with his mum and they both run and work in their diner. Through Luca, Grace is told of a girl called Eva, her mum has passed away and is coming to stay for a bit with him and his mum.

When Grace later finds herself on a secluded beach, she meets a girl sobbing, sat on the sand eating peanut butter alone. The girl is Eva. Thus ensues a fast turn of events consisting of Eva sneaking into Grace's room at night and hanging out together at the top of the lighthouse.

Throughout the book, we learnt of Grace's mum and the actions she takes being extremely wrong and dangerous to others around her. She seems very switched off in parts yet Grace and Eva are there to help her as they have to be. The two girls have their passions and hopes to achieve their goals of Grace being a Pianist professionally and Eva a ballet dancer professionally just like her mother was.

The book also had strong relationship lines around friendship, lesbian/bisexual characters and teenage behaviour in general.

In this book, I really didn't like the main character's mum, she came across as being trying and needy over attention and her male relations. Some of the things she came out with were a little on the edge of what you should discuss with your daughter in real life anyway. However, we do discover the issues surrounding her character like consuming too much alcohol and excessive intake of it and raising a young baby on your own after her husband died in war and she does face up to it.

Overall it was a great book about finding the true you in career hopes and in love. Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Mr 60% by Clete Barrett Smith

Matt barely scrapes by at school, lives in a trailer park with his uncle who has a lot of medical issues and Matt is also often in trouble at school because of his actions.

His behaviour and grades land him in the Helping Hands group helping out with community tasks as he participates delivering books to the hospital with Amanda a girl who is a member of Helping Hands. With her, he finds a friend and confidant about his uncle's condition and the worse he gets as the cancer slowly drains him and Matt needs support as he faces a big life change.

This book was a work which tested me at times as I hate the idea of drug abuse or misuse, but we see the side of that which is never fully discussed in real life as it may be extremely necessary to people unable to get proper healthcare. Thus, we see Matt in a better light of getting by to help a dying relative which anyone would try to help ease their pain. A moving book that proves friendship can help in the worst of times.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Solomon is a unique sixteen year old who suffers with agoraphobia and severe panic attacks. He can't leave his house and fears dying yet water makes him calm. He hasn't left his house in three years until events unfold in the book.

Lisa takes an interest in Solomon after her dentist is actually his mum and she asks after him as well as writing him a letter as feels she could help him get better, she too has suffered with her mental health, she also wants to study to be a therapist in college and so uses real technique's she's looked up to try and help Solomon fear the outside less.

Lisa gets her boyfriend on side to her helping him as he shares Solomon's love of Star Trek Next Generation and he finds out that Solomon is actually an ok guy.

Solomon and Lisa grow a friendship after she visits his house and he even comes out as gay to her before anyone else.
However, I saw what was coming ahead despite never having read any blurb online about the book and I took a guess that Lisa's boyfriend would start hanging round Solomon more and more until suddenly the trio end up threatened from their own closeness.

I did enjoy the book but unfortunately, being predictable to me left it just short of what I would call stellar, that being said, it is still worth a read!

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

Ali may be deaf, but at a Tone Deaf concert due to her friend Avery wanting to win the backstage pass to meet the singer of the band, Jace Beckett she soon fingers herself thrown into the experience as an ex performer and hopeful musician previously herself.

However, he gives her the middle finger and Ali is shocked at what a horrible guy he is just because she's deaf. We later fins out it is the date of his mother's death six years ago it happened now and so he's struggling but it's no excuse for treating anyone the way he did.

Ali's dad is an abusive drunk despite being a retired police chief and so when Jace agrees to meet her and make it up to her for his reaction before, he also promises to give her a sum of money which would allow her to escape the abusive life she's trapped in ever since her mum passed away.

Yet Have knows her pain and agrees that she can't go back, she stays with the band hoping to get to New York and start a new life for herself away from it all. Yet she ends up on the news as missing while she grows closer to Jace and their relationship blooms. Also whilst travelling with the guys she handles his social media on the tour as they perform and let's Avery know she's fine.

Just what will happen to her as her father can't let her go...

I was a bit bored with this one, purely because a lot of the story happens solely on the tour bus. I did expect her to make it to New York and then be found by her dad. That wasn't the case and instead was pleasantly surprised by the ending and seeing hope alight for the girls.

Sunshine Is Forever by Kyle T Cowan

Hunter is depressed and so he goes off to a camp where they help through therapy to work on the teens and their history.

Whilst at camp, he meets Corrine a very out there, confident girl who he finds himself in a form of relationship with despite relationships being banned at camp. Although she wants to break them free, just as maybe he feels the camp could possibly benefit him...

We learn during the book of the turmoil he feels of guilt by his parents and everyone else he thinks, blaming him for not being able to prevent a harrowing incident occurring to his sister.

This book was a really good read for how complex depression can be due to trauma and the therapy mixed with camp is obviously used to show a case of one method of escapism and treatment combined to try and prevent suicide. The language was raw and honest but could trigger people if effected by depression and suicide themselves.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Say Her Name by James Dawson

A boarding school holds a deep secret, a group of girls known as The Elites along with Naya and Bobbie, two other students at the school and two boys all start messing with Bloody Mary one night after telling ghost stories.

What immediately follows over the next five days is a series of odd events leading Bobbie to solve the mystery as Mary keeps appearing around in reflective surfaces trying to pass through and tell her story.

As Sadie disappears first from the school eventually more of them disappear to solve just what Mary wants after they summoned her.

There is involvement of the boarding school rooted into the story with past pupil's and teachers making it an engrossing story which is just the right amount of scary to read before bed still as I did! It was a great creepy tale with the Scooby doo style investigative fun to keep you reading on.

By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters

Set over twenty three days, we learn of how suicidal Daelyn signs up to Through The Light, a website where people discuss their trauma's leading them to their suicide attempts. She also gets graphic into a list of ways to suicide she creates during the count down till her next attempt at the end of the twenty three days.

For Daelyn, we learn of the bullying from school for her size as she was classed as obese and so the girls made fun of and excluded her. She was also physically assaulted by a gang of boys at her last school. She also remains mute and tells the woes of going away to fat camp.

Now, at a new school, very quiet and withdrawn she hangs around or is followed a lot of the time by Santana a goth/alternative guy who has a pet rat who is persistent in getting to talk with her. He also confides in her about his own battle - cancer. He's also preparing a memoir video which he asks her to watch.

I thought this book was very intriguing and keeps you guessing obviously as to if she's going to commit suicide or not, get with the guy, or not as well as just what led her to this point in time. Sometimes it did seem a big dragging but it is a short read over all.

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Parker is a blind girl who's navigating her life after her dad's death, this caused her aunt and her family to move in with her to help out after her mum caused the car crash which blinded her and she's now also gone.

So when her friends and especially Sarah her very best friend find out that Scott is hanging around their school again Parker finds herself on edge after what she felt for him before he caused an incident.

Meanwhile she's happy with Jason, another guy at school that she also likes and she met recently when shopping and he helped her. He also supports her for her running passion which he also has a share of.

I did enjoy this book but lost interest as Scott came into it more and it wasn't clear what the heck was happening with him and Parker. It is worth a read as Parker is a great strong character with being blind and loving to run not letting her passions get lost.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Maddie is allergic to the world, confined to her house with her mum and nurse, Carla. Until the boy next door moves in and catches her eye and he becomes a huge focus of her attention.

As they talk on IM and see each other through their room windows, eventually she sways Carla to allow him into the house so long as they stay on separate sides of the room, the day room filled with fake trees and makes their lives seem more normalized than they are.

It's there that they touch, kiss and practice handstands together happily.

Yet nothing good lasts forever, heartbroken by her mum finding out and sacking Carla, Maddie finds herself lost a lot more as she watches Oli's life carry on from her window as his father's alcohol abuse gets a lot, lot worse.

As she copes with losing Oli and having a horrible new nurse she makes a drastic plan which leads to her being admitted to hospital where she finds out the truth about herself...

Wow, the hype is totally worth it for this one, I was hooked and read it in one go unable to put it down. The condition Maddie suffers from made me want to read on as she and I believed her in grave danger, just don't take the situations at face value...

Under My Skin by Laura Diamond

Adam has heart failure and needs a transplant, a British boy in America, he has travelled a long way for a second chance at life.
He hides his pains and comes across as depressed to his parents.

Darby and Daniel are twins until an argument sees Daniel pass away and his organs harvested and given to donor of which I'm sure you can guess.

Through their shared therapist, slowly Darby and Adam come to realise that as they grow closer, Dr Shaw has made each of them realise just who's heart has saved Daniel despite his apparent suicide wish after an accident occurs.

Daniel's medication also starts to fault and his heart reacts meanwhile Darby's home life is tense and emotionally draining for her to cope with, so maybe Adam is worth dreaming of still?

It was such a good read about two people who meet partially by chance in the hospital and find they're impacted by events which evolved there and through sharing doctors, therapist etc.
I do think the apparent psychosis that Adam suffers at a time in the book could've been better explained as I felt it suddenly shifted away from his believing Dr Shaw was deliberately trying to harm him too fast.

By Your Side by Kasie West

Trapped in the library over night believing her friends Jeff, Lisa or Dallin will remember and come back for her, they don't. That's until Dax finds her also in there, Autumn ends up locked in with him for three days until she has a bad anxiety attack after she hears the local news of her friends being in a car accident. She would also have been in the car had she not been trapped and frets over her parents panicking that she's presumably dead when she wasn't even there.

She really likes Jeff who was driving the car in the accident but after he's in a coma, his best friend Dallin warns her not to mess him around as he can see she's also battling with feelings for Dax after she gets him to trust her about his drug addicted mum and him being taken into care.

The book was a sweet read and I have to say very interesting at being trapped in the library with complete opposite character types which makes a lovely match as they truly brought out the best in each other.

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

Since Alice's mum passed away of cancer when she was little, Coral her mum's best friend brought her up alongside her now sadly dead husband, Nick.

Alice's mum Jo had written her a series of letters to reach her on set birthday's only this year in the final one for her twenty fifth, the love of her mum's life's surname is finally mentioned as the bracelet he gave her mum is now left to Alice.

Alice and her friend Patsy along with her younger brother, Dan care for Alice and don't want her to get hurt but are so happy for her when he does respond to Alice's letter and comes to meet her, Declan is as thrilled to meet them all as he was to meet her mum years ago. He also catches the eye of Coral who can't believe it's a real crush she's feeling and goes into denial but she can't fight those feelings...

There's also the factor that by chance, Alice is dating Eddie Tessler a film star. Yet when media get hold of her story and her father sells his lies they end up involved in a whole new load of drama.

It was so so so much better than I anticipated, having struggled to get into this book I really struggled on and loved it by the end. The characters are so quirky, the places chaotic or quaint in description as well as the storylines in the book being so explosive with drama, lies and betrayal.

The One We Fell In Love With by Paige Toon

When Angus moved in next door to identical blonde haired, green eyed triplets, he finds himself involved in varying ways with all of them over the years that follow.

Phoebe is adventurous and loves France, the promise of Remy being there still keeps her going back despite her impending marriage to Angus...

Rose is a nurse who lives away in London whom always had a crush on Angus whilst he went out with Phoebe, now she wants a life change and returning home to live with Angus as friends whilst working at a bakery with Toby, a younger guy whom she catches the eye of...

Eliza is a musician and waitress whom met Angus a year before he moved in next door at a skate park and fancied him, they have an ongoing attraction over the years...

This book was good and I really liked the book involving triplets with one guy liking them all in varying ways even though it did seem a bit odd that he could like or love them all! Their story had highs and lows just like real life even though I had predicted that Phoebe would end up how she did because of her chosen lifestyle.

Curves, Kisses and Chocolate Ice Cream by Sue Watson

Dani is an hilarious approaching forty year old who works with Marco a great cake maker unfortunately for her as she battles to lose weight throughout this book.

Dani returned to Appledore in Devon after fleeing to London years before as her nineteen year old self was broken hearted by the cad, Jude she was in love with.

The cafe she works in is alive with characters of all ages and Karla her beat friend is also staying with her right now which is great as she spurs her on in now deteriorating from her diet plans to be slim and trim by her birthday as she dreams of being!

As Dani battles the gym environment quite literally head on, am array of catastrophes in there result in Chris, a member of staff getting to know her rather well. He offers her personal training on the deal she doesn't quit and works with him for twelve weeks, she agrees and her life starts to change.

Through the book, we learn of Dani's insecurities being spurred on by her alcoholic mum who existed solely on a gin diet, calling Dani fat and not feeding her properly either. Her dad had left her mum and so she was heartbroken as a young child growing up in a tough situation all round as she was bullied at school too.

As her birthday approaches, a disastrous newspaper article printed,,she finds Jude reappearing in her life as well as Alex, a regular gym bunny appearing too close to Chris leaving her a little heartbroken until her birthday wish which may come true...

I devoured this book quicker than Dani could all her ice creams for sure I was hooked, hilarious and Miranda style Dani was a joy to read about and her story is so funny but probably relatable to some girls out there who read this book. Light hearted and beach perfect this is a summer read you definitely need!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Amelia Fang and The Barbaric Ball by Laura Ellen Anderson

Set in Nocturnia, Amelia and the rest of the Fang family are preparing to host the latest Barbaric ball the only annual event in Nocturnal only this time, the king and prince are attending too.

Ahead of time Amelia has to show the prince around her school where he acts very stuffily towards them all and when he has dinner with the whole family pre barbaric ball, he acts entitled and ends up taking Amelia's Squashy, her friend!

Amelia sets off determined to retrieve Squashy away from the awful prince but can she and will she succeeded and what is wrong with the prince to make him so awful?

The book was wonderful, I hated the prince as you should and loved Amelia and her spooky friend. May I say the language and phrases in the book were genius for example a diephone and Great British Carve off for example made me laugh. The drawings were great too with a lot of detail for each character with elaborate costumes for the cast of the book. The deep issue in the book a round friends and parents worked nicely in the last half of the book when Amelia figures things out as the plot develops on and was actually a great twist as well as truthful in how we act to people as we develop relationships.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The Cotswold's Cookery Club Italy by Alice Ross

Connie sets up a cookery club which joins three women, Melody, Kate and Eleanor to her whilst looking after her best friends house and greyhound for her as she travels to Australia to holiday with her husband.

Connie is relishing her success with her cookery club after breaking up with her ex Charles after finding him cheating on her and finding out it had been going on for months!

Yet in the Cotswold's, two men catch her eye, Max Templeton who nearly runs her over! As well as decorator Liam who is working on the house whilst Connie looks after it. Yet after a few dates and something more with one the other's home life comes to light and suddenly Connie finds herself feeling very wanted indeed!

The cookery club's theme throughout the book is Italian as they all take turns in hosting a night each with the same theme to keep it fair before they will eventually switch.

This was a really nice summer read which I found myself really enjoying as the story developed at a nice flowing pace where as a lot of chick lit can get straight into the main story hardly with any dearly on context which this does give us. The story was lovely too and great to see Connie can move on from flipping Charles the cheat! Her parents were fun too and her mum reminded me of TV show character of Miranda's mum as she can't wait to marry her daughter off to a successful man!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Five years since her mum passed away from ovarian cancer, Andie is in the shadow's to her dad's congressman life despite being under investigation and not currently in the running.

When a chance meeting with a dog crosses her path with Clark, she finds her life shifting as she chances taking on a job advert with no description and becomes a dog walker for the summer, finding herself falling into it with a growing passion and growing love as Clark is one of her clients!

As relationships in her friend's lives fall apart it hits her hard and after an argument with her father he realises family must come first despite him distracting himself for so long, he can't run away from being a father yet he embraces Clark and Andie's relationship as he finds out Clark is a very successful author and a genuine nice guy maybe he can help heal the father daughter relationship too.

A great summer read, I found hard to get into but after a few chapters and perseverance, it paid off as I became immersed into Andie's life and how strong she is facing all she does with her parents, broken set life plans and trying something completely out of her comfort zone for once by chance. The dog's and the friends she makes from them show how crutial pets are in lives and how they can unknowingly help someone so much!

Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover

In this book set around the time before and during Sydney's arrival in their life and from Warren's perspective. Warren has just met Bridgette his fellow roommate who is very standoffish and infuriating for him to be around as he not only finds her incredibly hot, they're battling each other in a brutal prank war which results in their bad attitudes between themselves.

Bridgette is a strong female and has life experience that made her that way and she doesn't give in easy to Warren's pursuit of her yet pretty soon their attraction becomes heated and sexual and they can't turn away from it no more, the heart wants what it wants after all.

I really enjoyed knowing more about the two characters that were a big part of Maybe Someday and from Warren's perspective seeing he wasn't just playing with Bridgette after all but really deeply cared for her.