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.