Trouble by Non Pratt

Fifteen year old Hannah has gotten herself into a terrible situation. Not only is she underage to legally have sex, she finds herself pregnant and by a boy who should be unobtainable to her. She confides in her gran about the situation who is super supportive even as Hannah's cool crowd abandons her including best mate Katie whom was her main drinking buddy.

Hannah then meets Aaron, the new boy with a dark secret about his past whom is the son of the school's new teacher. She makes a great friend in Aaron who voluntarily offers himself as a stand in father for her unborn baby and supports Hannah through the rubbish she gets at school, as she breaks the news to her family about just whom the real father is and becomes her best friend and maybe more...

This book is great for breaking many barriers about underage pregnancy, sex with the wrong person and death and it's many after effects. This books was very honest about the struggles of friendship issues and fake friendships too with the way that Katie turns against Hannah, joins the popular crowd who then turn against her like she did to Hannah, showing karma gets you in the end as often said!

I really loved this book and it's lived up to it's title about there being trouble!

Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Known for being the silent girl in treatment, as she suffers with selective mutism. Charlie Davis is a self harmer who has been through a lot.

We see snippets of her life whilst she tries to heal from her self harm addiction whilst in hospital. Upon being released, we see her mum give up on looking after her and so she goes to move to where here best friend Mikey lives.

She struggles a lot throughout the book and as we learn deeper into the background with her parents and her running away from home and living on the streets it becomes clear how much it has messed up her views as she disassociates a lot during tough times and even at one point tries to self harm again when things don't go as she planned them to.

Her job she gets at True Grit a sort of coffee house and restaurant, doesn't pay to great but she does get closer to older man and rocker style guy Riley whom is a heavy drunk and drug addict.

The book focuses on how she copes with life despite all the bad, the storylines of suicide, addiction and death only make the emotional journey in this more realistic and necessary to modern day as many turn to self harm to cope with problems instead of choosing to speak out about them instead.

The inconceivable life of Quinn by Marianna Baer

When sixteen year old Quinn finds herself astonishingly a pregnant virgin, it shakes up her family's world.
Her father a candidate for congress and so the limelight becomes heavier surrounding the family throughout her pregnancy.

Her boyfriend, Jesse and her friends all stand by her and support her through the media onslaught and people insisting she's the 'new Mary' from the Bible.

The book also deals with the situation of believing you have experienced trauma for example rape very well. Quinn goes through a period of time trying to dig up memories which she can't complete, a classic sign of trauma normally.

However, this book has an underlying myth/fable fantasy storyline interwoven. Quinn's Grandma who is now dead, previously believed in 'The Deeps' as does Quinn but her father believes his mother was seriously depressed and made it up.

It was certainly a very different story to any other and in no way a straightforward storyline. But that's what made it more interesting, it wasn't predicable and caused me to go down many roots of thinking to try and figure out who could've got Quinn pregnant and the ending sure made it all come together perfectly!

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book!

The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson & Helen Oxenbury

This lovely book is the latest children's book from author of the famous Gruffalo children's book and illustrator of famous children's book from my younger days, We're Going On A Bear Hunt. Quite a team!

The story is short and beautifully crafted with simple language for children but enough mystery at who the Giant Jumperee is to keep them wanting you to read on!

The drawings are gorgeous and simply show the best work of Helen's talents encouraging children to ask and learn about the animals involved in the story.

As a huge animal fan myself, owning a rabbit, having a frog who lives in our garden, cat's roaming in our street and a love of elephants, personally the drawings were great for me too as the characters are a mix of them plus a bear!

I'm sure any child who loves animals will fall in love with this book and remember it fondly for years too come.

This book was sent to me for review from the publishers and I'm so happy and sure any young child would love this book!

Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Set within a Christian camp get together, Lori and Aki set each other the task of having a summer fling.

However, love is never easy and Christian Aki has a big secret to hide about her sexuality, she's bisexual and out to no one. Yet when she meets Christa, her world changes into secret get together and sneaking around, even though a photo circulates briefly of her and Christa and the pressures of keeping their connection secret threatens to be exposed.

Aki and Lori also have a difference of views and do fall out once but make it up after Lori admits what she did was wrong about her and a camp councillor, who's married too and shows the friendship bond in all it's strength and glory.

We learn how much issues matter to Christian groups as well as we see a very serious debate take place about relevant topics to today's society and how they try to do their bit to help make a change in the world to be more accepting and tolerable.

One of the best things about this book is the way it portrays coming out for the first time and having gay sex, an issue not talked about in any teen book I've read before and it's eye opening to see the way it's talked about openly which is a much positive thing to accepting others and involving everyone in being educated to create more understanding. I loved this book and believe the frankness and openness of the language is key and engaging, an essential read of the LGBTQIA fiction for teens out there!

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Set in a diary format, we see into the life of her as she moves home from the set day to day life and finds herself on a downward spiral very rapidly.

After going to a party and being given a drink spiked with drugs the effects influence her to love the thrill and atmosphere which spur her on to leave home and live with her friend as they try to find the next fix day to day. They look out for each other until they decide to go home and get back to normal if they can.

However upon returning to school she faces the drug users turning on her as she becomes a quiet studious girl again breaking away from the drug crowd and choosing to hang out with her boyfriend in the library instead despite all the bulling she's facing from the drug users.

After losing her grandparents merely weeks apart, she winds up in a mental institute against her wishes after she was drugged unknowingly and the police take statements from the drug crowd at her school who convince the police she was pushing drugs onto them.

After getting out, life looks up as her boyfriend returns. Yet apparently as the diary ends, we learn the subject of the book died only three weeks after stopping keeping a diary.

This book shows the dangers of drugs firsthand and the pressure peer's can put on each other creating a stressful environment which may have attributed to her final drug use if it was self inflicted.

Secrets Of A Happy Marriage by Cathy Kelly

Bess Brannigan has recently become step mother to a family including Jojo, Bess's new step daughter whom is struggling to adapt into this new family. Bess just wants to get along with them all but she also craves her own child too despite having her daughter Amy from her first marriage. She is also stepmum to Paul whom has a family in another country.

Meanwhile there is also the cousins, Cari, Maggie and Trina. 
Ceri is a fierce careers woman in editing and could probably intimidate a lion the attitude she has and air about her!
However her ex fiancé Barney is on the the wedding list and she obviously can't forget the fact that he abandoned her at the alter on what should've been the happiest day of their lives! 

The book has many running themes such as the conception, lesbian, relationships, friendships and trust issues which I'm sure we can all individually relate to.

Hidden secrets, fights and trust gone awry with twists and turns ahead some predictable possibly but not overly obvious it's sure to keep you reading till the end!
Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

This Careless Life by Rachel McIntyre

After finishing her A levels, going to prom and stressing over the infamous, 'him' of her story, she is visited by Cass, whom is a TV producer, calling on Liv and her friends, Declan, Hetty and Jez to take part in a new TV show, This Careless Life.

Liv applied to take part after spotting an advert online when she was uploading her latest YouTube tutorial. She comes from a very rich family whom own vast amounts of land and many racehorses.

She didn't know however, her biggest secret was about to be exposed, a picture of a dead girl surrounded by paracetamol packets.

But this starts off a trail, all linked to the four auditioning and linked together they unravel a mystery surrounding this audition.

This book is like a modern inspector call's with added social media influence to expose events. It was a great, intriguing mystery which made it a page turner and gripping!

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Reckoning Daze by Michael Beaulieu

Lindsey is a nineteen year old struggling actress. After the series she is starring in is cut short, she finds herself unsure of what's to come next for her.

Lindsey battles with anorexia, also with a diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder and heavy drug abuse, she talks a lot about her mother whom passed away and competing against her in terms of weight as she used to make Lindsey think she was fat by name calling her.

After a night out with her friends, they find one of their friends dead, unable to revive them. So just what happened?

Well, it's a shocking ending and shows how you can never fully know those who grow closest to you as secrets come to light between Lindsey and new love, Mark.

Lindsey is extremely self destructive in her behaviour towards herself as those closest to her pass away, her boyfriend included as Jesse committed suicide, she feels guilty and responsible so turns to self harm, drugs and anorexia to keep control as much as she can.

Its a very crazy book, I suggest you're late teens at least to read this to handle the issues raised. I found it good but a bit too much in parts. It does however show how sick the world can be.

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Love Me Not by M. J. Arlidge

Set in Southampton, nine months after being in prison, DI Helen Grace is back out there fighting crime. Emilia our junior crime reporter disgraced from previous actions, is looking to turn her career around.

Sonia is a polish mum and wife apprehended on her way to work as a probation officer by a couple on the road whom shoot her dead in the chest and leave her to be found by Helen.
She is the first victim of many within the twenty four hours.
Alan Samson was a  respected pharmaceutical for his family business for over thirty years then found brutally murdered whilst there's a woman and her baby trapped in his shop too.
He's the second victim of brutal murder, whilst the woman provides crucial information for DI Helen.

A story of two criminals, two lovers, who've faced too much wrong done to them to let things lie. They have hearts of stone with cold grudges towards the victims and towards each other...

A dramatic, thrilling, shocking story of how much love can get you so far but how much more hate can cause trouble and change lives forever.

Another fantastic installment to the series I've loved so far!

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!