In Paris With You by Clementine Beauvais

Tatiana and Eugene met years ago as teenageers, thanks to Tatiana's sister Olga and her boyfriend, Lensky.

For Tatiana it was love at first sight of the young man Eugene.

However years later after the crush has faded, Eugene is the one infatuated if not obsessed with Tatiana but as she is set to move for a new job, will the pair staying Paris or leave together?

A very different and emotive book, it was not what I was expecting and was more poetic than young adult novel like though the expressionism was appreciated and enhanced the novel greatly padding it out else it would simply be a love story with a tragedy partly reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, only in modern day. I did enjoy it but not the expected hype build up I'd seen online about it and it seemed more of an adult fiction that young adult fiction.

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

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Astrid and Nicole are best friends but separate hobbies cause the pair to split ways as Nicole prefers ballet over Astrid's admiration for the roller derby girls especially her idol Rainbow Brite.

As Astrid settles into Derby camp, she has to find the courage to not give up, make new friends such as, Zoey after Rachel her enemy steals Nicole away at ballet camp.

From becoming a new roller derby self dubbed Asteroid, she dyed her hair becoming bolder as she discovers herself over the course of the novel. All about growing up, acceptance and learning the way friendships can play out, it's certainly an inspiring and awe inducing read.

The Vlogger diaries by T Collins

Emma the new girl gets taken in by Olivia paying her to be the face of her YouTube channel as Olivia needs to make money to afford the school New York trip.

Between the girls they want the Destiny channel to be a success while Emma hopes Olivia will be so grateful she'll allow her to join her group at school called the Swans a popular friendship group everyone envies.

It was a fun read as she faces being outed by a boy at her school and humiliated in front of an audience. It was full of drama and friendship faux pas. All about learning to be confident and happily you had never been more important or needed in Olivia's case!

Some Girls Bind by Rory James

Jamie is gender queer binding her chest and hiding her secret from her friends Levi, Nora and Eric as well as her family and brother Steve in this novel told in verse.

Over the course of the novel we witness her friends come out to mixed reactions and approval as well as disapproval too.

Jamie is a good, bold and proud character whilst also being anxious over reactions she could face. The book raises issues straight to the point around gender and sexuality and the fluidity people can have freely now. It is a good bold read and will surely open eyes to the subject matters raised.

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

Seven Days Of You by Cecelia Vinesse

Sophia is a young half polish, half French teen girl, with her dad remarried in Paris with a wife and two kids, she lives in Tokyo with her mum and sister.

Seven days before they're due to relocate back to another continent, David and Mika, her friends, inform her that Jamie is coming back home from boarding school.

This would be great if she and him got along, he knew how she felt about David yet he's loved up with Caroline, who is the opposite to our nerdy Sophia.

There are a lot of revelations about the relationships between the group of friends and more drama with Sophia and Alison's dad. It highlights how seemingly simple relationships can change over time whether you notice or not at first.

Watch for Jamie and Sophia too as they hang out more and the ending highlights that the end can still be continued on from in the future if you keep hoping.

Overall I really loved this book, plus, being set in Tokyo I loved all the references to their culture such as Pokemon, Totoro, Studio Ghibli and their various candies and games.

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review it!

Are We All Lemmings And Snowflakes? By Holly Bourne

In this book we meet Olive, she suffers bouts of hyper activity when she can run all the time, desire and crave sudden sex, have erratic thoughts and get by on no sleep at all until she crashes into the blackness and could sleep forever.

Olive doesn't know her mental health diagnosis but after getting hospitalised again, she winds up at a trial teen camp catering on helping mental illness.

There for four weeks, she meets, Lewis and Jamie two boys she becomes friendly with, has a breakthrough about prevention of mental illness and also spirals. We see through her photography and kindness project how passionate she can be about change and awareness of mental health as she begins a movement to raise awareness of helping mental health.

It was an eye opening idea about how teens could be treated for mental health conditions and also shows the extent of the severity of what they face can be like as we see how scary and daunting it was for Olive to face. It handles the subject sensitively and with care making it one of the best YA mental health reads I've discovered this far.

Jelly by Jo Cotterill

Jelly is the school class clown as we discover her insecurity at being the bigger girl at school. She suffers from some bullying comments made towards her many times about her weight building her insecurity as she lets out her anger against people by writing some rather emotional short poetry as a hobby.

She also has to battle with her mothers bad taste in boyfriends as they use her and treat her badly until by chance her mum finally meets a decent guy whom might just also make Jelly happy too.

As Jelly deals with puberty and entering the school talents show with her rather brilliant impersonation act, we see a brave girl emerge as she turns the cruel words said to her into a work of art and owns the stage for her performance.

The book cleverly shows how bullying can effect someone but also how it can in turn inspire them as well. It also shows how a plus size teen is a great choice of main character as Jelly is a normal teenager dealing with an array of issues like any teen of any size a first for teen fiction and I commend Jo for this!

The Polka Dot Shop by Laurel Remmington

This book is about vintage clothes and the joys of used and unused but quality clothing as we soon see...

Andy hates her mum's shop with a passion as she is forced to wear second hand unfashionable clothing her mum brings home for her. Wanting desperately to buy her own new quality clothes, she just may get her wish when she unearths a bag full of designer clothing when helping out in her mum's shop...

As she befriends next doors cute boy, the pair set about transforming her mum's shop whilst she goes on holiday to save the business and turn it into a prosperous and hip shop from the dud rubbish shop Andy thinks it is.

The book features issues from transgender to disability, depression and family troubles as well as showing how businesses can be turned around into prosperous prospects once again. We see how bright young teens can be and how dedication to an idea can really pay off especially for the future and change a life!

It was a fun story and extremely likable Andy was great and following the journey of the transformation was super!

#Find The Girl by Lucy and Lydia Connell

In this debut by great YouTube stars Lucy and Lydia along with author Katy Birchall, we focus on twins Nina and Nancy and how they have to put differences aside so that they can both go to separate events in London they want to attend but the only way is with each other as their mum can't accompany them.

While Nina wants to see a composer and get her book signed by him, Nancy wants to see her favourite band and crush Chasing Chords live and if she can, meet him too.

Only when a chance meeting for the wrong girl to meet Chase from the band, Nina finds herself having a connection like no other with the boy of her sister's dreams!

As the hashtag find the girl goes viral we see Nina struggle to stay hidden with her relationship and Nancy believe she's the girl he's searching for, it's not a simple life for these twins!

As the drama escalates and Nina hides her relationship from her sister, we see the drama explode when the press discover the mystery girl...

I loved this book, Katy is a fabulous author I've loved her books before but as Lucy and Lydia debut book this is great work. The story is gripping and packed with drama you can't help but root for the secret couple as they're sweet and just go together naturally coming together as a couple over the course of the novel. We really get the feel for each twin and their personalities come across really distinctly in the book too, amazing work.

What Lexie Did by Emma Shevah

Lexie and Eleni are as close as twins, growing up together after spending their lives literally by each others sides as Lexie helped Eleni stay alive after she had to have many operations on her heart as a young baby.

Now, their huge Greek family is divided after a lie and secrets hidden from the family by Lexie. Also missing Eleni as she becomes best friends with new girl Anastasia Lexus feels left out and a bit lonely.

As she tries to get her mum talking to her sister and her family again to reunite the two halves of their huge family once again, she comes to realise how different life could've been growing up but more importantly that the truth is always best and lying is the worst thing ever not to mention how her grandma and God would feel watching her lie to everyone...

A family divided by a lie this book shows how harmful lies can be and the impact they have on all those effected not just the one person telling the lie. We see how friendships can be changed and how death can cause people to react differently. It's an emotional and honest book sure to win your heart.

Diary Of A Parent Trainer by Jenny Smith

As her mum gets a new boyfriend after their father's death, Katie and her older sister and younger brother set to jeopardize the relationship as Stuart is a tragedy in dodgy clothes, cars and hobbies. As he changes their mum, the three are horrified and Katie is even more infuriated when her best mates also go boy crazy too especially as one of them starts dating the boy Katie likes.

Let's not forget of course that their home is in Bridletown where all their family live too.

There's plenty of fun to be had from this diary entry style book as it consists of tips to control your human better and how to handle their moods and anything they may do, really. As it is it's actually quite realistic and funny due to that fact and the points being proved true throughout! All about the joys and woes of rebuilding a family in a different way to before and accepting new people. 

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

In this book we meet Felix and his mum whom live in a van. All their life is packed away as his mum relies on her cunning will to make sure she can provide a little food and a place to sleep that is at least slightly safer than a park bench.

They get his mum's friends to cover for them and not get them found out as Felix enrols in school and makes some friends especially and become a more settled despite their situation.

It seems their luck may change when Felix gets the chance to go on a tv show with a cash prize only then trouble strikes for the pair and their future looks even more uncertain than ever before...

It was a thought provoking book and was realistic as more families fall into poverty and struggle more and more. Though his mum was trying her best we see how she fell into deep times of depression due to their unending situation which is understandable alike Felix's hatred towards their situation which mounts throughout the novel too especially as he grows ill repeatedly and can't face his friends knowing his situation.
I really liked the topic being tackled and would love to see it mentioned more in young adult fiction as it rarely is.

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

OCDaniel by Wesley King

Daniel suffers from OCD and has to perform certain tasks and rituals before bed and during the day all the time which take over his mind, especially number based tasks.

Raya is the girl Daniel likes but feels he can't get until he gets paired with her on a school project with his friend Max, but as he gets to know her he also gets to know why and quiet Sara whom he finds himself helping as she investigates her mum and her mum's boyfriend murdering her father...

It was an involved and intriguing plot nothing like I expected as a lot of the time to me the OCD became a back pedal storyline and the investigation seemed to take over more in all. However it was a good book and Daniel certainly struggles with OCD just not as much as I expected is it raised.

Butter by Erin Lange

Nicknamed by school bullies after there was an incident involving butter, our protagonists nickname became Butter.

He plans to eat himself to death and posts online on a website he creates advertising his upcoming last meal. It's through this that the popular group at school start to befriend him and take him under their wing.

Butter also likes Anna, a girl whom can't see him for who he is as they talk online anonymously all the time making Butter fall for her more but in real life she has no idea it's him she's really talking to online...

As he battles with his feelings over friends, weight, food and family we see how it all results in his 'last meal' as he feels lost in life...

A touching book showing how deep out feelings can effect the world around us and the way we see things too. It was especially touching in how he feels alone and only included when expected to kill himself and shows how dangerous the wrong attention and influences can be.

I Am Drums by Mike Grosso

Sam is a girl dreaming about being a drummer. She drums on books, notebooks, feels and hears drums all the time in her head.

However she finds herself having to earn money to afford her drumming lessons after her parents can't afford it and she finally gets the opportunity to learn with Pete the local awesome drum teacher.

She also gets into trouble at school and hides it from her parents scared of their reactions and her punishment as well as hiding the money she earns from secretly mowing laws to pay for her drumming lessons!

Sam is a hot headed character with a strong and fiery will and a can do attitude as she knows what she wants. We see her ambition and I admire her being a young step character as at her age I was nothing like that so it was fun to read about her achieving what she does.

Paper Chains by Elaine Vickers

Katie and Ana are best friends with secrets.

Both girls may be of Russian decent but Katie hides the fact she's adopted and has had a heart transplant whilst Ana hates the fact her dad had left her family and her mum is a shell of her former self leaving her kids to rely on each other.

Throughout the book we see how family can be many forms as well as how secrets can be revealed at the best of times to help a situation and just how dangerous life can be too. The title was really interesting and the reference we discover early on is the idea Katie's family use in the lead up to Hannuka as they right on them things they're thankful for. It was full of thoughtful moments and empathetic meaningful moments too as the girls struggles show how harsh the realities of their issues are to them.

Skin And Bones by Sherry Shahan

In this book told from a male perspective about his fight with anorexia and in patient treatment we meet, Bones as his inpatient roommate Lard calls him he suffers from compulsive overeating unlike Bones, an anorexic boy and group therapy shows him how others suffer to with food disorders.

I liked the flair of romance in the book as we see Bones fall for anorexic girl Alice, a ballet dancer wanting to perform for a company.

We see how control is taken from them and they try to take it back. We also see how dangerous their battles are with food.
It was believable and realistic as the teens all deal with real issues in relatable ways because of various reasons. We see their struggles and how much they are controlled in their thoughts about food.

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Ever Davies is dangerously overweight, and gets talked to by the voice in her head she names Skinny. Skinny encourages and tells her negative thoughts until finally Ever decides to change her lifestyle by getting gastric surgery to lose weight and make her stomach smaller.

As she loses weight effectively, her best friend Rat is always by her side and champion ing her efforts of even getting into some exercise and finally following her dream of taking drama class.

As she loses weight, she gains friends and her thoughts about food change as does her feelings of severe loss at the death of her mother.

As a typical teen weight topic tackling book, it was new to the category in what it mentions. I've never come across a teen fiction tackling the subject of obesity and gastric surgery until this one and it was a new subject altogether. It was honest in how girls can view their body and feel out of control and needing to gain control and following Ever as she becomes more confident in herself we see great character growth. It was a great honest look into eating disorders and their triggers.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Willow loves Dolly Parton, her best friend Ellen also shares that love as well as for her boyfriend Tim, of course.

Willow is jealous of their love as she wants that for herself, however being 'fat' she feels it's harder. Queue Bo, he works with her and never makes her feel uncomfortable in her skin even if she dates someone else briefly when they call off, Bo is still in her mind constantly.

Her mum suffers with missing her sister after she passed away and thrives off pageant hosting after being a former winner. Dumplin' as she nicknames her daughter is her opposite completely as she is stereotypical in believing that slimmer is prettier and you shouldn't be proud if your bigger.

Willow shows her though as she enters into the pageant running herself to prove she can win it for her aunt and herself.

All about being yourself and not caring what others think in the face of discrimination we see a determined teen that's prepared to try her best. It was fun, sassy and celebrates all sizes and shapes of beauty.

The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo

 

In this retelling of the classic Raymond Briggs story, we see how Michael has adapted it into another version of the beloved story, still as moving as ever!

 

In this story, James has a stammer which leaves him feeling lonely and friendless in school. After building the classic snowman, he discovers the magic of friendship and Christmas as the snowman takes him on a magical journey to meet Father Christmas and the snowmans family in the North Pole.

Also in the book James has a grandmother who also witnessed the magic and partakes in a flight with the snowman which adds to the Christmas magic sharing it with others!

I really enjoyed venturing back into the childhood classic we all know and love it was a great spin on the traditional story and the addition of grandma as a character was funny sharing the magic even more making Christmas even more meaningful any one will adore this retelling.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

She Myself And I by Emma Young

As her body fails her, Rosa prepared to have her brain transplanted into a new body, the body of a dead girl, Sylvia after her brain died in an accident but her body was left in a working order.

Dealing with the two collisions, her mind in the other girl's body, she meets Joe who helps her to accept and understand who Sylvia was and realise she deserves a chance to live after all without having to feel guilty nor wonder whom the strange guy is following her around or if the press are into her case being the first in future brain transplants a pioneering thing...

It was a book which really was serious but in a good way. We see how it's so much to cope with as you see a girl struggle with her identity due to unforeseen circumstances she never asked for at all. The drama and situation was full on and seeing her try and cope with all the changes showed how strong teens can be facing huge medical operations.

All That She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Cherry sees the worst in people, their Meddlums as she and her friend dubbed them years ago thanks to a childhood friend whom also saw them too, Peter.

Now settling in Plymouth on the latest bakery stop she has to make she finds new friends and customers to fulfil her happiness and whilst she works in comfort, dressed in pyjamas and queen of each little bakery she sets up stocked with her magically ordinary treats, she never expects to find Chase whom sees the best in everyone around him and a failed business man at first is very angry and cynical and embodies the badness she tries to keep away from people.

But as the two very locked in a business world, they discover their kind and get shocked as they find out a magical gifted guild has been watching over them and all they have been doing.

I love Carrie and her first two books were great, this one just made her work so far better. I loved the magical element to the bakery and how Cherry could help make people feel better with a cake and safe space to be as it's quite comforting and realistic. It was a well plotted and intriguing book I really loved.

The Midnight Sun by Trish Cook

Suffering from a severe illness called XP, Katie is refined to her and her dad's house all day while the sun is up or she could get severely ill with cancer of the skin and die, just from exposure.

But when the sun's down she comes out of their house and plays her guitar on the local train platform, where she finally meets Charlie, the guy she sees pass by her house every day, object of her lust and affection's.

So when the pair start meeting up at night, with the help of her friend Morgan setting it up, she starts to experience life like other teenagers do.

It was a really beautiful story about a girl who just wants to live her life they way teens passing her by literally can. She comes into her own discovering what lies outside her house and we can see how much it changes her life as she finds love and friendship and the wonders of the world around her suddenly make themselves more known to her.

Ella On The Outside by Cath Howe

In this book we meet Ella whom always feels on the edge of friendship group's at her new school. She falls into a friendship with Queen of attention Lydia whom seems to use Ella to find out more about their classmate, mysterious Molly whom doesn't mix with anyone and sits alone.

Pressured by pushy Lydia into investigating into Molly's life and what she herself hides from inside her house. As Ella uses her photography skills to document what she finds, she learns true friendship and helps a woman in need...

As Ella also has to protect a secret about her family, she discovers a lesson about trust and true friendship despite first appearances.

It was a great book as we are not only drawn into the mystery of what is hidden in Molly's house but also over the fact of the fake friend and true possible friend angle in the story too. It was a read that teaches kids not to judge each other just on outwards appearance but on what we as people are truly about as we each have different interests and secrets.

Another Place by Matthew Crow

Claudette has bipolar one and after release from her section she finds that her distant friend Sarah has gone missing. Sarah grew up not knowing a true home as she grew up in care.

The streets are tough and we soon learn Sarah was mixed up in something bigger than herself. As Claudette focuses on Jacob, a photographer, Ross a local lad and Dan a dangerous individual whom many owe things too, she sets about discovering the truth of what happened to Sarah and if she's alive or dead.

It's gripping and worked well flashing back to the past seeing the girls become friends and how Sarah had to fight to survive. It combines so many issues from drugs, care, family and friendship as well as knowing who you can rely on to trust the most.

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Kayla is about to turn sixteen and have a party thrown by her ever working mum whom doesn't listen to what she wants.

Nicole is her best friend only now she's too busy dating Kayla's secret crush Ben to notice and turn up to the party.

Janae is Kayla's nemesis at school, everything she isn't and will never be, so when she turns up at the party with her mum Kayla's angry and in disbelief.

When she wishes her past wishes will come true, she's not disappointed, when she wakes the next morning her life changes for the next week as endless gumballs, Raggedy Ann and Barbies Ken all appear in her life as well as some other shocking things too. However despite the awkward situations that follow, by the end we see in retrospect her wishes coming true have kind of some her a favour in some cases.

It was such a fun read! I read it in one day as I was so hooked on to the action about what the next wish would be, would relationships and friendships break or not etc, it was a total girly read and if you want a laugh this book will give you that with the bizarre situations that happen!

Soft Thorns by Bridgett Devoue

Bridgett is an amazing girl I followed on instagram many years ago when I found her beautiful poetry on there. With moving poetry about an array of topics from beauty, life, love, pain, eating disorders, abuse, depression and more. They're all serious but moving and beautifully written poetry worthy of a read by anyone whom has been affected recently or in the past by any of the discussed topics. She perfectly captures imagery of a romantic relationship and all the up and down sides of it you can go through.

I never knew that Bridgette suffered with chronic pain, as do I and found myself relating to her voice so much in certain poems for sure.

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

That's Not What Happened by Kody Kepplinger

Leanne lost her friend Sarah at school during a massacre when a male sixteen year old opened fire killing nine students. Only now Leanne is setting the record straight and has discovered the truth about what happened by getting the survivors and her now friends to write their account of the day's events in letter form.

Eden a gay girl, Miles a troublemaker and Denny, a blind student with a guide dog Labrador called Glitter also witnessed the attack as well as Kellie a goth girl, from in the bathroom where Sarah the so called religious girl was killed too with Leanne her best friend witnessing it all happen.

I liked the book featuring a mix of disabled and asexual characters as it's against the normal seen in young adult never too often. The aspect of a shooter as a sixteen year old in a place of legal gun use too was interesting and showed a further element of mystery about the shooter into the mix though I was disappointed in how little we see his story and whether he was known to all the group. It felt truly authentic and horrific alike when a real American shooting has taken place sadly and I'm glad it was fiction and not fact for once. It was a greatly emotional and moving story especially in a time where acts like this can be committed at any time it seems.

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

The Girl In The Window by Penny Joelson

When Kasia one night see's a young girl looking like she's being kidnapped she also sees a person in the window facing hers across the road.

Ellie her best friend visits her as Kasia can't leave her bedroom, after suffering tonsillitis, she developed an infection leading to CFS/ME. Leaving her chronically tired and weak.

As she begins to pace herself into getting downstairs and then to visit Mrs Gayatri next door, she also wonders who's in the window opposite hers as no girl ever leaves and the owners deny her being there. It is thanks to Mrs Gayatri she meets Navin and gains a new friend.

As new friends are made, new hobbies found and even getting themselves into serious danger to save many people, this book proves much drama despite Kasia having ME/CFS and being confined just to her house some days she has an adventurous time finding out about the girl in the window.

I loved Penny's last book so much, this one I'm glad to say didn't disappoint me at all either and instead I got quite emotional reading about Kasia's struggle with ME/CFS. As a sufferer of Fibromyalgia of which ME/CFS goes with hand in hand, I know what it's like to be in constant pain, be never endingly tired and dream of a life living not just existing and plans on hold. It was definitely relatable and new to young adult fiction being brought up as I haven't come across another book to mention or include a character with ME/CFS. It was a great story concept and shows how little trafficking is mentioned in fiction for young adults so brought a whole new element to the mix and not just making it a ghost storyline again like in a lot of books. I found myself reading it in one sitting, full of drama and mystery it's a thrilling read.

The book dealt with the subject of human trafficking very well and showed the danger girls can be in realistically.

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

It's Not Me It's You by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Avery has sworn off boys while completing her history assignment on her past relationships with boys throughout her schooling.

As her friend Coco, enemy Bizzy, best guy friend Hutch etc all weigh in on her relationship past too, we see from all their views the relationships Avery has had and been through.

From discovering her worst relationship to finding her heart's true desire and saving her prom too after her enemy destroys it all despite them both being on the prom committee.

It was a typical teen voice book and was good but not amazing as it was literally just about Avery's boy history and current prom situation a tiny bit. It was quite childish and Avery seems to always be defending herself in each relationship look back when she should just accept what happened and move on.

Nothing Tastes As Good by Claire Hennessey

Julia is a girl affected by her past, Annabel is the voice urging her on into disordered eating, a voice of a girl who died due to her anorexia.

In order to get a message home from beyond the grave, Annabel must help Julia to become happy believing Julia is stressed and sad because of her pressure she puts on herself to be perfect, flawless in her future career as a journalist and run the school newspaper efficiently.

However as deeper issues surrounding an older man come to light, broken friendships, new friendships and even a relationship bloom and soon Julia is destroying but living her life at the same time during her rocky patch inspired by Annabel's memory.

This was a strange read personifing yet making anorexia a ghost at the same time. Julia was a believable character to suffer as you see her become engrossed in discovering Annabel and her desire to be perfect on the newspaper team.  It was realistic but could be triggering at places too. I feel the writing flitted from amateurish to just uninteresting in areas but I finished the story and that was good overall.

Hope by Rhian Ivory

Hope is a talented singer facing a tough time, rejected from her drama school of dreams that she and her dad imagined her going to.

Now her dad is gone and Hope feels sad and alone she can't face her GCSEs and rejects her friends despite her discovering her violent mood swings are more than just PMS after talking with a lady she works with at the hospital she help out singing at she discovers she had PMDD, something very much unknown.

She also has to recover her voice after messing up her audition and decide on her new future plans while she also navigate a the possibility of a chance at love with the guy whom saved her life as she was onboard a boat...

It was a touching novel and very much emotional as we see a young girl cope with death, new dreams, love possibly and PMDD which I had never heard of but seems very much like more information should be made known to girls about it.

Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary G Thompson

Amy and Dee are cousins two years apart when they get taken from by their local river and are hidden away in a woods in a secluded cabin with their captor, Kyle.

Only years on, Amy is now back and finding her way home aged sixteen and now preferring to be called Chelsea, after that is what her captor called her for so many years.

Meanwhile, Lee, Dee's older sister and her mum push for answers about what happened to Dee whilst we see through Amy's flashbacks just what happened to her and what the pair endured while being captured and unable to be free.

I thoroughly loved this book and the creepy doll mystery around Kyle and why he took and what he did to the girls during their lost years. It built up the mystery and kept me hooked on discovering everything. One of the best YA mystery books!

Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon

In this book, we meet Rosie a girl with Downs syndrome whom is in love with her boyfriend Jack. The only trouble is her dad who wants them to split up as Jack has anger issues due to his head being hurt as a baby.

So when Jack gets sent away to deal with his anger, he writes to Rosie via postcards her dad hides away but she discovers.

Using her initiative and wanting to be with Jack, Rosie plans with her friend Lou's help, a way to get to Brighton and sets off with her bag of belongings including her birthday money to fund her trip.

Only things don't go to plan and she finds herself encountering kind strangers, new friends, kind mum's, then a darker world of secret work and the dangers it can lead you into to, especially when you can't escape...

Rosie is determined, brave and severely in love. This book was amazingly bold and daring whilst it captivated me from the start with the unique collision of characters and plot. We go on a journey with a smart protagonist proving her parents she able to do things and not giving up on love especially.

An absolutely astounding debut from a brand new author in YA!

My Secret YouTube Life by Charlotte Seager

Lily is a Youtube vlogger who goes by the name LilyLoves
However her life isnt perfect as she deals with her drunk boyfriend who's a wannabe rock star who treats her badly.

Then there's Issa, a follower of Lily whom wants her so called perfect life for herself, only to be forcing it to happen and it doesn't in the way she dreams as she uses others photo's on her blog to enhance her life to the online world to have startling friendship consequences for her.

When Lily and Issa see each other, a shocking actions sets the two spiralling and we witness their lives break and then to realise what truly matters in life and how they can grow and evolve from their shared experience.

It was a typical Youtube experience, believable and crazy from both girls perspectives. It deals with cyber bullying and online hate as well as tabloid news and how the media can spread lies and truths but blow them out of proportion. For a debut it shone through all the other YouTube fiction books I have read sounding more grown up in  tone of language and relationship issues raised.

Behind Closed Doors by Miriam Halahmy

Josie lives with her mum in their house full of her mum's so called treasure, which is just charity shop buys hoarded so much they can't use hardly any rooms of their house and all their money funds the collection.

Tash lives with her mum and at times her mum's creepy boyfriend who seems to fancy Tash and make creepy advances towards her touching and striking her as well as trying to get into her room late at night.

When Josie's mum forgets to pay the council tax, she ends up in prison and Tash finds solace in the secret hoarder house after Josie confides in her about her mum and meets Tash stay as she isn't safe at home.

Throughout the novel we are the girls struggle to cope on hardly any money and having to plan showers, washing and food, as well as deal with serious criminals and getting boyfriends. It's light and dark, mixed in moods as they face better and worse times as they fight to survive together and not get taken into care. It was a remarkable read, fighting to survive and being made homeless aren't seen enough in YA books and this sets the standard.

Nowhere Else But Here by Rachel Cotton

Rose and everyone at school knows Theo has been missing for two days, posters are up everywhere now so when Theo lands on her doorstep with secrets to hide and Rose can keep him hidden but safe, he takes her offer.

She lies to her parents, her best friends Grace and Naya and they all notice she's acting strangely and then she meets Theo's parents in school. She also knows the reason, or a reason why Theo ran away, even if her parents later tell her they found out the real reason, along with him being in her room.

No more secret movie nights, sleeping close or shared kisses in her room, he is with his mum though now safe. But Rose is angry with her parents but relies on her friends after finally confiding what had happened.

Eventually they have to talk and realise their feelings are there between them but then more secrets come out about her ex boyfriend and Theo after the way her ex treated her.

The book was a very different concept, the way Theo just turns up and relies on Rose to keep him a secret. I can't say I found it wholly believable but I liked the idea nonetheless. I did approve of the deeper reason Theo runs away and found it understandable why he would lie though he should be able to tell Rose as she helps him so much.  I do think a split perspective and seeing Theo as his life goes back to being with his mum and possibly flashbacks to deeper worse times to back up the reasoning of running away. Aside from that, the second half they fell into a loving but intensely dramatic relationship like a lot of young first loves can be.

An intense way of discovering love suddenly.

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

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Finch meets Violet on a ledge, about to commit suicide they have to then meet with the school counselor after they both save each other. Yet the school rumour mill says she saved him more.

Charlie is Finch's best friend who has parents who are divorced and knows Finch well and all about trying to die before and having an abusive dad.

Violet was in an accident before and gets counseling by going to a mental health facility. She can't drive or cheer since the accident occurred as she lost her sister.
She and her sister Eleanor ran a website together in a fun magazine style while she still wears her sisters glasses since she died as she can't fully move on.

Finch and violet work on a project together and talk on Facebook where he nicknames her ultraviolet as a fun quirk.

Two broken people create a love and deep bond from misery and circumstance and while their parents banned them from seeing each other, they sneak around still to the point of throwing rocks on windows to sneak out.

But then he disappears and tragedy has struck possibly again...

This book was quite hard going in places as some parts of the story followed better than others to me and at times I did want to stop reading. Over all the storyline was great but could have been more on track with it in my honest opinion.

Libby In The Middle by Gwynth Rees

In this book, Libby is the middle child between older Bella and younger Grace.

After Bella has been bullied at school and fallen in love with boyfriend Sam whose only a year older than her, their mum and dad especially decide to move so the girls can go to a private girls school and live near to their aunt Thecla whom believes she's an artist when the reality is she hasn't ever sold a painting.

But the move can't split Bella and Sam as they take the risk of Sam squatting in an empty house in the village after their family move to another house upon seeing the state of their former New home. However after stealing money to keep him in food, Bella keeps getting Libby to lie and be her alibi for sneaking off to meet Sam. Soon enough their parents and aunt pressure them to confess to whom stole the money and the sisters realise they envy each other's position and value in their family.

It was a very realist story with the trio of sisters relationship and the young couple wanting to stay together. The move reactions are to be expected and I really liked the story for all the contributing dramas that collided.

Smart by Kim Slater

After finding a dead body floating in the river, Kieron
promises to find out whom was responsible for Colin the homeless man's murder as Jean a homeless women also helps him too a free Colin had been a kind friend to her.

It helps that his dream career is as a crime reporter like his idol off Sky News. He even gets a signed picture from him and has to hide it as his stepbrother destroys everything when he's not playing video games.

Though his home life is horrible, his grandma no longer in touch, he vows to find her and while his mum works all the time, his step dad hates him and he spends most of his time in his room sketching, inspired by Lowry creating art when he can.

His mum suffers domestic abuse from his stepdad, a lazy drug dealing thug whom doesn't even send his son to school, just letting him play video games all day long. So when things get interesting in his investigations, he finds a surprising new family member as well as revealing the true murderer.

This was a book that kept on giving when the story got gritty. I excited by the developments and the way he gets a family of true sorts back by his investigationinvestigation. A true young detective in the making he is indeed!

Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done by Sarah Mylnowski

When April learns her father has a new job and plans to move April and her step mum with him, she puts her foot down to stay as she's loved up with her boyfriend, Noah and her best friend Vi is older and wants to stay with her.

However, Vi and April plot to live together as Vi's mum is not at home and is working away leaving the girls free to live however they wish. They gain a hot tub and cat as well as new friends whilst they learn some hash real life truths along the way about money, love and friendship.

It was unrealistic in many actions such as being given a cat and just spending money suddenly on a hot tub but relatable in the fact that STD's are real and can happen to anyone as well managing finances as an older teen, not younger and that cheating partners exist too. It was fun and it did keep me entertained with their crazy antics and many wild times.

It's About Love by Steve Camden

Luke meets Leia in his media class where teacher Noah, was once in a film he wrote himself. As Luke and Leia work together, their world's collide as Luke's brother Marc gets released from prison after he caused ABH, Like finds himself questioning whom he truly is after a few brushes with fights himself and discovering why Leia suddenly goes quiet on him after they'd been getting along so well.

It was quite slow in places but the drama about violence and aggressive behaviour from siblings was intriguing to see how it influenced their families and how it impacted them. It could be realistic for people to read about I'm certain but despite that the two main characters seemed inevitable to come together due to their names and Star Wars link. Unexpectedly great and refreshing young adult fiction.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Dara and Nick are sisters who've been torn apart by a tragic traffic accident and a broken friendship.

As Nick struggles to accept what happened and what she truly lost, all is not as it seems as a nine year old girl goes missing mysteriously and the action grips us in a psychological twister of a book!

As Nick tries to cope with moving back in with her mum, you won't expect the end twist and I didn't at all but so much did and didn't make sense due to it looking back on what I read. However, it was an amazing twist and worked okay but the missing girl part could be been so much more than we got! It kept me reading but overall I can only keep thinking of more to change and add.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Trying this fairytale inspired book has been a new thing for me as I struggle with reading fantasy fiction a lot. However, I was impressed with this book as we follow Alice and her mum Ella after her grandma has died whom was a fantasy author who lived in the Hazel Wood.

Only as she makes friends with fan Ellery she discovers that all is not as it seems as they try to track down a copy of her grandma's book, she finds herself discovering the world is not as she though at all as she finds herself in the fairy tale world for real...

A suspenseful book with many twists I didn't see coming so the mystery intrigued me whilst the fantasy side of things lost me. It was enjoyable and very much a good read it just didn't thrill me as much as I hoped it would do.

Zoe Letting Go by Nora Price

When sixteen year old Zoe's mum leaves her at Twin Birch, an inpatient recovery for eating/mental disorders, with six girls staying for six weeks. She finds herself with Caroline as a roommate.

As Alexandra her therapist encourages her to write letters and
Journal, she feels like Elise will be there for her but as she grows erratic at getting no replies from her best friend, Zoe finds herself being outcast by a fellow inpatient after she reads her folder and finds out what truly happened to Zoe and Elise.

A mystery interwoven which was half expected to be truthful as unfortunately cases as in this book are tragically true whether in person or online friends. The issues raised where approached sensitively but I would've liked more input into Zoe's mum's life and her views as she wasn't really in the book much.

The Graces by Laure Eve

River as she calls herself, is obsessed alike most of the new town she lives in now with her mum, with the Grace family. Tales of them all being witches and able to do magic have been around for years since a bad birthday party the Grace's held.

The three, Fenrin, Thalia and Summer all have an essence of a magical quality to them and an air of mystique and intrigue which means River tries to fit in with them as a mystery surrounding her father's disappearance becomes clear over the novel after she discovers a secret about Fenrin and Wolf his friend.

As events escalate, the group fractures in a gripping twist of events and danger becomes imminent...

You go into the book intrigued by the blurb, then you get blown away by the world you get transported into as magical realism becomes their reality as supposed witches exist and we see River try and infiltrate them and become one of them, accepted into their group due to their talents. However, sexual tension builds between River and Fenrin only for it to not be acted on and instead a revelation made. As well, I feel River could be about to admit she's also Gay or Bi as she jokes she isn't but possibly she could still get with outsider Marcus too. Besides all that I am still unsure whether they are all witches or what, all I know is the family seen like the Cullens from Twilight in description.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Stella is an autistic econometrist, whilst her mum believes she works too hard and should find a partner, Stella craves closeness to someone and so chooses an escort from a company to help her and teach her how to be good at relationships and sex.

As Michael helps Stella, he refuses to take her pay despite his family being plagued by money worries at lot due to his mother's ill health as she has cancer.

The pair have a sizzling chemistry and it's a very sex heavy book, obviously due to the subject nature of the book! The couple were amazing, so different but that's what worked as Michael was so understanding where Stella felt insecure and unsure. I liked that Michael was a clothing designer too as it showed he took care of his craft and was passionate about something just like Stella and her numbers and figures. A great contrasting pair with a relationship that is almost dreamlike sounding how it comes about.

A Semi Definitive List Of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland

Ester's family is unusual, her best friend is deaf and her new friend, Jonah became her friend after pickpocketing her!

Jonah also has family troubles as at home he is beaten by his father whilst his mother died years ago. Meanwhile, Ester's family are in money trouble which makes her mum very tearful while her grandad still feels guilty over a murder he never solved...

The two have death plaguing their families but the two come together to complete a series of Ester's fears that solidifies their friendship and possibly even more could become of them.

I found the book a bit weird to be truthful over it's death curse on her grandfather but then again oddness embodies this family! It was very different and I commend Krystal for that greatly.

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

Editing Emma by Chloe Seager

Comprised of internet posts day to day over September and October, as a form of online diary blog after her boyfriend Leon ghosts her, we follow Emma as she tries to move on. She starts to date Greg as Leon dates Anna or 'Apple ' and follow her life as shecopes with friendship drama and her private blog being made public knowledge!

We also see her friend Faith struggle to come out to her parents, Gracie and Emma falling out, Steph being on hand to try and help Emma move on with someone new and witness the antics of her wild mother trying to date and even including attending dance classes with her!

Grace, Steph and Faith are a typical friendship group as they help each other with coming out, dealing with break ups and generally cheering each other on as they negotiate school. Reminiscent of Georgia Nicholson, these teens are the modern version as they rely on the internet and social media to be in the loop and connected at all times. The book has a great plot showing the dangers and benefits of online and is a great slice of teen fiction.

Friendship Fails Of Emma Nash by Chloe Seager

Picking up from where book one of Emma's life and blog stopped, we catch up with Emma, Steph, Gracie and Faith as Emma keeps up her new blog and comes without Leon or Greg and comes to terms with Steph dating Andy, Gracie's brother!

As she tries to befriend other girls in her year whilst also cope with Matrix boy and Charlie, a friend whom she knows through him also being a keen designer and being a friend of Leon's too.
We see how Emma and Steph have to reform their friendship dynamic as Emma struggles when Steph has less time to hang out a lot with her.

Emma Nash is a more modern version of Georgia Nicholson with more social media influence and of course still the boy drama! A relatable teen, Emma is a great example of a modern typical teen girl. Chloe captures the teen voice expertly as Emma deals with relationship troubles and friendships too as new boundaries are forged as her friend gets a boyfriend and we see how Emma deals with it.

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