The OMG! Blog by Karen McCombie

Jessie meets Shanice, Rose and Zarah in detention where she's actually most less likely to be But by accident ended up with. However it pays off as she makes some friends from the situation.

When the girls have to set up a blog to enter into the school competition, Jessie comes up with their idea from something they all have in common, moaning about their mums!

However as they spread the word of their blog as the most popular one will win, the girls each write a post about their mums and when their mums turn up for the school event where their blog gets show just how do the mum's react and feel?

A story about the joys and dangers of blogging about your life online and how things we say it wrote can hurt others feelings. A rule that applies only more and more in today's world.

Boy Queen by George Lester

Robin hopes to be a performer, it's his dream and as a proud gay teen when his life plans fall off course, it's his friend Natalie who helps his realise his new way of life, drag!

With a supportive group of friends and his mum despite her worries over homophobes who could cause trouble for Robin, he sets out on discovering his passion for drag after his birthday at a gay club inspired him.

There's also the matter of Connor, his kind of yes kind of not boyfriend who is known as Secret Boyfriend due to not being outly gay but with some terrible friends.

So when a kind, cute shy new guy starts at their school he and Robin grow closer as Robin's drag act gets planned and showtime looms imminently!

This was such a great book I love that YA is branching out showing young teens that drag is a great expressive thing for them and that it's fun! Robin was a great character and I wish this was a series to see what action came from starting drag for him!

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

The Secret Seaside Escape by Heidi Swain

Tess goes away to the Norfolk coast where she has good memories of her mum after making a shocking discovery at home about her parents.

Leaving her father's business in the lurch and switching off her phone she sets about helping the lovely locals, Sam, Hope and there she meets brother's Joe and Charlie.

However as she grows closer to them she finds out a huge life changing secret and her workaholic dad surprises her beyond belief...

The ending was phenomenal, a huge unexpected plot twist which made me gasp I was shocked and hooked on reading on about her family what a twist! A perfect read to distract through current times I was immersed in this wonderful world and the characters lives.

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

Polly And The Puffin by Jenny Colgan

When Polly discovers an injured puffin by her seaside home she calls him Neil and helps take care of him and his injured wing before having to set him free and let him find his own way home.

A lesson about love and care as well as letting go this book has a sweet story with cute illustrations to make it complete.

Sunny The Bunny by Jace Higgins & Paige Bekish

This is a cute book about a bunny going to camp and the worries she feels in going and staying away from home and worrying about making new friends while there too.

The illustrations where so cute a brought the story to life as the animals go through certain camp activities a lovely book for kids to learn from about camp and what to expect.

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

Bunnies On The Bus by Philip Ardagh

In this book, bunnies are loose after taking control of the bus causing mayhem around town this is a crazy adventure with fun vibrant bunnies that will make kids laugh and want more I'm sure!

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

The Start Of Us by Hannah Emery

In this book we meet Erica who has a huge secret, she can travel through time and see flashes of memories of events that happened around her life and her family as well as the future too.

After her ex dumps her at a party she meets and falls for kind, caring Danny unlike her ex he makes her feel like she's properly in love.

Only as she plans to travel and he gets offered a job abroad, their lives swerve away from each other, can they make it work?

As they progress on they experience heart ache, love, loss and ultimately, Erica has a decision to make, stay in this true life or travel into her other life and never appear to Danny again.

In a Goodnight Sweetheart-esque style book, this was an emotional story and very moving touching on some tough subjects such as family, death and the point of living even. But for all the seriousness, there's a beautiful true love story that shows as Erica ultimately does follow her heart's desire. One not to miss giving a read!

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

Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson

Ali and her dad love their bakery, a last link to her passed mum however much it may be failing especially as a new chain coffee shop opens up on the same road.

As Ali and her dad battle to get more custom and keep themselves afloat, they discover that Dane a new boy at Ali's school's dad owns the chain and may be stealing their ideas until Ali realises her other friend Harris has been acting off and not for the typical reason she thought...

Full of friendship drama and tackling topics of friendship and grief this book will tug at your heart strings and it was a sweet read with a sadness woven through it too as Ali misses her mum and could lose her last link to her. This was a great quick read and I love the title too sugary sweet and free me in to read being intrigued!

The Secret Runners Of New York by Matthew Reilly

Skye isn't an insider, unlike her brother her twin Red whom is one of them along with Misty, Verity, Hattie, Bo, Griff etc who are.

She is friends with Jenny another girl like her who's been through a shared struggle, self harm in their cases though for different reasons entirely.

However as the elite rich classes of New York prepare for the impending end of the world as it's predicted, Red gets shown by the elite rich kids just what's in the future and eventually they include Skye in their secret when she helps ring leader Misty out.

Though as it turns out everything comes at a price, a secret shared with a new friend whom proves nothing like they seem, as Skye soon discovers about Misty.

As betrayal leads her to the missing girls from their school whom vanished and winds up being stranded in the future she must uncover what's seemingly happened to stand a chance of saving her family in the future if at all possible.

An insightful novel that really made me think about if the world was to truly end, it was chilling at times with the bitchiness of the the inner clique whom were very toxic but made even more drama in an already dramatic book. I was hooked and as someone whom doesn't go for books like this normally, was pleasantly surprised.

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

Charlie And Me 421 Miles From Home by Mark Lowery

In this book we meet Martin struggling with his family and the state they're in, his mum is depressed and a shadow of her former self whilst their dad is working all hours of the day.

So with a plan to go back down to St Bernards in Cornwall where they had their last family holiday and were happy, especially Charlie as he loved seeing the local dolphin, he and Charlie sneak off one morning to travel by train down there alone.

Through escaping the police and deterring attention from them they meet Hen a girl whom helps them with her friends help too as she too is escaping her parents and likes to be independent and travel around with no ties holding her down.

The book was unexpectedly heart breaking but it was a great adventure the siblings take on and highlights how much change can alter young people's lives and how seeking happiness is good but can go too far!

Noah Goes Nuclear by Simon James Green

In this short fun story we see Noah and Harry along with their other school friends head off on a school trip.

Of course only Noah could get into a situation where he's in a compromising position!

Full of drama and hilarious antics as per the usual Noah and co group tend to get into this mini book is a great little adventure into the wild life of Noah!

I, Cosmo by Carlie Sorosiak

Max and his little sister Emmeline love their dog Cosmo as their parents fight and make home life unpleasant for the pair Cosmo offers up his view of the situation throughout the book as it's remarkably told from his doggie perspective.

Max has a lot of anxiety and Cosmo dotes on him the pair are a true duo especially as they hope to enter a dance competition and win the chance to be in a film which Max hopes will save their family.

However Cosmo is an old dog and suffers with arthritis and general old age dog issues and as the book goes on things decline in all ways before getting better for the future ahead...

This book shows how special a pet is to kids, families as a whole and how sensitive and aware an animal they truly are and just how caring they can be too. Prepare yourself to read a heart warming but tear inducing read!

Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew

Frankie likes Benjamin, Harriet likes Jackson, only after as situation involving a photo between Harriet and Jackson spreads around the school, the two friends become enemies.

As Frankie falls for Benjamin, she gets her period when they're alone but soon the school is talking about it after a photo get leaked about the situation and soon the exfriends situation is escalated

As the meme about their night is made viral, things for Frankie get so bad she can't bear to even go in to school, can the girls ever be friends again like before it will things just get worse?

All about feminism, sex and womanhood while growing up this book depicts how cruel people can be about natural women's bodies and the functions accompanying it too. It shows how billing can have a severe impact and it's unacceptable but also how much fighting back against it can cause a positive change for the future, a bold and vibrant read.

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

Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders

This book was fantastic, with illustrations of multiple body types, height, size, colour, interest's and style etc it was fab to read and a book any young person should be given to help them realise and recognise change will happen and to be ready to start the journey to loving the body they have and appreciate all it can do for you too. I just wish it had been around for when I was going through puberty it's a positive book for self love and body acceptance!

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

Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard

In this book, Peyton has never fitted in with a friendship group or found a true best friend.

Instead she's always been alone, not out of choice but thanks to severe bullying.

At college, things looked up, she made friend with a girl and the group she knew including getting a boyfriend.

However Peyton desires dropping out of college after an incident and dramatically takes herself off to Canada for a break from life, by using her parents credit card.

While away on her adventure, she realizes her memories she's making are only ones she can share with herself as she's traveling alone, so when she meets some kind people her age in her hostel, including a Scottish boy she fancies, things look up, can Peyton finally find some friends?

With drug, alcohol and loneliness discussed in this book, it shows how much life can differ between teens and that following your heart will make you happy and provide clarity. Of course follow your dreams and not feel pushed into a life being forced on you is the main focus of the book and it's so relatable I love the book for that message.

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

The Royal Ballet School Diaries Book 1 by Alexandra Moss

Ellie and her mum move from Chicago to Oxford in England. Her mum suffers with MS and her dad passed away when she was young.

After getting an audition for the Royal Ballet School she hopes she can dance well enough to get accepted only will she make it to the audition with her mum having MS and her own nervousness?

Ellie has a lot of worries about will she get in, could she start her career now, who'll look after her mum and also has to make friends and deal with her school's pressures and bullies. I always enjoy a ballet themes book but with a chronically ill parent this added a unique edge we rarely see in children's fiction and added to the rolling drama in the book.

A great read for a dance fan to pick up and enjoy!

Garden Renovation by Bobbie Schwartz

As a gardener and landscape designer, the author's home featured is absolutely beautiful, rich in colours and history. This book includes many tips from how to design your dream garden to which plants to use and flowers to grow the book has tips about how to nurture soil, weed keeping, selecting ornaments for areas as well as tips for year round keep.

The book shows that any small space can be transformed into a flourished area to bring joy to everyone who come across it and will be a great help working on a new area design and is a guaranteed bible on recreating a plain area into a tranquil or vibrant area to enjoy!



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



Beauty And The Bin By Joanne O'Connell

Laurie hates bin diving, however her family, eco warriors and food waste haters love it s they get new sealed produce for nothing so long as they don't get caught of course even Fern her little sister loves it too.

Only Zainab and Emelia her school friends have no idea and they always have money to buy things where as her parents take from bins instead never hardly paying properly for something.

So when a school project comes up and Charley the school popular girl wants to work with Laurie aka Beauty In The Kitchen, Laurie finds herself losing touch with her brand which started as her and her sister having fun, but as the competition goes on she realises Charley may not be the golden girl and her brand is hers and her sister's not Charley's.

This was a great unique read and I loved the subject about natural beauty products and reducing waste it's great to inform teens and help make a change, a book to inspire future generations!

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

Summer Island by Natalie Normann

In this book Ninni is going home to the island she left with her dog Frikk, after losing the so called love of her life Karl after a shocking truth came to light about him.

Meanwhile Jack turns up on the island unsure what to expect after finding out he's been left a farm house and land amongst other things from his once absent father who's passed leaving his London job to go and sort out the place.

I loved the book, however fellow vegetarians be warned there's a lot of talk of sea food and farming animals which I skipped a couple pages through! However the story of the two main characters was fiery and blossomed as the story went on after their rough meeting!

Ninni had a huge decision to make that alters her life and so did Jack for his work life but the ending just wow I was left wanting more a New author I'll be watching out for more from for sure!

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

Fashion Design Workshop Remix by Stephanie Corfee

This is a great book to learn to draw people, fashion and how to design items too. Moving with more body positive times, we get tips to help draw figures in wheelchairs or with crutches as well as able bodied people too of a range of sizes true to life.

There's tips and a quiz to help find your style, multiple ways to colour/create your illustrations such as mettallics, white pen on black card, watercolours etc and how to adapt outfits to be smart/casual or suitable for certain events with figure templates to help you get started and help/tips on how to create a fashion collection of your own to draw and inspire you using an item or colour palette etc.

This is the best book I've ever read about art, design and drawing by far if you want a career in fashion this would be a great basis to start from!

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

Toto The Ninja Cat And The Great Snake Escape Book 1 By Dermot O'Leary

In this book we meet Toto, a blind cat who's also a ninja with her moves and her brother Silver who are stray cats from Italy adopted into a new family.

They meet Catface, who's a cat they assume despite appearances...

They must help a love struck snake get back to the safety of his enclosure after going on the loose however a more sweet reason lies in his tale as to why he escaped in the first place!

A book about an animal where all isn't as it seems and Toto is a brave fearless cat not giving up on what she can and can't do. A new series packed with action and great conflicts they come across with fellow animal friends and foes!

You Can't Hide by Sarah Mussi

In this book, Lexi escapes her old life with her mum to get away from her mum's abusive boyfriend Charlie.

Following their life, she wakes up in hospital to her aunties and no mum in sight and no recollection of her memories of what happened.

We discover she was in love with a boy called Finn after she stole him away from his old girlfriend Jules using a spell as she believes she's a witch.

When Jules gets dumped by Finn she vows revenge and plots and pushes our star couple to land themselves in trouble in the name of a rather revealing art project for school fueled by Jules's jealousy.

It was a bit odd with the witch reference and not heavily used just hinted at a few times to be honest it could've been left out and been an amazing book about the dangers of girls over jealousy and envy of what someone else has like a boyfriend they fancy.

Charles wasn't mentioned a great deal just the odd account from him interspersed every so often and t could've been made better in my opinion as I found the culmination a bit of a let down and not what I hoped for at all. Jules was a devious character who made the drama for sure what it became but ultimately she was in a position to do more and just didn't hit the mark for me.

The Little Dreams Of Lara Cliffe by Millie Johnson

Lara is setting off on a cruise with her best friends and hen party planners, Vicky Jo and Pip.

As Lara prepares to marry steady Freddie a guy who dotes on her we see how she reacts when her ex shockingly is also on the cruise and he broke her heart terribly, Danny the dreamer who wanted to be a rock star.

But will Lara go back instead of onwards into her new planned happy life and marriage?

I loved this little book such a fun hopeful short story about looking ahead to the future and appreciating what and who you have in your life!

The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd

In this book when Tomas helps his granddad to plants vegetables, the last thing he expects to see is a dragon burst out of their dragonfruit tree!

As Flicker the dragon causes havoc with fire and poo action, he struggles to hide his amazing find especially from his family when his little sister calls out for him!

As his friends and grandads neighbor notice odd goings on, things become touch and go if their secret will stay hidden or will Flicker get spotted and discovered!?

This was a great start to the series and I really enjoyed this story as a reader kids fantasy fiction can be really good and this is one of those hands down. The plot was well thought of and how great would it be to grow a pet dragon from the fruit tree!?
It ignites your joy for reading for sure as all the kids get involved with dragon drama and it was a hilarious read too while trying to keep the dragons hidden kept us rapt for sure!

Love, Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson

In this book Frankie is enemies for a start with Sally a girl who's mean to her after assuming her mum is a drunk after an incident at their school.

However as the book goes on, Sally befriends Frankie after seeing her out with Sammy her best boy friend from next door who evidently likes Frankie a lot more...

As Frankie learns about her feelings she's dealing with, coping with the drama of her sister's, her mum's MS worsening and their dad's new life situation everything feels out of control for her to cope with.

It was a refreshing read to have a chronic illness as a central issue and a girl struggling to come to terms with her sexuality too probably the most relevant Jacqueline Wilson book about right now and I just know this will help many girl comes to terms with their feelings and accept them too I do wish that we saw more of the alcoholic storyline from Sally's mum though as many kids are also effected by that however maybe we can have a follow up book as the ending left one to be desired...

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

Spring On The Little Cornish Isles: The Flower Farm by Philippa Ashley

In this book we meet Gaby, whose escaping her life and moving to work on a Flower Farm after losing her brother in a crash at just twenty one years old.

The Flower Farm is ran by Anna's children Will and Jess mostly after their dad went off with another woman.

Jess is dating Adam and are loved up until one text sends their relationship tearing apart as he then leaves to later return with a mysterious strange woman and child in tow just months later to Jess's dismay.

Will is a hard worker and is devoted to his straight forward life around work and rowing club. So when Gaby arrives and lasts months in the job after becoming Jess's friend, Will allows his feelings for Gaby to breathe and the pair start to flirt openly succumbing to their feelings...

However the book offers up more than summed up here as a huge drama towards the end of the story makes them all realise what's most important in life not work or not hurting someone but allowing love to prevail and bloom, after all they are all liked to the Flower Farm! I would love to live on the idyllic area of the flower farm it sounds truly delightful i loved this warm hearted novel about discovering your work and love passion in life.

Unicorn Training by Amanda Brandon

When Tilly gets a new unicorn at her parents rescue she's super excited as Splodge is the unicorn she grows to love can she train him before he becomes too much for them to handle?

A sweet short story kids will love not just for the joyful colourful images helping depict the story but the joy of the love for a pet and how they can enrich our lives too. It shows how we can gain a fun for friend for life and have a lot of fun with them too!

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

The Rabbit Ate My Homework by Rachel Elizabeth Cole

In this book Drew and Libby are back as Drew starts middle school and Libby wants to set up a rabbit rescue after being inspired by a cat and dog adoption drive at their local pet shop.

They come up with Rabvocats with Tabitha and Drew's help as Libby is so excited about starting the club for fellow rabbit lovers.

However as Drew struggles to be 'cool enough' to fit in at school, ending up in trouble in the principals office and getting in with a group of bad guys thanks to his best friends there's tons of drama especially when the guys don't like rabbits...

I did like the book but parents and rabbit lovers be ones the last quarter of the book involves talk about preserving them and a horrible prank takes place, be warned.

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

Guest Post by Kate Mallinder - Why stories about friendship are more important than ever

If I had been more organised, I would have written this blog weeks ago, sent it to Eve and be on with my next writing project. But I wasn’t. So now I’m writing this with my husband working from home and my children all being schooled at the kitchen table. We are the lucky ones who get to stay in as our way of helping slow the spread.

This new world we find ourselves in does make writing a cheery, upbeat piece about a new teen novel interesting. What I had planned feels too frivolous in the circumstances. We’re living through history and life is unrecognisable from just a month ago. Why are we even thinking about fiction when we have all this going on?

I’ll be honest: that question floored me for a few days as I tried to get my head around what was happening. But as the mental dust settled, I realised: stories are actually hugely important in times of crisis. Stories can talk about the big life truths in a way nothing else can. Fiction can literally show (not tell) what it means to be human, our need for connection even though we’re apart, that society is strengthened when we pull together.

That, and losing yourself in a good book is a pretty awesome way to while away a few hours.

So then. Asking for a Friend. What’s it all about? Well, it’s the stories of Agnes, Hattie and Jake; each struggling with something – a sister who’s moved out, being ghosted by friends or a worry about health they can’t talk about. All three feel isolated and friendless.

So when Agnes decides to go away for a ‘study break’ to look for her sister, Hattie and Jake both think it’s the perfect escape from their everyday lives. They only know each other a little, so none of them say what’s really bothering them, preferring to try and battle their problems on their own. However as their stories unfold and they face a life-changing situation together, they begin to trust, begin to share, begin to become friends.

It’s how friendship can be found in the unlikeliest of circumstances. It’s how a friendship can grow. It’s how friends support each other, no matter what.

I was supposed to be talking about why I wrote Asking for a Friend, how I wanted to explore friendships and how they start. But that’s now not the focus. This is a story teens can lose themselves in and enjoy friendships while they’re apart their friends. It’s an escape. It’s feel-good. It’s a book that’ll make you smile.

You can order a copy of Asking for a Friend from Firefly Press and it will be sent to you when it publishes on 21 May – as an incentive to order in April, this copy will be signed and come with an Asking for a Friend badge. Kate’s debut, Summer of No Regrets, is also available from any book shops that are open and also Firefly’s online bookshop, in case you need a feel-good fix in the meantime.

Many thanks to Kate for writing this post, fiction provides escape and can be a perfect way to escape the anxiety of life right now, be sure to check out Kate's previous book, The Summer Of No Regrets too I have a review up on my blog and Goodreads it was a fab read perfect for in the summer sunshine to relax with!

 

Lily's Just Fine by Gill Stewart

Lily is juggling a lot from school finishing she finds herself involved in the local gala where she comes up with many great ideas but mainly what the elder folk don't like.

Meanwhile Tom's sister Sarah has been ill for a while with a mystery illness that's undiagnosed while his friend Gemma who's Lily's best friend ropes him in to help at the gala too as he does sailing.

As Lily and Tom slowly get together, Lily's mum suffers from a very bad depressive episode while Sarah becomes worse too and at their event day, things go very wrong, can they all get through this?

This book was a very packed adventure which gave so much within it's under four hundred pages which was great. Personally the portrayal of a chronic illness in young adult fiction isn't seen nearly enough and I was so happy to discover it mentioned in this book as a sufferer myself it was relatable from every angle it was shown and truly realistic. Tom and Lily made a sweet couple even though they had their rocky times of course like any relationship does which just won me over more. If you want a sweet if at times dramatic relationship book, this is the one for you.

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

Did I mention I Miss You? By Estelle Maskame

After Tyler left Eden alone, we finally see how Eden has been after a year without him in her life as she relied on Rachael and her mum support to help her heal. Though it soon becomes apparent that she's now seriously angry at Tyler. A huge contrast to the calm character Tyler shockingly returns as and of course, Eden doesn't take his return easily and hits out, literally.

As Ella tries to get their family talking properly they all end up forced on holiday together where things stay the same despite Tyler being the bigger man to Eden's dad.

After more tension and words fired getting them nowhere, Tyler and Eden head back to Portland together where Tyler shows her the work he's done and is doing to change his and others lives which is simply put, astounding and humbling compared to his old character.

As the couple look set to be together though they must return home to try and patch up their family because surely they can't hate them forever, their friends acceptance eventually proved that, hopefully?

This was such an ending to the main trilogy! I didn't expect Tyler to start a ne  life in Portland of all places but it proves he wanted to understand Eden and her past better and share in what she knew. It was nice to learn of Tyler's normal job and humbling charity start up as not many young guys would think of doing something like that a majority of the time and it shows how Tyler wanted to better guy for Eden.

Did I Mention I Need You? By Estelle Maskame

Tyler is in New York thanks to his mum helping him heal himself after the abuse he suffered for years at the hands of his father. Eden travels to stay with him despite being in a relationship now with Dean but not in love with Dean sadly as she is still in love with Tyler, her stepbrother.

But as she moves in with Tyler, their relationship rekindles whilst they deal with Snake and Emily whose British and a new lodger in the apartment. They also face their friends and enemies joining them and threatening their happiness as they finally reveal their relationship to their loved ones to shock, acceptance and hatred as they deal with the guilt and hurt, only separately after a shock twist ending.

This book was like an episode of Gossip Girl full of drama, backstabbing, manipulation and lies. Relationships get torn apart and friendships seem uncertain as their relationship implodes their group around them. There's sweet moments though in New York involving dates, tattoo's in their natural relationship language they use which is Spanish. All in all they realise they actually don't want to and can't be apart anymore even though it will tear their families apart...

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame

Eden is spending the summer in LA to meet her father's new wife and her three son's, now Eden's stepbrothers. Chase is six, Jake is fourteen and Tyler seventeen, a year older than Eden and a live wire to put it lightly. He is the typical bad boy and takes drugs, smokes joints and drinks till he's paralytic.

Eden and Tyler can't stand each other yet forced together during her stay, the pair soon run in the same crowd as Eden makes friends with Rachael who's friends with Meghan and Tiffani, Tyler's irritating, controlling girlfriend.

Eden stays out late, drinks at parties and finds herself getting guys attention that she never expected only it's Tyler whom she suddenly falls for and after finding out his hard past to do with his dad, contending with Tiffani and managing their growing feelings, this family secret looks set to explode eventually...

This is a drama filled book about love, lust and forbidden love overall. However it features so much more and hits on so many huge issues that can effect teens from child abuse, pregnancy, drinking under age, college stress, friendship issues and drugs.

It was a fun and charged read with typical teenage characters but each so varied in personality it was extremely drama filled!

Jog On How Running Saved My Life by Bella Mackie

In this book, Bella talks all about her living with anxiety and how it manifested though her life and how jogging has helped her to manage the feeling of it a lot better than before it got terrible.

From discussing how her own anxiety and OCD was approached, diagnosed and how she felt dealing with it for so many years, Bella takes us through many great facts about mental health and cases over the years gone by and the generational issues past and present today in both sexes too.

It was a good book about how running helped her to manage the events happening in her life, however, at the same time it felt like we kept going over the same things chapter by chapter and the same facts being used repeatedly. It may have just been me as I read this book in bits unable to stay hooked into it. It was an inspiring story though and Bella should be proud of her journey.

Buttercream Flowers For All Seasons by Valerie Valeriano and Christina Ong

This beautifully laid out book showcases the best of cake decorating with natural and real looking flowers ranging across a spectrum from fake sugar made Rose's to Dahlia's and even little leaf detailing and more.

Filled with tips on how to get the perfect shape flowers with step by step sentences accompanied by beautiful photographs of the author's work on their cake's which are marvelous creations.

The book is also filled with tips on how to get the perfect colour of icing and the best essential tools to try your hand at cake decorating too as well as a guide to baking and icing your cake too of course!

The girls truly captured their artistry within this book and is a kitchen essential for any keen baker or crafter in my opinion.

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

Room Love by Heather Wutschke

This book is beautifully put together and features a cute colour spectrum of white, pink and sky blue colours as it's main palette as well as using an array of graphics to help images and text stand out.

The layout is clear to read the steps on plain white background with black type telling us our supplies and then the project photos are backed onto funky designs instead to draw us in to looking at the examples to follow.

I studied textiles in school and this book reminds me of projects we found in books then only in here, they show and tell you clearer steps, there is an example mood board to follow as well. It features easy DIY's for things such as, make-up holders, sunglasses organizers, earring holders, mirror and wardrobe up cycling, curtain ideas and more!

The book features a DIY for everything you may ever need in your bedroom and is perfect if you like crafts and Youtube or Pinterest projects. If you are in a plain room or just need to change things up,  need a gift for someone crafty or a teen this is the book you need!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me a copy to review!

Sensational Butterflies by Ben Rothery

In this book we explore the life cycle of the butterfly, moths and the various types that there our out in the world from rare to common and how each one varies too.

With fantastic illustrations of the butterfly types throughout, this book will educate kids and get them looking into nature rather than their screens as you can encourage them to spot the types out in the garden!

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

A Summer At Sea by Katie Fforde

Emily is a midwife whom believes in home births and is passionate about her jojob, so when she wants a break from the stress of work, her old friend Becca whom has a puffer boat she runs with her husband offers her a seasonal job as a cook whilst Becca prepares for the imminent birth of her new baby.

Whilst there, Emily meets Kate a nine year old and Maisie an hundred year old lady whose passion is knitting. She also falls into a friendship with Kate and her father, Alasdair as she knits Kate and her teddy bear clothes.

The story shows how talk chances and embracing change can deliver a life you love and never knew you wanted. The changes in Emily and her happiness come about so naturally as she rekindles her friendship properly with Becca and finds love. A romantic heartening story anyone can enjoy as a relaxing read!

Whimsical Cross Stitch by Cari Buziak

This book includes many different cross stitch charts from ones with pets, fantasy creatures, food, hobbies and quotes.

Each with easy to follow colour coded charts you can create your own cute little designs, with an array of colour and time!

Perfect for even beginner's this is a book anyone can create from.

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

Girl's Guide To Summer by Sarah Mlynowski

Leela and Sydney are heading off to Europe for four and a half weeks yet on the plane, Matt, Leela's ex is also travelling.

We learn of Sydney's hesitance to leave her agoraphobic mum and as a result of her mum's condition, her stressed and stuttering sister will be left to somehow cope alone with their mum.

Leela leaves an online social media trail in the hopes of Matt coming and finding her, until someone else catches her eye and just maybe she doesn't need Matt after all...

This book was a lovely read for the summer and as someone who can't travel on planes I enjoyed getting a feel of the travel they go through and the cities the travel to. Leela was a likable character but I was rooting for her to have a nice time and forget Matt so she could just enjoy her adventures!

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

Happy Mail by Eunice Moyle, Sabrina Moyle and Alex Bronstad

This book is a work of art, beautiful illustrations and plenty of tips and guides to have a go at creating your very own gorgeous handwritten happy mail!

Full of bright pastel colours popping against a pure write background to add colour the a page of text, images of letter designs are clear and simple with the guides for how to achieve them yourself.
There are loads of letter/card/envelope designs you can copy and print off yourself to use as well as colour in cards you could colour for someone or send plain to give them some fun too.

I'm going to get plenty of use from this book, there's something amazing about sending a letter the classic way not just an email!

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

Potted by Annette Goliti Gutierrez & Mary Gray

This book drew me in originally because of the flower image on the cover as well as the subject overall as our house loves plants, flowers etc.

The writing is laid out in paragraphs and columns with large images to view and steps to follow. It utilizes space in the garden by introducing the idea of planters built into the wall not just plain designing pots.

The book is definitely for older readers as the use of saws and drills are required for a lot of the projects. Though there are some more simple plain to amazing design ideas for standard terracotta pots, family can pitch in and help there with supervision I'm sure.

Overall it was an interesting read and I with be trying these ideas with my mum in the future. I was intrigued to find out too that the authors owned between them a Pot shop and it's a unique idea because we can only ever find our pots we need in retail shops that are well known and obviously mass produced too.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me a copy to review!

Secret Houses Of The Cotswolds by Jeremy Musson

Large homes have always been interesting to me alike museums too, in this guide to some of the hidden homes in the Cotswolds, we learn years of history the homes hold and continue to honour. Whether it's finding dated furniture to upkeep the old style way of the house or just keeping the original features of the house in great condition, the owners allow us in to their lives by sharing why they care and love their homes so much.

Each home also is accompanied by a large, vast area of garden complete with many plants, features such as statues or possibly stables for owners horses as well as some having moat like water surrounding them giving the already large manor homes the essence of being castle like in their design.

Hugo Thomas has captured the houses vast size with clear photography throughout of the outsides and insides of each home we are invited to explore with crisp photography showing off the features throughout each area explored.

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

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

In this super sweet teen contemporary, baking brings a cast of characters together from grief feeling Lottie after losing her dad a year ago and the anniversary is coming up whilst she's still withdrawn at school she also has to cope with her mum being a secret hoarder as she fills their home with stuff she feels needs love it else her mum hides away in her room.

Meanwhile as she joins bake club to keep the school teachers happy she meets bad boy Will Mac whom she strikes up an unlikely friendship with over her natural baking talent she already has and they find a friendship of sorts with each other and the four other members of bake club too.

As the group bonds over baking weekly and more together as they set their sights on an upcoming TV competition and a fight for an apprenticeship at a local bakery, the pair's all encounter more drama as Lottie tries to keep her secrets hidden despite the friends sharing more and more, will the group all break up being friends and will Mac stay with Lottie?

It was a sweet read. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the bad guy and the good girl and how they actually worked as a couple and have each other more than they were previously getting out of life. Everyone found friendship in bake club and allowed them something to enjoy other than exam worry. The writing was engaging and the fun endless as well as giving us recipes to try out too!

Cat's Cafe by Matt Tarpley

In this comic based around the lives of animals who interact daily with each other at Cats Café, we see how mental health is the base line and how anxiety, stress, lack of self love etc all effect the adorable animals and how they help build each other up and become friends with each other.

A book showing how a little kindness can go a long loving way I relate most to the anxious bunny especially on the anxiety reducing headphones part, that's totally me!

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