The Day I Was Erased by Lisa Thompson

Maxwell adores his dog Monster and annoys his sister Bex and elderly next door neighbor. While his parents always argue and label their food to show how they are separate from each other one thing they can agree on is when Maxwell has been bad.

Reg is an elderly neighbour who Maxwell gets on well with and often goes to his to hideaway and relax while Reg unfortunately suffers with dementia never knowing who Maxwell is but the pair admire Reg's collection of treasures which is where things go awry...

After a bad day at school and realising no one likes him or wants to be round him Maxwell wishes himself not to exist and just like that he ends up in the same world only a version where he hadn't even been born and no one there knows him.

I really loved the concept of the book and how Maxwell realises that he's not been the nicest kid around. There was a good twist with Reg towards the end that made the book have a good ending and it was sadly relatable as I'm sure at some point as a kid we all want to disappear for whatever reason.

Wishbones by Virginia Macgregor

Feather was a small and light baby, her mum however is obese and seemingly always has been on the larger side of the scale which over time has attracted local press attention as her mum has many phobias and one means she can't leave their house and she actually hasn't in thirteen years.
(This reminded me of Tracy's mum in Hairspray.)
Virginia has her best friend Jake and his mum, Steph around for her to rely on. Jake has a girlfriend we learn early on as Feather nearly full on kisses him as she leaves to go home to celebrate new years at home with her parents.

Unfortunately, events take a turn for the worst and Feather's mum is rushed into hospital, resulting in the village watching on as a crane is used through the living room window to reach her mum and get her out. This is a wake up calk for Feather who sets out on getting her mum healthy again after learning her mum weights over 30 stone. She tries to entice her mum to eat healthy foods, invites the local slimming group round and wishes her mum would make friends again especially with Steph.

Throughout the novel the issues surrounding weight gain such as depression and postnatal depression arise as well as the issues surrounding weight loss in the form of character, Clay whom feels guilt over past events and suffers severely with anorexia.

The novel is great for raising awareness around the mostly silent issue of male anorexia and also pushes the point that it's never just about the food, it's mental abuse we often use towards ourselves in the form of past horrible memories and feeling towards ourselves.

The book has a brilliant mystery woven into it around the issue of Clay arriving and Feather's mum acting weird around him raising Feather's awareness that's things aren't right.

There is a great contrast between healthy and competitive swimming in Feather and proving that passions shared through families can keep them together even if one takes a step back and how families share the same interests.

This book is sure to be a hit with many of us young adults and teens alike. This book was sent to me by the publishers for review and I can't rate highly enough that this book is one of 2017's best to come out this year for sure.

Secret Suffragette by Barbara Mitchelhill

When close to her family home the suffragettes appear fighting for women's rights, Daisy knows she's interested in joining and helping out even though folk around don't like them, mostly the men who feel like her dad to her mum that they won't and should control their wives.

However after her mum loses her job she gets up the fight to campaign harder despite the consequences after trying to get better working conditions which angers her husband and forces him to throw out their mum and move in their horrible auntie.

Daisy sticks by her mum and helps her right for women's rights despite being so young and shocked by the actions she sees the women doing around her. A courageous young girl, Daisy is a good role model of a strong girl who knows what she believes in and it was a thrilling read about an interesting time in history.

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.

By Your Side by Kasie West

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

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

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