We Won An Island by Charlotte Lo

In this book we focus on the life of Luna, her sister Margot younger brother Fabien, their hard working mum and depressed after losing his mum, dad as they face eviction and find themselves homeless.

However after entering a competition they see advertised by a millionaire they find their luck changing...

From finding the house in a sorry state and working to fix it, struggling to make friends with the locals, opening a yoga retreat, discovering old treasure and Luna's dream of opening an animal sanctuary there's plenty of action packed into this quick read book but the best bit is the children's surprise for their parents in a bid to make their dad happy once again...

This is a holiday read for a bit of fun but also deals with a lot of serious issues from making friends, dealing with depression and
moving home it touches on issues a lot of children can probably relate to in some way. There's fun to be had from reading this book for everyone from crazy animals to silly behaving siblings you'll not regret picking up this book!

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

Proud by Various and Juno Dawson

One of the most hyped up teen books is finally here and I'm so excited and not just because it's put together alongside Juno Dawson!

Written by various authors the stories gathered in the book focus of different aspects of LGBTQ+ issues that they may face.

Simon James Green focuses on a gay penguin couple and two guys realising their feelings at prom.

Kay Staples features a Travelodge near Leicester, my hometown of all places! Where two guys find themselves hiding out at to discover their romance after a big lottery win as one of them tries to figure out if they're really a girl or just a boy who's into dresses and make up etc

David Levithan focuses on a choir singing Katy Perry as two boys feelings are growing for each other and look for acceptance from their families.

While Tanya Byrne focuses on Orla a teen coming to understand her sexual preference and how she falls for a girl, Reeba and also touches on death and grief.

Michael Lee Richardson focuses on a football team and their inclusivity of LGBTQ community members. As the main character is transgender and gay too. With a crush on a fellow team mate. The issue of using a binder is also talked about briefly which is refreshing to read as it's hardly ever mentioned.

Karen Lawlor focuses on a group of frenemies after Darcy is overheard being mean about our main character, Lizzie's best friend. However the two girls face conflict and discovery about their true feelings towards each other...

Jess Vallance focuses on the life of seventeen year old learner driver Lucy as she comes to realise her true feelings towards her friend, Fizzy.

The anthology does include also poems and fantasy themes based stories too of which just weren't my natural preference from this collective book.

Over all this is a powerful collaboration and celebration for the talented LGBTQ+ community involved in or set to read this beauty of a book purely based on the inclusivity and understanding of issues faced by the members of their community. It was heart warming, emotion tugging, fun, realistic and eye opening and everyone can take something away from this book of not just to be proud of ourselves.

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

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.

Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

In this book Maya is an aspiring filmmaker and dreams of attending NYU but her traditional Muslim Indian parents don't approve. They dream of her marrying and staying at home and being a good girl as they dream.

However, after her dream seems within reach, an act of terrorism causes more violence in her life and not just to the public as she and her family face physical and verbal abuse.

She also has to battle with a crush on Phil she's harboured for years but as the pair grow closer and closer, things escalate till the future seems too hazy to hope for together...

The book looks at the future of a hopeful student but as she goes against all her strict parents wishes whilst she experiences love but also a terrorist attack that directly affects her life and unfortunately this is all too true an occurrence. It was a real book with deep issues that many people can relate to.

Goodbye Perfect by Sara Barnard

When perfect student Bonnie goes missing no one least of all her best friend Eden, expects her to have fun off with Mr Cohn, her music teacher! She called him 'Jack', so Eden assumed he was their age despite her acting so secretive over it.

Growing up in care, Eden's life has been turbulent but with steady friend Bonnie vanishing she experiences anger, jealousy and despair over wanting her back, over her friends selfishness at how she's treating her caring family, something she never naturally had.

However, through all this, Carolyn her adoptive mum and her biological daughter Valerie, Get a bit closer to the family Eden has craved after for so long. As well as Connor her steady boyfriend helping in any way he can being supportive and devoted to helping her.

The only twist is all along since Bonnie ran off, Eden has been getting texts from her telling her about where they are and going to. But Eden can't cope and eventually the weight of knowledge gets too much...

Set over a dramatic week when taking GCSES plus a flash forward to August results day, we see how grooming works from the point of an outsider and not one of the couple involved.
It was a dramatic read but the ending didn't satisfy me completely as we don't find out what specifically he got charged with, how Bonnie is doing and how she coped in the time following the couple's split.

Overall, it was alike Anne Cassidy's books and it did keep me entranced to read on and on.

Lying About Last Summer by Sue Watson

Skye witnessed her sister Luisa being murdered poolside at their old house last summer. This summer, she is returning to a nearby grief activity camp for a week to try and move on and accept her sister's death.

All she knows is her sister was in a relationship with Nico, a bad guy and a drug user whom didn't seem right for her unlike their old farm shop working friend Toby.

At the camp, she discovers creepy Joe who seems over friendly and too controlling who's girlfriend committed suicide. Meanwhile she befriends Brandon, Fay and Danielle.

As time wears on, Skye starts to receive messages supposedly from Luisa on their messaging app only something somethings seems off as Skye realises it can't truly be her, can it?

So Skye sets off investigating all those at camp with her, from drug takers and old friends, before a final explosive near death this book may start slowly, but the investigation culminates in a satisfying way for sure as a minor plot also overtakes the original one. I found by the end I was thoroughly satisfied with a nice quick mystery thriller and Sue has a couple more you should check out as well if you like this one!

Love, Lies And Wedding Cake by Sue Watson

After escaping one unhappy marriage though she did get her daughter Emma out of it whom now has a daughter herself called Rosie, she found Dan a handsome Australian man younger than her.

When Dan's brother whom has Huntingtons takes a turn for the worse, Dan goes back to Australia without Faye as she needs to do her final degree year and take care of her adult daughter and young granddaughter she dotes on even to the point of not accepting his proposal as he wants to stay in Australia for good again.

Twelve months on, she sees her daughter marry Richard and settle down with him then focuses on getting Dan back, heading out to Australia and joining him at the cafe he runs. Only he acts cagey at first and then she discovers Saffron and Clover...

Another book by Sue full of laughs, many to do with little Rosie and the things she says but hilarious situations. Despite the serious side of the book being all about finding your way and doing your own thing whilst also finding love, we get a nice contrast between doing life for you as a parent but also still looking out for your children too.
The book shows age isn't a thing against getting married later in life at all and second chance happiness is always worth chasing!
A sweet story, even when it shocks!

As sweet as the lemon cakes served in the book!

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

The Truth & Lies Of Ella Black by Emily Barr

Settled at a home and happy with two best friends, Lily and Jack in her life, but Ella has her dark side, Bella or Bad Ella to contend with where she imagines committing murders.

When her parents whisk her away to Rio de Janeiro, she unexpectedly finds her seventeen year old life is built on lies and terrible secrets upon discovering an envelop containing documents securing the knowledge that she is adopted.

Her parents aren't her parents or family at all, to her anyway, it soon makes sense to her why they ran away to Rio so swiftly and why her so called parents were acting shiftily.

Still, she has Christian and his friends in Rio that she meets and help her as she uncovers the truth about her adoption and her true birth mother and just who she was.

This was a really great book and keeps you thinking about what could be coming next in suspense! I was rapt from the beginning and loved the way their supposed family unit was in the beginning compared to when Ella finds out the truth. There's a great mystery to uncover about her birth and we stay with her as she finds it all out.

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

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Bernard

Two best friends at separate schools, Rosie and Caddy start to hang around with new girl Suzie who lives with her aunt, Sarah after she reveals about her past at home and how unsafe it was for her.

Rosie goes to school with her and introduces her to Caddy who soon gets dragged into Suzanne's life, hanging out at night going on long journey's as well as smoking, drinking and disobeying her parents.

Suzie has had a traumatic childhood thanks to her abusive father. Her brother, mum and social care all can't help her and after she attempts suicide previously can't see a positive future easily. When she and Caddy end up in an abandoned building and a serious accident occurs both girls bear scars from it, mentally and physically as well as a heavy dose of self blame for Suzie who goes off to try and end it all...

A very detailed look into trauma and its catastrophic effects on lives over time as well as how it effects everyone around them they influence.

I Stop Somewhere by T. E. Carter

Ellie loves Caleb but one night can change everything.

Ellie just wanted to blend in at school, fourteen is a hard age after all and so Kate, a neighbour who's older helps her by cutting her hair and sharing clothes as well as learning that Ellie later meets Caleb, brother of Noah a boy she knew. Only when she warns Ellie to be careful does something seem odd.

Told through a split time narrative from Ellie's point of view flicking between past events up to now, do we begin to realise Ellie may have wanted a boyfriend but Caleb always seemed more a possessive predator at times despite odd sweet moments when you don't know someone you should be careful how much you trust them...

Because when #WheresEllieFrias gets created and printed onto flyers by other victims of rape, just how long is it till secrets out?

This book is a harrowing read about rape, murder and the fight for justice and closure for many. Ellie is a typical girl who thought she was falling in love only to fall victim to rape and murder telling her story as she can't pass on without closure for not just herself but her father who's quite rightly upset over her sudden disappearance. It may be saddening for the most part but the novel carries an important message about trust and reading people which is a warning to us all.

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

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

After losing her sister, Juniper is finding it hard to face certain people at her school, Lauren and Camilla were friends and then there's Heather and Kody too.

When she uses Camilla's bag and finds a letter addressed to a boyfriend or girlfriend Camilla had, Juniper takes it upon herself to find out just what her sister was keeping from her.

Frustrated at herself for not saving her sister and seeing flashbacks to the July 4/5 accident where Camilla was driving and filming at the same time resulting in the car crash accident which killed her, Brand sees her smash up the ceramics department and helps her by taking the detention punishment and helps Juniper dumpster dive for her lost index card from her collection of past events.

Juniper spends the course of the book trying to piece together the life her sister kept hidden from her and along the way finds out secrets of her closest friends which wrecks and repairs relationships.

The unique part of the book aside from the mystery romance her sister his from her, is the fact that she keeps a physical record of the most important memories from set days in a modern day where we mostly rely on technology, I liked that. It was also a promise she made to her sister she continued despite her being gone. Which shows her loyalty and connection is still strong.

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

Pretty Happy by Kate Hudson

In her book actress Kate discusses all about how being happy is to do with making our bodies and minds work together for not just harmony but optimal power.

Stop being self critical and trusting your body and how it feels, accepting what your body needs is a huge step. Kate tells us how pregnancy changed her body and mindset along with getting the right nutrition and exercise when she wanted or resting when needed anyway as she has such a busy workload and family life to contend with. This will resonate with most adults who will pick up the book I'm sure!

Working on her brand Fabletics, (a favourite of mine), she wanted the core message to be that anyone can be healthy and active and always change up things to keep it fresh and challenging your body. Kate tells us how tracking your feelings and journaling goals and changing negative energy to positive can benefit you so much more than staying unchanging and unchallenged.

The book is extremely detailed and well written even though Kate states many a time she's not trained to give this advice she explains everything thoroughly with quizzes and pictures throughout to aid her points.

Summer With My Sister by Lucy Diamond

Polly loses her job despite success and is forced to return home from her lavish London life and moves back in with their mum and dad but memories haunt her of her brother suffering in her care...

Clara is Polly's sister with her son and daughter, Alex who's eight and Leila as well as their dog, Fred. She works one day in the reception of the medical center and can't afford much but cares so much for her little family even when bad things happen or the kids dad arrives out of the blue and things get a bit stressy.

Clara is about to see her sister isn't as perfect as she thought and maybe they are more alike when hard times come, family is always there.

Debbie's Claire's best friend who is very rich and also despite her husband being Leila's dad her life isn't all roses...

This was a fun book with so much drama in each woman's life it kept me hooked and reading on. The writing was fun and witty and drew me in to read it all in a day, many of the women are in relatable situations too.

My Sister's Wedding by Vicky Pattison

Becky is settled in a relationship with Daniel and has been since university but knows now their amazingly weird but wonderful engagement has occurred it's a time bomb until their families meet. Daniel is set to inherit a lot and has a rich upbringing whilst her family are of a less well of nature...

Her sister Lizzie however, is twenty three and out getting drunk most nights whilst being poor and struggling to get by as well as waking up in random bars.

When their families finally meet, a supposed incident occurs making Lizzie become seen as wilder and more dangerous under the influence of alcohol which is only the start of issues to come as newspaper stories and scheming Nicole Becky's future sister in law all play their part and have their say and judgement on the impending wedding.

Becky and Lizzie also can't believe it when their long vanished mum suddenly reappears and isn't to be taken at face value after she walked out on them she has heard how well off Daniel's family is and thinks all can be forgiven for the future, only Becky's not having it one bit but as Daniel hides a secret Lizzie overhears a little about things begin to sour, until Becky finds something on his phone that creates a whole new load of mess for them to deal with...

I loved this book, Vicky has some great ideas in her as every book by her has made me feel like I get her more as in how she speaks and others like her as she's so fun and out there bubbly. This book is a heartfelt one with high as lows as you can see from before, I did like it but nothing can beat All That Glitters in my mind!

It's also alike to Jill Mansell's, You and Me, Always if you enjoyed that pick this one up!

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Alice is in her forties, living up north after moving from her home in Brixton with her children, leaving her parents suffering Alzheimer's in full time care. She is able to run her unique map crafting business in peace by day to keep her family afloat.
Derry is her best friend she met through taking her children to school day in day out and worries for Alice when she takes in the possibly forty year old strange man she has watched sitting on the beach getting soaked by the pouring rain.

Carl is missing and Lily his new Ukranian wife is clueless how to find him when he doesn't exist on police database as reporting him missing.

Carl has no memory of who he is but goes with Alice and so becomes 'Frank', the mystery man.

Rabbit cottage has been Kirsty, Gray, Pam and Tony their mum and dad's holiday home full of happy memories year after year.
That is until stranger Mark starts hanging around Kirsty and Gray becomes suspicious of him.

Throughout the book, the story is unravelled around twenty years apart in actions to consequences to date.

Highly intoxicating reading, mysteries and questioning ahead when you pick this book up, you have to!

Curves, Kisses and Chocolate Ice Cream by Sue Watson

Dani is an hilarious approaching forty year old who works with Marco a great cake maker unfortunately for her as she battles to lose weight throughout this book.

Dani returned to Appledore in Devon after fleeing to London years before as her nineteen year old self was broken hearted by the cad, Jude she was in love with.

The cafe she works in is alive with characters of all ages and Karla her beat friend is also staying with her right now which is great as she spurs her on in now deteriorating from her diet plans to be slim and trim by her birthday as she dreams of being!

As Dani battles the gym environment quite literally head on, am array of catastrophes in there result in Chris, a member of staff getting to know her rather well. He offers her personal training on the deal she doesn't quit and works with him for twelve weeks, she agrees and her life starts to change.

Through the book, we learn of Dani's insecurities being spurred on by her alcoholic mum who existed solely on a gin diet, calling Dani fat and not feeding her properly either. Her dad had left her mum and so she was heartbroken as a young child growing up in a tough situation all round as she was bullied at school too.

As her birthday approaches, a disastrous newspaper article printed,,she finds Jude reappearing in her life as well as Alex, a regular gym bunny appearing too close to Chris leaving her a little heartbroken until her birthday wish which may come true...

I devoured this book quicker than Dani could all her ice creams for sure I was hooked, hilarious and Miranda style Dani was a joy to read about and her story is so funny but probably relatable to some girls out there who read this book. Light hearted and beach perfect this is a summer read you definitely need!

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

Losing Hope: A novel by Colleen Hoover

This is the same story as in Hopeless only from Holder's point of view on his sister's suicide and finding Hope.

As he writes letters to his sister in an old notebook of hers he documents life and his feelings day to day pretty much as he tries to understand what happened to his sister to cause her to commit suicide.

He also learns from a letter she left behind to him about the cause of her deep pain and how his family and his friend Hope fell apart for the one simple reason of a broken and selfish man.

This book is more around his sister's story and obviously his feelings as he meets Sky and understands Karen's role in her life over the years since she was taken. It was pain to see how much all the children and both families were broken by the events that took place but Sky and Holder in a way restore some Hope into their lives as a couple together, strong.

Once again it was a great and dramatic read with a fantastic plot full of twists! I loved Losing Hope and Hopeless and suggest you read them!

Too Late by Colleen Hoover

Sloan and Asa are a couple where it seems, he always needs sex. Sloan is trapped and has to rely on him and his money to help her but he sells drugs and has too many parties for her liking but he pays for her brother's special care.

In university Spanish class Carter and Sloan meet and go on a date but Asa has a tracker on Sloane unknown to her whilst sleeps with any girl uses them and calls them a whore in his mind after his father issues we learn about.

Asa is overprotective of Sloan being his property and is particular about the company he keeps. So much so he doesn't see Carter and Sloan becoming close as she grows more scared of Asa and his behaviour.

Then there's a huge twist ahead with Luke and Ryan who are undercover cops, Asa is onto them and plays on schizophrenia like his parents doing many pills and loving his coconut cake.

There is a shooting, very tense all through the last few chapters and two epilogues to finish an amazing book!

How To Be A Bawse by Lilly Singh

Lilly has written about how to be a bawse by essentially conquering a lot of stairs to get up there to your dreams and making it happen.

She has amusing but relevant life lessons from Nintendo on never giving up, keep chasing and persevere in life to one day make the progress you want.

She includes many stories about meeting celebrity's she's a fan of and filling a day with everything to conk you straight out at night and get restful and fulfilling sleep to allow you to be a bawse tomorrow too.

Filled with lots of facts I didn't know about her like, she has a psychology degree, was an Indian dance company owner she truly can teach us to take control of our lives and conquer our mind and stop negativity and allow ourselves some hope that we can get to where we want to be.

Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Jack suffers with prosopagnosia and was dating Caroline until he kissed her cousin having thought she was Caroline. His dad had cancer and cheated on his mum with his science teacher which causes him a lot of stress still.

Libby was 600 pounds but is now 300 and can leave her house her mum died and she put on weight. She tried to leave her house before but had panic attacks but is more confident now she's lost some of the weight.

Libby and Jack are involved in a minor incident in the cafeteria of their school which results in them both landing school community service after the end of the school day together.
They both remember her house being half destroyed to get her out to hospital when she had a bad attack, they soon realize they knew each other before now as Jack had always lived opposite Libby, knew her story and didn't judge her then and doesn't now.

Libby also loves to dance and the school team, Camels host team try outs where Jayvee and bailey cheer her on to get through trying.

I really enjoyed the book overall, I liked how Libby was strong willed and didn't take no messing from anyone but stood up to them and faced things herself unlike so many book characters where boys are needed to save them. The sense of girl power friendship between the three girls was also a nice touch that they reconnected and didn't judge Libby.