Girlhood by Cat Clarke

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stopped this book available for review, the latest young adult fiction novel from Cat Clarke!

Having previously read and enjoyed all of Cat's books, I'm so excited to share a review and overview of this book with you all!

Set in Duncraggan Academy, an expensive boarding school, Harper is trying to get on with her life after the death of her twin sister, Jenna who died because of heart failure as a result of a post Christmas diet of Harper's suggestion.

Harper has a key group of friends at the Scottish boarding school, Ama, Lily and Rowan. Kirsty becomes a talked about 'legend' after surviving initiation which the four friends make her undertake as it's essential for new students.

Kirsty and Harper both bond over their shared loss of each one's sister, Kirsty's sister died as the result of a car crash in which Kirsty is now scarred on her body from.

The girls games, truth or dare and the like result in an awkward situation and Rowan and Harper become distanced over Kirsty. Harper really likes Kirsty whilst Rowan seems very off towards her and wary.

The title being Girlhood shows it's true of the novel as we see Harper becoming distanced from her core group of friends as she becomes closer to Kirsty.

However, the truth surrounding Kirsty and her past comes to light and the girls have to help Harper realise before anything can happen to her, after all Kirsty likes shooting at the Clay pigeon's, would she shoot Harper?

You'll have to read it to find out what happens!

In the book, Harper is bisexual and rowan is lesbian, the sexual themes are unique as in older boarding school books I can't recall a same situation where it has been pointed out. Also, the girls are accepted and not outcast for being their true selves. It also shows that death can be a bonding opportunity over recent losses at the same time even though it's a bittersweet deal.

Cat Clarke has written another stellar book and is sure to be an essential teen read this year, pick it up when it's released!

Wing Jones by Katherine Webber

Wing is a teen whom is very different to others and not just because of her name. Not only is she mixed race being Chinese and Ghanian she is a fifteen year old with a huge passion about to reveal itself showing her a new world she never new existed.

When her older brother Marcus gets into a severe accident, Wing and her family are torn up inside with grief over what's happening. They wing up in tons of debt and eventually risk losing their house. Even one of Wing's grandma's gets a job despite her age and complaints.

Wing however, deals with her grief by magical realism and running. A dragon and lioness spur Wing on to challenge herself when she runs as she wants to be fast and powerful, strong enough to do good for her brother and what he's done as the family face a lot of hate for his action's cause's.

When out running, Aaron who is Marcus's best friend can't believe the talent Wing naturally has and has been hiding from everyone and urges her to join the running team which she does and through the team she makes great friends and falls in love.

She also is spurred on by Aaron and her new running club friends to try out for a Riveo, the specialist running trainer brand, to be their new campaign face. Of which their is a money prize as well which could save her family from losing everything.

Wing is such a rare treat of a character being mixed race which we rarely hear about in a lot of young adult novels. The dedication to running and passion is inspiring and proves dreams can all come true even when you don't know them yet. Love can come at random times deapite endless wishes for it and the book also opens up to us and motivated me at least to run even though I like to when I can anyway!

Paperweight by Meg Haston

Stevie is our main character in this book, her brother Josh has passed away and now her dad has sent her to a retreat clinic for eating disorders. The distinct first feel is she's having a tough time coming to terms with events and has been drunk too much to cope with her feelings previously as well as impulsively cutting her hair in to an uneven crop thanks to her friend and sort of girlfriend of sorts, Eden.

We follow her on her journey to the retreat where she stays with twenty girls in total admission, four to a cottage each. She meets her therapist who is coincidentally called Anna when Stevie is suffering with what she believes is anorexia, then later her diagnosis is bulimia nervosa. In memory flashbacks, her mum seems to have controlled the household's food choices and is a perfectionist. She has abandoned Stevie and her dad to go live in Paris with her new boyfriend.

She has plans for twenty seven days time from her supposed, sixty day admission as it's the one year anniversary since she believes she killed her brother, Eden was there the night he died but not at the scene of death, she did however cause a scene just before.

Now though, Stevie plans to commit suicide and join her brother as she feels guilty living.

This book dealt with really strong issues, death, suicide, eating disorders, abuse, manipulative behaviour, love and LGBT related issues around that. It was well crafted but I do feel in part, for readers who are sensitive to eating disorder talk and about foods and food types etc, do not read it or be mindful reading it. It again proves how true to eating disorder talk it is though and really shines light on the situations eating disorder sufferer's go through.

I really did enjoy this book and it's already one of my top for the year so far!