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!

Meat Market by Juno Dawson

When sixteen year old tall girl, Jana gets unexpectedly scouted by a modelling agency she finds herself taking off faster than expected into the world as she struts her way through London Fashion Week and juggling college with the support of her friends and boyfriend Ferdy too.

Only as she books more and more work quickly she's soon jetting off to New York and beyond walking fashion week and doing campaigns until meeting Blo a photographer who changes her life forever comes into her life and the dark side of fashion and modelling prevails.

Showing the dim and toxic side to modelling in a grippy, gritting way this shows what models and fashion realistically could be facing in that world. My favourite Juno Dawson book so far!

My Secret Guide To Paris by Lisa Schroeder

In this book we meet Nora who's fashion obsessed hard working grandma and her love Paris and plan a trip together to there!

Only after disaster strikes, the trip becomes jeopardized and it's down to Nora to make it happen and also find the strength to accept and help her family to move on...

Making new friends, accepting hard loss and finding joy in a place you've never yet been to sure shows how much Nora can handle at a young age as she sets her mind on making her promise to enjoy Paris come true even if her new buddy isn't the companion she expected for the trip. The aspect of a hidden treat for her and her mum also made a great twist to the tale and shows how family ties how even when time had become tough and tense. A heartfelt read that may leave you needing tissues by the end.

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!

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.

#fashion Victim by Amina Akhtar

Anya is a fashion editor obsessed with Sarah and wants to be her best and only friend especially as Sarah could be in line for her job and so befriending her keeps her close enough to be able to keep a close eye on the competition as there's six weeks until the best girl wins...

When one of the other girls at their work turns up dead however, obviously the police are involved and start to question everyone after its obviously a murder, even trending online under the title hashtag whilst we see Anya's character is not at all nice, in fact she's violent and sneaky as well as only ever looking out for herself to the point her past is hidden away...

With multiple murders they use online for news while the magazine staff all have to stay looking their fittest by seeing a Dr. M whom works with them all to achieve their best looks wise and gives them probably unnecessary prescriptions.

There's the usual work drama working for a magazine and writing articles to deadlines, gaining online traffic etc. But there's also the murderous side to one of the girls we see whom leads to a shocking conclusion of the book which I enjoyed but left me wondering just what would happen next? No one's safe still aren't they worried even a little?

Besides that, it was a good book, if a little stale in some parts, I would've liked more action and maybe the staff members trying to figure out who it is a doing the killings rather than assuming once the finger was pointed with persuasive evidence at one person over another and they believed it easily enough too, not doubting a thing. I would still be uneasy over it all happening so close but still the main mystery kept me reading wanting to know who did it all and I wasn't let down with the last quarter of the book at all it was the better part to me at least.

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

Bonjour Girl by Isabelle Lafleche

Clementine, half French and half Chinese, now runs a blog all about fashion and attends New York's Parsons school of design staying with her cousin Maddie. At Parsons, she meets Stella a fellow fan of colour clothing unlike most Parsons students, Jake, a fellow fashionista who stands up for her when someone acts meanly towards her and Jonathan a cute photographer whom her cousin introduces her to.

With her scholarship she affords to start her blog but it soon sours from a dream as she starts receiving a lot of hate comments online from people finding out that she had scholarship funding, famous relatives and her unique diverse ideas the hate evolves  as Stella and other student, Ellie keep up the cyberbullying until Jonathan gets Clem to use his lawyer friend to take action after learning what Stella gets up to at the college...

As ideas get stolen and clothes go missing, cattiness between students amps up Clem realises show cut throat New York really is.

She comes from a family of high flying ladies, a model, an opera singer, TV personality etc and we see how women are made to be the powerful ones in this book. I loved the collision between fiction and real life as real bloggers and style blogs were mentioned throughout as Clems inspirations.

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

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

JT is a seventeen year old, gay guy who has boyfriend, Seth and best friend Heather by his side. He and Heather bonded over their body image issues.

Seth introduces JT to the idea of entering the Miss Drag Teen Scholarship Pageant as JT dreams of being a Drag Teen and is obsessed with RuPauls Drag Race, a popular real American TV show.

Missing out on his one chance of winning a scholarship at high school, his fathers set ideas for his life and spring break in New York on offer with a scholarship win possible he soon makes plans with Seth and Heather to get there and learn to be a better drag queen on the way.

Along the way, older drag queen Bambi teaches him make-up tips, Tina a kind old singer let's him use her old stage wear and wigs as well as coaxing his singing out of him and showing him he has power.

After a few minor hiccups they manage to get JT there and competes to win despite a sabotage effort by a jealous fellow drag queen. A surprise return of a helpful friend also shows life can spin you a lucky break.

A serious show of dedication all round and a powerful story about how your dreams can come true along with help from your great friends!

Happy World Book Day! Geek Girl 6: Forever Geek by Holly Smale

So I am so excited to review this book! Thanks to the publishers, for sending me a copy, I have finished reading the whole Geek Girl series including the two specials Holly also released.

In this book, we are taken with sixteen year old Harriet, her best friend Nat and her grandma Bunty, to the sunny side of the world; Australia! After a funny scene at the airport upon arrival in Sydney involving Harriet and a way too heavy suitcase for any girl to lift, they find themselves staying in a stunning hotel much to their surprise after who booked it and what it's called.

With promises of time to relax and enjoy the culture, as per Harriet's love of facts, as well as allowing her time to partake in modelling jobs of which there are some surprises in store as another modelling job includes some unexpected events!

Whilst in Australia, Harriet also hatches plans with Nat to help her get her big fashion breakthrough by ensuring team JINTH, aka all their usual friends back home in England have set up social media accounts for Nat and her fashion business and after a slow start, a chance meeting and full fashion flair outfits on display to many open mouthed witnesses, Nat may just get her fashions out there. Possibly after a Harriet based disaster first!

This book features the usual Harriet facts about the random and amazing world, hilarious scenes unimaginable before reading the book and just who will Harriet end up with? Lion boy Nick or Jasper from home?

It's sad to say goodbye to such a brilliant series but whatever Holly writes next is sure to be as crazily fun and addictive, never mind as stunningly successful as this glittering, adventure filled series has been!

Happy world book day everyone, hope you read today!