Skeleton by Ryan Sam Turner

This poetry collection is so relatable about the struggles of growing up and feeling behind or not enough in life, from pressures to be ok and not feel depressed or finding love and settling down pressures. Pills Pills Pills and Pill Game, were two so well written descriptions how the pills can seemingly have no effect so you take more and more to try feel something at all better despite not feeling they'll make a difference at all. The Heron, about the beauty of their freedom and uncaring at the world around them feeling no pressure like us humans can put on each other. Pure O aka Purely Obsessional, about how your mind can make you feel so low, see yourself so negatively and distorted your mind plays tricks on you. Missed Milestones and Time Only Moves One Way, about feeling life is passing you by without reaching expectations others assume you want to, which can be and also not be the case as everyone has different goals and dreams. So deep into the discussion of mental health, feeling pressure you're not enough in life as your peers seemingly grow up to have kids around you whilst you feel life is on pause for you, the discussion around panic attacks too was utterly relatable as someone who's experienced and lived with them for half my life now, it was great to read someone capture the feeling that seems indescribable when it occurs in such an honest relatable way.

My Battle With The Enemy by Issa Marie

TW, mentions of sexual assault and Rape. This poetry collection has some deep poems about Issa's life and tough times faced I know many of us will relate to. She Is Breaking, about faking feeling fine when you are inside collapsing. A Mile In Ours, about shared pain how we all cry, we all hurt, we all ache, just in different ways. Daddy's Girl, a poem I found relatabe of feeling the one man supposed to care the most didn't care at all. I love when a book includes a playlist as well to soundtrack the story, wirh the hard topic of rape and sexual assault, the song Grave by Avery Anna for me came to mind as one I'd add to that too. The final part of the book details Issa's story and I'm so glad to hear life has been kinder after such hard and dark times to endure in younger years.

Conversations With Myself: A collection of poems about survival and hope by T.L. MacRae

A powerful collection once again about life during and the aftermath of an abusive relationship that led to marriage and kids and the fact T L faced victim shaming and going to court to no avail is absolutely shocking but not surprising in other ways unfortunately as often happens we hear about. Some stand out poems that I found really relatable to me were: 7. Don't Touch Me, about feeling safer having no one touch you, friends or family after suffering abuse at the hands of people before making you weary. 50. Almost Taken Out By A Speeding Car, especially in a week where speeding has been talked about on the news being one of the main causes of points on licenses and how dangerous it is and having recently witnessed a car by me drive clean through a red light, is shocking that it resulted in no action being such a close near miss and sounding utterly terrifying. 51. Mittens, about the comfort of a furry companion and how it can leave you with pet loss and the grief from it in your life echoes in many ways especially when they can provide you with comfort for years unquestionably unlike another human could. As someone who's lost a pet and close a friend in a year it stings in multiple ways and until you go through it and feel it affect many areas of your life, you don't realise how hard it can be to just carry on at all. Another wonderful collection in the deep honesty T L writes with and to share so much of her story too I know people can read and relate to many parts separately of their own from grief, abuse, separation and divorce, there'll be something many people can relate to in this collection for sure.

Hello Grief by by Alessandra Olanow

I had to read this book after discovering it after a loss of a beloved friend in my life that came from nowhere. It was completely unexpected and so finding a book to relate to my feelings someone else had felt to some part too felt natural to me. I have to say it was a great book to read with short snappy poetry, illustrations showing how you may be feeling, from regrets and things left unsaid to just learning how to adapt and cope in the new situation without that person you're missing. The drawing that got me most, was the desire to hug the person and now you can't and never will again and regretting being unable to tell them what they meant to you, so badly, it honestly made me tear up thinking of times I've gone to text my friend new songs or funny videos and now can't. An astonishingly relatable book and a companion book to realise your grief is valid for the person you are missing most reach out and give this book a go if you are feeling alone in your grief and be kind to yourself.

Pave Your Way With Chronic Illness by Pippa Stacey

This was a wonderful book to read as someone who struggpes with multiple chronic illnesses it's often a comfort to find a book that engages you to rediscover yourself with your illness and not just let it take over and be your sole personality or identity as often can be considered to be by some people you encounter. The book encourages you to notice and remember qualities about yourself, hobbies you enjoy alongside how your illnesses do effect you undoubtedly in some way day to day. I particularly thought long and hard about the sections of how you feel being asked invasive questions as well all do over the course of our lives with illness and if it's not particularly a visible disability to some people you can face harsh judgement and feel very down over this, I know I have and reflecting back on it now I just hope it helped them educate themselves. There was a particularly handy meal plan chart as even simple things like needing our meds and making food ready to have can slip from memory until you realise it's hours later than you should have taken meds or eaten some food if in a bad flare one day, I know this has happened to me and some friends before as our brains wander on how we feel more than what we need right then. It was a nice touch to include pages of colouring and puzzles when a pain flare hits or fatigue and you feel trapped in bed it's nice if you're able enough to be able to pre occupy your mind away from how you feel and it makes for some great spoonie-friendly escapism.

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!

What Kind Of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel

Mike is the school golden boy who abused his girlfriend and we see her, Maya, come to terms with telling the school and her mum as she goes over their relationship.

Meanwhile we see the perspectives of other in school after learning about Mike's actions, in the form of Maya his girlfriend, Junie her best friend, Tess Junie's ex girlfriend and Hiram a guy who they know who can get you pills as his dad works in medicine and has a link to Maya.

I liked the story and it's guaranteed to have a great impact and teach about the signs of domestic abuse and violence, but in story terms fiction wise I felt we should've seen more previous scenes between Mike and Maya leading up to the present of her coming forward about the abuse. However saying that, being so quick to tell at least it gives the message speak up sooner rather than later which is obviously the best solution for a great outcome but not fully realistic. There was rep for self harm, bulimia, drug use and LGBTQIA communities and of course the former need a trigger warning.

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

Salted Caramel Dreams by Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper

Jasmine and her best friend Kiera used to dream of opening an Etsy shop selling their unique designs together.

However as Kiara gets into basketball and begins to hang out with new friends then disses Jasmine, she decides her friendship is lost and when her mum pushes her to join drama club, she meets Courtney, Ava and Joseph. They soon become friends while her and Kiera drift until a need for new costumes arises and offers the girls a chance to reunite and share big news...

I liked the design passion and the clever link to her new friends being they too liked the same drink from the title which the girls had added and invented for the menu which they didn't know about.

All about friendship perils and perks a realistic teen story about going separate ways.

The Little Bakery Of Hopes And Dreams by Kellie Hailes

Callan lives in his bakery with young daughter Mia as Christmas approaches, Josie find herself arriving at their bakery and applying for the job going as front of bakery assistant.

Abigail was Callan's wife who sadly passed away and left him to coepwith Mia and running the bakery, which it's obvious he's failing to manage as his bakes aren't up to much instead being hard and not the gorgeous delicacies his wife used to bake, which is where Josie comes in and changes things...

In a really sweet read Kellie has centred a whole story around a bakery that revives its Christmas spirit with renewed love and a new match made family thanks to Christmas spirit and magic. I loved the way the characters didn't fall for each other straight away but slowly and then suddenly especially little Mia as she comes to love and accepting Josie being around. I also love that Josie was the main characters name as my auntie Josie would've loved this book of she was here still and being nearly a year on since losing her, I encourage anyone who loves Christmas as much as she did to definitely give this book a read, it was quick and eventful but leaves you feeling happy and content with the story you've devoured and the sweet Christmas bakes you had too!

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

The Bakery At Seashell Cove by Karen Clarke

Meg and Sam are a young couple engaged and soon to be married. Meg works part time in a cafe and the rest of the time in the old bakery as it awaits sale after the death of its owner.

Nathan whose overseeing the sale catches her eye and she starts to daydream about him much to the amusement of Cassie and Tilly her friends.

When she gets the chance to take part in Britain's hidden gems tv show she talks of never knowing her father and her mum's agoraphobia amongst things and soon the world or at least programme viewers learn their business.

Sam is too interested in Cycling and so she looks on Facebook and discovers George, a woman secretly in their cycling group. Whilst his family always seem to disapprove of Meg and judge her harshly.

Meg's mum suffers with agoraphobia and is also constantly pushing Meg to get pregnant ASAP as she is unawares of her daughter's growing unease and feelings about her situation.

So when Freya a rich local woman and her husband want to buy the bakery to become an ice cream parlour, Meg is unhappy but then an anonymous buyer appears...

Facing up to her relationship and work life woes Meg needs to turn her life around fast and make herself truly happy forever.

This book was a lovely chick lit, women's fiction read and was full of drama. The writing was engaging and there were some hilarious one liners at times in this book. Meg's story will probably be relatable to women out there suffering the same issues. I would've liked some different scenarios with whom the anonymous buyer turns out to be but you shall have to judge that for yourself!

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

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan

In this devastating story told in verse, we see how Joe suffers with his family, his sister Angela is always there for him however their drunk mum left them to travel and escape while their aunt Karen helped for a while but couldn't cope as their older brother Ed got sent to death row and is awaiting execution.

We see how Joe arrives to visit him during his brothers final months of life, appeals his case and finds a friend in Nell.

Filled with twists and sadness this is a powerful and devastating novel told in verse and once again is a brilliant book by Sarah Crossan.

I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip by Alicia Cook

As a new poet to me, I really enjoyed this collection of work. I knew basics around the themes including mental health, death, beauty, acceptance, love and more.

The layout, part as poetry, black and white then switching to vinyl format of a tracklist followed by more emotional song lyrics.

For me, these subjects are relatable and drew me more into the power of Alicia's poetry. They start off as basic observations that become a mostly saddening reality which bred these beautiful, moving poems.

Each situation was imaginable and immersed me into a world through the art of Alicia's words, truly moving, captivating and inspiring.

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

The Skeleton Tree by Kim Ventrella

Stanly Stanwright finds a bone in his garden, needing a photo for a competition he takes a shot of it, only for the bone to change to point at him when he later looks back at the shot and later disappear completely!

He has a sister called Miren who is seven and ill with bad lungs and she relies a lot on the use of an oxygen tank. As well as his friend, Jaxon having OCD which Stanly  handles both situations for each person really well, caring for his sister and also joining in and being patient with Jaxon.

The book overall was very funny in parts but also serious too, with all the health aspects as well as having one parent to rely on whom also doesn't have much money to spend on things for her kids or even big healthcare bills. The skeleton is a really different aspect to any story idea as he grows in their garden and even manages to cheer up sick Miren who grows very attached to him.
Though unfortunately, the skeleton and the grim reaper exist for a reason but in this a book it leads us gently towards the inevitable.

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner

When Zoe approaches Sam to get her to help the school play, they have no idea of what's to come.

Sam's best friend Will is also shocked as he used to fancy Zoe and she never noticed them before now.

Zoe however has a lot to deal with, her mum has breast cancer and has to contend with the realities of that.

Yet both girls have a lot to learn about friendship and love as well as their family dynamics being solved at last if they can.

A pain filled emotional novel as well as being very touching and good for showing how sexuality can be a guessing game when you're young trying to find where exactly you got and what exactly your feelings are.

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

Clowfish by Alan Durant

In this book we meet Dak, who's just lost his dad and his mum has since withdrawn from life and is struggling to come to terms with him being gone.

The best thing for Dak is hanging out at the aquarium where his dad used to take him only as it threatens to be shut down, Dak must work together with Stephen and Violet who work there too only Dak wants to keep the aquarium open for a bigger reason, his dad is a clowfish in there...

So he believes as he doesn't want to move on and withdraws from school and life to stay at the aquarium with his dad and feel comforted by the fact he can stay and help try to save it by campaigning and raising money.

An emotional book detailing how grief can effect you in various ways from not accepting it, depression setting in and finding comfort in any way. A really thoughtful book and very unique.

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.

Because Of You by Eve Ainsworth

In this book, Poppy is Struggling with her mum moving in her boyfriend after throwing her dad out months ago.

Poppy lives her dad but hardly sees him now he's got a job but he also likes to drink and forgets about everything when he does...

In school however Poppy starts to have a tough time as she stands up for a girl who's getting picked on by a bully. However the tables turn as the bully who's her ex friend then turns her attention to Poppy and picking on her and when a video she takes of Poppy goes online things get out of hand...

I enjoyed this book but I did think there would be more incidents of bullying in the book, even though obviously any is bad enough! It raised so many issues from new families and missing parents, being bullied, fake friends and more it was a great little story though and another great book from a fellow Eve.

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A Spoonful Of Murder by Robin Stevens

In this book, we travel with Hazel and Daisy to Hong Kong where Hazel will be with her family as they mourn her grandfather's death.

As the pair get shocks and discover a horrid murder plot wrapped around and interwoven through Hazel's family as she uncovers some horrid truths about her family life.

We see how Daisy struggles with Hong Kong and gets a taste of how Hazel feels to be in England as their roles reverse. We see how Hazel's family unit works as her father has two wives but a whole family. There are some shocking things in the plot and to be fair I guessed one of the main characters to be involved but it only made the story better to have guessed right and then had a shock when another character also appears in the situation too. It kept me on my toes whilst allowing me a taste of Hong Kong culture especially as Daisy thinks Hazel's super rich after visiting her the divide is a good reflection of the girl's lives they knew before Deepdean!

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is a collection of raw poetry that looks through Laurie's life at some of the tough situations she has had to face and deal with. From being a pastor's daughter, dealing with her parents issues including miscarriage, war and depression to her own issues that arised, rape and how that affects a person as they learn to cope and adapt to their changed selves especially when you can't report it and make them pay for their crime.

The book also explores the relationship between men and women and why we objectify women and see men or used to see men as higher up than us instead of equals. Hugely emotional and thought-provoking if you can relate to the issues raised, you simply need to read this book.

Just Don't Mention It By Estelle Maskame

This book is told from Tyler's perspective from his past self at the time of the first book.

Told between the past, five years ago and present day, we learn of how Tyler was treated by his abusive father in graphic accounts and how it caused Tyler's behaviour to change from happy to angry as well as his memories about his father, we see how he met Tiffani and Dean and him attending games together to watch and how well his father and him managed to hide everything as their family let alone anyone else never spotted the signs even when Tyler's wrist got broken three times in a year due to his aggressive father and him blame himself for his father's horrific actions.

Dean and Tyler are the first best friends then Jake joins them late on and so does Tiffani as the new girl at their school before she was 'queen' of the school.

Partying, kissing girls and him and Tiffani using each other for sex really shows the extent of their relationship as they clash and Tiffani is super high maintenance and crazy with manipulating Tyler and using his secrets to blackmail him to stay with her despite his stronger feelings for Eden which are true and not just out to use her like he does Tiffani.

The pull for him toward Eden shows just how much their attraction worked both ways as he can't ignore his true feelings he never had for Tiffani ever and finds himself wanting to be better to be with Eden.

This was a good book and addition to the series rehashing the first book from Eden's perspective into Tyler's as we see his feelings and hurt he suffered through in his childhood and how it stayed with him affecting him to now. It raises the subject of violence and domestic abuse happening to boys too and not just girls. Tyler was a brave young character and so was his brother for eventually discovering it and helping him, there's always a way to stop abuse.

This book might just be the most powerful one of the whole DIMILY series yet!