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!

None Of The Above by I W Gregorio

Krissy and Sam are a couple attending homecoming with their friends, Faith and Vee whom is currently injured.

Yet on homecoming night, after having sex, Krissy is in a lot of pain. She makes a doctors appointment and knows the importance of getting checked out after her mum died from cervical cancer.

What she doesn't expect is to be told she has no cervix/uterus and that she really has small testicles instead as she has two small lumps. Devastated at the news she is not a girl but half girl and boy and awaiting further tests to confirm that she is possibly, intersex.

Her father struggles to take in the news as well because in some cases the undeveloped testes can be cancerous. However, takes comfort that Krissy won't die from cervical cancer alike her mum.

Krissy comes to realise that being neither man nor woman on her forms at the doctors makes her none of the above, so again she finds it a struggle to deal with. She finds a contact for an AIS support group and messages them with her number so she can be contacted.

Yet after bullying occurs, surgery options, losing people she was close to before she told her secretnand having her dream of college hanging in the balance just what future does she face?

This book, oh my, it was perfect. Truly original as I never even knew about intersex and what goes into the medical side of what the person he or she has to face. It was an emotional and shocking read not to be missed.

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

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith

Ryan meets Nick at a baseball game on the fifth anniversary of her father's death. On the same day her mum and Kevin her step dad announced they are pregnant much to the joy of her little sister. Meanwhile, Nick and Ryan work together on a maths project whilst they hang out so much they don't go to the school dance together but Ryan does get a shock when Nick reveals he has and has had osteosarcoma tumors which is why he keeps having his arm break.

After getting over the shock, a silly mind bet and blaming herself for unforeseeable issues that rock the couple, Ryan and Nick sure have an eventful life together.

A really baseball heavy book but with a good The Fault In Our Stars only not as sad or dramatic edge that made me find the characters stories working really well.

Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein

When June starts to get lifts to school with Oliver, her boyfriend doesn't get jealous at all, Itch is calm and accepting despite asking her why she doesn't get her own license. Which we later learn the mystery behind.

June and Oliver don't talk at first during their riding together instead they choose to play a playlist of which a song chosen by each of them gets added the more they learn.

Despite the growing attraction June slowly feels towards Oliver, her mum starts a relationship with her interior designer/builder Cash who becomes a staple around the house as they fall into a relationship.

Then, June breaks up with Itch after they both admit they kissed other people but Itch acts like he isn't bothered and moves on to the next girls while June can't and Oliver is still with his girlfriend anyway.

There's a lot of twists in each of the friends relationship which play out towards the last half of the book. It was a bit bland as I thought there would be more emphasis on music and not more on the love triangle storyline as the title suggested but still worth a read.

Super Awkward by Beth Garrod

Bella is fifteen and a half with a lot of unfortunate events which are hilarious but still tragic to her as she faces the embarrassment of them!

Her best friend Rachel is having her sixteenth birthday party on the night Bella's mum takes her and her thirteen going on thirty year old sister away to an odd mystic Meg style retreat. As if this isn't bad enough, her ex Luke texts her a picture of him kissing a new and unidentifiable girl which makes Bella wonder who it is.

Then close to the end of her holiday, she meets seventeen year old Zac. Musician, college student and with a crazier mum possibly than her own! They met under laughable circumstances and clicked over their shared same style humour and Bella finds herself crushing hard.

Yet as the book progresses, Zac turns up at her school as a sixth form helper to the lower years! That's not all either as a huge reveal about his home life becomes apparent too.

As Bella tries hard to save her prom which hangs in the balance of severely endangered, Luke starts to cause a lot of trouble, will he manage to split up Bella, Rachel and Tamsin for good?!

Also, look out for the ending, a sure to make you shriek with happiness moment!

A fun, girly, gritty and witty read! It's full of awesome hilariously jaw dropping moments, unputdownable and perfect to read in the sun and summertime!

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel

Maisie Winters is a normal sixteen year old girl. She was looking forward to prom with her boyfriend, Chireg and going to college or University with her best friend Serena. A passionate runner, she could've got a scholarship.

Yet her life gets changed forever one night. A thunderstorm causes a tree she's running by to collapse on her as she was approaching her home mere houses away. A neighbour put out the electrical fire happening to her. Yet after waking from a coma, she can't begin to comprehend what has changed.

Waking to find severe burns to her left side and her face, Maisie finds the strength to get a face transplant after her nose, chin and cheeks burnt off severly and learn to love life again no matter how much it can throw at you to deal with. Sure it takes time and a break up too, doubling the blow but Serena and her parents support despite their arguing and splitting up.
Maisie is a very strong girl and shows the extent of her courage to try and rebuild her life, not become a stranger like she feels at first towards her new face.

I really enjoyed this book and am glad to have finally checked it off on tbr list!

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

This book was kindly sent to me for review by the publishers and its a great geeky read to enjoy!

A modern day retelling of Cinderella mixed in with a Comic Con style event is the center of this novel.

Elle's life is ruled by her stepmum, Catherine whom is a wedding planner and thinks highly of herself. She blames poor Elle for her father's not buying them a bigger house, earning and leaving them with more, more, more and poor Elle has to put up with it.
Although, she has her escapism in the forms of Sci-Fi she adores to indulge in to escape her life.

We also experience the flip side of things, life in the form of the actor new to her favourite show, Darien and the life he leads and how he unexpectedly meets Elle.

I don't want to spoil it but I loved how the two met up and Elle recreating her outfit for her how she did and all the work it took and learning from YouTube was very real!

I really loved all the modern references in the book to running blogs, using social media etc as obviously the classic tale of Cinderella would have no idea of any technology let alone the concept of it!