Two Words by Tanya Landman

When Matt and his friend Jake go on a hiking trip, they soon get into trouble when their enemy Lee comes along, Lee just might show he's not that bad, but will Jake survive?

A quick read book, all about the dangers of being around water and messing about making dates too this book took a quick sinister turn which made this a fast paced addictive read.

Explorer's Amazing Tales Of The World's Greatest Adventurers

This is a concise book all about various explorers of different gender, face and age from all over the world braving land, sea and air.

On intricately detailed illustrated pages depicting scenes of discovery and adventure, the kids have something to help being the story to life visually as well as learning their facts from this book, it is inspiring to read how many adventures have taken place over the years and some at grand elderly ages too!

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

Different Like Us! By Margaret Rooke

Wow what an amazing book this was extremely special as the children share such stories that show their strength and resilience at having some serious disabilities but seeing them as an extension of their personality they just get own with as another part of them, fully embracing them as part their unique character. This is the kind of book I wish growing up as a child of the 2000's we'd had, but feel so happy it is a book available now we chat way more openly about disabilities these days. I know many friends and myself living with rare and unheard of conditions that will stay with us for life who could've related to this book extremely so growing up. The maturity the children's own quotes show them to have is a great addition littered throughout the book and their stories too showing their strength of character not letting their conditions define them in any way.

Diagnosed by Brenda Snow

I was drawn to this book relating to the chronic illness focus as a fellow spoonie, with life long conditions to learn to cope with them and the effects on altering your life. I do also have to add the tagline is very much true in a journey with chronic illnesses many swears are said in pain more often than not or when something goes wrong! I really enjoyed hearing how despite diagnosis it didnt define Brenda's life and she has been able to when she can enjoy it to the full despite dealing with MS/multiple sclerosis and all that entails which a friend's mum has and I have some experience on how life altering it has been for her too altering life beyond recognition before diagnosis. I also completely got the diagram of the journey a chronic illness diagnosis takes you on too which I remember going through myself as you grieve your old life before diagnosis and question how life could've been without diagnosis for the future without being dealt the hard card of chronic illness. A hard hitting but real, honest, account of dealing with and adapting to life after diagnosis I feel like I can relate too and others will do too.

Tell Me Another Story by Emmy Marucci

This poetry collection is alike the others in the open and honest raw emotional material only this one is better than others at tackling the topic of grief and girlhood or girl culture from babies and elderly deaths, teens and the trials and tribulations of youth.

The collection of poems were easy to read, draw emotion from and relate to set out in easy to read verse format.

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

Ticking Off Breast Cancer by Sara Liyanage

In this honest open look into life loved with through and starving breast cancer, Sara talks us through her discovery and treatment to recovery from breast cancer complete with lists to help herself and aid is readers too along with tips on how to offer help and support to those we know suffering from cancer of any sort.

I really enjoyed Sara's way of writing this book with her worries about the uncertainty of cancer and the future she faces as well as how bravely she faced everything from fear of needles to coping with the cancer and treatment itself. I also happily read How supportive her friends and family were rallying round to help and how her young children coped super well too, I truly recommend you give this book a read.

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

Worry Angels by Sita Brahmachari

After her parents split up Amy has a hard time adjusting and after being home schooled too starts at Grace's art school where her aim is to adjust to moving to a proper school eventually with a bit more confidence.

While there she meets Rima and her refugee family and learns of the life and journey they've had to survive and make it to where they are now.

This was a brilliant book showing how anxiety can begin/be triggered and learning to adjust to new situations which are totally relatable to many people I liked how the girls friendship developed as the story progressed and the hopefulness the book ends on made me feel like everything would be ok for the girls now they had each other.

Nineteen by Makenzie Campbell

This is a moving collection of poetry all about love, life and moving on from past relationships. It's super relatable and heartfelt with some fantastic imagery depicted from the fewest of emotions if you read one new poetry collection this year, choose this one!

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

I'll Cry If I Want To by Raquel Franco

Wow I can really relate to this book so much from the first poem openly talking about embracing being a woman, the good and seemingly bad but despite it all you are worthy attitude really spoke to me being a girl who has never fit in or lived up to so called societal expectations, it was refreshing to hear a woman writing the way I feel and know someone else out in this world too gets it. I always enjoy poetry but these poems were so moving to me and utterly relatable about life growing up as a woman and situations we go through and grow through whether we want to or not and have to confront how we feel I am sure there's something in this collection you can relate to.

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.

365 Days Without You by Akhira

Another beautiful selection of poetry focusing on the year after a break up between two partners. Simple well thought out sentences and verses packed with emotion of questioning why the relationship ended and why what happened did happen for them to break up or the relationship fall apart the way it did so. Gut wrenching and honest display of feelings of grief of the relationship and losing the future they had idealised too a poetry book packed full of poems you'll surely find one to relate to.

Thunder and Daisy by Mercedes Paradiso

Wow what an emotive potry book with the contrasting sides ofthe title a kin to light and dark it was certainly a journey through what felt like many different people's diffent stories of love, longing and desire with sketches added alongside the poems for more effect to visualise the poetry too. It was such a moving collection that anyone can surely find a poem that resonates with them.

Lovers Exes Soulmates by Elison Alcovendaz

From the first page this book made me feel all the feels some relatable and beautiful emotive poetry a really great collection that's heart-breaking and so cleverly written the way they're set out into three separate stages of life and romantic relations makes it easy to dip in to and get hooked reading them definitely worth a read!

No Shame by Anne Cassidy

Stacey Woods or Girl X to the press is back pursuing the conviction of her rapist Marty after his brother Harry didn't help her or stop him from raping her.

Stacey has the support of her family and Patrice her best friend as she faces the toughest time of her life yet as she faces court and her uncertain future to come.

This book was brilliant in the way it wasn't straight forward and easily dealt with in a case closed kind of way as a twist occurs and throws Stacey and her future off course. However, the story may be short but it packs punch after lunch of drama from not only her court case but the reappearance of her rapist too Anne has made another carefully crafted story here.

Handle With Care by Louisa Reid

Ruby has a baby, unexpectedly and leaving Ash her best friend shocked especially ehen the truth comes out about the baby more so, no spoilers here. It explores the hard hitting subject or teenage motherhood and all the challenges a baby in someone's life can bring up, let alone coping with raising a baby unexpectedly for both wider families involved and the mental health of a young struggling mum. There were many tough situations faced in this book written beautifully from both main character best friends perspectives as they come to terms with what the baby brings up and into their lives it was both beautiful in verse and gut wrenchingly honest and utterly gripping to me I really enjoyed exploring the worlds of Ash and Ruby and had me questioning, how would I feel in either girls situations.

Somewhere In The Sunset by Estelle Maskame

When Gracie and Luca break up out of the blue, Gracie is shocked and heartbroken after years together creating their influencer life together in their shared YouTube channel. Meanwhile, trainee police officer, Weston has found himself newly single after his girlfriend breaks up with him. After a chance meeting the two can't keep away from each other, their lives become intertwined in many fun, sweet and sometimes very serious scenes. A sweet but sexy summer read that had sizzling scenes between the couple but my word the end was breath taking, Estelle has written a cracking New Adult debut and I hope she writes many more in the years to come!

Radical Love by Zachary Levi

In my time off reading I discovered Chuck a TV show I grew up aware of but not a viewer of being born in 1996 not 1990 alike my cousin's I was always aware of things they were into and then came to discover again as I grew up and to the age they loved them. Then, I watched Shazam! I was hooked and invested into the fun adult Zachary Levi was and after watching Chuck and many of his Instagram Live video's alongside me discovering and watching Chuck from start to end within the first couple of weeks of the pandemic lockdown starting. I then discovered this book, not only a refreshing, open account of a mental health breakdown and then getting back to life working on yourself and healthier habits, but a male in his forties being so open about it is honestly just great to see and I'm sure will encourage other older males to check in and realise they too can help their lives change for the better. Zachary may be a great actor, but his awareness and openness to help others and encourage mental health and trauma discussion is so refreshing to read about all the ways open and available to us to reflect and change and the fact that it's never, ever to late to help yourself, others and create a better you.

Somehow, Somehow Nyanda Foday

A memoir of sorts in prose about the pandemic. Call it a coincidence but when I read the summary I knew it would be interesting to read an account in verse and as it turns out was very similar and relatable to my own experience. As someone who has dealt with depression and others who struggled maybe even for the first time during the lockdowns that occurred the accounts in the book were not only relatable but raw and honest with the emotions written into each part of the book which told the authors story of their life in and out of lockdown during the occurrence of Covid ehilst they were away at university in their own little world of sorts at times locked in and away from others at some times. I really enjoyed the book, relatable, emotional, honest and a reflective book it's hard to believe how far we've come back to a semblance of normality since them first lockdown days.

The Switch Up 2 LA Exchange By Katy Cannon

In this book we rejoin the lives of Willa and Alice who are, two friends who look practically identical and in this adventure Alice heads out to LA to stay with Willa.

When Alice flies to LA to stay with Willa, she gets roped in to help. Willa should be volunteering at an ocean conservation charity but can't as she wants to help make a film, so Alice fills in for her. Only while there she falls for Jake only he believes she's Willa and as they get closer Alice has to come clean, will Jake understand why she did it and will Willa get on in her dream of being an actor and director wwith a successful first project?

Of course, will they actually get away with switching up places once again too?

I love The Switch up books, I grew up watching The Parent Trap film which is reminiscent of these books only these are more modern times and older characters too. The drama is constantly evolving and engaging and of course the not knowing if they'll get caught out swapping places kept me hooked it's a fun light read that teenagers will enjoy!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book and take part in the tour for them!

Gemma's Not Sure by Gil Stewart

Gemma is facing tough decisions, go and play piano professionally as a performer despite her shyness, or persue a different career altogether despite her work playing.

Jamie has tough decisions to make too, after finding uni more of a chore only enjoying rhe social aspects and his refereeing.

However as the two get friendlier, they discover they have more in common than they thought, as they start a bad, Gemma helps a piano student she takes on called Rosie to have a better time at school and of course Jamie is Lily's ex, her best friend.

There's plenty of drama but this book is utterly relatable for the issues it raises throughout from tough life work choices and following your heart and your true passion. I loved that Jamie and Gemma came together in a very quick yet natural way and feel like this book was even better than Lily's story! I truly can't wait for more from Gil about these characters lives!

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