All About Mia by Lisa Thompson

Mia is the middle sibling between perfect university heading Grace and younger high achieving swimmer Audrey.

when Grace returns from her travels with a shock, she's pregnant and her boyfriend is with her vowing to stick by her so they move in after an explosive grilling from her parents.

In the story Mia wears an All About Mia t-shirt, going out drinking tons, losing her virginity, planning a holiday with her mates and looking for love and attention from anyone and anywhere. She has a neighbour whom she baby sits for and even makes a pass at him, a forty year old.

Then her friends fall out with her, one over a guy, and her little sister goes missing as well as suddenly, her older sister going into labour!

Mia is a live wire and can't be contained, she is a firework, sparking off until she explodes as her actions become worse and worse and they do get her the attention she craves even if she can't see it at first. She is all about herself, as the title suggests, however she seems insecure and unhappy and overall wants toto be someone she isn't. It was an eventful book and will leave you remembering such a wild character in Mia.

Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin

When Gen gets together with Peter neither of them could've been prepared for what happened next and now Gen is left with the consequences all alone after Peter abandoned her at the abortion clinic she had to go to.

We see from a split perspective of past and present events, from her meeting Peter a religious guy supposedly and now after the abortion struggling to understand how and why he won't get in touch.

After care sees her friend Rose looking out for her especially as word gets out Peter is now with his best friend Vanessa. It just so happens Vanessa used to be Gens old best friend. Struggling to move on, she suddenly meets  Seth at a party held at her cousin Delilah and a spark is instant between them, only the next day
Gen and Seth's lives collide once again when he introduces her to the idea of auditioning in New York as he is also a theatre lover and urges her to perform again as her dad would want her to.
We also see everything come full circle for Gen when Peter suddenly shows up out of the blue once again and a family tragedy reunited the cousins after a fall out.

In Gen's life we see her lack of parenting for her or her sister as her dad does from a heroin overdose due to a life long battle with drugs in the scene of him being a playwright and their Mum suffers with her mental health and isn't always reliable to be around. The themes of abortion, pregnancy and suicide/mental health are dealt with in a way we see how it causes pain for each involved and those around them and just how much a support network can help as well as a good shoulder to cry on as Rose is a strong and supporting friend of Gen's. I also loved how each chapter started with a title from the list of after abortion care and how it plays a part in the story.

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

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

Luce is a pastor's daughter, captain of the swim team despite her asthma and has a doting boyfriend, Lukas.
Yet, her mum fought breast cancer, to the knowledge of everyone as she is also the school nurse as well as pastor's wife.
For Luce, Prom was magical until doubts bubble up towards her mum's condition after the concerned head principal approached her.

After a double mastectomy they learn the cancer has spread to her mum's lymph nodes and so her parents ask her to keep things normal and go and work as a camp councillor for the summer at camp where she usually goes. She worries about her mum of course but goes to camp especially as her boyfriend has paused their two year strong relationship.

At camp she has a good time and makes friends with Anna, a fellow councillor. However the kids at camp have a lot of issues such as underage pregnancy, health conditions, being transgender, suicide and dead parents. At camp they can escape the bad and enjoy the activities on offer.

Then trumpet player Henry Jones sets Luce's pianist heart a flutter which is great, until Lukas turns up!

Cue a lot of drama ahead, a family secret found out by accident and then an emergency in the hospital the force of love within a family has never been stronger.

The books deals with teen pregnancy and the pressures of cancer on a family and the individuals it shows the good and bad of each and the way things get better or worse before they can flip around again and again but love around you never changes, never wavers.

A great new novel by Emery Lord, thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review it for them!

Trouble by Non Pratt

Fifteen year old Hannah has gotten herself into a terrible situation. Not only is she underage to legally have sex, she finds herself pregnant and by a boy who should be unobtainable to her. She confides in her gran about the situation who is super supportive even as Hannah's cool crowd abandons her including best mate Katie whom was her main drinking buddy.

Hannah then meets Aaron, the new boy with a dark secret about his past whom is the son of the school's new teacher. She makes a great friend in Aaron who voluntarily offers himself as a stand in father for her unborn baby and supports Hannah through the rubbish she gets at school, as she breaks the news to her family about just whom the real father is and becomes her best friend and maybe more...

This book is great for breaking many barriers about underage pregnancy, sex with the wrong person and death and it's many after effects. This books was very honest about the struggles of friendship issues and fake friendships too with the way that Katie turns against Hannah, joins the popular crowd who then turn against her like she did to Hannah, showing karma gets you in the end as often said!

I really loved this book and it's lived up to it's title about there being trouble!