Can You Hear Me? By Jake Jones

As a paramedic we see how Jake and his fellow paramedics have had to deal and cope in certain situations such as car crashes, births, drug abusers, time wasters, hoarders, asthmatics, copd sufferers, deaths, car accidents, babies, suicide attempts and psychotic episodes too the book is full of drama filled real life experiences and tough situations Jake has been forced into facing.

I have always been intrigued into life as a paramedic as we hear all too often of them getting abused on the front line of care which to me is horrifying. I wanted to be a paramedic or midwife growing up and personally having been helped by paramedics previously have had my eyes opened with this book how horribly they can be treated and the awful situations they can have to be in. Jake has written a fantastic raw book about life as a busy paramedic in this demanding role and hope more people will pick this up to see what life can be like as a paramedic too.

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In this book we meet Dak, who's just lost his dad and his mum has since withdrawn from life and is struggling to come to terms with him being gone.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

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor isn't normal, first and for most this is evident but then who is, she's just dealing with a lot.

Scarred from childhood in a fire she endures the mundane everyday life she's used to from going to her office job, going home, doing crosswords and keeping to herself drowning her sorrows in vodka too.

After all her mother drummed it into her from birth that she's not worth anything and no one will ever care for her...even her past boyfriend Declan abused her and she thought it was normal sadly.

So one day when she meets new IT worked Raymond and by chance they help an old man in the street when he takes bad they start to meet up with him and then at lunch too. Eleanor develops a sort of social life she never believed she would deserve thanks to her past.

Through the book we witness her highs and lows including when things with her mother come to a head spiralling her depression and her addiction to vodka and sending her to counselling and help her come to terms to with an unobtainable crush she had on a musician as well as discover her past trauma to help her heal from and accept actions aren't her fault at all despite the guilt she's let consume her the rest of her life.

This book tackles a lot of complex issues from trauma, addiction, loneliness and the end plot twist to do with her mum makes you realise just how bad things were for Eleanor. I felt empathetic towards the main character but was happy with the portrayal of how such horrific acts can cause PTSD/trauma effects.

That's Not What Happened by Kody Kepplinger

Leanne lost her friend Sarah at school during a massacre when a male sixteen year old opened fire killing nine students. Only now Leanne is setting the record straight and has discovered the truth about what happened by getting the survivors and her now friends to write their account of the day's events in letter form.

Eden a gay girl, Miles a troublemaker and Denny, a blind student with a guide dog Labrador called Glitter also witnessed the attack as well as Kellie a goth girl, from in the bathroom where Sarah the so called religious girl was killed too with Leanne her best friend witnessing it all happen.

I liked the book featuring a mix of disabled and asexual characters as it's against the normal seen in young adult never too often. The aspect of a shooter as a sixteen year old in a place of legal gun use too was interesting and showed a further element of mystery about the shooter into the mix though I was disappointed in how little we see his story and whether he was known to all the group. It felt truly authentic and horrific alike when a real American shooting has taken place sadly and I'm glad it was fiction and not fact for once. It was a greatly emotional and moving story especially in a time where acts like this can be committed at any time it seems.

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

A Taste Of Blue Light by Lydia Ruffles

This book focuses on the life of Lux and her friends Mei and Olivia. As well as Henry and Cal her two love interests through the book.

The main plot is that she can't recall what happened during the summer after she wakes up one day in hospital unable to remember just what has happened.

She attends an arts school and writes but after the brain injury, struggles to get back to herself.

Overall the main focus is on the sensitivity of the brain and injury whilst also looking into the cause in this case being a major event, a terrorist plot. It was an okay book but I didn't find it relatable in any way and found the first third of the book to be a drag.

Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan

After Jess heard her best friend Eden has gone missing, she sets off on finding her herself by recalling everything since the beginning of the summer when Eden lost her sister and Jess was attacked before that.

Both suffered and are suffering through their traumas and we are how much the girls rely on each other for support

Liam Eden's boyfriend and Jess shared a kiss but it's more while Eden went off with a guy called Tyler whom she trusted with Her shocking secret discovery about her family and sister.

Set over a day whilst Jess tries to find Eden, we see the emotional toll and distraught it causes them all from parents to friends and strangers. Grief and pain is sewn into each page which grips you and pulls you into the story more and more. It was a great mystery thriller as well as featuring mental health battles too a lot is covered and it's a great YA read!

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Bernard

Two best friends at separate schools, Rosie and Caddy start to hang around with new girl Suzie who lives with her aunt, Sarah after she reveals about her past at home and how unsafe it was for her.

Rosie goes to school with her and introduces her to Caddy who soon gets dragged into Suzanne's life, hanging out at night going on long journey's as well as smoking, drinking and disobeying her parents.

Suzie has had a traumatic childhood thanks to her abusive father. Her brother, mum and social care all can't help her and after she attempts suicide previously can't see a positive future easily. When she and Caddy end up in an abandoned building and a serious accident occurs both girls bear scars from it, mentally and physically as well as a heavy dose of self blame for Suzie who goes off to try and end it all...

A very detailed look into trauma and its catastrophic effects on lives over time as well as how it effects everyone around them they influence.

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Alice is in her forties, living up north after moving from her home in Brixton with her children, leaving her parents suffering Alzheimer's in full time care. She is able to run her unique map crafting business in peace by day to keep her family afloat.
Derry is her best friend she met through taking her children to school day in day out and worries for Alice when she takes in the possibly forty year old strange man she has watched sitting on the beach getting soaked by the pouring rain.

Carl is missing and Lily his new Ukranian wife is clueless how to find him when he doesn't exist on police database as reporting him missing.

Carl has no memory of who he is but goes with Alice and so becomes 'Frank', the mystery man.

Rabbit cottage has been Kirsty, Gray, Pam and Tony their mum and dad's holiday home full of happy memories year after year.
That is until stranger Mark starts hanging around Kirsty and Gray becomes suspicious of him.

Throughout the book, the story is unravelled around twenty years apart in actions to consequences to date.

Highly intoxicating reading, mysteries and questioning ahead when you pick this book up, you have to!

Rape by Joyce Carol Oates

One night walking through the park at midnight after a fourth of July party, an horrific attack took place on a thirty five year old mum, Teena. She may have acted like a certain teen in her matter and dress, but she didn't expect to be brutally taped by a gang when her daughter was present no less.

This book is brutal and honest, her twelve year old daughter grows up telling the tale to us through recovery, trial and the after effects on her still now. The trauma is raw and inescapable in this sad, horrifying book which is amazing but not for sensitive people or young people.

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert

Only two days after Christmas back in 2009, Hannah's life changed drastically after a car crashed into her car while she was eight months pregnant with her little baby 'Halloumi'.

Also in the car was her partner, Roma and their daughters, Jackie and Jazzie who all managed to escape the wreck along with Hannah but unfortunately, baby Zainab had just one tender day with her family due to the horrific accident. No amount of bruises or broken bones were as significant a side effect of the crash as an innocent newborn life being so cruelly taken. I feel anger towards the reckless driver for taking this poor family's precious baby away, reckless drivers need stopping and need punishment.

Hannah's writing during the time of being in hospital talks of her inability to face traveling in a car again so soon as the trauma caught up to her and all she was facing ahead of her felt too much, working with a physiotherapist to walk again properly as well as grief all taking a toll.

I was glad to know that the reckless student driver was caught but saddened to know that Hannah and Rims split. However, their grief was aided by Ali's arrival, a newborn baby boy joined their family and sent a new glimmer of life and hope to them.

I was so glad to read that Hannah's family escaped but the loss of a new baby is always a tender thing. In our family, my aunt suffered a lot to get pregnant and I have a friend trying multiple rounds of IVF to try and have a baby, it's an emotional toll to endure at any stage of pregnancy from conceiving to birth. Hannah's account is detailed and strong, the family is a powerful team and baby Z would be proud to have such a loving family.

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

The inconceivable life of Quinn by Marianna Baer

When sixteen year old Quinn finds herself astonishingly a pregnant virgin, it shakes up her family's world.
Her father a candidate for congress and so the limelight becomes heavier surrounding the family throughout her pregnancy.

Her boyfriend, Jesse and her friends all stand by her and support her through the media onslaught and people insisting she's the 'new Mary' from the Bible.

The book also deals with the situation of believing you have experienced trauma for example rape very well. Quinn goes through a period of time trying to dig up memories which she can't complete, a classic sign of trauma normally.

However, this book has an underlying myth/fable fantasy storyline interwoven. Quinn's Grandma who is now dead, previously believed in 'The Deeps' as does Quinn but her father believes his mother was seriously depressed and made it up.

It was certainly a very different story to any other and in no way a straightforward storyline. But that's what made it more interesting, it wasn't predicable and caused me to go down many roots of thinking to try and figure out who could've got Quinn pregnant and the ending sure made it all come together perfectly!

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

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Set in a diary format, we see into the life of her as she moves home from the set day to day life and finds herself on a downward spiral very rapidly.

After going to a party and being given a drink spiked with drugs the effects influence her to love the thrill and atmosphere which spur her on to leave home and live with her friend as they try to find the next fix day to day. They look out for each other until they decide to go home and get back to normal if they can.

However upon returning to school she faces the drug users turning on her as she becomes a quiet studious girl again breaking away from the drug crowd and choosing to hang out with her boyfriend in the library instead despite all the bulling she's facing from the drug users.

After losing her grandparents merely weeks apart, she winds up in a mental institute against her wishes after she was drugged unknowingly and the police take statements from the drug crowd at her school who convince the police she was pushing drugs onto them.

After getting out, life looks up as her boyfriend returns. Yet apparently as the diary ends, we learn the subject of the book died only three weeks after stopping keeping a diary.

This book shows the dangers of drugs firsthand and the pressure peer's can put on each other creating a stressful environment which may have attributed to her final drug use if it was self inflicted.

This Careless Life by Rachel McIntyre

After finishing her A levels, going to prom and stressing over the infamous, 'him' of her story, she is visited by Cass, whom is a TV producer, calling on Liv and her friends, Declan, Hetty and Jez to take part in a new TV show, This Careless Life.

Liv applied to take part after spotting an advert online when she was uploading her latest YouTube tutorial. She comes from a very rich family whom own vast amounts of land and many racehorses.

She didn't know however, her biggest secret was about to be exposed, a picture of a dead girl surrounded by paracetamol packets.

But this starts off a trail, all linked to the four auditioning and linked together they unravel a mystery surrounding this audition.

This book is like a modern inspector call's with added social media influence to expose events. It was a great, intriguing mystery which made it a page turner and gripping!

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

Out Of Heart by Irfan Master

This book intrigued me from the start, for Adam's granddad has passed away leaving his heart as an organ donor.
Adam struggles with his feelings over his grandfather's passing but is strong for his mum, sister and extended family.
Then William lands on their doorstep, close to death and accepting of that fact, he feels connected to Adam and his family, which he is in a rather big way.
He has Adam's granddad's heart.
Him arriving causes friction before acceptance as well as Adam finally approaching his long term crush.

I really liked the fact that Adam relies on his drawing and graffiti as well as his sister also leaning on her sign language as she doesn't have anything right to say. William fits into the family and it shows how much we need each other.

The book tackles diversity, health and first love really well. It openly discusses feelings from all of these angles and how actions of the past can alter the future in such a huge way.
Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!