By Popular Demand Gracie Dart Book 3 by Jess Vallance

In book three we see how Grace tries to become more popular and make new friends. However, we soon see you can't force these things as she comes to learns as she by chance falls in with a popular girl and so her friends do too.

As she helps her new friend to run her cake and entertainment party business she also deals with the crush she has on her, only her new friend is straight...

We also see how Grace comes to realise alike in the other books just how much true friends matter and how you should pay attention and help them in times of need. Gracie always has such an adventurous life and experiences some odd and hilarious at times too situations which this book didn't lack at all once again.

Far From Perfect By Holly Smale

Faith Valentine is a feisty girl who's set to be an actress like the rest of her family it seems.

However when her relationship with her singer boyfriend Noah hits the rocks, her mum is depressed and locks herself away from the world while Faith 's dad is off with his new partner.

All Faith wants is to be happy and do what makes her happy, can she get there?

Faith is a feisty character having to cope with a lot happening in her life while trying to work out what will make her happy to growing up into her future she desires. For me it was as gripping as the first book and worth a read to get to know the family and their drama better I can't wait to get to know the other siblings and their various different lives too as the series progresses on.

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

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!

One Too Many Lies by L A Bowen

Paige along with Kate and Abby her best friends skip school where she meets Morgan at a party where they take part in drinking, trying drugs and playing party games while still having a crush at school on Alex.

Am while lying to their parents about w where they're going and staying out late after sneaking out first...

Told in verse this is a powerful tale of growing up and struggling to fit in and find love as well as acceptance with their friends about their lifestyle. As the lies build up we see how they have to deal with the consequences which teaches us the lesson about karma and never assume everything will be fine. It was hard hitting and real dealing with issues teens will probably come across.

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

Sprinkle Sunday's Ice Cream Sandwiched by Coco Simon

Allie is struggling living between her divorcing parents and also wants to go to her new schools dance but in wanting to fit in needs a new and specific dress that's not easy to get from her parent's when they don't approve.

Meanwhile at her mum's ice cream parlour the girls create new mermaid cones, ice cream sandwiches and throw the first birthday party there too.

But as Allie struggles with feeling sandwiches in her life will she stick to being herself and not another clone at her school and choose her ideal dress not just what the other students are going to be wearing?

This book had some sweet ice cream creations made once again that will make you wish you had some to hand while it also teaches kids about the importance of staying true to you and not letting others influence you and your opinion and tastes.

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

In this book we follow the life of ballerina, Hannah as she progresses through her company and gains more exclusive performance parts for herself. The girls despite being friends are still rivals and a rivalry against Zoe her friend soon sees the pair desiring and fighting for a lead role.

Soon enough she discovers love and learns there's more to life than rigid hard work leading her to eventually decide she has to choose between Matt and Jacob as well as a life normal living or as a ballet star.

I love ballet books and it was partly truthful as the author story is similar and inspired the book. It was eventful and honest and easy to believe especially as ballet is a hard career and takes much dedication. The characters were typical young adults and the book seemed to race by despite being average length and action packed I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

This Heart Of Mine by C.C. Hunter

Leah is a sufferer of the condition myocarditis, so when a transplant becomes available to her she takes the chance.

However, she doesn't expect that the heart she got lucky with was one of a twin's, leading her to Matt whom she knows from school and falls into a tricky love with as he reveals his twin Eric committed suicide, resulting in her new heart becoming available.

But when Leah and Matt both start suffering from dreams about Eric's last night alive they start to uncover what really happened that night suicide or otherwise...

This is a really deep and emotional read throughout from varying points of view. We can tell how everyone has been moved by the tragic events which is true to life when someone really does commit suicide. The way Leah and Matt come together is really natural and I feel shows how sharing grief despite their twist of events can help people move on and accept the unchangeable.

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

The Secret Runners Of New York by Matthew Reilly

Skye isn't an insider, unlike her brother her twin Red whom is one of them along with Misty, Verity, Hattie, Bo, Griff etc who are.

She is friends with Jenny another girl like her who's been through a shared struggle, self harm in their cases though for different reasons entirely.

However as the elite rich classes of New York prepare for the impending end of the world as it's predicted, Red gets shown by the elite rich kids just what's in the future and eventually they include Skye in their secret when she helps ring leader Misty out.

Though as it turns out everything comes at a price, a secret shared with a new friend whom proves nothing like they seem, as Skye soon discovers about Misty.

As betrayal leads her to the missing girls from their school whom vanished and winds up being stranded in the future she must uncover what's seemingly happened to stand a chance of saving her family in the future if at all possible.

An insightful novel that really made me think about if the world was to truly end, it was chilling at times with the bitchiness of the the inner clique whom were very toxic but made even more drama in an already dramatic book. I was hooked and as someone whom doesn't go for books like this normally, was pleasantly surprised.

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

You Can't Hide by Sarah Mussi

In this book, Lexi escapes her old life with her mum to get away from her mum's abusive boyfriend Charlie.

Following their life, she wakes up in hospital to her aunties and no mum in sight and no recollection of her memories of what happened.

We discover she was in love with a boy called Finn after she stole him away from his old girlfriend Jules using a spell as she believes she's a witch.

When Jules gets dumped by Finn she vows revenge and plots and pushes our star couple to land themselves in trouble in the name of a rather revealing art project for school fueled by Jules's jealousy.

It was a bit odd with the witch reference and not heavily used just hinted at a few times to be honest it could've been left out and been an amazing book about the dangers of girls over jealousy and envy of what someone else has like a boyfriend they fancy.

Charles wasn't mentioned a great deal just the odd account from him interspersed every so often and t could've been made better in my opinion as I found the culmination a bit of a let down and not what I hoped for at all. Jules was a devious character who made the drama for sure what it became but ultimately she was in a position to do more and just didn't hit the mark for me.

Love, Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson

In this book Frankie is enemies for a start with Sally a girl who's mean to her after assuming her mum is a drunk after an incident at their school.

However as the book goes on, Sally befriends Frankie after seeing her out with Sammy her best boy friend from next door who evidently likes Frankie a lot more...

As Frankie learns about her feelings she's dealing with, coping with the drama of her sister's, her mum's MS worsening and their dad's new life situation everything feels out of control for her to cope with.

It was a refreshing read to have a chronic illness as a central issue and a girl struggling to come to terms with her sexuality too probably the most relevant Jacqueline Wilson book about right now and I just know this will help many girl comes to terms with their feelings and accept them too I do wish that we saw more of the alcoholic storyline from Sally's mum though as many kids are also effected by that however maybe we can have a follow up book as the ending left one to be desired...

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

Guest Post by Kate Mallinder - Why stories about friendship are more important than ever

If I had been more organised, I would have written this blog weeks ago, sent it to Eve and be on with my next writing project. But I wasn’t. So now I’m writing this with my husband working from home and my children all being schooled at the kitchen table. We are the lucky ones who get to stay in as our way of helping slow the spread.

This new world we find ourselves in does make writing a cheery, upbeat piece about a new teen novel interesting. What I had planned feels too frivolous in the circumstances. We’re living through history and life is unrecognisable from just a month ago. Why are we even thinking about fiction when we have all this going on?

I’ll be honest: that question floored me for a few days as I tried to get my head around what was happening. But as the mental dust settled, I realised: stories are actually hugely important in times of crisis. Stories can talk about the big life truths in a way nothing else can. Fiction can literally show (not tell) what it means to be human, our need for connection even though we’re apart, that society is strengthened when we pull together.

That, and losing yourself in a good book is a pretty awesome way to while away a few hours.

So then. Asking for a Friend. What’s it all about? Well, it’s the stories of Agnes, Hattie and Jake; each struggling with something – a sister who’s moved out, being ghosted by friends or a worry about health they can’t talk about. All three feel isolated and friendless.

So when Agnes decides to go away for a ‘study break’ to look for her sister, Hattie and Jake both think it’s the perfect escape from their everyday lives. They only know each other a little, so none of them say what’s really bothering them, preferring to try and battle their problems on their own. However as their stories unfold and they face a life-changing situation together, they begin to trust, begin to share, begin to become friends.

It’s how friendship can be found in the unlikeliest of circumstances. It’s how a friendship can grow. It’s how friends support each other, no matter what.

I was supposed to be talking about why I wrote Asking for a Friend, how I wanted to explore friendships and how they start. But that’s now not the focus. This is a story teens can lose themselves in and enjoy friendships while they’re apart their friends. It’s an escape. It’s feel-good. It’s a book that’ll make you smile.

You can order a copy of Asking for a Friend from Firefly Press and it will be sent to you when it publishes on 21 May – as an incentive to order in April, this copy will be signed and come with an Asking for a Friend badge. Kate’s debut, Summer of No Regrets, is also available from any book shops that are open and also Firefly’s online bookshop, in case you need a feel-good fix in the meantime.

Many thanks to Kate for writing this post, fiction provides escape and can be a perfect way to escape the anxiety of life right now, be sure to check out Kate's previous book, The Summer Of No Regrets too I have a review up on my blog and Goodreads it was a fab read perfect for in the summer sunshine to relax with!

 

Lily's Just Fine by Gill Stewart

Lily is juggling a lot from school finishing she finds herself involved in the local gala where she comes up with many great ideas but mainly what the elder folk don't like.

Meanwhile Tom's sister Sarah has been ill for a while with a mystery illness that's undiagnosed while his friend Gemma who's Lily's best friend ropes him in to help at the gala too as he does sailing.

As Lily and Tom slowly get together, Lily's mum suffers from a very bad depressive episode while Sarah becomes worse too and at their event day, things go very wrong, can they all get through this?

This book was a very packed adventure which gave so much within it's under four hundred pages which was great. Personally the portrayal of a chronic illness in young adult fiction isn't seen nearly enough and I was so happy to discover it mentioned in this book as a sufferer myself it was relatable from every angle it was shown and truly realistic. Tom and Lily made a sweet couple even though they had their rocky times of course like any relationship does which just won me over more. If you want a sweet if at times dramatic relationship book, this is the one for you.

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

Did I mention I Miss You? By Estelle Maskame

After Tyler left Eden alone, we finally see how Eden has been after a year without him in her life as she relied on Rachael and her mum support to help her heal. Though it soon becomes apparent that she's now seriously angry at Tyler. A huge contrast to the calm character Tyler shockingly returns as and of course, Eden doesn't take his return easily and hits out, literally.

As Ella tries to get their family talking properly they all end up forced on holiday together where things stay the same despite Tyler being the bigger man to Eden's dad.

After more tension and words fired getting them nowhere, Tyler and Eden head back to Portland together where Tyler shows her the work he's done and is doing to change his and others lives which is simply put, astounding and humbling compared to his old character.

As the couple look set to be together though they must return home to try and patch up their family because surely they can't hate them forever, their friends acceptance eventually proved that, hopefully?

This was such an ending to the main trilogy! I didn't expect Tyler to start a ne  life in Portland of all places but it proves he wanted to understand Eden and her past better and share in what she knew. It was nice to learn of Tyler's normal job and humbling charity start up as not many young guys would think of doing something like that a majority of the time and it shows how Tyler wanted to better guy for Eden.

Did I Mention I Need You? By Estelle Maskame

Tyler is in New York thanks to his mum helping him heal himself after the abuse he suffered for years at the hands of his father. Eden travels to stay with him despite being in a relationship now with Dean but not in love with Dean sadly as she is still in love with Tyler, her stepbrother.

But as she moves in with Tyler, their relationship rekindles whilst they deal with Snake and Emily whose British and a new lodger in the apartment. They also face their friends and enemies joining them and threatening their happiness as they finally reveal their relationship to their loved ones to shock, acceptance and hatred as they deal with the guilt and hurt, only separately after a shock twist ending.

This book was like an episode of Gossip Girl full of drama, backstabbing, manipulation and lies. Relationships get torn apart and friendships seem uncertain as their relationship implodes their group around them. There's sweet moments though in New York involving dates, tattoo's in their natural relationship language they use which is Spanish. All in all they realise they actually don't want to and can't be apart anymore even though it will tear their families apart...

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame

Eden is spending the summer in LA to meet her father's new wife and her three son's, now Eden's stepbrothers. Chase is six, Jake is fourteen and Tyler seventeen, a year older than Eden and a live wire to put it lightly. He is the typical bad boy and takes drugs, smokes joints and drinks till he's paralytic.

Eden and Tyler can't stand each other yet forced together during her stay, the pair soon run in the same crowd as Eden makes friends with Rachael who's friends with Meghan and Tiffani, Tyler's irritating, controlling girlfriend.

Eden stays out late, drinks at parties and finds herself getting guys attention that she never expected only it's Tyler whom she suddenly falls for and after finding out his hard past to do with his dad, contending with Tiffani and managing their growing feelings, this family secret looks set to explode eventually...

This is a drama filled book about love, lust and forbidden love overall. However it features so much more and hits on so many huge issues that can effect teens from child abuse, pregnancy, drinking under age, college stress, friendship issues and drugs.

It was a fun and charged read with typical teenage characters but each so varied in personality it was extremely drama filled!

Girl's Guide To Summer by Sarah Mlynowski

Leela and Sydney are heading off to Europe for four and a half weeks yet on the plane, Matt, Leela's ex is also travelling.

We learn of Sydney's hesitance to leave her agoraphobic mum and as a result of her mum's condition, her stressed and stuttering sister will be left to somehow cope alone with their mum.

Leela leaves an online social media trail in the hopes of Matt coming and finding her, until someone else catches her eye and just maybe she doesn't need Matt after all...

This book was a lovely read for the summer and as someone who can't travel on planes I enjoyed getting a feel of the travel they go through and the cities the travel to. Leela was a likable character but I was rooting for her to have a nice time and forget Matt so she could just enjoy her adventures!

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

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

In this super sweet teen contemporary, baking brings a cast of characters together from grief feeling Lottie after losing her dad a year ago and the anniversary is coming up whilst she's still withdrawn at school she also has to cope with her mum being a secret hoarder as she fills their home with stuff she feels needs love it else her mum hides away in her room.

Meanwhile as she joins bake club to keep the school teachers happy she meets bad boy Will Mac whom she strikes up an unlikely friendship with over her natural baking talent she already has and they find a friendship of sorts with each other and the four other members of bake club too.

As the group bonds over baking weekly and more together as they set their sights on an upcoming TV competition and a fight for an apprenticeship at a local bakery, the pair's all encounter more drama as Lottie tries to keep her secrets hidden despite the friends sharing more and more, will the group all break up being friends and will Mac stay with Lottie?

It was a sweet read. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the bad guy and the good girl and how they actually worked as a couple and have each other more than they were previously getting out of life. Everyone found friendship in bake club and allowed them something to enjoy other than exam worry. The writing was engaging and the fun endless as well as giving us recipes to try out too!

Dare To Fall by Estelle Maskame

Mackenzie doesn't deal well with death after the twins Dani and Jaden, her friends lost their parents a year ago and Kenzie cut them out of her life unsure of how to act and what to say, just as she was becoming close to Jaden.

In this time between she has made friends with sport fanatic Holden and Will, a gay guy.

A year on however, after approaching Dani, Jaden starts to talk to her again after a chance meeting again just maybe what they were could be rekindled?

Through the novel we see how Kenzie has had to deal with a lot from her mum's binge drinking to forget her grief, dealing with her ex, Darren an older guy who's clingy and wants her back and holding down her job too.

Especially when a huge secret from her best friend could shatter what she could've nearly had once again...

The serious issues and the friendships were dealt with really well Estelle always writes great books with plenty of detail, twists and best of all killer couples with crazy attraction. The book shows how grief can cause people to change and not know how to act for fear of acting or saying something wrong most often and how it can be hard to come back from and save a friendship takes a lot of hard work.

#Help by Rae Earl

Millie has a female cat called Dave and best friend Lauren. She lives with her mum and her boyfriend Gary who's a clean freak and loves his robot hoover.

Since staying at her dads her Instagram posts get more hits and lauren encourages her to star her own vlog. So in her granddad's shed, she starts to vlog there while Lauren's parents constantly argue and Millie gets mean comments on her vlogs the girls face some tough times.

Bradley and her kiss he's a bit nerdy and into science etc but also vlogs and is great with a good following on his channel but a new guy Danny joins the school too...

Millie is a typical modern day teen loving YouTube and feeling judged a lot. Typical modern day tropes are in this book all the way through from bullying online, friendship, love, school and dealing with parents dating too! It was fun to read about Dave the wild girl cat too if you like Emma Moss's Girl's Can Vlog series this book is for you!