The OMG! Blog by Karen McCombie

Jessie meets Shanice, Rose and Zarah in detention where she's actually most less likely to be But by accident ended up with. However it pays off as she makes some friends from the situation.

When the girls have to set up a blog to enter into the school competition, Jessie comes up with their idea from something they all have in common, moaning about their mums!

However as they spread the word of their blog as the most popular one will win, the girls each write a post about their mums and when their mums turn up for the school event where their blog gets show just how do the mum's react and feel?

A story about the joys and dangers of blogging about your life online and how things we say it wrote can hurt others feelings. A rule that applies only more and more in today's world.

Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson

Ali and her dad love their bakery, a last link to her passed mum however much it may be failing especially as a new chain coffee shop opens up on the same road.

As Ali and her dad battle to get more custom and keep themselves afloat, they discover that Dane a new boy at Ali's school's dad owns the chain and may be stealing their ideas until Ali realises her other friend Harris has been acting off and not for the typical reason she thought...

Full of friendship drama and tackling topics of friendship and grief this book will tug at your heart strings and it was a sweet read with a sadness woven through it too as Ali misses her mum and could lose her last link to her. This was a great quick read and I love the title too sugary sweet and free me in to read being intrigued!

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.

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!

The Sky Is Mine by Amy Beashel

In this book we meet Izzy, a girl who's being blackmailed into sleeping with a guy, Jacob from her school while at home she and her mum are domestically and verbally abused by Daniel, Izzy's stepfather and her mum's husband.

Grace is her best friend but spends most of her time now with her girlfriend Nell and makes Izzy jealous of their close bond as she feels pushed out and unwanted.

However as things keep worsening with Jacob and Daniel, her mum one day decides enough is enough and the pair up and leave with dramatic consequences...

This book tackles many girlhood topics and I recommend it for teens to read.

I loved this book Izzy is a body positive hard as nails girl who has to deal with so much life rubbish from loss, rape, consent issues, blackmail, friendship drama and maybe falling in love, Izzy is a teen who raises many issues and tackles them all alongside her rebecoming herself mum, new love interest and with a kicking playlist to boot for ultimate positive vibes, this book was a fantastic debut knocking these topics out of the park, you need to read this book!

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

My Brother's Name Is Jessica by John Boyne

In this book Sam idolizes his older brother Jason a talented footballer and the two have a close sibling bond as their parents don't have a lot of time for them as they work for the government in parliament.

However, growing up Jason comes out one day to the family with his secret. His parents react badly thinking it's a silly phase while
Sam is curious and doesn't care just wanting Jason to be happy again especially as Jason gets bullied at school for his girly longer hair, scrunchie and scarf he wears despite comments and bullying.

Can the family survive the truth from Jessica?

Showing bravely how coming out can make it break a family and the stress and upset it can initially cause this was a brave and bold read which I hope will open people's eyes to how coming out is a massive huge deal to admit who they really truly are.

First Day Of My Life by Lisa Williamson

In this book we follow Frankie as on GCSE results day her best friend Jojo doesn't show up as a baby went missing and Frankie puts two and two together to think as Jojo has been acting so out of sorts she could have abducted the baby randomly.

Frankie calls on her ex boyfriend Ram to help her as she traces her to far away in Swindon where the two discover a life changing shock can the three ever be on good terms with each other again?

This book was a fabulous read with a great twist the initial mystery of a baby going missing was thrilling and I would've like to have seen how that side played out too as well as Frankie and Jojo's friendship story too. The trio battle a lot of drama and if like me you enjoyed The Baby by Lisa Drakeford you should definitely read this one or both of course!

Thanks to David Fickling books for kindly sending me a copy to review!

The Jigsaw Puzzle King by Gina McMurchy-Barber

In this book we meet Warren and his twin brother Bennie who calls Warren Wart, his nickname in front of the new kids where they move to.

Maya is a bold girl and breaks free of the judgemental neighbourhood kids to befriend the new guys especially Bennie as she reveals her kind and caring nature throughout the book when we're introduced to her other friend Owen.

As Bennie's brilliant at puzzles and their new school is putting on a talent show, Maya encourages him to take part while Warren wants to stop his brother from being made more of a target to the bullies in the school and so he teams up with them to try and put a stop to his brothers performance...

All about learning to love and appreciate the family and friends you have it was a unique book and I loved the powerful girl Maya was in the book and how she stuck up for Bennie all the way through too.

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

What Kind Of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel

Mike is the school golden boy who abused his girlfriend and we see her, Maya, come to terms with telling the school and her mum as she goes over their relationship.

Meanwhile we see the perspectives of other in school after learning about Mike's actions, in the form of Maya his girlfriend, Junie her best friend, Tess Junie's ex girlfriend and Hiram a guy who they know who can get you pills as his dad works in medicine and has a link to Maya.

I liked the story and it's guaranteed to have a great impact and teach about the signs of domestic abuse and violence, but in story terms fiction wise I felt we should've seen more previous scenes between Mike and Maya leading up to the present of her coming forward about the abuse. However saying that, being so quick to tell at least it gives the message speak up sooner rather than later which is obviously the best solution for a great outcome but not fully realistic. There was rep for self harm, bulimia, drug use and LGBTQIA communities and of course the former need a trigger warning.

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

Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson

In this book we meet Sparrow who is friends with Delany and Lucas we follow her on her ballerina journey and as she discovers how her past changed her specifically her mother's involvement in her life and how it helps her accept she was abused.

As she doesn't see how Lucas feels about her as he copes with his father's death nor understand the warnings from her friends and family about Tristan her boyfriend, she's putting her stunning expected ballerina future in jeopardy, can she realise what she needs to do before it's too late?

I loved Sparrow being a broken Many bird who had to break and grow into a stronger beautiful girl rising above all the abuse and pain in her life. A challenging awakening novel about the dangers of hiding abuse.

Many thanks to the publisher's for allowing me to review this book for them!

Letting Go by Cat Clarke

In this book Astrid goes on a hike with her ex girlfriend Ellie and her new boyfriend Steve.

As they say goodbye to Ellies mum, they realise their unfinished romantic history needs closure, but when trouble strikes and Steve gets injured suddenly their solemn day becomes one filled with panic and worry.

This book delved into multiple issues in one go, death and loss, sexuality, relationships, friendship and facing a tough situation too. I highly reckon this for quick thrilling read.