The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Natasha is a girl living illegally in America and facing deportation back to her home of Jamaica due to her dad getting a DUI.

Daniel is a Korean guy living in America with his family where his brother has come back from studying to become a doctor and thus is quite an unpleasant character around Daniel as they fight a lot.

As Natasha goes to meet the only lawyer she thinks can help her case to stay in America she meets Daniel and didn't expect find herself liking him as much as she does. Though Natasha faces leaving America, she can't break it to Daniel and so it makes her feel guilty later when he finally understands but can their possible love and future stay alive in hope or never get going at all?

I wanted to love the book after all the hype but honestly for mW it fell very flat. I would have liked to know the main two characters deeper and have their stories more developed before they fall in like/love as they felt bland to me. As for the deportation and parent hope for child storylines they are great and really happen to many people so matter immensely.

Floored by Sara Barnard, Lisa Williamson, Non Pratt, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Eleanor Wood and Melinda Salisbury

This is one of the most hyped books of the year for teens and it's easy to see why, as for a start seven of most talented and popular YA authors have teamed up to write this collaboratively.

The cast of characters, Dawson, Hugo, Joe, Kaitlyn, Sasha and Velvet all end up in a lift which is where a delivery guy drops down dead suddenly as they're stuck in the lift together when the emergency stop button has been pressed by one of them. Following news reports about the incident as it happens at a broadcasting house building in Manchester's Media City.

The book follows them all year by year as they keep in touch and meet back up and we learn of all their dramas what have happened to each other, together we see a part of that year as a chapter from each characters perspective then also a narrator too and we learn how each of them has serious issues to deal with from sexuality, pregnancy, parents health worries, money worries, going blind, coping with loss, guilt and of course just maturing and learning about yourself too. The usual up and down of life is thoroughly shown in a truthful and emotional way.

The characters are all so different and over the course of the novel really come to appreciate each other despite the difference between them all. All the authors writing works well combined as they all write YA books and have a feel for the typical teen voice. I loved it, for sure it's a novel to be celebrated and the hype around this book has been well deserved indeed.

I am also excited after the announcement on twitter of which author wrote which character as you could guess but not be sure and now we know, did you guess right?

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

We Are All Made Of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Stuart and Ashley are forced together as their parents, Caroline and Leonard move in together.

For Stuart he lost his mum to ovarian cancer and used to want a sister as he recalls his childhood early on and Ashley's dad came out as gay and moves on with boyfriend, Michael where as Ashley wished he hadn't and can't face telling people.

Ashley soon warms to Stuart little by little after finding out he gets to be around and talk to Jared her crush. But soon enough after they get talking she realises Jared isn't as nice as she thought he was after an incident at her house where Stuart is to the rescue which also helps her opinion of him improve again.

I really loved the concept of Stewart keeping his mum's blanket and feeling closer to her as he has the idea her molecules are on it, it's a lovely comforting idea.

The book tackles homophobia, being in the LGBTQIA community, divorce, death, step parenting and acceptance. Each issue is pretty much set to one key character and played out through them with an overlap on divorce and parenting being for both Stuart and Ashley. At first Stuart seemed intriguing and Ashley vain and harsh in her attitude but we do soon seen her and Stuart's development character wise as they both change their opinions of each other and their newly combined lives together. I loved the dual perspective of how each now sibling was feeling and adapting to their lives colliding and it worked better than if it had just been from one perspective overall, great work Susin!

928 Miles From Home by Kim Slater

Cal lives with his dad whom works away constantly on jobs he's evasive about. One day walking late by the river he meets Amelia whom lives on a barge with her mum and brother. This later teaches him about friendship and family formations as his family begins to drastically change...

When Sergei slips into their school year, Lindon Cal's friend starts to pick on him racially saying things and generally being nasty to him for being in the UK making assumptions about being a benefit scrounger even though he isn't and he's legally allowed to be here.

When Cal finds out his dad is dating and moving in Sergei and his mum, his friends start to cause trouble for him as he's forced into the situation and when the community centre offers an escape into film writing despite getting broken into repeatedly, Cal takes a chance until a twist on events makes him realise Sergei might not be so bad...

All about tolerance and acceptance of others around us from anywhere in the world at all. It was dramatic and eventful and I liked the family dynamic shifting and introducing a usually solitary character to fit into a family and how he can adjust so drastically and judge his past actions and friend associations.

The Holiday Cottage By The Sea by Holly Martin

Tori is staying with her best friend Melody after losing the love of her life, Luc ands deciding to take a break from work in London and follow her friends to the countryside and seaside.

What she doesn't expect, is Aidan a handsome stranger she gets predicted to marry minutes after her arrival! Agatha, whom predicts her possible future marriage also leads her astray in her plans for tattoos and piercings, a real rebel lady and quite a character as she predicts more marriages amongst the villagers.

As she is an animator, she also agrees to help make and market an animation for heartberry to drum up some more trade business for them.

Meanwhile, her main reason of stay to partake in fruit picking turns out to be at night, allowing her and Aidan time alone together...

From shared hobbies to finding fiery passion after both having failed in love before with previous partners and shared family drama's, there's a lot the pair bond over and soon enough we see they were meant to be as it's natural how they collide lives. Everywhere sounds so idyllic and I loved Beast the tearaway wild dog who's girlfriend is called Beauty! It was a read to give you a case of the warm fuzzies and it didn't disappoint in any way at all, a cute and love fuelled read!

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

A Bad Boy Stole My Bra by Lauren Price

Alec and Riley are new next door neighbours that meet when Alec steals Riley's Disney bra as a date one night. Vowing to get it back Riley issues him and tries to get it back but instead gets a friendship and flirtation instead as we learn of Alec's cocky nature in this super sweet contemporary which will having you bawling with laughter, especially at Alec's one liners which are stunners!

There's also Kaitlin, Tony and Tiana whom all have bad linked memories for Riley and as she comes to terms with that, or not in some cases as her panic attacks come on stronger, we see how much Alec cares about Riley as he takes care of her as they strike and finally reveals to him just what happened surrounding the night to do with Kaitlin her cousin.

From a new young Midlands author this is one amazing debut that you will adore of you like contemporary and Young Adult fiction books. Alec is a typical cheeky guy and Riley an outraged girl at his actions and fights back feisty. The pair made the perfect cocktail for a loving, funny, eventful couple for the book to base around the drama was truly heart wrenching and truthful as grief can strike for times after a tragic death.

This is the cutest contemporary YA novel I have read this year!

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

Star By Star by Sheena Wilkinson

Stella lost her mother to the great flu ranging on throughout England and Ireland both, during the first world war. Setting off for where her mother used to know in Ireland and being expected there were she meets Sandy and an array of older women whom love together in a sort of lodging house together.

Sandy is an soldier of war and Stella helps him to re focus his life as he helps her garden and later helps a local couple too. As women start to be able to vote and the war ends, tragedy stills strikes....

This is a heartbreaking story about coping with illness and war and I could imagine all the grief and joy they feel over the events that happen during the book. Something that tickles me about the book is a coincidence that main character Stella Graham is actually a name comprising of both my parents first names! A coincidence which have us all a laugh but at the same time very wartime esque appropriate!

Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

In this book Maya is an aspiring filmmaker and dreams of attending NYU but her traditional Muslim Indian parents don't approve. They dream of her marrying and staying at home and being a good girl as they dream.

However, after her dream seems within reach, an act of terrorism causes more violence in her life and not just to the public as she and her family face physical and verbal abuse.

She also has to battle with a crush on Phil she's harboured for years but as the pair grow closer and closer, things escalate till the future seems too hazy to hope for together...

The book looks at the future of a hopeful student but as she goes against all her strict parents wishes whilst she experiences love but also a terrorist attack that directly affects her life and unfortunately this is all too true an occurrence. It was a real book with deep issues that many people can relate to.

Dead Ends by Erin Lange

Billy D is new on Dean's street and has downs syndrome, Dean is a typical hard guy starting fights and playing the rough guy act.

The pair start to hang out together as Dean learns he can stop getting detentions of he helps Billy D out, including helping him find his dad as it's his dream goal.

The pair also meet tomboy girl Seely, as Dean falls for her whilst she helps the pair out trying to find Billy D's dad even going on a road trip of sorts...

This was a very interesting book, a typical hard guy helping a guy with downs syndrome out at school and home as they live in the same street. It was surprising with the turn of events and raises awareness of the prejudice disabilities can cause as well as how harmful domestic violence can be on someone. It was a great emotionally charged book and even included a strange hobby for Dean's mum as she collects and wall mounts winning lottery tickets never cashing them in!

The Little Wedding Island by Jaimie Admans

Bonnie heads to an island dubbed The Wedding Island thanks to the Many successful marriages that come from the little chapel there.

On the boat journey there, she meets Rohan for the first time as she comforts him as he suffers with his seasickness and when they arrive, head to a hotel Where they stay separately but do share dinner where Bonnie learns that he's R.C. a rival journalist and columnist whom she has had Twitter drama with.

Just as they were getting along so well! As Rohan tries to apologize after her upsets her over dinner that Clara the kind hotel owner makes for them, he tries to win her round with humour and chocolate cake.

There's a little wedding street complete with all the shops and businesses you could think of to need for a wedding event to go ahead using the services off and of course, it's aesthetically beautiful. Even if the shops remain shut to those who aren't obviously a couple getting married, there's also the hilarious situation of a pug guard dog which I loved!

However as the pair share love secrets and wedding atories, witness a bear marriage to sour and experience their chemical attraction grow even stronger, it all implodes after an article appears and threatens their own little happy ever after...

This book was so sweet and endearing, the characters were vibrant and so super as the storyline was amazingly planned, plotted and executed. The writing drew me into their time on the island and made me feel part of their adventure there. As the first book I've read by Jaimie, I'd snatch up another as the story won me over as well as the writing style being so beautifully descriptive and captivating. Also love the cover as the colours defiantly boast summer and love contrasting perfectly.

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