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REVIEW: A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood

Hello all! Hope you're all enjoying the summer! I'm currently on holiday in a huge castle in the South of France and enjoying relaxing, playing games, and of course reading a lot!  Today's post is a review of a dreamy summer romance that's perfect for your holiday TBRs! Title:  A Sky Painted Gold Author:  Laura Wood Series:   n/a Pages:   356 Publisher:  Scholastic Date of Publication:  5th July, 2018 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer - a handsome, dashing brother and sister - Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions... And is there something darker lurking at the

July and YALC wrap up!

Hello all! This month I'm going to combine a July wrap up with a YALC wrap up because all of my reading this month ties in with YALC so it just makes sense. Also, I'm currently suffering from whiplash (I flew over the handlebars of my bike and slid down a hill on my front) and therefore have plenty of time while resting to write a fairly lengthy blog post. I will start with the books I finished reading in July! You may have seen I challenged myself to read as many books from YALC authors as I could before the weekend, and while I only managed to read 7 I was quite proud of myself! The ones I read in July were...         1. All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth - 5 stars 2. Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, Eleanor Wood - 3.5 stars 3. Clean by Juno Dawson - 5 big fat stars 4. The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green - 4 stars 5. Bookshop Girl by Chloe Coles -  3.5 stars I really enjoyed al

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

Good morning! Hope you're having a good week! Today I have a review for one of the biggest titles at YALC this year. Title:  Floored Author:  Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, and Eleanor Wood Series:  n/a Pages:   320 Publisher:  Macmillan Date of Publication:  12th July, 2018 Synopsis from Goodreads: When they got in the lift, they were strangers (though didn't that guy used to be on TV?): Sasha, who is desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he's the best-looking guy in the lift and is eyeing up Velvet, who knows what that look means when you hear her name and it doesn't match the way she looks, or the way she talks; Dawson, who was on TV, but isn't as good-looking as he was a few years ago and is desperately hoping no one recognizes him; Kaitlyn, who's losing her sight but won't admit it, and who used to have a poster of Dawson on her bedroom wall, and Joe, who shoul

REVIEW: Clean by Juno Dawson

Hello all! Hope you're all enjoying the summer so far! My proof copy of Clean in all its shiny glory Today I have a review of a super gritty and powerful read from Juno Dawson that I highly recommend. Title:  Clean Author: Juno Dawson Series: n/a Pages: 400 Publisher: Quercus Books Date of Publication: 5th April, 2018 Source: proof received from book club Synopsis from Goodreads: I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter ... it's liquid gold. When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility. From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady. As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... It's a dirty business getting clean ... My Thoughts: I haven't read a book by Juno Dawson since Say Her Name which was published in 2014

YALC 2018 Challenge!

Hello! YALC 2018 is coming up this month - who's excited?! I sure am! To celebrate (and also to prepare because I am very organised and like to be prepared) I am setting myself my own little YALC challenge. It's very simple and you can join in too! It's easy: read as many books by YALC authors as you can before Friday 27th July, ie, Day One of YALC.  If you don't know, YALC is the Young Adult Literature Convention which happens at LFCC in London. It's the fifth year this year, and it's always great fun so I can't wait. I like to have read as many books of the authors who attend every year and so that's how this challenge was born. Read on for a list of what I'm gonna try to read before the weekend! In no particular order (because I literally never stick to it): 1. All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehforth - This is published on 19th July and I'm half-way through now and really enjoying it! It's very intriguing,

REVIEW: We Are Young by Cat Clarke

Hello! I've given the blog a spruce with a new design and header, I hope you like it. Let me know what you think! Today's review is of a gritty contemporary that I definitely recommend. Read on to find out why!  Title:  We Are Young Author:  Cat Clarke Series:   n/a Pages:   384 Publisher:  Quercus Books Date of Publication:  3rd May, 2018 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: On the same night Evan's mother marries local radio DJ 'Breakfast Tim', Evan's brand-new step-brother Lewis is found unconscious and terribly injured, the only survivor of a horrific car crash. A media furore erupts, with the finger of blame pointed firmly at stoner, loner Lewis. Everyone else seems to think the crash was drugs-related, but Evan isn't buying it. With the help of her journalist father, Harry, she decides to find out what really happened that night. As Evan delves deeper into the lives of the three teenagers who died in the crash, she uncovers some

REVIEW: It's A Wrap by Perdita and Honor Cargill

Good morning! I have finally finished my degree (woohoo!) and so I (should) have all the time in the world for reading and blogging now! Here's a review of the final book in a series that I always love to read when I'm revising...  Read on for why I enjoyed this so much!  Title:  It's A Wrap  Author:  Perdita and Honor Cargill Series:   Waiting For Callback, #3 Pages:   351 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication:  31st May, 2018 Source:  Author Synopsis from Goodreads: Elektra James is back and her life is more hilariously chaotic than ever! Elektra is hoping for BIG things this year... She's finished her first feature film (even if her character was unexpectedly killed off half-way through filming), hosted the party of the year (well, before her mum arrived and threw everyone out - how embarrassing!) and managed to become Archie Mortimer's Actual Real Life girlfriend (for now anyway...), so things are most definitely moving in t

BOOK REVIEW: Slay by Kim Curran

Hello everyone! Long time no speak (my own fault for trying to relaunch my blog a month before my dissertation was due and I had to start revising for finals...) so I hope you are all well! I've got a review of a great book for you today. Do you need to escape from the stress of revision or busy lives? Then this book is perfect for you! Here's why... Title:  Slay  Author:  Kim Curran Series:   Slay, #1 Pages:   297 Publisher:  Usborne Date of Publication:  3rd May, 2018 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: Meet SLAY – SLAY do two things and they do them well: they play killer music and they slay killer demons. When Milly, the lonely daughter of a world-famous opera singer, arrives home to discover that her mum has been taken over by something very evil, she finds herself in mortal danger. But the last people she expects to rescue her are the hottest boy band on the planet… Enter SLAY: playing kickass gigs in the spotlight, and saving the world from

SERIES REVIEW: The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Hello! Welcome to my appreciation post for one of my favourite series - The Illuminae Files ! I'm going to try and keep it non-spoilery but be cautious if you've only read Illuminae  and/or Gemina .  THE FACTS: Series title: The Illuminae Files Series authors: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Publisher: Rock the Boat Series completion date: 13th March, 2018 This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken

WRAP UP: March

Hello! As it's 1st April today, I thought I would do a quick March wrap up post! I'll start with the books I read this month: I reread Illuminae and Gemina so that I would be fully prepared for Obsidio , all by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, which came out this month! They were just as good, if not better the second time around.  Then I read Obsidio  and it was everything I wanted it to be from the finale of this amazing series.  Keep an eye out this week for a series review.  Then I read In Paris With You by Clementine Beauvais.  I was super excited for this book, which is out in June, as I was a huge fan of another of her books,  Piglettes , which came out last year. However this book was totally different - it's a verse novel set in Paris, very romantic - and I didn't enjoy it much at all. I'll be posting a full review nearer the time of publication, but I'm sad to say this wasn't for me.  However, I then read Scythe  by Neal Schuster

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada: Review and Giveaway!

Hello! Today I have a review and giveaway for you guys! I was lucky enough to meet Emily Suvada this week, and so I've got a signed copy of This Mortal Coil to give away today! Here's my review of this great book to whet your appetite! Title:  This Mortal Coil Author:  Emily Suvada Series:   This Mortal Coil, #1 Pages:   464 Publisher:  Penguin Children's Books Date of Publication:  2nd November 2017 Source:  Waterstones Synopsis from Goodreads: When a lone soldier, Cole, arrives with news of Lachlan Agatta's death, all hope seems lost for Catarina. Her father was the world's leading geneticist, and humanity's best hope of beating a devastating virus. Then, hidden beneath Cole's genehacked enhancements she finds a message of hope: Lachlan created a vaccine. Only she can find and decrypt it, if she can unravel the clues he left for her. The closer she gets, the more she finds herself at risk from Cartaxus, a shadowy organization with

Easter Holidays TBR

I'm back from uni for the Easter holidays so I thought I would share what I'll be reading over the break. I'm currently reading... OBSIDIO by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff I've been excited for this for sooo long. I preordered it back in April and it's finally here! I absolutely love this series; it's one of my favourites and I'll be writing a fuller post about it when I've finished Obsidio so keep an eye out for that. But if you haven't read these yet then I really recommend you get on it! After this I shall be reading (in no particular order)... IN PARIS WITH YOU by Clementine Beauvais I read Clementine's first book  Piglettes  over the summer and absolutely loved it so I can't wait to read this new one! It's a verse novel set in Paris, when two people meet again after ten years apart and revive their relationship. I haven't read a verse novel in a long time and who can turn down a Parisian romance?!  GOO

Book Review: Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Title:  Moxie Author:  Jennifer Mathieu Series: n/a Pages:  340 Publisher:  Hodder Children's Books Date of Publication:  21st September 2017 Source:  borrowed from Reading to Recover Synopsis from Goodreads: It's time to fight like a girl! Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her high school teachers who think the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules. Viv's mum was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates Moxie, a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond and spread the Moxie message. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realises that what she has started is nothing short of