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...

Title:  When Dimple Met Rishi Author:  Sandhya Menon Series:  n/a Pages:   384 Publisher:  Hodder Paperbacks Date of Publication:  1st June, 2017 Source:  Publisher via NetGalley Synopsis from Goodreads: The arranged-marriage YA romcom you didn't know you wanted or needed... Meet Dimple. Her main aim in life is to escape her traditional parents, get to university and begin her plan for tech world domination. Meet Rishi. He's rich, good-looking and a hopeless romantic. His parents think Dimple is the perfect match for him, but she's got other plans... Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon, WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI is a frothy, funny contemporary romance set at a coding convention in San Francisco over one exciting summer. Told from the dual perspectives of two...

Hey guys! I'm so excited today to share this guest post from author Katy Cannon, whose new book And Then We Ran publishes this week! I've read and really enjoyed this book (see previous post for a review!) and I'm sure you guys will too! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sometimes it feels like the world runs on coincidence. There are 365 days in a year, and slightly fewer people in my immediate family, and yet we all seem to end up sharing birthdays. My childhood best friend and maid of honour never actually saw me get married, as she gave birth on the morning of my wedding day. Wherever I travel in the world I always end up bumping into someone from home. And then there’s my friend James. James has three gorgeous children with his wonderful, patient and generally awesome partner. They’re very happy. But James has always said - ever since I met him over twenty years ago - that he would never get married. He didn’t need a piece of paper to make him commit, a wedding was a waste ...

Title:  And Then We Ran Author:  Katy Cannon Series:   standalone Pages:   352 Publisher:  Stripes Publishing Date of Publication:  6th April, 2017 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: A road-trip story about following your dreams and embracing the unexpected. Megan knows what she wants out of life and she intends to get it, whatever her parents say. Elliott has given up on all his plans for the future – but then Megan bursts into his life with a proposal that could change it forever. Together they embark on a road trip to escape their hometown and chase their dreams. But life is a journey and not even Megan can control where theirs will lead… My Thoughts: I was a massive fan of Katy's first two books, Love, Lies, and Lemon Pies , and Secrets, Schemes, and Sewing Machines when I read them a few years back, and so I was very excited to read this new release, and it didn't disappoint ! I read it quickly and...

Title:  A Quiet Kind of Thunder Author:  Sara Barnard Series:   n/a Pages:   307 Publisher:  Macmillan Children's Books Date of Publication:  12th January, 2017 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say. Rhys can't hear, but he can listen. Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder. Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it. From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things comes a love story about the times w...

Title:  Wing Jones Author:  Katherine Webber Series:  n/a Pages:  384 Publisher:  Walker Books Date of Publication:  5th January, 2017 Source:  Gifted Synopsis from Goodreads: Jandy Nelson meets Friday Night Lights: a sweeping story about love and family from an exceptional new voice in YA. With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing Jones is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing's speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants. My Thoughts: I really liked Wing, and she was very relatable.  Her perception of fitting in and not belonging anywhere due to her dual heritage was portrayed realistically, and I enjoyed seeing her grow in confidence throughout the book.  Her conflicting feelings of first grief and sadness, then anger and frustration at Marcus an...

Title:  The Square Root of Summer  Author:  Harriet Reuter Hapgood Series:   standalone Pages:   336 Publisher:  Macmillan Children's Books Date of Publication:  5th May, 2016 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from back of book:  This is what it means to love someone. This is what it means to grieve someone. It's a little bit like a black hole.  It's a little bit like infinity. When the fabric of the universe surrounding Gottie's sleepy seaside town begins to fray, she is hurtled through wormholes to the past. To last summer, when her grandfather, Grey, died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at Grey's funeral. To the day her childhood best friend, Thomas, moved away, leaving her with a scar on her hand and a gap in her memory. This summer, although Grey is gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present and future are about to collide - and be c...

Title:  The Unexpected Everything Author:  Morgan Matson Series:   standalone Pages:   518 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication: 5th May, 2016 Source:  Spare review copy passed on* Synopsis from Goodreads: Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan. Future? A top-tier medical school. Dad? Avoid him as much as possible (which isn’t that hard considering he’s a Congressman and he’s never around). Friends? Palmer, Bri, and Toby—pretty much the most awesome people on the planet, who needs anyone else? Relationships? No one’s worth more than three weeks. So it’s no surprise that Andie’s got her summer all planned out too. Until a political scandal costs Andie her summer pre-med internship, and lands both she and Dad back in the same house together for the first time in years. Suddenly she’s doing things that aren’t Andie at all—working as a dog walker, doing an epic scavenger hunt with her dad, and maybe, jus...

Title:  Casting Queen Author:  Perdita and Honor Cargill Series:   Waiting For Callback, #1 Pages:  346 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  28th January, 2016 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: When Elektra is discovered by an acting agent, she imagines Oscar glory can't be far away, but instead lurches from one cringe-worthy moment to the next! Just how many times can you be rejected for the part of 'Dead Girl Number Three' without losing hope? And who knew that actors were actually supposed to be multi-lingual, play seven instruments and be trained in a variety of circus skills? Off-stage things aren't going well either - she's fallen out with her best friend, remains firmly in the friend-zone with her crush and her parents are driving her crazy. One way or another, Elektra's life is now spent waiting for the phone to ring - waiting for callback. Can an average girl-next-door ...

Title:  Carry On Author:  Rainbow Rowell Series:   n/a Pages:   517 Publisher:  Macmillan Children's Books Date of Publication:  8th October, 2015 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads:  Simon Snow just wants to relax and savour his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he'll be safe. Simon can't even enjoy the fact that his room-mate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can't stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you're the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savour anything. My Thoughts: Before I start this review, I feel I should explain how this book came about. Rainbow Rowell's novel Fangirl is about, you guessed it, ...

Title:  Night Owls Author:  Jenn Bennett Series:   n/a Pages:   272 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Date of Publication:  13th August, 2015 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Feeling alive is always worth the risk. Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists. But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. My Thoughts: I didn't really know anything about Night Owls when it dropped through my letterbox, but after a few weeks when reviewers had started to read it, I began to see it everywhere. I'd seen comparisons to Graffiti Moon which I actually didn't enjoy that much so I was slightly apprehensive, but I'm happy to tell you guys that I really enjoyed Night Owls . It portrays be...

Title:  Am I Normal Yet? Author:  Holly Bourne Series:   Normal Trilogy, #1 Pages:   434 Publisher:  Usborne Date of Publication:  1st August, 2015 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list… But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love? My Thoughts: Ever since I read a proof copy of Soulmates back in 2013, I've been a big fan of Holly Bourne. I devoured Soulmates in only one day despite it's 500 pages, and The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting was probably one of my favourite reads last year. ...

Title:  The Madness Underneath Author:  Maureen Johnson Series:   Shades of London Pages:   290 Publisher:  HarperCollins Children's Books Date of Publication:  26th February, 2013 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe… There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose… But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. My Thoughts: (This is a review of a reread, because being the terribly inconsistent blogger that I am, I never actually reviewed this when I read it the first time round. Soz about that.) So the  Shades of London series has been in my favourites ever since I first read the first book, back when it came out. In preparation for reading The Shadow...

Title:  Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines Author:  Katy Cannon Series:   Companion to Love, Lies and Lemon Pies Pages:   368 Publisher:  Stripes Publishing Date of Publication:  2nd February 2015 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Grace: This was supposed to be Grace’s starring year, until she opened the door to a family secret that changed everything. Now she’s stuck making costumes in Sewing Club and watching someone else play the lead role – unless she can find a way to win it back. Connor: Far from home and exiled to a new school, all Connor wants is to keep a low profile and get through the year. But agreeing to help his step-dad out with the school play means he’s soon caught up in Grace’s schemes. Grace had a plan for this year – and it didn’t involve learning to sew. But being out of the spotlight isn’t the disaster she imagined, even if Connor is convinced she’s still a diva extraordinaire. Can ...

Title:  My True Love Gave To Me Authors:  Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White Series:   Standalone anthology Pages:  355 Publisher:  Macmillan Children's Books Date of Publication:  9th October, 2014 Source:  Publisher from event* Synopsis from Goodreads: On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ...This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays. My Thoughts: My True Love Gave To Me contains twelve stories by twelve different authors, including Stephanie Perkins, Ally Carter and Rainbow Rowell. Of the twelve authors, I've read and enjoyed books by nine of them, and so while antho...

Title:  Since You've Been Gone  Author:  Morgan Matson Series:   Standalone Pages:   449 Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Books Date of Publication:  3rd July, 2014 Source:  Publisher, for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just...disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back? Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough. Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a stranger? Um... Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she'll find? Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what? My Thoughts: I've been a fan of Morgan Matson for a few years now, ever since...

Title:  Isla and the Happily Ever After  Author:  Stephanie Perkins Series:   Anna and the French Kiss, #3* Pages:   375 Publisher:  Usborne Date of Publication:  14th August, 2014 Source:  Bought Synopsis from Goodreads: The café is boiling. The atmosphere is clouded with bittersweet coffee. Three years of desire rip through my body and burst from my lips: “Josh!” His head jolts up. For a long time, a very long time, he just stares at me. And then…he blinks. “Isla?” Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on brooding artist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And, after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer break, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to face uncertainty about their futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. Set against the stunning backdrops of New York, Paris and Barcelona, t...

Title:  Let's Get Lost Author:  Adi Alsaid Series:   ~ Pages:   352 Publisher:  Mira Ink Date of Publication:  1st August, 2014 Source:  Publisher via NetGalley for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: One girl could change four lives forever… Mysterious Leila, who is on the road trip of a lifetime, has a habit of crashing into people’s worlds at the moment they need someone the most. There’s Hudson, who is willing to throw away his dreams for love. And Bree, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. Elliot who believes in happy endings…until his own goes off-script. And Sonia who worries that she’s lost her ability to love. Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. But Leila’s trip could help her discover something bigger — that sometimes, the only way to find what you’re looking for is to get lost along the way… My Thoughts: I was super excited to read Let's Get Lost , as it is...

Title:  Silver Shadows  Author:  Richelle Mead Series:   Bloodlines Pages:   380 Publisher:  Penguin Date of Publication:  29th July 2014 Source:  Publisher for review* Synopsis from Goodreads: Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives. In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists. Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but th...