Monday, November 27, 2017

[Review] Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Goodreads
Publication28/10/2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 343
Source: Bought?
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity


My Rating
5/5 stars
My thoughts

Loved this so much! Why did it take me so long to finally read this book? If it weren't for decluttering and purging my book collection I might NEVER have gotten around to it, and what a waste that would have been.

*US*
I have always loved the idea of reading more road trip books, and while I admit to not having read many in the past, if many more that are to pass through me are as enjoyable as Amy & Roger's Epic Detour I must pursue more of them in future. This book really honed in on the idea that it is not in the destination, but the journey itself, and the people with whom you travel. Amy and Roger were not on a road trip for fun, but rather as a means of transporting her mum's car to their new home on the other side of the country . . . but what starts as a little detour from her mum's carefully plotted itinerary, calculated by mileage and fuel efficiency, ends up being the trip of a lifetime.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

[Review] Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

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Publication28/10/2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 288
Source: Swapped?
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
♪ x ♪

My Rating
4/5 stars
My thoughts

{AU}
I'm not sure if there was any particular reason why I finally decided to pick this book up, I think I just came to the conclusion that it was time. I didn't know too much about Everything Beautiful other than that it was an Aussie YA book set in a religious summer camp, and therefore would be a good summer read.

Monday, November 13, 2017

[Review] When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

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Publication30/05/2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 380
Source: Bought
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity


My Rating
5/5 stars
My thoughts

2017 has been a glorious melting pot of POC (People of Colour) and #ownvoices YA releases and I am so okay with that! One of the more iconic books of the year is When Dimple Met Rishi - it seemed as though everyone and their cats were reading it! And I knew I would adore it too, but I'll admit I felt reluctant to delve into it at first: after all, you can only ever experience a book for the first time once. It took me HALF A YEAR to finally pick this one up. Insanity! I don't think I could have loved When Dimple Met Rishi any more than I did! This one is definitely a keeper!

Friday, November 10, 2017

[Review] Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

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Publication01/08/2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 330
Source: Borrowed
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

My Rating
4.5/5 stars
My thoughts

The world is not a safe place. Books like this are vitally important to help prevent minors from falling victim to sexual predators from the Internet. I know what it's like, I used to prowl online chatrooms, Habbo Hotel and the like as a high school student, and trust me, there was an abundance of creeps out there. Luckily I never did come across any creeps who had the opportunity to exploit me in person in my naivete, but I suppose I know more than anyone else just how easy it might be, how real and scary this issue is. We NEED books like Want to Go Private? in the world. We need these books to be shared and discussed.

Monday, November 6, 2017

[Review] My Favourite Manson Girl by Alison Umminger

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Publication07/06/2016
Publisher: Atom
Pages: 304
Source: Giveaway
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity


My Rating
3.5/5 stars
My thoughts


Original (Flatiron)

I actually didn't know what I was getting into when I won this book in a giveaway (thank you @DateaBook!). A bit of time had passed and I figured that it was finally time that I should read it. All that I knew was that it should be a pretty good summer read, the cover is so aesthetically pleasing. :) My favourite is definitely the hipster-y photograph one shown above.

My Favourite Manson Girl follows 15-year-old Anna who 'borrows' some money from her new step-mother Lynette's wallet to buy the next plane ticket to LA. As she learns to navigate the enormous consequences of her decision to run away, she meets some of the people who revolve around her sister Delia's life as she tries to grasp fame. Like Delia's ex-boyfriend, Roger, who hires her to research the disturbing lives of the Manson girls to help imbue his latest flick with realism . . . 

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

[Review] Past Perfect by Leila Sales

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Publication04/10/2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 336
Source: Bought
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

My Rating
4/5 stars
My thoughts

After having read two tiresome/dreary/heavy literary/classic novels, I was so in the mood for a cute, swoony summer read! As I scanned my bookshelves, my eyes fell on Past Perfect, which I think first hit my radar when Nomes (inkcrush) raved about it in full, and I thought, Yes, it's finally time to lay this bad boy out! And it was everything, absolutely everything! 

This book was so cute! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Chelsea and her summer at Essex. I've never been to a reenactment historical village before so it was fascinating to read a book set in one.

I liked Chelsea and could relate to her difficulty in moving on with the past. I liked her friendship with Fiona. Reading about her family and life growing up was engaging and fun. And the whole whole war thing that went on with Essex and Reenactment Land, and especially with Dan... all of it was just the best escape away from reality, it was sort of like I had gone on vacation myself! 

Past Perfect was adorable, swoony, fun and the absolute best to kick me into gear for summer. Highly recommended for a quick and enjoyable read. :)

**(Sorry for the short review, I don't have too much to say about this one. I really did enjoy it though! Read Nomes' review for a more thorough scoop!)


Quotes

Favourites:
"Dan looked furious. 'No, when I ask you what you're thinking, it's because I want to know what you're thinking.'
And with that sentence, I loved him. I sat on the ground, bruised and muddy and spat-upon and I just loved him. In a weird way, that was one of the nicest things that anyone had ever said to me. (295)
Buy

AUSTRALIA: x


INTERNATIONAL: Abe BooksBook Depository | Wordery



I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.




Wednesday, October 18, 2017

[Review + Giveaway] Untidy Towns by Kate O'Donnell

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Publication: 02/10/2017
Publisher: UQP
Pages: 312
Source: Publisher for review
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
My Rating
3/5 stars
My thoughts

Well that took way longer than expected. To be fair, I've been doing lots of tidying and assessments for my post-graduate certificate so I haven't been prioritising reading as much lately. But. This book was S.L.O.W. I was expecting some grand adventure or scheme, something, ANYTHING to happen, but it never really came and I can't help but feel a wee bit disappointed by it all.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to UQP and Sally for kindly sending me a copy of this book for review! Included with the book was a postcard - with a lovely message from Sally and a great quote from the book - and the book was WRAPPED UP IN NEWSPAPER! Not just any newspaper, it's made to look like an old newspaper from Emyvale, a small town in Victoria, Australia in which this book is set. My excitement levels were through-the-roof crazy high. I adored that cover SO much, it is gorgeous. The problem is that there aren't really that many bike adventures as I was expecting. Darn it, book cover deception! (Like that's ever happened before... *eye roll*)


Wednesday, October 4, 2017

[Review] Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell and Fiona Wood ♥

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Publication29/08/2017
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 439
Source: Bought
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

My Rating
5/5 stars
My thoughts

Note: Sorry for the short review! I really don't have much to say, even though I loved it to bits. :) Read it for yourself!

I don't think I've had a 5 star read in a while, but this one deserved it without a doubt. Take Three Girls is brutally honest, bold and navigates a plethora of extremely important and relevant issues that teenagers face today: online (and offline) bullying, peer pressure, struggling families, toxic friends, love and heartbreak, sexuality ... just to name a few. This book was absolutely everything I could have asked for! I was just so hooked! My fragile little Feminist inner self was jumping up and down with glee by the end of it. :)

Take Three Girls is written in the perspectives of three girls at a prestigious all-girls private school in Melbourne: Clem, the sporty twin, the swimming prodigy; Kate, the quiet and studious cellist with hidden dreams; and Ady, the 'It' girl, who might not have it all together as she would have others believe. I adored them so much! And I love the randomness of their coming together and eventual friendship!

Wellness class came about as a way to combat the level of bullying that occurs in private schools, particularly the toxic PSST website which is a disturbing hot spot of misogyny and hate posts. I'll admit that when I read the PSST posts that were sprinkled throughout the book, I felt angry and frustrated. Why do some people have to be so mean? I'm glad that these posts were included though - cruel as they were, they helped to really drive home the troubling nature of online bullying, the anonymity of it all. I was waving my arms in anticipation when the girls pledged to take PSST down - they may only be words, but words (and rumours) can be the most harmful.

I loved that the authors did not hold back. At all. Like, even a little bit. There was a bit of everything in it. Now, I'm starting to get to that age where I stay away from books that have a heavy focus on high school life, but this book was just brilliant, I don't even know what to say!

Quotes

Favourites:
"'I would like, very much, to kiss you,' I say, imitating Oliver's formal tone.
Oliver is, as always, really good at what he sets his mind to. Later, I will remember this as my first real kiss, with someone I respect, like, need. I will remember Bowie playing in the background as Oliver's hands find their way. I will remember falling asleep, records spinning. (283)
"When I told Ady ... she didn't say, 'I told you so.' She just hugged me and told me about this thing the Japanese do: if they break a pot or a cup they don't try to make it perfect, instead they fill the cracks with gold-dusted lacquer. She said, 'They believe when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful. Like, it is more beautiful for being broken. Maybe all our heartbreaks will be like that and when we're old we'll look crazed with experience. In both senses of the word.' (327)
"How do you know if a boy likes you?
Maybe because they act interested in you. Or they ask you questions and when you answer they actually listen. Because they smile at you shyly and duck their head and there's no edge in their voice. Ben's looking at me like he's just given something of himself away. He pulls the oars back and we move with a sudden surge. I close my eyes for a few seconds and feel the trees, the sky, the clouds - all of it gently waving us back to the bank. (337)

Buy

AUSTRALIA: A&R | Booktopia | Boomerang Books


INTERNATIONAL: x




I have received this review copy in return for an honest review.




Wednesday, September 27, 2017

[Review] They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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Publication (dd/mm/yyyy)07/09/2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 304
Source: Netgalley
Genre: YA {Contemporary | GLBT}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity


My Rating
4/5 stars
My thoughts

US Cover
With a title like They Both Die at the End, are you surprised to hear that they both die at the end? Me neither. That's not a spoiler, it's an irrevocable fact, a truth irreversible and unchangeable, predetermined by fate or destiny or maybe it's just some cruel psychic with a gargantuan crystal ball, doling out doomed lists of people who will meet their end within 24 hours of that dreaded phone call from a member of Death-Cast. And that's basically all you should need to know about this book, going in: they are going to die. Somehow, it doesn't make their deaths any less upsetting, I suppose, in the same way that it doesn't make a palliative patient's death any less than it was. Knowing doesn't exactly translate to acceptance of the inevitable.


Sunday, September 24, 2017

[Review] Shoebox Funeral: Stories from Wolf Creek by Elizabeth Voltz

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Publication27/06/2017
Publisher: Animal Media Group
Pages: 265
Source: Publisher for review
Genre: Non-fiction / memoir

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

My Rating
5/5
My thoughts

Shoebox Funeral is a carefully crafted compendium filled with precious memories and anecdotes of a childhood spent on a farm. The experiences of Elizabeth Voltz and her ten siblings and parents are shared with delicate eloquence, making this memoir an absolute gem. I loved reading about the myriad many animals that lived on the farm over the years; while their deaths brought about much distress, it was heartwarming to know how well-loved they had been, and the resounding influence that they had on Elizabeth's upbringing is inspiring. 


Thursday, September 21, 2017

[Review] Flying Through Clouds by Michelle Morgan

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Publication02/04/2017
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 246
Source: Author for review
Genre: Middle Grade

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

My Rating
3/5
My thoughts

Firstly, I should express my gratitude to Michelle Morgan for graciously sending me a copy of Flying Through Clouds for review. I was initially drawn in by the cover, historical aspects, male POV and the fact that it is Aussie YA. Sadly, however, it never fully clicked with me and it was only my sense of obligation that had me see this through to the end. Despite my saying that, I do think that with the right demographic, this book could be a winner; it certainly did have lovely moments.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

[Review] Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

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Publication01/04/2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Pages: 388
Source: Library
Genre: YA {Contemporary}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

My Rating
2.5/5
My thoughts

Sometimes, talking about a book that you just read is simply the best thing ever, leaving you with a smile on your face and sighing constantly, relishing and reliving the epic reading adventure you had just breathed in. Unfortunately, sometimes it's more like getting a filling at the dentist. 

Alex, Approximately had so much going for it: wicked California vibes (awesome setting - tick!), cutesy summer hate-to-love romance with smarmy surfer guy, classic film fanaticism, good fashion and meeting an online friend for the first time. I liked the concept of it, and I was so ready to read a fluffy contemporary that would give me all the fuzzy feelings. But I could not stop comparing this book to Fifty Shades of Grey, just with like 90% less sex, and like yeah, it's good to see YA books that address sexuality since it is a big part of growing up, but on the other hand, it was kind of like, ew, gross, TMI.


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