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

Add to Goodreads

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 07/09/2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 304

Source: Netgalley

Genre: YA {Contemporary | GLBT}

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

♪ Ke$ha - Die Young (Patrick Lentz Cover) ♪

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.

[Review] Night Swimming by Steph Bowe

Add to Goodreads

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 03/04/2017

Publisher: Text Publishing

Pages: 311

Source: Library

Genre: YA {Contemporary | GLBT}

#LoveOzYA

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

♪ Mary Lambert - She Keeps Me Warm ♪
♪ Anna Kendrick - Cups ♪

My Rating

4/5 stars

My thoughts

I've been wanting to read Steph Bowe since she first debuted in 2010 with Girl Saves Boy. Firstly, she got published at 16 years old, which I think we can all agree is a major feat. Clearly she must be doing something right to have her name out there at such a young age. Most 16 year olds are sleeping in, cruising through high school and working the stoves at Maccas - but not this Steph Bowe chick! That alone drew my curiosity... and then the other day I was positively moved by Mands' review [The Bookish Manicurist] for Night Swimming, and it became the only book I could imagine reading next. I had borrowed a copy from the library but I will most certainly be purchasing my own copy!

Night Swimming is a coming-of-age story that follows Kirby, one of the only two 17-year-olds still left in rural town Alberton, Australia. She enjoys her simple life and is content with a steady job as an apprentice carpenter. Her best friend Clancy, the other 17-year-old still left in rural town Alberton, Australia (and also the only Asian in town) is counting down the days before he can leave for the big smoke - Sydney.

But if Kirby also leaves, just as some others in her family have been known to do in the past, where will that leave her pet goat Stanley, or her rational-thinker mum, or old man Mr Pool who she works for? And when a new family floats into town, Kirby finds herself falling in love with the new girl, Iris . . . what now?

[Review] Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Add to Goodreads

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 23/10/2012

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 290

Source: Bought
Genre: YA (14+) - Contemporary, GLBT

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
♪ Lilyjets - Perfect Picture ♪

My Rating: 

Startlingly honest and bold

My thoughts

I'll just come right out and say it. I loved this book hardcore. I devoured it, one of those nothing-else-exists-until-I-finish-this-book kinds of books. Of course, I expected nothing less of A.S. King. I kind of have a golden track record with her novels (see below).

(The Dust of 100 Dogs | Please Ignore Vera Dietz -- still haven't reviewed because there were too many things to say that I was overwhelmed and now I'd have to reread it so there. | Everybody Sees the Ants)

Ask the Passengers was insightful and felt wholly unique and fresh in this glorious way that only A.S. King seems able to achieve. The writing is raw and punchy; if you're no stranger to King's writing you'll know what I'm talking about. The main character, Astrid, reminded me of Daria from the MTV show Daria: smart, kickass, sarcastic, kind of an oddball but awesome in her own ways, and most importantly she takes it upon herself to not give a damn what other people think because they're all morons.

[Review] Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 28/08/2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 268

Source: For review

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

My Rating:

Inspired

Summary:

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret.

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast - and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence - to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting everyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way. People she never noticed before. A boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

My thoughts

As SPEECHLESS involves a vow of silence, and it’s been ages since I read this and only had a small list written up about it, I’ll keep this review short and simple.

[Review] Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door {goodreads}

Authors: Stephanie Perkins

Publication (dd/mm/yy): 03/10/11

Publisher: Penguin (AU)
RRP: $19.95

Source: For review (thanks Penguin!)
Age: 14+

Pages: 350

My Rating:

Summary:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My thoughts: 

Just about perfection. THIS was just what I needed. Stephanie Perkins, you have done it again.

...MY PRECIOUS!

I'm almost at a loss for words.

Also, since I'm just wired this way, I noticed 4 grammatical errors in my *finished* copy. Nothing too major, otherwise I'd probably report it, haha. Just thought I'd say it for the sake of saying it.

San Francisco seeps out of this book like a soothing song. The story of Delores 'Lola' Nolan had me feeling and doing very, very similar things to when I joined Anna Oliphant's journey in France. It really makes me breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't just the setting of France that had me so caught up in ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. I smiled, I giggled/laughed/chuckled, cried, fought back tears (losing in the end), felt frustrated, annoyed, confused. Perkins just has that effect on me. :P