March definitely seems like a quiet month on the YA front. Or maybe that’s just me? It’s going to be a month of catching up on books that I’ve missed out on in previous months and also getting ahead for the next few months too.
Here are some of the books I think you should be watching out for in March:
Crush by Eve Ainsworth
I first read Crush last summer and absolutely loved it. It’s quite easy to get fed up with stereotypical “boy meets girl and they fall madly in love, the end” type novels, so Crush is very refreshing. It tells the story of Anna who meets a boy called Will. He’s everything that Anna has ever dreamt of, but how much does perfect cost? It’s an emotional but captivating story told in a dual narrative about the toxic relationship, and dual narrative is what Eve does best.
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
The Girl From Everywhere has one of the most amazing and intriguing synopses that I’ve read this year: a time-travelling pirate ship. Nix and her father can travel around the world and through time using old maps, but her father is determined to find the map that will reunite him with Nix’s mother. Problem is, this could erase Nix’s existence. How cool does that sound?! READ IT!
Half Lost by Sally Green
This is the concluding book in the Half Bad trilogy and I’m not entirely sure if I can handle the trilogy ending yet. The books have been so, so good and it will be very hard to say goodbye once Half Lost is over. If you haven’t started the trilogy yet, you should! You won’t regret it.
I haven’t participated in the Top Ten Tuesday feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, for a very long time, but I thought I’d start doing it again weekly because I love reading everyone’s posts.
This week the theme is: “Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get”. I haven’t chosen ten because usually I like most of the characters I read about, so here are just a few:
Severus Snape – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why anyone could like Snape. I must admit, I did see the appeal once I’d finished Deathly Hallows, but I don’t think a sudden spark of romance in the plot line can excuse his awful, abusive behaviour. He’s mean to Harry throughout his years at Hogwarts and constantly puts Hermione down, calling her an “insufferable know-it-all.” Is knowledge really something to be ashamed of?
Snape is never going to be a good person in my eyes.
Don’t even get me started on Heathcliff. He’s another character that is abusive – physically and mentally – and is romanticised way too often, thanks to adaptations portraying him as dark and brooding. His treatment of Cathy Linton, Hareton and Isabella was disgusting and how anyone could love him after that is crazy.
He deserves Catherine Earnshaw, in my opinion. They can run madly around the Moors together, as long as they’re nowhere near me.
Tiny Cooper – Hold Me Closer by David Levithan
I did like Tiny Cooper in David Levithan and John Green’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson but I just felt annoyed when I read the spin-off, Hold Me Closer. It seemed too over-the-top and unnecessary. I was not impressed!
Tiny Cooper is okay in short bursts, but a whole book? Never again.
Cinder – Cinder by Marissa Meyer
I enjoyed Cinder when I read it, but I’ve never been able to get past the first two books. I think this is because the characters didn’t steal my heart from me in a way that made me want to read on, so I’ve never persevered. It doesn’t matter how much action is going on, if I don’t like the characters then I’m not going to want to continue.
Lola and Cricket – Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
I feel so bad about this choice because I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins’s books, but Lola and the Boy Next Door fell a bit flat for me. I loved her first book, Anna and the French Kiss, so much but when it came to Lola, I felt as if something was missing. I’d still recommend it because Stephanie writes fantastically, but beware that the characters aren’t everything you could hope for.
What characters have you thinking everyone else is crazy for loving them? Are there any characters on my list that you love? Leave some love in the comments to let me know!
The past few weeks have been seriously good for books. I seem to be buying a lot more than usual lately because there are so many books I’m excited to read, and I’ve also been very lucky to receive some from lots of lovely publishers. SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS!
Spot the Difference by Juno Dawson is one of this year’s World Book Day titles and I’m currently reading it. Juno always delivers amazing books, so of course I’m loving it!
Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell is the other YA World Book Day title for 2016 and tells the story of Elena, who is queueing outside her local cinema for the opening of the new Star Wars film. It was super cute and a great choice of book to read if you’re in between books and want something quick but extremely gripping.
The Trouble with Women by Jacky Fleming is a look at women through history and how, as Fleming puts it, men have put women in the Dustbin of History. Its witty illustrations and satirical tone make it impossible not to laugh whilst read it, or bang your head against your bookshelf in horror at all Mankind.
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman is one of my most-anticipated releases of 2016, especially as I loved Solitaire so much. I’m going to be starting it right away because I can’t wait any longer! Alice is an incredible writer and I already know I’m going to love Radio Silence just as much as I loved Solitaire.
The #1 Rule for Girls by Rachel McIntyre looks at life post-break up for main character, Daisy. I enjoyed Me and Mr J, her debut novel, when I read it last year, so I was very pleased to hear that Rachel had a new book out this year. Thank you, Electric Monkey!
I read Crush by Eve Ainsworth last summer and have been desperate to talk about it since, but it’s only just been released! Eve is perfect at writing gritty contemporaries, and Crush explores what it’s like to be in a toxic relationship. Highly recommended! Thank you, Scholastic!
Half Lost by Sally Green is the conclusion to the Half Bad trilogy and I am so excited to see what happens! The trilogy has been absolutely amazing, so it will be a tiny bit sad to say goodbye to it, but I know there will be lots of other exciting books from Sally Green in the future. Thank you, Penguin Platform!
I’ve never read anything by Emery Lord before so when a copy of When We Collided popped through my letterbox, I was very happy. It comes out in April, so I’ll hopefully be reading and reviewing it before then. I’ve heard great things about Emery’s books. Thank you, Bloomsbury!
Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky looks at fandom culture and what happens when it goes wrong. Fandom culture is everywhere at the moment, so Kill the Boy Band is going to be very current. Thank you, My Kinda Book!
Finding a copy of the Complete Sonnets by William Shakespeare probably shouldn’t have excited me as much as it did, but I’ve been looking for a copy for ages. I’m reading lots of poetry at the moment and have read a few of Shakespeare’s sonnets, so I’m looking forward to reading the rest. SUPER EXCITED!
Head Over Heels by Holly Smale is the latest instalment in the Geek Girl series and I’m hoping to marathon read this and the previous book, All That Glitters, sometime in the next month. I need to catch up with Harriet! Thank you, Harper Children’s!
What books have you acquired recently? Are there any books on my list that you’ve read or are excited to read?
I love that moment when you read a book and you keep glancing at the clock, seeing how many more pages it’s possible to squeeze in because you love it so much and can’t bear to stop reading it.How Hard Can Love Be? was definitely one of those books for me. I was hooked from the moment I began and can’t stop thinking about just how brilliant it was, even a few weeks after reading it.
The sequel to Am I Normal Yet?, How Hard Can Love Be? tells Amber’s story. After not seeing her mum for two years, Amber is heading off to California to spend the summer holidays with her. However, there are a few downsides: her mum’s new husband, working with extremely excitable kids in a summer camp and she’s in a totally different country without her best friends… Great, right?
I can only think of a handful of UKYA books that are set outside of the UK, so it was so good to discover the US through How Hard Can Love Be?. It made me feel so English and it was extremely nice to read something that didn’t feel stereotypically English – not all of us sound posh and drink tea! Amber made me appreciate my little English quirky things and I’m sure US readers would feel the same about the other characters in the book. There’s something to please everyone!
One of my favourite things about How Hard Can Love Be? was of course the feminism. Despite being thousands of miles apart, not even a vast ocean can separate the Spinster Club and there was still lots and lots of Evie and Lottie, who we met in Am I Normal Yet?, in the book. You would think that because romance is quite a big plot line in the book that it might detract some of the feminism, but I found quite the opposite. How Hard Can Love Be? proves that you can be in a relationship and be a feminist at the same time and I think this is a side to a lot of feminist books that we don’t see. I LOVED it!
Where Am I Normal Yet? talked about OCD and anxiety, How Hard Can Love Be? discusses alcohol abuse and how this affects a mother-daughter relationship. We often see in YA a lack of parents, but Amber’s parents were at the forefront of How Hard Can Love Be? and this was very refreshing to read.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are LOTSof Harry Potter references in the book, which put a big smile on my face because I love Harry Potter and I know Holly does too. The enthusiasm for Harry Potter certainly came through!
I adored How Hard Can Love Be?, despite my lack of sleep after not being able to put it down. Holly Bourne is one of the most talented YA writers of the moment and I cannot wait to read the next instalment to find out what happens to the Spinster Club. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
You’ll Love This If…
You’re a hardcore feminist who wants to read about feminism in PRACTICE.
You squeal every time you see a Harry Potter reference.
You’re a human being. It’s as simple as that. (Although I’m sure you can read it to pets and they’ll enjoy it too.)
Who would you invite to your Spinster Club if you had one? Have you read How Hard Can Love Be or Am I Normal Yet?
I don’t know about you, but I find that one of the worst feelings in the world is feeling like schoolwork is getting in the way of reading With exams looming (eek!), lots of us are starting to think about revision, but how do you revise and read at the same time without exploding?
1. Get into a routine
Revision timetables are always useful to use, but make sure you slip time to read into them. If it’s written down, you’re more likely to stick to it and it will mean you have something to look forward to. Also, reading timetables are so much more exciting than revision timetables 😉
You can also revise at the same time each day and then read for the rest of the time. I’ve got into the habit recently of reading at least a chapter of the book I’m reading before bed. It doesn’t matter what time it is, I’ll read and then I have something to look forward to at the end of each day. It’s time to de-stress, relax and get lots of words read!
2. Make reading a reward
Done twenty minutes of revision? Reward yourself with ten minutes of reading! It makes it so much fun, and you’ll find yourself being a lot more productive just so you can squeeze your reading time in.
I also like to throw chocolate rewards into the mix if I’m really struggling, but usually I end up eating the chocolate first before any revision has been done…
3. Don’t read.
Sometimes I find that if I don’t read anything, I’m more likely to read more when I finally do get around to reading. It sounds counterintuitive, but it works! Abandon books for a week and come back feeling fresh and ready to read!
4. Throw all revision out of the window and READ.
I usually try to do this at least once a month where I binge read millions of books for an entire weekend. In fact, this is usually my favourite way to read because it means I’m so engrossed that I pretty much forget to do anything else. I think other people may get annoyed with me though when I ignore them for long periods of time… It’s just you and your books and it gives you a well-deserved break too.
5. Find out what works for you
Everyone’s brain works differently, so figure out how you work best. For some people, reading is totally out of the question, but I find that if I don’t read I go just a tiny bit insane. My brain works best with words in it! Experiment, try new things out and listen to your heart.
Beautiful Broken Things is the extraordinary début novel from Sara Barnard that showcases what everyone loves most about UKYA fiction.
Caddy and Rosie have been best friends forever, despite them going to different schools. Then Rosie introduces Caddy to a new girl at her school, Suzanne. Suzanne is everything Caddy is not – adventurous, daring and reckless. But she also has a past. Her arrival shakes everything up and threatens to change Caddy and Rosie’s lives. Will it be for the better?
The YA world desperately needs more books with friendship at the centre, so Beautiful Broken Things arrived at just the right time. The relationship between Caddy, Rosie and Suzanne feels so alive and real that when you read it you feel as if you’re a part of it too. It shakes you up and makes you evaluate your own friendships and how important they are.
Beautiful Broken Things is without a doubt Suzanne’s story. Without her, the basis of the book would be lost, but it’s told from Caddy’s perspective. It was refreshing and offered a different side to the story that is typically told, and it added a whole new dimension. I was very impressed by this!
Sara Barnard discusses themes of abuse and mental health sensitively and realistically. Although hard to read at times, I felt for Suzanne and her situation and I was glad that no sugarcoating happened.
I can’t wait to see what Sara Barnard writes next. If it’s half as good as Beautiful Broken Things, it will be amazing!
You’ll Love This If…
You’re looking for a truly gripping tale of a friendship that doesn’t feel like a far-off fairytale.
You love UKYA!
What books have you loved that talk about friendship? Have you read Beautiful Broken Things?
When looking through the pile of books being released in February that have been staring at me from my desk longingly for what seems like a very long time, there were a few that really stood out to me. So I thought I’d make it into a little feature each month, where I share a few of the releases that I think are ones to watch out for.
How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne
After staying up way past my bedtime reading How Hard Can Love Be?, I can tell you for definite that it is a book you must add to your reading pile immediately. It’s the sequel to Am I Normal Yet?, although I’m sure you could read it before without getting too confused, and whilst I loved Am I Normal Yet?, I loved How Hard Can Love Be? even more.
It’s set in America and follows Amber, who is visiting her mum for the first time in two years. There’s drama, cute romance and (most importantly) FEMINISM. That’s right, the Spinster Club is back and better than ever!
READ IT!
Needlework by Deirdre Sullivan
Needlework first caught my eye when I saw author extraordinaire Louise O’Neill praise it, so I had to check it out. It doesn’t sound like an easy read – it discusses child abuse amongst other things – but sometimes it’s good to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and discover the lives of people who lead, or have lead, very different lives to yourself – that’s part of the reason I read.
13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough
13 Minutes is my current read and I am loving it. It’s not my typical read and something I’d usually shy away from, but I knew from the moment it popped through my letterbox and I opened it up that I’d love it.
The book opens with a man discovering a body in the river of a girl. After jumping in to save her, she’s resuscitated after being clinically dead for 13 minutes (hence the title), but she has no recollection of the events that lead up to her being in the river. All she can remember is the panic, the rush of water, and the cold…
It’s a thrilling mystery and has me hooked. I can’t wait to read on to find out what happens!
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
I have to admit that I haven’t Red Queen yet, but I’m looking forward to marathoning both books this month. Glass Sword is the sequel to Red Queen and the books have taken the YA world by storm – they’ve been optioned for a film to be adapted by Elizabeth Banks, star of The Hunger Games, and I see people raving about them all the time. Definitely a must-read in February!
If you’ve been reading Queen of Contemporary for a while, you’ll know how much I loved The Sin Eater’s Daughter and so I was incredibly excited to read the sequel, The Sleeping Prince. It’s always nerve-wracking to start a sequel, but especially so when you have such high expectations. Luckily, The Sleeping Prince didn’t disappoint!
The Sleeping Prince starts where The Sin Eater’s Daughter left off, but this time we get to see the story from the eyes of Errin. Left with the task of looking after her sick mother after the death of her father and her brother Lief’s disappearance, Errin has to resort to making illegal herbal cures to get by, and the threat of the Sleeping Prince looms ever closer…
In this stunning sequel, Melinda Salisbury continues to surprise readers with her imaginative plot and characters who you instantly fall for. It’s impossible not to be in awe of the way that Melinda writes, so intricately and with such prowess.
It was particularly refreshing to have the second book in a trilogy narrated by a different character than the first book was. It meant that so much more of the world could be seen and, although it did take me a while to get used to Errin, I grew to really love her by the end of the book.
The Sleeping Prince blew me away. It has definitely earned Melinda Salisbury a place with the likes of Sarah J. Maas and Maggie Stiefvater for best YA fantasy. It was beyond worthy of my first five star rating of 2016.
You’ll Love This If…
You’re a fan of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
You want a book that you become invested in from the start and find it impossible to put down. Seriously, I stayed up way too late reading it!
You like your books packed with lore and mythology, with gorgeous maps to go with them and a world seeped in history.
Have you read The Sin Eater’s Daughter or The Sleeping Prince? Let me know your thoughts!
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