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gayle forman

REVIEW: My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins

Posted on 24 November, 2014

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I was incredibly excited when a copy of My True Love Gave to Me popped through my door. Firstly because the cover that greets you is beautiful and secondly due to the amazing authors whose short stories are included.

Edited by Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss), My True Love Gave to Me is a festive-themed anthology, featuring short stories written by authors such as Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor and David Levithan. Each story is uniquely tailored to the author’s individual style so whilst they may not be writing in their usual style, their original stamp is still evident.

The stories all fit well together and stood out on their own. I think there’s a distinct lack of Christmas novels, and what sets My True Love Gave to Me apart is that it is a combination of lots of different traditions and customs. I loved reading about each one because each story offered something different.

My favourite story by far was Stephanie Perkins’, which I will be reading over and over again. It touched my heart! Other notable favourites include Jenny Han’s, Kelly Link’s and Ally Carter’s.

I think, though, that the story that wowed me the most was the one written by Laini Taylor because it was so different to everything else in the anthology. Taylor created a whole new world in just under 50 pages, which is an incredible talented thing to be able to do. I want more and more of her story!

I have no doubt that many people will buy My True Love Gave to Me solely based on the design. It has a cover I could marry, a beautiful built-in bookmark, and the most gorgeous endpapers I’ve ever seen. Each chapter header also has a different graphic – a brilliant inclusion!

My True Love Gave to Me really got me in the holiday spirit, and I especially loved the sharing of different customs – pagan, Jewish and Christian, to name a few. There’s something for everyone to enjoy!

Book Review

REVIEW: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Posted on 14 November, 2014

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I’ve only ever read one other novel by Forman before – Just One Day – and I really enjoyed that. I didn’t have any expectations going into I Was Here because it sounded a lot grittier than your typical contemporary, so I was very pleasantly surprised.

Following the suicide of her best friend, Meg, Cody realises that something is a little bit suspicious. Meg never showed any outward signs that she was unhappy, but Cody feels guilty for not being there for her friend. Starting to investigate, she realises there was a side to Meg that she knew nothing about.

Forman has written an interesting and gripping start, with a distinct character voice. It felt as if I was Cody and experiencing the events through her eyes but with enough detachment to make it an intimate but comfortable reading experience.

Cody was such a whole character. By that I mean that we got to see every side of her. Her doubt at times was brilliant to see because it’s not often that we get to see such a mentality in characters.

I Was Here isn’t your conventional suicide contemporary novel and that was so, so refreshing. It also didn’t feel as if it was a book just there to fulfil a trend – it was completely genuine.

The romance was everything I look for in a brilliant contemporary book. It was slow burning and realistic. I can tell a good romance when I feel like I’m rooting for the characters and that is exactly what happened.

I really enjoyed I Was Here and will be seeking out more of Forman’s books that I haven’t yet read very soon. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good, mysterious contemporary novel that can be read very quickly. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was unputdownable!

Lucy Recommends...

Lucy Recommends… [1] Contemporary Fiction

Posted on 5 February, 2014

Hello everyone! I’m here to start a new feature today called Lucy Recommends. The aim of this feature is to recommend lots of great books to you without writing a whole review. I’ll be showcasing genres, authors and series, and hopefully you’ll pick up lots of books you haven’t heard of before.

Today, as my blog is called Queen of Contemporary, I thought I would recommend a few contemporary titles. I’m thinking I should probably start reviewing and discussing contemporary more on the blog.

The first book I’d like to recommend is Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider. Narrated by Ezra, I think it’s refreshing to read a contemporary book with a male protagonist. Schneider’s style is very similar to John Green, so if you’re a fan, you’ll love this. It tells the story of Ezra who has recently been injured in a car accident that has left his knee damaged. The book explores the feelings Ezra has towards his accident as he can no longer play tennis, his one passion before. I loved it!

Then we have The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. This is a more mature contemporary YA, but I loved it, nevertheless. One of the things I love about contemporary is how I can jump into it without thinking: I don’t have to get used to the rules of magic, or learn the ropes of a dystopian government. I can simply sit back and relax, and The DUFF was one of those books. I managed to finish it in a day and I know I’ll be re-reading it in the future.

Sarah Dessen is the true queen of contemporary, and The Moon and More was SO good. It’s a good book to read in the hot, summer months. Sarah Dessen’s books are set in fictional towns and I’m always amazed at how realistically created they are. Every detail seems to be perfect and I loved that about the book.

Next we have Just One Day by Gayle Forman which is a wonderful travel book. We get to see parts of England, France, the Netherlands and America. I’d love to live in France one day so I loved reading those parts in particular.

And finally, we have Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell! I’ve spoken so much about this book so I don’t think I really need to tell you how much I love it. If you’re a lover of books or writing, you will completely fall for this one.

What are your favourite contemporary books?

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Top Ten Tuesday (1)

Posted on 13 August, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, a new topic is chosen and people are allowed to make their own lists

This week the topic is…

Top Ten Favorite Books With X Setting (ie: futuristic world, set mostly in schools, during World War II, books set in California etc. etc. So many possibilities!)

I’ve chosen to talk about my favourite books with contemporary settings, seeing as though my blog is called Queen of Contemporary!

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is such a cute novel and, set in Paris, I absolutely adored it. I really want to visit Paris after reading this.

2. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

I love Hundred Oaks and all the characters have just stuck with me. I’m so attached to this book!

3. From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

This is such a fun book and has a crazy road trip in it. I must re-read it soon!

4. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I really want to go to Amsterdam after reading this (and The Fault in Our Stars, and because I’ve just finished a big project on Anne Frank.). It flows so well and it’s such a sweet novel.

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Probably my favourite novel of all time and has made me want to travel to America, particularly Omaha. I love everything about this novel. I can’t fault it at all!

6. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

I can’t fault Sarah Dessen’s ability to make me crave for the places she creates. A perfect summer read!

7. The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

I read this in July and didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. It was only supposed to be a quick read but I haven’t forgotten about it since.

8. The Duff by Kody Keplinger

I read this the other week and really loved it. The plot, the characterisation, everything else, was done just right and I’d highly recommend it.

9. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

This is an emotional and captivating book that I really enjoyed, and it has a very beautiful cover design.

10. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A very obvious choice for very obvious reasons. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me tear my hair out in despair. An all time favourite!

What would your choices be?