My Week In Books (29th April)

It's been a quiet book week for me this week. Let's see what I got up to!

Andersen Press were kind enough to send me proof copies of Troublemakers by Catherine Barter, and Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls. I'm really excited to read these, so keep an eye out for the reviews.

I've been pretty busy so I haven't had much time to read. However, I've been reading The Fallen Children by David Owen, and Between The Lies by Cathy Macphail. I'm really enjoying both so far, and I can't wait to see where they go.

My Week In Books (22nd April)

Despite being on a book ban (which is going really well) I managed to acquire three books this week.

• Steph sent me Caramel Hearts and We Are All Made of Molecules.
• Kelpies Edge (a new YA imprint of independent publisher Floris Books) sent me Between The Lies. 

I finished reading All About Mia and now I’m reading Countless by Karen Gregory. It's about a girl who calls a truce with her anorexia when she discovers she's pregnant, and it's utterly amazing.

This week I've been getting excited about The Extinction Trials by Susan Wilson, out in July through Usborne.

SundayYAthon at Easter: The Round Up

Easter weekend saw another SundayYAthon take place, which was tiring but a lot of fun! I planned to read five books, but only managed two.

The first book was Becoming Betty by Eleanor Wood (5★), in which Lizzie joins a band and discovers the person she wants to be. It reminded me of Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard, and I think readers will love it.

I then read All About Mia by Lisa Williamson (3★). I found the characters hard to warm to at first but it was brilliantly written, and it was great to see Mia’s relationships develop.

REVIEW: Becoming Betty by Eleanor Wood

Becoming Betty is Lizzie’s story as she joins her new best friend Viv’s band and discovers the kind of person she really is.

I loved Becoming Betty. Lizzie is a wonderful narrator, and her story of self-discovery, sometimes through heartbreaking means, is one that will resonate with many. Not all the characters are likeable (there are lots of words I could use for Viv), but their roles in Lizzie’s story are vital. The tone of Becoming Betty, particularly in Lizzie’s relationship with Viv, reminded me of Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard, and I'm sure many readers will love it.

Stars: ★★★★★

I was sent a copy of Becoming Betty by Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

My Week In Books (15th April)

I've put myself on a book buying ban until YALC this week, but I've still managed to get my hands on three books.

• The lovely people at Atom Books sent me a proof of The Fallen Children
• I received my pre-order of The Upside of Unrequited
• I bought The Hate U Give (before I started my ban!)

I finished Orangeboy, and read Becoming Betty for the #SundayYAthon. I'm now halfway through All About Mia, and really enjoying it.

I've heard lots of good things about Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls, I can't wait to read it!

My Week In Books (8th April)

With no book post and a reading list almost entirely from NetGalley, this week has been very Kindle orientated. Let's get stuck in!

I bought these three non-fiction books that I've seen a lot of the YA community raving about recently.

I also got approved for these reads on NetGalley. I can't wait to get stuck in!

It's the school holidays, so I've done a lot of reading this week. I finished The Upside of Unrequited (5★), read Goodbye Days (3★), and started Orangeboy. They're all very different books, and I've enjoyed them all for different reasons.

REVIEW: Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

Goodbye Days are the days you spend with the parents of your three dead best friends. They're not easy and they will make you cry. But for Carver Briggs, the guilt of knowing his text led to their deaths makes it so much worse.

Goodbye Days was difficult to read. Carver is a likeable character, and you really feel for him as he goes through the grief of losing his best friends, all while being blamed for their deaths. I can't say I enjoyed it because of the subject matter, but it was definitely a book I couldn’t put down.

Stars: ★★★☆☆

I received a copy of Goodbye Days from Penguin Random House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

The Upside of Unrequited is a companion novel to Becky Albertalli’s debut, Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, and is the heartwarming story of Molly and her relationship with her twin sister, Cassie, as they both fall in love.

I knew I would love The Upside of Unrequited as I adored Simon Vs. Molly is a wonderfully relatable character whose insecurities will resound with many, and my heart sung when Simon showed up.

The Upside of Unrequited is effortlessly diverse, and it would be brilliant to see more YA written in this way. An excellent read.

Stars: ★★★★★

I received a copy of The Upside of Unrequited from Penguin Random House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Week In Books (1st April)

I thought this would be a quiet week for books, but how wrong I was. Here's what I acquired!

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 
• The Wildings by Nilanjana Roy
• The Hundred Names of Darkness by Nilanjana Roy
• Becoming Betty by Eleanor Wood 
• The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas 

There's also a few new reads on my Kindle!

I finished reading The State of Grace this week, which was wonderful (review here). I drifted between books for a while before starting The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli.

Finally, Stripes Publishing made a very exciting announcement this week!