Sunday, March 26, 2017

How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne

How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne
Release Date: February 1, 2016
Pages: 480
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.
And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.



This book is definitely one of the best sequels I have ever read! It focuses on Amber instead of Evie, but still has bits with all three Spinster Club ladies. It made me squeal with excitement and sob in despair and was thoroughly enjoyable! 

I love Amber as a narrator; she is sarcastic and quirky, but also incredibly compassionate which really shines through in this book. She cares about her friends, Evie and Lottie, and turns to them for support. She knows her flaws and she tries to fix them (which doesn't always work!). I loved her relationship with all the Americans: getting frustrated at the typical American question (do you know the Royal family?) and confused at their traditions. She is so well-rounded and flawed that it makes her realistic and hilarious.

There were times in the story where I wished I had the ability to climb in and give Amber a massive hug. Being sent abroad is tough; none of your friends are around, you can't hang out in your own room- you feel lost. But Amber has no one to turn to, everyone is confusing and foreign, and she  can't escape from camp life. It all stacked up on her and I got so emotional at so many points in the book.

The book deals with alcohol abuse- both from Amber and her mum- but I felt it was executed correctly. Her mum didn't suddenly get better- it took work- and Amber didn't learn from her mum's mistakes. Both of them had problems controlling how much and when they drink but I think it is great how Amber learns to deal with it.

The ending was a real shocker. In the last four chapters a lot goes down, in a twist-ending very few people would expect. It was fun and lead to Amber exploring America with the people she loves most. That's all I'm going to say.

All in all it was an amazing read, and I would recommend it to any feminist out there who needs a pick-me up when the world is looking tough. The only reason why I gave to a 4/5 is because I enjoyed Am I Normal Yet? more than I enjoyed this book, but it is just my personal preferences. So I do encourage you to go read it because it is fantastic! 

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