Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Release Date: May 4, 2010

Pages: 344

Rating: 💜💜💜💜💜

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Amy is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's her responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

This book was a really cute way to start the year. Although it's set in Summer, and therefore was a complete juxtaposition to the weather outside, it was a lovely read. I think I read this in about 5 hours because I couldn't bring myself to put it down; the writing was captivating and the characters were fun to read about.

I think my favourite think about this book was the fact that it stuck to the fact that it was a book about a road trip. Some road trip books I've read seem to forget this, focusing on the romance and placing the road trip in places that were convenient. But Morgan Matson did a fantastic job at making the road trip take the front seat and the romance happening around it. Even better, she related the different locations in the novels to different developments in their relationship. With each location they ended up in Amy and Roger left closer together, whether it was from dealing with an ex or visiting a childhood holiday destination. Not only did Matson push the road trip aspect of the book through the adventures they had, she also included playlists and scrapbook-y items throughout the book to make you feel more immersed throughout the novel. (I'll include the playlist here (I didn't put it together but I did listen to it whilst reading the book)). I love it when books do this because it adds that little bit extra to the general reading experience, as you get to actually look at the places which Amy and Roger pass through.

Speaking of Amy and Roger, I was delighted to see that they were both beautifully flawed people who are forced to work through their problems, using each other as their motivation to let go and move on from previous experiences. Watching them grow closer together and begin to understand each other in ways that no one else could was beautiful, making for a very cute read as they grew to trust and rely upon the other throughout the road trip from California to Connecticut, with their chemistry growing at a similar rate.  Naturally, Amy and Roger weren't the only characters in the book (although the focus was obviously placed on them). I think this rings true in every single Matson book I've read, but the secondary characters were well developed and felt just as important as the main characters. It is so common for the side characters to feel 2D and boring, but I can honestly say that it felt like all the characters in the novel were alive and breathing. It was weird, but when I got to the end of the book I was wishing that I could get another novel that just told me about what the other characters were getting up to. Matson's talent for writing characters meant that the book felt like it was alive, breathing, and had a life of its own.

Overall, I loved this book. It was a warm, summer read that kept me out of the January slump that everyone appears to suffer from. The characters were lovely, the general story was sweet and there was enough hard hitting content that I was engrossed. This was the best fictional trip I've ever read about, and am now planning a road trip of my own!

My new favourite authors

Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me authors I read in 2018

Last year I aimed to push myself to read some books from different authors, so this topic is actually perfect for me. I ended up reading quite a few new authors last year, and loved several of  them, so here are my top 7  new authors of 2018!

1- Morgan Matson (Since you've been gone)

2- Maria V. Synder (Poison Study)

3- Emma Mills (foolish hearts)

4- Stephen Cole (The Aztec Code series)

5- Neal Shusterman (Unwind)

6- David Levithan (Every Day and Another Day)

7- Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty)

Who were your favourite new authors last year? Have you read any books by the people on my list?

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Pages: 313
Rating: 💜💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

First love is an epic disaster Henry has never been in love. Then he meets Grace Town, the elusive new girl in school, who wears oversized boys' clothing, walks with a cane, rarely seems to shower, and is hiding crushing secrets. She's hardly who Henry expected his dream girl to be, but when the two have to edit the paper together, sparks fly. After all this time, Henry's about to learn just how disastrous the road to first love can be-and that sometimes it's the detours that end up mattering more.

I honestly wasn't expecting to like this book. I picked it up on a whim because I'd heard about it online and thought I needed to read every book that booktubers like to be a good reader (I now know that is 100% false and I should just read what I like). After I picked it up I put it straight on to my TBR shelf and then promptly forgot about it. Until this month.

I was expecting something like Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, with dark humour and a predictable love story, but it was so much more. 

This is an anti-love story. The whole story is based around Henry and Grace's relationship but it is the biggest pile of anti-love to have ever been written. It is a poisonous love story that shows everything that is wrong with young love and I adored it. YA contemporaries tend to idealise romance, making first love seem unrealistically brilliant and perfect whereas it is actually a big mess of both people trying to figure out what they want from the relationship and inevitably getting it wrong. This book showed the raw, emotional side of love, the side that isn't always perfect, the side that needs alcohol to make it better. And it was glorious.

It was also the biggest compilation of pop culture ever. I thought nothing could top Simon when it came to popular references but I was proven wrong when reading this book. Both of these characters are geeky and reference heavy. It is always nice when you're reading a book and then the characters randomly start talking about a Pixar film because you feel like you can...relate. Every time a reference came up that I knew I felt a little burst of excitement because it made me feel like these characters weren't so different from me. There weren't an overwhelming amount of references in the book, with the author going 'look at me I'm quirky and relatable', but there were enough that it felt like an integral part of the novel.

Overall, this book was incredible and well worth a read. the characters were flawed and real, the plot took enough twists that it kept you hooked and the ending was shocking enough that it will stick in your mind. If you want a romantic contemporary with  a twist I would recommend having a go at this book because it ticks all those boxes.

The Haunting by Alex Bell

The Haunting by Alex Bell
Release date: February 11, 2016
Pages: 352
Rating: 💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Emma is permanently confined to a wheelchair after an accident at the Waterwitch when she was ten. Seven ears later, she decides to return to the place where the awful event occurs. But the ancient inn still has its ghosts,
and one particular spirit is more vengeful than ever...


Trigger Warning: Abuse

This book has been on my TBR for two years now and I was finally ready to read it this month. I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to horror, even though I love watching and reading scary things. I willing sacrifice my sleep to scary myself silly, and that was the risk I took going into the book.

I was disappointed by this book. The scariest thing about the whole book is definitely the front cover, and even that isn't too disturbing. There were a couple of scenes which had graphic descriptions of the curses that had been placed on the various characters but none of it made me lose any sleep. It was clear which parts of the book were meant to be scary and although they didn't terrify me, they definitely made me cringe from how disgusting the description was.

Something the book did do well was the disability representation. Emma is a wheelchair user who has a guide dog, and the book didn't forget that. At no point during the novel was she miraculously cured, she didn't pull herself across the floor to save the day, and she didn't go anywhere without her guide dog. Alex Bell even made to address the fact that Emma would have to have a specially adapted car to suit her needs, although she didn't overplay the disability. It was prominent, and affected Emma's daily life, but it didn't inhibit her from leaving the house or having fun. As a teen book I think this was vital, as there are children who are disabled but can still live their life. Hopefully, this will show some children that they can still do things, even if they have to use a wheelchair.

Another thing that this book did was create good family dynamics. Although we barely see Emma's family we do get to see how Jem looks after Shell, protecting her from a world that hasn't been friendly to her. This book has heavy references to the abuse that they have had to go through, and a few scenes where the abusive parent shows up, so if that would be in any way triggering give this book a miss. However, Alex Bell was sensitive when writing this book and demonstrated the children's relationships beautiful. As someone who knows siblings who have suffered an abusive household it was eerie to read this book as I could see them reflected in the novel. Jem and Shell's love for each other, as well as Emma, is so strong that it gave you hope that they would all survive the book.

If I'm perfectly honest, this book was a good read and left me with nothing but happy memories of it. the only reason why I've rated it a 3/5 is because I was expecting something very different from what I got. I was finally ready to read a scary book and I didn't get that (maybe it's a sign)!

Ringing in the New Year Book Tag

First post of a new year and I'm super excited! I love having a new year where I can start afresh, reflecting on everything that I achieved last year and looking forward to all the great books that I can read this year. I felt that this tag was the perfect final farewell to the books I read year as I get to gush about the books I enjoyed reading.

1- Best book/ series that you read in 2018?

How am I meant to choose the best book? I loved so many!

If I had to choose I would say the best book I read this year was foolish hearts by Emma Mills and the best series was 100% the Ruby Oliver series by e. lockhart.

2- Authors that you discovered in 2018 and plan to read more of this year?

For fluffy contemporaries it would have to go to Kasie West, for hard hitting books Margaret Atwood.

3- Most anticipated book turned movie?

There are far too many for this question so I'm just going to leave a list of my top few.

+ All the Bright Places
+ Little Women
+ Cats (the musical!!!)
+ Death on the Nile 

+ The Sun is also a Star
+ Chaos Walking series

4- Name a character you wouldn't have minded sharing a kiss with on New Year's

Kai from the Lunar Chronicles

5- What's on you TBR for 2019?

My TBR is all the books I own but haven't read yet! I'll leave a link to it here, but don't be alarmed by the number of books on it. I'm aiming to get to 0 by 2022 (weird date, I know) as part of group challenge with my friends  If you want to get involved let me know in the comments!

6- How many books do you aim to read this year?

I'm going to have a pretty hectic time this year, with A-levels and uni taking up the majority of my time, so I'm only going to aim to read 30 books this year.

7- Will you participate in the Goodreads reading challenge this year?

Of course! I love keeping track of my accomplishments throughout the year, watching the little bar fill up as I read. I'm a sucker for compliments and recognition, so the Goodreads challenge is a massive confidence boast.

8- Any New Year Resolutions?

I'm going to try and upload three posts every week this year, so let's see how quickly I break this resolution!

What are your resolutions? How many books are you going to read this year?
Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

New Year, new books!

Top Ten Tuesday: most anticipated releases for the first half of 2019

I am the worst when it comes to new releases. I never have any clue about what is coming out until it is released, and then the hype around it scares me too much so I don't end up reading the book for two or three years. By which point it is no longer a new release.

This year, however, I decided to get myself into gear and research what new books are coming out this year. Goodreads was a god-send for this list, because they have extensive lists of every single book that has been announced to come out for the next 5 years. So I took a little scroll down this list until I found the books that I am most looking forward to reading in the first 6 months of the year.

1- Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

2- Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

3- How to make friends with the dark by Kathleen Glasgow

4- Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

5-  Fame, Fate and First Kiss by Kasie West

6- Call it what you want by Brigid Kemmerer

7- Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

8- Romanov by Nadine Brandes

9- Lovely War by Julie Berry

10- Wilder Girls by Rory Power

A lot of the books on my list come from authors who I only discovered in 2018, so I am very excited to revisit their writing style and see if I love their new books as much as the ones I read last year.

Which books are you anticipating this year? Are any of them on my list?
Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Pages: 335
Rating:💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would unwind them. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives are hanging on the line. If they survive until their 18th birthday they can't be harmed, but in this world 18 seems far, far away. 

This book has been on my bookshelf for as long as I can remember. I vaguely remember getting it for Christmas when I was 10 (?) which means I've had it for 7 years and only just picked it up. I have started reading it several times over the years, but I always ended up putting down and reading something else, until I decided enough was enough. If I din't read it this time I would have to get rid of it, so naturally I've finished it and make plans to read the rest of the series as soon as possible.

This book was incredible. It is advertised as 'before the Hunger Games there was...' but I have to say that I enjoyed this book far more than the Hunger games. Where the Hunger Games was twisted this book went one further, until you couldn't believe what you were reading. The whole concept of this story is that the children are threatened with unwinding throughout their whole life. If they fail a test, if they disrespect their parents, if they generally cause trouble they are risk of being unwound. Parents willingly give up their children to be taken away and taken apart. Although the Hunger Games was messed up, this novel was far far worse. There were parts that made me feel sick with how gruesome it was.

I loved the characters in this book. At first you despise all of them for being stuck up and a little pathetic but they slowly grow on you. The amount of character development that came in each chapter (not book, chapter) was incredible. The three main kids (Connor, Risa and Lev) grew up so much in this that the were unrecognisable by the end. They had to cling onto each other for sanity, but also for comfort, and i really showed the reader how friendships can form in the most unlikely places. There were hints of romance in the book, but these came right at the end of the novel, and were so minor that they are easy to overlook. Hopefully these hints will develop more in the next two books, because I loved those characters together!

The world-building in this novel was phenomenal. Although it was set on Earth the basic framework of the world had been changed in such an effectively way that it made this reality seem like our reality. I could picture where everything could fit into my life, what it would be like to have the Unwinding hanging over my head and what lengths I would go to survive. I think the thing that made this book most scary was the world it was, because Neal Shusterman didn't shy away from showing us the similarities of this world to ours. These similarities remind us that this world could be ours, and these characters could real people if the government was able to implement these ideals. Which is horrifying.

There is so much I could say about this book, but all I'm going to say is go read it! I regret putting this book off for so long, but at the same time I'm glad I did because it meant that my understanding of dystopian novels had developed more than when I was 10. Since then I read so many dystopian novels that I know what makes a good book, and this book is definitely one that will stand out to me for years to come.

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? by Holly Bourne

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? by Holly Bourne
Release Date: August 9, 2018
Pages: 397
Rating:💜💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at "normality" for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for her new friends, who are all dealing with their own battles. But as Olive settles in, she starts to wonder - maybe it's this messed up world that needs fixing, not them. And so she comes up with a plan. Because together, snowflakes can form avalanches...

TW: bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, OCD, rape, assault, basically all mental illnesses

Wow. What a book.

Every single book I've read by Holly Bourne has instantly become one of the best books I've read that year and this was no exception. Admittedly, this was the first book I read this year so it didn't have any competition but I can still tell that this book is probably going to be one of my favourites of the year.

I recently reread Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne so it was interesting to see how the mental illness rep differed in both books. Obviously both books were bound to be different as they were discussing different mental illnesses, but the way she talked about both illness was marginally different. In AINY? Bourne focuses on Evie getting better and her journey as she tries to face the world with OCD. But in AWALaS? it is clear that Olive doesn't want to 'fix' herself and is instead coming to terms with her mental illness. It was really interesting to see the two different ends of the stick, especially as both girls are trying to get better and find a way to cope with their illnesses.

This book is so brutally honest, which is something I've always admired in Holly Bourne. Olive's journey isn't a straight road to recovery and she most certainly isn't a likeable character all the time. But you see her struggles and you recognise them. She thinks she's a bad person and that reflects onto her choices. She is manic at times, doesn't think about other people's opinions and obsesses over tiny things, but she is also funny and supportive and a good friend. Holly Bourne shows both sides of Olive to tell the reader an important message: mentally ill people are still people. They have their quirks, sure, but at the end of the day they are just like everyone else.

Holly Bourne's writing style is also so perfect for the topics she writes about; the right amount of quirky and serious. The general tone of the book is light-hearted and fun, reading like a typical YA romance. And then you suddenly realise that you're reading about a girl having a mental breakdown and it shocks you. I felt immersed in the plot the entire time, especially as how fast-paced it is. I could have happily read another 300 pages of this book but at the same I thought it ended a the right time. She created a punch that was a hard enough to keep you shocked and soft enough to leave you satisfied.

As I said at the start of this review I think this going to be one of my favourite reads of the year. Not only that, but I think it possibly could be one of my favourite books of all time. The story was so beautifully constructed, with the characters becoming familiar friends within the first 50 pages. Holly Bourne know how to write a heart breaking book and I applauded her for that.

Bookish goals for 2019

The new year is here and with it comes all the goals I want to achieve. I usually don't set goals for myself as I like to go with the flow but I thought it would be fun to have some aims this year (especially as it means I can reflect on how badly I did at the end of this year).

I tried to keep this goals as general as possible so that I'm more likely to achieve them, as well as including a few about my social media and other bookish related goals. So a nice variety for this year!

Reading Goals

1- Read 52 books this year: 

This has been my goal for the last few years and I always manage to crush it, reading 100+ books. However, this year is a busy one for me, what with A-levels and university, so I'm not actually too sure if I'll even read 52. But a gal can dream!

2- Review every book I read:

Don't worry! You're not going to suddenly get an influx of reviews on here. I'm awful at reviewing books on Goodreads ( I think I reviewed about 30 books last year) so I'm going to try and change it this year...

3- Read more classics:
I tend not to read classics because I find them so hard to get into, but as an English Literature student I feel a sort of duty to read more classics. I'm aiming to read 12 classics this year (so one every month) in order to feel more educated.

4- Complete some reading challenges
I realise this is super vague and gives you no information whatsoever, but I have an entire page of my blog dedicated to the challenges that I want to complete this year, so instead of listing them all over again here I'm going to leave a link to that page here.

Social Media and other stuff

1- Post on this blog 4 times a week:

This is what I promised several times last year, but I've never been able to keep on top of that. Whilst on my Christmas holiday I've been able to create quite a large backlog of blog posts, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up my blog schedule for the whole year.

2- Try to revive my bookstagram:

Yep...my bookstagram has died several deaths so I'm going to try and revive it again this year. We'll see how that goes, especially as I'l be moving around a lot this year.

3- Complete NaNoWriMO:
I have never managed to do this. I always start with good intentions and then always forget about it within 3 days. This year I'm going to try and stay motivated throughout the entirety of November and aim to hit the 50,000 word goal! I might even write about it on the blog (if I remember).

 I think these goals will keep me pretty busy this year, both in my reading life and online life.
What are your goals for 2019? Are any of them similar to mine?
Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!