Everything, Everything, Nicola Yoon

Pages: 320

Publisher: Corgi

Release Date: 3^rd September 2015

Edition: UK e-proof, NetGalley review copy

Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddie, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. But does Maddie dare to step outside her comfort zone?

Everything, Everything is about the thrill and heartbreak that happens when we break out of our shell to do crazy, sometimes death-defying things for love.

I was really excited about Everything, Everything. It has a wonderful premise promising bittersweet romance and a hefty dollop of torment, but I was quite disappointed.

Nicola Yoon’s debut is incredibly easy to read and even though I didn’t really feel anything for it, I still read it in around three hours. The prose is often beautiful and I highlighted many a line and passage on my Kindle, but I couldn’t connect with it. I don’t know what it was about Maddie and Olly, but there was nothing about them that stood out for me. I didn’t fall in love with them or their love, though there were some undoubtedly sweet and romantic moments. I just couldn’t feel it and it was incredibly frustrating.

The thing I liked most about Yoon’s debut is the little extra bits in Maddie’s narration. The one-liner book reviews she calls spoiler reviews where she sums up the feeling/message/impression it gave her and the words she defines as part of her own dictionary based on what she feels and experiences. These were the moments that I felt I most got to know Maddie and connected with her. I felt that she had a lot of potential in her character as she’s incredibly intelligent but also really quite naïve and it wasn’t made the most of in enough in my opinion.

I honestly thought that by the end of the novel, Maddie’s mum was by far the most interesting character in Everything, Everything. Her single most goal in life is to protect the world from harming her daughter. She’s a desperate and terrified of losing Maddie as she's already lost so much.

Sadly, Everything, Everything didn’t quite do it for me, but Nicola Yoon’s writing is so beautiful that I’ll very likely be checking out more of her books in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Corgi for the review copy.

Sophie 

Letterbox Love #101

Letterbox Love is a way to give all of the books I receive for review some exposure. Summaries are taken from the cover, or Amazon/NetGalley/Goodreads in the case of e-books, unless otherwise stated.

Mosquitoland, David Arnold (e-proof)

A story of the difficulties we face and the strength we find to overcome them. For those who loved Little Miss Sunshine, The Fault in Our Stars and Juno.

When her parents’ marriage suddenly collapses, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the ‘wastelands’ of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated bubble with her dad and new stepmom.

But when Mim later learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland, she ditches her new life and hops abroad a Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travellers along the way. And when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Thanks NetGalley and Headline! So looking forward to this!

All of the Above, James Dawson (e-proof)

A funny and moving love story about friends, first love and self-discovery by the Queen of Teen 2014.

When sixteen-year-old Toria Bland arrives at her new school she needs to work out who her friends are, all in a crazy whirl of worry, exam pressure and anxiety over fitting in. Things start looking up when Toria meets the funny and foul-mouthed Polly, who’s the coolest girl Toria has ever seen. Polly and the rest of the ‘alternative’ kids take Toria under their wing. And that’s when she meets the irrestible Nico Mancini, lead singer of a local band – and it’s instalove at first sight! Toria likes Nico. Nico likes Toria…but then there’s Polly.

Love and friendship have a way of going round in circles.

I feel like I've been waiting for this for forever! Thanks Hot Key and NetGalley!

The Secret Fire, CJ Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld (paperback)

A battle against fate

A race against time

Taylor Montclair is a regular girl from the quiet backwater of Woodbury, England. Sacha Winters is a darkly mysterious boy from the City of Lights – Paris, France.

While Taylor is focused on  her dream of attending Oxford University, school couldn’t be further from Sacha’s mind…Sacha knows exactly when he’s going to die. He’s done it before.

On the appointed day, Sacha’s time will run out. And his death will fulfil an ancient destiny that could unleash chaos and catastrophe.

Taylor is the only person who can save him. Neither of them know that yet. They haven’t even met.

Hundreds of miles and a body of water separate them. Deadly forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart. They have eight weeks to find each other and unravel an ancient web of mystery and danger.

The clock starts now.

This sounds like so much fun. Thanks Midas PR/Atom!

What We Left Behind, Robin Talley (proof)

What if discovering who you are means letting go of what you’ve been?

Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They’ve been together forever. They never fight. They’re hopelessly in love.

When they separate for their first year of college they’re sure their relationship will stay rock solid.

The reality of being apart, however, is different. Toni’s discovering a new world – and a new gender identity – but Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside of their relationship.

While Toni worries that Gretchen won't understand Toni’s shifting identity, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in this puzzle. Now they must decide if their love is strong enough to last.

This sounds so wonderful! Thanks Mira Ink!

Sophie

#NewDayNewNormal Tour!

David Levithan is a YA legend and Lisa Williamson (The Art of Being Normal) and Louise O’Neill (Only Ever Yours and Asking for It) have taken the book world by storm in 2015 and they’re doing a tour together!

I know, I did a happy dance too.

David Levithan and Lisa Williamson will appear at Waterstones shops in Cardiff, Oxford, Brighton and London from Monday 17^th August to Thursday 20^th August.  Louise O’Neill will join Levithan and Williamson for the events in Brighton and London.

Recently YA has taken the lead in shouting about diversity and inclusion in areas such as sexuality, gender and social norms to name a few. and. The #NewDayNewNormal tour will celebrate this with authors who are at the top of the game when writing about issues that teens face on a daily basis.

It’s super easy to book your tickets, all you need to do is pop along to the Waterstones website and done!

I’ve already got my ticket to the London event so I hope I’ll see some of you there! And don’t forget that it’s not just London, the tour is also stopping at Cardiff, Oxford and Brighton too!

Remember to follow along all of the excitement on Twitter with the hashtag: #NewDayNewNormal

Sophie 

Night Owls, Jenn Bennett

Pages: 291

Publisher: S&S

Release Date: 13^th August 2015

Edition: UK paperback, review copy

A love sprayed in gold…

Meeting Jack on the Owl – San Francisco’s night bus – turns Beatrix’s world upside down. Jack is charming, wildy attractive…and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists.

On midnight rides and city roof tops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. But Jack is hiding much more – can she uncover the truth that leaves him so wounded?

A unique and profoundly moving novel, Night Owls will linger in your memory long after the final page.

I had high hopes for Jenn Bennett’s YA debut and they were blown out of the water. I completely and utterly loved it. LOVED IT.

I don’t really know where to start with this review. I kind of just want to waggle the book in your faces until you agree to read it, but that’s probably not the best idea… I could start by praising the maturity around sex, while still keeping it sexy. I was really, really impressed with how Jenn Bennett handled this. Jack and Bex talked about sex way before they did it, it was ensured that the reader knew it was safe sex, and Jack even asked what would work for Bex! I don’t think I've ever seen that in a YA novel and I nearly cheered. Some people might assume all this lessened the momentous moment, but it didn’t. It was sweet, awkward, funny and perfect for both the reader and Jack and Bex. Bravo Jenn Bennett.

I celebrate the way Night Owls tackles mental illness and the stigma surrounding it, especially for those in the spotlight; the raw emotions when your parents’ divorce; the stress of trying to do everything you need to do to make your dreams come true; the money struggles of a single parent. Lots of issues cropped up in Bex and Jack’s story, but none of them were forced upon the reader and there was no preaching or superiority – they were all just parts of life.

Then there’s the parents themselves, they definitely deserve discussion. Form the off, Bex’s mum was vividly present and invested in Bex’s life. But she also has a wicked sense of humour, genuinely seems to like her children and they like her back and she’s completely human. Nurse Katherine the Great as Bex introduces her to Jack, makes some mistakes that were selfish and detrimental to her children, but I don’t think there’s a single parent out there that hast done that too, consciously or not. Even Jack’s parents who we saw a lot less of were well-rounded and, again, humanly flawed. This was especially true with Jack’s dad and there was a particularly emotional moment with him towards the end of the novel that had me rather choked up.

And finally, one of the most important elements of the novel, is the presence of art in Night Owls. Bex is a scientific artist. She loves to draw skeletons and dissections and copy biological images she finds in textbooks. It’s what she wants to do as a career and it was fascinating. I’ve always had an interest in art and in science, but I’d never think to combine them! I would love to have seen the piece she submits for the competition; it sounds extraordinary. Jack’s art is very different to Bex’s, and illegal: graffiti. The single words sprayed in giant, beautiful typography in spots all over San Francisco are just as much art as Bex’s. With added danger and the risk of a criminal record, of course.

Night Owls is an ode to art, artists, love and family and I devoured it. One of my favourites of 2015.

Thanks to S&S for the review copy.

Sophie 

Recommendations: Tearjerkers

I don’t know about you, but I love it when a book makes me cry. For me it’s a mark of a book that burrowed under my skin, made me care about the characters and the story and it’s usually one that’ll stay with me too. Oh, and it goes to say that I don’t recommend reading these on public transport, right? Here are some of my very favourites:

More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera

Soho Press|2^nd June 2015

In the Bronx, the revolutionary memory altering procedures that the Leteo Institute offers aren’t something that pops up everyday. It seems too good to be true to Aaron who can’t imagine forgetting how his father committed suicide in their apartment, how his um is working herself into the ground to support them and is distant brother. Until Thomas appears and all Aaron wants to do is forget his attraction to sweet, funny Thomas with an excellent movie set up on his roof. Being gay isn’t really welcome in his neighbourhood and he’d be more than happy to forget that.

Adam Silvera blends contemporary and sci-fi effortlessly. Aaron’s story was entwined with both genres in a heartbreaking way; the moment they twisted together took my breath away. It made me think about the potency of memories, how integral they are to what makes you you and the emphasis on how being gay can’t be erased or overwritten – it’s incredibly important.

Lucas, Kevin Brooks

Chicken House|6^th March 2006

Lucas is the strangest, most beautiful boy Caitlin has ever seen and when she spots him walking across the causeway, her life changes forever. But not everyone is Caitlin’s small community is as receptive to Lucas as she is…

It’s been many years since I last read this book, but after finally meeting Kevin Brooks at YALC this year, once again, I can’t stop thinking about it. Lucas is an incredibly powerful that altered my outlook on the world as well on how books can end… I’ve never forgotten the anger and sadness and frustration that I felt finishing Lucas and quite frankly, I think I’m due a re-read.

All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven

Puffin|8^th January 2015

When Violet and Finch meet, they are both standing on top of the school contemplating their life, and what would happen if they ended it. Neither is sure who saved who but when they embark on a school project to discover the hidden wonders of their home state they start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Only with Violet can Finch be loud, funny and off-the-wall and only Finch allows Violet to escape the aching grief of her sister’s death. But is love enough?

Jennifer Niven’s debut is a wonderful, honest portrait of first love, grief, loss and mental illness. It’s beautiful, sad and hopeful. I know there were some people that really didn’t like the ending, but I think it was the right ending for the characters, sad though it was. Anything else would have been doing the novel a disservice. Beautiful, hopeful and bittersweet.

Ways to Live Forever, Sally Nicholls

Scholastic|7^th January 2008

Sam is eleven years old and he has leukaemia. He obsessed with collecting facts and stories, especially those about death. He wants to know about everything and he has so many questions that no one will answer.

This book will tear your heart out. Promise. Sam has an incredibly strong voice and he burrowed right into my heart. It’s been about six/seven years since I read this and I still feel a little choked up writing this! Sally Nicholls is a beautiful writer and this is by far my favourite of hers.

Undone, Cat Clarke

Quercus|31^st January 2013

Jem is in love with her best friend, but he’s gay. When Kai is outed online, he can’t handle the repercussions and he commits suicide. Jem can’t undo what has happened, but she can find out who was responsible. And she can take them down…

Undone is a heartbreaker right from the start. We get to know Kai through letters he leaves for Jem and it’s so easy to see why she fell for him and it just makes Jem’s grief and angst even more potent. As always with Cat’s novels, the tension builds and builds until she stomping all over your heart and making you sob in the best possible way.

Twenty Boy Summer, Sarah Ockler

Little, Brown|6^th August 2009

Anna and Frankie are off to spend twenty days on a minimally-supervised California vacation and they are ready to meet a boy a day to try and snag boyfriends. But Anna’s already had a romance, which Frankie doesn’t know about. Before his tragic death, Anna was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt.

Sarah Ockler’s debut is beautiful. The mixture of Anna dealing with her grief, Frankie dealing with hers and them both struggling with as well as the addition of new possibilities gives a wonderfully bittersweet story that will stay with you. Though it did make me cry, it’s the perfect summer read.

Shadow Kiss: A Vampire Academy Novel, Richelle Mead

Puffin|4^th February 2010

This is the third book in the Vampire Academy series and by far my favourite – and the most soul-destroying. Rose has nearly survived St Vlad’s and graduation is nearing, but after her battles with Strigoi (bad vamps) at the end of Frostbite, she can’t quite control the darkness permeating her mind. With her overwhelming love for her tutor, Dimitri, and the pressures of protecting the princess, Rose is in no position to face the danger facing her friends.

It’s difficult to talk about this book without spoiling events from the previous two books, but all you really need to know is that Rose’s best friend is a vampire princess who people want dead, she’s in love with her tutor (and he loves her too) and they have unbelievable chemistry. This is a series that gets progressively darker and more emotional but the events at the end of this instalment knocked me for six. It’s one of the most horrific cliffhangers I’ve ever read and I couldn’t even tell you how long I sobbed for…

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

Dutton|11^th January 2012

Hazel Grace Lancaster has terminal cancer and her mum thinks she’s depressed. She’s shipped off to support group in the ‘literal heart of Jesus’ where she meets gorgeous, pretentious Augustus Waters. What’s left of her life is about to change.

Now this really doesn’t need any introduction or even a mention really, but I couldn’t not. This book has had the book world in tears since it was released three years ago; even the thought of it can make you tear up sometimes… I remember being so shocked that I was left breathless and I sobbed through at least the last third of the novel.

What are your favourite tearjerkers? Have I missed any I shouldn’t have?

Sophie