Thursday 21 January 2016

Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt

Synopsis


A baby goes missing. But does her mother want her back?

Estelle knows she holds the key to what happened that night – but what she doesn’t know is whether she was responsible…

When Estelle’s baby daughter is taken from her cot, she doesn’t report her missing. Days later, Estelle is found in a wrecked car, with a wound to her head and no memory.


Review

Over the last couple of years, I have read many thrillers, and I am so glad I did, otherwise gems like this book would have passed me by. I chose this book by pure chance, as I wasn’t sure what type of book I fancied picking up from my (figurative) pile of books to be read, but once I did, I couldn’t put my kindle down, I was captured from beginning to end.

The book is utterly gripping, I was constantly coming up with new theories as to what might have happened, more so than other books of this genre, and other than a correct medical diagnosis, every single thought I came up with was disproven, sometimes only paragraphs later, this book certainly kept me on my toes. 


The book takes place in both present day and flashbacks to the past, telling us how Estelle and Jack met, and then everything that led up to Mia’s disappearance and Estelle’s car crash. There was one time for me that it wasn’t really obvious that it was the past but it was only that once, the rest of the book it was completely obvious which time period we were in. 


Despite Estelle’s mistakes and the suspicion put upon her I couldn’t help  but like her. She was incredibly bright and I really felt for the trouble she was going through. Jack, her husband was supportive at first, but towards the end was more and more absent, which didn’t help her one bit. I am very surprised he didn’t realise something more than the initial diagnosis was the issue, but from an outsider looking in it’s probably easier to see that. I do feel that he really cared about her though.


This book was just brilliant, that got more and more intriguing ass it went on, with a finale that was wonderfully twisted. You won’t want to put it down, eager to find out what happened to Mia.





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Published by: Avon

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Wednesday 13 January 2016

The Broken Hearts Book Club by Lynsey James


Synopsis

Secrets never stay buried for long...
Lucy Harper has always been good at one thing: running from her past. But when her beloved Nana Lily passes away she has no choice except to return to the one place in the world she most wants to avoid...
Luna Bay hasn't changed much in the eight years she has spent in London. The little Yorkshire village is still just as beautiful, but the new pub landlord is a gorgeous addition to the scenery!
Lucy only intended to stay for a day, yet when she discovers that Nana Lily has not only left her a cottage but also 'The Broken Hearts Book Club', Lucy is intrigued. Her Nana never have mentioned the club and Lucy can't wait to get started, but walking into her first meeting she is more aware than ever that her past is finally catching up with her.
One way or another, Lucy must finally face the secrets she's kept buried for so long - or spend the rest of her life on the run...


Review

Oh my, where do I even begin with how much I loved this book? The cover that is basically every pintrested wedding invite combined into the picture of perfection, or the utterly charming tale which I couldn’t help but fall in love with from the first chapter. 

The writing invites you in and you don’t want to leave. It covers a range of emotions incredibly well, I expected this book to pull on the heart strings a bit and it did. Not only through the loss that the members of the book club but through getting to know Lucy and how she feels guilty about the past and how that effects her life today. That doesn’t mean there isn’t light-hearted moments in the book, usually provided whenever Lucy gets together with her flatmate from London, George and her old friend from school Elle.

I really really loved Lucy. I really felt for her and her isolation due to the guilt she feels. She is so kind and caring, and although sometimes things don't go to plan, I feel that she has the best intentions at heart and it’s clear to see, especially with the reaction from most of the book club when things don’t go to plan. They’re upset, but not angry at Lucy, despite how bad she feels. Denise was my favourite book club member, it was great how brave she was when Lucy suggested a sky dive, and she was always friendly to Lucy, which is just what Lucy needed.

Now onto Jake, who was handsome and had a great chemistry with Lucy. He had a grumpy demeanour at times (maybe it was Lucy’s constant nagging to go the the book club!!), but soon softened and continued to be the hero you want in a book.

Obviously not everything goes smoothly, but I think Lucy handles the conflict well, and I really smiled towards the end at how much she seemed to have changed for the better, becoming more sure of herself. 

This is everything you can want in a book. Charming with touching notes as you get to know the residents of Luna Bay, you start to love the place and never want to leave. 






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Published by: Carina

Gratefully received from the Publisher for review.

Wednesday 6 January 2016

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is smart, cynical, loyal - and well aware that she's not the hot one in her group of friends. But when high-school jock and all round moron Wesley Rush tells her she's a DUFF - a Designated, Ugly Fat Friend - Bianca does not the see funny side. She may not be a beauty but she'd never stoop so low as to go anywhere near the likes of Wesley ... Or would she? Bianca is about to find out that attraction defies looks and that sometimes your sworn enemies can become your best friends ...
With a wry and tell-it-like-it-is voice, The Duff is a witty and poignant story of a teenager struggling with the rules of high school attraction, along with the breaking down of her relationships with family and friends. It is a novel about what it means to be sexy, in a world where we feel we have to be perfect!

Review

The book is incredibly easy to read, and addictive too. I was unsure how I would feel about it, as while I had heard good things about it, I was worried I would feel too ‘old’ for it, as occasionally with YA books, I don’t easily connect with the characters or understand their actions, 
However my fears were unfounded and I could barely put this down. The writing draws you in, and I think it captured the characters and situations very well. While I expected most of this book to be a light hearted read (more like the movie - which is completely different to the book), however it actually was a lot deeper than I thought it would be as the story not only deals with the insecurities we all face, especially as a teenager but also Bianca has problems at home where her mother is barely there, and she’s on tenterhooks as she’s worried about her father relapsing from his sobriety as he was an alcoholic before Bianca was born.

Initially I was weary about Bianca, she seemed far too cynical and grumpy at the start (even before the DUFF incedent), but she grew on me fast and it mattered less and less. It was the way it was often tinged with humour that made me like her, and made me grow. She was obviously unhappy with things at home, and chose to bottle it all up and hence that leads to beginning a friends (or in this case enemies) with benefits arrangement with the person whom originally enlightened her to her ‘DUFF’ status, Wesley.

Wesley was instantly likeable, despite his cruelty calling Bianca ‘DUFF’ and his man-whore status. He is a bit of the stereotype bad boy at school that everyone fancies, and he knows it, but secretly he’s messed up inside with issues. That didn’t stop me liking him though. Bianca hates the way Wesley calls her Duffy after their first meeting, and despite him asking several times if it bothers her she says no, and I found myself just wishing she would just tell him! I’m sure he only meant it affectionately (Simon and I have a nickname for each other which is pretty offensive if we knew we didn’t mean it affectionately) and would have stopped had he known, he never meant to offend her.

I thought this book was really good. Funny with more depth than I was expecting, not your standard teen high school based novel. I cannot wait to read the companion book.



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Published by: 
Hodder Children's Books
Gratefully received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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