Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Edition: Electric Monkey (Egmont), 2016

Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis

Addictive, dreamy and contemporary YA romance at its very best! It is perfect for fans of Morgan Matson, Stephanie Perkins and Rainbow Rowell. The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them...until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs the trellis to sit by her and changes everything.

Review

April is off to a flying start; book one done in 5 days. And I totally called it on this one. My Life Next Door definitely channels some Sarah Dessen vibes, but it reminds me of Morgan Matson and Stephanie Perkins too. All of whom, I LOVE. 

I'm going to start with the Garretts, because, wow, I love them all. I've always wanted to write a story that involved a big family, and I almost did. But I ended up feeling like there were too many unnecessary characters. Having read about the Garretts though, I'm thinking I should try again. Each member of this family is so distinctive and I didn't lose track of who was who. I think it worked so well because some of them played bigger roles than others but still all had a purpose. I think my favourite Garrett was probably George. He was adorable and I loved his interactions with Samantha. 

Jase. I loved how down to earth he was, and how hard he worked. The way that he and Samantha got to know one another felt really easy and seamless; they felt like friends as well as more than that. I thought the scenes that handled the sex part of their relationship were written so well. They were realistic and honest, with just the right amount of detail. 

I loved the summery feel of the whole book, the descriptions, the summer jobs, the romance, and, to a point, the slow sort of pace. However, the last third or so was full to the brim with emotion and intensity, which was great, and kept me up half the night reading, and I wish there'd been a little more of that a bit sooner. 

There were also a few strings that weren't really tied up for me. Like, Nan? (I don't want to spoil it so I won't say anymore) I would have liked a bit more of a wrap up at the end in terms of what happens to Sam's mum and Jase's dad. 

This book was so close to getting 5 stars, but those few things brought it down. Having said that, I would definitely read this book again and look forward to picking up more of Huntley Fitzpatrick books in the future, and not just because of the pretty, stripy spines.

Favourite Quote
"All around me are summer voices. The lap of the shore far away, the roar of a motorcycle coming up the street, the shhhh of the wind in the dogwood trees."

Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass

Title: The Heir
Author: Kiera Cass
Edition: Harper Collins UK, 2015

Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis

Kiera Cass's Number 1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illea's royal family into a whole new Selection - and find out what happens after happily ever after. Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illea's royal family into a whole new Selection-and find out what happens after happily ever after. Eighteen years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon's heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn't expect her Selection to be anything like her parents' fairy-tale love story...but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought. A new generation of swoonworthy characters and captivating romance awaits in the fourth book of the Selection series!
(Taken from Waterstones.com)

Review

Considering I've read the rest of the series, it's a little bit backwards for my first review of it to be The Heir. It's pretty simple though; I read the first three last summer, before this blog was a thing, and although I'd love to review them all together, I'll need to re-read them in order to give a proper review. So, until then, here's my review of The Heir.

I'm going to start with my biggest question: why is The Heir a part of The Selection series? This question makes me think so many things at once I don't know where to start. Plus, I have a lot of feelings about this series in general.

Review: Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Title: Mosquitoland
Author: David Arnold
Edition: Headline, 2015

Rating: ★★★★

Review

For the first few chapters I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. I persevered because I'd seen it all over the internet and I'm so glad I did. By the time I was halfway through, I was loving it. And here's why:

I loved the narration in Mosquitoland. Not only was the main plot (the generic, character-telling-a-story part) written in a unique voice, the letters were too, but the voice was slightly different. As an aspiring writer, it was incredible to read Mim's story and how she told it with such a strong, fun voice, then to read the letters, which were a different voice but still, without a doubt, Mim's. The balance between the letters and her journey was just right, the letters didn't interrupt for too long and weren't too frequent; they were frequent enough to not forget them or count them as a minor sub plot. Plus, I loved the way they tied up at the end. 

Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes
Author: Jasmine Warga
Edition: Hodder & Stoughton, 2015

Rating: ★★★★★

Review

I feel like I've been reading a lot of books lately that centre around mental illness. Not that it's a bad thing, I'm glad to read about these issues, learning a little bit more about them. The trouble I find with them is that there's rarely a happily ever after ending. I totally understand why, but as a firm believer in happy endings, I hate it when a book doesn't deliver, no matter what the story is. 

My Heart and Other Black Holes, however, gave the usually sad story of depression and suicide a, perhaps not happy but, hopeful ending. It brought a little bit of light to an otherwise dark sub-section of YA fiction. 

Review: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Title: Northern Lights
Author: Philip Pullman
Edition: Scholastic UK, 2011

Rating: ★★★

Review

I've meant to pick up this book for a while, and my Writing for Young People module reading list has forced me to finally get round to reading it; it's the chosen book for the young people and fantasy lecture. 

Prior to reading it, I'd heard lots of good things, and, I'm sorry to admit, I saw the film adaptation, known as The Golden Compass, years and years ago. I do think having the film in my mind while I read it did ruin the experience a little, but I'll get to that. 

Philip Pullman has such a magical way with words. His descriptions, especially of settings, are clear and thorough, hardly leaving anything to the imagination at the same time as sparking it. The world in which Lyra lives is so close to the real world that it eased me into the fantastical elements gently, and as it became more and more unlike the real world, it all felt natural; of course there are ice-bears in the North and witches that fly like shadows. 

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Edition: Allen & Unwin, 2015

Rating: ★★★★

Review

I have to admit it. I only picked up this book because I saw the film trailer; my copy even has 'now a major motion picture' printed on the front. From the title, I was kind of expecting The Fault in our Stars take two. All I'll say about that though is, do not pass on this one if you disliked TFIOS. The only similarity between the two is the cancer. 

Even then, Rachel's leukaemia takes a back seat. This story isn't about some big, meaningful, life lesson. It's just a story about ordinary characters dealing with cancer – the way real life people deal with real life cancer. There's absolutely no romanticisation of cancer here.