Galley
The Taking
Written by Kimberly Derting
Published April 29th 2014
320 Pages
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen
When sixteen year old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed... Yet she hasn’t aged a day.
Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.
Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken... And returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?
The Lost Boys
Written By Lilian Carmine
Published 24 / 10 / 2013
512 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK
Fate has brought them together. But will it also keep them apart? Having moved to a strange town, 17 year old Joey Gray is feeling a little lost, until she meets a cute, mysterious boy near her new home. But there’s a very good reason why Tristan Halloway is always to be found roaming in the local graveyard. Perfect for fans of Stephenie Meyer and Lauren Kate, The Lost Boys is a magical, romantic tale of girl meets ghost.
Picture Me Gone
Written By Meg Rosoff
Published 05 / 09 / 2013
208 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin
Mila has an exceptional talent for reading a room, sensing hidden facts and unspoken emotions from clues that others overlook. So when her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing from his upstate New York home, Mila and her beloved father travel from London to find him. She collects information about Matthew from his belongings, from his wife and baby, from the dog he left behind and from the ghosts of his past, slowly piecing together the story everyone else has missed. But just when she’s closest to solving the mystery, a shocking betrayal calls into question her trust in the one person she thought she could read best.
Written By Vanessa Garden
Fantasy, Romance
Published January 1st 2014
304 Pages
Thank you to Harlequin Teen Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★
In a glittering underwater world, nothing is as it seems...For the past twelve months since her parents’ death, seventeen year old Miranda Sun has harboured a dark secret, a secret that has strained the close relationship she once shared with her older sister, Lauren. In an effort to repair this broken bond, Miranda’s grandparents whisk the siblings away on a secluded beach holiday. Except before Miranda gets a chance to confess her life changing secret, she’s dragged underwater by a mysterious stranger while taking a midnight swim.Awakening days later, Miranda discovers that she’s being held captive in a glittering underwater city by an arrogant young man named Marko... The King of this underwater civilization.Nineteen year old Marko intends to marry Miranda in order to keep his crown from falling into the sinister clutches of his half brother, Damir. There’s only one problem. Miranda is desperate to return home to right things with her sister and she wants nothing to do with Marko. Trying to secure her freedom, Miranda quickly forms an alliance with Robbie, Marko’s personal guard. However, she soon discovers that even underwater, people are hiding dangerous secrets...
Since losing her parents in a horrific accident almost a year ago, Miranda Sun is hopeful that her two week summer vacation at her grandparents beach shack, may just be the perfect opportunity to reconnect with her older sister Lauren. Lauren has barely spoken to Miranda since they had lost their parents, not counting the snide comments about Miranda's weight under her breath. With only a week to go until her birthday, Lauren is slowly beginning to allow Miranda back into her life, when tragedy strikes. During a midnight swim, Miranda is dragged under the water by something wrapped around her ankle, until she feels two hands drag her further down. Kicking and struggling for air, the last thing Miranda remembers is the facial stubble of a stranger, his lips... And then the world went black.
Miranda wakes up in a foreign bedroom with a lone male in the corner, seemingly watching her sleep. He refuses to provide any answers, until a woman he refers to as Sylvia arrives. Greeting her captor simply as Robbie, Miranda pleas for her freedom, only to be denied. Sylvia is the lone sister to Marko, king of Marin. Miranda has no choice but to tell her captors her name, or a name will be provided for her. Deciding that Miranda is of no use to the king until she comes of age, Sylvia insists that her well being and safety is to be entrusted to Robbie. She prays that Lauren and her grandparents haven't given up hope of finding her. She needs to find a way to escape. But escape seems impossible when you're trapped in what seems to be a windowless bunker, with only an air vent to circulate oxygen. Where is Marin?
Although Miranda was taken to save Marin and it's civilization, Marko doesn't seem to be interested in her at all. When Robbie had taken her, it was at the request of Sylvia and a royal guard must follow orders. But it isn't her captors that she needs to be weary of, the third sibling and Sylvia's twin brother Damir believes he is the rightful heir to the throne that Marko occupies, unless Marko produces an heir. Miranda's fate decided when she was chosen at random, and with no chance to escape the underwater civilization alone, her only option is to befriend Robbie and be thankful that Marko has taken a dislike to her. But regardless of his repulsion towards her, Marko's duty is to the people of Marin and the expectancy of marrying and producing an offspring. If only Sylvia didn't threaten Miranda's non compliance with a gruesome death within the city's Colosseum.
Marin was founded by the siblings grandfather while searching for the elusive mermaids, and had discovered the underwater kingdom. Building the population from inhabitants on the surface. Money, power and discretion ensured that the new residents of utopia were silenced, with the lure of the kingdom eventually compelling them to stay. But after three generations of women have become barren, Miranda is expected to not only be fertile, but proudly willing to give the city the first child born in eighteen years... If Damir doesn't reach her first.
Miranda's only means of escape, is through the exit in Marko's bedroom, conveniently. But as she spends time with him in order to gain access, she finds that she and Marko have more in common that she cares to admit. It doesn't help that he's not only attractive, but treats Miranda as though she's beautiful, something that Miranda's low confidence won't allow her to believe. Her friendship with Robbie blooms into something far deeper than Miranda should feel for her captor. But as Robbie agrees to help her, Miranda starts to wonder if there is anything in her world to return to. Perhaps Marin is her chance to start again.
Kelly's Thoughts
Captivate tells the story of a magical underwater world, that is as close to perfection as humans will experience. Ruled by the charismatic and gentle hearted Marko, who is under pressure to produce an heir with a foreign girl that he finds himself falling in love with... And he isn't the only one. Captivate is a science fiction romance, rather than fantasy, as the citizens that live within the lost underwater world are actually human. Some born within Marin and some taken, just as Miranda was. It's a fun, light read which is perfect for the Australian summer.
Vanessa Garden has created a perfect underwater world where readers can escape and submerge themselves in the magic.
Written by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Science Fiction, Romance
Published November 20th 2013
374 Pages
Thank you to Allen and Unwin Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets to the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.
Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.
Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder, would they be better off staying in this place forever?
Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it.
The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.
The Icarus is by far the most luxurious ship to come from the orbital dock. Boasting over fifty thousand people aboard, from the rich social heiress and media darling Lilac LaRoux, to the decorated war hero Major Tarver Merendsen, the general population of the ship taking the fastest route to their destination, to friends, family and the soldiers in the lower decks who are on their way to one of the colonies, to stop the latest rebellion. During a lavish party upon the ship, Tarver notices Lilac waiting for her traveling companions. A natural beauty that is as cruel as she is unobtainable. But Lilac can't be seen enjoying the company of a backwater boy, even if he is a decorated soldier. Being an only child of an overprotective father means Lilac's social interactions are limited. She's the heiress to LaRoux Industries and the wealthiest girl in the galaxy, but Major Merendsen doesn't seem to know who she is.
A strange shudder begins to roll throughout the decks, bouts of passengers being spacesick has never been seen before on a luxury ship. An announcement attempting to calm the passengers blares over he digital screens, the Icarus is having difficulty with the hyperspace engines and has suffered substantial damage as a result of the dimensional displacement. The ship is being torn out of hyperspace when Tarver catches a glimpse of an enormous metallic object through the ship windows, large enough to pull the Icarus from her flight path. The panicked passengers being to surge into a riotous sea, fleeing to the escape pods when Tarver hears a distinctive scream and rushes through the crowd to save Miss LaRoux. No one on board could have predicted what was to come.
For a moment the image before us is frozen. Our world, our lives, reduced to a handful broken stars half lost in uncharted space. Then it's gone, the view swallowed by the hyperspace winds streaming past, blue green auroras wiping the after images away.
Until all that's left is us.
The standard escape pod the unlikely pair have boarded is still firmly attached to the Icarus, and without Lilac's intimate knowledge of the ship the two would have perished. Rerouting the wires, the pod careers past the same reflective metallic object and tumbles towards an unknown planet. Lilac is battered and bruised, insisting they remain with the pod as their best chance of rescue, but Tarver is in his element. The planet has been terraformed, trees dotting the landscape with signs of plant life, and clean air. Still dressed in an evening gown and shoes that are impossible to navigate the rough terrain in, Lilac follows Tarver to explore the new world as pieces of flaming debris are falling from the sky. The Icarus is dying, her father's ship is in ruins, falling from the sky and heading towards her final resting place within the mountain range beyond the vast plains. Lilac worries what will happen to Major Meredsen when their rescue arrives, to be seen alone with the social darling could not only end his career, but his life. And for Lilac, it wouldn't be the first time.
They need to make it to the wreckage site of the Icarus if they want any chance to be rescued, they'll need to walk for what could possibly be days, if they don't stumble upon a colony first. Already on edge with one another, they set off for the mountain range. Lilac is determined not to become a liability, but with strange big cats roaming the forest, they both walk with a weary unease. It isn't until they camp for the night, when Lilac hears the first signs of human life, whispers beyond the forest and a woman quietly sobbing. But there is no sign of anyone there, there are no rescue crafts in the atmosphere, and no other signs of life... Except for the whispers that plague Lilac. The voices are nothing more than muffled whispers, causing Lilac to shake and sweat through what Tarver believes are hallucinations as he can't hear the gentle and softly spoken words.
Lilac knows the voices want to help them on their journey, guiding their way to safety. But as they approach the fallen ship, it becomes clear that there is something greater the voices are guiding them towards, but will they survive the new alien world until their rescue comes... If it comes at all.
Kelly's Thoughts
These Broken Stars was phenomenal. Rarely does a book lure me in so quickly, but it was simply perfection. Told in dual points of view, the illustrious Lilac, wealthy socialite and oppressed teen. She's the only daughter of a single parent, her over protective and controlling father having lost Lilac's mother years ago. He's wealthy, powerful and influential which is the reason why Lilac keeps acquaintances at an arm's length, including Tarver. Tarver is a simple boy that has returned from war as a hero. His new found status has thrust him into a vain and materialistic world. Two worlds collide when the Icarus hits trouble and the soldier and heiress learn to enable one another to survive.
It's clear the annoyance with one another is fused with an attraction that neither of them cares to admit, but slowly a romance blossoms, a deep respect and mutual admiration forms between the two. I absolutely loved the fusion between science fiction, romance, fantasy and survival. It was intriguing, the storyline was unpredictable and kept me on the edge of my seat. Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have created a completely seamless partnership, a beautiful yet dangerous world, a multitude of secrets and phenomenons and a romance that defies boundaries. These girls are utterly brilliant, I'd read their shopping list if they stuck a cover on it.
When Amy’s mum dies, the last thing she expects is to be kicked off her dad’s music tour all the way to her Aunt Lou in a depressing hole of a seaside town. But it’s okay, Amy learned how to cope with the best, and soon finds a hard drinking, party loving crowd to help ease the pain.
The only solace is her music class, but even there she can’t seem to keep it together, sabotaging her grade and her one chance at a meaningful relationship. It takes a hard truth from her only friend before Amy realises that she has to come to terms with her past, before she destroys her future.
Almost eighteen year old Amy has just moved to the country, despite her protesting, and never plans to speak to her father again. Since her mother died four months ago, Amy has been on the road, touring venues and stage shows with her Father, well known rocker Stevie D. But Amy's father can't give her the stable life she needs and sends her to finish her schooling with Aunt Lou, hoping that clean country living will straighten out her alcohol issues.
Feeling abandoned, Amy Detrinella starts her new life at Cherrybrook High, having been homeschooled for the past three years. Wearing a hideous tartan uniform and feeling overwhelmed, she stumbles upon the alluring Luke and is instantly hooked. Luke is polite and absolutely gorgeous... He's also taken, as Amy is introduced to his sneering and territorial girlfriend, Coral. The awkward hallway exchange, catches the eye of Lily, cool girl and anti Coral enthusiast and what could possibly be the first friend Amy has had in years. But when Lily drags Amy along to a Friday night party, her world is about to become far more complicated.
Accosted by three teens, Amy is saved from a potential sexual assault by Luke. Luke is adamant that the boys were only playing and that the police wouldn't believe her once they smelt the alcohol on her breath, that it would be best if she keep the attack a secret and Amy is conflicted. The not so single Luke claims that he feels a connection with Amy, flirting secretly within the Cherrybrook halls, and the simple heated touches in their shared music class, which hasn't gone unnoticed by Nick.
Nick is a tattooed rock god, repeating his final year of school, plays in a band and bartends part time. He's everything that Amy isn't looking for, except single. The life of a musician only reminds Amy of her father, and she has no desire to be an afterthought to anyone's music, following in the footsteps of her parents. Amy continues to drown herself in alcohol, detach herself from new friend Lily and and ostracise herself from her Aunt, but when Luke admits that he is going to end his relationship with Coral, it's just the push that Amy wanted to take things further.
What ensues is a web of lies, deceit and cruel taunts as Amy's life is yet again turned upside down. Sometimes you can't judge a book by it's cover, and Amy is about to discover how true that is.
Finding Home is a novella told from Amy's point of view, daughter of an aging well known rocker. Amy is ridiculously naive, seemingly only picking up a love of alcohol from being on tour. Her father wants a stable environment for Amy, where she can stop binge drinking and interact with teens her own age, but Amy seems to involve herself in situations that could only stand to damage her further. We're offered insights into how Amy's love of binge drinking began, but the only explanation of her chasing Luke, who's already in a relationship, is purely her own stupidity.
It was engaging but touched on serious issues facing teens today, alcoholism, drug use, sexual assault and the story of a girl trying to find her own feet again.
Finding Home
Written By Lauren K. McKellar
Published 01 / 10 /2013
156 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read and review.
Cassandra
Caravello is part of Venice′s wealthy elite. Her world is one of
fabulous gowns, society parties and privilege, yet she longs for
something more. While her fiancé is away studying in Paris, she has a
chance meeting with an artist called Falco. He is attractive,
audacious... And highly unsuitable.
When Cass stumbles upon the
body of a murdered woman, with a bloody X carved across her heart, she′s drawn into a dangerous world of secret societies, courtesans and
killers. Falco is quick to offer his assistance, but then another body
is found and Cass starts receiving death threats... Is Falco more
involved than she imagined? And will she be able to stay true to her
fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for someone she′s not
even sure she can trust?
Cassandra Caravello was once a wealthy aristocrat, but now lives on the tiny San Domenico island after her parents dies. While listening to the service of Liviana, her friend and fourteen year old contessa of one of Venice's most prominent families, she is reminded that her aunt Agnese is the only family she now has, besides her best friend Madalena and her lady's maid Siena. Cass's life is not her own, she is set to marry Luca, a man she hasn't seen since he left to study years ago, she needs to be chaperoned whenever she travels, even if it is only to visit the intimate church cemetery that leads onto her aunts crumbling villa. In a moment of grief, Cass flees from the funeral and finds herself walking along the Venice canals, and stumbles across a group of Artists, losing her footing and being pinned under a boy no more than a few years older than she. Now, she can't shake the imagine of his bright blue eyes or his muscular form disappearing through the huddle of street merchants.
Cass is a writer, a dreamer and wants to live her life, not succumb to the standards that young ladies should upheld. So when she wanders into the church cemetery to investigate strange noises in the middle of the night, she discovers that Liviana's family tomb has been disturbed... And Liviana is missing, the body of a young courtesan encased within the tomb instead. As Cass notices a gruesome cross slashed over the girl's heart, she flees, right into the arms of Falco, the artist she found along the Venice canals, but she can't shake the feeling that the two of them are being watched. Falco convinces Cass not to alert the guard, that they have no details of who she is, who would care about a murdered prostitute? For all she knows, they may be next on the list, and after receiving an anonymous note Soon, bella, it will be your turn, signed with an X, she now too is in danger.
Rather than hide away, Cass and Falco decide to investigate on their own, his constant references to Cass as a caged bird are starting to wear thin, but living your life as a noble young woman has Cass wanting to break free of her confines. With a ring that Falco found inside the tomb and a lead on the same symbol adorning an abandoned building, and judging from the bruises on the victim, they are dealing with a girl who was ultimately slashed and strangled. But the warehouse isn't abandoned, it houses a sadistic house of horrors, with bodies and body parts stored in large troughs. But when heavy footsteps approach, the two escape barely, before ending up as the next victim.
Cass has enough to deal with, without being pressured to prepare for her pending nuptials. But how can she marry a man that she hasn't seen in three years when she is falling for a common artist? As they continue to search for clues, at the infamous masquerade ball, bars and brothels, one thing becomes abundantly clear, Venice is a city of secrets that she holds close to her chest. But for Cass, being determined to seek answers may just get her killed.
Venom for me has been the surprise of the year. I'm not sure what I had expected, but not only was it entertaining, it was a true thriller in every sense of the word. Set in an era where ladies should be just that, expected to maintain the upkeep of their household, and rely on their Lady's Maid to run their errands, but Cass isn't your average girl. Her sense of adventure far outweighs her density, and she is far too accepting of others.
Fiona Paul has created a lush and lavish world, made realistic by the seedy underbelly of murderous crimes and forbidden love. The storyline will keep you guessing from start to finish and I had no clue where the plot was heading. Suspenseful and thrilling, it's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Venom
(Secrets Of The Eternal Rose: Book One)
Written By Fiona Paul
Published 06 / 12 / 2012
435 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia
Cassandra fears rocking the family boat. Instead, she sinks it. Assigned by her English teacher to write a poem that reveals her true self, Cassandra Randall is stuck. Her family's religion is so overbearing, she can NEVER write about who she truly is. So Cass does what any self-respecting high school girl would do: she secretly begins writing a tarot-inspired advice blog. When Drew Godfrey, an awkward outcast with unwashed hair, writes to her, the situation spirals into what the school calls 'a cyberbullying crisis' and what the church calls 'sorcery'. Cass wants to be the kind of person who sticks up for the persecuted, who protects the victims the way she tries to protect her brother from the homophobes in her church. But what if she's just another bully? What will it take for her to step up and tell the truth?
Cassandra Randall wants to be independent, to succeed and be an individual in her own right. Pity she isn't sure who she actually is. Seventeen year old Cass is an unwilling member of the Joyful News Bible Church, in small town Sterling Creek. She's a self confessed closet Atheist, in a family of staunch believers. But that isn't why Cass finds herself feeling pensive, an online social media survey has exposed her inability to evolve and delve into new experiences. What does she have in her life, that is uniquely Cass?
Best friend Kayla is increasingly becoming unattached to Cass, Cass having grown up within Kayla's shadow. The tall, dark and mysterious girl now choosing to spend her time delving into the world of art, once again leaving Cass behind. But when Cass is approached by the popular Gordon High mean girls to work on the layout of the school Gazette, this may be Cass's chance to leave a mark, finally finding something that is completely hers. She didn't expect it to occupy so much of time.
Cass is forced to attending youth group meetings within the church, and being lectured on all things fire and brimstone is wearing thin. Little sister Dicey happily trails along, while older brother Eric believes, but skips church at all costs. Eric is gay, unbeknownst to their parents, the church doesn't look kindly upon people straying from their beliefs, nor does the small minded church community. Withdrawn Drew attends church, alone, of her own free will. Cass has known the shy and self aware girl since the two were both young, but dodges Drew's attempts at friendship. Known as Drew The Shrew, Drew has skin issues, confidence issues. not to mention her aversion to personal hygiene. But she's lonely, and no matter how hard Cass pushes the kind hearted girl away, she's determined to befriend her.
Cass has been set a task in her literature class, to sing her own praises. How is she supposed to write a Song of Myself, if she can't even complete a social media questionnaire? It isn't until bookshop browsing leads her to buying a deck of tarot cards, that she realises that this could in fact be her own unique trait and on the advice of best friend Kayla, Divinia Starr is born. An online tarot reading service, posting fake readings. But when Cass uses her position at the Gazette to advertise her blog, she never expected the support and backlash that were to follow.
It seems that Cass isn't the only one that knows that Eric is gay, after being attacked by small minded bigots, she realises why her brother refuses to attend church. Eric is in a loving relationship and the uptight church patrons have him questioning his own beliefs. In a world created equally, why should he have to hide who he truly is? But it still doesn't help Cass from completing her own Song of Myself, and on the verge of failing her class, she pushes her assignment to the back burner, trying to discover herself.
When mean girls Britney and Annika discover Drew's musings in Cass's bag, her intimate poetry goes viral posted on the Divinia Starr blog. Worse still, in a moment of panic, Cass confesses who they belong to. Drew is publicly humiliated, the two girls posting as case and inviting others to join in on the nasty and hateful entertainment... And Drew has been pushed too far.
Cass needs to own up to her mistakes, starting with the tarot cards, failing class and the blog that the church have fought so hard against. To finally stand to account, for drew, for Eric and for the charming Darin, the boy who knew her Song of Myself, even before Cass could write it.
Sometimes Never, Sometimes always could possibly be the coming of age novel that represents small town America. Cass is a follower but desperately wants to march to the beat of her own drum, she just doesn't know how. Her parents believe in the power of prayer, that supernatural novels are the devils work and that teenagers have no right to privacy. What happens when teens are forced into leading a life of sunshine and rainbows? They rebel, but Cass's rebellion is subtle, it's the influence of others and her lack of self confidence that are her undoing.
Elissa Janine Hoole has woven a story that incorporates fears that all teens will relate to, cyber bullying, finding independence, the loss of friendship and first crushes, the inclusion of small town bigotry and the church's extreme views against, well, basically everything that could be seen as fun, may leave staunch followers a little uncomfortable. I'm by no means religious, but do understand that religion should be based on forgiveness and respect for your fellow man, but the Joyful News Bible Church is extreme in their views. I really enjoyed it, it was engaging, and the supporting characters leave an impact, even the Gordon High mean girls. I would love to read Drew's story, she could be the inner voice of most struggling teens.
Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always
Written By Elissa Janine Hoole
Expected Publication 08 / 11 / 2013
360 Pages
Thank you to Flux and Netgalley
Whitney Denison can’t wait to start over.
She thought she had everything under control, that her future would always include her best friend Katie… Until everything changed.
Now her life in Bloom is one big morning after hangover, filled with regret, grief, and tiny pinpricks of reminders that she was once happy. A happy she ruined. A happy she can’t fix.
So, she is counting down the days until she leaves home for Colson University, cramming her summer with busywork she didn’t finish her senior year, and taking on new hobbies that involve glue and glitter, and dodging anyone who reminds her of her old life.
When she runs into the stranger who drove her home on graduation night, after she’d passed out next to a ditch, she feels herself sinking again. The key to surviving the summer in Bloom is unraveling whatever good memories she can from that night.
But in searching for answers, she’ll have to ask for help and that means turning to Evan, the stranger, and Kyle, Katie’s ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, life flips again, and Whitney finds herself on not only the precipice of happy but love, too, causing her to question whether she can trust her feelings, or if she is falling into her old patterns of extremes.
As she uncovers the truth about her memories, Whitney sees that life isn’t all or nothing, and that happy isn’t something to wait for, that instead, happy might just be a choice
Whitney Denison isn't alright, she's far from it.
She's spent the summer at Gosley, a rehabilitation center, in order to free her from her alcoholic induced guilt that surrounds the death of Katie, Whitney's once best friend. A drunken hallucination of Katie in the backyard of a party, a night that Whitney struggles to piece together. Katie died without Whitney having made amends, she made a mistake but in Katie's perfect life, there is no room for forgiveness, only perfection, order and control. Whitney never meant to kiss Kyle, her life being one drunken mistake ater another.
Whitney has served her parental induced rehabilitation and now returns to the judgmental world of cold smiles, idle gossip and perfection within the gated community of Bloom. The Denison house has never been a loving and safe environment, with Whitney's parents holding her up to their standard of living, her mother a daytime news anchor and her father a successful, adulterer lawyer. Older sister Lauren has been expelled from the family, her mother erasing Lauren from their lives since her divorce. To cope with the loneliness and avoid self destruction, Whitney crafts, something she's learnt from her time at Gosley. The only problem, she needs to venture into town for supplies.
Whitney shouldn't be surprised that she's been recognised, but by Evan Foster of all people. Evan was her unwanted savior, bringing her home on the fateful night that led to her being shipped of to rehabilitation. If only Evan had of minded his own business. All she needs to do is survive until she can lave for Colton University, where she can start her life over. No dead best friends, no drunken mistakes and no Evan Foster. So why can't she think of anything else but him? The night of the party, there is something she needs to remember, playing Scrabble in the library, waking up in a ditch and Kyle holds the key to unlocking what her conscious is trying free. Whitney needs to stand on her own two feet and decides to find her own volunteer position, rather than interning at her father's office. Following Evan leads her to a small, run down cafe simply known as TEA.
Whitney needs to rekindle her friendship with Kyle, but how can he remember if he can't free himself from his constant state of addicted numbness? Perhaps Evan knows more than he's willing to admit.
Come Back To Me wasn't at all what I had expected. Sadly, it was confusing and anticlimactic... But it wasn't all bad. There were aspects that could have made the difference between an average novel and an incredible storyline that readers could invest in. Whitney's rehabilitation was barely touched upon, as the story picks up on her final day. The characters within her support group were eclectic, but were only touched upon and had the potential to offer the reader an insight into life at Gosley.
Kyle was... Well... Kyle was a tool. He's a user and Whitney's rekindled friendship is meaningless. He stares into the distance under his drug induced, alcoholic cloud and she sits with him hoping he'll suddenly remember what she can't. For someone who is struggling with addiction herself, how does she not relapse in his company?
Evan is a decent guy, musical, works with children, straight laced and seems as though he genuinely likes Whitney, without asking for anything in return. But We barely see their relationship develop, as she is only intent on uncovering her memories and only believes that Kyle can help her. It's frustrating, as the reader will genuinely believe that what Whitney discovers will be an incredible revelation, perhaps an integral plot twist, but no, it isn't. I felt let down by the storyline, as it could have been so much more.
Come Back To Me
Written By Coleen Patrick
Published 05 / 03 / 2013
239 Pages
Banish
Written By Nicola Marsh
Published August 1st 2013
Paranormal, Romance
272 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen
Add to Goodreads
★★★★
Written By Nicola Marsh
Published August 1st 2013
Paranormal, Romance
272 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen
Add to Goodreads
★★★★
Alyssa has one week to destroy her enemy, save her spirit... And save her soul.After her ex boyfriend commits suicide and her mum's alcoholism sparks yet another psychotic episode, seventeen year old Alyssa Wood flees her small hometown of Broadwater and heads to New York City to stay with her bohemian aunt, a Wicca High Priestess.Alyssa revels in the anonymity of a big city and her new life. Her grades climb, she has a new best friend, and a new guy: the sexy geek Ronan, a saxophone player who prefers jazz to pop.But her newfound peace is soon shattered when she sees a dead body in one of Ronan's music clips, and she's the only one who can see it. Worse still, Alyssa recognises the body that has been murdered a week forward!Alyssa doesn't believe in the supernatural... Despite her family's Wicca background. So how will she overcome evil when it's closer than she thinks?
It was inevitable, that seventeen year old Alyssa Wood would have developed a crush on twenty one year old Ronan, but how soon is too soon, after your last relationship? It had been six months since Alyssa left Broadwater, for the hustle of New York City, escaping the scrutiny and whispers of a small town since her ex boyfriend had killed himself eight months ago, the day after Alyssa had ended their relationship. Now Alyssa lives with her aunt, a renowned high priestess urban witch, after the downhill spiral of her mother's mental health. Her mother once being an eccentric witch and devout Wiccan, now an alcoholic who has retreated within herself.
Alyssa has a new life in New York, a new school and a new boyfriend, it's a fresh start that she so desperately needed. But when new boyfriend Ronan sends Alyssa a song he had composed for her, she never expected the camera to capture a girl with her life slowly draining before her eyes, blood seeping through her clothing. With Ronan adamant there was nothing untoward about the video clip, Alyssa needs answers.
With new friend Seth, Alyssa visits a local medium, she's never been a believer until a message from ex boyfriend Noah comes through. Towards the end of their relationship, Noah had been shrouded in darkness, his angry outbursts becoming increasingly manic until Alyssa had ended it. Nothing about Noah's deterioration had made sense, but Alyssa didn't believe that medium Tabitha could contact spirits, so how is it that she knows about Noah?
When Alyssa arrives home to a plain package with only a card addressed to her, she's hesitant to open it. Seeing the dead body on Ronan's clip, Noah's name during the seance pales in comparison to the package containing the necklace she had given Noah, the very same that she had hurried beside Noah's grave, a week after he was laid to rest. Alyssa needs to conduct a banishing spell, but when her computer then chimes with Taylor Swift, Noah and Alyssa's song, the sooner she can get rid of this ghost, the better.
With a warning that her recent seance has left a threat looming over Alyssa, she has no option but to turn to high priestess aunt Angie. Angie has always pushed Alyssa into pursuing Wicca but with no success. There is a malevolent force determined to harm Alyssa, finding a voodoo doll with a noose around it's neck in her bag, that remarkably resembled Alyssa, ritual death signs arriving in the mail, and a new video. This clip being identical to Ronan's song for her, but the difference being the wide angle shot of the dying girl, the girl who tormented Alyssa throughout school, claiming Alyssa had stolen Noah from her. Sammy, the same girl who had also found Noah's body.
Alyssa needs to go home, back to Broadwater to search for answers. What she finds is her sober mother intent on helping her unravel just what Alyssa is. Who is trying to destroy her life... And that Alyssa may be the next victim.
Kelly's Thoughts
Banish is a young adult psychological thriller with a paranormal twist. Although slow to start, as the storyline unravels you'll find yourself increasingly skittish. It's intense and unpredictable, not to mention creepy and will keep you in the edge of your seat. Even being a young adult release, it scared me senseless in parts, definitely not one to read alone at night.
It felt unfinished, so I wonder if there will be a follow up to tie up lose ends. If there is, sign me up.
Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.
Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.
Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.
All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.
You have to kill him.
When Em finds the cryptic scribblings hidden in the drain of her cell, she knows she's been there before... Or at least another version of herself. Only Finn in the next cell is keeping her sane, and her only bargaining plea is the documents guaranteeing their lives, from the doctor and the director within the government facility in which they're being held. The present is a war ravaged land, with countries on the attack throughout the world and entire states wiped off the map. If you had the chance to travel back to destroy the cause of the death and desolation... Would you?
With help on the inside, Em and Finn escape, making it back to Cassandra, the underground subatomic particle collider that will send them back four years earlier... When the full conception of travel in the fourth dimension is realised, time travel.
Childhood friends Marina and James are best friends, next door neighbours and if Marina is correct, soul mates with Finn completing the unlikely trio. But when tragedy strikes James's life, again, it sets events into motion that no one could have predicted. James is not only gifted, he's a genius. Gone is the shy, awkward teen boy, he's an intellect, handsome and wealthy, his brother is a congressman and James is determined to make the world a better place. But someone wants James dead, he's being hunted and there is nothing that Marina won't do to ensure James is protected.
Em and the slightly older, future Finn need to stop Cassandra being built.... Again. The two have traveled back fourteen times prior, only to discover they've been unable to alter the outcome. The new world is a very different place, American drone planes attacking China, Israel involved in a nuclear standoff against Syria. Marines with machine guns on street corners, the Californian air raids, the government monitoring phone calls and internet usage, waiting for a keyword that will have you tried and convicted as a terrorist. Time travel should never have been capable, if Em fails again, she'll be taken back to her cell and tortured by The Doctor, over the whereabouts of her only insurance policy... And then power hungry, insane totalitarian government will destroy what little humanity remains.
All Our Yesterdays was difficult to review, without giving away the stunning and shocking plot twists. It's young adult, but the intelligence behind the storyline will leave even adults breathless. More science fiction than fantasy, the time travel aspect is well thought out and like most that dabble with the subject, it isn't confusing and won't leave you with boring and lengthy descriptions either.
I really enjoyed it. It's an emotional ride, but more often than not, will leave you on the edge of your seat. The characters are brilliant and it blurs the lines between heroes and villains. Prepare yourself for a gut wrenching ending that you won't see coming. You'll be left utterly exhausted.
All Our Yesterdays
Written by Cristin Terill
Expected Publication 03 / 09 / 2013
Written by Cristin Terill
Expected Publication 03 / 09 / 2013
Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Cristin Terill
for the opportunity to read and review
for the opportunity to read and review
A hint of Recovery Road, a sample of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno.
A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching, heart-warming
story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.
Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin
was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a
very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the
worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after
a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock
bottom.
Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted
from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they
came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog, and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a
scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she
threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.
Justin and Emmy
arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to
deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for
authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who
are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the
end, they might even call each other friends.
A funny, sad, and
remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and
self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for
Heartland Academy is a place for wayward teens to find inner strength, resolve issues and take the pathway to physics and emotional heath. But if you ask most of the teen residents, they'll tell you what utter rubbish that is. It's a prison in the middle of cornfields as far as the eye can see. No internet, no television, just therapy, tailor made education and behaving yourself.
Emmy's adoptive parents had no choice, after her stint of Facebook bullying against a boy who was sexually and racially offensive. Born to Chinese parents who gave Emmy up for adoption, hearing the racial slurs each day have taken their toll. Always comparing herself to her tall, slim and blonde sister, the 'biological' child, Emmy is angry, disgusted and believes that her happiness lies within meager meals, extreme exercising and jutting hip bones, but that isn't the reason she's at Heartland. Life isn't easy when you're the self proclaimed dark, chubby china doll, adopted into the all American family as their beautiful 'Chinese Star'.
Justin didn't try to commit suicide, taking a fatal dosage amount of Tylenol was a cry for attention.Justin was caught in a compromising position with a girl he had only just met, failing classes at his previous school, the failed un-serious suicide attempt... Being an asshole is just part of the package. Justin has depression, a deep seeded hatred for his father choosing to be absent in his life and his mother marrying again adding to the already mismatched family. Justin is emotionally similar to most sixteen year old boys, he enjoys porn, girls, sarcasm and more porn, but his ability to communicate and express his feelings are destroying him.
Both Justin and Emmy are the newest residents and slot into the roles of the anorexic freak and the moping depressed kid, in their new merry band of misfits. The thirteen year old violent girl with the mouth to match. The hardcore addictive gamer, the girl with selective mutism and the boy with the identity issues. What bonds the odd group together, is the agreement that they all need something from one another. But what they didn't expect were loving, yet at times violent and jovial relationships with their group peers that they wouldn't have found if it weren't for Heartland.
A Really Awesome Mess was simply that, awesome. Told in both Emmy and Justin's points of view, the two main characters are completely different, yet find a kindred spirit in one another, seeing they've both been sent to Heartland Academy. The supporting characters are absolutely hilarious, and will have you snorting with laughter at their antics. The basis of the book surrounds the group of unlikely friends who are experiencing self loathing, mental illnesses or issues with social interaction, but yet it rises above the serious diagnosis of each teen in a positive, fun and hysterical light.
I absolutely loved it.
A Really Awesome Mess
Written By Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Written By Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Expected Publication 23 / 07 / 2013
288 Pages
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