Pretty Little Memoirs - a YA Book Blog

Where The Storyline Continues. . .

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Blog Tour: “That Asian Kid” by Savita Kalhan

Welcome to my tour date on That Asian Kid’s International Blog Tour by Savita Kalhan. This is the second (and definitely not the last) book I’ve read by Savita – read on to find out just why I loved this incredible novel!

That Asian Kid

Author:  Savita Kalhan

Published by: Troika on August 1st, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Young Adult // Contemporary

Books I’ve Read By The Same Author: The Girl In The Broken Mirror 


Disclosure: I received this book from the Publisher/Author in exchange for an impartial review. This is an unpaid/unsponsored post.

Despite his hard work and brains, Jeevan, is doing badly in his GCSE English literature class. His teacher, Mrs Greaves, dislikes him intensely and Jeevan is convinced that he is the victim of racial prejudice. 

Can he stand up for what’s right? When he comes upon her in the woods outside school in a compromising situation with another teacher, Jeevan can’t help but film the scene on his phone. 

With this secret new ammunition at his fingertips – dare he upload it to social media?

First Thoughts  

I have been in such a book funk lately. This is the first book I’ve picked up since my last review and I’m so ashamed that I’ve not been as avid of a reader in the last month or so. Life has been pretty hectic for many reasons, and with that, books have been far from my mind. But then with my tour date coming up, I picked up That Asian Kid and began reading. Sure, it took a second to slip back into bookish Becca mode, but then something magical happened. . .



My Review

Although 90% of the time I read, it’s a female narrator (or at least follows a female driven/focused character) this time was a refreshing change, and it totally paid off. Jeevan is totally driven, but has one of the most likeable personalities I’ve read to date. Despite trying his very best in all his school work now that he’s got GCSE’s to think about, his English Lit teacher has clearly taken a dislike toward him. Not only that, but Jeevan knows exactly why, and it has everything to do with racial prejudice. The thing is, armed with only a suspicion, although leaning in that direction, Jeevan is hesitant to stand up for himself and out his teacher for her behaviour. But then an opportunity arises – he stumbles upon her in a rather dubious situation with another teacher outside of school and films it on his phone. Jeevan has all he needs as a sort of leverage to use against the hate he’s received from her, but there’s this underlying grip of not wanting to stoop to her level and out her. 

You can tell from the get-go that Jeevan is a sweet young boy who just wants to try his best, live a drama-free life and have a laugh with his mates. Savita has such a way with words – gripping, yet powerful – and the way Jeevan’s story is read can be interpreted in so many ways to many different people. It’s so eye-opening, that these kinds of things still happen, or ever happened at all. I FELT every emotion, the highs and the lows that came with Jeevan’s chapters, reeling from choices and actions. 

Overall, That Asian Kid is that book you need in schools, in libraries, in everyone’s hands. It’s moving, a stunning swift force in YA. Just when I thought Savita couldn’t outdo The Girl In The Broken Mirror, she follows it up with this firecracker. I thoroughly loved Jeevan, his family, his friends, the moments that felt real. This wasn’t a light read, and it can feel super heavy at times, but it’s needed for the most important message: no matter what the colour of your skin is, you should never be treated any differently than anyone else, and if you are treated differently or singled out, you should always tell someone – because it’s not right, and it never will be. Thank you Savita for truly widening and developing my knowledge amongst your powerful words and characters that live on even after the last page is closed. Huge five star read!

Savita Kalhan was born in India, but has lived in
the UK most of her life. She graduated from Aberystwyth University with a
degree in Politics and Philosophy. She was a Batik artist before going to live
in the Middle East for several years where she taught English and began to
write. Now living in North London, she spends her time
writing, playing tennis, and growing vegetables and super-hot chillies on her
allotment. Savita runs a very enthusiastic teen reading group at her local
library in Finchley, who enjoy reading and talking about books as much as she
does. Her debut teen novel, The Long Weekend, was published by Andersen Press, and is a tense
thriller about two boys who are abducted after school. It was short-listed for
the Fabulous Book Award 2010. Her YA novel The Girl in the Broken Mirror was
published by Troika Books in 2018, and her next YA novel, That Asian Kid, was
published on 29th August 2019.
If you would like to know more about Savita,
you’ll find her on Twitter @savitakalhan, or visit her website – www.savitakalhan.com

Amazon UK – Book Depository 
Don’t forget to stop by the other tour dates on this incredible tour for Savita! If you can’t afford to grab a copy online or instore, definitely try libraries/borrow from a friend. This is such a powerful book – it needs to be in your hands! 
What did you think of That Asian Kid?
Do you ever get in a reading funk – and if so, what gets you out of it?
If you’ve read this book, what character did you like best? And what part moved you the most?
happy reading!

Blog Tour & Guest Post: Take A Chance On Me by Beth Garrod


Welcome to Day Three of Take A Chance On Me, the blog tour! Today I have a sparkling review of Beth Garrod’s latest read, a lovely Guest Post about Insta Vacay’s and the lowdown on your must-have summer read!



Take A Chance On Me

Author: Beth Garrod

Published by: Scholastic on July 4th, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Young Adult // Contemporary Romance

Similar Books I’ve Read: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Kissing Booth


Disclosure: I received this book from the Publisher/Author in exchange for an impartial review. This is an unpaid/unsponsored post.


The brand-new sunny, funny, feel-good rom com from bestselling Beth Garrod, perfect for fans of TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE and THE KISSING BOOTH. Meg had a disastrous first kiss she would rather forget, but this is the summer she puts it behind her. 

This is the summer she has a perfect, swoony, just-like-in-the-movies kiss with a hot boy – and what better setting than the sun-drenched Greek island she’s holidaying on? But with three very different boys vying for her attention, this mission to reset her first kiss may be more complicated than she bargained for…



First Thoughts  


I’m guilty of having only read one previous book by Beth (although they’re all in my TBR stack!) previous to delving into Take A Chance On Me. But the well-known fact around the YA World is that Beth’s books are honest, hilarious and addictive. So when I got the chance to take this little read on vacation with me, I delved in right away in scenic beach views to get the perfect authentic experience. 




My Review


Picture this: you’ve got the perfect summer read, you’re staying on the English Riviera, the temperature is close to 30’c on the coastline and you’ve just met one of the funniest book characters you’ve had the chance to meet in a long time. That was my summer, last week. And it was so much better with Take A Chance On Me in my bag on long, hot days and beach trips. 


Meg, our main character, has had a shall we say, quite disastrous history of her first kiss that she would very much love to start forgetting. And that’s what this summer is all about. She has a gorgeous setting to restart her journey for the best kiss ever: a lush Greek island and perhaps more than she bargained for when one of the world’s hottest film stars is revealed to be shooting his newest movie on the same island she’s on holiday. Now, the thing is, there’s not just one boy that wants to lock lips with Meg. There’s three. And this summer that was supposed to be all about getting a do-over for that horrendous first kiss (and sheer horror of having a nose breaking curse) turns more complicated by the second. What’s a girl to do when there’s multiple options for a second first kiss?


I couldn’t put down Take A Chance On Me. Somehow, because I was on vacation and the book takes place with Meg on holiday, too, it seemed like the perfect fit. I was drenched in sunshine and exploring, just like Meg. The only difference was that Meg’s summer was a lot more complicated than mine, one that was taking leaps into a romantic setting and angling for her best summer yet. And for a one-off book, unlike Beth’s other books, I felt extremely drawn to Meg and her life and wished that this novel went on forever! 


Overall, I am so thankful that I took a chance on Take A Chance On Me. Not only did I laugh so hard that other people on the beach looked my way (oops!) but I felt like I had just took a peak into one of those life-changing types of YA reads that defines summer and romance to a perfect conclusion, wrapped up in a neat bow of sunshine and heartbeats. If you’ve never read a Beth Garrod book, you’re missing out completely. Start with Take A Chance On Me, and I pinky promise that it’ll be your favourite summer read yet. Huge five stars!





How to make like you’re on an Instagram vacay when you’re actually holed up at home.

So it’s the middle of August, you’re at home with no plans,  and your thumb has gone rogue and decided that you need to open Instagram. Again. For the 54th time today. We’ve all been there.
You have two options – get stuck in the scroll and indulge in some serious FOMO, or… pull on your best sunglasses and remind yourself don’t need to have got on a plane to be living your best #vacaylife.

Here’s how being at home, can be just as good as floating around on an inflatable flamingo.

You Came, You Saw, You Cone-quered
Guess what, no matter what fancy food foreign travels throw as us, and on to our friends’ feeds, the UK has something no posh beach does.
A 99 Flake.
So make mine a large, go heavy on the pink sauce, and feel smug you’re clutching the undisputed champion of all ice creams. And because the UK’s probably not even that hot, you’ll even have time to take a pic for the gram before it melts. Hello winning.

Pals Vs Paradise
Yeah yeah, we’ve all seen all your sandy white beach and clear blue sea pics, and realised that maybe, just maybe, it’s more appealing than the special brand of grey-drizzle the UK can serve up. But you know what every picture of that amazing empty beach is missing? Mates. So grab your besties, pull on your sunnies and work those angles. The sun won’t be so bright you can’t see the screen either. UK 2 – Tropical Paradise 0.

99 Problems, but Pants Aren’t One
Someone’s feed might be looking total #vacaygoals, but what’s happening behind the holiday scenes? At glorious home there’s no such horrors as forgetting enough pants, or realising you’ve got a tan line that’s the exact shape of your hand where you couldn’t be bothered to rub in Factor 50. And what’s worse? Another mosquito bite, or inhaling a massive lungful of the spray that’s meant to stop them? It’s a close call. But here in the glorious UK, we don’t need to fret about such survival matters. Oh no. In fact the only thing we need to worry about getting bitten by is the need to watch another episode of Love Island. And to that we say, crack on.

When Your Feed is Blowing Up…
…with blow everythings (Flamingos! Pizzas! Avodacoes! Llamas! You name it – someone has inflated it) remember one thing. Have you ever tried to get on one of those things in the blazing heat?! The inner-thigh burn is REAL. And a graceful mount/dismount is something probably even Simone Biles couldn’t manage.
So grab another pillow off your bed, and head to the park or the garden, knowing that whatever you’re sitting on, it’s going to beat straddling a scalding hot inflatable spring onion.

And if all else fails, put down your phone and remind yourself that someone else might be looking at your feed with the same amount of FOMO. So stop comparing your summer holiday realness with other people’s edited highlights, and make the most of zero school or college.  However you want to spend summer, the main thing is you take it easy – on everything but the ice-cream eating.




Hello – I’m Beth. The Super Awkward author. Which just about describes everything really.
Super Awkward was my debut book, Truly Madly Awkward was the sequel, and Access All Awkward was the third in the Awkward trilogy, but I’ve been writing for teenagers for a looong time. And being awkward in my own life for even longer.
My new summery book – Take A Chance On Me – is about a girl called Meg and came out in July 2019. 
My day job is making stuff for TV, radio and online, and I’ve worked on everything from Blue Peter to Radio 1 to MTV. Career highlight was probably fishing out Miley Cyrus’ used face-wipe from a bin.
I currently live in east London, and dream of owning a dog.
If you want to get in touch about that – or anything else – head to bethgarrod.com or follow me on Twitter @bethg or on IG @beth__garrod. 




What is your perfect summer read?


What’s your favourite book that Beth has written?


Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @LittleMemoirs and make sure to visit the other tour dates and get involved!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour: The Words That Fly Between Us by Sarah Carroll


Today is my tour date for the gorgeous and highly anticipated The Words That Fly Between Us on Pretty Little Memoirs! Keep reading to find out why this is one of my favourite reads of the year so far and in a league of it’s own!



The Words That Fly Between Us

Author: Sarah Carroll

Published by: S&S Children’s on May 2nd, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Young Adult // Contemporary

Similar Books I’ve Read: The Unpredictability of Being Human, This Raging Light



Disclosure: I received this book from the Publisher/Author in exchange for an impartial review. This is an unpaid/unsponsored post.


Lucy’s father is a successful lawyer making a killing on the property market. She and her mother want for nothing. Nothing, that is, that can be bought.But money cannot buy Lucy the words she needs. The words to stand up to her bully of a father. The words to inspire her mother to do something about the family life that is suffocating them both. The words to become the person she wants to be.
Then Lucy finds something else: An escape route…Soon she discovers that every building on her row is connected, through the attic, to the next. As she explores the inner lives of those who live on her street, Lucy realises that she is not the only one to suffer in silence. She also sees ways she can help some, and ways to punish those that deserve it.
But as the mighty fall, Lucy is forced to realise that while she can affect the lives of others from the safety of the attic, she will need to climb down to face her own fears.


First Thoughts  

If there were a competition for the prettiest book in the land, The Words That Fly Between Us takes the cake. When it arrived on my doorstep, I was immediately pulled in by the gorgeous little houses on the cover and the colours that seemed super calming to the eye. I started reading not long after it arrived after failing to keep my hands off it for very long!



My Review

It was striking from the beginning, and I suddenly felt the weight of the world that artist Lucy felt. At home with her Mum and Dad, it’s not the nicest of set-ups, emotionally. Her father is a high-flying, majorly egotistical type, with a law background and now investing in property and other avenues. Lucy knows that she needs nothing because of this and has whatever her heart desires, but after all, she doesn’t need money thrown her way, she wants what every other person wants: respect and the power to stand up for herself. 

It’s not until she discovers that every house on her row is connected via the attics that she really finds her escape. She finds that life on the outside – of not just her life, but other people’s – aren’t always what you see on the inside. Others are hurting, others can’t find the words to speak, either. And despite being able to fix the people around her, when it comes to matters close to the heart, fixing them might not be as easy.

Overall, The Words That Fly Between Us was a dark horse in my loss for words, myself. I have been struggling to get back into a reading routine and actually liking a story and sticking with it, but as soon as I got reeled into Lucy’s world and the pain that spoke volumes through words that she couldn’t say, I found myself turning pages into the afternoon until the last was turned. When you take a step back after finishing this book, it’s like a eureka moment. It’s the ways that words mean everything. That dreams are meant for chasing. And that when we’ve got the right people around us and distance ourselves from those that mean to cause us harm, our light still shines just as bright. I could imagine each drawing that Lucy expressed herself with, right from the get-go, and I loved how Sarah wrote these in tune with her emotions. This entire book is just a breath of fresh air. An utterly deserved five-star read with a strong message about the weight of words.




Sarah currently splits her time between a houseboat in Dublin and travel abroad. She recently returned from five years in Tanzania where she founded and ran a hostel while working to support local community projects. She continues to promote ethical overseas volunteering through her blogs and films on www.theethicalvolunteer.com, while planning her next book.










You can buy The Words That Fly Between Us:


Amazon | Book Depository | Waterstones




Don’t forget to check out the other dates on this amazing tour!



happy reading!

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Guest Post & Review: The New Boy by Paula Rawsthorne

The New Boy

Author: Paula Rawsthorne

Published by: Scholastic on March 7th, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Young Adult // Thriller

Similar Books I’ve Read: The 100 Society

Disclosure: I received this book from the Publisher/Author in exchange for an impartial review. This is an unpaid/unsponsored post.

When new boy Jack starts at Zoe’s school, something about him makes her nervous – he’s so perfect, he can hardly be real. But Zoe is soon swept up in how charming, popular and handsome he is. 

Soon, they’re dating and he’s everything she dreamed he might be – kind, attentive, full of romantic gestures. 

Eventually, though, the cracks start to show and Zoe wonders whether she was right all along. Is Jack too good to be true?

First Thoughts  

I was first introduced to Paula’s incredible writing when I read Shell last year. It was one of my favourite reads of the year, and when The New Boy came along, looking all shiny and inviting, you can’t say no to something so perfect. I was won over straight from blurb and that twisty-turny cover.

My Review  

I started reading just after midday at the very beginning of March and suddenly, only a couple chapters in, it could have been snowing outside and I wouldn’t have noticed. I was completely engrossed in Zoe, our main character, and her world. Days are the same old, same old for her. That’s until Jack starts at her school. He’s new, and of course, whenever someone new starts at school, there’s always some kind of aura around them. They’re the shiny new person and because you haven’t grown up with that person, or spent time around them, they can sometimes seem off. But everyone loves Jack. Like, immediately. Somehow, to everyone and the naked eye, he’s perfect. Flawless. 

Zoe promised herself she wouldn’t fall under his spell. But she soon becomes entangled in his perfect mystery. His whimsical charm, the words that roll off his tongue, his looks, his voice, his everything. And all of a sudden, they’re together. Dating and spending all their time together. He’s the dream boyfriend, caring and sweet and beyond dream-worthy. But all good things seem to come to an end. The perfect surface starts to shatter beneath them both, and Zoe starts to see a different side to Jack and the flawless exterior he’s fronted. She’s faced with the hanging question if her first thought was right. What if he isn’t who he said he was after all?

Overall, I was hanging on every last word reading The New Boy. Just like Shell, I couldn’t put this down. I finished the book in one day solid, no breaks, no interruptions, just like reading should be. A little before the conclusion, I did start to figure out the little hints and put together some of the mystery, but the wow-wow-wow moment of realisation still happened and after that last page had been turned, I just sat there for a good ten minutes writing down notes that were all gushy compliments, lots of omg’s and about how this is perfect for some kind of Netflix movie worthy book-turned-movie honour. There isn’t enough words to describe just how incredible The New Boy is and you will not be disappointed. Five stars completely! 



Advice for aspiring writers by Paula Rawsthorne

1. My first piece of advice is the most obvious and basic – if you want to be a writer you

have to get writing! We’re all experts at procrastination, but if we’re going to create

a story we have to knuckle down and get words on the page. Why not just start and

see where it takes you?

2. Writing a novel is like running a marathon. It’s hard work and it takes stamina and

determination. Keep the momentum going and try and stay excited about your story.

3. All writing is rewriting – this means that you get your first draft down (no matter

how roughly) then have a proper break before returning to it with fresher eyes. Be

critical as you reread your work. Be honest with yourself about what needs

improving. Do the characters feel real? Does the dialogue ring true? Is the plot

convincing and engrossing? Be brutal – edit out waffle and padding. Sharpen it,

choose the best words to convey images in your readers’ heads. Redraft, then

redraft again and again until your story is the best it can possibly be.

4. Carry a notebook around with you to jot down anything that sparks your

imagination. Inspiration for stories is all around us, so be observant and curious.

5. Daydream- We have sensory overload 24/7 so it’s important to take time out and

turn off your phone, computers, X box and just stare into space. See what images

come into your head, see where they take you. We all need HEADSPACE to release

our imaginations. Sometimes the best ideas come when we’re doing nothing!

6. Use your 5 senses when you write. It makes your work more layered, vivid and

descriptive.

7. Enter writing competitions – they give you motivation, deadlines and themes. Make

sure they are reputable and not a scam to get money out of you.

8. READ – If you want to write then read as much as you can. Find books that you can’t

put down, that stay with you, that you want to discuss with others. Then try and

work out why you liked them so much. Dissect how the author wrote the characters.

What was it about the plot that had you gripped? Analyse it and think about how

you can do it in own your writing. Of course, this doesn’t mean copying them. The

more you write, the more you’ll find your own unique voice and style.

Have you read The New Boy? Let me know what you think!


Use #THENEWBOY to tell me on Twitter!


You can buy it:

Amazon | Book Depository

happy reading!

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Book Review: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Title: What If It’s Us
Author: Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Published: October 18th, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: ★★★★★
Find the Authors: Goodreads | Goodreads


Disclosure: I was sent this ARC by the publisher, reviewing it as an impartial review. This does not sway my opinion of the book. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?
What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?

First Thoughts…

It’s not every day that a book as incredible as What If It’s Us gets posted through my letterbox. But you know what? I am SO. DARN. THANKFUL for Olivia at Simon and Schuster for sending this gorgeous book into my life, because it just so happens to have stolen my heart and run away with it. . .

My Review…

I’m going to do it. I’m going to tell you just how incredible this book was in the first opening line. THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. What If It’s Us has exceeded my expectations and within just halfway through the book, I was already thinking it: this might just be the best book I’ve read all year. And it’s September. I’ve read a lot of books this year. Counting ones I haven’t reviewed yet, that’s almost 40 books. And this one just walks out, steals my heart and runs away with all it’s cuteness and gah. I can’t even put it into words. But I’m going to try. . .
The book is told in two POV’s: Arthur’s and Ben’s. Arthur is only in New York for the Summer and he’s already overwhelmed by everything. He’s helping out where his Mom works and doing things like coffee runs and mailing things at the post office. That’s where Ben comes into it. Arthur and Ben’s worlds collide when they run into each other at the Post Office and get talking. They have this instant connection, talking about the universe and their words just free-flow so easily with each other. But then they get separated by the crowd and all Arthur has is a snippet of a name from the box Ben was mailing – to his ex-boyfriend. 
Ben has just had his heart broken, but when he meets Arthur, it’s like the universe is giving him something again. But as soon as he thinks there might be something, they’re separated. They’re both beginning to think that the universe has it out for them until they’re reunited by some sleuthing on the internet on Arthur’s end. 
They have date after date, but they can’t really nail that perfect first date. So they replay that first-date-feeling over and over until they get it as perfect as perfect gets. But self-doubt and life keeps cutting their worlds further apart and when they both feel like they’re trying, the other feels let down. The sudden whirlwind summer comes crashing down and faced with the outcome, it’s make or break for their finale in their Broadway play of romance.
Just WOW. I can’t imagine anyone hating this book. Like ever. There’s cute-as-ever Arthur and funnier-than-funny Ben, and putting them together you get this couple that’s just breathtaking. Becky and Adam write their romance so honestly and gorgeously that it’s like I’m reading a Netflix rom-com. I was swept up in a love story so bright and beautiful that the real world fell to petals around me and everything became What If It’s Us. 
Overall, you need this book in your life. Everyone does. Not a romance lover? You will be after this book. This book is honestly a game-changer. What If It’s Us has been my favourite book of the year and is in my top ten favourite reads of all time, just like that. You have no idea just how validly perfectly-unperfect this novel truly is until you open the pages. Five huge stars!
You can buy WHAT IF IT’S US here:

Amazon | Waterstones | Book Depository 

Have you read What If It’s Us? Are you looking forward to it?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


happy reading!

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Book Review: These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch

Title: These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders #1)
Author: Sara Raasch
Published: August 8th, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins)
Rating: ★★★★★
Find the Author: Goodreads 

Disclosure: I was sent this ARC by the publisher, reviewing it as an impartial review. This does not sway my opinion of the book. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.
Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.
Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.
As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace.

First Thoughts…

Thank the book Gods that I got an ARC of These Rebel Waves! I was counting the days until it was out, until the lovely (and always amazing) team over at Harper360 sent me a copy! It went straight into my TBR and everything from there was book-bliss! 

My Review…

I don’t read nearly as many YA Fantasy books as I should (and I have shelves of them!) because I’m naturally drawn to Contemporary, but for These Rebel Waves, I got myself all fantasy-ready. I got one of my Fairyloot bookmarks, lit some candles and delved in! We’re introduced to so much so quickly, so it’s really prominent that you’ve got to pay attention. Adeluna, also known mostly as “Lu” thought that war was over and done with, having been a soilder. But she soon learns she can’t hang up her old self yet, because she’s thrown right back into new dangers. After the capture of Vex, Devereux Bell formally, who is one of the island’s biggest and most notable raiders, a new treaty between enemies falls apart. 
There’s a lot of action – and a lot going on that bounces from topic, to magic, to politics – flowing easily from page to page. For me, the magic element was hugely what kept me reading faster and faster. There’s magical plants of sorts, that can heal or hinder, depending on how they’re used. Some are hesitant about these things and others thrive on them, but one that is opposed is prince Benat “Ben”. I found myself drawn to Lu the most, whilst still finding Vex and Ben’s perspectives and journey’s thrilling and their characters developing steadily against the plot. Whilst at times there can be a lot going on pacing wise, once you really get into the book, knowing all the ins and outs, it’s like you’re transported to beside the characters, cheering them on and getting truly invested in their tales.
I was really surprised at how much I utterly fell head over heels for These Rebel Waves. Not only is there LGBT representation in the novel, but the characters skin isn’t your typical “every shade of ivory and pale”, skin tones ranging from very pale to dark (and I can’t say just how much this matters!).
Overall, I just have no words. I can’t think of anything other than phenomenal to describe just how much I became addicted to These Rebel Waves. If you’re looking for a new fantasy read with strong, whip-smart female characters, action, romance and political magic, you’ve found your new soulmate. Huge five stars!! (And I can’t wait for the next in this duology)
You can buy THESE REBEL WAVES:

Amazon | Waterstones | Book Depository 

Have you read These Rebel Waves? Are you looking forward to it?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


happy reading!

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Guest Post + Review: Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky

Title: Arrowheart (The Love Curse #1)
Author: Rebecca Sky
Published: June 14th, 2018
Publisher: Hodder
Rating: ★★★★★
Find the Author: Goodreads 

Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Kiss the boys and make them cry…
The gods are gone. The people have forgotten them. But sixteen-year-old Rachel Patel can’t forget – the gods control her life, or more specifically, her love life.
Being a Hedoness, one of a strong group of women descended from Greek God Eros, makes true love impossible for Rachel. She wields the power of that magical golden arrow, and with it, the promise to take the will of any boy she kisses. But the last thing Rachel wants is to force someone to love her . . .
When seventeen-year-old Benjamin Blake’s disappearance links back to the Hedonesses, Rachel’s world collides with his, and her biggest fear becomes a terrifying reality. She’s falling for him – a messy, magnetic, arrow-over-feet type of fall.
Rachel distances herself, struggling to resist the growing attraction, but when he gives up his dream to help her evade arrest, distance becomes an insurmountable task. With the police hot on their trail, Rachel soon realizes there are darker forces hunting them – a group of mortals recruited by the gods who will stop at nothing to preserve the power of the Hedonesses – not to mention Eros himself, who is desperate to reverse the curse . . .
Rachel must learn to do what no Hedoness has done before – to resist her gift – or she’ll turn the person she’s grown to love into a shadow of himself … for ever. 

First Thoughts…

I think I’ve always had a thing for mythology. Some of my early scribbles as a wanna-be writer were influenced by the Gods, just like Arrowheart. So when I had the chance to be a part of the tour, (and I mean, c’mon, one look at the cover and the blurb and I was HOOKED) I jumped at the chance. But the story collides mythology with love and being descendant from a God, and that just had me. I couldn’t stop myself from reading – even if it was two a.m. in the morning!

My Review…

Rachel is such a likeable character from the get-go. I love that despite wielding this immense power to make any boy fall head over heels in love with her, she just wants to be your average girl. To fall in love with ease. To not feel like she’s meant for something huge and to live a perfectly normal life. But being a Hedoness, she kinda can’t. Her and Marissa, another Hedoness, have this power that centers around the book’s first mystery. Boys are going missing and then turning up again, not knowing what happened the entire time. But the girls know all too well what’s happening. Rachel doesn’t want to make anyone love her – not forcibly, anyway – and when Benjamin, a missing boy, comes into the picture and his absence links back to the Hedonesses, it’s a fight or flight reaction.
Forced to try and ignore her feelings for him and focus on the growing suspicion around her, she can’t help but fall deeper in love with the boy she can never have love her. But then, the Police get involved and she’s thrown into a dilemma. She has to leave, and when Benjamin gives up what he loves to go on the run with her and not get arrested, they’re not only being hunted by the Police, but by something much more sinister.
I just…this book BROKE ME and HEALED ME again. I haven’t read a book this fast-paced and funny and interesting in such a long time! Not only was the Greek Mythology history and factual spin on YA unique and incredible with the world-building, but the characters were just so normal. So believable. Even though most were descendant from Gods or unlike me at all, I connected with Rachel so much on so many levels (even though we couldn’t be lightyears away from each other).
Overall, Arrowheart has struck it’s golden arrow right into my heart. I am blown away by this epic-YA that has woven it’s way into my favourites. Getting to the ending and that cliffhanger was just so nail-biting! I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I NEED IT! Rebecca (name twin!), this is clearly one of my favourite books I’ve read in such a long time. Five stars isn’t enough!

After graduating high-school, Rebecca Sky set out on a five-year, 24 Country exploration to find herself. She slept in a hammock in the Amazon Jungle, skinny-dipped off the West African Coast, ate balut and climbed the chocolate hills in the Philippines, and fell in love in Cuba (then again in Brazil, and a final time to a Rocker from Canada). Rebecca returned home to the West Coast captivated by the world and ready for another adventure. 
So she did what every wanderer does when standing still—began writing. Her work has since garnered over 20 million reads on Wattpad, and she’s had the opportunity to partner with some really great brands. She was featured in The New York Times and The Boston Globe, (check out those articleshere). Her debut Arrowheart, book one in THE LOVE CURSE series will be published by Hodder Children a division of Hachette Book Group. Look for that in stores June 14th, 2018!

Rebecca Sky, on Greek mythology:
I grew up in a very religious home, and because of that I spent the majority of my childhood weekends in some form of Church activity like Sunday School. I was never very good at sitting still and was bored most of the time, which meant I’d find ways to self-entertain, ways that resulted in my being sent to time-out more often than I’d like to admit. I made a game of it though, throwing out one-liners that made the entire class burst into giggles and the teachers mumble prayers of serenity under breath.
Eventually they realized that time-out wasn’t helping any of us, (I mean, if I couldn’t sit still on the pew, why would the corner change things?). We came to the compromise that I could read my bible during lectures, which really meant I’d slip a comic book behind the cover and read that instead. I thought I’d found the key to surviving Sunday School until they caught me and told me that I was only allowed to read books from the church library. I begrudgingly searched through and pulled out a Greek/English bible thinking the writing on the spine looked kinda magical.
That was my first introduction to the Greek language and I was fascinated. I tried to teach myself by memorizing the Greek version of familiar passages. I couldn’t get enough and eventually took every book about Greece out of my local library, one of which was a book on mythology. I spent my days reading about the Gods and their wild adventures, and thought it was unfair that the Greeks got the cool Gods and my family’s God was boring (please, don’t tell my Nana I said that).

It is taught that humans were born with 2 heads, 4 arms and 4 legs, and only one soul, but Zeus feared our power and cut us apart. Now we spend our lives searching for the other half of our soul. 

I’d often imagine the Greek Gods in my Sunday School stories – Samson the strong became Heracles the son of Zeus, etc.. So when I stumbled upon the bible verse Genesis 6:4, “when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them,” it wasn’t far-fetched for me to imagine that the sons of gods were the Gods of Olympus and that the offspring they had with human women where the Greek legends like Achilles and Hedone. The more my mind wandered the more The Love Curse series formed.
And everyone knows, or should know, that you can’t write a story based on Greek Mythology and not have it centred on romance. I’d argue that mythology reflects the spirit of its people, and there is no mythology more romantic than Greek.
It is taught that humans were born with 2 heads, 4 arms and 4 legs, and only one soul, but Zeus feared our power and cut us apart. Now we spend our lives searching for the other half of our soul. There’s something really beautiful about this concept, and for a hopeless romantic like myself, the idea of soul mates and a love that has the power to unite two individuals so perfectly is something I can get behind. And I did, you’ll see in Arrowheart (The Love Curse #1) that my character Rachel feels this way too, which makes it suck extra that she can never have it, because if she so much as kisses a guy her power will take his will away. But that’s a story for another time…


Have you heard about Arrowheart?


Are you going to read it?


Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @LittleMemoirs with the tag #ARROWHEART! 


happy reading!

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Book Review: Puddin’ by Julie Murphy (Dumplin’, #2)

Title: Puddin’ (Dumplin’ #2)
Author: Julie Murphy
Published: May 8th, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: ★★★★★
Find the Author: Goodreads 

Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

It is a companion novel to Dumplin’, which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean’s star turn in the Clover City pageant. 
Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream—and to kiss her crush. Callie Reyes is the pretty girl who is next in line for dance team captain and has the popular boyfriend. But when it comes to other girls, she’s more frenemy than friend. When circumstances bring the girls together over the course of a semester, they will surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realizing they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

First Thoughts…

It’s no secret that I absoultely adored Dumplin’ when I read it a staggering two years ago! It was one of my favourite reads that year and when I heard that they were making a movie about Willowdean, my heart skipped a beat! I am so glad they’re putting a Plus Size character on the big screen for a movie about her and not about the “thin best friend” trope that we get nowadays. I remember that Dumplin’ had resonated with me a lot because I’m also plus size, and I found that there was a lot of truth in those small moments we all take for granted when we don’t know that what we’re saying or doing can affect someone. 

My Review…

In the sequel to Dumplin’, there’s Puddin’. (Okay, does the title remind anyone else of Harley Quinn’s line?) It’s essentially a companion novel to the first that follows some of the supporting characters from the first book. We have these two main characters – Millie and Callie – and they’re quite different from each other. Millie is a sweetheart, super positive and just one of those people who would have made the best friend when I was growing up. I never had a friend like Millie at all, or ones that understood what it was like growing up bigger than the other girls. So when I read that Millie usually goes to fat camp every year, I was ready for a story about losing weight, but then, her plans change. She isn’t going to fat camp this year. She’s going to chase her dreams and kiss her crush. The thought that Millie had this confidence that I can only dream of was exhilarating. 

But then Millie meets Callie. Callie isn’t like Millie at all. She’s harder, tougher and some may say, prettier. Basically, I felt like she might have been the “mean girl” type. She’s next in line for the dance captain and her friends (or enemies) and even boyfriend, are all popular. So when she meets Millie? It’s not smooth sailing. They’re brought together during the semester, and then their layers start unveiling their own flaws, beliefs and common ground they have. (By the end, I was even starting to like Callie – a character who I never would have thought I could.)
I’m just utterly blown away each time I read something by Julie Murphy. I’m an avid collector of her novels and to this day, nothing quite makes my heart happy like feeling like I can gel with the characters in a book series that isn’t all about the fat girl losing weight. It’s about the fat girl getting her dreams. Because weight? It’s just weight. It shouldn’t define who you are. And Dumplin’ and now Puddin’, have both been examples of just how to write an incredible, empowering and 5-star worthy YA novel. So it goes without saying that this has been one of my favourite reads this year so far! Huge, huge love for this book (and for Julie!).

Julie Murphy is a potty-mouthed Southern belle who was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but found her home in Fort Worth, Texas. She’s never seen Star Wars, but has yet to meet a made for TV movie she didn’t love. When she’s not writing, Julie can be found cruising Costco for free samples, watching Sister Act 2, stalking drag queens on instagram, obsessing over the logistics of Mars One, and forever searching for the perfect slice of cheese pizza. She lives with her bearded husband, two vicious cats, and one pomeranian that can pass as a bear cub. DUMPLIN’ is her second young adult novel.

Have you read Puddin’ or Dumplin’?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour / Review: Shell by Paula Rawsthorne (+ Playlist!)

Hello, book lovers! Welcome to a brand new week and a brand new sparkly book in the form of SHELL. This was such a highly anticipated book for me as a retelling of the famous Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Thank you to Olivia at Scholastic for the amazing opportunity to read this!

Title: Shell

Author:  Paula Rawsthorne

Published: January 4th, 2018

Publisher: Scholastic

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review by the publisher. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Add To Goodreads

What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else’s body? 

When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn’t choose and trapped in a new body, Lucy must face the biggest question of all… 
How far would you go to save the one you love?


First Thoughts… Right from the start, I knew Shell was something I was going to LOVE. I am a huge fan of retellings and especially the type that are done with subtle plot changes that weave into a complete mystery. And YES, I did read this THREE times! (People have been asking since seeing my tweets, and it’s so, so true.)

My Review… Shell panned out so different than I thought (in a quite brilliant and perfect way) and that was just the start of the incredible story that awaits. Lucy has been sick for a really long time with Cancer. She’s giving up, nothing working anymore and feeling truly tired and sick. She misses the life that she used to have when she was well, and stuck in a hospital bed feels like the last place she will ever see. But then, she has a bad moment in hospital and thinks she’s died. Surely she has. But then she wakes up, being asked tons of curious questions and feeling different. Then she’s told her cancer is gone. First, she thinks it’s some kind of miracle. But then she sees the reflection of someone. . .and it’s her. But it’s not Lucy’s face that she sees staring back at her. She sees someone else – and she is stuck in their body. 

Forced to pretend to be Renee and say goodbye to Lucy forever to avoid questions from the risky and illegal procedure, Lucy is only herself in secret with her Parents. She can’t tell her best friend, or Grandmother, despite being shunned by them as her new self. School is different as someone else now, newly taken in by the popular girls that wanted nothing to do with her when she was Lucy, and thrown into a life quite different from her own. But she can’t let go of the fact that she doesn’t know whose body she is in, or the strangeness that surrounds her because of it. When darker things start to unravel, Lucy is forced to question what she would do to survive. 

So. Many. Wow. Moments. This book! I can’t get over just how complex, smart and truly gripping Shell was. Paula’s writing is truthful and Lucy’s voice is wise and so real. This whole story is ethereal and ingenious. It had so many twists that I didn’t see coming at all, and I’m usually so good at seeing the plot twist before it happens. I can’t give this book enough love. I hardly reread books when I have such a tight reviewing schedule and that should show you just how amazing I thought Shell was. Huge five stars!

About The Author:
Paula Rawsthorne is the award-winning author of Blood Tracks and The Truth about Celia Frost. She first found success when she won the BBC National ‘Get Writing’ competition with her prize-winning story read on Radio 4. She has also been a winner of SCBWI’s ‘Undiscovered Voices. She is passionate about enthusing teenagers to get reading and is a writer in residence in a secondary school for the national literacy charity ‘First Story’. SHELL is her third novel for young adults. You can buy SHELL here.

 

SHELL Playlist


For my Blog Tour date, I really wanted to create a SHELL themed playlist! I love making them (as many of my readers will know!) and this was no exception. I made it on Spotify, so if you’re interested in listening to any of these while reading your copy of Shell, the link is below!

Playlist breakdown:

Rescue My Heart is the song I had playing in my head throughout Shell so I had to add it in there. Farewell is definitely the song for Lucy and her best friend Makayla. Heartbeats has the lyrics that instantly made me think of Lucy when she first woke up and realized who she was now. Killing Me To Love You is all about Lucy trying to prove that she is comfortable being Renee and loving her new body despite having issues with it. Only You gets me every time and it fits so many of the scenes throughout Shell. Is There Somewhere is melodic and fitted those kind of moments when Lucy was lost. Monsters is another one of those songs I had in my head – it’s like Lucy felt she was a monster. Strong is like Lucy’s song. She felt caught in the middle of being alive, but not wanting to live as someone else. Angels is the song I knew would fit during the first few chapters of Shell and you’ll know why when you read those beginning parts. Empty is how Lucy felt as Renee, through and through, along with I Can’t Breathe. Finally, In My Dreams is the kind of song that melts into the moments when Lucy was having dreams/nightmares about her new body (although it doesn’t quite fit). 

Have you read Shell?

What did you think?

Let me know on Twitter, Facebook or in the Comments! Don’t forget to stop by the Blog Tour stops for SHELL!

happy reading!

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Blog Tour / Review: “Otherworld” by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller





Title: Otherworld

Author: Jason Segel, Kirsten Miller

Published: October 31st, 2017

Publisher: Rock The Boat

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review as part of a Blog Tour. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

For fans of Black Mirror and HBO’s Westworld, and readers of James Dashner and Veronica Roth, Otherworld is the first book in New York Times bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller’s new YA sci-fi-thriller series. The future is now. And the future is terrifying.
There are no screens. There are no controls. You don’t just see and hear it–you taste, smell, and touch it too. In this new reality, there are no laws to break or rules to obey. You can live your best life. Indulge every desire.
It’s a game so addictive you’ll never want it to end. Until you realize that you’re the one being played.
Welcome to Otherworld, where reality is dead. Step into the future. Leave your body behind.
The frightening future that Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller have imagined is not far away. Otherworld asks the question we’ll all soon be asking: if technology can deliver everything we want, how much are we willing to pay?

Exclusive Extract from Otherworld:

Where our
backyard ends, the woods begin. When I was a kid, the wilderness seemed
endless; now most of it’s gone. I look for the path that leads through what’s
left of the forest. The trail’s grown over, but I could still walk it in my
sleep. It leads straight to one of the few old houses around here that was
never torn down. The land it sits on is swampy, and until recently the building
had been slowly sinking for ninety-odd years. That’s where Kat lives. I’d be
there right now if she’d just let me talk to her. But these days my best friend
bolts whenever I get near her. It cost me a few grand and a near-death experience
with my father, but I got to see her in Otherworld. Unfortunately, in
Brockenhurst she wants nothing to do with me.
Kat and I met
ten years ago, when we were eight years old. My father had just made senior
partner at his law firm, and he’d built this McMansion as his trophy. Thousands
of trees were sacrificed to ravenous wood chippers, and our house rose near the
edge of what would become the town’s swankiest gated community. We moved in on
the first day of summer. Mrs. Kozmatka, the nanny my mother had hired, told me
to stay on the grass in the backyard when I played outside. I wasn’t allowed to
set foot in the woods, which my mother believed to be teeming with snakes,
ticks and poison ivy.
In her defense,
Mrs. Kozmatka was new. She knew nothing of my history. And for the first couple
of hours, I gave her no cause for concern. I sat exactly where I am right now
and stared at the trees. Everything seemed so much more alive in the forest. As
I was watching, I heard branches snapping and leaves rustling. And then someone
stepped out from the other side.
I’d been playing
a lot of Harry Potter games that summer, and I was convinced it was some kind
of mythical creature. It was pretty clear that it wasn’t a centaur, but I
figured it could be a faun or a sprite. Even if the creature had spoken to me
on that first encounter, I wouldn’t have believed she was human. I’d never seen
another kid so dirty. She was covered in dried mud from head to toe. It was
camouflage, Kat later informed me. And it worked like a charm. That day, when
the nanny came outside, Kat took a step backward and vanished so completely
into the woods that it was almost as if she’d been swallowed whole.
My tender young
mind was totally blown. My family had just moved from Manhattan. The first
eight years of my life had been filled with fancy private schools and playdates
with kids named Arlo and Phineas. It was an ideal life, which was why my
therapists had so much trouble identifying the cause of my behavioral issues.
(Arlo and Phineas got their asses kicked on a regular basis.)
In hindsight, it
all seems perfectly clear to me. I’d been kept in a cage my entire life. I
wasn’t a kid. I was veal. And then this portal opened up in suburban New
Jersey and I was offered a glimpse of an untamed universe. I didn’t tell the
nanny about the creature I’d seen. Instead I spent the next few hours eagerly
waiting for it to return. I was sure it was spying on me, but it didn’t set
foot on my grass again. And by lunchtime I just couldn’t wait any longer. When
the nanny went inside to make tuna sandwiches, I slipped into the woods to go
find it. 

Review

I am a huge fan. I can say that now, after Otherworld landed on my doorstep and I darted to start it. From the get-go, it’s seriously unputdownable and I was immersed by the world in an instant. It’s truly modern meets futuristic, reeling in my attention. Simon is our main character. He’s got a striking point of view from the start, telling us the story of his beginning and of Otherworld. His Parents are wealthy, so when he sees that a new Virtual Reality game has been created called Otherworld, he darts at the chance to get it, even if it isn’t exactly gifted to him. Suddenly he’s been chosen to test it as a Beta gamer for Otherworld. Inside the game, people can live their best lives and get to do whatever they would love out of life. But that’s not the reason Simon wants to play the game. He wants to reconnect with his estranged best friend Kat, who used to play games with him. But soon he finds out that Otherworld isn’t what it seems and it’s hiding deep, thorny secrets within the false reality. They are the actual ones getting played.

I was on the edge of my seat from around the middle of the book when the action really heated up and became page-turning and fascinating. The entire Otherworld universe is immersive and brilliant, dark and had a highly addictive plot. Simon and Kat were poignant, fierce characters and I loved the dynamic between them and their individual personalities as a whole, even more. 

Overall, Otherworld is compulsive and swift, with a magnificent plot. Jason and Kirsten have created one of the best books I’ve read all year (and maybe longer). The amount of illustrious detail that has gone into the Otherworld world is absolutely fantastic. This can’t get a higher rating from me – five stars completely. I can’t think of anyone who I wouldn’t recommend this to. You will be missing out if this isn’t on your shelf this year!


Rating & Recs

For fans of Young Adult Science Fiction! Perfect for younger readers and older.


Be sure to check out the OTHERWORLD tour dates before and after my own to get in on the excitement! 


You can buy OTHERWORLD here and here. Keep up to date with all things Otherworld here!


Have you read Otherworld?


What did you think?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs! 


happy reading!

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Book Review: Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad #1) by Scott Reintgen (Spoiler-Free)

THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE.


Title: Nyxia

Author: Scott Reintgen

Published: September 21st, 2017

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

Every life has a price in Scott Reintgen pulse-pounding new sci-fi adventure, Nyxia, as a group of teens are taken to the far reaches of the universe and forced to decide what they’re willing to risk for a lifetime of fortune.


Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.


Forever.


Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden-a planet that Babel has kept hidden-where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.


But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

First Thoughts

Nyxia has been on my radar for a long time. It’s genre has increasingly become more frequent on my bookshelves and with my huge love for the 100, this looked like it could fill that void in my bookish heart after finishing the series so far. When I was given the oppertunity to read NYXIA (thank you, Beth!), I jumped at it, obviously. And I even have a code for you guys to use for money off Little Wren UK – an Etsy store with the cutest designs! Check out the bottom of this post for all the info you’ll need for that!


My Review

Emmett Atwater is given the chance he could only dream of in this near-future dystopian masterpiece. Along with nine others, he’s given the opportunity by the Babel Corporation to compete against each other to get to Eden – a new Planet; a place that only eight of them can make it through to. But Emmett knows that something about it doesn’t feel right and doesn’t sit well with him. The other recruits aren’t wealthy, either, and they want this just as much. Still, he knows that if he doesn’t win, his life won’t improve. He wants to save his Mother’s life and get back on the right track. But as he becomes close to the other recruits and feelings get tethered, along with suspicions about Babel, Emmett isn’t so certain anymore. 

One thing is for certain with NYXIA, and that is that it’s life changing. It’s got this certain thing that just makes it so likeable and I couldn’t put it down. There’s the huge diversity which is a huge plus for me because it’s about time that there was. Another, is that all the characters had functional and meaningful places in the novel and they didn’t just feel like secondary characters. I could bond with them, and Emmett, in the same way that you like to when reading a book. 

Overall, NYXIA is a must-read for fans of the 100, The Hunger Games, and Science-Fiction lovers. I cannot wait for the next novel, Scott. It was unpredictable (in the best way), brilliantly paced, had characters that were flawed (and showed their true strengths and weaknesses) and made me turn pages fast and root for them. It had me totally fixated on the inner workings of the bigger picture, also. I dare you to not be a fan of Nyxia by the time you’re finished. Huge five stars!

Rating & Recs

For fans of Dystopia, Science-Fiction and Fantasy!




DISCOUNT TIME

Pretty Little Memoirs readers and NYXIA fans! The discount code for Little Wren is: LWNYXIA10. and it’s  valid for 10% off everything in the shop with orders over £10 and it’s valid till the end of October. Perfect to pick up a few new things for yourself or for someone you love for Christmas!


Have you read Nyxia?


Let me know what you thought in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


happy reading!

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Book Review: “The Names They Gave Us” by Emery Lord

Title: The Names They Gave Us 

Author: Emery Lord

Published: June 1st, 2017

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Find the Author: Goodreads 


I received this book for review on my blog! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

From acclaimed author Emery Lord comes a vibrant, compelling story of love, loss, faith, and friendship.

Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means?

Emotionally-charged and unforgettable, Emery Lord’s storytelling shines with the promise of new love and true friendship, even in the face of life’s biggest challenges.

First Thoughts

When this arrived, I can quite easily say I FLIPPED and hugged it. Everyone who reads PLM knows how much I adore YA, but more importantly, when Emery contributes to it with her amazing characters and flawless world-building. The premise for The Names They Gave Us sounds like it’s going to make me smile/cry/repeat and it went to the top of my TBR so fast.

Review

I have never started a review with my rating for it (not that I can ever remember going back to 2012 when I started my blog) but right here? We have the biggest FIVE star book I’ve read this year, hands down, swear on all my bookshelves. I was expecting greatness (it’s an Emery Lord book, obviously) but this is just some kind of magic. Let me tell you why: Lucy is just like us. What I’m trying to say is that she feels real, like she’s my best friend or someone I went to school with. I felt for her with personal empathy for the things she was going through with her Mother’s cancer, and for the unwinding spiral of her life as she tried to maintain some kind of control over it.

The Names They Gave Us isn’t all about cancer, despite Lucy’s story being intertwined with it, or about Religion despite Lucy being a firm believer in God. In fact, because of Lucy’s Mom being sick, she decides that for once, it’s okay to not follow the lines of her religious beliefs and to let herself be Lucy; opening herself up to things that she previously wouldn’t have done, namely because the Summer Camp job she has switches to a different kind and it makes her sceptical about what this Summer will bring, along with the fact that her boyfriend just paused their relationship (how dare he!). But then, she meets the characters that truly shape this book for the better: a diverse, amazing, beautiful array of people that as secondary characters, light up the pages with their own radiant spotlight. 

I just CAN’T explain how much this book affected me. It’s heartbreaking, raw, true and beautifully messy and I thoroughly loved Lucy’s strikingly honest POV and how much she trusted her faith. Overall, The Names They Gave Us is a YA Book unlike any other (I know, it’s a cliche to say that, but it’s so, so true) and Emery has truly outdone herself with her latest novel! I’m always amazed at how much her writing can make me laugh and cry at the same time at these characters that you just want to hug and be friends with. This can’t get a higher five stars from me.

Rating

Have you read The Names They Gave Us?


What did you think?


Let me know in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter! 


happy reading!

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