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Book Review: “The Paper & Hearts Society” by Lucy Powrie



The Paper & Hearts Society

Author: Lucy Powrie

Published by: Hodder Children’s on June 13th, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Young Adult // Contemporary

Similar Books I’ve Read: The Movie Version


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



A brand new series from Booktuber Lucy Powrie – about what happens when you give up on trying to fit in and let your weird out! It’s time to join The Paper & Hearts Society … 
Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn’t want to go to parties – in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.
It’s like she hasn’t found her people …
Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING – especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body.
But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it’s the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed’s fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself …
Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE?
Perfect for fans of Holly Smale and Super Awkward.


First Thoughts  

Okay, so I’ve basically known Lucy for what seems like years and years through her YA Chat on Twitter and reading her blog as a fellow Blogger. We’ve chatted a few times and I know she’s a super friendly and lovely girl, so when I was following her Writing journey and saw what came of her hard work spent writing, I knew that I had to read it! So when The Paper & Hearts Society arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t wait until it was on top of my TBR! 




My Review

I started reading The Paper & Hearts Society yesterday morning and finished it in the early evening – yes, you read that right, in one sitting! Once I started, there was no stopping for anything or anyone. I connected with Tabby almost instantly. If you’ve followed my blog, you’ll know that just a couple years ago, my cat (also named Tabby) passed away. So this book felt extra special because I got to see her name on the pages (and with a reference to Tabby cat, I was really touched). 

Tabby Brown is one of those YA Heroines you know you’re going to love. She’s currently staying with her Grandma while her Parents pack up their lives to move down to where her Gran lives. Tabby went ahead, mostly because she wanted to get away from her old life and the friends that had shunned her and are still causing her anxiety and harm through messages and flashbacks. But when she finds a secret invite in a copy of her favourite book in the Library, she’s suddenly meeting the not-yet-named-officially book club. Olivia is the sweetest (and could talk for hours!), Ed is hilarious, Henry is charming and Cassie, well she’s the hardest to crack. At first, Tabby is taken aback by how hostile she is, but over the chapters we learn why and how they actually become just as close throughout the story. Together, the book club are unstoppable. They host evenings at each others houses, parties and finally, a Literary Road Trip (the stuff of dreams), from Shakespeare to Austen, they want to see it all. But the trip isn’t all smooth sailing, and the online bullying that Tabby’s been receiving – that’s now involved her new friends – reaches an all time low. It takes trust, the security of her new friendship and the courage to fight for the newfound love she’s found for her kind of people to get back to the Tabby she’s loving becoming. 

Overall, I just have no words for how breathtakingly spectacular this book is. Not only was there true-to-life anxiety in the characters, realness, demisexual rep and no fluffy-insta-love (actual character development and relationship building!), but there was a driving force of a true love for literature behind every quote, every moment that the love for books was introduced. I fell in love with the characters, with the words, with what’s to come in the series. . .I can’t tell you just how amazing this book is. Every teenager-to-young-adult needs this glorious gem in their lives. Huge five stars to Lucy – you’ve written something so timeless!



You can buy or PreOrder The Paper & Hearts Society on June 13th:

Amazon UK | Book Depository (Worldwide)




Have you had a chance to read it? 



If not, what sparks the most interest in the book for you?



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



happy reading!

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Book Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Title: The Truth About Alice

Author: Jennifer Mathieu

Published: March 8th, 2018

Publisher: Hodder’s Childrens Books

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Find the Author: Goodreads 

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


Add To Goodreads

From the author of Zoella Book Club book MOXIE comes a startling book about stereotypes, slut shaming and the battle for popularity. 
Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party.But did you know Alice was sexting Brandon when he crashed his car?It’s true. Ask ANYBODY.
Rumour has it that Alice Franklin is a slut. It’s written all over the ‘slut stall’ in the girls’ bathroom at Healy High for everyone to see. And after star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car accident, the rumours start to spiral out of control.
In this remarkable novel, four Healy High students – the party girl, the car accident survivor, the ex best friend and the boy next door – tell all they know. 
But exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there’s only one person to ask: Alice herself.
‘Should be required reading for anyone in high school’ Bustle

First Thoughts…

I am guilty of not having read MOXIE, but still a huge fan. It stands for everything that I do and why I haven’t got around to it…I have no excuse. I’m bookishly guilty! I own a copy that I bought on holiday in Exeter and it’s still sitting in my TBR. So when Hodder reached out with The Truth About Alice, I threw myself at the chance. After all, it was published before Moxie, so maybe I could read them back to back? I went in with the highest of hopes and wasn’t disappointed.

My Review…

The story starts with a bang. Quite literally the most startling opener I’ve read in a while. We get pulled into the mystery from the get-go and everything revolves around, you guessed it, Alice Franklin. There’s rumors, and then there’s downright vicious-meets-huge rumors, which is what Alice has under her belt. It’s written in bathroom stalls in the Girls’ bathroom, the talk of the School and spirals a web of mystery when Brandon Fitzsimmons, star quarterback, dies in a car accident. People say it’s Alice’s fault. But is it really? Because no one really knows the truth about Alice (quite like the title) other than Alice, herself. So we start with four tell-all’s from four different students at Healy High, who spill their version of the truth and the consequences that lead us down a treacherous path. 

When we finally delve into the heads of the different characters, the truth crawls its way out. I was really taken aback by some of the things Alice’s “so called” friends said behind her back, the rumors that they spread without knowing the truth, and the way the town paraded the fallen football star as a hero, despite his poor treatment of women. Whenever we get a story like this, there’s always so much going on beneath the surface that it’s a sense of relief to delve into the truth and not have this barrier of reader-meets-character. Knowing the outcome of The Truth About Alice (no spoilers, it’s *so good* and you need to read it yourself) was like the perfect sheet of ice being shattered by a sledgehammer, truth – or freedom – at last. 

Overall, The Truth About Alice was incredible. I can see why people love Jennifer’s novels and I’ll definitely be picking up Moxie as soon as I can. There’s so much depth and character to this novel, and it’s got something for YA and older readers to gain something from. The character development was on point, and in particular Alice. Truly such a remarkable read that I don’t want to say too much about for fear of spoiling you all. Do yourselves a favour and go read this ASAP – you’ll thank me later. 



“The truth.” Dumbledore sighed. “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.” 💛🌻 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ _________ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Hello book lovers! I’m back! Sorry I was gone so long. I was in one of those lack of inspiration moods and taking pictures just wasn’t turning out right. But now that we’re here together, I wish you the sunniest, happiest week and HAPPY SPRING to my fellow Spring babies. I was born in April (prime springtime) so my favourite flower is the Daisy! What’s your favourite flower? 🌻🌼🌸🌷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ •⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #bookstagram #bookish #thetruthaboutalice #whatbeccaread #yalit #books #booknerdigans #booklover #ya #bookworm #reading #📚 #bookphotography #bookaholic
A post shared by becca › 21 › wales 🌻🐝 (@whatbeccaread) on Mar 6, 2018 at 1:00am PST

Have you had the chance to read The Truth About Alice?


What did you think?


Let me know what you thought in the comments, on Twitter or Facebook!


happy reading!

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Book Review: “Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)” by Jennifer Donnelly

*NO SPOILERS REVIEW*


Title: Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Published: January 1st, 2015

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books

Find the Author: Goodreads


I received this for review from Hodder Children’s Books for review. As always, my reviews are fair and un-bias.


Read my review of Book One: Deep Blue here.

Six mermaids battle to save their hidden world.

Serafina, Neela and four others have successfully escaped Captain Traho and his men after their hideout with the river witches was stormed.

They must stop an ancient evil from escaping its icy prison by finding six talismans hidden by Serafina’s ancestor hundreds of years before.
With all the Mer nations looking for them and no clue where to start, will the mermaids find the talismans before the monster is released?

The second book in the Waterfire Saga.

I adored the first book in the Waterfire series so it was inevitable I was going to delve into the next book as soon as I could. Back last May when I reviewed Deep Blue, I was ultimately pulled in by the appeal of my favourite Disney character; Ariel, who is also a mermaid. Even though the Waterfire series is different in a lot of ways, I still know why Mermaid books are on my favourites list. 
If you’re not familiar with the Waterfire saga, this should explain where we’re at:
Four thousand years ago, six wise rulers with mystical powers oversaw the golden realm of Atlantis. When an evil force overtook the mythical island, sinking it into the sea, Merrow, the leader of the ancients, beseeched the gods to grant her drowning people the power to breathe underwater. Those who survived, their legs magically fused into tail fins, formed an undersea civilization called The Mer.

From their Mediterranean realm, five others grew to form six undersea nations, led for generations by descendants of the ancient Circle of Six. Now, the evil forces that consumed Atlantis threaten destruction once again. The Mer nations’ only hope lies with six teenagers, descended from the ancient rulers, who’ve inherited their magical powers. Together, they form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood to save their worlds.
At the end of Deep Blue, we were left on a little bit of an oh-what-will-happen-next cliffhanger of sorts. Serafina, Neela, Ling, Becca, Ava, and Astrid had escaped Captain Traho and his men after their hideout was found and infiltrated. It picks up right from where Deep Blue ended and we’re catapulted into a new threat and enemy that the Mermaids need to band against and stop from escaping. This story mainly follows Serafina and her best friend; Neela, who were two of my favourite characters from the last book (Neela more so after this book). 
With a new adventure brought a lot of new journeys and obstacles for Sera especially. Still dealing with the betrayal of Mahdi, her character was swayed by not knowing the truth as we did. The romance between them was one of my favourite things about what made Rogue Wave that little bit more enchanting – something that already exists with the glistening and alluring underwater world of Mermaids. Neela’s character development definitely played a huge part in book two. In Deep Blue, I still liked Neela’s character but in Rogue Wave, she turned into this confident and spirited character that lit up the novel like an underwater cave. 
Overall, without giving too much away, you’ll want to read this if you’ve already read Deep Blue. Rogue Wave rolls in an incredible journey for our favourite characters (even though I really missed Ling, Becca, Ava and Astrid making more of an appearance!) and turns into an unforgettable story of friendship, love, bewitching origins and the power of the unbreakable sisterhood. Bring on Dark Tide: Book Three! After the roller-coaster of cliffhangers and twists that Rogue Wave brought, I’m going to be reading it quick smart. 
       
 Younger/Mid Young Adult lovers (and for some older YA readers) will be blown away with this series! Start with Deep Blue right away if you haven’t – you’ll definitely want to read them in order.


Jennifer Donnelly is the author of seven novels – Rogue Wave, Deep Blue, Revolution, A Northern Light, The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and The Wild Rose – and Humble Pie, a picture book for children. She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History. In 2014, Jennifer teamed up with Disney to launch the bestselling Waterfire Saga, an epic series about six mermaids on a quest to rid the world of an ancient evil. The first book in the series, Deep Blue, was released in May, 2014; the second book, Rogue Wave, launched in January 2015.

 Jennifer lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.

 What did you think of Rogue Wave?

Do you like the series?

Let me know in the comments!

happy reading!
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