Review Time #37

Steal my Sunshine by Emily Gale

During a Melbourne heatwave, Hannah's family life begins to distort beyond her deepest fears. It's going to take more than a cool change to fix it, but how can a girl who lives in the shadows take on the task alone? Feeling powerless and invisible, Hannah seeks refuge in the two anarchists of her life: her wild best friend, Chloe, and her eccentric grandmother, Essie, who look like they know how life really works. But Hannah's loyalty to both is tested, first by her attraction to Chloe's older brother, and then by Essie's devastating secret that sheds new light on how the family has lost its way. Even if Hannah doesn't know what to believe in, she'd better start believing in herself. 

Combined with Hannah's contemporary story, at the heart of Steal My Sunshine is the revelation of a shameful aspect of Australia's history and how it affected thousands of girls and women - the forced adoptions that saw 'wayward girls' and single mothers forced to give up their babies by churches and hospitals. The practice endured for decades, and only now are the numbers and the heart-wrenching stories coming to light.

Now I am a history person, I love modern history in highschool and would be doing it at uni if I didn't love sport and science that little bit more. Steal my sunshine is an Australian novel which is contemporary with Australian history aspects. 

Hannah life is taking a turn for the worst, her father leaving, her grandmother's secret as to why her mother hates her and all this when she is just starting her final year of school. Her best friend Chloe is hiding a secret and her brother, who she has had a crush on for a while, finally asks her out. Everything in Hannah's life gets complicated and it isn't just her story told either but her grandmother's, Essie's, too. 

The characters each have their own problems and the major secret that Essie has been keeping from her grandchildren is the one that brings everything out.  What I found out that I never even knew happened in Australia was the forced adoptions and Essie was someone who experienced it when her child was taken from her. When Hannah's and Essie's stories are told side by side who can see how this one event 50+ years ago is still affecting the family today. 

The romance in the novel isn't the focus at all, one chapter and that was it, it is about family and how history is still affecting families today and trying to understand who you really are. The way the characters are written is with their imperfections which really allows you understand what is going on in the family and Chloe, especially when she also finds out Essie's secret. 

Steal my Sunshine is an Australian novel with unspoken Australian history which is something that everyone should know about! The way the two stories are told simultaneously allows you to see how one event could change the way families see each other.

Rating: 4.5/5

Keely xx 

Review #27

Tall, Dark and Distant by Julie Fison

When Georgia meets Nik on her summer holiday, she’s sure he’s too good to be true. He’s gorgeous, with god-like abs and an adorable English accent. Then she discovers that he’s actually a member of an obscenely wealthy Russian family – and he wants to get to know her better.

Nik catapults Georgia into a world of private yachts, fast cars and expensive jewellery. Having a billionaire for a boyfriend certainly comes with benefits ... but it also comes with a price. How long will it take before life in the fast lane spins out of control? (from goodreads.com)

Georgia is on her family vacation with family friends to Noosa, just finished year 12, going to Kenya at the start of the new year at a hospital to help because she wants to become a doctor, this was all apart of the plan. However, Nik Morozov. Nik is wealthy, has many secrets, drives a Ferrari & Porsche and could more than likely have anyone, but he wants Georgia, the girl who missed schoolies because she got pneumonia and has never had a boyfriend before.

Nik takes Georgia on a whirlwind time, however his secrets destroy everything that he has tried to change, which could hurt Georgia. Georgia wants to understand, but Nik is an arrogant person who leaves when the times get rough. Being told from both Georgia & Nik's perspective who can understand what is going on in both there minds while they start to unravel the secrets from Nik's past, including who he really is.

Georgia is such an easy character to connect with, first love & trying to decided what is really the right thing to do. Nik however arrogant he is, there is a story to it. You can't always change a person, but Nik, well Georgia is a good influence on him. With a rather dangerous situation, Nik leaves Georgia thinking that it is the best thing for both of them, to keep her safe, because when your last name is Morozov someone always wants something from you. 

The ending is sweet and even through everything that happened between them, the bad guy can always change. This book is swoon-worthy because of Nik & sweet because of Georgia, a great summer read when in need of a short beachy read.

Rating: 4/5

Keely xx 

Review Time! #15

No Such Thing As Forever by Ali Cronin

Real love. Real lives. The real thing . . .

Four girls, three boys, turning 18. Get set to follow their eventful final year at school.

Cass is Ms Monogamy. Ashley is a player. Donna is a party girl. But what about Sarah? Her friends tease her for being uptight, but she's waiting for The One. Now she's found him, but is he forever - or is Sarah just his summer fling?

Girl Heart Boy is the irresistible new romantic series for teenage readers. Immerse yourself in the stories and engage with the characters through our books, ebooks and online webisodes. Real love, real lives, real sex: Girl Heart Boy is the most thrilling must-read series. (Bio from netgallery.com)

No such thing as forever is a new romantic/contemprary YA. I was dragged in on the first page and instantly connected to the main characters; Sarah is such a relatable character for many older teenagers with her relationships with friends, family and of course boys. As she struggles to make sense of her relationship with Joe it strains her relationships with friends and her family.

Throughout the book you see underlying relationships which you can see but Sarah can't which makes you feel for the other characters. The strain that one relationship has on her other relationships is something which many readers can relate to.

This book is more relatable to teenagers 16-20 as much of what is explored and addressed in the books is what teenagers go through. This and the relatable characters of Sarah, Donna, Cass and Ashley drag you into the book and don't let you until your left wanting more.  This group of friends has everything a player, a party girl, a loyal girlfriend and Sarah, the girl who falls in love on a holiday romance and trys to make it work back in Brighton.

The characterisation of the characters make you feel for them and understand what they are going through. With the relatable characters you know what they are going through and what they want to do but don't.

This is the first book in the Girl Heart Boy series by Ali Cronin and I honestly cannot wait for book two!

Rate: 4.5/5

Review Time! #5

Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.(from goodreads)

About the book:
If you loved Anna and the French Kiss, you'll love Lola and the Boy Next Door, the companion to Anna. Lola Nolan is fashion designer in the making, she has two dads, an older boyfriend, no Bell twins in her life, the loyal best friend and never wears the same look twice. Lola's new years resolution was to never wear the same look twice, crazy? yes but that is what you made you connect to Lola her crazy sense of style and the good old boy next door tale. Everything in Lola's life is fine until she comes home one day to see that the Bell twins have moved back in next door. Lola and Cricket didn't leave off on a good note when they moved away two years previous.

Cricket, I'd loved him from the minute we met him! An inventor, a year older than Lola, and before he moved away Lola loved him. While Lola at the start is confused about Cricket, they soon become friends again, much to her boyfriends dislike. Her boyfriend Max is jealous of Cricket and the amount of time that they spend together, her Dads hate Max, Anna and Etienne (Yes Anna and Etienne are back!) don't like Max and much prefer Cricket and her best friend, well lets just say she hates Max too.

Max is in a band and well he isn't a very likable character. The way he is portayed is snobbish, a terrible person and doesn't make time for Lola's family or friends. Anna and Etienne are back! They work with Lola at the movie threatre (suprised?) Etienne is the same dorm as Cricket and learns about what happened before he moved away. In this book it is much more Etienne than Anna because Etienne helps Lola with her choice about whether or not Max is right for her.

With all this drama going on, Lola and Cricket seemingly pick up right where they left off before back to being friends and hanging out. With all the tension between Lola and Max, she no longer knows if he is 'the one' anymore. And I think I better stop it there before I tell you all what happens!

These books by Stephanie Perkins are why I love contempoary YA more than fantasy or paranormal. So everyone if you haven't read Anna or Lola yet, go out and buy these books! Isla and the Happily Ever After will be out in 2013 the final companion :(

Rate: 4.5/5

Contemporary YA reads

Contemporary YA: To Be Read List
The truth is I do prefer contemporary YA reads than paranormal reads. So here is a list on upcoming books I wanna read!

• The International Kissing Club Ivy Adams
• Love? Maybe Heather Hepler
• In Too Deep Amanda Grace
• The Fine Art Of Truth Or Dare Melissa Jensen
• The Lifeguard Deborah Blumenthal
• The Story Of Us Deb Caletti
• The Summer My Life Began Shannon Greenland
• 37 Things I Love (in no particular order) Kekla Magoon
• The Summer Of No Regrets Katherine Bond
• The Girl I Used To Be Miranda Kenneally
• Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
• The unwritten rule by Elizabeth Scott
• My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Reviews that are coming up:

• Delirium by Lauren Oliver and
• Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Stay tunned, Keely x