Book Review - Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 14th June 2011
Publishers: Razorbill
No. Pages: 288
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
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Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Book Review - Forever

Forever
Author: Judy Blume
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 1st May 2011
Publishers: MacMillan
No. Pages: 208
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
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Katherine and Michael meet at a New Year's Eve party. They're attracted to each other, they grow to love each other. And once they've decided their love is forever, they make love.

It's the beginning of an intense and exclusive relationship, with a future all planned. Until Katherine's parents insist that she and Michael put their love to the test with a summer apart...

Book Review - Freaks Like Us

Freaks Like Us
Author: Jackie Trippier Holt
Series: Dirty Monsters #1
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 11th October 2012
Publishers: Book Snuffler
No. Pages: 132
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and children of all ages! Welcome to Burfoot's Circus, the travelling home of freaks, misfits, drop-outs and the socially inept  - sometimes all of the above  - come together for your entertainment pleasure tonight, out of a love of performing in some cases, and simply fear of discovery in others. We have little people, fae, werewolves and mutations, hybrids and humans in The Ring together! We have demons and dogs and those who prefer to keep silent about the stories of how and why they came to join the circus. Yet, most important of all, we have acts! We have The Saw Man, The Cat Boy, The Violet Illusion, Fearless Henry, Lady Fortunata, Benedict The Storyteller, The Bearded Lady, Snake and too, too many more to mention."

"Catch the show now, while you can. We can't stay long in any town and who knows where we'll be next? And honestly, folks, our circus isn't what it was and certainly isn't what it should be. See it now and you'll be able to say, 'Burfoot's? I knew it before it was famous'". Because nothing can remain a secret forever..

Book Review - The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 3rd January 2013
Publishers: Penguin
No. Pages: 316
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten..

Book Review - Forbidden

Forbidden
Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Series: Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 27th May 2012
Publishers: Definitions
No. Pages: 432
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But.. they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives - and the way they understand each other so completely - has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

Book Review - This Lullaby

This Lullaby
Author: Sarah Dessen
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 24th July 2008
Publishers: Hodder Childrens
No. Pages: 379
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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All Remy has to remember her father by is a song, This Lullaby, with the memorable line, 'I will let you down'. Having seen her mother go through four failed marriages, she's pretty sure that's what most men do. So she's determined to keep the men in her life at arms' length.

But then Dexter comes crashing into her world. He's everything she hates: messy, disorganised, impulsive, and worst of all, a musician like her father... So why is it suddenly so hard for her to stick to her own rules?

Book Review - Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #1
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 4th August 2011
Publishers: Speak
No. Pages: 372
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
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Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken - and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?