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Despite it’s heavy theme of a girl with cancer, Me, Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews is a very heartfelt, humorous and enjoyable debut.
Told through Greg Gaines, a hapless teenager with very little dating success who tries to not stand out or belong to a single clique in high school, it tells the story of when Rachel, a childhood kind-of friend, is diagnosed with cancer and how Greg becomes friends with her again.
I really liked that this was not a particularly sentimental or melodramatic book. Recently there has been a vein of movies and books like this, which not only highlight the obvious devastating side of cancer, but also have a natural human quality and slight humour to them: the film 50/50 instantly comes to mind here as a natural companion to this book. From the novel’s first chapter, Andrews asserts Greg hasn’t learnt anything from Rachel’s leukemia and that this isn’t the book that will make you cry for the duration of reading.
Gaines was a great narrator: very funny, very real and someone you couldn’t help rooting for. I loved the way Andrews played with script extracts within the novel within dialogue as it made the book feel unique.
The only character I didn’t really feel as connected to was Earl. While I found him humorous and was interested in his home life, I didn’t feel quite so engaged by him as the other characters in the book.
All in all, this was an incredibly heartfelt, funny and realistic YA novel that I am very thankful I got to read for review. I am definitely excited to see Andrews’ future writing.
I highly recommend this novel due to its unique take on cancer and it’s refusal to become a saccarine, deliberate “tear-inducer” of a novel.
I received this book for free via ABRAMS publishers through NetGalley. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is released tomorrow so don’t forget to check it out!
Links:
Hollow Pike is James Dawson’s debut novel and is a welcome addition to the British young adult movement. It tells the story of Lis, who has moved in with her sister and her husband in Yorkshire after being hounded out of her school by bullies.
When she is bullied again by the class tormentor, Laura, Lis bonds with the school outcasts; Kitty, Delilah and jack and they scheme to teach her a lesson. After a practical joke however, Laura is killed.
Now, Lis and her friends need to solve the murder because they were also in the woods that night and may be in danger themselves.
The novel is set in a small town filled withlore and legends of witchcraft and Dawson brilliantly sets up the suspense here. For me, I never doubted Hollow Pike and its superstitious residents and minor characters like Mrs Gilespie create this atmosphere.
James Dawson has been a teacher and worked within diversity and bullying and this shows in his writing. His depiction of bullying in schools is brutally honest, as are the teachers’ reactions – I am pretty sure in middle school I had the exact same conversation as Lis with Mr Grey when he learns of her bullying – and this makes the novel more authentic and creates a plot and characters that feel so real and honest, I think teenagers will find something to relate to within this novel and love it.
Dawson’s use of sexuality and the relationship between Kitty and Delilah is another testament to his writing. While some depictions of anything other than heterosexuality seem to ignore the concept or existence of bisexuality – yes, Glee, I’m looking at you, Kurt – Dawson’s characters are cautious and working out who they are, whether they like boys, girls or both and it is written very well.
I loved the romantic development between Lis and Danny and thought it was a great portrayal of a teenage romance and that all encompassing first love and the doubts you’re good enough.
This is not a particularly supernatural book, it is more a novel about the fear of an act than the act itself – the Crucible by Arthur Miller is offered as comparison frequently throughout the novel. For me, Dawson’s strengths were his depictions of bullying, family, friendship and romance. I really look forward to more of his writing in the future.
I received my copy for free through Orion/ Indigo and am grateful for this. I was even more excited when I realised it was a signed copy and would like to thank Orion for sending me this. The tone of my review or content has not been influenced by any of the above.
When I first read the summary of this book I was intrigued but not quite sure what to expect. A human raised in a werewolf society sounded great and I could see a real Jungle Book allusion with this, however at the same time I was worried that it would be cliched and the character a little too perfect. Thankfully, I was proved very wrong as Barnes has managed to write Bryn (I have to say I do dislike her full name though) as a strong character who is not perfect but also is not weak or subservient. What I enjoyed most was the way in which Barnes rejected the “I am yours now” mentality that can be seen in paranormal romance novels or young adult and played with it too. One particular exchange that made me laugh was when Chase said Bryn was his and she clarified it would have to be in a non-creepy, maintaining your own independence way.
I also loved that Chase himself claimed to be hers and there was an equality with this. While I don’t wish this to turn into an essay on gender, Barnes subtly asserts female strength from both Ali and Bryn and shows the injustice and difficulty of being in a male dominated society such as the werewolf one.
The overall plot of Raised by Wolves is the growth and development of Bryn, a human raised as the sole survivor of a were attack in the pack and her discovery of another werewolf who was made by the same werewolf that attacked her. Bryn is essentially an outsider, too human for wolves and too wolf for humans and I loved this about her and how it was explored. To belong and simultaneously not belong is something all teenagers feel to an extent and this was well written and suitably amplified in this instance.
The romance aspect with Bryn and Chase was well done, both of them need to know about each other because of their shared experience and it is that at first that draws them together rather than insta-love. I also adored that the wolves weren’t this fluffy pack of puppies but impulsive, possessive and animalistic, but ruled by strict customs too.The book is action packed and whether Bryn is training with the pack or on her own there is generally a sense of urgency and pressure on her which she handles well. Her strength in facing the Rabid who attacked her and turned Chase and everything around that was well written and left me wanting more. I don’t want to spoil the end for you but the ending leaves Bryn in a unique position that I loved and needed to read more about.
I also liked the depiction of Callum overall – sometimes I adored him and sometimes I truly, truly hated him. He is the alpha of the pack and a paternal surrogate of sorts for Bryn and sometimes you know he really cares about her and is trying to help her, other times I kind of wanted to kick him. Really hard. In a painful place. If I feel strongly about a character I always take it as a good sign of the author’s characterisation and my feelings about Callum were definitely complex.
The only character I wasn’t such a big fan of was Devon and I think that was just because he was too extroverted for my personal liking, that said he did have some great lines and dialogue (anyone who references Dirty Dancing and Johnny Castle wins points from me!)
When I began this book I didn’t know how much I would like it, by the end I loved it and would definitely encourage fans of paranormal romance YA novels to check this out. I have read the next in the series, Trial by Fire and loved that too. I was lucky enough to receive this book from free from Quercus Kids for review and am incredibly grateful and thankful for the opportunity and add a particular thanks to Alice at Quercus for this!
Approaching this book was difficult for me; not only did my friends love it on Goodreads but I had enjoyed Blood Warrior, HD Gordon’s debut so much I was scared this book would not meet my expectations – in some ways it did and in a few small ways it didn’t.
I really enjoyed this book and I have to mention that at it’s low price, it is a real bargain and proof of the worth of checking out self-published writing from time to time despite any preconceptions
Gordon writes romantic chemistry and general action very well and so her strengths naturally lend themselves to the paranormal romance genre. In this outing her writing and style are much more confident and she is taking more risks with her writing too.
In terms of character development, Alexa is much more accepting and ready for her fate, though she is battling the ‘monster’ within her. I felt this conflict was well-written and a particular highlight of the books; if violence and wrong are for an overall good, what does that mean?
I didn’t personally like the addition of narrative voices – Nelly and Kayden – and while by the end, I realised why Gordon had included Nelly and understood it was a way of keeping readers in the loop about Two Rivers in Alexa’s absence so that can be partway ignored, but I found Kayden’s addition to perhaps be a little distracting.
Alexa’s romantic conflict was well handled too; her guilt at her natural attraction to Kayden, partly through their species’ affinity for each other, and partly because he is attractive along with the fact she is dating Jackson is not played too melodramatically but felt real enough.
The first hundred pages felt a little slow, though this is in contrast to Blood Warrior which moved extremely fast. By the end however, you have been thrown into twist after twist and conflict after conflict and are left just as bruised as the characters – by the way, the twist at the end actually made this book for me and I loved the shift from convention here. There was only one twist I wasn’t so keen on and that is because I was very fond of a certain character but shan’t spoil it for future, readers!,
If you enjoyed Blood Warrior, then I am certain you will be pleased with Gordon’s latest addition to the series. Overall I really enjoyed this book though on a personal level I preferred Blood Warrior. I received this book for free via a review program on a Goodreads community and am grateful for the opportunity and great book!
Slide is the debut novel of Jill Hathaway and a book I was eager to read it from the moment I read the summary. It combines two of my favourite types of writing: crime and young adult, plus it adds a really compelling paranormal twist to this.
Vee is narcoleptic, but while she has these episodes she ‘slides’ into someone else’s mind unintentionally. This has been a blight on her life since it started as she hates touching or keeping things people may have imprinted on or touched, particularly those she loves, in case she slides into them.
When she slides one night however she witnesses the aftermath of the murder of a classmate that is later written off as suicide. With a killer around who may know about her sliding ability as they left a note on the night of the murder with the date that enabled her to slide into the murderer, Vee is on a dangerous mission to find the murderer and use what she otherwise counts as a hindrance for good all while everyone else tries to move on from a ‘suicide.’
I adored Vee, she’s a really fun protagonist and has a very easy to read, vibrant and realistic voice despite being in a situation that is out of the ordinary. I think the simplicity of sliding as well makes the ability feel more natural and very easy to imagine. Her friendship with Archie and the complications that ensue are sympathetically and beautifully written, how do you feel when you begin to suspect your friend may have something to do with a murder? How is a friendship anyway when you cannot tell them a deep secret out of fear?
Her ability as well terrified me, I cannot imagine how it would feel to that unwelcome power and the danger she is placed in. Narcolepsy is such a dangerous and scary illness to me as I hate to be out of control of my body and the situations Vee finds herself in really evoked this and impressed Vee’s strength on me even more.
This is not just a mystery novel, or a paranormal novel, it is also a novel about first love, about friendship, betrayal, family and letting yourself go. As a character, Vee goes through so much change and you are with her every step of the way as she opens up more about her sliding and tries to solve the crime.
My only criticism is that I guessed the murderer, and who was with them from early on, however this was slightly turned on it’s head a little by the end and I don’t want to spoil it for the reader so won’t go too much into it – this is also maybe just because I read a lot of crime and mystery novels and am used to guessing plot lines! There is a huge twist within the book that took me by surprise towards the end as well and I definitely had not guessed but made complete sense.
This is a remarkable debut I loved and have no hesitation recommending. The concept is individual, exciting and compelling as is it’s execution.
I received an advanced copy of Slide for free from HarperCollins Children’s Books and am very thankful for the chance to read this book. Slide is released on March 1st in the UK and March 27th in the US.
Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
HarperCollins
So here is my sixth In My Mailbox which was started at thestorysiren.com as a way to show the books we’ve received or bought this week.
Bought:
Under The Never Sky-Veronica Rossi
Nobody’s Girl-Sarra Manning
By Midnight-Mia James
The Catastrophic History of You and Me- Jess Rothenberg
A lovely relative bought me the Catastrophic History of You and Me and I got the rest on a 3 for 2 offer, which I never seem to see anymore in shops so had to snap up. I’ve heard such great things about Under The Never Sky and I’ve wanted to read Nobody’s Girl for ages as I adored Let’s Get Lost by Sarra Manning. By Midnight was a more spontaneous choice but the summary intrigued me and I love books in boarding schools for some reason.
Received for review:
Dead Rules- CS Russell (Quercus)
Raised By Wolves- Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Quercus)
Trial By Fire-Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Quercus)
Every Other Day-Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Quercus)
Torn- Cat Clarke (Quercus, my review here)
Slide-Jill Hathaway (Harper Collins)
My very first collection of review books were provided courtesy of the publishers, thank you so much for the wonderful books and generosity! I have been absolutely over the moon receiving these and they made my week, which in a time of deadline stress was needed. Now my portfolio is finished I can crack on with these awesome novels! What I’ve read so far is completely awesome!
As my second review of love week at ChooseYA I am happy to present my review for the brilliant Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley.
Graffiti Moon already has a place as one of my favourite YA contemporary novels/romances and confirms to me that Australian YA is definitely something I should keep my eye on.
Cath Crowley writes beautifully and while sometimes dual narrators seem unnecessary, they were used very well here and were essential to greater understanding of what was happening.
Lucy has finished year twelve and is celebrating with her friends. She wants to meet Shadow, a local and anonymous grafitti artist she admires when she runs into Ed, someone she had a pretty awful first date with, who knows Shadow and offers to show her some of his haunts. I don’t want to spoil the novel for you, but very early on it is made clear, as in the first chapters, that Ed is Shadow and I loved knowing this and reading Lucy’s obliviousness. This shaped up to make some very cringe worthy conversations, but Crowley really made you feel for the characters.
Both Ed and Lucy had their own lives and issues, Lucy with her family and Ed with money friends owe someone and any romance did not take away or magically heal this. The two characters had a wonderful natural chemistry and the dialogue between them felt realistic but never boring.
I loved the respect, admiration and appreciation Crowley clearly has for art and depicts so well through both characters. Art is a wonderful unifer, and Crowley uses art for this very purpose with Ed and Lucy.
As this book is released on Valentine’s Day in the US, I definitely think it’s a must read in this “month of love” and actually at any time. I adored this book and I think that if you like contemporary YA, a well-written love story and also love art then this book is most definitely for you. I received my copy through NetGalley for free through Random House Children’s Books and once again am very grateful for the opportunity to review this.
Links:
In honour of Valentine’s Day approaching, I am declaring it Love Week at ChooseYA and having a week of reviews and discussion on love stories and romance in YA. To kick this off is my recent review of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.
Jennifer E Smith’s debut novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, has garnered a lot of hype and I would argue, it matches it. Smith tells the story of Hadley who is on her way to her dad’s wedding across the pond in London when she misses her flight. Enter Oliver, an adorable British student at Yale who is on his way home on the next flight. the two of connect and the novel chronicles before, during and after the flight.
I loved that both characters had their own problems that couldn’t be solved by romance. In YA there can be a sense that romance is depicted as a solution to problems and not complicate them, when in life it is not that easy. This book however narrowly avoids this trope and I was really grateful for that.
The dialogue is exceptionally well-written and the relationship between the characters never feels rushed, which could so easily happen in a book like this. There is a wonderful humour and lightness to the book, as well as having some darker and more issue driven moments scattered throughout the novel but overall the lightness prevails as this is essentially a love story.
The real-time framing to the novel was really effective as well. As this is a technique I am more familiar with in fast paced shows such as 24, I was a little dubious when I first found about the set-up, however as I love ‘real-time’ as a concept in writing I was excited to see how Smith executed it and was very pleasantly surprised.
I really felt like I was taken on the journey with Hadley to reconnect with her father and I could understand how she felt. She grew a lot in a very short space of time but in a realistic way that I have to hand Smith a lot of credit for.
As for Oliver, he already has a spot on my favourite YA romantic interests. He was funny, sensitive and engaging, but under the surface there was a world of complication that was carefully depicted and hinted at. I loved his sense of humour as well and lighthearted way, which later I found a testament to his character when you discover what is happening in his life at that moment.
I highly recommend this novel for those who want a good quality, well written and engaging YA romance or contemporary fiction read. This book carries appeal to adults and teens alike.
So here is my fifth In My Mailbox which was started at thestorysiren.com as a way to show the books we’ve received or bought this week. Sorry for the absence over the last few weeks, but I’m back now 
Bought:
Unearthly and Hallowed-Cynthia Hand
If I Die-Rachel Vincent
Everneath- Brodi Ashton
Someone Else’s Life-Katie Dale (I wanted my own copy and Dale was kind enough to sign my copy at her book launch + a copy for my giveaway here)
Received for review:
Half Blood Soul- HD Gordon *
Torn- Stephanie Guerra
Slipping Reality- Emily Beaver
The Vanishing Game-Kate Kae Myers
* Received via a goodreads read and review group, thanks guys!
All review books unless otherwise stated were received via netgalley.
So what have you got in your mailbox this week then?
Hi guys,
So as some of you who follow me on twitter may know, I was invited to and able to attend Katie Dale’s launch party in London on 2nd February and while there secured myself a signed copy of her book to giveaway here. This is my first giveaway so I am so excited to do this.
Sadly as the book is quite heavy at nearly 500 pages long, and I am a poor student so I have to restrict this competition to entrants in the UK and Europe for the time being due to the cost of shipping. I am still having the international giveaway when I reach 50 direct blog followers though so don’t feel left out too much
This is a brilliant debut and I absolutely loved reading it and have no hesitations in recommending it. At the launch, her agent said and I completely agree that Katie Dale is a master at writing twists and this book shows this as every time I thought I know where it was going, I was tripped up and surprised.
Goodreads Summary:When seventeen-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty-per-cent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when she tells her mum’s best friend, ‘Aunt Sarah’ that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie was not her biological mother after all… Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, hitching along on her ex-boyfriend’s GAP year to follow her to Los Angeles. But all does not go to plan, and as Rosie discovers yet more of her family’s deeply-buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonising decision of her own – one which will be the most heart-breaking and far-reaching of all</blockquote
The Rules
Entrants are limited to those in Europe and UK.
You must be a follower to enter, you are more than welcome to be a new follower, but I need you to be following via email or through wordpress to count.
The winner will have 72 hours after being sent the email to respond or a new winner will be selected.
As rafflecopter does not work on a wordpress.com I am using InLinkz and then random.org to select a number at the end of the period. You do not need a blog to enter, but if enter with the blog/email you use to follow chooseya to prevent disqualification.
