One Last Summer at Hideaway Bay - Zoe Cook

The Blurb

Secrets lie waiting beneath the Cornish waves in this moving and unforgettable love story. Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, Kelly Rimmer and Jojo Moyes.

Lucy, hi. It’s Tom. How are you? It’s been a while. I’ve been meaning to get in touch but it’s hard to know how to after so much time. I hear you’re doing really well up there. I knew you would be.
You should come here, you know, back to Hideaway bay. Come and see everyone, see how little it’s all changed. Feel the sand between your toes, the Cornish sea breeze on your face. When the sun hits the surf in that way it does, it’s as magical as ever.

That’s why I’m writing to you, actually. I want to get the gang back together again, one last time before…well…just one last time. You should come too. The four of us, a summer on the beach, like old times. We all want you here for it. I want you here for it. It’s been so long since I saw you.

I still think about you.

Tom

The Review

I read this book as part of the Harper Impulse #SummerImpulse readathon and was very keen to get stuck in.  Bloggers and reviewers have been speaking highly of this debut novel from Zoe Cook and I was excited to see if it lived up to the hype.

The story starts with Lucy living the high life in London.  Outwardly, it looks like she's got the lot - a glamorous job, a party lifestyle, and a group of friends who share her recreational drug use habit - but as she reflects on life following contact from her childhood sweetheart Tom, she realises that maybe it's all a façade.  As Lucy heads home to Cornwall's Hideaway Bay, she's unprepared for the life-changing summer that lies ahead...

The first section of the novel set the scene and gave an overview of Lucy's chaotic London lifestyle, which contrasted well with the quieter pace of Cornwall life depicted later in the book.  Personally, I felt the London section could have been slightly shorter and still amply given the juxtaposition between the two settings. I think I was ready to be whisked to Cornwall earlier in the story given the summery cover and blurb.

Lucy is not always a likeable protagonist, but that didn't detract from the empathy I felt towards her. If anything it made her seem a rounded, 'human' character and more believable.  Tom was definitely the easier to warm to of the two main characters.  I liked the periphery characters too, and would love to find out more about their backstories in sister novels.

I'd heard other readers say they'd sobbed at the ending and I'd prepared myself to crumble as I reached the final pages, but although moved by the end of the book, I didn't actually shed a tear.  I think maybe I'd prepared myself for a devastating tear-jerker ending and had steeled myself up before reaching the end!

This book may appeal to fans of David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes and is a well-crafted debut novel from Zoe Cook.

With thanks to Harper Impulse for providing me with a galley copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Mind Your Head - Juno Dawson

The Blurb

From the critically acclaimed author of THIS BOOK IS GAY, James Dawson, now writing as Juno Dawson. We all have a mind, so we all need to take care of our mental health as much as we need to take care of our physical health. And the first step is being able to talk about our mental health. Juno Dawson leads the way with this frank, factual and funny book, with added information and support from clinical psychologist Dr Olivia Hewitt. Covering topics from anxiety and depression to addiction, self-harm and personality disorders, Juno and Olivia talk clearly and supportively about a range of issues facing young people's mental health - whether fleeting or long-term - and how to manage them,with real-life stories from young people around the world. With witty illustrations from Gemma Correll.

The Review

There's a real need for more accessible, age appropriate non-fiction specifically for young adults.  After all, they're going through a lot of the same issues as their not-so-young adult counterparts and the self-help section in bookshops seems to be growing at a ridiculously fast rate.

In Mind Your Head, Juno Dawson talks frankly about mental health issues - including sharing her own experiences - and the result is an entertaining and informative guide to depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bullying, peer pressure and many more relevant-to-teen topics. It's almost like chatting with a straight-talking, no nonsense friend, as Juno brings a touch of humour to some sensitive subjects.  There were times where, as someone who suffers with anxiety and body confidence issues,  I personally would have preferred a gentler approach, but I'm aware hyper-sensitivity is part of my own mental health make up.  And of course, many people respond well to a frank message as opposed to the softy-softly pussyfooting I favour.

The illustrations from Gemma Correll add to the non-threatening package of Mind Your Head and I can imagine it'll appeal to the target audience - and anything that encourages taking responsibility for your own wellbeing (and this goes for all age groups) can only be a good thing.

I really hope this flies off the shelves - honestly, every school library should have a copy of this book.

Mind Your Head is out now, published by Hot Key Books.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Tales of the City - Armistead Maupin

The Blurb

San Francisco, 1976. A naïve young secretary, fresh out of Cleveland, tumbles headlong into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, pot-growing landladies, cut throat debutantes, and Jockey Shorts dance contests. The saga that ensues is manic, romantic, tawdry, touching, and outrageous - unmistakably the handiwork of Armistead Maupin.

The Review

A few months ago I put out a request for books set in San Francisco, and one book (or series of books) got mentioned over and over again.  Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City had somehow passed me by - I'm really not sure how.  But as soon as I started reading this first instalment, I knew I was going to be hooked.

The 'tales' belong to a wide and diverse cast.  Mary Ann is new to San Francisco, moving into lodgings at 28 Barbary Lane.  She's quiet and uncontroversial, very different to the other tennants living in the house.  Mona seems unsure of what she wants from life and relies on sedatives to get through the day, Michael is gay, skint and looking for a good man (I loved him, especially in the scene with the jockey shorts in the bar), Brian sleeps with any woman he can find and landlady Anna Madrigal grows marijuana in the garden... plus there's an array of supporting characters each with their own secrets.  Their lives are carefully and cleverly interwoven to create one world from what is essentially a series of short stories.

I liked how the scenes were snappy - most just a few pages long - and there was a lot of dialogue which added to the already fast pace.  The dry humour and cutting remarks reminded me of a soap opera and have retained relevance 37 years after they were first written.  Maupin lived in the San Francisco he was writing about and it shows, there's a realism in even the most outlandish of situations and that made me care about the characters and their plight.

This book is older than I am, and I imagine it was shocking when originally published (and probably still would be now to some readers!)  Race, sexuality, drugs and infidelity are key to the plot and talked about openly, nothing is off limits.  It was refreshing to read a book where every character is going through their own problems yet isn't overwhelmingly depressing.  Somehow there's an uplifting air to Tales of the City despite the unfulfilled lives of the majority of the cast and to me that's conveyed through the genuinely touching where the characters reach out to each other.

The only negatives for me were that it took a while to get my head around so many different stories and I had to google some of the seventies American references to fully understand the story.  But despite that I found myself so drawn to this wonderful world that I went straight onto the next book in the series.  I need to know what happens next! 

I've not read anything quite like this before.  And I loved it.

Tales of the City is out now, published by Transworld.

Remix - Non Pratt

The Blurb

From the author of Trouble comes a new novel about boys, bands and best mates.

Kaz is still reeling from being dumped by the love of her life... Ruby is bored of hearing about it. Time to change the record.

Three days. Two best mates. One music festival. Zero chance of everything working out.

The Review

I haven't read Non Pratt's Trouble (yet!) so Remix is my first experience of her writing.  And I have to say I was really impressed. 

Best friends Ruby and Kaz are dual narrators (with short alternating viewpoints throughout the book) and this was the perfect way to tell the story of their weekend at Remix music festival where they're desperate to see favourite band Gold'ntone play live.  This book wouldn't have worked as well in any other format, because the strongest aspect of the story is how relatable the main characters are.  That's not to say I always liked Kaz and Ruby, and there were moments I wanted to scream at them for the choices they were making, but seeing how and why they behaved as they did really made me empathise with both of them. 

However Lauren, the new girlfriend of Kaz's ex Tom - she creeped me out!  I'm not sure if that was the author's aim, but I found it very cringey and uncomfortable how both Tom and Lauren seemed to think it was perfectly normal to force her into Kaz's friendship group.  Not cool.

I admit to finding the first forty or fifty pages of this one fairly slow going, but once the action started this book was like a runaway train and I was waiting for explosive crash.  Non Pratt touches on so many topics that are relevant to young adults (and adults) - friendship, relationships, being part of a family, sex, drugs, hero worship...and in many ways this is a coming of age story set over a weekend. 

The festival setting gave a lively and vibrant backdrop to the action and made a plausible and surprisingly rarely-used setting for a YA book (I think I read a Melvin Burgess set at a festival a few years back, but no others spring to mind). It certainly allows the characters to break free from the constraints of everyday life, which is exactly what happens to both Kaz and Ruby. 

Overall, I enjoyed Remix and have already bought Trouble - I can see why Non Pratt is being so widely praised for both her writing and her content.  Above all it's a story of friendship and trust, and those themes will never go out of fashion.

Remix is out now, published by Walker.

All I Know Now- Carrie Hope Fletcher

The Blurb

We all know that growing up is hard to do, and sometimes the only thing that makes it better are the reassuring words of someone who has walked that bumpy road just a few steps ahead of you and somehow ended up as a fully-functioning adult. Carrie Hope Fletcher is that person. Thanks to her phenomenally popular YouTube videos, Carrie has become an 'honorary big sister' to hundreds of thousands of young people who turn to her for advice, friendship and, most of all, the knowledge that things will get better.

Carrie has created a safe and positive space for young people to connect and share their hopes and concerns online, and now she will share her most personal thoughts and experiences in her first book, ALL I KNOW NOW. It includes Carrie's thoughts on some of the topics she's asked about most regularly: bullying, body image, relationships and perhaps the scariest question of all: what does the future hold for me? With warmth, wit and a sprinkling of hard-won wisdom, Carrie will provide the essential tools for growing up gracefully . . . most of the time.

The Review

I'm really not the target audience for this book.  I know I say that a lot, especially when it comes to YA fiction, but this is different.  This book is non-fiction, aimed almost exclusively at the teen market. 

I'm a married woman. 

I'm a mum. 

I have worked in the same field for seventeen years. 

Surely I should have figured life out a bit by now?!  That I purchased All I Know Now for myself proves that's not the case... 

I know I'm not alone in being an older reader of this book.  Yes, a lot of Carrie's fans (or 'Hopefuls') fall into the teen age bracket, but she's also won a host of older fans for her honest, open approach, her good nature and humour, and her positivity.  She's a vlogger with a difference- she doesn't talk exclusively about fashion, or make up, or books.  Instead, she uses her vlog, tumblr and twitter to connect with fans and answer their questions, sharing her own experiences and reinforcing that you need never think you have no one who cares.  I suppose in some ways she's an agony aunt or a wise older sister, someone who's got your back and has a waiting ear to listen to your problems.

All I Know Now is just like her vlog, but in book form.  It's chatty, and easy to read, and it's mostly a very positive and upbeat collection of stories that remind you you're stronger than you think.  Each chapter is a life lesson, something to mull over whilst candidly sharing Carrie's personal stories. 

This book is a perfect way for Carrie to impart what she's learnt.  She shares her own experiences of notable milestones and those difficult adolescent moments- bullying, peer pressure, sex, relationships, self confidence- and because it's written in Carrie's typically chatty style, it makes you feel like you're listening to a friend, giving you advice over a pot of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge, not just flicking pages in a book. 

I read this book when I had a lot on my mind, and Carrie's words were genuinely comforting to me.  They were a big, warm blanket which made me feel safe. Thank you for that, Ms Fletcher.

So, to wrap up this review, I want to say that whatever your age, whatever your outlook, whatever your dreams...you can learn from this book.  It encourages introspection and self awareness, and is a perfect way to help you reassess what is important to you.  Not to anyone else, YOU. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. 

Empower yourself.  Buy it.

All I Know Now is out now in ebook and paperback, published by Sphere.

Hero- Samantha Young BLOG TOUR

I am delighted that Books with Bunny is one of today's stops on the blog tour for Samantha Young's stunning new release Hero!

 

 

 

The Blurb

 

Author Samantha Young

Alexa Holland's father was her hero-until her shocking discovery. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who's as damaged by her father's mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

 

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa's efforts at redemption, but it's not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and all-consuming affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for, and when they're on the precipice of danger, he finds he'll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again . . .

 

The Review

I started to hear a lot about Samantha Young last year when bloggers were raving about her on twitter, and as a result of that I vowed to get my hands on her Dublin Street books.  However, as it happened I was invited to be part of the Hero blog tour before I got chance to read them so this is my very first time reading a Samantha Young book!

 

And it had me from the off. 

 

As soon as Alexa and Caine's paths cross there is a sizzle in the air and tension fizzing off the pages-this is hot stuff!  I absolutely loved their stubborn natures and how every interaction was a battle of wills, and that their relationship had to be kept a secret made it all the more attractive.  And there's a reason why businessmen are so often at the heart of erotic romances- suits are undeniably sexy!!!

 

Alexa has a feisty personality but it is apparent that deep down she longs for approval and affection. As the story develops and more is revealed about her family history, the reader will discover why it's no wonder she wants stability and honesty.  Her relationship with her Grandfather was quite the emotional read.

 

And Caine.  Caine, Caine, Caine.  There were times when I really warmed to him, especially when there were hints towards his soft and generous nature, but there's enough jealousy and power in there for those of you who love a bad boy too- he really is the hero who's got the lot!  Anyone who's best friend's with the Grandma-figure who lives in the same block has to be a sweetheart deep down and that was where Caine won me over.

 

There's family drama, long kept secrets and explicit sex scenes throughout the book and I rampaged through this romp in two sittings, putty in Ms Young's authorly (which isn't a word, but so should be) hands.

 

If you enjoyed Sylvia Day's Crossfire series or Christina Lauren's Beautiful books then Hero could be right up your street.

 

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

 

Hero by Samantha Young is published by Piatkus in paperback and eBook. You can find of all Samantha Young’s titles on the Kobo website here .

 

And the tour continues.  Drop by these blogs to see what THEY thought of Hero...

 

 

 

 

Blue- Lisa Glass

Firstly, how pretty is the cover for this one?!  The beautiful, hazy sunlight had me dreaming of long, lazy days at the beach.  And the half naked hottie frolicking in the surf?  Well, no comments about what HE had me dreaming of...

I love a good romance more than pretty much anything, and I'd heard fantastic things about Blue.  Set in the surfer's haven of Fistral in Cornwall, the story focuses around Iris, a sixteen year old who loves nothing more than spending her days surfing.  But then Zeke arrives, beautiful and talented, and Iris can't deny the attraction.  She knows it isn't practical, she knows she might end up hurt, so can she allow herself to fall for him?

The romance between Iris and Zeke had me hooked- all the initial excitement of teenage love (and lust) comes sizzling off the page.  And Lisa Glass certainly knows how to write a good male lead.  I was a bit hot under the proverbial collar at the thought of Zeke in his wetsuit- phew!  A new book boyfriend for me I think...  I wonder if it was because he was strong, or daring, or successful, or downright beautiful that I liked him?  Although actually I think one of his most attractive features is his loyalty to his family.  Zeke's family play a prominent role in the story and I adored their kooky ways.  They came across as a tightknit unit and when they faced difficult times in the book I always had hope that there would be a happy ending for them all.

Blue is a perfect YA novel for summer, with just the right balance of sun, sea, surf and (not explicit) sex.  There are themes in the novel such as virginity, drugs, experimenting with alcohol, sexuality which make it very much a YA book, but adults may also enjoy Blue.  It manages to have a chilled out feel despite being reasonably well paced, and although I have no experience of surfing myself (you would not get me in a wetsuit for love nor money) I loved how the surfing community was portrayed, almost like an extended family.

An enjoyable summer read with enough 'will they/won't they' to keep you guessing.

Blue is out now.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

How Not to be Starstruck- Portia MacIntosh

 

The Blurb:

 

Nicole Wilde’s life is one of sell-out gigs, bunking on tour buses, trashing hotels and partying with the band all night long. But she’s not in the band. She is a music journalist, paid to be the world’s greatest groupie– and she loves it!

Nicole has the party lifestyle – and the hangovers to prove it – but no one stops her in the supermarket on a bad hair day. Until she is papped in an incriminating position with recently married mega-star Dylan King of The Burnouts and the tabloids start hounding her. This isn’t so fun. Especially when her make-up is a mess and she hasn’t yet had a chance to clean her teeth.
Dylan accuses her of ruining his marriage. His handsome PR agent, Charles, calls her a tart. She has to take gorgeous Luke from Two For the Road to hospital after a drug incident. And she’s dropped her mobile phone in the bath! Too much celebrity lifestyle for one week? Time to slow down and take stock? Maybe for somebody else. But Nicole Wilde is going to come out fighting!
Don't miss Portia MacIntosh's linked novella Between a Rockstar and a Hardplace to see where Nicole started out!

The Review:

I read and loved Portia MacIntosh's Between a Rockstar and a Hardplace earlier in the year (you can read my review here ) and had been eagerly awaiting How Not to be Starstruck.  As a self-confessed fangirl myself I knew I'd enjoy the tales of rock star decadence and debauchery.  Although this is fiction, Portia MacIntosh has had first hand experience of band life, and it shows.

Two for the Road are lucky to have the people around them that they do because as a band they are on the path to self destruction.... Their headline making antics make for an amusing read and don't even get me started on Dylan King and the celebrity wedding of the year-hilarious and cringeworthy in equal measure. 

I absolutely adore Nicole, the journalist who seems to have blurred the lines between her job, and being a fan and friend of the hottest bands around.  She's a great, likeable character and makes a fabulous protagonist.  Other characters are also entertaining, particularly Crystal Slater who had my blood boiling on many an occasion!  The men in the book are all uber attractive too- Luke who is like a mid-nineties Robbie Williams who everyone wants to mother, Dylan, who is out of control and needs a firm guiding hand....And Charles, oh Charles... I think there might be flashing red lights around now and a siren sounding out *bookcrush alert! bookcrush alert!*  He's not perfect, but he's adorable.

Personally I enjoyed Between a Rockstar and a Hardplace slightly more than How Not to be Starstruck, but if you are looking for a fictional tale of outrageous excess and the rock star life it is well worth a read.

7.5/10

With thanks to Portia and GG book tours.

 

The Bio:

When she was fifteen-years-old, Portia MacIntosh fell in with a bad crowd… rockstars. 
After disappearing on tour and living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle for a few years, Portia landed a job in the music industry – but only so that she didn’t have to join the real world just yet.
Now in her twenties, Portia is ready to spill the beans on the things she has witnessed over the years. Well, kind of. If her famous friends knew that she was borrowing their lives to inspire her fiction, they would stop inviting her on tour and banish her from the inner circle. Then she really would have to rejoin the real world, and she’s still not ready.
Portia only started writing novels to share her secrets, but then she realised she actually quite liked writing – maybe even more than she likes living on a bus with a bunch of smelly boys – and has since tried her hand at writing about other things.

 

The Links: 

http://portiamacintosh.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/PortiaMacIntosh

 

Unsaid Things: Our Story - McFly

 

You lot have realised I am a bit of a fangirl by now, right?  Well, I am particularly nuts about One Direction, Take That and McFly, and in preparation for the McBusted appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday night I read Unsaid Things.  It's been on my shelf for a while, but I had so many review copies to get through that it's been sat there, but I decided enough was enough-the fangirl in me won out over the reviewer in me and I read it in less than 24 hours.

 

It's fair to say that McFly/McBusted fans will get the most enjoyment out of this book, but anyone who has an interest in music and/or 'celebrity' (urgh) will learn a lot from this book.  The level of honesty from the boys is what makes this stand out from other biographies out there.  Between them they've been through mental health issues, addiction, and a LOT of women (Danny Jones, I'm particularly looking at you as I type this last bit).  They've also had a ridiculous amount of hits all over the world and have survived ten years at the top of their field.  They write songs for other artists.  They produce music.  They've done (and won) reality TV shows.  Tom is a youtube sensation.  They've even been played in space for crying out loud.

The boys take it in turns to tell the McFly story throughout Unsaid Things which makes for a pacey read and I defy anyone not to laugh as they read it.  Fans have always known they were exceptionally funny and this book just proves it.  Honestly, for a band that is made up of four very different guys (I want to say boys, but they are men now...so I'll stick with guys as a happy medium) they are all hugely entertaining-different enough to have their own identities but similar enough to share the same daft humour and wordplay. 

I was close to tears at numerous points whilst reading.  Each member has gone through their own difficult times and the pride that I get as a fan seeing how genuinely happy they appear to be at the moment is immense.  On a personal level I was especially touched by Tom's descriptions of depression.  This is something I have gone through, and will probably always be going through, myself and his descriptions of the feelings he experienced really resonated.  The 'alien at the window' is something I can understand- my own depression and anxiety is worse at night- and the fear of bed because of the emotions you know are going to haunt you is something I can empathise with completely.

Reading Unsaid Things has made me even more excited for the McBusted tour and I cannot wait to be at the Sheffield gig on 19th May jumping around like a loon. 

And Danny, for what it's worth I can forgive you your playboy antics.  Even though I wish I had been part of them ;)

9/10

Unsaid Things is out now, published by Bantam Press.

One Step Too Far- Tina Seskis

I was drawn to One Step Too Far as I loved the sound of the plot.  Emily, an identical twin, leaves her husband and son, escaping her dysfunctional family by fleeing to London.  As she takes on a new identity as Cat, her life changes beyond all recognition.  Living in a rundown shared house in Finchley Park, Cat meets Angel who is also running from her past. Angel takes Cat under her wing and soon Cat's life spirals out of control.  Trying to escape her past and create a new persona, she finds that you can run, but you can't hide.

I did enjoy One Step Too Far and can see why it is one of the books that people are talking about this summer.  It was unsettling to read, especially as flashbacks throughout provided more information about why Emily and her family may have behaved the way they did.  I found this to be well written and a gripping read that held my interest, and I cared enough about Emily/Cat to want to know the outcome of her story.  One Step Too Far is a psychological thriller that might appeal to fans of other books in this genre such as Gone Girl and Before I Go to Sleep.

8/10
With thanks to Kirk Parolles for providing me with a review copy of One Step Too Far.  You can find out more about Tina Seskis on her website.

Unseen-Karin Slaughter review-published today on MojoMums!

I applied to be a reviewer for the fantastic website Mojomums a couple of months back, and was delighted when Liz from the site contacted me saying that she had a book for me to review.  The book in question was Unseen by Karin Slaughter.  I'd not read any of this author's previous back catalogue although I am very familiar with the name from the online book forums and other book bloggers.  She seems to have lots of fans so I was looking forward to trying something new.

Find out exactly what I thought by heading over to the Mojomums website and  read my review.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

I was given The Perks of Being a Wallflower for Christmas by my sister-in-law, Jill.  I'd asked for it specifically, mainly because the stir around the film adaptation had piqued my interest and I always try and read the book before watching the film in these situations.  Although I do try and avoid the film tie-in editions of books wherever possible- in my opinion having famous actors and actresses on the cover takes away the personality of a book.  The edition I have has a cover that is a beautiful representation of what to expect from the book-a scrap of paper from a journalists notepad covered in scrawling, sprawling script.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age novel.  It is built up through letters addressed to 'Dear friend' and follows Charlie through his freshman year.  I'm not normally a fan of coming of age stories.  I find they often lean towards pretentious.  This was different.  Chbosky has very cleverly written a novel that will appeal to teens and adults by referencing timeless aspects of youth culture that has and will continue to appeal to young people- The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Beatles, The Smiths, Nirvana, On the Road, The Catcher in the Rye...

The charm of the book comes via Charlie, whose insightful observations of the world are endearing and thought provoking.  It reads almost like a free-write, testimony to Chbosky's readable style. 

Charlie's letters explore unrequited love, bereavement, mental health, sexuality, drugs and abortion.  The difficult subject matter is beautifully explored, written with a reflective awareness that will stay with the reader long after the final page.

9/10