Style (The OTP Series) - Chelsea M. Cameron

Synopsis:

Kyle Blake likes plans. So far, they’re pretty simple: Finish her senior year of high school, head off to a good college, find a cute boyfriend, graduate, get a good job, get married, the whole heterosexual shebang. Nothing is going to stand in the way of that plan. Not even Stella Lewis.

Stella Lewis also has a plan: Finish her senior year as cheer captain, go to college, finally let herself flirt with (and maybe even date) a girl for the first time and go from there.

Fate has other plans for Kyle and Stella when they’re paired up in their AP English class and something between them ignites. It’s confusing and overwhelming and neither of them know what to do about it. One thing they do know is that their connection can’t be ignored. The timing just isn’t right.

But is there ever a good time for falling in love?

Review:

So a little while ago Chelsea was looking for people to review this lovely book and I just couldn't say no. Although I wont be releasing what she was looking for specifically as I don't feel its very important, I am releasing that I have no regrets enquiring about getting a copy of the book.

We follow 2 beautiful characters, both very different but extraordinary to me. Kyle is all about getting through high school and heading off to a good college where she'll date boys and then graduate, get a job, get married and all of the heterosexual stereotyped things, she loves hr plans so when Stella Lewis comes into the picture starting to rip up Kyles plans she has no idea what to do or how to act. Stella is the cheer captain and she cant wait to finish high school and head off to college where she can finally be herself and date a girl and go on from there. These characters are truly beautiful, very different from each other but the forces just pull them together.

The plot is as amazing as the characters alone, it develops at such a perfect rate I couldn't put it down, page after page I'm begging for the characters to just get together and as a reader you're begging for it to just happen and get it over with and I'm just internally screaming throughout because the characters are perfect for each other, meant for each other I just couldn't cope. I'm sucker for love like this when its so accurately portrayed like it was, the love didn't suddenly happen or instantaneous love it was developed from 2 people just not wanting to be around each other to them never wanting to be apart from one another.

Throughout the story we get to see all sides of the characters, there are no secrets or information we don't know about them it's just a fully open and well portrayed tale of 2 girls discovering themselves and falling in love. It's all so realistic and true that I can't cope, people don't tend to understand that in a same sex relationship or discovering yourself and coming to terms with what you find out that its not as simple as it sounds, its nerve wrecking and confusing but its beautiful and a weight off of your shoulders.

As a whole this book blew me away, I was so happy and full of joy when the end of the book came, I'd love to see more of both of these characters because of just how great and real they were. It's LGBTQ+ and it's completely beautiful, its a 5/5 from me and although there's a lot of swearing within the book and there is some sexual content it still makes for a great read and is quite easy to get through in a single day if you have the time. I recommend this book for literally anyone who feels as though they are alone in trying to figure themselves out and literally everyone else.

Chasing Eveline - Leslie Hauser

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Ivy Higgins is the only student at Carmel Heights High School who listens to cassettes. And her binder is the only one decorated with album artwork by 80s band Chasing Eveline. Despite being broken-up since 1989, this rock band out of Ireland means everything to Ivy. They’re a reminder of her mom, who abandoned Ivy and her dad two years ago. Now the music of her mom’s favorite band is the only connection she has left.

Even though Ivy wavers between anger and a yearning to reconnect, she’s one-hundred percent certain she’s not ready to lose her mom forever. But the only surefire way to locate her would be at a Chasing Eveline concert. So with help from her lone friend Matt—an equally abandoned soul and indie music enthusiast—Ivy hatches a plan to reunite the band.

The road to Ireland won’t be easy, though. And not just because there is no road. Along the way they’ll have to win over their Lady Gaga-loving peers, tangle with some frisky meerkats, and oh yeah, somehow find and persuade the four members to play a reunion gig. It’s a near-impossible task, but Ivy has to try. If she can’t let go of the past, she’ll never be able to find joy in the present.

Review:

Chasing Eveline is the story of a 16 year old girl named Ivy, one day her mother got up and just left her, leaving her to be raised by her father even though he himself is dealing with the loss and abandonment.

Ivy has only 1 connection  with her mom and that is through her mom's favourite band from the 80s called Chasing Eveline. All of the songs take her to a place with her mother where the memories are fresh and they are happy.

Together with her friend Matt who himself is struggling with a break up, try to get Chasing Eveline back together and they try to get the band new love from teenagers in creative ways and it made my heart melt how determined they both are in these activities because it was just that important to them. In the end they meet a boy named Sean who they quickly become friends with due to his love for the band too. Up to this point as a reader you really don't know which way this book is going and let me tell you there's plot twists in there.

The best part of this entire book to me was that it was a realistic story told about a teen girl dealing with pain and grief. She was strong in her broken heartedness. She was strong and determined and so real. The ending of the book was perfect, I mean they struggle hard throughout so any sort of reward at the end was going to be worth it but the end was such a great reward for them. Its a story of friendship and love, family and acknowledgment and acceptance. Just pure brilliance.

I feel as though this is YA novel that anyone can read no matter their age. Its heart warming and heart breaking, food for the soul, sewn together with love and written so perfectly. I cried and laughed, I experienced emotions with these characters and their lives, a great book does this and Leslie has done an amazing job here.

For all of this alone it is a 5/5 from me and a recommendation to anyone, I believe there is so much more for me to say but I can't quite put it into perfect enough words to express it. I really hope that I can read more of Leslies work in the future because Chasing Eveline with stay with me.

The Eye of Nefertiti: A Pharaoh's Cat Novel - Maria Luisa Lang

Synopsis:

The Eye of Nefertiti is both a stand-alone novel and a sequel to The Pharaoh’s Cat. The time-traveling ancient Egyptian feline with human powers returns together with his beloved Pharaoh and his close friends, the High Priest of Amun-Ra and Elena, an Egyptologist’s daughter.

The cat is quick-witted, wise-cracking narrator as well as free-spirited, ever-curious protagonist, and the story he tells is an exotic, imaginative, spell-binding tragicomedy. The cat travels from present-day New York City to England, both ancient and modern, then to ancient Egypt, where he confronts a horrible demon and experiences a sublime emotion. Once back in England, he descends into a psychological abyss so deep only the Pharaoh can save him.

The Eye of Nefertiti interweaves feline and human, past and present, natural and supernatural. It contains numerous surprises, twists and turns, intriguing characters, both human and animal, fascinating revelations about ancient Egyptian history and culture, and an ingenious application of the Tarot and an Italian opera.

Review

I must first of all thank Maria for supplying me with a free copy of the book in return I am to truthfully review it.

The Eye of Nefertiti is a stand alone novel but is also a follow on from the first book A Pharaoh's Cat. Having read the first book I felt it easy to transition into this book but I know that having read this book that even if you haven't read the first book, everything is pretty much in here for you to catch up on anyway so it isn't really too necessary to read the first unless you want the detail.

After the ending of the last book, we are in New York and its been a few months and there is now a new addition who is very much an adorable little fella. As it was with the first book, its a quick read and easily completed in a sitting or 2 depending on the time you have, and it still isn't a simple book about a cat, it looks at the deep meanings of connections, mixing emotions with historical fiction and magic. We see more than just ancient Egypt and modern day New York this time, we also get to see both modern and ancient England which made me smile because I love it when books are based in my country for some reason. Throughout the book there is a mystery that must be solved and we’re left very curious as to how things will play out. Although it is easy to work out a couple of bits and bobs as I say, as a whole the way things play out was just a big surprise for me.

We once again have a number of amusing moments to play audience to; we once again get to explore ancient Egypt and have a mystery to solve as well as having interesting characters and have scenes that pull at a variety of emotions. It gives us all we could expect from the story.

I simply just loved this book, having already fell in love with and attached myself emotionally and mentally to all of the characters in the last book I just simply moved into this book and with each page turn I was finding more and more reason to stay connected and laugh and cry or a mix of the both. The plot was very interesting and unique and I just couldn't put it down. With all of the new messages and lessons I finished the book with a sense of something, I'm not even sure what but I was kind of refreshed and seeing the world ever so slightly different. It opened my eyes in some way and I'm pretty sure I cried for a little while but no one needs to know that.

Leaving this the very same way I left the first book, its an easy 5/5 and if any of you check this out, come back tell me how you felt about it all and lets see how different or same our experiences were.

The Pharaoh's Cat - Maria Luisa Lang

Synopsis:

The Pharaoh’s Cat, a tragicomic fantasy narrated in the present tense by the cat himself, tells of a free-spirited, wise-cracking stray in ancient Egypt who suddenly acquires human powers and immediately captivates the young Pharaoh, making him laugh for the first time since his parents’ death.

The cat becomes the Pharaoh’s constant companion and, at the royal palace and on a tour of Egypt, participates in the festivities, developing an insatiable appetite for good food, wine, and gossip. Gradually, he renews the Pharaoh’s ability to enjoy life and inspires him to become a stronger leader. The bond of selfless love they share will change Egypt’s destiny.

The cat has a good friend in the High Priest of the god Amun-Ra and seeks his help in solving the mystery of his human powers and the supernatural manifestations that plague him. He has a mortal enemy in the Vizier—the second most powerful man in Egypt--who hates him for his close relationship with the Pharaoh. The Vizier’s persecution of the cat ultimately results in his fleeing with the High Priest to present-day New York City, where they find an ally in an Egyptologist’s daughter.

Review:

First of all I want to thank Maria for providing me a copy of The Pharaoh's Cat in return for a honest review, I hope you enjoy.

The Pharaoh's Cat is such a lovely read, you can pretty much get through it in a day or 2 if you have some time to kill. I didn't really know what to expect from such a book with all the aspects of it combining bits of several genres but it was such a great read that I'm pretty attached to now. Its not simply a story about a cat, it is so much more, of love and friendship the repercussions of actions and most noticeably Egyptian history I suppose and even more messages about how actions can effect lives. These lessons and messages are not plainly put to you, they are so delicately woven into the storyline that is sweet and spans thousands of years.

The story told from the perspective of the cat, The Pharaoh’s Cat is made up of amusing moments. In both ancient Egypt and modern day New York, we get to play audience as the mystery surrounding the walking talking cat is unrolled and solved. Throughout, we encounter several interesting characters and watch as many wonderful and uplifting scenes unfold. It really does pull you in and I found myself simply unable or unwilling to put the book down for hours on end.

With the characters and the scenes I completely fell in love, to keep the story short some scenes that I wished had been plumped out more were short but still very adorable and vibrant. I got attached to everyone and thing, it was just too hard not to. Characters shown on the negative side had my bad emotions whilst every other character shown on the positive side got all of my great emotions and when plot twists came I'm sure both loads of emotions clashed and fought with each other for a long time. Although short and simple The Pharaoh's Cat made me laugh, cry, curse and simply just forget the real world for a while. I love the information about Egypt and how well it all fitted into the story.

Once finishing the story I moved right onto the second book and simply fell further in love. Short, sweet and simple this book gets a 5/5 from me. Even though some people saw parts as negatives which bumped down their ratings I simply just loved this book to much to not give it a 5/5. if you need a short book to fill in a hole, something to laugh at and love definitely check out this book and I hope it has the same effect on you as it did me.

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Things I'd Love To See More Of

More PoC characters

More representation of the LOGBTQ+ community including those after the +

More gender neutral activities

More depictions of religions and history

More education on politics to inform readers of any age in an engaging and easy to understand way.

More showings of day to day struggles

Inclusion of the worlds problems

More acceptance between characters; no fat shaming, slut shaming, height shaming? Less discrimination.

More characters with all of their quirks no matter how unusual or uncommon they may be.

Even more love  💕 and friendship

The Broke and The Bookish hosts Top Ten Tuesday Weekly

The Girl Of Ink and Stars - Kiran Millwood Hargrave



Synopsis

Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.

When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.

But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.

Review:

The story takes place on the Isle of Joya, an island with a mythical past as a floating island. There is a mythical tale that everyone living on Joya knows, one that involves a girl-warrior named Arinta and a fire demon Yote.

In the present day, we come to know that the island is now divided following the arrival of a rather threatening Governor named Adori who is for the most part, for some unknown reason now the ruler of the island. You're either on the Governor' side of the island or the other side where Forgotten Territories are. Our protagonist, Isabella, lives on Adori's side. She is, unsurprisingly, best friends with Adori's daughter Lupe.

I have to admit that I adored the cover and the pages throughout the book, they were so adorable I loved them just slightly less than I did the book itself. I grew slightly attached to Lupe and Isabella as well as Pablo but somehow the connection didn't feel complete, like I was missing more information about them but I admired their strength and determination and bravery.

The relationships between characters were expressed well and as the reader you do get a real sense of the emotional links between each of them. The unconditional friendship between Isabella and Lupe was what really helped pull the story together;despite the differences in their background and upbringing, their bond goes beyond that and the two formed a strong and sweet relationship. I adored the relationship Isabella had with her Da, as I myself have a very close relationship with my dad it was very warming to find part of myself within a 13 year old character. Not only that but I loved how her love for cartography gave both of them the chance to grow closer in times of heartbreak which only strengthened their bond.

The journey that Isa goes on to find Lupe is very interesting, as it gives more of an insight into the history of the island and that's great because I wanted more of it. I think in this case as the book is aimed at a younger audience the story is contained and quicker paced which explains my reason for not having a strong connection with the characters, but l enjoyed the world so much that I wanted to explore each and every part of it.

At it's heart, this book is very much about friendship and family, it's a 4/5 from me, I just really wished the book had been written for an older audience so that it was more in depth but for what it's worth I think Kiran did a great job for the audience she aimed at with a message of loyalty, bravery and friendship as well at it being her debut.

The Art Of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

Synopsis

Two Outsiders. Two secrets.

David longs to be a girl.

Leo wants to be invisible.

When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…


Review:

I picked this book up a what feels like years ago but it's maybe 4 months at best. I had heard a lot about the book and it really caught my eye so I just couldn't resist.

What happens on pages 64 for 4 pages made my chest hurt so badly I had to put the book down, cry a little and then pick up where I had let off.

The books follows two protagonists who both go to Eden Park School: David Piper, a biological male who has always wanted to be a girl, and Leo Denten, an outsider with his own dark secrets. Although the two seem quite different - David, more reserved and wistful, Leo, more moody and confrontational - a twist of fate brings them together in ways neither of them expect. Of course its a fight which is mentioned in the synopsis, its a very great moment to have read because although its physically gave me pain to read, to have what happens actually happen makes me smirk because its something I was really wanting to happen.

I adore Lisa's willingness to tackle a trans character and the challenges they face. She makes David's struggle to accept himself a central part of the plot while writing his dual perspective with Leo in a way that maintains a solid pace for the story as a whole. The use of dual perspective was a refreshing way of writing and very enjoyable. I've become accustomed to dual perspective written books recently.

I found David to be very authentic, dealing with the problems and troubles that any transgender teen no doubt encounters. Very anxious at the unwanted changes occurring within and to her body. I found myself feeling very upset that she didn't feel comfortable and didn't have the confidence to 'come out' yet - such is the nature of our modern society that most LGBTQIA+ people feel so oppressed and scared that they don't dare speak out about their wishes.
Leo, although also a main character, seemed to take a more back seat role to me despite his importance and relevance throughout the book. I did really love his character as a transgender teen. I really connected to the main characters in the book, I felt real emotion towards their situations and lives.

I loved that the book also showed the risks - that they might be rejected or ridiculed, and I do hope that through books such as this and the slowly changing stereotypes, that we may soon be able to change the way society thinks.

When it comes to how the book ends, I feel like I could have used my wotsits I was eating minutes later to soak up my tears and leave cheese dust trails down my face. Lisa approved. I really adored how it ended, it was very cute and such a beautiful moment. I was more happy emotional than anything else and I'm pretty sure other readers were too. I can say that id be really happy for a follow up book with these characters but I would be too upset if Lisa had no current plans to go that way soon or at all. I am happy with what I got in this book. I give the book a solid 5/5. I'm off to go and wipe the cheese dust from my face.

Breakaway - Kat Spears

Title: Breakaway
Author: Kat Spears
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 15th 2015
Available Editions: Hardcover and for review, EBook

Netgalley Synopsis:

When Jason Marshall's younger sister passes away, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates--Mario, Jordie, and Chick--to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father who's not in the picture, he needs them more than ever. But when Mario starts hanging out with a rough group of friends and Jordie finally lands the girl of his dreams, Jason is left to fend for himself while maintaining a strained relationship with troubled and quiet Chick. Then Jason meets Raine, a girl he thinks is out of his league but who sees him for everything he wants to be, and he finds himself pulled between building a healthy and stable relationship with a girl he might be falling in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to hold onto the friendships he has always relied on.

A witty and emotionally moving tale of friendship, first love, and loss, Breakaway is Kat Spears at her finest.

Review:

Well where do I begin? Yet another book in a whole day and let me tell you this, I was utterly surprised with how it ended and that's being very vague with how strong my feelings were. In this review, like most of my reviews I have to be honest, so sticking to that rule I must admit I liked the cover and was interested by the synopsis but after reading the book and looking back at the cover, thought to cover could of been more related to the story. This is my opinion and I admit the cover is nice but I think it could relate more to the story than it does.

I loved several parts of this book, mostly how it wasn't like other books I had read, it wasn't all based around a relationship between two teenagers, it was much, much more than that. I also loved how the book was based around one situation and then there were several mentions of several taboo subjects, it felt like the books was one step towards being somewhat, more open about these subjects. To keep this section short my last loved part of the story is the story progression, you were automatically into the story and always fully aware of what was happening.

Bringing up the characters I have to admit I was quite happy with the few characters there were, based around Jason, who's 17 and at the beginning of his book its becomes clear his sister has passed away, and is dealing with his mourning mother without support from his father. He is soon joined by his close friends Mario, Jordie, and Chick. Once you know all of them, you find it odd that they would be friends but the friendship works. The characters clash a few times but also have moments filled with jokes and laughter. When Raine comes into the main frame of the story, there are many moments of sarcasm and laughter.

Each character helps bring the story together, taking the reader on a journey through the eyes and mind of a teenager in a worn down house, dealing with love and loss. I have to admit I was hooked on the book within a few pages, and I was unable to put it down (the proof of this is sitting on wet grass for 45 minutes reading and getting hit with a basketball that was kicked for my dog to chase) I was expecting the story to last for more pages than it did and that was really my only problem with the book/story, it ended so soon just as I had gotten my ticket to get on the emotional roller coaster. If ever possible I would love a follow up book or two just to show their lives in the future maybe months or a year later than when this story ended.

I give the book a rating of 4.7/5 and recommend it to anyone who's up for a quick read or wants to see taboo subjects put into a new light to see from another perspective.