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Leah on the Offbeat Book Review
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli From Goodreads: Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst. When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.…
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The Summer of Us Book Review
The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse Five friends. Five European cities. Ten days. And a messy, complicated, can-this-really-be-happening love story or two… Since the moment they met, best friends Aubrey and Rae have been planning their inter-railing trip around Europe. With graduation just behind them, it ought to be the perfect summer to go on a last adventure together before university. But things are more complicated at eighteen than they were at ten. Accompanying Aubrey and Rae are other friends, each one carrying baggage they can’t put in a suitcase. First there’s Jonah, Aubrey’s popular and dashing boyfriend, and his best friend Gabe, who Audrey may have accidentally kissed. And then…
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UK Versus US Covers
Hey everyone, Today is Thursday, which means another bookish post. Do you ever get a book, and then see the overseas cover and wish you’d bought that version instead? In honour of that feeling, I thought today I could go through some UK and US editions of YA books, talking about each cover design and explaining which one I prefer. The US editions will be on the left, the UK ones on the right. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor …
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Ash Princess Book Review
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian One day, I will watch them all burn. Princess Theodosia will never forget the day the kingdom of Astrea was invaded, and her mother, the Queen of Flame and Fury, was murdered before her eyes. For ten years, she has survived, whipped for every futile rebellion and constantly humiliated by the Kaiser who conquered her beloved country. She is paraded around as the Ash Princess, a constant reminder to all of everything she’s lost. Meanwhile her people are enslaved, forced to work in the mines until there are no Astreans left alive. When the Kaiser forces Theo to execute her last hope of rescue, she vows…
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May Book Box Club ‘Stargazers’ Unboxing
Hi everyone, I finally got my hands on the May Stargazers box from Book Box Club. The postman came a little later than usual, so I was out grabbing coffee with a friend when it came, but fortunately my boyfriend was around to answer the door, so I came home to this wonderful surprise of book box goodness. Obviously, since this is an unboxing post, there are spoilers for the May box ahead, so if you haven’t received your Stargazers swag yet, you might want to bookmark this post and come back to it later 😀 Awesome, now that we’ve clarified that we’re all meant to be here and spoilers…
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RIP It Or Ship It Book Tag
Hey everyone, So today I thought I’d bring you one of my favourite BookTube tags, RIP It or Ship It. The original tag was created by Emma’s Books, and since she posts some great stuff you should definitely check her videos out here. The rules of the game are simple. I’m going to put a lot of fictional characters’ names into a cup and draw them out two at a time. Once I have a pairing, I’ll tell you if I RIP it or if I ship it. There’s going to be names from a variety of YA fantasy novels and series, so hopefully there’ll be some interesting pairings…
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Smoke in the Sun Book Review
Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh Following Okami’s capture, Mariko has no choice but to infiltrate the Imperial Palace in the desperate hopes of rescuing him. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was held against her will by the notorious Black Clan, playing the part she was always meant to play– the dutiful, naive bride-to-be. While they try and decide if Mariko is still loyal to the throne, she must also unravel their secrets. Most importantly, she must learn the truth behind the assassination attempt on her carriage that led her to the Black Clan. While pretending to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials,…
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Ace of Shades Book Review
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. From Goodreads: Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets… and secrets hide in every shadow. Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted. Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning…
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April Haul and Wrap Up
Hi everyone, This is coming to you a little late, but I’m going to do a quick haul and wrap-up for April. April was a pretty bookish month for me, I ended up getting 18 physical books and 3 e-books to review, so it was very hectic. Most of them were sent by friends or from publishers, so I only ended up buying around 8 books in total [including my Book Box Club book]. Definitely quite a haul! Books I Bought: Love, Simon [A.K.A. Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Beck Albertelli. I got this because I’d heard a lot of people getting hyped for the movie and wanted to…
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Out of the Blue Book Review
Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron From Goodreads: Sometimes, I imagine alternate endings to the story: last-minute miracles, touches of magic. I picture how things might have gone, if I wasn’t there. If I’d left just a few minutes later. If I hadn’t been alone. It doesn’t make any difference. One way or another, the crash always comes. Ten days after Jaya Mackenzie’s mum dies, angels start falling from the sky. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single one has survived. Hysteria mounting with every Being that drops, Jaya’s father uproots the family to Edinburgh intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can’t stand…
