Bringing the Summer by Julia Green

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: ARC

Published: 10^th May 2012

Number of Pages: 272

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Mental Health, Coming Of Age, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Swearing, Mild Violence, Smoking, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Site: Julia Green

“I turn on to my back and let myself float, arms outstretched, eyes open to the wide blue sky.  For a moment I let myself drift, held by the water, surrounded by light.”

It’s the lazy end of summer but Freya is ready for something new, a change.  And then she meets the gorgeous, good-looking Gabes.  Freya is drawn not just to Gaves himself but everything about him, including his large, warm and shambolic family, so different to her own.

Then Gabes’ older brother makes it clear that he is interested in Freya – and Freya has some difficult decisions to make about what she really wants…

                                                                    Review

Freya's about to start her A levels, but she's still trying to cope with her brother's death.  She's just begun to think she's ready for a new start. 

And then a railway accident leads her to Gabes - gorgeous, sweet Gabes abd his big, bubbly, warm family. 

Soon Freya is falling in love - but not really with Gaves, but with his family. 

But then Gabes' brother Theo shows up - mysterious, dangerous Theo. 

As she gets closer to Theo, Freya has to question what she really wants. 

Byt us she ready to make the difficult choices?

I loved Julia Green's Drawing With Light, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.  From the cover - and blurb, actually - I thought this would be a light read.  And while it was fun and quick, it also tackled some really tricky issues.  I just love everything about Julie's books, loved how complex her main characters were and how she made a clichéd idea into something new and amazing and beautiful.  Also, I so wanna be a Fielding!!

The characters were all so amazing and varying and believable.  Freya was really sweet and strong, but broken over her brother's death.  She was really clever and sensitive and observational, was mature for her age and sensitive too.  What I really loved about her was that she wasn't perfect.  She made mistakes.  But she was so sweet and genuine that you had to love her.  Gabes was so sweet and cute and arty.  I’d love to have him as a friend.  He was simple and straight forward and so cute, just so not-complicated and warm and genuine.  I just wanted to hug him!  Theo was quite, mysterious, dark and broody.  I loved how we slowly got to see beneath the arrogance to see the sensitive, vulnerable boy within.  He was dark and dangerous - the kind of boy you know you shouldn't get involved with but intrigues you anyway.  And the Fielding family - oh how I adored them all!  They were so big and cheerful and close.  And their house - I wish I'd lived there!  It was so wonderfully describes, so lived in and homely.  They were all so bubbly and fun and real.  My family's big and fun and close... but I still want a Fielding family!!  I especially loved their Christmas - loved it to pieces - loved them to pieces!

I loved all the characters, how padded out they were.  As I mentioned before, I adored the Fielding family and all of them in the family!  I also loved Freya's grandparents and friend from the island, Danny.  Danny seemed really sweet and I felt he was a character who could have been added to - just 'cause he seemed so darn cute!

The writing was beautiful - as Green's writing always is!  Green has this wonderfully simple and beautiful way of writing that always leaves me wanting more.  There's magic there.  You can see everything, feel everything.  The plot was one I guess you’d call self-discovery.  I should have been against it - two brothers, one girl is kinda cliché - but in this it just... wasn't.  While the plot is incredible and addictive, the writing and Fielding family just stole the show for me.  But I must admit, I had no idea where the plot was going and at some points I was actually scared!  And I loved how through the Fieldings, we slowly got to know about Bridie, who she was before she died.  As for the ending, it was perfect. 

Green tackled some tricky issues in this book, but like everything she does so effortlessly.  She doesn't make light of them but instead balances them with a light plot.  Also, it's message was so subtle you didn't really get it til the end.  It wasn't... obnoxious, like other books. 

One girl, two brothers, one huge happy family and a dead girl who bought them all together...  Bringing the Summer was a beautiful, edgy, fun read, one I couldn't put down.  It just grabbed me from the word go; Julia Green has this way of bringing a story and characters to life through her words, characters that just get inside your head.  I must get my hands on Breathing Underwater and I am seriously desperate for whatever Julia brings out next!  I loved the book: it had strong themes, but left me feeling all happy inside, warm.  It wasn't as hard hitting as some of the other books I've read this year, but I loved it and it was a great read. 

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Drawing With Light by Julia Green
Hayling Island Cycle by Miriam Halahmy
This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

YA Contemporary Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Reading Angel & Katie's Book Blog)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale

 Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Paperback

Published: 2^nd February 2012

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Mental Health, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Alcohol Refernences, Mild Swearing, Death

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Katie Dale

And keep an eye out for the blog tour post Katie's done for us!  It'll be up on the 28th!

One Secret Can Change Everything.

When Rosie Kenning's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntingdon's disease, her whole world falls apart. Not only does Rosie desperately miss her mum, but now she has to face the fact that she could have inherited the fatal illness herself. Until she discovers that Trudie wasn't her biological mother at all ...Rosie is stunned. Can this be true? Is she grieving for a mother who wasn't even hers to lose? And if Trudie wasn't her mother, who is?

But as Rosie delves into her past to discover who she really is, she is faced with a heart-breaking dilemma - to continue living a lie, or to reveal a truth that will shatter the lives of everyone around her... 

                                                                   Review:

“You saved each other.”

Rosie Kenning’s mum Trudie had Huntington’s.  Rosie, dropping everything for her mother, had to watch the once vibrant woman she loved so much die slowly and terribly.  With her Mum gone and her whole world in pieces, Rosie now has to find out if this is to be her future, if she has inherited the Huntington’s gene.  Until she’s told that Trudie isn’t her biological mother.  But how can that be?  How can she not be Trudie?  Is she grieving someone who isn’t even hers to grieve?  And if so, who is her real mother?

With her past as blank as her future, can Rosie continue living a lie, or can she risk destroying the lives of those around her to find out more about her past...?

I knew this would be an amazing book – I mean, have you read the blurb?! – but I wasn’t expecting something twisty and swirly, full of shocks and surprises with characters I’d fall so head over heels in love with, I’d want to magic them out of the book!  If this book isn’t already on your radar, by God, go get yourself a copy NOW!  It’s such an amazing book and worth every penny!  I adored every moment and was left wanting more, more, more! A book that truly tugged at the heartstrings one moment and had me stupidly smiling the next. 

Rosie Kenning was so strong and so caring.  I admired her so much, putting her whole life on hold so she could take care of her mother.  I just loved her from the word go.  And it was just so obvious that she absolutely adored her mother Trudie.  She had to grow up so fast, and she lost so much.  But through it all she was selfless, brave, loving and strong.  She was amazing, and we could all learn something from her.

Andy Hunter, Rosie’s boyfriend, was sweet and caring and cute and yummy!  He was just adorable, really protective and supportive, always there for her…  Did you guess that I had a minor book-boyfriend crush on Andy?

I have to mention Trudie Kenning, Rosie’s mother, who although was already dead by the time the story starts, played a big part in it none the less.  She was strong, light-spirited, trying to make a joke of everything, and obviously loved Rosie just as much as her daughter loved her.  She was inspirational, even though we never ‘met’ her.

The rest of the supporting characters were equally amazing.  Rosie’s Nana was so sweet and cheerful: I loved her! Jack Woods was funny, sweet and friendly, and just the perfect father.  If I could have any fictional father, from any book, I’d pick Jack, hands down.  Kitty Clare was someone I couldn’t figure her out.  I thought: oh, so that’s the real Kitty.  Then: wham!  Still, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, seeing the position she was in… Aunt Sarah, who loved Trudie so much she… did what she did.  She was a loving and kind person, one I found I couldn’t dislike at all – I felt sorry for her too, I mean: what would you have done in her position?

What I liked most about this book is the flawless way Katie tackled the difficult issues.  Huntington’s and the effects it has.  And may I just say that I really admire the way Katie described the disease – enough of the medical info so we can grasp the basics, no jargon to confuse us.  But more, the emotional description.  The pain at watching your Mum die, the fear of not knowing if that could be you, drowning in it all.  Throughout the book, I couldn’t help thinking: “Could I have done that, if I were in Rosie’s place?  Dropped everything, even my friends and school, knowing I’d have to watch my mother die, watch what could be my future..?”  And then there was the whole biological parent thing.  The importance of being related by blood.  I mean, any old person can make a baby.  What’s hard is raising them and loving them.  That’s what makes a parent.  Rosie in particular really shows this: even though she was looking for her birth parents, Trudie is still her Mum and nothing could change that. 

The writing was just so, so good.  Emotional, powerful and utterly addictive, it was just perfect for this kind of book – more than perfect, in fact.  I could feel everything, see everything!  And I adored the dual narrative; I loved that we had no clue who the other narrator was to begin with – I didn’t guess either!  As for the plot, well, it was twistier than… a really twisty thing.  There was just shock after shock, surprise after surprise and I literally saw nothing coming!!  And that, may I just say, was a huge achievement and made the book so, so, so much more addictive!  I loved every second… even the bits I cried at.  Which was quite a few of them.

An amazing, incredible, moving, emotional, thought-provoking story that had me surprised at every twist, hooked to every word and racing to get to the end, so I could know what happened next.  Katie, whatever you may write next, you have me extraordinarily excited and I will be first in line, without a doubt!

Beautiful, inspiring, heart-warming, life affirming, perfect… I came to the end and just wanted to read it all over again.  As I said before: perfect.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle

Fifteen Day Without a Head by Dave Cousins 

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

2012 Debut Author Challenge (Hosted by The Story Siren)

YA Contemporary Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Reading Angel & Katie's Book Blog)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Megan

* This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Happy Reading

Number of Pages: 496

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle

Publisher: Puffin

Format: Paperback

Published: 5^th January 2012

Number of Pages: 352

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Psychological-Thriller, Mental Health, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Strong Smoking, Swearing, Drinking, Mild Drug Reference, Self-Harming, Violence, Death

Author's Site: Phil Earle

“For as long as I could remember it was always about the three of us.

Me.

Dad.

And Mum’s shadow.”

Daisy’s mum is gone.

Her Dad refuses to talk about it.

As far as Daisy’s concerned, it’s all her fault.

As her life starts to spiral out of control, panic leads to tragedy and Daisy’s left alone.

But sometimes the kindness of a stranger can turn things around.

A stranger who desperately wants to save Daisy –

if she’ll only let herself be saved…

                                                                   Review:

I cried, I laughed, I loved, I grieved.  Saving Daisy was an emotional roller-coaster – one I adored and was sad to leave.  Or, more precisely, I was heartbroken to leave Daisy: I really, really loved her and Ade too.

Daisy never knew her Mum.  Her Dad won’t – can’t – talk about her.  In Daisy’s eyes, it was her fault.

As the fear, the misplaced guilt over her Mum’s death gets stronger and stronger; her ways of coping become violent, extreme.  But the one person she decides to trust does something they shouldn’t have, and once more Daisy tells herself she’s to blame.  Her life spirals out of control, and before she knows it, Daisy is all alone.

She doesn’t want help, doesn’t think she deserves it.  She’s bad luck in her eyes: everyone she lets in gets hurt or hurts her.  But can the kindness of a single stranger, one who is desperate to help, be enough to bring her back from brink.  Will Daisy Houghton even let herself be saved?

I love contemp books, especially ones that made me think, feel and (although I don’t know why I like it so much) cry.  Saving Daisy made me do all three of these things and more.  I loved every moment, wrapped up in Daisy’s world, her fears.  I was so completely addicted from start to finish, unable to put the book down, desperate to know what happened to Daisy…  By the end I desperately wanted to read the whole book all over again, and I need Being Billy.

Daisy Houghton was a wonderful girl: snarkily funny, film-addicted, clever…  She was also drowning in her fear and guilt.  I loved her from the word go, constantly telling her “It’s not your fault Daisy!”  She was so scared, betrayed by the ones she let it, always on the edge of everything.   To begin with I thought her guilt was ridiculous, but in her mind, she really thought she was responsible.  I felt so bad for her because I loved her so much.  She was just so strong, so stubborn and she had to grow up so fast.  I loved it when we got to see the sweet, grieving side of Daisy, rather than the guilt-ridden, self-blaming one.  She was so real to me: it felt like I was the only one she trusted…

Ade, Daisy’s key-worker, was lovely!  The moment she walked in, she made Daisy feel better, like she was “being saved”, and made me smile.  She really looked out for Daisy, was really smart, laidback, instructive without being bossy…  She was just so strong, and really understood Daisy and I loved her so much! 

Bellfield, the place Daisy was sent to “find the answer” was amazing: You had so many different characters… The overly friendly, sweet Susie, who didn’t really understand personal space.  The argumentative, snarky, slightly violent Patrick.  The constantly texting, perhaps-perhaps-not delusional, laidback Jimmy, who couldn’t quite tell the difference between fantasy and reality.  The moody, short-tempered, irrational, unpredictable Naomi.  The various careers: young, laid-back Floss; efficient, friendly, respected-by-all Bex; the lovely, kind, patient Ade.  All the different personalities made for a chaotic, volatile, never-dull place.  My favourite was by far Jimmy (Ade not included): I loved Jimmy-style therapy: watching washing machines – “sweet”!  You definitely have the “X-Factor” Jimmy!

The writing was amazing.  It was raw, emotional, powerful, addictive.  It was teenager, but the voice of a teenager who knows too much.  It was Daisy.  100%.  I adored the descriptions, brilliant but not too heavy.  I just loved the edginess, everything.  I just loved Earle’s writing.  Enough said!

I thought the plot would be straight forward from the blurb.  Boy was I wrong!  There were twists I never saw coming, plot turns I never would have thought of, character changes that surprised me.  I loved every turn, every unpredictable development.  I was completely hooked from start to finish.

What struck me straight away about Saving Daisy were the emotions.  Instantly, I was tangled in Daisy’s head, not exactly sure where my emotions stopped and hers began.  It felt like I was drowning in Daisy’s feelings, in my own.  It was overwhelming, in the very best way.  I was so wrapped up in the book, in Daisy: invested.  It was a roller coaster of emotions, the main ones pain, sadness, grief, love and sympathy.  I was almost constantly on the verge of tears, so the little bright spots, the small breakthroughs, the parts that made me smile, were even more potent.  But in some probably twisted way, I loved crying, the constant battling emotions.  Crying meant I adored this book and its characters and truly cared about what happened to them.  Because I did.

A heartbroken, guilt-ridden, scarred heroine, afraid to trust or love, a caring, always smiling care worker, with a secret of her own, and the hardest journey of all: facing your fears, you guilt and realising it wasn’t your fault, putting yourself back together…  Saving Daisy was an emotional, powerful read that left my head spinning.  I won’t forget you Daisy.  Not in a long time.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Being Billy by Phil Earle

Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

YA Contemporary Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Reading Angel & Katie's Book Blog)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Megan

* This book was received from Puffin in exchange for an honest review

Happy Reading