Review: Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

Title: Tell Me a Secret

Author: Holly Cupala

Series: n/a

Publication Date: 20th September 2011

My Synopsis:

Miranda, (or Rand or Mandy) has been having trouble coping with her sister’s death. She had always looked up to her sister and even told her she wanted to be just like her. The problem was her sister had been the trouble maker while she had been the good sister. Her parents will not talk about Xanda and have taken away any pictures of her, this makes it hard for Mandy to really know who her sister was, so she tries to find out for herself, be more like her in the hope of getting some answers. So she ditches her best friend in favour of the new bad girl, gets a boyfriend and starts partying. Then she misses 2 periods.

Why I picked this book up:

I originally had it as a free audio book, but found I just can’t get along with audio, so got the book instead as it sounded really interesting.

Did it live up to my expectations?

I actually didn’t realise before I read it that this was a book about teen pregnancy as well as death, so that was a really good surprise. I guess it did live up to my expectations.

What I thought:

When I think back about this book, I remember it as more of a story about a girl dealing with grief over her sister, not so much about teenage pregnancy. This for me is a good thing, it means I wasn’t preached against the horrors of teen pregnancy, but at the same time we were shown how hard this was for Mandy. There were times when I wanted to yell at Mandy to grow up, for example, the first time she sees Kamram with Delaney she freaks out, at the time they were doing nothing wrong and had done nothing up to that point, so why was her reaction so strong? I also thought at times she was a bit of a spoilt brat, she thinks it was unfair that her parents wouldn’t support her and the baby and look after it while she goes to college, that’s her job not theirs. I loved the girls’ dad, he really loved his daughters and tried so hard for the family, but the mother I just wanted to shoot, she has some serious issues. Kamran was an ok character, there are times when you can see that he cares for Mandy and just got caught up in all the shock, but I would have thought he’d have been able to see through Delaney sooner. I thought Shelly was a great character and would love to hear more of her story.

The storyline is what really captured me with this book, there is so much to it, you have lies, secrets, teen pregnancy, death, family issues, friendship, the list just goes on and on, but it’s not in your face either.

Overall I liked this book and would read another by Holly Cupala

My favourite quote/s from the book:

“Keep your eyes on the future, because that's where the answers are. It's where the hope is.”

Read if:  

You liked “Twenty Boy Summer” by Sarah Ockler, both deal with grief and secrets.

Up next for review:

The Icarus Project by Laura Quimby

Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June

Author: Hannah Harrington

Series: n/a

Publication Date: 1st May 2011

My Synopsis:

When Harper’s sister, June, commits suicide, no one can understand why, least of all Harper. When her divorced parents decide to split the ashes, Harper decides to take them to California, the one place June wanted to go after graduation. Before she can work out a way to get there she meets Jake. He won’t tell her how he knew June, but insists on coming along, Harper realises she won’t get anywhere without him and reluctantly lets him come.

Why I picked this book up:

I had read so many raving reviews I decided to give it a try.

Did it live up to my expectations?

Yes.

What I thought:

I really enjoyed this book, the characters felt so real, and although I have never been through what Harper had, I could sympathise and understood why she felt how she did.

The romance part was exactly the way I like it, a nice slow build, it really felt as though they got to know each other and feel in love naturally. I felt so many emotions during this book that it left me a little exhausted! The writing is brilliant, and all the dialogue felt so real. Everything about this book felt real.

Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to others.

My favourite quote/s from the book:

“He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful. Into something that people connect to. And that's what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you.”

Read if:

You like contemporary YA, you read and enjoyed Crash into Me by Albert Borris

Up next for review:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Review: Pushing the Limits

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Series: Standalone, although there is another book coming out about one of the characters.

Publication Date: August 3rd 2012










 

My Synopsis:

Echo has problems, she used to be popular, but since disappearing from school for a while and returning wearing only long sleeved tops in the middle of summer, she is an outcast, add to that her dead brother, mother with issues and stepmother she hates. She is referred to the new social worker at the school to help her deal with these problems, mainly her memory that refuses to remember “that” night.

Noah also has problems, he has got a rep around the school as a bad boy and is also referred to the new social worker to sort through his problems.

Inevitably the two meet.

Why I picked this book up:

It was getting great reviews and sounded like something I’d really enjoy.

Did it live up to my expectations?

I had rather high expectations from all the raving reviews, but yes it lived up to them.

What I thought:

It’s hard to really put in words how I felt about this book, I fell in love with Noah and Echo (but especially Noah!), fell in love with their relationship which felt natural and real. This book deals with many issues, but done in a brilliant way that anyone can relate to. I also really liked the playlists included at the end of the book. Best for older YA readers as there is mentions of sex and drugs. Overall, the characters felt real, the romance felt real, the whole book felt real and I said to get to the end.

I will definitely be reading Beth's story too.

My favourite quote/s from the book:

“My father is a control freak, I hate my stepmother, my brother is dead and my mother has…well…issues. How do you think I’m doing?”

What a great opening line.

If this book were a song it would be:

Someone Like You by Adele, both completely blew me away on first listen/read.

If this book were a food it would be:

Chocolate, comforting and delicious

Read if: You like contemporary YA

Up next for review:

The Fall by David L Dawson

Review: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Title: Scars

Author: Cheryl Rainfield

Series: n/a

Publication Date: 31st May 2011






My Synopsis 

Kendra has recently started having memories of being abused; the memories don’t allow her to see the abuser’s face though. To enable to cope with memories she starts cutting, this, her art and her therapist are the only things keeping her sane.

Why I picked this book up:

I haven’t read any books about cutting, and although I have never actually gone that far I can understand the attraction in it.

Did it live up to my expectations?

Yes.

What I thought:

The book opens with Kendra telling her therapist that someone is following her. She is already unsure if she is being paranoid or if “he” really is after her again. This was enough to pull me in straight away. The emotions in this book are so real and raw that you really feel you know what Kendra is going through. She other issues aside from the abuse, so it interesting to read about those too. I was a bit confused at first as I wasn’t sure if Kendra was a lesbian or not, and when I was sure she was, I wasn’t sure if her parents knew or anyone else for that matter. This is quite glossed over in the book, she admits her mum is homophobic and her parents do mention her being gay, but you are still unsure how many other people know. I also wasn’t as keen on the ending as the rest of the story, throughout the story we are focused on her feelings, but at the end it seemed a lot more action focused and would have liked to know more about how she was feeling then.

Overall a really good book and definitely worth the read. I loved this book.

Read if:

You liked “One Moment” by Kristina McBride; both books are full of raw emotions and about young girls struggling to remember horrific events.

You enjoy realistic YA fiction.

You need a good cry.

Up next for review:

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Review: One Moment by Kristina McBride

Title: One Moment

Author: Kristina McBride

Series: N/A

Publication Date: 26th June 2012

My Synopsis:

Maggie is there when her boyfriend, Joey, jumps from the cliff and dies by accident, the only problem is; she can’t remember anything after getting to the top. We see her trying to deal with her grief and trying to remember what happened, along with trying to keep the rest of her group of friends together.

Why I picked this book up:

I love a book that makes me feel, and I was hoping it would do just that.

Did it live up to my expectations?

I didn’t expect this to be as good as it was, so it far exceeded them. It certainly made me feel.

What I thought:

I started this book at 10.30pm, fully intending to only read for half an hour, I turned out my light at 12.30am having just finished the book. I don’t really know what to say about it, except that I loved it. The characters and emotions felt quite real. It was a little predictable, but that didn’t take anything away from the great story, if anything it may have helped because you are waiting for Maggie to catch up with you, but understand why she can’t make her mind go there.

Read if:

I haven’t read it myself, but readers of “Breaking Beautiful” by Jennifer Shaw Wolf may enjoy this. Anyone who enjoys realistic YA fiction should like this. Basically I think everyone should read this, it’s one great book.

Up next for review:

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins