MINI-REVIEW: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Name: Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Mira Ink

Date published: February 2013

Pages: 263, Paperback ARC

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 4.5 teacups

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret
Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.
Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.
But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

My Thoughts

It didn't take me long to request a copy of Speechless.  The fact that it was authored by Hannah Harrington, the oh-so-amazing-creator of Saving June, was enough to make me want to read it straight away.

When I first met Chelsea Knot, I knew she wasn't someone I'd want to be friends with in real life. She was gossipy and shallow and I wondered how I would ever come to warm to her.  However, by the end of the book, I really empathised her and felt truly protective of her.  Character development is such a key element in Speechless and is what made the book such a touching read for me.

The secondary characters also deserve a mention for adding their own quirkiness and warmth.  Asha was such a wonderful friend, soft-spoken and kind-hearted, and Sam was definitely a swoon-worthy love interest.  All of them were such unique figures with huge individuality.

Hannah Harrington has definitely not lost her touch for addressing deeper issues with such sensitivity and Speechless proved to be another heartbreaking, thought-provoking read with an important message which rings true for all its readers.  My words cannot do this book justice, so I'd like to finish with a quote from one of the characters that nicely sums everything up:

“Hate is... It's too easy. Love. Love takes courage.”

 4.5 Teacups for Speechless!

*Many thanks to Mira Ink for the review copy and apologies for the late review*

Happy reading,

Beverley

Waiting on Wednesday #14

Waiting on Wednesday is a fabulous meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!  It's a wonderful chance to share the books we're eagerly anticipating and to find out what our fellow bloggers are looking forward to reading!

Trouble 

Non Pratt

10th June 2014 by Walker Childrens

Hannah’s smart and funny ... she’s also fifteen and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby? Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters.

[summary taken from Goodreads]    

The synopsis we've been given is short but I'm already hooked... I just adore the sound of this book and I'm guessing it will be one of those emotional reads I love to devour!  I'm currently reading How To Love by Katie Cotugno which is also about teenage pregnancy so I'm curious to see how Non Pratt will deal with this issue.  Also, I'm all for supporting UKYA authors so bring on 2014 (yeah, we have to wait until JUNE for this one)!



What are you waiting on today?  Don't forget to link me up!

Beverley xxx

Little White Lies Blog Tour: Guest Post!

Hiya!  Today, I'm so pleased to welcome Katie Dale for her Little White Lies blog tour.  I myself have read her new book and it's absolutely fantastic - get your hands on a copy if you don't already have one!  Today, I'd like to share a brilliant guest post she has written especially...

The first time Lou meets tall, dark, and handsome Christian, she knows he's hiding something. Why does he clam up every time she asks about his past? Why doesn't he have any family photos and why does he dye his blond hair black?
Then suddenly his terrible secret is unveiled to the world - and it seems everything he's ever told Lou is a lie. Can what the media are saying about him really be true? Should Lou trust him? Or is she in terrible danger? But Christian isn't the only one keeping secrets. For what if their chance meeting was no accident at all ...?
As lie follows lie, nothing is as it seems, and soon Lou finds herself ensnared in a web of deceit, her loyalties torn, her emotions in tatters as she faces a heart-wrenching dilemma: should she shatter the lives of those she holds dearest, or betray the guy who, against all odds, she's fallen in love with? Full of family secrets, surprising twists and unexpected revelations, Katie Dale's second novel will have readers on the edge of their seats.

Write what you know, so they say, so when it came to choosing the settings for various events in my new YA thriller LITTLE WHITE LIES, I decided to mine my own past for locations…

Boarding School

Like Lou, I too was a day girl at a boarding school for sixth form college, namely Lancing College in West Sussex. It’s an incredibly grand building (pictured is the chapel – the largest school chapel in the world) with fantastic architecture (it was nearly chosen to be Hogwarts in the films) draughty cloisters, pristine quads, (and in my day a ratio of 5:1 boys:girls! ) but, like Lou, I found that you can’t keep any secrets in a boarding school for long – gossip spreads like wildfire!

Sheffield University

So after sixth form, I went to Sheffield University to study English Literature – just like Lou in LITTLE WHITE LIES! I wanted Lou to go to the same halls of residence as I did too – Earnshaw Hall – but sadly it’s been knocked down now, and replaced with a rather swanky student village.

Park

Like Lou, I enjoyed visiting, picnicking and writing in  the many beautiful parks whilst in Sheffield (but unlike Lou I never jogged round any of them!) and the park in which Lou and Christian meet for the first time is a mixture of the exquisite Sheffield Botanical Gardens and Endcliffe Park, which is where the café they bump into is based.

The Flying Pig Pub

In LITTLE WHITE LIES Christian and Lou both work in a pub called The Flying Pig – but although no such pub exists in Sheffield, I based it on one of my local haunts, The Porter Brook (left). It was only after I finished writing the book that I realized I pass a pub called The Flying Pig every time I get the bus in Cambridge – so it’s a strange mix of the two!

Castleton

Lou and Christian travel to Castleton for a party – one of my favourite places to visit whilst I was a student. Nestled up in the hills, with its steep gorge and crumbling castle, it’s a beautiful quaint little village, far from the hustle of the city.

Travelodge

Not very glamorous, but at least I didn’t have to do any research about Travelodges because in my other life as an actress, I once spent a summer on an outdoor Shakespeare tour and every night we’d stay in a different Travelodge. They’re all pretty much identical inside, so every morning I’d wake up and have absolutely no idea whereabouts in the country I was! I got pretty fed up of Travelodges! But in a way the familiarity was kind of nice, too.

KATIE DALE

An actress as well as an author, Katie loves nothing more than creating characters - both 

on page and onstage. She kept her parents happy by getting a “proper degree” in English Literature at Sheffield University, before finally going to drama school, then whilst she was on a belated gap year travelling through South-East Asia she found out she’d been chosen as a winner of the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices competition with the her first novel, the emotional rollercoaster SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE, which launched her writing career, and is now published all over the world. LITTLE WHITE LIES, her second novel, has just as many twists and turns, but is more of a thriller...
Website: katiedaleuk.blogspot.com
Twitter: @katiedaleuk

So what did you guys think of that?  Let me know in the comments below and be sure to show your support for Katie!

Happy reading,

Beverley x 

A Very Late Update!

Hi guys!  It's me: Beverley... I hope you haven't forgotten me but I wouldn't blame you if you have, considering my rather lengthy, unannounced absence from blogging!  It goes without saying that I have missed you all terribly and it made me so sad that I couldn't join in with everything.  I truly feel like something is missing when I'm not blogging and there's nothing I'd like to do more than fully return immediately.  I would love to title this post: I'm Back!  However, I don't want to go breaking promises...

The main reasons I've been MIA these past few months are all school/university related.  I spent most of summer doing work experience to hopefully boost my veterinary medicine application and upon returning to school last month, I've been busy with study and preparing my university application (the deadline is fast approaching!) 

It doesn't look as if I'll be any less busy in the coming months, with prep for interviews and studying for tests etc.  But I am hoping to blog occasionally.  Now this might be once or twice a week or once a month.  I hope to get a handle on things and catch up on the reviews that still need to be written so please bear with me!

Before I go, I just want to thank you all for your support over the past year and half: I couldn't do this without you!

Beverley xxx 

REVIEW: The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Name: The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys #1)

Author: Abbi Glines

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Date published: 3rd January 2013

Pages: 257, Paperback 

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 2.5 teacups

Beau Vincent is rude, bad, and dangerous to know. So, why can’t good girl Ashton Gray keep away from him? She already has the perfect boyfriend – her town’s local Prince Charming, Sawyer Vincent. But Sawyer is away for the summer, and in the meantime Ashton is bored, and the head between her and Beau is undeniable – as well as irresistible. Ashton is about to unleash her bad girl – but what will she do when Sawyer comes home? And how will Sawyer react when he returns to find his girlfriend in the arms of his best friend – and cousin?

[summary taken from Goodreads]

My Review

The Vincent Boys proved to be a fitting summer read - a light, mindless break from the world.  But that was all it was.  It was a little disappointing yet strangely addictive...

Firstly, look at that cover.  I was sent the Australian version and I much prefer it to the UK and US ones.  It's promises drama and sunshine and hot boys and instantly catches the eye.

Unfortunately, everything just felt too cliche for me.  The whole good girl falls for the bad boy against everyone's approval.  I don't mind the idea but I prefer it when authors put their own twist on it.  Despite this, the major problem I had with The Vincent Boys was Ashton's betrayal of her boyfriend when he was away.  I just hated the fact that Ashton was cheating on Sawyer with his cousin.  His cousin.

Which leads me on to this 'bad' boy who was supposed to make me gasp and swoon and buckle at the knees.  I'm sad to say that was not the response Beau drew from me.  There was nothing about him that attracted me to him.  He was always complaining about how Ash should be his, how they were meant to be.  But all I could see was possessiveness and a purely sexual attraction.  I was constantly told how sexy she was, how important she was, how he loved her... but was never shown.  Or maybe the sex scenes were supposed to be an indicator of their 'love' for each other... I'm not so sure it's great for true love to be portrayed in that way to us teens.

On top of this, I just had no empathy for Ashton.  I found her unlikable and annoying and there were moments where I wanted to slap her in the face.  I understood that she wanted to live on the edge for once and embrace her wild side but the way she moaned about having to pretend with Sawyer irked me.  Cheating on him wasn't going to solve things!  And afterwards, the way she was all, 'I don't want to hurt them... I don't want to put a wedge between them' made me want to pull my hair out.  I also felt so sorry for Sawyer and I fell for him instead of Beau.

Thinking about it now, I think my problem with it must have been that it was purely centred around a love triangle.  And for me, love triangles either work or they don't.  It didn't in this case, if you haven't already figured it out.  Even so, I found myself eager to find out what was going to happen and I am curious to read the next book, The Vincent Brothers.

Overall The Vincent Boys is a steamy read for the summer, ideal for lazy days by the beach when you just want light entertainment to pass the time.

2.5 Teacups for The Vincent Boys!

*Thank you to Hot Key Books for the review copy and apologies for the late review*

REVIEW: Easy by Tammara Webber

Name: Easy

Author: Tammara Webber

Publisher: Penguin

Date published: 13rd Janurary 2013

Pages: 322, Paperback 

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 4.5 teacups

I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before turning around. It was Lucas who stood there. His gaze was penetrating, not wavering for a moment, and my pulse hammered under his silent scrutiny. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so full of pure, unqualified desire.
Lucas is the stranger who saved Jacqueline from an attack by a fellow student - she'd never noticed him before then, and now he's everywhere. But can Jacqueline trust him - or will the secrets he's hiding come between them?

[summary taken from Goodreads]

My Review

Easy was my first foray into the genre of NA and it made such an impression on me that it definitely won't be my last.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but I had heard nothing but praise for it so I wasn't too worried.

What I loved most about Easy was the characters.  Each of them had their own flaws, their own problems, their own secrets.  And that made them all the more raw, real, human.  I rooted for Jacqueline from the start and it was a pleasure to watch her flourish into a strong young woman who knows where she wants to go and how she's going to get there.  And Lucas played a key role in shaping her development and I fell for him instantly.  He was totally sweet and so gentle with Jacqueline.  I thought he'd turn out to be a bad boy but underneath the exterior, he was a true gentleman and always had the best intentions at heart.  Also, the emails exchanged with Landon were terribly swoon-worthy - he was such a charmer!

It seems natural for me to move on and talk about the romance.  I initially had worries that Easy would all be about love and making out and having sex (that was my impression of NA).  But I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not.  It was much more than that and it gave the book a lot more substance.  Yes, there were some pretty hot scenes, but the way they truly cared for each other was evident.  Also, as a reader who can't decide whether I like love triangles or not, it was pleasing to see that there wasn't much of one after all (although I did figure things out pretty early one!).

Finally, Tammara Webber doesn't shy from darker, grittier themes and I applaud her for addressing them full on with a touch of sensitivity.  Subjects like rape and harassment are rarely incorporated but Webber did this with style and spread the message that you shouldn't keep quiet and hide away, instead you need to face the truth and take a stand for yourself.

Easy was a wonderful read and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't discovered the world of NA yet or is already a big fan of the genre.  It combines serious issues with characters you can't help but invest in and a romance that is very swoon-worthy indeed.

4.5 Teacups for Easy by Tammara Webber!

*Thanks to Penguin for the review copy and apologies for the late review!*

REVIEW: Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Name: Dance of Shadows

Author: Yelena Black

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: 14th February 2013

Pages: 389, Paperback ARC

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 3 teacups

Vanessa doesn’t believe that her sister is a runaway. She wouldn’t leave her family behind without saying a word. The only way Vanessa can discover the truth behind her mysterious disappearance is to follow in Margaret’s footsteps, but to do so she risks her sanity and maybe even her life . . .
Vanessa Adler is one of the talented few to get a place at the acclaimed New York Ballet Academy. Between backbreaking rehearsals for the school’s production of The Firebird she desperately tries to find out what happened to her sister before she vanished. There are rumors that the pressure of performing the lead role, the same role Vanessa is now rehearsing for, drove her mad. Other girls have gone missing too. Can the role be cursed? Vanessa’s new relationship with leading-man Zep only seems to complicate things further. What is he hiding from her and can she really trust him?

[summary taken from Goodreads]

My Review 

Dance of Shadows has left me in a rather conflicted mood.  Stunning cover art aside, the book was not without flaws and unfortunately fell short of my expectations.

I was instantly drawn by the concept of ballet and mystery combined in a world of supernatural.  The dance aspects of the book were simply stunning: each step described in intricate detail.  I was completely engrossed as Vanessa - the protagonist - pirouetted and releved across the pages.  Unfortunately, the supernatural elements did not appear until later on.

Which brings me nicely on to the pacing of the mystery.  It was dragged out far too much, to the point that the tediousness of it made me ask myself if I wanted to carry on, and it doesn't really pick up until the last third of the book.  I found this rather frustrating as I was led to believe by its marketing that it was 'deliciously dark' but there were only supernatural hints here and there before that mind-blowing finale.

Before I tell you my thoughts on the ending, I must mention the characters.  I didn't instantly like Vanessa.  There's nothing about her that makes you really connect with her.  She was a little... flat.  And also quite stupid.  There were moments where I wanted to shake her in disbelief and shout at her how obvious some things were.  And that love triangle... Some I can handle but this one didn't convince me.  Zep was too cliched in a dark and mysterious way and Justin wasn't stretched to his full potential.

Now, on to the breath-taking finale.  It almost made up for the previous flaws.  Almost.  It was eerily atmospheric and enticingly evocative.  Yelena Black has a talent for conjuring the most stunning of images within a reader's mind and I was fascinated and gripped by the unfolding events.  If the whole book had been at this standard, I would be giving it 5 stars.

Dance of Shadows turned out to be an interesting book but unfortunately did not live up to the high expectations I had for it.  I only came to the realisation at the end that it is the first in a trilogy so despite being curious as to what happens next, I'm not sure if I can go through another instalment which only ticks all the boxes at the very end.  If you plan on picking up Dance of Shadows, I would advise that you don't expect it to be fully supernatural.

3 Teacups for Dance of Shadows

*Thanks to Bloomsbury for providing me with an ARC*

Sticky Note: I'm going to be away for a week (it was a very last minute thing!) so apart from this review, the blog is going to be pretty inactive!  Apologies about this but I hope you guys are having a lovely summer :)  Also, I think I'll have WiFi so you will probably find me on Twitter if you miss me too much :P