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Rating: 4 Stars!

Genre: LGBTQ+, Contemporary, YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: Thank you to Harper360YA for the ARC

If Willowdean Dickson is your ultimate book girlfriend and you wish Leah Burke was your best friend, you'll adore Cassidy Williams. 

Cass Williams is a 17-year-old, out and proud queer teen who's more than a little obsessed with her secret online role playing group. When her mom leaves suddenly, Cass is left feeling abandoned by the parent she spent most of her time with, feeling like a third wheel with her best-friend and his girlfriend, and floundering at the prospect of having a cool girlfriend. 

To cope with reality, she retreats into a world of fantasy and virtual friends, but soon struggles to balance her in-person life with her online one as she navigates first kisses, first parties, and first heartbreak. 

Out of Character is a really great, body-positive, queer YA with a relatable MC and a lovely found-family element. What I loved about Cass is how much of myself I saw in her, I too had a very addictive Sims spiral in my teens, one that I can safely say has transferred to books. 

I love how positive and accepting Cass is of her body. It's really great to have a YA heroine who doesn't hate the way she looks and doesn't try to change it. She just accepts it, rocks it, and is surrounded by people who love her exactly the way she is. 

I too need an Ursula Halloween costume!! 

I also loved that this book wasn't a coming out story (even though I love those as well). It was really nice to read a contemporary YA where the main character was already out and didn't have to deal with much angst over her sexual identity. 

The author does a really great job of handling Cass's anxiety and her obsessive tendencies, making Cass a truly relatable narrator, even if she is a little too Minnesota-nice at times. 

The relationships in Out of Character are another thing I love, nothing feels rushed or unnatural. The relationships feel really organic and work really well, and I love that we have a sweet sapphic love story, with all of the messy, awkward mistakes you'd expect from a teen romance. 

The pacing of the book was good too, it wasn't particularly fast or slow, but Cass keeps the story flowing well and the added roleplay scenes at the end of each chapter add a really fun, cute element to the overall story. 
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I think that Out of Character would be perfect for fans of Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, and To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin who're looking for a sweet and fun, body-positive, queer YA. 

Happy New Year!

I hope 2023 is treating you well so far and that you're already reading some great books! I can't really believe that I'm already on my 3rd book of the year, with my last book being my first 5-star read of 2023!

Keep reading for an update on my favourite books of 2022, what I'm reading now, and what's to come for My Endless Shelf and the Turn the Page podcast in 2023. 

Welcome back to the Turn The Page podcast. 

As we hurtle towards Halloween, this month, our episode is all about Spooky Reads. Sophie and I explain why we don't like "traditional" horror novels but why spooky reads make for perfect reading at this time of year. We share some of our favourites to help you get into the Halloween spirit, and YA author Gina Blaxill joins us to chat about her latest 'spooky read', Good Enough To Eat. 

Join us for spooky fun and lots of reading recommendations!

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for one of my favourite books of all time!!

That's right - Wolfsong by TJ Klune is out NOW in the UK with a gorgeous new cover by the team at Red Nose Studios who also created the House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door covers. 

I pre-ordered the exclusive sprayed page edition of this book from Waterstones (still waiting for it to arrive ?) and Black Crow PR (who've organised this tour) kindly sent me a paperback that I'm giving away, so do check out the competition below and enter for your chance to win! 

I have reviewed this book before and you can check out my original review here, but keep reading as I share updated thoughts after a recent re-read of the entire Green Creek series and brace yourselves for werewolf drama, more daddy issues than you could shake a stick at, and the beginning of a saga that packs a gut punch of emotion and humour into each book.  

Welcome back to the Turn The Page podcast. 

This month, our episode is all about Graphic Novels and Comics. Sophie and I dove headfirst into a graphic novel marathon and discovered that we seem to have a "type" when it comes to the kinds of graphic novels and comics we really love. 

Join us to find out what we've been reading, and why we think digital works perfectly for this format!

Genre: Paranormal M/M Comedy Romance 
Series/Standalone: Medium Trouble #1
How I got this book: Bought via Audible

TW: Murder, attempted murder

Ever since listening to A Villain for Christmas by Alice Winters, narrated by Michael Lesley, I've been meaning to listen to more of this author's books. So, when Audible recommended Ghost of Lies, I was instantly intrigued. I seem to be on a bit of a paranormal kick just lately and a funny rom-com with a ghost-y twist sounded perfect.

Ghost of Lies is narrated by Greg Boudreaux, who I don't think I've listened to before, though I can't be sure because he has an extensive catalogue, also narrating under the name Greg Tremblay. It was actually the narration that fully sold me on the book and I loved (almost) every moment of it. 

This book was so much fun! It starts with a really great scene where we meet both characters. Hiro is in the middle of a dangerous situation, which he seems to have a penchant for, as he tries to help a murder victim find peace. Then, in walks grumpy Maddox to "arrest" Hiro for tampering with yet another crime scene, and the fun ensues. 

The characters of Hiro and Maddox, and the supporting characters all have very distinct and different voices. I love how the narration really brought them all to life, and I particularly loved the sarcastic banter between all of the characters. 

The chemistry between the two main characters was sweet and sort of a grump meets cinnamon roll kind of trope. I liked how the relationship built in a bit of a slow burn but found the sex scenes a little more cringy than steamy. Honestly, there's only so many times I can hear the word 'cock' in the space of around 2-3 paragraphs 😅 

The pacing was great and kept the story moving forward as I tried to guess who was behind the string of murders, and I enjoyed not being able to figure it out. I love it when a book surprises me...even though, in this case I felt it was a bit of an odd choice. 

I really enjoyed how the author blended the paranormal with reality, but overall I felt the humour was the strongest part of the story. It's a story that isn't meant to be taken seriously and is instead an over-the-top romp perfect for fans of A Villain for Christmas by Alice Winters and The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune. 

Welcome back to the Turn The Page podcast. 

This month, our episode is all about Thrillers. Sophie is a big thriller reader, but thrillers haven't always been my cup of tea, or so I thought. But after chatting about different books, and seeing what falls under the 'thriller' category on Goodreads, this month, we're asking the question, 'What exactly makes a thriller a thriller?' 

To help us out, I'll be chatting to two thriller/mystery authors, Kathryn Foxfield and Maya MacGregor about their latest books and asking them what goes into writing a gripping thriller/mystery. 

TW: Homophobia, transphobia, hate crimes, murder, attempted murder

This is another one of those times where, because I enjoyed a book, I don't have a great deal to say about it...but I'll do my best.

It has made me desperately want to pull out all of my Queen and David Bowie records and just space out listening to them because of this book! The author did such a great job bringing the story and the characters to life in such a visceral way that I now can't get certain songs, and scents, out of my head. This book is definitely an experience. 

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester has everything - it has neurodivergent rep, non-binary rep, trans rep, bisexual rep, gay rep, adoption rep -  there's so much diversity, I love it!

Then there's the plot which is part contemporary YA mixed with a dash of romance and then a paranormal-esque mystery/thriller that gave me chills. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book, and the mystery element kept me guessing until the final reveal.
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I love Sam, they're a unique character with a great voice and lots of heart. I love how the author portrays Sam and keeps their actions and responses feeling true to the character while adding in a cast of side characters that both compliment Sam and highlight their uniqueness.

I really enjoyed how all of the different layers of this story intertwined. Some books have the characters constantly focused on a single main objective with no interruptions, but I love how the author keeps the pacing fresh and moving by having lots of issues and tension constantly building and circling Sam and their friends. 

To sum up, this book gave me major The Extraordinaries meets One of Us Is Lying vibes and would be perfect for fans of both of those books who love being kept on the edge of their seat.

I'm in a bit of a book slump...and it blows!

It's been a slow quarter for me in terms of reading, I seem to keep starting books but not finishing them and I'm feeling in a bit of a funk. 

My personal life has been a bit all over the place as well lately so I'm blaming that for now. You might have also noticed that there was no Turn The Page podcast episode in July as Sophie and I struggled to get our calendars to match up and find a recording date that worked. 

In good news, I'm excited to announce that our next author interview is coming very soon! This time, I'll be chatting with two fantastic thriller/mystery authors about their newest releases and asking them, what exactly makes a good thriller?

For now, I'm going to do a quick wrap-up of the books I've read in the second quarter of 2022. 

As always, ​click on the title to read the review or to visit Goodreads: