TW: Abandonment and homophobia. 

You'll have to forgive me for the poor quality of this post as I'm struggling with a stupid cold right now and my eyes really hurt. It's a little ironic that I started listening to this audiobook a few weeks back when I was sick and now I'm under the weather again just as I've finished it - I blame the crying and the emotional turmoil this book put me through.

I've read a few of TJ Klune's books now and while his books always pack an emotional punch, I think the narrator, Sean Crisden, did a particularly fantastic job of bringing that emotion out through his voices for Bear, Otter and Ty. I also really liked his voice for Creed while I found Anna a tad annoying (both in character and voice). 

I'm not sure how authors like TJ Klune manage to pack so much emotion and pain into a book and yet still have the ability to make you laugh, even through the heartache you share with the characters. 

I haven't yet read a TJ Klune book that hasn't made me cry, or at least brought me very close to tears and Bear, Otter, and the Kid was no exception, I found myself sobbing into my pillow during certain scenes and then laughing out loud, usually at something Bear or Ty said, at others. 

Bear is a fantastic character. He has so many depths and I love the storm and earthquake imagery the author uses to illustrate his anxiety and fears. It's a theme that builds throughout the book and is a beautiful metaphor for his inner turmoil. 

Bear and Ty (the Kid) have a beautiful relationship and I love Ty's intelligent humour. The little eco-terrorist is my favourite character and so reminiscent of Artemis in The Bones Beneath My Skin. I love the way that TJ writes kids and I cannot wait for his upcoming book, The House in the Cerulean Sea for this very reason. 

Otter is also a wonderful character and his evolving relationship with Bear and his dedication to both Bear and the Kid is moving and powerful to behold. 

TJ has written a book containing so much pain (a lot of it via Bear's mother - god, I hate her) and this book had me holding my breath in so many places, just hoping and wishing that everything would work out (this author has a habit of being mean to his characters and readers!) but I'm going to spare you a spoiler and let you find that out for yourself. 

Overall, this is a book that I fell in love with, with characters that made me laugh and cry. It's a heavy book, but at the same time it's light and with love, laughter, and family at its core. If you love TJ Klune, if you love heartfelt, meaningful and emotional romances, this is the book for you. 

Genre: LGBT/YA/Graphic Novel
Series/Standalone: Heartstopper #2
How I got this book: Bought

TW: Homophobia.

If you haven't read Heartstopper Volume One yet, you can catch my review here. 

This is going to be one of those short and sweet reviews because, besides saying how much I truly love this graphic novel, I'm not sure how else to convince you all to read it!

I thought that Heartstopper Volume One was good, but this is even better. So many more cute, mushy feelings. As always Alice Oseman's illustrations are beautiful, the story is so sweet and Charlie and Nick are both likeable and compelling. 

Alice also does a fantastic job of making you care about the supporting characters and their stories and we're treated to a fantastic snippet from another story at the end of this book. 

The storytelling and voices are relatable and current, making the whole thing speed by far too quickly! I can't wait until I have every volume and can read through from start to finish!

If you're looking for queer, YA romance with tons of inclusivity and rep that'll make you feel warm and gooey on the inside, you need Heartstopper in your life. 

Genre: Contemporary/LGBT/YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: Bought

This might be my absolute favourite book of the year so far and it's easily my top Pride Month read! 

I was in a bit of a funk when I picked up this book, but Simon James Green (and Alex) managed to flip my bad mood on its head. 

This book is a riot, I started laughing on the very first page and I don't think I stopped until long after I closed the book. 

Alex, like Noah before him (if you haven't read Simon's debut novel Noah Can't Even, you can find it on Goodreads here!) I adored Noah, but I LOVED Alex in Wonderland! 

Alex is so instantly relatable with his shy awkwardness and his extremely bad luck that was so familiar it was unsettling. 

I love the English seaside setting, reading about the pier, the mini doughnuts and, of course, Wonderland itself made me crave the seaside so much (I haven't been for years) that it inspired me to take my family to New Brighton Beach last weekend so that my four-year-old could experience the joys of playing in the ocean, sand between your toes and the intoxicating thrill of the 2p machines! 

Alex in Wonderland is so many things; a coming of age story, a first-love story, a friendship story and a mystery. It also tackles sexual identity and diverse representation through Alex, Efia and Ben and divorce through Alex's family in a way that keeps the pace moving and the story so much fun to read.

Simon James Green writes with a fantastically comedic, authentic voice and brings Alex's character tripping off the pages. I also really enjoyed the other characters in this book; Alex's step-mum (who I loved to hate), Lemon Boy (the second pizza restaurant scene had me shaking with laughter), Ben (and his dimples), Efia (and her meddling) and Maggie (who's sarcastic and crazy but caring at heart). 

​Without giving too much away, the only part of this book that I didn't like too much was the ending, Alex deserved to be treated better, much better! 

Overall though, this was the perfect summer read. It's light, incredibly funny, relatable and so awkwardly-romantic you'll be biting back a grin the entire way through! 

Now, I'll just be sitting her not-so-patiently waiting to see what awkward, adorable muppet of a character Simon James Green blesses us with next.

Genre: LGBT/YA/Graphic Novel
Series/Standalone: Heartstopper #1
How I got this book: Bought

TW: Homophobia, mental health and manipulation. 
​
Confession time:

1. I honestly thought I'd already written the review for this but I guess not because I can't find it anywhere. Not that I'm complaining too hard as it gave me the perfect excuse to re-read this again for pride month. 
2. This is the only graphic novel I've read that I actually loved and couldn't put down. I read this in around an hour. 

So, onto the review. 

Heartstopper started life as a web comic and I did attempt to read it on the website but I found the format a little too distracting so, when I found out that a book was coming I couldn't get hold of it fast enough. 

Nick and Charlie attend an all-boys British Grammar School which sort of reminds me of my own high-school except that mine was co-ed and nowhere near as posh! 

Charlie is 14 and Nick is 16 and their story is most definitely a super-cute YA.

What's amazing about this graphic novel, aside from the gorgeous art and realistic British dialogue is that it's so inclusive. It has gay, lesbian and bisexual (whoop whoop!) rep. It's racially diverse and has mental health rep. 

I'm not sure that I've ever read anything quite so instantly adorable as the story of Charlie and Nick and in volume one it's lovely to see their friendship begin blossom and effect how they each deal with their own demons.

Pictures really are worth a thousand words, and Alice's are worth even more. After just a few scenes, I wanted to wrap Charlie and Nick in a giant hug, punch Ben in his stupid face and be best friends with Tori and Tara. 

I've pre-ordered Volume Two which comes out next month and I can't wait to get it because the ending of Volume One is too sad and I need the infectious happiness that bursts from the earlier pages.

Charlie and Nick are precious and if you want a reason to smile today, go grab this book and fall in love. 

What about you? Have you read Heartstopper by Alice Oseman? 

Genre: YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
How I got this book: Bought 

TW: Alcoholism, abandonment, domestic abuse, violence, attempted murder, mental illness, depression, grief, loss and neglect. 

You guys, I have so many emotions about this book but no words to express them. End of review.

Just kidding, there are lots of words, it's just getting them into coherent sentences that's presenting a challenge. Truthfully, I've even considered just filling the page with crying and heart emoji's and the occasional knife for good measure (you'll get it if/when you choose to read it!)

I should probably start by saying that this is a re-read but that I haven't read this book since I was a young teen (so around 12-16 years ago) and when I did I loved it SO MUCH because:

1. I love horses. 
2. It's set in England/Ireland with authentic characters. 
3. It's a gritty YA that deals with some really challenging themes. 
4. Did I mention the horses??

Honestly, I was terrified of reading it again, afraid that it just wouldn't be the same because of how much I've changed since reading it the first time and I've put it off for quite a long time just in case, but it finally felt like the right time and I'm so overjoyed to report that it was, and somehow, it was so much more!

It felt as though I was reading it for the first time all over again. The emotions, like the characters, are wild and unruly in this book. They're so strong, compelling, addictive and the ride is thrilling despite being so painful.

'Tessa stood and stared, shaking. She was numb, seeing it, never having known death before. Not like that, in the middle of brilliance, the light going out like the sun falling from the sky without warning. So fast the passage from life to death, she could not cope with it.' 

I devoured the book from start to finish, revelling in the story, it's dark twists and turns and the characters. At the end I was an emotional wreck, having suffered through pain and grief, with the characters but holding out that uncrushable hope throughout that everything will work out and that despite all the bad, things will come good in the end. 

Despite the incredible number of trigger warnings at the top of this review, this is a book of hope, of the power of love and how sheer, unwavering determination and handwork can overcome surmountable odds. 

The main character Tessa is such a strong and compelling character. Because of her past, she's dealing with loss, grief, parental abandonment and a tempestuous home life that's shaped her into a girl with a violent, turbulent nature, a hate-the-world attitude and a bone-deep refusal to do see the good in anything. That is until a horse comes along who might just change everything for better and for worse. 

Blind Beauty follows Tessa's journey from a young child to a young woman and it's a moving journey.

Tessa goes through so many challenges and we see a really harsh side of her, something that's been forged at the hands of others through their abuse and neglect but despite her nature, I couldn't help but feel drawn to her character, to root for her, to desperately wish for her happy ending, even if she doesn't believe in it herself.

The characters in this book are colourful and unique with clashing personalities asunder. The writing is unusual, a bit jarring almost as the author gives a glimpse into the mind of almost every character, even those that aren't human, but it's so gripping and I couldn't put the book down, lost in this horse-crazed world. 

Side note: If you love horses, you'll either love or hate this book as the horses suffer just as much as the humans in various ways. 

This book is easily one of the most touching and painful books I've ever read. It has feminist undertones, which shine through at key moments, something I love to see in YA fiction. 

"...And fourteen-year-old Buffoon! And a girl - a girl-"
As if the rider were an ostrich, or a monkey. A girl!

It's such a heartbreaking, powerful story about how loving someone (in this case a wonderful horse) with your entire being can either make you or destroy you entirely. 

At the end of this book, I was a bit of an emotional wreck but I almost instantly wanted to re-read it, which, is the mark of a truly good book, if nothing else. 

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Genre: Paranormal Romance/LGBT
Standalone/Series: Green Creek #1
How I got this book: Bought

Trigger warnings: Mental/physical/child abuse. 

If you've been reading my blog for a while or you're following me on Twitter, you'll know that TJ Klune has quickly become one of my favourite writers. I can't get enough of his immersive writing style and I absolutely love how diverse his characters and the genres he writes in are. I've only read two other books of his so far, one being a SCI-Fi whilst the other is a more epic fantasy. 

So far, I've loved everything I've read by this author and Wolfsong is no exception. 

It all starts with Ox. Sweet, beautiful Ox who's unlike anyone else. He's plagued by the words of his father. Telling him he's too stupid, too dumb, too slow. He's kind. He's strong. He's brave. He's so loving. He's the cornerstone of this whole book and I am in awe of who he is and who he becomes. 

TJ writes characters that are vivid and diverse. His dialogue is so real that you can just hear it in your head without any effort. Each character is unique and I love the development arcs for each and every one. 

What's great is that even though Ox is the narrator of this book, you still see so much growth from the others that they all feel like main characters. 

The romance in this book is a scorching slow burn, friends-to-lovers relationship that builds steadily throughout the book until it consumes you. 

The plot line is seriously epic, the action is fantastic, the creatures and backstory are so detailed and full of pain, love and ALL THE FEELS that I'm so not over it. Not even a little bit.

I love that, whilst there are a lot of darker, tense moments, there's still plenty of humour and there are so many fantastic, complex relationships to explore; friends, brothers, parents, family, pack.

I mixed things up a little on this read, sometimes reading the eBook, other times listening to the audio-book and the narration by Kirt Graves was brilliant and so very immersive. 

Wolfsong draws you in, grabs hold of your heart, tears it apart, repairs the fragments and leaves you not quite whole but wanting more. 

This is a paranormal shifter novel done absolutely right! 

Genre: Romance/LGBT
Standalone/Series: Standalone
How I got this book: ARC from the author

You're going to have to forgive me if this review turns out to be incoherent because sometimes there just aren't words to describe how amazing a book is, but I'll do my best!

I want to start by saying that the only other book I've read by TJ Klune so far is The Lightning Struck Heart which is a hilarious, outrageous m/m fantasy romance that I adored. This book is NOTHING LIKE THAT BOOK - but that's in no way a bad thing! From the synopsis, I expected a romantic suspense novel and so I was not prepared for all of the awesome shit that goes down in this book. 

Fear not, you know this is a spoiler-free review site, so I'm going to give you my reactions, without giving anything away because honestly, this book is one of the best books I've ever read and I want you all to read it without knowing what to expect!

The plot is fantastic, I absolutely love the authors writing style and was instantly swept up into the story and into Nate's head, seeing this story through his eyes was perfect! I love Nate, and Alex and Art, three completely individual characters who's pain, suffering and love was so vivid that I felt connected to them, desperate for things to work out. 

"...somehow we're all made of dust and stars."

Nate is sweet, kind and haunted by his past, Alex appears tough and strong but has a much deeper core, and Art...well, I'll let you discover how amazing Art is by yourself.

I love everything about The Bones Beneath My Skin, the way it makes me smile and laugh, the way it warms my heart, the way it sends my heart racing or just stops it dead, the way it has me holding my breath and even the way it has me on the verge of tears, afraid to keep reading but unable to stop. The pacing, the writing, the realistic dialogue, the genuine, evolving connections be they romantic, sexual, friendly or familial, were all perfectly portrayed.

The enemies-to-lovers style romance itself is such a fantastic, realistic portrayal of an m/m romance, focusing less on the sex and mostly on the chemistry, tension and bond between these two complex characters. 

To try and sum this up simply, I couldn't get enough of this book, I read and read for hours, never wanting to put it down and whether you like romance, action, or adventure, I urge you to read this incredible story about oppression, standing up for what matters, appreciating the smaller things in life, and dreaming of an impossible future.

"You can fear what you don't understand, but in the end, you can still be brave. You can still stand up for what's right."

It's a story of laughter, love, caring, anger, pain, suffering, denial, belief, and a whole shed load of bacon. 

"Are we going on an adventure?"

Trigger Warnings: There are some dark topics that are explored in this book including; suicide, mental illness, grief and homophobia. 

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Standalone/Series: Signs of Love #4
How I got this book: Bought

Okay, so you might already know that Anyta Sunday is one of my absolute favourite romance authors, and her Signs of Love series is just AMAZING!!

When I saw her new release, I just had to one-click and I couldn't be happier, if a little sleep deprived (I bought this book at around 10pm last night and I didn't finish reading until 4 this morning!!) It's THAT GOOD, not to mention crazy adorable!

My favourite thing about Anyta's writing is definitely the slow-burn. These are easily my favourites, the tension she builds is so perfect that it's practically fizzing off the page and I LITERALLY cannot stop myself from reading. 

The 'Signs of Love' series is all about bringing together two people who are pretty opposite in terms of their star signs and their personalities. Pisces Hooks Taurus is no exception and it's so much fun to see these two characters who seem at first to have almost nothing in common, grow so close. 

As a word lover, I found this book particularly enjoyable as one of the characters is an English professor, whilst the other is intrigued by intelligence and so there's lots of cute and very fun wordplay and book appreciation to be found in Pisces Hooks Taurus.

Both Beckett and Zane are complex characters with unique personalities, challenges and character development arcs. They each have their own goals and obstacles to overcome and the two of them together provide plenty of laughs, especially when aided by a meddling, goodhearted elderly neighbour. 
​
This story had me grinning from ear to ear, my toes curled in all the right places and the whole thing was just perfection, made even more so by the quotes from romance novels (mostly by Austen) separating each chapter.

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." 

I'm a mood reader, and when I picked up this book I wanted something that would cheer me up, and make me feel, this book swept me off my feet and I'm already contemplating re-reading the whole series. 

Prepare yourself to meet Beckett and Zane, and brace your heart for an agonising slow-burn romance that will melt your heart.

'Beckett cast his gaze upward and muttered toward the stars, "Slow burn."'

Note: This book can be read as a standalone but honestly, this entire series is too good to be missed! 

Welcome to my stop on the To Be Honest blog tour!

I'm so excited to share my review with you all! I've had my eye on this book for ages because I'm always looking for more body positive rep and I was thrilled at the chance to read it, so huge thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to participate in the tour!

​Rating: 5 STARS!

Genre: Contemporary YA
Standalone/Series: Standalone
How I got this book: ARC from Xpresso Book Tours

​Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she’ll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn’t count on is that her mother’s obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy’s mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom’s diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

I just want to jump up and down and rave about this amazing book, so you'll have to bear with me here! First of all, here's a quick summary of what I LOVE most about this book: 

• POSITIVE BODY IMAGE REP!!
• LGBT+ rep
• Mental health rep
• Healthy friendships
• Characters of colour
• SAVANNAH!

This book was impossible to put down from the moment I started reading, and I flew through it so quickly that I could honestly read it again. 

I love Savannah, I love her confidence, her positive outlook and attitude, her loyalty and her compassion.

"News flash: fat isn't a bad word, Mom."

I also love that she's completely relatable. She has principles that she stands by, she has her own insecurities, and she has anxiety (something I feel is portrayed exceptionally well by the author, especially since not one single person treats it as a problem or a burden they have to deal with or as something that she should just 'get over'). 

"It suddenly felt like all the air had been pushed out of my lungs. I swayed on my feet as the ringing in my ears began. No matter how many panic attacks I had, my body always believed that it was dying."

I also found Savannah likeable and truly funny, this book had me chuckling so many times, especially when she's around George and her thoughts take a turn for the amusing.

"My mouth watered (for multiple reasons, mostly the pizza, though, to be honest) and I invited him inside."

Parts of this book were a little tough for me personally. I've "struggled" with my body image my entire life, and truthfully, a lot of that stems from people close to me telling me that they're worried for me, that I should try to be more healthy to the point where I no longer felt comfortable in my own skin. 

The way Savannah's mum treats her perfectly illustrates the things I've gone through in my own life and honestly, there were moments that were so real they had me close to tears. 

"You'd be a lot happier if you could just make the choice to lead a healthier life."

One thing that Savannah has that I didn't is an amazing, supportive friend. I absolutely adore Grace, Savannah's best friend, who is always in Savannah's corner. 

Then there's George; sweet, naive, blushing George. The romance in this book is completely adorable, especially as both George and Savannah are a little clueless when it comes to expressing their feelings.

If you're looking for more body positivity in your life, if you're sick and tired of body shaming and reading books with toxic friendships, I urge you to read To Be Honest. I especially recommend to fans of Becky Albertalli who I think will adore Maggie Ann Martin's writing style!

I'm so thankful to Maggie Ann Martin for writing this fantastic book and to Swoon Reads for publishing it! We need more body positive YA. I feel certain that if I'd read more books like this when I was younger, I wouldn't have spent most of my teenage life feeling so insecure. 

"There's no expiration date on acceptance."

What do you think? Remember that you can click on the cover photo above to add To Be Honest to your Goodreads TBR!

Thanks again for stopping by and joining me on my leg of the tour! Click here to follow the rest of the tour!

You can also enter below for your chance to win a print copy of To Be Honest (US/CAN only - giveaway hosted by Xpresso Book Tours)! 

I'm going to start by pointing out that I've marked this book as a Fantasy novel, not a YA Fantasy (as shown on Goodreads) because there is no way in hell that this book is a YA...and by no means is that a bad thing! 

I absolutely LOVE it when books live up to their hype, and I admit that I was a little sceptical over Nevernight, because I'd tried to read this book about three times over the past year, and I just kept re-reading the first two chapters and then stopping. My biggest issue was with the footnotes which I struggled with to begin with, I just felt that they detracted from the story a bit and pulled me out of the 'zone'. 

You might be wondering why then that I decided to rate this as a 5 star read. Simply put, some of the footnotes aside, this is one of the most incredible books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. 

This is my second Jay Kristoff novel, Illuminae being the first, and I can only say that the man is both ingenious and insane. He clearly hates standard formatting, but it works so well that I honestly can't complain, and his character and world development are phenomenal! 

Mia is a fantastic character, I love her strength, her pain, her courage and her fear. Nevernight surprised me by having a really fantastic feminist undertone, alongside some brilliant quotes. 

"Beauty you are born with, but brains you earn." 

After struggling with the first three chapters, I suddenly fell face first into the story during chapter 4 and it dragged me along for an amazing ride.

To be honest, I'm not sure what to talk about first and I really don't want to give much away, but here's a quick run-down of some of my favourite things: Mia (and her shadows), Mr. Kindly (and his sass), the sand krackens, the librarian, the bookworms, the library itself, the blood walk, Naev, Adonaii, Marielle, Hush, Tric (and his impressive skills 😉), Lord Cassius, Mouser, Spiderkiller, AAlea...aaand there's so much more that I can't think of right now.

Surprisingly, this book is packed full of witty humour which comes through in the footnotes, the characters (mostly the 'teachers') and Mr. Kindly. 

"She crushed what was left of her smoke out, grimacing. 
        'Maw's teeth, I've got to cut down.'
        '....there are more dangerous things around here to put in your mouth...'
Mister Kindly peered at her through the grey pall.
        '....dweymeri boys, for example....'"

😂😂😂​

The Red Church made me think of a cross between the house of black and white and Hogwarts, if run by Death Eaters, and I'm really sorry, but I think I've found my new favourite potions master because Spiderkiller is incredible and terrifying! It's bloody, brutal, graphic and I loved every bit of it. 

The characters, the plot twists, the shock moments (yeah, I'm looking at you Solis!! 😱😱😱), the violence, the 'romance' - arrrggh! I can't get over how perfect it was!!

I am so ready for book two, and if you haven't read Nevernight yet, I'd highly recommend that you do!