17 September 2017

What I've Been Reading: August 2017.


Another month, another lot of books added to my 'read' list on Goodreads. There was only one book I couldn't bring myself to finish this month and it was a free pre-release on amazon so no wasted money there!


Andrew Harper grew up in a house marked by tragedy. His older brother Owen did his best to shelter him, but you can only be protected from life's pain for so long. Eventually, you end up just feeling numb... and isolated. Loneliness was the one constant in Andrew's life. Until one girl, met by chance in a high school hallway, changed everything. Emma Burke was a mystery and all that was beautiful in this world, the only air Andrew ever wanted to breathe. She took the lonely away, and filled it with hope and colour, and Andrew would do anything to keep her safe, happy and whole. But sometimes, what feels good and right is what ends up hurting us the most. And when Andrew and Emma are faced with an impossible decision, Andrew is tested to see just how far he's willing to go for the girl who owns his heart. Cuts are deep. Scars are left behind. And revenge beckons. When Andrew finally gets his chance, in college, five years after his first love broke him completely, he finds out old feelings don't really disappear just because you say you hate someone. The more he tries to avenge all that he believes he lost, the more he uncovers the real story of what happened years before. Love is wicked. But a restless heart is never satisfied beating on its own. Can Andrew and Emma make it right before it's too late, or will the ties that bind them now destroy their only chance at a future?

This is the second novel in the Harper Boys series and being totally honest, I preferred the first. I still enjoyed this book but my heart belongs more to Owen and I liked his story better. I really like Ginger's style of writing and I've already added more books to my to read list.


You have 18 months left to live...
On a wet Monday in January, Jess Mount checks Facebook and discovers her timeline appears to have skipped forward 18 months, to a day when shocked family and friends are posting heartbreaking tributes to her foloowing her death in an accident. Jess is left scared and confused: Is she the target of a cruel online prank or is this a terrifying glimpse of her true fate? Amongst the posts are photos of a gorgeous son she has not yet conceived. But when new posts suggest her death was deliberate, Jess realises that if she changes the future to save her own life, the baby boy she has fallen in love with may never exis
t.

Oh my days, I LOVED this book! I'd never read anything by Linda Green before and this was the best introduction I could have had. The idea of being able to see your future via Facebook is such a different idea that is executed beautifully in this. 100% recommend!


Juliet Young always write letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope. Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying yo escape the demons of his past. When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

I have a feeling this book is very popular at the moment as it's part of the current picks for Zoella's book club. It's easy to see why it's one of the current books as it really is a good read. I admit I cried during this, especially nearing the end and I maybe even fell a bit in love with Rev, Declan's best friend. The reveal near the end was unexpected (no spoilers though!) and was the part that made me tear up. I've already added another book by Brigid Kemmerer to my to reads list, as well as the follow up to this due out in 2018 which focuses more on Rev.



Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love... the first time someone holds a gun to your head. After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers. While Edie's beginning to run wild, however, John's just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he's going straight- getting to class on time, and thinking about the future. An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first- losing her virginity- their friendship gets complicated. Meanwhile, Edie and john are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose- each other.

If I had to pick a favourite book for August, it would be this. This was amazing and I'll defintely be giving it a reread. The relationship between Edie and John was so realistic and it was easy to fall in love with their story. I didn't want to put this down and I was sad when it ended only because I wanted to read about them some more!


Moxie girls fight back! Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with a school administration at her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment, and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules. Viv's mom was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution. Moxie is a book about high school life that will make you wanna riot!

Another book from Zoella's book club, this is an important read. In today's society, where you constantly hear about girls being sent home from school for wearing "inappropriate" clothing and assault victims being made to feel like it was their own fault, the message of this book needs to be heard. The final chapters made me cry and this is another book I'll be rereading. 


A lot can change in the space between devising a plan and carrying it out. That space is called the Interim.
High school seniors Jeremy Stahl and Regan Walters aren't friends. Not even close. He's a picked-on, picked-apart loser outcast. She's a cool kid running with the popular crowd. It's unlikely they'd ever speak to one another. Too bad he's madly in love with her. But what does is matter anyway? He's got no time for love. Only revenge. Meticulously detailed in the pages of his battered red notebook is his master plan: April 14, 9:30 A.M., two guns, eighty rounds of ammo, backup knives, eleven victims. He's finally ready to answer every single taunt, jeer, and flying fist- unwarranted abuse that's spanned six years of his lonely life. He's justified. He's ready. But he never readied himself for her. Regan finds his journal. She reads it, and when he discovers her intrusion, he has to switch tactics. She's a liability now. Better fix that. 

This is second book I've read by S. Walden and this is more proof that she doesn't shy away from difficult subject matters. I liked this even more than Going Under, though it was a hard read in places. The books switches between Jeremy and Regan's POV, which made it more enjoyable than if it had just been through Jeremy's eyes. While the subject may be difficult, the message is clear. Be kind to one another. A good read, and another one I want to reread in the future.

I do round ups of what I've been reading every month, so if none of these sound like books you'd be interested in, make sure to check out my post for previous months. You can also follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with new posts.

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