Tonight The Streets Are Ours - Leila Sales

Rating: ★★★★★

I love Leila Sales. I'm a biased super fan of her books and I was so excited when I bought Tonight The Streets are Ours. Not only is it a Leila Sales book, it is also one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen. Win win.

Plot

Recklessly loyal.

That’s how seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley has always thought of herself. Caring for her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately she’s grown resentful of everyone—including her needy best friend and her absent mom—taking her loyalty for granted.

Then Arden stumbles upon a website called Tonight the Streets Are Ours, the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter, who gives voice to feelings that Arden has never known how to express. He seems to get her in a way that no one else does, and he hasn’t even met her.

Review

When I started reading this book, I had no idea what it was about and I think that's probably the best way to approach this story. It is so filled with twists and turns that limited knowledge really helps you get carried away by it, so I deleted half of the Goodreads summary for this post. I feel like this is all you need to know going into the story, however there's plenty to say about the story without giving away the plot (and if you do disagree with me, the full official summary is here so knock yourself out!).

What I adored about this book is the friendship between Arden and Lindsey. Their friendship is complicated; Lindsey always gets into trouble and Arden feels like it's her responsibility to fix things "because that's what you do when you love someone." Not surprisingly, this creates a lot of tension between two 17 year old girls, but I loved the idea of this. In so many YA novels, female friendships are filled with tension because the girls are too selfish, get distracted by boys/school or just grow apart when growing up. While this is realistic for teens, I liked seeing a friendship where one girl is just undeniably loyal to her friend; not to a boyfriend, but to her female friend. It's refreshing and so healthy to see represented in YA books.

A big theme in this book is social media, and a lot of Goodreads reviewers seem to take offence to the negative way social media is portrayed. I disagree with this completely. Tonight The Street Are Ours shows that we make everything we see and read on social media personal to ourselves. Arden reads Peter's blog and completely projects her own experiences, fears and ambitions on it and isn't that what we all do? We read about other people's lives and relate it back to ourselves and what it says about our life by contrast. Leila Sales shows the dangers in doing this, but also how healing this can be during certain periods in our life - we need escapism and social media is just another form of it.

This is no surprise, but I adored this book. The writing was amazing, the characters were so relatable (though I'm not at all like Arden and would never give so much to a friend without getting anything back), the plot was full of tension and executed so well. I don't know what else to say, besides that this is one of my favourite reads of 2015 and that five stars doesn't do it justice.

The Heir - Kiera Cass

I was late on The Selection train. I made a post with reason to read/not read the books, but I never really reviewed them, because everyone had seem to done that already. And then The Heir came out and suddenly I have the opportunity to get down all my thoughts about it. Yes.

Plot

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

Review

The Selection books were always compared to "the bachelor meets the Hunger Games" and clearly this holds up for The Heir too. Instead of following a girl entering the selection, we follow the girl at the head of the game. Is this original? Not really. Does it make things predictable? Yes. Does this mean it is a wonderful book? Yes. 

I really didn't like Eadlyn - I thought she was condescending, rude and extremely cocky. She does make some progress throughout the book, but it all felt rather forced. However, when comparing her to America, it was a breath of fresh air (she isn't likeable, but not as annoying as America). I also didn't like how much America and Maxon seemed to have changed. It is 20 years later, but that's no reason for them to have lots all the characteristics they had as teenagers.

The guys who enter the selection are all flat characters that portray just the right characteristics Eadlyn needs to push forward her own character development. I really didn't bond with any one of them and though I can make a pretty good guess about who will win, I don't really care about it. They all seem boring and uninteresting.

However, and this might sound surprising after everything I just said, I really enjoyed The Heir. Just like you sometimes want to watch the bachelor, you also sometimes want to read books like this. From the very first pages, you can already make a pretty good guess who will win the games and that makes the book so wonderful - it's like a hot cup of tea on a rainy day. It just makes you feel warm and fuzzy to be able to predict what will happen and to know that you won't be taken on an emotional rollercoaster. Kiera Cass' writing didn't stick with me, but it does a great job portraying the story in a way that works. Every chapter has a mini cliffhanger at the end so you will keep reading. And reading. I guess guilty-pleasures aren't just limited to movies.

Finding A Voice : Friendship is a Two-Way Street - Kim Hood

RATING: ★★★.5

People who live in the UK might have heard about the YA Book Prize: it's an award for the best UK young adult book and the winner will be announced in March. However, there is already a shortlist with 10 of the best UK YA books of 2014. Up until March, I will read each of these books (one a week) and post a review - I'm reading the books in the same order as the YA Book Prize twitter account is. 

If one thing has been proven by the YA Book Prize shortlist, it is that there is no lack of diversity in UK YA. There have been horror stories, love stories and mythological stories and Find A Voice by Kim Hood is the journey of finding a voice (duh!) for two people who don't fit the teenage standards at all.

Plot

Jo could never have guessed that the friendship she so desperately craves would come in the shape of a severely disabled boy. He can’t even speak. Maybe it is because he can’t speak that she finds herself telling him how difficult it is living with her eccentric, mentally fragile mother.

Behind Chris’ lopsided grin and gigantic blue wheelchair is a real person — with a sense of humour, a tremendous stubborn streak and a secret he has kept from everyone.

For a while it seems life may actually get better. But as Jo finds out just how terrible life is for Chris, and as her own life spirals out of control, she becomes desperate to change things for both of them. In a dramatic turn of events, Jo makes a decision that could end in tragedy.

This is the story of how an unusual friendship unlocks the words that neither knew they had.

Jo : drama queen

I must admit that I find it really difficult to discuss this book. I finished it in one go, which is a good sign since it means I loved it so much. But on the other hand, I also read it so fast because it was just really easy to read. I know that I'm not the young adult age anymore and maybe it has to do with that, but I lacked a bit of depth in the book.

Jo is a great girl and narrator and the reader really roots for her. I was, until the end of the story, when she suddenly does something so stupid and so drastic that it just didn't make sense to me. It seemed out of character and it's my little pet peeve to hate on inconsistent characters. I immediately lost all sympathy for her.

She was just a bit too dramatic for me and though I understand her difficult background (she has a mentally unstable mother), I don't see the need for many of her actions. I admire her journey to finding her voice, but it would have been nice if she was less drastic and whiney about it in the process.

Chris : The Real Hero

Chris on the other hand was one of my favourite characters ever - even though he can't talk or do much. He has such a kind heart and I really wanted him to find his voice, or at least a way to express what he was thinking. The strength of Chris as a character is that he isn't a narrator and we don't even have dialogue with him, but Kim Hood shows us enough of his life and who he is to make us fall in love with him. 

It's so important that there is diversity in YA and showing a disabled person as a real person is amazing. I think it will really help teenagers to start treating disabled people like they are just normal people you can be friends with. I applaud Kim Hood for tackling such a challenge subject in such an easy read.

However, I wish I would have had more depth about the disability. Because the whole story is narrated by Jo, who has (albeit common) preconceptions about disability, I don't feel we learned enough about Chris. Jo does make a journey into understand Chris better, but the whole ending is so fairy tale that the lessons that are learned are kinda lost.

Rating

I'll give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars (yes, I'm doing half again). I didn't personally love it, but I think the topic is so so important that these kind of books should be encouraged. I think it's really one of those books that you should pick up yourself and read so you can decide if you love it or not. Even if you don't, like me, you'll still learn from it.

Like this review? You'll love these!

Lobsters - Lucy Ivison & Tom Ellen

RATING: ★★★★★

Find it on bookdepository here. 

People who live in the UK might have heard about the YA Book Prize: it's an award for the best UK young adult book and the winner will be announced in March. However, there is already a shortlist with 10 of the best UK YA books of 2014. Up until March, I will read each of these books (one a week) and post a review - I'm reading the books in the same order as the YA Book Prize twitter account is.

Some books, like Say Her Name, are amazing because they tackle a subject you never thought could be written about in a book. Other books are amazing because they use a subject that is as cliché as possible and then use AMAZING writing to bring originality to the topic. Lobsters is part of the second group of books and is officially one of my favourite reads ever. 

Plot

Sam and Hannah only have the holidays to find 'The One'. Their lobster. But instead of being epic, their summer is looking awkward. They must navigate social misunderstandings, the plotting of well-meaning friends, and their own fears of being virgins for ever to find happiness. But fate is at work to bring them together. And in the end, it all boils down to love.

I think everyone can say that they've read a book that could have been described in exactly the same way. Probably more than one. So when I picked up Lobsters, I really wasn't excited for it - another love story with teenagers that take a whole book to figure out they belong together - great. Been there, done that.

Most realistic YA novel I've read.

But what made this book one of my favourite reads of the year is the fact that the main characters, Sam and Hannah, were so extremely realistic. They are everyday British teenagers who try and figure life out and usually fail pretty badly at it. They have great friends and bad friends, they get good grades and bad grades, they have great vacations and ones that turn out awful. Basically, they go through what every single teenager goes through without any romanticising in the process. 

The book switches between the narration of Sam and Hannah, which means there's something for everyone. I loved reading Sam's point of view, because teenage boys were, and probably forever will remain, a mystery to me. I don't understand what makes them do the things they do, but reading Sam's story made it a bit more clear for me. He made some dumb decisions along the way, but he was very easy to relate to.

I think Hannah is a great narrator for teenage girls reading this. She's insecure about basically everything, but tries to hide it and keep up with her friends. I just wanted to sit her down and tell her that she was fine and that she should dump certain friends (I mean, she has some shit friends), but I think younger readers will appreciate the similarities they'll find with Hannah.

Writing

As I said, the writing makes this book amazing. It is realistic, to the point and made me laugh so many times. You can tell that a female and a male author worked on this book, because both main characters are very distinct from each other (not saying that one author can't do that, but it's just harder!). You immediately know when Sam is talking and when Hannah is talking, which made the book so much more realistic. No 16 year old boy and girl will think the same things, so it was really nice to see their differences.

If you're looking for a book with amazing metaphors and stylistic devices, then this book isn't for you. It was really the simplest writing I've read in a while, but it is supposed to be the thoughts of a teenager, so I think it worked perfectly. And, an extra bonus, neither Sam or Hannah are hipsters! So if you're looking to distance yourself from the "oh I'm such a cool teenager because I'm artsy" trend (which I am), then pick up Lobsters.

Rating

Lobsters was a real surprise for me. I thought James Dawson's Say Her Name had the YA book prize in the bag, but now I'm not so sure. Dawson's subject matter is still more original, but I think there's a real talent in finding a new way to tell a story that's been told before. So five stars - I wish I could even give this book six. Lobsters is my lobster.

The First Coven - P.M. Pevato

RATING: ★★★★☆

As you might remember, I reviewed Pevato's Firefly earlier last year - one of the first professional reviews I did - and was not fully convinced by the story. I could tell that P.M. Pevato was a talented writer, but the story was flawed in certain ways that obstructed the reading.

Now I read a recent short story by Pevato that is part of the Short And Happy (Or Not) anthology. Though I browsed all the stories (and they all look pretty great!), I really wanted to focus this review on The First Coven, since I was amazed by the growth of Pevato as an author.

The First Coven starts off like a fairytale; once upon a time there was a farmer who had three daughters and desperately wanted a son. His wife delivers a son but dies during labour. This sounds pretty standard fairytale-ish right? But then there is a twist. The daughters turn to witch craft in an attempt to awaken their mother from the dead. That is not exactly the Grimm fairytale we are all used to.

And that's exactly what I loved about this story - it was so different. I expected one thing, but the twists constantly took the plot in a new direction. If you like fairytales and magical elements, you will adore this story.

Where I previously critiqued Pevato's writing, I thoroughly enjoyed her writing this time. She used fairytale elements to really bring her story to live and to keep the reader interested. It was an amazing read and since it is a really short story, I don't see any reason as to why you shouldn't be reading it right now.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E Lockhart

Rating: ★★★★★

I think We Were Liars was possible one of the best books I have read this year. It had a great narrator, an amazing setting and the plot twists were out of this world. So when I saw The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart, I immediately bought it and started reading it on the tube ride home. 

Frankie is my new favourite narrator

I love YA books (obviously), but at times I get so annoyed by the females in the book. They are either heart-eyed naive girls who get used or bitches who don't let anyone close to them. That's not real life - real life is about girls who are both; they fall in love, but are still strong.

Cue Frankie, the teenage narrator you can't help but fall in love with. She goes to a prestigious boarding school called Alabaster and discovers that there is a secret society there. How to become a member? Be from a wealthy family (think Nate Archibald from Gossip Girl) and be a man. Yup, even though the school is mixed, only guys are allowed to become members of The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds and Frankie's dad used to be a one of the important members. 

Nowadays the society doesn't really do much, but Frankie's new boyfriend Matthew Livingston is still a member and refuses to tell Frankie that the society even exist. Unfortunately for him, Frankie isn't the average girlfriend that takes no for an answer. She decides to follow Matthew to a society meeting and then even decides to get secretly involved... 

Which is why I love Frankie so much; she doesn't dump Matthew, because she is strong and doesn't need a man blabla, nor does she just accept his "no there is no society" as a truth. She keeps him, because she likes him, but also goes digging for answers herself. 

Feminism

My timing of reading this book is perfect, since it centres mostly about feminism and that has been the hot word of the past few months. Frankie is not happy with the patriarchy in her school, which is very strongly present, and decides to change things. She doesn't label herself a feminist, she's not even consciously doing things to improve the position of women, it is just her nature. And that's a true feminist for me. She's just not happy being the underdog, only being 'cute and sweet', but not worthy of the secret society. When I have children, I'll give them this book to show them how unfair the world can function and how you can change it. Don't just talk about it, but do stuff in your own environment to open people's eyes.

E. Lockhart

Though this book still has plot twists and unexpected events, it was a lot more predictable than We Were Liars, which means (at least for me) that a lot more of the reading experience had to come from good writing. With We Were Liars, you wanted to keep reading because you had to know what was happening. With The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks I kept reading, because the writing was so good. Besides a strong Frankie, the side-characters were all well-rounded too. Matthew is the cool guy, who then clearly seems to have some issues. There is his friend Alpha, who is (surprise!) the alpha male of the Basset Hounds and who is just a mess of contradiction. We see, through Frankie's eyes, how contradicting Alpha is, but there is enough mystery left to keep you wondering - and praying for a book about Alpha! To get a reader involved with all the characters in a book is the ultimate sign of a good writer and E Lockhart doesn't disappoint. 

Empty feeling after finishing it

However, do you know that feeling that you just finished a book and feel empty? You put the book down and feel like the story wasn't, couldn't, be done. There was so much more left and you needed more resolution. This is what I got from this story. Now I know this is often a deliberate choice from the author (Gone Girl is the perfect example of this), but I just don't like it. Frankie does whatever she does and then we get a small glimpse in her life after that, but that's it. I wanted so much more. Does she go off to college? Does she change the world? What does Frankie do?! I just wanted a bit more at the end of the book.

Conclusion

Is it really a surprise that this book is a five out of five? I ADORED Frankie, I loved the feminist undertone in this story and my only complain is that I didn't get enough of the story, which only means I really loved it. I think it is a must-read for every YA lover and just every person who wants to see their world a tiny bit differently.

The Paragraph Ranch - Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon

Rating: ★★★★

Whenever I see that a book is written by two authors, I am immediately a little bit worried. Usually, it is really easy to spot which author wrote which part and it annoys the hell out of me. I don't care if it's two different characters or whatever reason they have for writing together - I want a consistent writing style.

But luckily, there are exceptions and The Paragraph Ranch is one of them. If you are like me and tend to avoid double-author books, which I know a lot of you do, then let this book be the one to prove you wrong.

Plot

Dee Bennett - Kaufmann is a divorcee with a dream of publishing a book about a 1930s female creative writing teacher. However, Dee is stuck and, being a teacher herself, can't find enough time to write. Then, just as she is about to start her writing summer, she has to leave the East Coast and go back home to take care of her mother, who was in an accident, and the huge farm she lives on. On the way, we learn about why Dee left Texas, why she has such a complicated relationship with her daughter and mother and what happened to the creative writing teacher.

Can I relate to Dee?

When I was given the opportunity to review this book, I decided to take it based on the writing. From the beginning chapters, the writing is so smooth and effortless that you immediately get draw into the story. However, I did immediately wonder : will I like Dee? She is a mother, a divorcee and dislikes where she comes from. I'm 24, never had any kids and I love going home whenever I can - so it sounded like we would have absolutely nothing in common. But somehow, Kay and Barbara managed to write Dee as such a likeable narrator that I did relate to her. Even though we never had any of the same struggles, I really liked Dee. She is not perfect, she is stubborn and kind of cold, but she always tries to do the best. And for any writer, like myself, reading about the struggles of other writers is a comfort. I get you Dee, writing a book is not easy.

Texas

A huge part of this book is the setting: Texas. You can almost say that it is the main character along with Dee. Dee has avoided Texas for as long as possible, but due to her mother being sick, she is thrown right back into it. And The Paragraph Ranch makes it very hard to understand why anyone would want to avoid Texas. The descriptions of the places are beautiful and realistic (from my little knowledge of Texas anyway) - the farm Dee's mother lives on is not perfect, it is actually kind of worn down, but the writers still describe the charm and the beauty of the place. Same with the landscapes. And, very smart move, they made one character a photographer, so that they could really focus on the description and the beauty of Texas.

However, sometimes the writers went a little bit overboard with the descriptions. I totally get the important of Texas, but I don't need a whole page with how the place looks. I get it with less details, I can imagine stuff. A story needs enough action to keep me interested.

Writing

So like I said, the most extraordinary thing about this book is the writing. No, it's not filled with deep metaphors and sentences that will change your life, but it's simple and effective - it draws you into the story. You can't tell which author worked on what piece of the book, but they did give every character a very distinctive voice. Dee talks differently from her mother and her daughter, which is very effective in my opinion. No one speaks the same way and sometimes authors just create one generic voice to suit everyone. Barbara and Kay really went out of their way to do more for their characters and to really give them a personal voice.

Writing advice in every chapter

The one thing I didn't like about the book was the lay-out. Every chapter begins with writing advice, such as "At the heart of every story lies one of two universal plots. Number one: Someone takes a trip".

What this does is kinda ruin the whole chapter already; you know what is going to happen before it happens and that just doesn't work for me personally. I started to ignore the subtitles after the first few chapters, just because I don't want anything in a book spoiled, but I think it would work so much better without them.

Rating

As you can tell, if you read this whole thing, is that I really liked the book - I was honestly surprised by how much I liked the book. It is a good light read for those cold winter days coming up. But it wasn't my favourite book of the year, which had a lot to do with the subtitles and sometimes a tad too much description, so it is a four out of five. But a great four out of five.