Book Review #613 - When I Was Me by Hilary Freeman

My Rating: 3/5


Source: The Five Mile Press


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One girl, two lives. Which is real?

When Ella wakes up one Monday morning, she discovers that she is not herself and that her life is not her own. She looks different, her friends are no longer her friends and her existence has been erased from the internet. Even worse, years of her history appear to have been rewritten overnight. And yet, nobody else thinks that anything weird has happened. 

A tense and dark psychological thriller full of unexpected twists and turns about the random events and decisions that make us who we are. If you can't trust your own memories, then who can you trust?

The biggest problem I had with this book is that I felt like it took itself too seriously. I think this was because I recently read a book with a similar type premise with alternate worlds only in that other book, the alternate world contained witches. 

I found Ella rather irritating. I thought that she changed the other Ella's life too much considering to her it would hopefully be temporary. For example, cutting her long hair that she had probably taken years to grow was a little irrational for me. 

Other than that, I found the plot rather fascinating. I wanted to find out how or if Ella would return to her normal life, which is what made me read it as quickly as I did. 

The relationship between Ella and Daniel was interesting. He was the only character that Ella wasn't critical of and it was obvious that she trusted him. 

Book Review #606 - Counting Stars by Keris Stainton

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Five Mile Press


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Big city, big dreams, no money, no problem...

Six 'friends', one flat, big dreams... what could go wrong? When eighteen-year-old Anna leaves school and moves to Liverpool, she feels like her life is finally beginning. She's landed her dream job at a theatre, and she's moving into an exciting (if not slightly run-down) flat on a buzzing street lined with shops, bars, and buskers. Best of all, her new flatmates are kind, welcoming and a lot of fun - what more could she ask for?

But although her new life is fun, it's also a little overwhelming. Anna's job quickly falls through, and then she realises that although her new friends are great, they're also a little mixed-up... and it's not long before Anna starts using her blog to talk about her experiences, from the hilarious to the ridiculous to the little-bit-scary. But when Anna spills a bigger secret than she can handle, suddenly the consequences are all too real. She'll have to prove she has the mettle to make it in the big city, or risk losing everything she thinks she wants.

I have read a few of Keris Stainton's YA novels and have rather enjoyed them so I was interested about her New Adult book. 

I loved this book much more than I thought I would and that is simply because of the characters. 

All the characters were so lively and multi-dimensional. They were also completely unique from one another and yet they mixed together extremely well. 

The setting of Liverpool was an interesting dynamic and I have never read a book set there before. 

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that the romance took too long to develop and so it was kind of rushed towards the end. 

Book Review #596 - The Dog, Ray by Linda Coggin

My Rating: 4/5

Source: The Five Mile Press

Buy: Booktopia

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A girl, a dog, a boy, a journey

'When my death came, it was swift. Swift as a racing horse.'

Twelve-year-old Daisy has just died in a car crash. But in a twist of fate, and through a heavenly bureaucratic mistake Daisy ends up, not where she is supposed to be - but in the body of a dog. Daisy may now be inhabiting a dog's body, but inside she is still very much Daisy, and is as bouncy, loyal, positive, energetic as she ever was. 

Daisy's only thought is to somehow be reunited with her parents, who she knows will be missing her. And this is how she meets Pip, a boy who is homeless and on his own journey, and a lasting, tender and very moving friendship between boy and dog/girl is formed.

I love dogs and so this book appealed to me as it is told from the perspective of a dog. 

The book begins with the death of a 12 year old girl. I know this sounds a little dark for a children's book, but where there is death there is also life which is where this fantastic little adventure begins. 

There is a mix-up in the afterlife and 12 year old Daisy gets reincarnated as a dog! At first she is adamant on tracking down her parents but being a dog communication is impossible. 

The portrayal of life as a dog was realistic. The voice as a dog was the best thing about this book. I loved how excitable, loyal and likable she was. 

When Daisy meets Pip, a boy who has problems of his own, and her memories of her previous life as a human start to fade she finally finds happiness in her new life as The Dog, Ray. 

Book Review #595 - The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed #2) by Page Morgan

My Rating: 4/5

Source: The Five Mile Press

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Gabby and Ingrid may have saved their brother, but their journey is far from over. Ingrid must learn how to control her powers before they begin to control her. She wishes Luc would help her, but he's refusing... Meanwhile Gabby has thrown herself into the Alliance, despite the eye patch she now wears thanks to a hellhound. But there are major changes afoot. When Nolan returns from the trials of the traitorous Alliance members he brings his father and his cousin, whose first order is to remove Chelle, Ingrid, and Gabby from their duties - women are no longer welcome.

But Paris needs hunters, especially now murder is sweeping the city again. Whole families are being slaughtered in their sleep, at the dinner table - even while out in the family carriage. Just who or what is behind these slayings? The action, romance, and devastatingly dark secrets revealed in THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURSED continue as Ingrid and Gabby fight for their loves, their lives and their city.

This is the sequel to The Beautiful and the Cursed. 

I loved this book so much more than the first. I decided not to re-read the first book before reading the sequel even though I didn't really remember anything other than the basics from it as I read it over a year ago. 

This book was written perfectly to refresh the reader of what occurred in the first book before diving into the next adventure. 

These books have a certain eeriness to them which lingers on every single page. It was definitely a perfect October read. 

The character development in this book was significant especially with Grayson. It helped that we had chapters from his POV. 

I love the mythology in this series. It seems really thought out and researched. 

The ending was amazing with an absolutely shocking cliff hanger and I cannot wait to get my hands on the third book The Wondrous and the Wicked. 

Book Review #594 - The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew

My Rating:3/5 

Source: The Five Mile Press 

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A startling coming-of-age novel set in a contemporary Nazi England.

Jessika Keller is a good girl: she obeys her father, does her best to impress Herr Fisher at the Bund Deutscher Mädel meetings and is set to be a world champion ice skater. Her neighbour Clementine is not so submissive. Outspoken and radical, Clem is delectably dangerous and rebellious. And the regime has noticed. Jess cannot keep both her perfect life and her dearest friend. But which can she live without?

THE BIG LIE is a thought-provoking and beautifully told story that explores ideas of loyalty, sexuality, protest and belief.

This book poses the question what if Nazi Germany had won the war? It was the question that immediately won me over and convinced me to read it. 

The book follows Jessika Keller. Her family are hardcore Nazi followers, especially her father and Jessika has grown up with strong Nazi beliefs. 

On the other hand, Jessika has a forbidden crush on her childhood friend and neighbour Clementine who happens to despise the Nazis.


The whole setting of an alternative history was really interesting and compelling.


Jess seemed really naive at times and ultimately just wanted to please everyone all the time.


As the book progresses, Jess starts to question everything her parents value as Clementine's starts acting upon her extremist views. 

Book Review #574 - Clockwise to Titan (Clockwise to Titan #1) by Elon Dann

My Rating: 3.5/5



Source: Five Mile Press




Buy: The Book Depository




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Mo, Harete and Moth are on the run. Chased by the tyrannical forces of the Institute, they follow a line of pylons towards the Other country and the hope of freedom.

Winter tightens its grip and escape seems impossible. As the children weave together stories from their past, present and imaginations, the truth becomes harder and harder to bear. Chased by rabid dogs, hounded by Marshals with guns, and hiding from military helicopters, only the long line of wires and the lure of another way of life pulls them towards their goal.

A story of hope, peril and the fight against tyranny, this brilliant debut is the perfect book for adventurous young readers.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book to begin with but by the end I couldn't put it down and I loved it. 

The book is told from alternating chapters of the three teens whilst they are first in the prison and then the three teens on the run after they have escaped from the prison. 

The two perspectives didn't really blend well together and I felt like it had no continuity to it. I would have preferred to whole story to have been in chronological order. 

I really enjoyed the escape element as it was very suspenseful as I kept waiting for them to get caught. 

When the two perspectives finally merged (roughly 150 or so pages from the end) the book became unputdownable and I thoroughly enjoyed it from then on. 

As I really dislike bookmarking in the middle of a chapter, I wasn't a fan of the length of the chapters. Most of them were around 20 pages long. 

Overall, this book got better and better as it developed and recovered well from its slow start.  

Book Review #572 - How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski

My Rating: 4/5



Source: The Five Mile Press




Buy: Five Mile Press or 
The Book Depository




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When you're tired of being good, sometimes you gotta be a little bad ...

Jesse, Vicks and Mel couldn't be more different. Jesse, a righteous Southern gal who's as thoughtful as she is uptight, is keeping a secret that she knows will change her life forever. Vicks is a wild child: seemingly cool, calm and collected on the outside, but inside she's furious at herself for being so anxious about her neglectful boyfriend. And Mel is the new girl in town. She's already been dismissed as just another rich kid, but all she wants is to get over some of her fears and find some true friends.

But for all their differences, the girls discover they've got one thing in common - they're desperate to escape. Desperate to get the heck out of Niceville and discover their true 'badass' selves! Even if it's just for the weekend ... One 'borrowed' car later, it's time to hit the road and head for Miami. Hearts will be broken, friendships will be tested, and a ridiculously hot stranger could change the course of everything. 

I love road trip books as they are always fun to read. This book was no different even though the characters fought with each other pretty much the entire time. 

The book is told from 3 different character perspectives, told from alternating chapters. Each author wrote for a different character. Although the story translated well from character to character I thought that their voices sounded rather similar. 

The characters were all completely different but they really worked well together. Jesse was the stereotypical religious teenager, whereas Vicks was wild and adventurous and Mel was insecure but wealthy who was desperate to fit in anywhere she could. 

Friendship is a major theme of this book. Not only does the roadtrip mend the relationship between Jesse and Vicks but also created a new friendship with them and Mel. 

Book Review #570 - No True Echo by Gareth P. Jones

My Rating: 3/5

Source: The Five Mile Press

Buy: From the publisher

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Eddie is pretty certain nowhere could be more small-town, more boring, and more inconsequential than his home town of the Wellcome Valley. Unfortunately, he is about to be proved spectacularly wrong. 

Eddie's problems start when he sees his teacher getting shot (possibly with an elastic band) and then promptly vanish into thin air. Or maybe they start just a little bit before then, with the arrival of Scarlett, a new girl in town who seems rather too confident and mysterious for your average schoolgirl. She attracts trouble (and Eddie) like a magnet, and she's apparently only interested in two very strange things - protecting the local crackpot scientist, Dr Wolf, and telling Eddie absolutely nothing about what on earth is going on. Because things quickly go from weird to worse for Eddie, and he's about to find himself in the middle of a dangerous battle for the fate of not just himself, Scarlett and the town - but Time itself.

I didn't really know what to expect from this book as I hadn't heard anything about it and was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was to read. 

This book references Frankenstein a lot and as I have yet to read it (it is on my TBR though) many of these references went over my head. It did help though however that many of them were explained. 

This book is first and foremost about time travel, but it was the mystery element that I was most interested in. Eddie's mother died when he was younger in a car accident but information comes to light that suggests that it wasn't really an accident. 

The characters were all likable and fun and they really brought the story to life. 

The time travelling aspect was unique although a little confusing at times although overall I really enjoyed it. 

The short chapters and the smooth nature of the writing made this an absolute page turner and I finished it in next to no time.