Yearning Difficulites - Elle McNicoll

Zella loves her job on the school's student radio, the only problem is her co-host is her ex, Dave, who happens to be a complete chauvinist.  Killian, however, is entirely different and seems happy to help Zella get into the writing programme at school that his mum runs.  But to do that effectively, they need to pretend they are dating; Killian has secretly been in love with Zella for quite some time so is happy to play along, but the longer they are 'together' the more it appears they enjoy each other's company, so when it comes time for them to split up, will they realise what everybody else can already see?

Heading back to Lake Pristine is like being wrapped in a favourite blanket: it fills you with warmth and familiarity and makes you want to sink into it and never leave.  Yearning Difficulties is part of Elle's Lake Pristine series so it is lovely to bump into some familiar characters from the previous books as well as getting to know some new people (it is very easy to read this as a stand alone book but I would highly recommend reading Some Like It Cold and Wish you Were Her first).

So, once again, I find myself struggling to put into words how much I enjoyed this book (it's becoming a habit of mine after reading Elle's books!), so I've reverted back to listing everything I loved about it... 

❤️the unrequited love - oh goodness, it's swoonable!

❤️Killian's way with words; especially when he's righting wrongs with Dave (oh       how I envied his ability there!); I really wish I'd been at school with somebody like him

❤️that Zella's self discovery unfold as the plot does - I could relate to much of   what she said, especially as I was always considered different at school 

❤️the way Elle once again seamlessly weaves neurodiversity into the plot and  allows readers to see themselves represented in books

❤️the fact that the characters feel very real and relatable (ok, so Dave is a snake  but I'm sure many of us have come across a Dave in our time)

❤️the support Zella's parents give her, especially when they are called into school

❤️the crisp autumn vibe - I'm very much a summer girl but the book really made me want to carve a pumpkin

❤️the fact that I read the book in Carcassonne and it made me seriously consider heading to one of their jousting tournaments!

❤️the fact that the hopeless romantic in me was glad I had sunglasses on when I read the book (yes, I shed a tear!)

❤️ the fact that I genuinely got lost in the book in the most delicious way

❤️ Killian's desperate desire to do the right thing whilst trying to hide his true feelings 

❤️I didn't want the book to end and didn't want to leave Lake Pristine behind once I'd finished the last page

I could carry on, but it's safe to say that Yearning Difficulties is a book that YA readers are going to adore when it publishes on the 8th October.  It will make the perfect autumn read whilst the leaves are turning brown, the nights are drawing in and the blankets are calling...

The Shadows of Kensington Gore - Ross Montgomery

I've been anticipating The Shadows Of Kensington Gore since getting an early read of Murder At World's End last summer and, despite having itchy fingers, I waited until I knew I could devote time to it before wading in.  And so it was, that I headed to Kensington last week whilst lying on my sunbed at the same time as my husband was thoroughly engrossed in the first book!

Oh boy, people, are you in for a treat!

Miss Decima and Stephen have replaced the remote stately home with an apartment in Kensington and they are bumbling along together. Unlike the other servants in the building, Stephen has a room in the apartment instead of the basement so he can be at Miss Decima's beck and call.  They are desperate to get their teeth into another juicy case but, so far, have found nothing ... until a policeman is brutally murdered on the steps of their building with Stephen as the only witness.  With three young suffragettes as the main suspects,  Decima and Stephen get to work to discover exactly what happened before time runs out.

Decima hasn't changed one bit thank goodness! She's still the feisty, outspoken, potty mouthed aristocrat I came to know and love in Murder At World's End; she has a no nonsense attitude to everything and doesn't suffer people lightly - she is utterly brilliant!

Stephen is grateful for everything he now has but is feeling a little lonely and a bit left out of their detecting at times: is he her partner in detecting or her servant? He often feels the lines are blurred and I like that he grows a bit more bolshy in this book.  Together, they make the perfect pairing and the combination of his sense of justice and her intelligence is a force to be reckoned with.

The historical links to the suffragette movement add real interest to the mystery, and the plot keeps you guessing and smiling.  Ross' ability to maintain drama whilst making readers chuckle is clever and an absolute joy to read. 

Publishing on the 22nd October, The Shadows of Kensington Gore is a triumph of a sequel and I can't wait to see what the pair get up to next (by the way, Mr W is now trying desperately trying to nab my iPad so he can read this!)

We Are All Made of Molecules - Susin Neilson

Stewart lost his mum to cancer nearly 2 years ago. 

Ashley's parents divorced following her father's announcement that he is gay.

Stewart's dad and Ashley's mum have found love again together and so Stewart and his dad are moving in with Ashley and her mum. 

Stewart and Ashley are very different from one another but they need to find a way to get along for their parents' sake.

This is a wonderful book that looks very much at family relationships and blended families.  Stewart is a geeky, gifted child who has, until now, attended a school to cater for like-minded children but with the move he is now starting at the same school as Ashley.  Ashley and he couldn't be more different: she is driven by looks, fashion and popularity, especially when it comes to getting the attention of Jared, the school hunk.  However, Ashley is still coming to terms with her dad's sexuality so hasn't told a soul, not even her best friends.  I loved both characters for very different reasons: Stewart's quirks and his unique way of looking at things I found really endearing; he is happy in himself and this was lovey to see.  Ashley's mis-quoted phrases kept me chuckling throughout.  Although I found her shallow and unlikeable to begin with, she really grew on me. 

Told in dual narrative, We Are All Made of Molecules is full of warmth and humour and deserves to be celebrated with this 10th anniversary edition.  It's an uplifting, feel-good read that reminds readers to 'always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn.  In which case, be a unicorn.'

This is the perfect summer read. 

Texts We Never Sent - G. Forsyth-Read

Texts We Never Sent is a deliciously wonderful YA read about friendship, falling in love and coming of age.

Best friends Nel, Flo, Maggie and Nicole, write texts to to each other to be opened in 2 years but when they read them, things are very different: the 4 girls have drifted apart and the texts reveal that their friendship may not have been everything they thought it was. The girls were hiding things from each other, things they were too afraid to say to their faces.  But now, 2 years later, can they repair those bonds?

The four girls are very different and are clearly experiencing different things in their lives, things that many teenagers will be able to relate to (an abusive relationship, serious illness, discovering their sexuality, wanting different things from life than their parents' had planned for them, body image issues).  Each issue is explored well in an age appropriate way and without getting too heavy, making the book feel like an authentic read.  Friendships in books can often feel unreal but this wasn't the case: there were arguments, differences of opinion, we got to understand how they were feeling and how dynamics can change in friendships - the girls are far from perfect and that's important to see. 

Texts We Never Sent is a moreish book and will make a great YA summer read for those aged 14+.  I know hope that there will be a sequel so we can see what happens next with the girls.

The Summer My Wishes Came True - Radhika Sanghain

 

Ayesha is very excited to spending two weeks of her summer holiday at camp with her best friend, Nikki - the pair have been inseparable for years. However, from the start, things don't go as Ayesha expected: Nikki arrives full of chat about her trip to New York, with a host of clothes that aren't the ones she and Nikki had agreed to take; then Ayesha begins to feel left out when Nikki seems to be favouring their new dorm mates and their love of fashion and musical theatre.  When she hears Nikki saying unkind things about her, she heads to the lake, upset, and lets out her feelings to the nature around her.  The following morning, Ayesha realises that everything she wishes for is coming true and she discovers that she has been gifted unlimited wishes.  At first, it's better food for lunch that she wishes for, but as Nikki drifts further away from her, could wishing for them to be best friends again be the solution?

Radhika's books are always a great read and are popular in school (you can read my reviews here: The Girl Who Couldn't Lie; How To Get Magically Popular) so I was excited to read The Summer My Wishes Came True.

The book has all the ingredients for the perfect read: a summer camp setting with cabins, a lake, camp fires and preparations for an end of camp production.  With friendship issues, and a hint of magic thrown in for good measure.

Ayesha is so excited about heading to camp; it's something she's been looking forward to for a long time and she and Nikki have spent a long time planning every detail.  However, when Nikki comes back from a trip to New York with her dad and her stepmum, everything seems to have changed, and Ayesha doesn't like the new Nikki.  The wishes come at exactly the right time, but the wishes don't necessarily have the effect she wants.  

This is a wonderful book about friendship and discovering that what you want and what you actually need may be two very different things. 

Out now, The Summer My Wishes Came True is a perfect book for the school summer holidays. 

Helping Hero - Nicci Johnson

Pres is having a difficult time of things: leaving foster carers to go and live with her Aunty Janelle means moving to Birmingham, starting a new school and giving up riding, the thing she loves the most. But when she stumbles across Stableheart, a stables in the heart of the city, she meets Hero, a rescue horse, and this could be just what she and Hero need.

Pres really does feel very alone at the start of the book. She was put into foster care when she was very young and can barely remember her mum. Now she has been uprooted from her foster carers to live with an aunt she doesn't know, and it means that every part of her life has to change. School in the city is completely different and overwhelming which is why she runs off one afternoon and stumbles across the stables. Before long, the stables have contacted the school asking for volunteers to help out and Pres is one of the students chosen. It becomes evident that she has a way with horses and she and Hero bond immediately which helps her to begin to make sense of everything. But when her Mum wants to see her, that throws everything back in the air again.

Helping Hero is a lovely story, perfect for animal fans, about discovering yourself and finding the space to make sense of the world. It's a gentle story that deftly weaves themes such as depression, friendships and being in care into the plot in a way that readers will understand. I really enjoyed it. 

Wishbound - Clemency Brown

 

Leonie has magical abilities but she, along with children like her, are kept on the island of Onske in a school where they are taught how to manage their magic before they are sold to rich families who use them to grant wishes.  Leonnie, however, has other ideas and is determined to run away and find a life in the real world. After being sold, and whilst being transported to her new family by Jackson the body guard, she manages to escape and, with Jackson in tow, begins a new life where she even makes a friend, Cress.  But, despite their best efforts, they can't stay hidden forever, and when the past catches up with them, Leonnie realises that she may need to risk everything in order to be free.

Wishbound is a wonderful read that will appeal to so many people.  Magic combines with adventure and a dollop of daring in a plot that will pose many questions in readers' minds.  Leonnie is a truly determined character who has had no choice but to fend for herself.  Despite being alone, she refuses to accept her fate and fights with everything she has.  She manages to carve out a lovely life for herself, but when the past catches up, everything she has built comes crumbling down.

This really is an exciting read with wonderful friendships (some more expected than others); I also loved that Cress is deaf: it's not something you see a lot of in MG fiction (certainly not the books I have read) so this was refreshing to see.  The biggest thing for me though are the moral questions that this book will raise: essentially, Leonnie and her friends on Onske are sold as slaves, with no choice but to do the bidding of those who have bought them once the 'binding ceremony' has been carried out.  The potential to discuss freedom, slavery and the rights and wrongs of what happens, would be very interesting in school; the idea of being able to have every wish granted compared to people being free would certainly provoke many different opinions.

Wishbound is out now and is a wonderful story of freedom, friendship and being yourself.