Format: Paperback
Published 1st June 2017 by Penguin
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book.
Blurb:
One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
My Review:
So I was immediately intrigued when I read the blurb of this book and was really excited to read it when I received my copy and I was not disappointed. This is a fantastic read which I couldn't put down!
There were really interesting dynamics between the characters as they are all very different and they all grew on me in different ways, especially as their relationships with each other changed as events occurred. They also all have very different motives to potentially have been the person who murdered Simon. Karen McManus kept the tension high and I was suspicious of all the characters at different times and I didn't guess correctly until the very end.
The book is told from the perspectives of all the main four characters who were in the room with Simon when he died which helps you to identify with them but then question them and the other characters even more.
The book is fast-paced and gripping and I can't recommend it enough, it gets 5 out of 5 from me. I can't wait to read whatever Karen writes next!
The Author:
Karen M. McManus earned her BA in English from the College of the Holy Cross and her MA in journalism from Northeastern University. Her debut young adult novel, ONE OF US IS LYING, will be released from Delacorte Press/Random House on May 30, 2017. It will also be published internationally in 18 territories including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.
To learn more visit www.karenmcmanus.com, or follow @writerkmc on Twitter.
Paperback, 384 pages
Publication: May 4th 2017 by HQ, an imprint of Harper Collins
With thanks to Midas Public Relations for sending me a copy of this book for honest review.
Blurb:
If you could turn back time, would you choose a different life?
Forty-something Maggie is facing some hard truths. Her only child has flown the nest for university and, without her daughter in the house, she’s realising her life, and her marriage to Dan, is more than a little stale.
When she spots an announcement on Facebook about a uni reunion, she can’t help wondering what happened to Jude Hanson. The same night Dan proposed, Jude asked Maggie to run away with him, and she starts to wonder how different her life might have been if she’d broken Dan’s heart and taken Jude up on his offer.
Wondering turns into fantasising, and then one morning fantasising turns into reality. Maggie wakes up and discovers she’s back in 1992 and twenty-one again. Is she brave enough to choose the future she really wants, and if she is, will the grass be any greener on the other side of the fence?
Two men. Two very different possible futures. But is there only once chance at happiness?
My Review:
The Other Us is an entertaining read which pulled me in to Maggie's world completely and I couldn't put it down.
When Maggie wakes up one morning back in 1992 as her twenty-one year old self she seizes the opportunity to consider her options and to enjoy being young again. With the option to change her life she makes some different decisions and finds that she keeps flipping between two different realities. One with her husband Dan and the second with Jude. These two lifestyles are very different and she is a very different person in each of them. As the novel progresses and she gets older in each life she has to consider what she really wants and her actions. I liked the way the story split and flicked back and forth between these realities.
Maggie was generally a likeable character who does make her fair share of mistakes, even living life over a second, or even a third time and she grew a lot as the novel progressed. I was frustrated with her choices at times and honestly wasn't too sure on her relationship with Jude, I felt like it did not develop to the same extent as her relationship with Dan, despite her feelings towards him, but Dan has his flaws too.
The story is funny and emotional at different times and Maggie understandably struggles with being pulled from one life to the next without warning. I guess my only unanswered question is how did this happen to her, but I guess in some ways it doesn't matter too much. Maggie's choices and development as a character are the main focus of the book.
I would give this 4 out of 5, it is a really fun, enjoyable read.
The Author:
Fiona's first book was published in 2006 and she now has twenty-four published books under her belt. She started her career writing heartfelt but humorous romances for Mills & Boon, but now writes romantic comedies and feel-good women’s fiction for Harper Collins, as part of their HQ imprint.
She is a previous winner of the Joan Hessayon New Writers’ Scheme Award, has had five books shortlisted for an RNA Award and won the ‘Best Short Romance’ at the Festival of Romance three years’ running.
Fiona lives in London with her husband and two teenage daughters.
http://www.fionaharper.com/home
@FiHarper_Author
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published October 27th 2016 by Viking
Blurb:
In The Power the world is a recognisable place: there's a rich Nigerian kid who larks around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power - they can cause agonising pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly.
This extraordinary novel by Naomi Alderman, a Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year and Granta Best of British writer, is not only a gripping story of how the world would change if power was in the hands of women but also exposes, with breath-taking daring, our contemporary world.
My Review:
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I was intrigued as to how the author would write it as it's an interesting concept. This is a cleverly written, dark, dystopian world that Naomi has created. The narrative is split between the 'present' and a distant future where two historians are debating a historical novel a man has written which challenges their understanding of the past. In the 'present' the story moves between Roxy, Tunde, Allie and Margot who all experience the sudden change in girls' abilities in different ways. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable but they were all very interesting due to their backgrounds, their reactions to the events in the story and the effect they have. The story is counting down to an unknown event, so sometimes months or years are missed which does help to keep the story moving.
I found the book a little slow to start with but then I was engrossed as the story got darker. The author creates some very disturbing scenarios of what could happen if power was flipped from men to women in this way. There are scenes that are uncomfortable and upsetting to read. Nevertheless, this book is a fascinating insight into our society and perceptions of gender roles. For anyone who is wondering, this book certainly doesn't paint a picture of sunshine and roses if women were suddenly more physically powerful than men but it is very cleverly done.
The author has taken a difficult concept and delivered. I've given this 4 out of 5.
Ebook, 400 pages
Published February 9th 2017 by Simon & Schuster UK
Blurb:
Tom fell in love with Alice the moment he saw her. He realises that being with her will not be easy, but she is a force of nature, a burst of sunlight in his otherwise ordinary world.
Some people might look at Alice and think she has everything, but Alice knows she is not like other women. Her life is complicated, unpredictable, difficult. Alice does not like pity. All she wants to do, has ever wanted to do, is sing.
Alice has been told not to follow her dreams. But when fate has already dealt a tough hand, it’s time to stop listening to everyone else and only follow their hearts.
My Review:
This is a wonderful, moving book about the power of love, friendship and family, and rising above adversity to live your life to the full.
Alice suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, an incurable disease which significantly affects the lives of people living with the condition. Alice is one of these people, she endures hours of physio and takes a lot of medication before being able to start her day, but she doesn't let it stop her from striving to achieve her dream of being a singer. As her condition worsens she is determined to continue despite being put on the transplant list.
The characters really leap off the page; particularly Alice who is passionate, motivated and inspiring. I love the friendship that the author created between Alice and her anti-support group, Alice's family and of course Tom, who loves her.
The narrative moves seamlessly between Alice's point of view, Tom's thoughts and Alice's mother Mary's diary. This brings the story to life even more as you discover what the other characters are going through as well.
I didn't find out until the end of the book that Alice is based on Alice Martineau, who followed her dreams despite all the difficulties she faced. This book was written with the support of her family. You can listen to one of her songs here.
I also know someone who has lived with this disease and who was lucky enough to have a double lung transplant. I had no idea of the daily challenges she faced but she is also inspirational, particularly as she is now an advocate for organ donation, which is something everyone should consider signing up for, you can save someone's life. You can read her story here.
This is an excellent book, I give it 5 out of 5.
The Author:
At the age of eighteen Alice had been awarded a tennis scholarship to America when she experienced pain in her right hand. It was rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and she hasn’t picked up a tennis racket since, a sadness that shall always be with her. The theme of disability features in her fiction, but there is nothing gloomy about Alice or her work. Rather this gives her fiction the added dimension of true poignancy.
Paperback, 320 pages
Published January 12th 2017 by Electric Monkey (first published June 30th 2016)
With huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book for review.
Blurb:
June's life at home with her stepmother and stepsister is a dark one - and a secret one. Not even her father knows about it. She's trapped like a butterfly in a net.
But then she meets Blister, a boy in the woods. And in him, June recognises the tiniest glimmer of hope that perhaps she can find a way to fly far, far away from home and be free. Because every creature in this world deserves their freedom . . . but at what price?
Paper Butterflies is an unforgettable read, perfect for fans of James Dawson, Jandy Nelson, Sarah Crossan and Louise O'Neill.
My Review:
This book is quite simply incredible. I put off writing a review of it the last time I read it and having just re-read it in one sitting I'm still worried I won't do justice to it. I also forgot how much it made me cry, but it had the same effect this time too. Not just a gentle tear, this book had me sobbing...
June's life is incredibly difficult and this book deals with very disturbing issues. It is not for the faint of heart but you can't help but admire June for courage and strength in finding hope in the face of incredible adversity.
This is a beautifully written, heart-breaking book which swaps between 'Before' starting when June is 9 years old, and 'After' at an unspecified point in time with June having conversations trying to deal with what she went through. I can't talk in depth about the issues she deals with without giving too many spoilers away but my heart broke for her as I was reading and just wanted to protect her.
The bright point in June's story is her relationship with Blister and his family who give her a glimpse into a life she has never known. The times they spend together growing up and their relationship is wonderful.
I can't hesitate to give this book 5 out of 5 and I would give it more if I could. I can't wait to read her next book.
The Author:
Before becoming a mum to her three sons, Lisa Heathfield was a secondary school English teacher and loved inspiring teenagers to read.
Lisa Heathfield launched her writing career with SEED in 2015. Published by Egmont it is a stunning YA debut about a life in cult. PAPER BUTTERFLIES is her beautiful and heart-breaking second novel. Her next novel is called FLIGHT OF A STARLING and I will be reviewing it soon.
Lisa lives in Brighton with her family.
