kellysrambles's Reviews (619)

A fluffy YA love story with plenty of heart-warming moments. Mahalia is determined to have her own big party - a coming out party. Her best friend Naomi knows she likes girls but she has no idea how to tell her church-going mom - then she falls in love and things get more complicated! Mahalia’s crush on Siobhan is adorable and truly reminiscent of a teenage crush. It consumes her whole being and even threatens her friendship with Naomi at times. I liked that this book didn’t shy away from the financial difficulties Mahalia and her mom face. Not many YA books show these struggles so blatantly and I really appreciated it and could relate to Mahalia’s complex feelings of guilt and frustration at her situation. Cheesy, cute and a fab protagonist!

This story is utterly heart-wrenching. An emotional tale of grief, love, friendship, guilt with glimmers of hope, by the end I felt like a ball of emotion. Tate and Penny aren’t just friends by chance. Brought together by their mom’s close friendshuo they soon end up living together whilst Penny’s mom donates half of her liver to Tate’s mom. Cue plenty of awkward moments! Tate and Penny are both secretly in love with each other and this book flicks back and forth between the now and all the times they almost kissed. Their relationship is complex and often full of tension but they never fail to show up for one another. Penny’s grief for her father and complex relationship with her mom are at the forefront of this story. A gorgeous sapphic relationship that blossoms with trust and hope.

Promise Boys is a murder mystery revolving around three teens accused of murdering their Principal. In a bid to clear their own names they come together with some allies to figure out what really happened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was very well written. I liked that the first half had a closer look at JB, Trey and Ramon through character testimonials and then their own view of the day before and day of the murder. It meant that by the second half I really cared about finding out who the real culprit was. The school system itself was shocking - no talking, responding to signals to leave class and teachers who mostly seemed to dislike the pupils. It all added to the intensity of the mystery though as there were so many suspects. A fast-paced YA thriller!

What a joyous space adventure! I love to dip into kids’ books from time to time and knew I was guaranteed a good time with Katie and Kevin’s writing. Suzie is a wonderful protagonist with a heart of gold and a head full of science. Managing to transport herself into her favourite television programme, she soon finds herself stepping foot onto multiple planets with her new space companions in an effort to solve a space mystery! Plenty of moments to make you smile and chuckle and a good sprinkling of science facts along the way! Space-tastic!

Firstly, please ensure you are aware of the content of this book before you pick it up. There are explicit descriptions of self-harm, suicide, abuse, drug use and more. If you are prepared for this, also be prepared to have your heart shattered into pieces by a striking and heartbreaking read. Charlie’s life has certainly not been easy and as her complex layers are revealed you can’t help but empathise with her. She makes the wrong choices repeatedly but eventually finds some inner peace with the help of good people. The writing in this book is beautiful. It is haunting and tragic. I can’t say I enjoyed it as that doesn’t feel right but I was gripped and feel honoured to have read this story. The Author’s Note at the end hit me like a ton of bricks. This book will stick in my mind for a very, very long time.

Wowza! I didn’t expect this to be such a dark and twisty read. Roach is a true crime and serial killer fanatic. Laura appears to be your happy go lucky children’s bookseller. The more Roach gets to know Laura the more dangerously obsessed she becomes. I didn’t expect her to go into full stalker mode but the darkness of it all really thrilled me! Neither Roach or Laura are straightforward characters, both certainly have their faults and it was interesting to read from both of their points of view as the tension built. A multitude of poor choices are made on both parts but it was so refreshing not to have perfect characters! All of the above revolves around their lives as booksellers so the bookworm in me was very happy!

I really enjoyed this enchanting middle grade novel. I was immediately swept up into Ella’s world and the world of the Marvellers and conjurers. I think my eyes were as wide as Ella’s as I read the captivating and vibrant descriptions which easily brought the book to life. There were characters I loved and characters I hated - the best mix! Plenty to keep the reader busy whilst enjoying a whole new ‘marvellous’ world. The plot was slightly predictable in parts but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment and I’ll definitely be looking out for the second book to see what happens next! 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced  copy in exchange of an honest review. 

Wow. Such a complex, hard hitting and beautiful book. I was obsessed from the beginning and could barely but this down. A book so intricately looking at language is one I simple cannot find the words for. Brilliant! 🖤

30. Five Survive by Holly Jackson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Astonishingly good! I had high expectations but this just blew them right out the water. Superb thriller and layered, complex characters made for a really tense read. Loved all the twists and turns. Bravo - superb! 💛💙

An intriguing mystery but something about this one fell a little flat. I cared enough to get to the end and liked some of the characters. I didn’t predict who the perpetrator would be but also felt a bit underwhelmed by it. 📣