Rated only 3 stars as I personally didn’t enjoy it hugely. Though the content was interesting and it’s an important read! I picked this up in order to have a deeper understanding of the Spanish Civil War before starting Spanish A Level.

I like how it was a very personal account- Orwell wrote it in a friendly, personable way and kept the political information for appendixes at the back (though I believe in some copies these appendixes are chapters of the book!)

I feel like I learned a lot about the tensions particularly in Barcelona although I will need to do some more research on the politics.

LOVED IT

I’m a big fan of books written in prose and I love Acevedo’s style.

I think both girls in the story had a lot of personality and depth to them- I loved the clash of the two different cultures and the swing between DR and NYC.

So happy I read this and I highly recommend ❤️

Huge fan of Nelson’s writing even if the extreme second hand embarrassment makes me cringe so badly.

The way music and poetry are used all the way through to tie together each chapter is beautiful. you really get a feel for Bailey’s perspective through her sister’s poems despite her having passed away (this is a key aspect of the story)

It handles Lennie falling in love and simultaneously grieving her sister in such a gentle way that’s at the same time heartbreaking and funny.

As always, Nelson’s characters are so unique each with their own twists and traits!

I can’t recommend this highly enough- it ticked every possible requirement I hold for a good novel. The old library aesthetic appealed to me greatly and the mystery of secret societies and characters with uncertain, shifting identities held so much intrigue.

It’s beautifully written with detailed descriptions of each setting- it’s possible to picture yourself walking alongside Zachary as he discovers more and more.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is our protagonist- a college student studying video games who saw an elaborately painted door as a child and chose not to open it. His story continues as an adult when he picks a book off of the library shelf and discovers it’s about him. From there, he’s introduced to a magical world drenched in literary fairytales where the line between what’s a story and what’s real is almost non-existent.

It’s also lgbt+ rep with a romance that made my heart melt (though I wouldn’t class the book as a romance novel).

There was so much depth and consideration within this world and I will definitely be re reading again and again in order to re experience Morgernstern’s gorgeous writing!

A book that will teach me to stop judging books before I’ve even opened the cover. I went in with trepidation worried it wouldn’t be for me.

However I was pleasantly surprised by the simple writing style that enabled me to easily access the story without feeling like I was trudging through it.

It was only a quick read (around 200 pages I think?) and at the end I felt like I had understood it yet at the same time understood that there were so many layers I hadn’t noticed.

In a 1984 style future, books are to be burned- they breed bad ideas and why could you possibly need them when you can access everything at top speed? Top speed driving, news, and judgement without a second thought.

An interesting look into a version of society I sincerely hope we avoid!

First picked this up a couple of years ago, got ten pages in, and put it back down. Hoping to read the trilogy all the way through this time as I’m a fan of Patrick Ness’ other books.
I enjoyed Viola’s perspective a lot, and loved the wide range of whacky characters (particularly Wilf because how could you not love him).
I thought the whole premise of the book (men’s thoughts being audible because of a germ released in a war) was fascinating. Especially the way Ness wrote a story where none of the characters have any privacy but they also seem to be in the dark about the truth at all times. Kept me guessing!
One part I didn’t like was how every single possible thing that could go wrong went wrong. There was no time for gentle character development because something exciting or terrifying was always about to happen- but I think this is personal preference since I’ve not read Sci-fi in so long.

A little too much torture for me? Not really where I was expecting the series to go but interesting to see the social shifts within New Prentisstown. The whole book read like a moral dilemma question.

This book was exactly what I was looking for- it was fast paced with a dramatic plot and enough twists and turns that I wasn’t even close to guessing the ending!

The story follows Pip as she investigated the murder/suicide that took place in her town years ago. The evidence doesn’t add up to her so for her A Level coursework she starts to poke around- and someone immediately wants her to stop.

Each chapter left my head reeling with new information and I was continually having to update the suspect list in my head as Pip delved deeper into the unraveling crime.

The sequel is already out and I’m going to have to read it- there’s nothing like a refreshingly-written murder mystery to get yourself out of a reading slump.

Not quite what I was expecting but in a refreshing way. I loved the setting of Paris and the beautiful, elaborate descriptions of Versailles. The beginning felt very much like the set up for a fairy tale- two sisters and their layabout brother relying on scraps of magic to help them get through life.

Hot air balloons were an interesting part of the plot which is what made it stand out from similar books to me. Such a vibrant, unusual combination of magic and double lives, and secrecy made for an intriguing read.

One of my only issues was the way time seemed to flow in irregular ways. I was never quite sure whether we were months, weeks, or days ahead of the previous chapter which for me made me unsure of how i should feel about certain characters. Were they best friends or had they met just recently?

Also though this would be an older YA but I'd say this is suitable for younger YA readers as well!