Pokemon Go Book Tag!

Hello, fellow bookworms! Since Detective Pikachu is finally in theatres and Pokemon is everywhere again, I thought I'd use this time to do a tag that I didn't get the chance to do back when Pokemon Go was released. I wasn't tagged to do this by anyone, I just really like Pokemon. And books. COMBINED. The Pokemon Go book tag was originally created by the wonderful Read at Midnight, who also created the gorgeous graphics used in this post!

I'm that cliche person who has to say Harry Potter because it's very true for me. Before my mum shoved her copies into my hands, I hated strongly disliked reading. It was the worst hour of the school week when I had to go into the library. That's how different my world was before Harry Potter. THERE WAS AN ACTUAL TIME WHEN I CRIED TEARS OF DESPAIR OVER THE SIGHT OF A LIBRARY RATHER THAN TEARS OF JOY. WHO EVEN WAS I?

For this one, I have to say To Kill A Mockingbird. When I studied it at school, I didn't appreciate a single page, simply because I was forced to read it and was extremely stressed over the fact that I would be tested on it. But after my GCSEs were over and done with, I realised how truly incredible the story is.

This is quite difficult because the books I've read that ended up eventually being everywhere, I've still enjoyed despite their popularity. Like The Hunger Games, for example. I've either continued to like much-loved books or I haven't read them at all! I did lose interest in the Divergent series, though. It was because I got tired of the story as opposed to it being everywhere, but let's ignore that for the purpose of this question.

I think I'm going with an author in general for this and that author is Sarah Dessen! I adored her books when I was in high school but looking back, they all had similar tropes. I haven't read any of her stories in a long time but I still hold This Lullaby quite close to my heart, despite it's predictability.

I haven't touched a Sarah J. Maas book yet because I wouldn't know where to start or whether it'd be something I'd even enjoy. Maybe one day I'll get there...

God, there have been MANY. Most Cassandra Clare books keep me up at night. But the most recent one was More Happy Than Not, when I ended up reaching Part Zero at 1am and knew there was no way I'd be putting it down. My former night-owl self is no longer allowed to read into the early hours though, thanks to my good old friend, clinical insomnia.

We all know I'm not going to pick just one here. So here's a shoutout to a select few of my fave fictional couples: Snowbaz (Carry On), Pynch (The Raven Cycle), Kaz/Inej (Six of Crows), Suze/Jesse (The Mediator Series), Andreil (All For The Game), Malec (TMI).

Six of Crows is definitely one of those books that doesn't give you much of a chance to breathe. These poor kids are always in danger. I feared for them constantly when I was reading the two books! There's also plenty of action.

This is kind of a love/hate relationship with the spin-offs, but I'm going for The Mortal Instruments. I complain every single time Cassie announces a new series set within the Shadow World because I'm so :) goddamn :) tired :) and these characters need a BREAK. But. I'm also a complete hypocrite because no matter what, I'll still end up reading it and I'm guaranteed to fall in love with a new set of characters. HOW AM I STILL DRAGGED IN? WHAT DOES CASSIE DO THAT OTHER AUTHORS DON'T???? WITCHCRAFT. 

I was unsure whether or not to put this one here, but I'm gonna. I'm going with Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. It is by far one of my most cherished books. I reread it every year. I love the characters like I love no others. But it was a book that surprised me because believe it or not, I didn't know whether I'd actually enjoy it when it was announced! Shocking, I know. Considering I literally don't shut up about it. I was a huge fan of Rainbow anyway, but when Carry On was announced, I didn't know if it'd work, so I didn't actually get my hopes up beforehand. But then I read it and it surpassed every expectation I could have possibly had and now whenever someone asks me for my favourite books, Carry On is right at the top. 

I'm not going to call this overhyped because that sounds mean, but I'm super excited to start reading the Shades of Magic trilogy by V. E. Schwab because I've heard so many good things about these books! A friend of mine literally gave me an extra copy of the first book that she had so that I could finally read it. Fingers crossed I enjoy it as much as I hope I will.

This is an easy one for me because there is a particular edition that I've wanted for years and I still! don't! own! it! And it is the pastel pink hardback edition of Fangirl! I mean, I have two different versions of Fangirl already, my original copy and the fanart edition that I was lucky enough to come across in a charity shop, but it is one of my favourite books of all time, so I'm allowed to want as many versions of it as possible. Not a collector's edition,  but I also want the American paperback of Carry On because it's beautiful and I'm super sad we don't have that cover in the UK. 

I'm already halfway through this one because I was granted a copy by the NetGalley faeries, but it's The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie, known to us bloggers as the Queen of Contemporary! It makes my heart warm to see a fellow blogger who I've followed for years finally getting to publish her own book. 

I, um, have quite a few. Some of them being Maggie Stiefvater, Rainbow Rowell, Cassandra Clare, and Simon James Green. There's plenty more, but you don't want to be here all day. 

LISTEN. I HAVE LITERALLY BEEN WAITING ON THIS BOOK FOREVER AND I STILL DON'T EVEN KNOW IF IT'S EVER GOING TO BE RELEASED AT THIS POINT. And that book is the sequel to The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. Oh boy, am I TIRED. When I first read this book back in 2015, it ended up in my Top Ten list of books for that whole year because I loved it so much. And at that point it had already been out for two years because it was released later in the UK. So this book has generally been around since 2013. It is 2019 aND WE STILL DON'T HAVE A SEQUEL. BRANDON, PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU. Don't make me write it myself.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this tag! I don't have any fellow blogger friends to tag (bloggers, please be my friend) other than Rachel @ Rachel's Really Random Reviews, who is my best friend in real life so is legally obliged to do everything I tag her in. If you've already done this tag or are planning to, please link me to your posts so I can give them a read! Also, what's your favourite Pokemon? Mine is always a tie between Jigglypuff, Charmander, and Snorlax. Let me know yours in the comments! 

REVIEW: The Words That Fly Between Us by Sarah Carroll

Pages: 208
Format: ARC Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Release Date: 2nd May 2019
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Gifted from publisher
Buy The Book: Book Depository - A Great Read

Lucy’s father is a successful lawyer making a killing on the property market. She and her mother want for nothing. Nothing, that is, that can be bought.

But money cannot buy Lucy the words she needs. The words to stand up to her bully of a father. The words to inspire her mother to do something about the family life that is suffocating them both. The words to become the person she wants to be.

Then Lucy finds something else: An escape route...
Soon she discovers that every building on her row is connected, through the attic, to the next. As she explores the inner lives of those who live on her street, Lucy realises that she is not the only one to suffer in silence. She also sees ways she can help some, and ways to punish those that deserve it.

But as the mighty fall, Lucy is forced to realise that while she can affect the lives of others from the safety of the attic, she will need to climb down to face her own fears.

We join Lucy during her final summer before starting a new school. Her life is seemingly the one that girls her age would dream of having. But inside, her world is crumbling. Her father is mixed up in things he shouldn’t be after biting off more than he can chew in his work, her mother is unhappy with their homelife, and Lucy is left confused and scared about what their future might hold. All she wants is for things to go back to how they were a few years previously.

The one place Lucy has to herself, to collect her thoughts, is the attic that no one else uses. The attic above her house is connected to all the houses on the street. Over the course of the story, Lucy begins to collect secrets from those who live around her.

Lucy is one of those characters who you can’t help but root for. Even when she was making decisions that weren’t quite right, she always questioned whether she should be doing it. Her learning curve is an important one. Though she ends up in situations that invade other characters’ privacy, she works through her emotions to do what’s best.

There are plenty of interesting characters who we meet during Lucy’s journey, even if it’s briefly or from afar. Getting to see the variety of people around her shows us exactly how complex people can be. Nothing is ever what it seems from the outside, and that’s something that Lucy begins to understand by the end of the story.

• Her friendship with Megan. They’re tested throughout the book and faced with difficult situations together.

• The dark side of Lucy’s father. He’s the type of character who always gets his way and I loved how the story shows that winning doesn’t always mean being the best person.

• Lucy’s art. Despite being talented, she’s constantly told by her father that her artistic abilities aren’t a real talent. Her learning to accept that she’s good and that she wants art to be her future is such an inspiring part of the story.

• Lucy and her mother. I adored their relationship. Though the household can turn toxic because of the situations that Lucy’s father brings home, Lucy and her mother are a solid team.

This book is the perfect mixture of relatable, in-depth characters, and a plot with slightly dark and sinister tones. There are mysteries to be figured out and Lucy’s adventures through the attic are as thrilling as they are nerve-wracking. I read this is one sitting, which says a lot about how addictive the story is, given the fact that I’ve been in a huge reading slump for months! Lucy is one of those characters who will stay with me for a while.

Royal Rating:

  

BLOG TOUR: 'The Words That Fly Between Us' Guest Post by Sarah Carroll

Hello, fellow bookworms! Today I'm excited to be taking part in the tour for the wonderful new novel by Sarah Carroll, The Words That Fly Between Us!

The inspiration behind The Words That Fly Between Us

I actually handed up five ideas for novels to my publishers – from historical fiction to dystopian and fantasy – and they were rejected for various reasons. So I decided to pitch an idea that had more in common with my first book, The Girl in Between. It would be a story told from the perspective of a young girl and based in modern-day Dublin. With that in mind, I went for a walk for a bit of inspiration.

Wandering around Dublin’s city centre with its Georgian buildings, I have often looked above the street-level shops to the top floors and wondered what goes on up there? On this particular day, I thought, what if you were a young girl who lived in a Georgian house and you were the only one who knew that the attics on your row were connected, what sort of mischief would you get up to? Obviously, you’d get involved in other people’s business, but what would you really be doing up there in the shadows in the first place? You’d be running away from something, of course. The house itself, the atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

But that’s not really it, is it? Ultimately, it is yourself that you are running away from and in the end, you are going to have to come down and face your fears.

And then I had it. It would be the power of words that drove you up there, and it would be the power of words that would ultimately release you.

Clearly, I’m interested in the power of words, how they can strangle and suffocate. Why? Well, if I’m going to get all psychoanalytical on it…

As a teenager, I was badly bullied in school. There was one girl who had it out for me. But it was an insidious type of bullying, so hard to put your finger on. Sometimes it was the silence that followed a joke I made, or the look that was thrown my way, or the party I wasn’t invited to. But usually it was the sly meaning behind the words directed at me.

My diaries from the first three years of secondary school are a pretty heartbreaking read. I didn’t know how to stand up for myself. How could I, when I couldn’t even describe exactly what was happening. It was this feeling I decided to try and recreate with The Words That Fly Between Us.

There are three characters that have to deal with bullying in the book, the main character, Lucy, her mother and her friend, Megan.

Lucy must deal with how her father’s varying moods dictate the mood of the whole house, and how his opinions shape the way she sees herself. It is as much the weight of the words that are unspoken as those he directly speaks. They shape her world to the point where she becomes obsessed with the way they fill the spaces in the house, until her only escape is through her art and through the attic.

By contrast, Megan has no escape, as she is bullied both face–to–face and online.

I’ve often wondered how much more difficult the bullying I endured would have been if it was in this day and age, where the bully can follow you home from school via social media. And so this is the direction that Megan’s bullying takes.

It took me three years to finally stand up to the person who enjoyed tormenting me in school, and when I did, it wasn’t some huge showdown (okay, actually, it kind of was, but you wouldn’t believe me if I told you what happened!). Ultimately, what I needed to do was find the words to stand up for myself. It was as simple and as difficult as that. I can honestly say that at age sixteen, when I did find those words, it changed my life. And I think this is probably the deep-rooted reason why I chose to write this book.

It was a very important lesson in my life, and one I wanted to share: accepting who you are and finding your own voice are the things that will give you the strength to become who you want to be.

Huge thank you to Sarah for the guest post! Be sure to check out the rest of rest of the awesome blogs taking part in the tour:

REVIEW: How Not to Lose It by Anna Williamson

Pages: 176
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Non-Fiction, Advice
Release Date: March 7th 2019
Source: Gifted from publisher
Buy The Book: Book Depository - A Great Read

The go-to mental health guide for kids! Exam stress? Friendship issues? Panic attacks?
 
How Not to Lose It will help you be the boss of all of this, and more.

It's not just your body that should be fit and healthy - your mind needs to be, too! How Not to Lose It is the go-to guide for achieving a balanced mind and strong emotional well-being.

With immediate, heart of the matter advice and a chatty yet honest tone, Anna Williamson addresses all of the key issues affecting children today.

Topics covered:
anxiety depression stress friendship bullying relationships and sex family life and bereavement phobias peer pressure self-harm self-esteem and confidence.

The purpose of this book is to inform and reassure young people about what goes on inside their heads by openly discussing how the mind can react to different situations. This is the book I wish I’d had as a teenager. I didn’t learn about anxiety and panic attacks until I was at university and even then, it was through social media. No one in school taught me that my anxiety was more than just being painfully shy. I know I’d have been grateful for a book like this to have been in my library.

How Not to Lose It covers a range of mental health problems, giving advice on how to cope with situations that young people might find themselves in. From stress and grief, to navigating the online world and learning to accept yourself, Anna Williamson leaves no stone unturned. 

What I particularly loved was the Myth Busting and Ask Anna sections. We all have illogical fears at times, and it can be difficult to find people to ask about them. It’s great that Anna uses these parts of the book to show teens that they’re not alone in their way of thinking. There are even sections for writing things down, and letter templates for when things need to be said but speaking might be too scary. There’s nothing condescending and no lectures on what’s right and wrong, just pure understanding.

The section that discusses being online is super important. A lot has changed since I was in school just ten years ago. Whatever advice I might have needed then is so different to what teens today need to know. The world of social media can be a wonderful community, but it also has may dangerous and upsetting sides to it. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for teens to navigate their way through that whilst being in school. We definitely need more books like this one to give an updated look in to how modern society can impact mental health.

• It’s simple and straight to the point whilst also being reassuring. 

• The book normalises things that young people might worry about. 

• There are wonderful illustrations throughout, making the discussions seem less intimidating. 

• It talks about various treatment options from doctors to medication. 

• There are several websites at the back of the book to find further help. 

Books like this being easily available to young people are so important. We need to help teens feel like they have places to turn. Mental health can make us so isolated but there is always help available and there are places to find comfort, even if it’s within the pages of a book.

Royal Rating:

 

REVIEW: Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley

Pages: 249
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Genre: Contemporary
TW: Agoraphobia, panic attacks 
Release Date: May 26th 2016
Buy the Book: Book Depository - A Great Read

Sixteen year old Solomon has agoraphobia. He hasn't left his house in three years, which is fine by him. At home, he is the master of his own kingdom--even if his kingdom doesn't extend outside of the house.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to go to a top tier psychiatry program. She'll do anything to get in.

When Lisa finds out about Solomon's solitary existence, she comes up with a plan sure to net her a scholarship: befriend Solomon. Treat his condition. And write a paper on her findings. To earn Solomon's trust, Lisa begins letting him into her life, introducing him to her boyfriend Clark, and telling him her secrets. Soon, Solomon begins to open up and expand his universe. But all three teens have grown uncomfortably close, and when their facades fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse as well.

I adore YA books that deal with mental health. I actively seek them out and consume them as often as I can. Partly because it's hugely important to expose young people to the topic of mental health, and also because it's a topic very close to my heart due to my own issues that I face every day. But I'm not here to give you a run-down of my own mental health cocktail, so let's get into this review. Warning: I’m going to include spoilers here because I don’t think I can get my thoughts across on this one without discussing the ins and outs.

This story splits between the characters of Solomon and Lisa. Solomon hasn’t left his house in years due to his crippling agoraphobia, and Lisa wants to be a psychologist, so she decides to use Solomon as her project to get to college. To get straight to the point, Solomon falls in love with Lisa’s boyfriend, Clark. Lisa, though heartbroken, believes Clark is in love with Solomon too and tells Solomon this without any real evidence (her logic? He won’t sleep with her, so he must be gay!!!!), encouraging him to admit his feelings. Here’s where things get even worse. Clark is most definitely straight and doesn’t have romantic feelings for Solomon, and he and Lisa then sort out their problems. Along the way, Lisa literally uses Solomon and his mental health for an essay as she attempts to ‘fix’ him. Yeah. That’s…that’s really the plot.  

Solomon was wonderful. Honestly, by the end of the book, he was the sole reason I was still reading. Characters with mental health problems like his are so important for sharing what it’s like to live with anxiety for people who might not understand it, and to help people with anxiety find themselves in the stories they read. But in saying that, I don’t think his mental health was addressed properly within the story. I loved him as a character, I just hated the story he was a part of.

Now, Lisa. At first, I simply thought she was a bit naïve and that she was going to learn that her use of Solomon for a project was wrong. Whilst she did learn *some* things, she didn’t come anywhere close to accepting just how many mistakes she made. The line at the end about Lisa 'luring' a gay teen out of hiding with her attractive boyfriend? Yes, I understand that part was written into Lisa's essay, admitting to herself that she'd been stupid. BUT YIKES. Just reading sentences like that made me cringe. The attitude Lisa had in general to everything that happened (or didn't, as the case may be) with Solomon and Clark just gave me so many bad vibes.

I liked Clark enough, I just don’t understand why the author felt the need to include him in the way that he did. I’m not necessarily stating that I wanted him to reciprocate Solomon’s feelings. I adore platonic relationships in YA and it’s super important to have male best friends who love each other without there having to be anything romantic between them. But this whole situation just didn’t sit right with me.

The good? Few and far between for me, but I will say that the one thing this book seriously nailed was the Reed family. The relationship between this family was written beautifully. I'm so used to reading about tense and awful families that it made such a refreshing change for Solomon to have a solid support system at home.

This book really had the gay character fall for the straight character, only for the straight couple to have a chance at a happy ending by the end of the story, whilst the gay character was left with the knowledge that someone got his hopes up over a straight guy. WHY ARE WE NOT OVER THE GAY GUY FALLING FOR THE STRAIGHT FRIEND TROPE? Yes, I know this is a thing that happens, people can't help falling in love with other people. But do we really still have to do that in a book like this? It just wasn’t necessary, and it wasn’t enjoyable to read. Why did Solomon have to fall in love with Clark in the first place? Just because he's gay, he has to fall in love with the other male character? He needs a romantic sub-plot to get him over his mental health problems???? This book could have simply focused on Solomon’s mental health, and Lisa attempting to help him. I didn’t actually see the point in Clark AT ALL.

I genuinely wish I had more good things to say about this book because I never like coming online to discuss the negatives, but with a book like this, I think it’s important for me to share what I personally feel was wrong within it.  

Royal Rating: 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Deserve More Goodreads Ratings

I don’t usually do Top Ten Tuesdays, at least I haven’t for a good few years because me keeping up with a weekly feature just wasn’t going to happen. HOWEVER. This week’s theme was calling out to me because there’s nothing I love more than shoving my personal fave hidden gems down people’s throats. Here are ten books from my Goodreads shelf that somehow still have less than 2000 ratings (and I’m very mad about it). 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

 10. Minty by Christina Banach

Fourteen-year old twins Minty and Jess are inseparable. Maybe they bicker now and then, even crave a bit of space once in a while. But they have a connection. Unbreakable. Steadfast. Nothing can tear them apart. Until a family trip to the coast puts their bond in jeopardy. As Minty tries to rescue her dog from drowning she ends up fighting for her life. Will Minty survive? If she doesn't, how will Jess cope without her? Only the stormy sea has the answer.

This is a prime example of why people shouldn’t sleep on indie books. I read Minty a few years ago and it ended up being one of my faves from that year. I’m always a fan of stories that focus less on romance and more of the bonds of friendships and families, and this book delivers that and more. 

9. The Girl in the Broken Mirror by Savita Kalhan

Jay's creative writing exercise is to write a fairy tale, to end with 'they lived happily ever after'. But the way her life is panning out she's not sure it will ever reach that stage. A powerful moving gripping story which explores themes of family, loyalty and culture clash but is ultimately about hope and understanding.  

I can’t stress enough how important stories like this are. It’s a tough read, but it teaches so much. Again, it’s a small story that deserves a lot more recognition because it opens up conversations that people are too afraid to have. 

8. A Boy Like Me by Jennie Wood

Born a girl, Peyton Honeycutt meets Tara Parks in the eighth grade bathroom shortly after he gets his first period. It is the best and worst day of his life. Determined to impress Tara, Peyton sets out to win her love by mastering the drums and basketball. He takes on Tara’s small-minded mother, the bully at school, and the prejudices within his conservative hometown. In the end, Peyton must accept and stand up for who he is or lose the woman he loves.

THIS BOOK. A Boy Like Me is one of the first trans stories that I had the chance to read as a blogger and it opened up a whole new world of diverse literature me. I’m always recommending stories like this one as often as I can now. This is another independent book that is just as amazing as any story you’ll read from a big publisher. 

7. Damage by Eve Ainsworth

How can you heal if you can't face your past? Confident, popular Gabi has a secret - a secret so terrible she can't tell her family, or her best friend. She can't even take pleasure in her beloved skateboarding any more. And then one day an impulse turns to something darker. Gabi has never felt so alone. But then she learns that not everyone has wounds you can see. A searing look at self-harm and acceptance from hugely talented author Eve Ainsworth. Warning: includes content that some readers may find upsetting. 

Self-harm is something that has affected people close to me and finding stories like this means a lot. It’s not something I see discussed in YA nearly enough. This book provides an open and honest discussion about self-harm and what it can do.  

6. Super Awkward by Beth Garrod

15-year-old Bella Fisher is an absolute winner ... at failing at life. When she's not unknowingly snogging her teacher's son in front of her mum, she's accidentally revealing her best mates' biggest secrets online. Bella's life is spinning into catastrophe. But will she be able to piece it back together in time for prom?

The amount of times this book made me laugh alone is a reason for it to be included on my list. I used to thrive off funny stories when I was a teen and stories like this one are helping me to rediscover the genres I used to love so much. 

5. The Everest Files by Matt Dickinson

Ryan is on a gap year adventure, working for a medical charity in Nepal. When a local girl begs him to investigate why her sixteen-year-old friend Kami never came back from Everest, Ryan cannot resist the challenge.

A solo journey takes Ryan deep into the mountains where his detective work finally pays off. What emerges is a shocking tale of lies, betrayal and obsession.

All played out on the lethal slopes of the highest mountain in the world.

Little by little Ryan is falling under Everest’s deadly spell. 

When I came across this series, I was looking for something out of my comfort zone because as a YA blogger, I read a lot of the same type of stuff. So many similar plots and characters can get a little dull after a while. The Everest Files is completely different to the books I normally pick up and gave me an epic new adventure to follow. 

4. Vanilla by Billy Merrell

Hunter and Van become boyfriends before they're even teenagers, and stay a couple even when adolescence intervenes. But in high school, conflict arises -- mostly because Hunter is much more comfortable with the sex part of sexual identity. As the two boys start to realize that loving someone doesn't guarantee they will always be with you, they find out more about their own identities -- with Hunter striking out on his own while Van begins to understand his own asexuality.

 ASEXUAL MAIN CHARACTER. NEED I SAY MORE? I was crying out for asexual stories when I came across Vanilla and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. Not only is it the diverse story of my dreams, but it’s told in the most beautiful way, through poems.

3. The Island by Olivia Levez

Frances is alone on a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. She has to find water and food. She has to survive. And when she is there she also thinks about the past. The things that she did before. The things that made her a monster. Nothing is easy. Survival is hard and so is being honest about the past. Frances is a survivor however, and with the help of the only other crash survivor, she sees that the future is worth fighting for.

I lost so much sleep for this book. I remember checking the time at 1:30am just as things were starting to get super serious in the story, knowing I wasn’t going to be putting it down any soon. My sleep deprived self had no regrets in the morning though because this book was WONDERFUL.

2. Margot & Me by Juno Dawson

Fliss's mum needs peace and quiet to recuperate from a long illness, so they both move to the countryside to live with Margot, Fliss's stern and bullying grandmother. Life on the farm is tough and life at school is even tougher, so when Fliss unearths Margot's wartime diary, she sees an opportunity to get her own back.

But Fliss soon discovers Margot's life during the evacuation was full of adventure, mystery . . . and even passion. What's more, she learns a terrible secret that could tear her whole family apart . . .

I love Juno Dawson and I love stories that are split between two different time periods, so this was a perfect combination for me. How this book doesn’t have more ratings is beyond me. IT DESERVES SO MUCH LOVE.The characters are adorable and the story will have you hooked. 

1. Noah Can't Even by Simon James Green

Poor Noah Grimes!

His dad disappeared years ago, his mother's Beyonce tribute act is an unacceptable embarrassment, and his beloved gran isn't herself anymore. He only has one friend, Harry, and school is...Well, it's pure HELL.

Why can't Noah be normal, like everyone else at school? Maybe if he struck up a romantic relationship with someone - maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely - he'd be seen in a different light?

But Noah's plans for romance are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. That's when things go from bad to worse utter chaos.

I’m sipping my Loving Noah Juice again. Everyone must be so tired of me mentioning this book in every possible blog post by now BUT IT’S NOT MY FAULT, OKAY? It’s one of my favourites, so obviously I’m going to whine about how it needs more ratings. 

What are your favourite books that don't get the love they deserve? Let me know!