Sophie Reads YA

The BookFangirling Blogger Awards!

15:30

Hello, and this is someting a bit different from my usual blog posts. Earlier today, the wonderful Beth from Words From a Reader (blog/twitter) nominated me for the 'BookFangirling Blogger Awards'! Thank you so much, Beth, and I graciously accept!

Now, I have to answer a few questions, and nominate some other lovely bloggers. The rules will be posted below.

QUESTION ONE: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BLOGGING?

I love all the wonderful people I have meet via twitter, goodreads, etc., who encourage me to blog about my love of books. Also, the ability to interact with different authors is an amazing thing. I can't wait to be able to meet up with some of these lovely people next year at YALC!

QUESTION TWO: WHICH BOOK, SERIES, CHARACTER OR FANDOM DO YOU FANGIRL/BOY OVER THE MOST?

Like most people, the Harry Potter series will always feature in any favourites of mine. Lately, though, I've fallen in love with the Night School series by C.J. Daugherty, and I'm gutted that it's over with. Allie is a character who I wish I could be as strong as, and her and Carter are forever my newest OTP.

QUESTION THREE: WHY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SUCH A BIG FANGIRL/BOY OF SAID THING?

I think with Harry Potter, I love it so much as it was my childhood. I remember being on holiday when I was only 6 reading books 1 & 2, and even reading Deathly Hallows in four hours after getting off a 9 hour flight from America, jetlagged, but unable to sleep until I knew what had happened to all of the characters that I loved. With Night School, I only started that series in March, and reading all five books in quick succession made me realise how complex England is. I mean, I could actually imagine something like that happening at some schools, and in the government. Because of this realism, I think the series needs more love, especially with the amount of truly amazing characters in the series.

QUESTION FOUR: WHO IS THE BEST PERSON IN YOUR LIFE TO FANGIRL WITH?

I'd probably say Sally (blog/twitter). Because of her, I read Night School, and she has always been there on twitter to fangirl with, especially when I finished Resistance, and couldn't cope with the wait for Endgame.

QUESTION FIVE: WHICH POPULAR BOOK/SERIES/CHARACTER DO YOU WISH YOU COULD FANGIRL OVER BUT YOU ACTUALLY DON'T LIKE?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower. My god, I could not stand that book! I don't understand all of the hype surrounding it, and to be perfectly honest, the only reason I even finished the book was because I couldn't stand to be beaten by an awful book. I know a lot of people really loved Perks, but to me it's just blah.
For a particular character, It would have to be Rhysand from ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas. To me, he's a creepy, creep, and I'm dreading book 2 because he will be playing a much bigger role. The fact that Sarah has said book 2 is going to have Hades/Persephone themes, knocks me sick, and I just hope it's not as bad as I'm expecting.

So now that the questions are over, I'm supposed to nominate some people whom I think deserve the award and answer the questions in this post!

Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm - @reviewbookworm

Kayleigh @ K-Books - @K__Books

Sally @ The Dark Dictator - @TheDarkDictator

Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler - @thebooktraveler

Sarah @ What Sarah Read - @whatsarahread

Now that you're nominated, if you accept your award you have to:
1. Create a post accepting your award.
2. Add the blog award button into your post (just save the picture to your computer and upload it) and put it on the side of your blog as a widget.
3. Answer the questions.Nominate between 5-10 book bloggers who you think deserve this award
4. Use the hashtag #bookfangirlingblogaward on Twitter when you're done so Hannah can see your answers and nominations!

If you don't want to accept the award, that is also fine! Just pass on the award to someone you feel deserves it! Congratulations to all of the nominees!

3 Stars

ARC Review: It's About Love by Steven Camden

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It's About Love
Series: None
Author: Steven Camden
Published August 4th 2015 by HarperCollins Children’s Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Real life is messier than the movies. A bold, thought-provoking novel from the exceptionally talented, Steven Camden.
He's Luke. She's Leia.
Just like in Star Wars. Just like they’re made for each other. Same film studies course, different backgrounds, different ends of town.
Only this isn't a film. This is real life. This is where monsters from the past come back to take revenge. This is where you are sometimes the monster.
But real life? Sometimes, only sometimes, it turns out just like in the movies…
… maybe.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via Maximum Pop & NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book was something different, and it's proving hard to rate. I think it's a 3 star read, as I quite enjoyed it, but at the same time didn't, if you know what I mean? It's About Love follows the life of Luke Henry, a 16 year old coming to terms with his brother's return after two years in prison, a new college, and balancing his old friends with his new. Luke struggled with his anger a lot during this book, and that aspect of the novel was something I'm not sure how I felt about.

Luke and Leia, the main characters, were quite enjoyable, especially together. Leia was different and quirky, but not in an over the top way. Both were hiding facts about themselves from each other, mainly about their brothers, and I liked the way they worked through their college assignment by giving little hints into their own lives.

To return to Luke's anger, I felt as though anger was one of the main themes of the book. His brother, Marc, went to prison for ABH (Actual Bodily Harm), he, himself, was the victim of violence, and then he attacks someone else later on in the book. I know this was used to show not everything is perfect, and that there is a gritty underbelly of British society that tends to be overlooked in UKYA. Perhaps it was because it's not often mentioned that I found it a bit abrupt, but it was sort of enjoyable to read about at the same time, if enjoyable is the right word.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was how it was split between typed text, handwritten text, and screen directions. These different looks split the action between past and present, and personal thoughts. I definitely changed the pace of the story, and for the better. Rather than learning about what actually happened with Marc, and with Luke's scar in one big chuck of text, it was interspersed throughout the entire story, making you learn just enough to keep you aching for more.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but at the same time wasn't. It was more of a 'meh' read, to be honest, and though I'm really happy I read the book, I don't think it's one I'd return to in the future. I would recommend it, as it is one of those UKYA reads that you aren't expecting, and is quite different from what you've read before.

Dates Read:
July 7 to 9, 2015

Rating
3 Stars

July

Stacking the Shelves: July 25th 2015

10:00

4 Stars

Review: Flirty Dancing (The Ladybirds #1) by Jenny McLachlan

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Flirty Dancing
Series: The Ladybirds #1
Author: Jenny McLachlan
Published July 3rd 2014 by Bloomsbury Children's

Goodreads Synopsis
Bea Hogg is shy but fiery inside. When national dance competition Starwars comes to her school looking for talent, she wants to sign up. It's just a shame her best friend agreed to enter with school super-cow Pearl Harris. Bea will fight back! But when school hottie, Ollie Matthews, who also happens to be Pearl’s boyfriend, decides to enter the competition with Bea, she will have more than a fight on her hands.

This warm, nuanced, hilarious story about friendship, fortitude . . . and dancing is impossible not to fall in love with. Jenny’s voice is fresh and convincing, and she handles both darker and lighter elements of the story with equal panache.
Goodreads

Review
I've had my eye on this series for some time now, and seeing as I've been approved for an ARC of book 3, this was the perfect time to read it.

Flirty Dancing was a really quick and easy read. With my e-book being only 180 pages, it seemed to fly through. The book was fun, and a little cheesy - the perfect story to read when jet lagged and in the mood for some fluff.

Our main character was Bea, a 14 year old from Brighton, who faces the same challenges most teenagers do. She's dealing with school, with her friends - and enemies, and struggling with her body image. I really connected with her, as I could definitely understand some of the feelings she had throughout the book. This was undoubtedly helped by the fact it was UKYA, so I understood the slang and colloquialisms used.

The background of the series, that all four girls were friends called The Ladybirds, seems very promising. I can't wait to read further books to see exactly how Bea, Kat, Betty, and Pearl fell out, and hopefully, to see them become friends again. Betty was a wonderful character, and I'm glad that Love Bomb is from her perspective.

Bea and Ollie's romance was cute and fluffy, and perfect for a quick contemporary read. I loved seeing Bea's first crush/love pan out, especially as it started from friendship. Their dancing as the Jive Monkey's seemed very real, and almost as if I was actually watching them perform - McLachlan did an excellent job with this!

Even the background characters were enjoyable. I loved Bea's baby sister, Emma - she really reminded me of Libby from the Georgia Nicolson series. She was very funny and helped to lighten the mood at times. Also, Bea's nan was so influential in the book. Because of her, Bea came out of her shell and thrived. Bea's whole dancing career with Ollie was due to her nan's input. She no longer put up with the bullying she suffered, and became more body positive as a result. This is a really important message for teenagers today, and I loved how it was addressed.

Even though Flirty Dancing was a quick read, that by no means was at the detriment of the story. I feel as though everything that needed to happen, happened, and anything that perhaps hadn't, will be covered in the companion books. I'm definitely going to continue with this series, and am so glad I have an advance copy of Sunkissed.

Dates Read:
June 26 to 27, 2015

Rating
4 Stars

Eleanor Herman

Waiting on Wednesday: Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1) by Eleanor Herman

10:00

4 Stars

ARC Review: What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

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What You Left Behind
Series: None
Author: Jessica Verdi
Published August 4th 2015 by Sourcebooks

Goodreads Synopsis
It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book was just angst, with a side order of even more angst. I mean, that was not a surprise, at all, but there weren't many happy, fluffy moments. However, What You Left Behind was still an enjoyable read, if 'enjoyable' is the right word to be using about a cancer book.

Ryden was a really great narrator for this story. He was far from perfect, and didn't hide that fact. Let's be honest, what 17 year old boy, or girl really, who's basically guaranteed a scholarship to play soccer (football) at uni, will want to be left as a single parent to a new born? Before Meg got pregnant, they were happy. Yes, she had cancer, but she was undergoing chemo, and it seemed to be working. Now, he's lost his girlfriend, has a baby, and is struggling to juggle childcare, work, soccer practise, and school. I can completely understand his anger and frustration - even a saint would be. To top it all off, he thinks baby Hope hates him, and that he's an awful father.

I liked the side plot of Ryden looking to find Meg's hidden journals, even if they did bring to light some really difficult issues. At times, I even hated Meg for what she did, but I could also kind of understand her thought processes. Hands down, though, I don't think Ryden was to blame for anything that happened prior to the start of the book, and hated the times when he, and others, thought this. To me, Ryden was just a struggling parent, trying the best that he could to placate his daughter, whilst also struggling with the grief of losing his girlfriend to cancer. By the end of the novel, Ryden was the best father ever, and Hope was a wonderful, happy, little baby girl. What more could you want?

Joni and Ryden's relationship was sweet, though the secret keeping left a taste in my mouth and I couldn't fully enjoy it. Again, I understood Ryden's reasoning for keeping secrets, but that still messed everything up in the long run. These main characters, and the side character's, such as Alan, Mabel, and Deanna, brought the story to life, and showed that being a teenage parent is difficult, and that life is not perfect, in the slightest. I think this was the main message of the story, and Verdi did a wonderful job in conveying this.

On the whole, What You Left Behind was a really well written, and thought out story. Not the happiest of topics, it didn't shy away from the hard issues, and I think that's the wonderful thing about modern YA fiction. Through these types of books, teenagers can learn about difficult problems, in a way that's safe and also enjoyable. If that type of book appeals to you, this would be the perfect addition to your shelves.

Dates Read:
July 11-16, 2015

Rating
4 Stars