Sophie Reads YA

Holly Bourne

Waiting on Wednesday: What's a Girl Gotta Do? (Normal #3) by Holly Bourne

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July

Stacking the Shelves: July 16th 2016

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#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: Wanderlost by Jen Malone

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Wanderlost
Series: None
Author: Jen Malone
Published May 31st 2016 by HarperTeen

Goodreads Synopsis
Not all those who wander are lost, but Aubree Sadler most definitely is on this novel’s whirlwind trip through Europe.

Aubree can’t think of a better place to be than in perfectly boring Ohio, and she’s ready for a relaxing summer. But when her older sister, Elizabeth, gets into real trouble, Aubree is talked into taking over Elizabeth’s summer job, leading a group of senior citizens on a bus tour through Europe.

Aubree doesn’t even make it to the first stop in Amsterdam before their perfect plan unravels, leaving her with no phone, no carefully prepared binder full of helpful facts, and an unexpected guest: the tour company owner’s son, Sam. Considering she’s pretending to be Elizabeth, she absolutely shouldn’t fall for him, but she can’t help it, especially with the most romantic European cities as the backdrop for their love story.

But her relationship with Sam is threatening to ruin her relationship with her sister, and she feels like she’s letting both of them down. Aubree knows this trip may show her who she really is—she just hopes she likes where she ends up.
Goodreads

Review
I love reading contemporary books, especially in the summer, and when I first learnt about this book, it seemed like the perfect summer read. In Wanderlost, Aubree unintentionally gets her sister, Elizabeth, arrested, which throws a spanner in the works for Elizabeth's summer plans of leading a tour group of OAPs around Europe - something which is crucial to her future ambitions. To help our, Bree agrees to impersonate Elizabeth, and take her place as the tour guide, even though she knows nothing about Europe, or leading senior citizens. Her first few hours didn't go so well, and to top it all off, she finds herself falling for the kind and helpful voice on the end of the phone, someone who just happens to be the son of tour company's owner. When Sam turns up in Europe, Bree has a tough time being herself, when she's impersonating her sister.

When I read this book, I was in the middle of my final university exams, and needed something light and fluffy to get my head screwed on properly, and not stressed out. Bree was someone who I wish I was like, though some of her decisions needed perhaps a bit of though, before she went through with them. She had to fumble her way through the actual 'guiding' part of the trip, until one of the tourists stepped in to help. However, she learnt as she went along, and by the end of the tour, she was doing really well in her role.

I had some issues with the lies she was spreading, but I got why she had to do it. Hers and Sam's relationship was extremely cute, from the first quasi-meeting over the phone, to him actually turning up in Europe, and tagging along. They just felt real, and progressed at a natural pace, unlike some YA contemporary couples. Bree's sister, Elizabeth, I seriously disliked, as she was down on Bree all the time, as if she was some perfect person herself. I'm glad she wasn't a big character in the book, otherwise my feelings may have been different. The old folks were wonderful, exactly how I'd imagine a group on holiday in Europe.

Really, this book dropped through my letter box at the right moment, and took my mind off the pending exams perfectly. It made me look forward to my trip to Rome to celebrate graduation even more, and I'm looking forward to reading more from Malone in the future.

Dates Read:

June 4-5, 2016

Rating
5 Stars

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Waiting on Wednesday: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany

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July

Stacking the Shelves: July 9th 2016

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#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw

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Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here
Series: None
Author: Anna Breslaw
Published April 19th 2016 by Razorbill

Goodreads Synopsis
Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her weed-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is cancelled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. And if they ever find out what Scarlett truly thinks about them, she’ll be thrust into a situation far more dramatic than anything she’s ever seen on TV…
Goodreads

Review
I seriously conflicted over this book. It had been on my wishlist and TBR for ages, and I was proper looking forward to reading it when I had some free time during or after my exams. The day after my second exam, I decided to give myself some free time away from revision, and this book was calling to me from my bookshelf. Before I get into the proper review, it should be noted that I did read it all in one sitting, so at least there's that.

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here is about Scarlett, a high school student who is a self proclaimed fangirl. Her favourite show, Lycanthrope High, has been cancelled, and she's gone into mourning. Her and her online friends, some of the best fanfic writers for Lycanthrope High, group together to overcome the loss, and Scarlett begins writing fanfic influenced both by the show, and by her own life. In reality, she hasn't got many friends, the person she's closest too is an 80 year old pensioner living across the road. The boy who she had been best friends with when they were younger, Gideon, has been 'brain washed' by the Populars, but her crush never truly went away. She draws far too much from reality for her fanfic, with people like herself, Gideon, and mean girl Ashley, being the building blocks for her 'fictional' characters.

I should have loved this book. I'd seen a ton of positive reviews online, from bloggers whose opinions I trust, and, quite simply, the synopsis promised something right up my street. I don't really know why, but the book was just flat. I never really connected with Scarlett, or honestly, liked her. The characters were all too blah for me to care about, and I feel like I was just reading the book, without connecting with it at all, or really caring. I flew through the book, but more because I wasn't savouring it like I wanted too; rather, I was kinda skimming through the book to see if it got any better.

The plot lines, too, didn't hook me. Out of the 'real' story, and the fictionalised fanfic, the fanfic was better, but only marginally so. I did appreciate Breslaw's writing, though, it had to have been the best part of the entire book. Because of this, I would probably give her books another go in the future, but Scarlett Epstein wasn't for me.

Dates Read:

June 2, 2016

Rating
3 Stars