Romance – Page 22 – My Good Reads

‘The List’ – Siobhan Vivian

On paper, this novel sounded like one I would love the moment I picked it up. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The idea behind the novel is that at the start of every year a list is published, giving the names of the prettiest and ugliest girl in each grade. We follow the thoughts and actions of the eight named girls during the week building up to their final Homecoming dance.

Perhaps it is the obviously American bias that made this hard to get into, but I don’t think so. The issues these girls face are ones that could be experienced by teenage girls anywhere, so what made it so hard to like?

For me, the book starts with the main characters all seeming quite unlikeable. We never really get to see them let their guard down and show a little more than the surface until a long way into the novel. By which time, for me, it was a little too late.

While this wasn’t, for me at least, a book that got me remotely excited, I can see it being a book that will have its appeal.

‘Evil Librarian’ – Michelle Knudsen

Cynthia has a huge crush on her classmate, Ryan, though they’ve never spoken. Her good friend, Annie, mocks her for this crush – but Cynthia thinks she can get her own back when Annie develops a serious crush on the new school librarian, Mr Gabriel.

From the outset it’s clear that this is not a serious read. Packed full of humour and with more than a nod to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was gripped from the start.

As soon as Cynthia works out that Mr Gabriel is, in fact, a demon, the book veers into something akin to a Scooby Doo episode. I love Scooby Doo. Without giving away plot details, this is not particularly fast-moving but it is such good fun. Thoroughly enjoyable, if a bit daft.

‘Sophie’ – Jennie Sargam

When I saw this on NetGalley I was intrigued by the cover. The information given about this makes it seem like a very different story to what you actually get.

I was curious to read the story of Sophie and look at how she dealt with her situation. Unfortunately, I felt that the whole premise of her life was so far-fetched and unrealistic that I couldn’t shake that, even as I got to find out more about her.

There was no doubt that the relationship between Sophie and Eric was meant to be important, but it was the relationship between Sophie and her teacher that became of more interest. I got caught up in seeing how these two rather prickly characters learned about themselves as the story progressed.

This novel seems to be trying to cover a lot of issues, but I didn’t feel that we were prepared for them. For me, there were just too many unlikely elements for me to every fully relax with this one.

‘Tragedy Girl’ – Christine Hurley Deriso

This novel is due for release in April 2016, but I received an advance digital copy from NetGalley. For these reasons I won’t give any plot spoilers away.

Anne goes to live with her aunt and uncle after the tragic deaths of her parents. She is drawn to Blake, the golden boy of the school, who also has experienced his fair share of tragedy. While things seem good, there are clues that not everything is quite what it seems.

In this novel we get lots of questions, and Anne’s constant questioning does make the book feel slow at times. Unfortunately, once these questions start to get answered I feel that the story is rushed to its dramatic resolution.

While this isn’t my cup of tea, I can certainly see it being a book that certain students that I teach will love.

‘The Jewel:The Lone City 1’ – Amy Ewing

From the start, we are under no illusions that Violet Lasting’s life is not meant to be easy. She is an Augury, separated from her family and auctioned off to the highest bidder to act as a surrogate for a wealthy family.

Many dream of living in The Jewel. While its inhabitants don’t suffer many privations, their lives are far from easy. Beneath its glittering surface, The Jewel is a harsh and unpleasant place to exist.

In many ways this is like so many other YA dystopian novels. We have a female protagonist who is a lot stronger than she thinks; rumours of scandal at the highest level; some gruesome deaths; a clearly defined social structure and, inevitably, the romance.

However, it is not a mere copy of these novels. There is something about Violet that makes you hope she’ll triumph. While she is naive in giving in to her feelings for Ash, we are made to understand her motivation for continuing something so dangerous. The character of Lucien – like Cinna in The Hunger Games – is intriguing, not least because he really does seem to offer hope for the future. The biggest plus for this novel though was the completely unexpected element to the ending, which has me desperate to know what comes next.

While this didn’t make it onto the Carnegie Long-list for 2016, I am certain that those amongst its target audience who pick it up will find a place for it in their hearts.

‘You and Me, Always’ – Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell is one of those writers whose works I’ve always enjoyed…and this latest offering was no exception.

Lily is 25 years old, and lives in the rural village of Stanton Langley where everyone knows everyone else’s business. On the day of her 25th birthday she receives the final letter from her mother (who died fourteen years previously) and two bits of information that completely change her life.

The story centres around a fairly small, tight-knit group of characters who are all warmly portrayed. You can’t help but get caught up in the ups and downs of their lives, fairly safe in the knowledge that all will be resolved by the end.

Warm-hearted, feel-good read that you will love if it’s your sort of thing. Thanks to NetGalley I didn’t have to wait for this to come into the local library…

‘Silent’ – Sara Alva

At 15, Alex has the kind of life that makes for horrific reading. His mum frequently abandons him, her boyfriend is abusive towards him and he is desperate to hide the fact that he is gay from those around him. These pieces are slowly fed to us, and they felt worse to me because of Alex’s acceptance of his lot in life.

When a well-meaning teacher calls Social Services after Alex is burned, he is angry and determined to reject all overtures of friendship/help. Watching Alex try to find his place as he is taken away from everything he has known makes for painful reading.

It would be easy to put this down as the book is bleak. However, when Alex is taken to foster care he becomes friends with Seb, a boy who doesn’t speak, and they form an unlikely bond. Their friendship – and inevitable romance – really does become a source of strength to both boys and offers some hope to the reader.

The boys do not have an easy time of it, and some of their experiences make for uncomfortable reading. I felt quite wrung out by the end of this, but so pleased that I picked it up.

‘The One Plus One’ – JoJo Moyes

Before reading, we are given some fairly big clues about where this book is heading. We’re told that single parent Jess Thomas is an eternal optimist, but her daily struggles are taking their toll. Dealing with a teenage stepson who is being bullied and a young daughter who has a chance to escape their environment because of her affinity with numbers is getting harder.

A chance encounter with Ed Nicholls, a man who has his own struggles, results in what can only be described as a somewhat crazy road trip as they try to journey to Aberdeen to allow Tanzie to take part in a maths competition.

I don’t want to give anything away to do with how this all comes about, but it really took me by surprise. The characters are warmly portrayed, and I was rooting for certain events to take place throughout the story. There are some laugh out loud moments throughout the story – but there are also more than one or two moments that had me wiping my eyes.

There were so many things that I loved about this book: the way both main characters slowly thawed as they learned to trust each other; the children and their rather eccentric outlook on life; Norman the dog, who really comes into his own later in the book, and the general sense of optimism that abounds throughout.

It is not a criticism to say that, to a large extent, I got what I expected from this book. I also got a lot more than I expected. Captivating!

‘The Lunar Chronicles’ – Marissa Meyer

For anyone who hasn’t yet heard of this series, it is a real treat. The link to fairytales might seem like an unappealing idea for modern teenagers, but the contemporary twist transports this series to a great place.

In the first of the series – ‘Cinder’ – we are introduced to the cyborg Cinder. A gifted mechanic, she relies on her interest to earn money for her wicked stepmother. When Prince Kai brings a broken robot to her, Cinder learns more than she is meant to know. This is a complex world where there’s a lot to explain, and some elements are more easy to take on than others. There’s a rather inevitable love element to the novel, but I felt the conflict that Cinder experiences between duty and desire was perfect for taking this out of the zone of the ordinary teen romance.

When I started reading the second in the series – ‘Scarlet’ – I was a little confused by the introduction of a completely new character. Scarlet is determined to find out what has happened to her grandmother, but she is forced to rely on the help of Wolf – not the most obvious contender for the role. Her story becomes intertwined with that of Cinder, and this was an absorbing read. In this novel we learn more of the character of the Lunar Queen Levana, who is determined to do whatever it takes to get Prince Kai to agree to a marriage.

Moving into the third of the series – ‘Cress’ – we are hit with a stunning revelation about Cinder’s heritage. Cinder is now a fugitive, alongside the amusing Captain Thorne, and she has to try to save the world from Queen Levana’s plans now that Kai is Emperor. They have to rely on Cress, a girl who has been forced to live alone since early childhood using her hacking skills to do whatever Queen Levana asks her to. There was a lot going on in this one, and it didn’t always make a lot of sense.

I was uncertain whether to jump straight into ‘Winter’ or leave it awhile as I’d not really enjoyed the third in the series all that much. I’m so glad I didn’t leave it, as this made a fitting end to the series. With Cinder fighting to take her rightful place as Queen, introducing the character of Winter, Levana’s beautiful step-daughter, was a brave one. Much as I have loved the character of Cinder, I was really drawn to this new character and her relationship with Jacin. I even found myself feeling some sympathy for Levana by the end of the novel!

While the sheer size of these novels might be off-putting to less keen readers, I think the story is full of action and has a great cast of characters. I do wonder how long it will be until this is turned into a movie franchise!

‘This Raging Light’ – Estelle Laure

Laure’s debut was due for publication in January 2016, and I was lucky enough to be sent an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Touted as a writer for fans of Rainbow Rowell and John Green, Laure is always going to have a lot to live up to but I do think the signs are good, even though they don’t quite work fully here.

‘This Raging Light’ tells us the story of seventeen-year-old Lucille. Her father is known as the guy that attacked his wife. This would be a tough enough situation to live with, but Lucille’s mother then leaves. Lucille is suddenly left with no adult figure to rely on, and with sole responsibility for her nine-year-old sister, Wren.

I think this would be an impossible situation for most teenagers to cope with, but Lucille is determined to not give in gracefully. She vows to do whatever she can to stop people learning the truth of her situation, and to protect her younger sister.

Most of the novel focuses on Lucille’s attempts to live as much of a normal life as she can. She’s a wonderful character and I liked the fact that this story didn’t veer into over-sentimentality. Unfortunately, life is never straightforward and Lucille also has to cope with getting a crush on her best friend’s brother, who has a girlfriend.

On occasion some of the characters’ reactions were rather unlikely, and I’m not totally convinced that Lucille would have got quite the response from her neighbours that she did. That aside, it was a thought-provoking read that I think hints at good things to come.