“Agoraphobia confines Norah to the house she shares with her mother.

For her, the outside is sky glimpsed through glass, or a gauntlet to run between home and car. But a chance encounter on the doorstep changes everything: Luke, her new neighbour. Norah is determined to be the girl she thinks Luke deserves: a ‘normal’ girl, her skies unfiltered by the lens of mental illness. Instead, her love and bravery opens a window to unexpected truths...”

TBR Feature #56

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

TBR Feature #54

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Letters to Eloise by Emily Williams

Letters to Eloise
Emily Williams
Genre(s): Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Published: February 17th 2017
Pages: 293
Rating: 4 stars

“When post-graduate student Flora falls unexpectedly pregnant during her final year studies she hits a huge predicament; continue a recent affair with her handsome but mysterious lecturer who dazzles her with love letters taken from the ancient tale of ‘Abelard and Heloise’, or chase after the past with her estranged first love?
But will either man be there to support her during the turmoil ahead?”

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my thoughts.

Letters to Eloise is a simple yet captivating, heart-wrenching story that follows Flora, a post-graduate student who has found herself newly pregnant. It sounds a little cheesy - especially when you read that she's torn between two men - but trust me when I say it's worth reading and you'll come out of it eternally grateful that you gave it a chance. It's a short book and a really easy read, so what's stopping you?

From the very start you're drawn in to Flora's story, as the prologue introduces the letters and leaves an air of mystery that isn't touched upon until much later in the story. It's a good tactic, as even if you don't really care for Flora you'll want to find out just what happened. But trust me, you'll end up caring about Flora.

Yes, some of her letters to her unborn child were a little weird in terms of content (talking about intimate relationships? I hope she doesn't read those to the child when it's young!) and the fact that they're written less like an informal letter and more like an informal story, but they continue to draw you in. You pick up on Flora's excitement and worries, the support she receives from her friends and family, and it all paints a very honest picture of pregnancy. It's not all perfect and glowing; there's morning sickness, annoyance at growing fat, but also unconditional love and pride.

The story is full of twists and turns, especially when Flora enters her third trimester and moves home. It makes you question loyalties and whether things are actually going as smoothly as the doctors say. And the epilogue... Well. Let's just say it's a little intense.

The biggest issue I had with this - and it's really quite minor, in the scheme of things - was that there were quite a few spelling and grammar errors. Easily overlooked, but also easily fixed in later editions, they don't take away too much from the reading experience. And Flora and Eloise's journey will overshadow any problems you may stumble across as you can't help but want the best for them.

Letters to Eloise is a roller coaster of emotions and a frank look at juggling pregnancy and studying. If you get the time, give this a chance. You just might end up loving it like I did.

Emily Williams and her work can be found at...
Blog
Twitter
Amazon (UK - US)

TBR Feature #39

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

TBR Feature #28

TBR Feature is the chance for me to, every Wednesday, pick one of my unread books and discuss it: why I picked it up, when I'll get round to reading it, if I'm still interested in it at all etc.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Can You #ReadWithoutPrejudice?

Can You #ReadWithoutPrejudice?
Anonymous
Genre(s): Adult, Literary Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Published: October 1st 2016
Pages: 465
Rating: 4 stars

“There are two points in life when we are all equal: at the moment of birth and at the moment of death. It is how we live in between that defines us. 

Delicately balanced. 

Perfectly crafted. 

Beautifully written. 

We want you to immerse yourself in this dazzling novel, free from any preconceptions that a cover, title or author can bring. 

We ask you simply to #readwithoutprejudice.”

An advanced digital copy was provided by NetGalley. This is no way influenced my thoughts.

The main issue addressed in #readwithoutprejudice is apparent from the get-go – the cover and the quote are actually very big hints as well, but it’s not until you start reading that you get a feel for things.

Everything about this book – the author, the title, the synopsis – is shrouded in mystery. While it definitely works as a way to create interest and speculation, it’s disappointing that it had to be done – as no doubt a lot of people wouldn’t have picked this up and given it a chance had the plot been readily available. There isn’t much that can be said without ruining the entire thing, but the subject matter is very topical and relevant to our society. And it’s a shame that the issue is having to be addressed through fiction; it should be more than enough to hear about it in the news.

All that aside, the book itself was good. It was well written and all of the characters were very separate to each other with their own individual voices, but they all wove together to create a gripping story. It did take me a short while to warm up to things – the first couple of parts were very heavy with medical terminology and I wasn’t sure where things were going – but by the time I did I was invested. I was hooked on wanting to know what happened to our main character, Ruth, and whether everyone got what they deserved.

While I had no problem swapping between the different points of view, I did struggle slightly with the jumps in time within these perspectives. It wasn’t always clear when things were happening in relation to the main storyline, and there were times when the snap back to the present weren’t always completely clear. That being said, it didn’t have a big impact on my enjoyment.

The problems I did have with this story were all the professional terms used in regards to Ruth’s and Kennedy’s jobs, and the fact that it centred on children and birth. The terminology was an easy fix: I asked Google and my mother. The babies were harder to work around, but that’s just down to personal preference and my strong desire to never, ever, have kids. I’m sure if you don’t mind babies you’ll enjoy this a lot more than I did, because there were, admittedly, a few times when I just didn’t care.

Regardless of my likes and dislikes, there is no denying that #readwithoutprejudice is a fantastically written, hard-hitting, and – unfortunately – current read. Maybe it’ll act as an eye-opener to those who aren’t bothered by, or don’t see, the issues faced by minorities. 

Book Review: Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne

Am I Normal Yet?
Holly Bourne
Genre(s):  Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Published: August 1st 2015
Pages: 434
Rating: 4 stars

“All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?”

As a sufferer of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) myself, I could instantly connect with Evie as a character, and even found some of my own thoughts and insecurities running through her narrative. I liked the inclusion of the 'bad thoughts' and felt that it was very authentic, because that's exactly what they are. They're silly little things that burrow into the tightest corners of your mind and swell, turning into storm clouds or parasites. They grow and grow with the attention you give them until it feels like your head will burst from the pressure and you just have to find a way to relieve it.

I liked Evie as a character. I thought there had been a lot of research put into her and her disorders, and it didn't read as what I call Typically Mentally Ill: when a person with no experience of mental health tries their hand at writing about mental health and fails miserably. I liked the balance between her personality and her disorders; it didn't feel like she was given them just to be 'quirky' but it didn't feel overly dramatic and as if they were the only side to her.

I also loved how passionate she was about mental health and how she didn't sugar coat things. She was frank about mental illnesses making a person selfish, she mentioned how anxiety disorders can make a person manipulative, and she wasn't shy about how people pretend to understand yet disappear at the first sign of outward symptoms. It was a really refreshing point of view to read from.

However, I took a big issue with the title. I didn't like how the word normal was used, and how there was a check list for it. There were a few times - like in the recovery diary - where I felt more like Evie was joking with herself and using a bit of black humour when she used the term normal, but they were fleeting in the scheme of things. Just because you have a mental illness does not, in any way, shape or form, make you abnormal. Yes, it may feel like it at times (I can attest to that) but it is not true. To me, using 'normal' to refer to non-mentally ill people felt like a slap in the face. For the most part I liked this book but I just could not over look that.

I could have done with the feminism being toned down a bit and done in a more subtle way. As it stands, it was glaringly obvious (which isn't a bad thing!). To me, that made it feel like it was being done because it's the 'popular' thing to do, not because it was genuine. That being said, I do think Bourne managed to get across some very important messages, like how feminism is about equality, not 'women are better than men'.

All in all, I liked this. Definitely give it a shot if you're interested in mental health. It's raw and it doesn't shy away from real problems like relapse.

Book Review: Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

Life on the Refrigerator Door
Alice Kuipers
Genre(s): Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young adult
Published: July 30th 2015
Pages: 240
Rating: 3 stars

“Life on the Refrigerator Door is told exclusively through notes exchanged by Claire and her mother, Elizabeth, during the course of a life-altering year. Their story builds to an emotional crescendo when Elizabeth is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Stunningly sad but ultimately uplifting, this is a clever, moving, and original portrait of the relationship between a daughter and mother. It is about how we live our lives constantly rushing, and never making time for those we love. It is also an elegy to how much can be said in so few words, if only we made the time to say them.”

I'll admit, I picked this up mainly because it was short and the idea about telling a story solely through notes on a fridge door intrigued me. I feel like novels written in ways other than traditional prose can be hit or miss, and Life on the Refrigerator Door didn't fail to prove me right.

While it was both a short and simple book with not a lot of room for character explanation, I did get a sense of both Claire and her mum as individuals. Claire came across as bubbly and dramatic in a way only a teenager can, and her mum came across as a no-nonsense workaholic. 

It didn't take me long to get through this, in fact I actually tried to drag it out in order to formulate thoughts for a review, which wasn't surprising. A lot of the notes were just that, so the idea worked very well. That being said, I would have liked some to be a bit longer (nothing was really longer than a page) in order to establish things a bit more and pad things out.

The idea behind Life on the Refrigerator Door was good, but I felt that the execution could have been better. Perhaps weaving the notes into prose would have worked out better and told more of a story, rather than a play by play of Claire and her mother's days.

I don't regret picking this up; it was an interesting read. Just not a great one.

Book Review: Skinny by Ibi Kaslik

Skinny
Ibi Kaslik
Genre(s): young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary
Published: December 26th 2007
Pages: 244
Rating: 3 stars

“Holly’s older sister, Giselle, is self-destructing. Haunted by her love-deprived relationship with her late father, this once strong role model and medical student, is gripped by anorexia. Holly, a track star, struggles to keep her own life in balance while coping with the mental and physical deterioration of her beloved sister. Together, they can feel themselves slipping and are holding on for dear life. ”

Skinny is not what I expected.

Holly and Giselle's stories were good, well developed and fairly believable  The book itself was well written and rather enjoyable once I started reading. But it took me forever to get through and I just felt... disappointed.

The main problem I had with it was, together, the stories didn't really go. I liked reading about Giselle and Holly separately, but together they annoyed me. 

I also found the title a little misleading, as even though Giselle does talk about her eating disorder, I felt like it wasn't the main focus of the story and the title, Skinny, makes you think it is. Although, it is mentioned and brought up quite a bit in the second part of the book, you just have to get through all the other, unrelated stuff in the first part.

It's not that Skinny is a bad book, or that I didn't like it, it's that I don't think I was in the right place personally as I was reading it. Maybe I'll revisit it in the future and get more from it, but for now, I'm just a little let down.

Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher
Genre(s): young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction
Published: June 14th 2011
Pages: 288
Rating: 2 stars

“Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes-- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town. . .

. . .and what he discovers changes his life forever.”


From the beginning, I knew I wouldn't really enjoy Thirteen Reasons Why. I didn't know how angry it would make me, though.

While I can deal with switches in POVs and narration, I found it hard to keep up with the constant swaps in Thirteen Reasons Why. I understand why it was done, Hannah was the voice on the tapes and the rest of the book - Clay's POV - was written in first person. But that doesn't mean it wasn't annoying. I understand Clay's thoughts were interspersed within the playing of the tapes to break it up a little, but half the time the thoughts were random, boring and really had no relevance to the tape. Sure, he was talking about the same party they attended, but no one really cares if he forgot his jacket on purpose. This book is about Hannah's reasons for killing herself, not Clay's random and annoying thoughts to interrupt that. Or, that's how I viewed it anyway.

I also can't help but feel that Hannah's reasons were, well... rubbish. Not only that, I find her whole idea just down right cruel. Okay, it sounds interesting, but when it really comes down to it it's nasty. Why would you do something like that? As if people don't feel bad enough abut someone committing suicide, why would you guilt them? Why would you blame them for something that was ultimately your decision because you couldn't handle living any more? Why would you set them up to become public enemies? (That's my personal view, at least.) And going back to her reasons being rubbish, I just feel that they weren't enough for suicide. I feel like they're problems countless teens deal with on a daily basis, and yeah, things can spiral out of control, but suicide? I just feel she overreacted. Like, majorly. It made her sound whiny and like she was just doing it for attention or something. And she didn't even sound like she was suffering in the tapes, I actually thought she sounded like she was enjoying herself. Why would you commit suicide if you weren't suffering? (Whether that's the author not fully portraying her suffering or not, I don't know.) I understand a suicide note or something with an apology, but if you were really desperate and unable to cope, I can't see anyone taking the time to make cassette tapes and pass them around. I just... No. This book rubbed me the wrong way.

While I was reading this I got a very Perks of being a Wallflower-esque vibe and I cannot stand that book. Maybe that's part of the reason why I didn't get on with Thirteen Reasons Why. Or maybe it's just because I found it rather unbelievable.