REVIEW: The One

The One By John Mars
Source: Penguin Random House
Rating: 4/5


" A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one other person Millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love. Now five more people meet their match but even soul mates have secrets and some are more shocking and deadlier than others"



What we have here is five different stories combining into one delicious chomp-a-thon. Five characters each experiencing the roller coaster ride of their life because they've been matched with The One. That person who is supposed to be made for them. Hearts and flowers eh? Um, nope. 

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this! It was chocablock full of cliffhangers. Nearly every short chapter ended like I was left precariously dangling over the edge. Leaving me no choice but to take off from the last woah there! from one of the other four POV 's. 

The book is brilliant. It's a mix of thriller, sci fi, romance, drama! It poses some pertinent questions while never being anything but entertaining. Of course the perfect match is never as straight forward as we think and even here with what should be a copperfast "happy ever after" tool, the genetic match, nothing is straight forward. 

As the novel takes twists and turns galore, some of which I guessed, others that left me shaking my head in astonishment I couldn’t help applauding the author on his ability to keep the reader guessing until the last few chapters. I couldn’t help thinking this book is much more than a thriller it has depth, it explores themes in relationships which certainly make for a thought provoking read. A relationship based on DNA may seem far fetched but interestingly enough after reading this novel I’m convinced it’s something that could happen in years to come. Would I take the test? Not in a million years! A brilliant premise John Marrs has written a fabulous book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. 


A gripping thought provoking read ! I would recommend this to you all.



And I received an ARC of this book from Penguin Random House.

REVIEW: Final Girls

Final Girls by Riley Sager
Publication: 2017
Source: Penguin Random House
Rating: 5/5


 Well, first of all the cover of this book is beautiful. Black and pink together and they make a perfect
combination.

Final Girls by  Riley Sager totally blew me away. It was such a GOOOD book.

I was drawn into this intense story from the very first page until the tremendously gripping end. 



"Final Girls" is about three girls, Quincy, Sam and Lisa, sole survivors of three separate murderous killing sprees but linked by their trauma. When Lisa dies mysteriously and Sam suddenly turns up on Quincy's doorstep, a series of events following their new friendship ensues. Who can Quincy trust and will she totally remember the events of that terrible night she endured many years ago.
You just don't know where this story is going at times it's so well plotted and written - just when you think you may have worked everything out you realise in the final chapters you are so wrong! Twists and turns will keep you guessing all the way!
There's two stories running alongside each other, the present day Quincy and the unfolding events that occurred the night she survived her ordeal at Pine Cottage with the horrid anticipation of what's going to happen clearly palpable. I love this style of writing which for me always adds to the enjoyment of the plot. I'm not normally easily freaked out but I have to admit that there were times that there was slivers of ice running down my spine and I'm not sure I would like to read this late at night and on my own! Adrenaline was searing at my senses during the highly climatic end! 
This was one hell of thrilling ride, I know Riley Sager will do really well with this book - I wouldn't be surprised if this was made into a horror/thriller movie.


Very well written thriller. I devoured this one in 2 sittings! Could not put it down. Once again, I thought I had it all figured out but the author creatively dropped in some fantastic twists I never saw coming. I had wanted to read this one from the moment I heard about it!! It totally lived up to my expectations! 


I would recommend this book to everyone who is a sucker for thrillers. You will definitely love this book.

And a big thank you to Penguin Random House for sending this to me !

REVIEW: Ramona Blue

Ramona Blue
Publisher: B+B
Source: Harper Collins
Rating: 4/5


”There’s something unfair about the fact that by being born her sister, my destiny is predetermined. I will always be a few steps behind her, picking up the pieces and putting them back together again, waiting for my own life to start.

This book is about Ramona. It's about a girl who is discovering her sexuality. She thinks she's lesbian, but then starts to question. Sexuality is fluid, and we need more YA books that explore it. RAMONA BLUE does exactly that, and does it perfectly. It is NOT a book about a guy who turns a lesbian straight. It is a book about a lesbian who realizes she's not as sure about her sexuality as she used to be. 

It's about family. Ramona, the main character, has very different relationships with her mom, sister, and dad, and each is explored in the book. 



The characters in this book were incredibly vivid, but my favorite is Freddie, a biracial boy with curly hair and freckles. It's clear from the first time that we see Freddie that Ramona has complicated feelings about him. Those feelings are further complicated when she finds herself holding hands with him and that feeling "like aloe on a sunburn." 

Ramona is such a strong character that I just fell in love with her.


The writing was so beautiful and immersive. I felt like I was a part of the town, like I knew these characters. Their stories embedded themselves in my heart and I cared. Everyone was real and accessible creating a story that felt authentic and true
I admired Ramona from the beginning, simply for her resilience and hard work, but I soon grew to care for her since she never bothered to care for herself. With her sister pregnant, Ramona is scurrying around to save money for the baby, help her sister get the prenatal care she needs, and is making plans for post-graduation--not to go to college, but rather to be there for her sister. It broke my heart that Ramona didn't see a future for herself past Eulogy, Mississippi and I wanted her so desperately to be selfish, just the once, and put herself ahead of her family.


Ramona's dad was great. Her sister wasn't always great, but it was clear that she loves Ramona very much. All of the sister stuff in the book was very real and beautifully done and I appreciated it loads. 


There's so much involvement of adults, and various families (all coming in different shapes). It all flows so naturally, the way our lives do when we living in real communities. The adults are so realistically human, flawed but trying as best they can. Just like the kids. 

Ugh this book is so good it makes my chest hurt. It felt like it was written just for me. What else can I say? I love it

The one thing that fell short for me was the swimming. Ramona was supposed to be madly in love with swimming but it felt like it was hardly touched upon. I wish that had been expanded on more. Other than that, this was a wonderful story! 


Thank you Harper Collins for sending this beauty to me ! I loved it !

REVIEW: One Of Us Is Lying

One Of Us Is Lying
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Rating: 4.5/5

Five students have detention one afternoon. There's Cooper, the golden boy and star baseball player trying to decide between college and the major leagues; Bronwyn, the class valedictorian who plans to follow her family's legacy and go to Yale; Addy, one-half of the picture-perfect couple and a homecoming princess; Nate, the bad boy, on probation for dealing drugs (and still selling them not so secretly); and Simon, the despised (and kind-of feared) creator of About That, Bayview High's gossip blog. They're all in detention for something none of them did, and they can't understand why the teacher doesn't believe them.



Before detention is over for the day, Simon is dead, and apparently, it wasn't an accident. It's not long before investigators discover that the next day, Simon was planning to publish posts  about Cooper, Bronwyn,  Addy  and Nate—posts which could potentially destroy all of their lives. Suddenly the four of them are the suspects in Simon's murder, and are pariahs among their fellow students, most of whom hated Simon until he died, then turned him into a tragic figure.


They all have secrets. Is any one of them lying  or somebody else got involved in Simon's murder.
All four of them who were not really friends are together in this. Are they all innocent ? But there is something they all are hiding.

I won't be surprised if this book will be turned into a movie, because its one of the best books of this year.
The author has done no doubt an amazing job with this, How she wraps up the whole story I just love it.

The actual plot was a thrilling and interesting one, but it was the characters who circled it that really compelled me to keep reading. 


I was guessing right up to the end who the killer was, and I never saw WHO it was coming. How it was planned was so awesome and creative.

The story was written so well and we are told through multiple first person POV. Having to switch POV didn't take away from the story, you could easily tell who POV you were reading.

Thank you, Karen M. McManus for such an amazing book and I am fan. I'll gladly buy anything she writes next.

All in all if you love mystery novels with twist and secrets please pick up this book, you won't be disappointed!


It was fun, cute, suspenseful and overall great!

Thank you so much Penguin Random House for sending me this book for review !

REVIEW: The Thousandth Floor

Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 4/5


all he knew was that the girl was the first person to fall from the Tower in its twenty-five years. He didn't know who she was, or how she'd gotten outside.
He didn't know whether she'd fallen, or been pushed, or whether - crushed by the weight of unspoken secrets - she'd decided to jump.

Avery was a girl who lived at the top of the tower, and had a crush on the one person she couldn’t possibly be with – her adopted brother Atlas. We then got a bit of a weird love-triangle going on, with Avery, Atlas, and Avery’s best friend Leda, with Avery hopelessly hung up on Atlas and having no clue what to do about it.

Leda, Avery’s best friend, had just gotten out of a stint in rehab after getting hooked on a prescription-only medication which aided concentration (xenperheidren). She had previously slept with Atlas, and was intent on repeating the experience, to the extent that she hired a hacker to track his every move and feed her back information.


Eris, Avery’s other best friend, also lived near the top of the tower, and very quickly found out that he father wasn’t her biological father, and ended up moving to a much lower level apartment with her mother. We then got a surprise about who her biological father really was, which shook things up a bit, and we also got a romantic storyline involving Eris and a girl who lived near her new apartment. 



Watt was a hacker who basically had an AI type thing in his head which was totally illegal, was hired by Leda to try and track Atlas, and developed a bit of a crush on Avery, which was pretty hopeless because of the whole Avery-Atlas-Leda love triangle. His hacking skills were pretty impressive though.

“He was in possession of an illegal quant, and he needed to hide her somewhere she could never be found.”

All of the characters, including the huge group of minor characters, were totally enjoyable. Rylin and Cord were my favorites, but they were all great and written very well.
Final Thoughts: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee is one of the few novels which lives up to the marketing comparison made prior to its release. If you enjoy Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars you’ll definitely find enjoyment in this novel. Come for the drama, stay for the intriguing future ways 2118 has to offer . This is great book to read if you’re in a slump because it’s quick paced and attention grabbing and the mysterious plot will definitely having you craving the next chapter.




 The ending to this was quite shocking, as someone died, and someone else started blackmailing people to cover up their part in the murder! Will be interesting to see what happens in the next book!

AND I WANT THE NEXT BOOK NOW IN MY HANDS !!!

REVIEW: EDITING EMMA

Publication Date: 10th August 2017
Publisher: HQ
Rating: 4.5/5



   So, I got this as an ARC and  yes I loved this book honestly.
This book had me laughing out loud on the train in parts and it was funny in the way that UKYA just seems to be (I have yet to find an America young adult book which “gets” it). 

In the blurb for this book, we are told that the Editing Emma blog is a tool that Emma uses to catalog the findings of her reinvention after being ghosted - which thankfully I haven't experienced personally but have known it be done to friends - but really, the blog is more of a tumblr. 

I really liked this book, it was a quite funny and light read. At some places I just laughed out loud.


Emma's boyfriend Leon seems to have dropped off the scene this summer, and when Emma sees a status announcement that Leon is in a relationship with Anna McDowell, she absolutely melts down. After several weeks of moping, Emma decides to rebrand herself and her blog, making way for life edits for the better.

Together with her gaggle of three friends Steph, Faith and Gracie, she tries to navigate heartbreak, chatting up men on the internet and getting too drunk at parties.


I loved Emma’s friend Steph. She appears to have life sorted when giving Emma advice, but isn’t perfect herself. She is the friend every teenager needs – the one who tells it like it is, while offering high-calorie treats as consolation. 


Overall, Editing Emma was a very satisfying read that made me laugh and evaluate my own life at the same time. I feel like every book should aspire to make you think about your own life. And as an added bonus, you can read the book wondering which of the hilariously awkward bits are inspired by real life events, because I've been told that there are quite a few. 


No doubt, Chole Seager has done a wonderful job. All than fans of Holly Bourne will definitely love this book too.

REVIEW: Black Bird

Black Bird by ND Gomes
Publication date: 16th November 2017
Publisher: HQ

Rating: 4/5




I got this book as a review copy. Blackbird is a beautiful book about loss of  a loved one.
The story revolves around Alex, her sister is gone missing and she will do anything to find about her whereabouts. But is Alex really ready to find the truth ?
When Alex tries to find her sister Olivia, she will come to know so many things that may be she did not wanted to learn.

This book is a physiological thriller , you expect one thing to happen but totally a different thing happens.


If you have read and  liked ATBP, 13 Reasons Why then you will definitely love this book.

I really loved the character  of Alex and how she helps DI, the way she changes her and motivates her.

I just wish  I could write a more detailed review but If I write more I guess I am going to reveal a lot more about this beautifully written book before its publication date.

So I would just say that  if you love to read crime, mystery, thriller than  do give this book a read and you will eventually fall in love with all the characters.


And how could I forget to mention that cover of this book is just so beautiful. The cover truly got me attracted to it. The black and gold just makes it look mesmerizing.



SYNOPSIS:


Dark contemporary YA following a murder mystery on Orkney that fans of 13 Reasons Why will devour.

Olivia disappeared the night the blackbird died.

It was New Years Eve the night that dead blackbirds descended, hours before fourteen year old Alex McCarthy's sister Olivia went missing from a party.

Committed to finding out what happened to her sister, within the previously safe walls of their subarctic Orkney village, Alex knows that dishevelled, sometimes intoxicated Detective Inspector Birkens is her best shot.

Yet as they uncover the secrets behind Olivia's last night, Alex starts to find things she may be better off never knowing...