Recent Reads // Mini Reviews

I've read a few books recently but upon finishing them I've found that I haven't really known what to make of them or how to articulate my jumbled thoughts. It's not that I didn't like them (I read each in a single sitting), but I was left not really having any residual feelings that I could put into a full review. So instead, I've written up a few comments about each.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Release Date: 6 January 2015

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb: Goodreads Link

Comments:

What can I say about Violet and Finch? Their story was lovely but oh-so heartbreaking.

I like that mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, is written with such honesty because I get so frustrated when mental illness is not seen as legitimate – just because they doesn’t manifest physically does not mean they are not real or any less deadly than those that you can see. But my god, All the Bright Places reached into my chest, squeezed my heart and wrenched it out.

I loved Violet's creativity and her online magazine ideas (which can now actually be found online) and I loved that Finch's character wasn’t a cliché. His zest for life was so catchy and joyful but seriously heartbreaking when you think of how low he must go to be the total opposite of it with his bipolar.

WARNING: You will need tissues. Lots of them.

"The problem with people is they forget that most of the time, it's the small things that count" 

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Release Date: 16th September 2015

My Rating: - 

Blurb: Goodreads Link

Comments:

I don’t really know what to say about Dumplin’. Maybe it’s a little too close for comfort with my own insecurities but really, for me, it just didn’t hit the mark.

I agree that Willowdean's appearance is no one’s business but her own and that no one has a right to judge her on her looks. However, for all her outspoken rants and not caring what anyone else thinks, she herself isn’t actually happy or comfortable in her own skin. So the way I viewed the story was that all the focus on being body-positive throughout the book was totally undone at the end.

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

Release Date: 4th August 2015

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb: Goodreads Link

Comments:

Never Always Sometimes was a light, fun read which I’m sure many people will be able to relate to – I’m pretty sure everyone has fallen for a friend at one point or another!

It’s a lesson in life, love and friendship, and learning some things are meant to be and others are not. There are different kinds of love in this world, none more or less valid than the other.

I really enjoyed reading what Dave and Julia got up to each time they crossed something off their list and seeing how they evolved as they stepped outside their comfort zones. In particular I loved Julia’s erotic math’s poem and the absolutely amazing tree house.

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Release Date: 26th May 2015

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb: Goodreads Link

Comments:

Nowhere But Here is a quick, easy read. It didn’t bowl me over like Pushing the Limits but I still really enjoyed it. It fulfilled all my guilty pleasure expectations and there is nothing wrong with liking those!

I was satisfied to know I was correct at guessing the twist/secret quite early on and even though it wasn’t revealed until the end, it didn’t ruin my reading experience as I was occupied with everything else going on with Oz and Emily. I liked the importance placed on family and loyalty in all it’s forms, and that Emily learnt to understand what it meant to her extended family as she got to know them.

I loved the relationship between Oz and Emily. Both characters were on an even playing field, each bringing something different to the dynamic between them. And they had some seriously steamy make-out scenes between them - Katie McGarry sure knows how to write those! Everyone loves a bad-boy with a motorbike, especially one who recognises he’s fallen for a girl and proves that just because he looks rough and dangerous, doesn’t mean that’s all there is to him.

Author Interview: Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry, author of Pushing the Limits

Debut author Katie McGarry burst onto the YA scene in July with her amazing novel, Pushing the Limits. Readers were instantly pulled into the devastating lives of Echo and Noah as they strived to find 'normal', something they both desperately wanted. We fell in love with them and they are arguably one of our favourite YA couples this year.

My Review In A Nutshell:

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and totally had me blushing at some points. But, it is an emotional roller-coaster as two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives. Does that  sound  too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this book and the characters within.

You can read the rest of my Pushing the Limits review here.

For those of you who want questions about Noah and Echo answered, Katie answers a fan question on her blog each week.

For those wanting to know what Katie plans to write next, she will be writing a companion novel to Pushing the Limits, featuring Beth. This will be called Dare You To and will be released in 2013.

I would like to welcome Katie to The Tales Compendium and thank her for answering a few questions about herself.

********************

I was the kind of kid who... had a million make-believe friends and I went on make-believe fabulous adventures with them. I was a storyteller before I knew what a storyteller was.

My mother always told me... that you’re lucky if you can count on your hand the number of true friends you have—those people who will stick by you no matter what.

The biggest lesson I learnt at school was... to stick by your friends, regardless of other peoples’ opinions of them.

My first big crush was... in first grade. I didn’t know his name so I nicknamed him Ronald McDonald. He never corrected me when I called him that and when I gave him my phone number he called.

I earnt my first pay cheque... babysitting in middle school.

I really hate it when... my characters won’t talk to me. That leads to writer’s block.

I’m very good at... remembering lyrics to songs.

The hardest thing I’ve ever done is... say goodbye to my best friend. She died when we were twenty.

I’m frightened of... cemeteries.

When I’m in the shower I sing… um, lately? Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5.

The last book I read was... Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter. I LOVED it. Go buy it. Now.

I would love to meet... S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders was my favorite book when I was a teenager.

When I get the munchies I eat... cheddar flavored rice cakes.

I hope I never... stop laughing at myself.

Life is... good today.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Release Date: 25th July 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins--the smoking hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket--explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

In A Nutshell:

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and totally had me blushing at some points. But, it is an emotional roller-coaster as two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives. Does that sound too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this book and the characters within.

My Review:

Oh gosh, I’m going to try not to gush too much over Katie McGarry’s debut novel Pushing the Limits. But OMG, love!!!

Ok breathe.

Pushing the Limits had me staying up until the early hours just to read a bit more of Noah and Echo’s story. First of all, the chemistry between the two… Yeesh! It was fiery, highly charged and fever inducing and totally had me blushing at some points.

But in all seriousness, it is an emotional roller-coaster as two lost, lonely and broken people attempt to rebuild their destroyed lives. Does that sound too depressing? Never fear, you will fall in love with this book.

Noah and Echo are searching for ‘normal’ while constantly being haunted by their pasts. Both have a desire for independence, Echo from her father and Noah from the foster system, but are trapped by the guilt and frustrations of the previous years. Echo struggles to live up to her father’s expectations while Noah fights to surpass the low expectations the system and society has always had for him.

Both their stories are ones that show how a life can change in an instant, for the better or the worse. It looks at the meaning of family - in all its variations, loyalty, the power of self-confidence, and how different a life can be when you have someone on your side who believes in you. These are emphasised by the supporting characters such as Lila, Isaiah, Beth and Mrs Collins. In Echo’s case, it interestingly looks at friendships and examines those so-called friends who only want you to be their friend if you are a certain version of yourself. Noah has to learn not to be so controlled by his emotions as he tends to act first and worry about the consequences later. As a kid who has been by himself for so long, he has to realise that he doesn’t have to do everything by himself.

As Echo and Noah search for happiness, be prepared for tears and to fall in love with these characters. They are definitely my favourite YA couple this year!