I, Witness (Madison Attallee #1)

 I, Witness (Madison Attallee #1) by Niki Mackay

Paperback, 352 pages

Published 19th April 2018 by Orion

Shelves:  adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, crime-thriller-mystery, read, read-in-2021, realistic-fiction

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

They say I'm a murderer.

Six years ago, Kate Reynolds was found holding the body of her best friend; covered in blood, and clutching the knife that killed her.
I plead guilty. 
Kate has been in prison ever since, but now her sentence is up. She is being released.
But the truth is, I didn't do it. 
There's only one person who can help: Private Investigator Madison Attalee, the first officer on the scene all those years ago.
But there's someone out there who doesn't want Kate digging up the past. Someone who is willing to keep the truth buried at any cost.

I, Witness is the first book in the Madison Attallee series by Niki Mackay. This is the first book that I've read by Mackay but I can definitely say that it will not be the last. I was both impressed and completely captivated by this compelling psychological thriller.

This story focuses on Kate Reynolds, a young woman who is convicted for a crime - the murder of her best friend, Naomi - that she no longer believes she committed. On release from prison, Kate turns to Private Investigator Madison Attallee who also worked on the original crime investigation. The story follows the discovery of the whole story of what happened on that night and what led up to the crime. 

The story is told with alternating narration, each chapter following either Kate or Madison's mindset. This form of writing was fantastic as it gave us short bursts of each character and it was so easy to tell myself 'just one more chapter'! Though both of the main characters held my interes, Madison was the absolute star of the book and I loved reading about her. She was such a raw and real character, clearly dealing with her own complex issues whilst also helping Kate with her trauma. It was so refreshing to read about such a perfectly imperfect character and I am so glad that this series will continue, giving us the opportunity to read and learn even more about her sweary, chain-smoking, rock-music loving self. The realism of all of the characters in this story was fantastic. 

Whilst this story deals with some clearly difficult and traumatic issues such as death, alcoholism and domestic abuse, it was a relatively quick read for me as I was just so desperate to keep on reading. The pacing of the book is fantastic and it really is the definition of a 'page-turner'. There are several twists and turns in the book and though the ending may become somewhat guessable nearing the latter-half, it still holds your attention until the action-packed end. 

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book and it's definitely something I would recommend to anybody who enjoys the crime or psychological thriller genre. I, Witness was simply but well written, not overly complex but always intriguing, entirely entertaining and I can't wait to read more from Mackay!

Born Killers?

Born Killers? by Dr Kris Mohandie 

Paperback, 256 pages

Original Title: Evil Thoughts: Wicked Deeds

Published 3rd September 2020 by Mirror Books

Shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, crime-thriller-mystery, historical, let-down, mental-health, non-fiction, not-for-me, read-in-2020, to-be-reviewed

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Over his 30-year police and forensic psychology career, Dr Kris Mohandie has come face-to-face with kidnappers, serial killers, stalkers, and terrorists.

With his expertise and insight, Dr Mohandie analyses and evaluates the thought processes that motivate the most dangerous people who have ever walked among us.

This is the first-hand account of his work, covering shocking cases like the 'Angel of Death' serial killer, racist serial assassin Joseph Paul Franklin, and even the O.J. Simpson case. 

Learn shocking new revelations about hostage takers, serial killers, mass murderers, violent 'true-believers', terrorists, and some of the worst predators on the planet. 

I initially picked up 'Born Killers?' as it is relatively short and due to the interesting subject matter, I thought it would be a compelling, quick read. Unfortunately, I was let down by this book and it took me a lot longer to read than I hoped. Despite my likely unhealthy obsession with true crime and the psychology behind it, this book was unfortunately a disappointment. 

This book should have grabbed my attention and kept me wanting to read on but I found it quite a chore to get through. The book is full of short chapters on all sorts of criminals - from serial killers and stalkers to terrorists and kidnappers. Mohandie covers a wide range of criminals in a short amount of writing yet somehow, the writing still felt laborious to read. Whilst I had heard of most of the cases and criminals mentioned in the book (most are well known), I think this would be a good introduction to true crime for anyone who is interested in the subject and the book does give a good starting point (with references) for those who want to investigate further.  

Regrettably, I didn't enjoy the tone of the author throughout this book - there was a sense of pretension and a major lack of empathy - particularly for a professional. This really downgraded the book for me. Throughout, there are numerous mentions of American culture, politics and, in particular, gun laws. I appreciate that politics are very important and the gun laws do have an impact on the crimes but I felt as though Mohandie's personal views and commentary often went off on a tangent, distracting from the psychology of the crimes - it became very tiresome.

Overall, unfortunately I can't say that I enjoyed this book. I did find the author's insights about psychological deception interesting as well as the short section on mass killers, but despite this - the main word I would use to describe this book is 'boring'. I can see the value of the informative content for those who would like a basic insight into several crimes but for me, this book is not something I'd recommend reading for an enjoyable pastime. 

The End Of Her

The End of Her by Shari Lapena

Hardback, 352 pages

Published July 23rd 2020 by Bantam Press

Shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, crime-thriller-mystery, read, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

It starts with a shocking accusation...

Stephanie and Patrick are recently married, with new-born twins. While Stephanie struggles with the disorienting effects of sleep deprivation, there’s one thing she knows for certain – she has everything she ever wanted.

Then a woman from his past arrives and makes a shocking accusation about his first wife. He always claimed her death was an accident – but she says it was murder.

He insists he’s innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. But is Patrick telling the truth? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake?

How will it end? 

As soon as I read the blurb to Shari Lapena’s latest Psychological thriller, The End of Her, I was excited to grab a copy and give it a read. Lapena is a highly regarded author and I was elated to get the opportunity to read some of her work. 

The story centres around Stephanie and Patrick Kilgore whose lives are turned upside down when Erica Voss, the best friend of Patrick's late first wife creeps into their lives, claiming that he was to blame for his first wife's death. 

The first section of the book mainly focuses on Stephanie (side note: it is weird reading about a character who shares your name!) who is suffering from insomnia following the birth of her two daughters. This becomes very interesting when there begins to be some mysterious happenings and Stephanie starts to doubt her own memory and thoughts. Sleep deprivation has the potential to be a great basis for confusion and psychological play which Lapena did use to her advantage at the beginning of the novel but I think it had the potential to go even further - for me, this section of the book, right at the beginning, was the psychological highlight of the whole novel. 

The death of Patrick's first wife is intriguing enough to hold your attention throughout the whole book and there is definitely a sense of intrigue and wonder about what really happened. The mystery is fuelled by the character of Erica who is manipulative and firmly regards herself a force to be reckoned with. Her actions implicate several other characters which is, at points, interesting but frankly, I simply found her to be too frustrating at points. Lapena did a fine job of creating a highly dislikable character. I did find the subplot of her relationship with a second family to be very intriguing but was let down at the lack of progression and explanation regarding them.

Overall, the book is an easy to read thriller which manages to hold attention. It's a perfect book for anyone who wants a quick, entertaining read, however I would have personally preferred more depth and development. I wasn't overly surprised by the ending and I think it will be one of those 'marmite' endings for readers. Whilst this isn't a particularly memorable book, its an easy, enjoyable way to pass the time. 

Every Move You Make

Every Move You Make by Deborah Bee

Paperback, 512 pages

Published 20th August 2020 by Bonnier Books

Shelves: abuse, adult-fiction, arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, crime-thriller-mystery, mental-health, read, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

He'll be waiting . . .

Clare James turns up at a police station. She says she's been kept prisoner in her home - abused and tortured. Her every move watched, controlled, questioned.

Now she's escaped.

But when they police arrive at her house, everything is in order. Her story doesn't add up and her husband is missing.

Clare says she's the victim, but what if she's not? What if the stories she tells aren't her stories at all . . . 

I think I've found my new favourite genre of book this year - the psychological thriller - and this book has definitely helped with confirming my suspicions! I really enjoyed this book from the beginning and continued to do so right until the very end. 

Every Move You Make tells the story of Clare who we're instantly introduced to as she stumbles into a police station after running for her life. Clare claims to have been domestically abused by her partner, Gareth and is placed in a women's refuge whilst an investigation into both the alleged abuse and Gareth's subsequent disappearance begins. This book is an exploration of the complexity of domestic violence and the true turmoil it causes - not only when the abuse is actively happening but also in the aftermath - particularly during the time when allegations are first made. 

Of course, this being a psychological thriller, as a reader you are always wondering if things are really as they seem, particularly regarding Clare's allegations and Bee does a fantastic job at making you wonder! I have to admit that I truly didn't know what to believe until actual the conclusion of the story. There are enough twists and revelations in the book to keep you on edge and to stay gripped. This really was a page turner and I just kept wanting to read more and more. The story and the hard-hitting subjects fascinated and intrigued me and I also wanted to know more about each character in the book, each distinctive and well formed.

There are several points of view explored in this book, not only Clare's, but also the views of Sally and DS Susan Clarke. In my opinion, Clare was the most effective narrator, perhaps due to being the most troubled - her narrative also included the internal voicing of Gareth, her tormentor, giving us flashbacks into her past and an insight into her deep psychological state which was utterly heartbreaking and difficult to read at points. 

I really enjoyed reading the chapters that focused on Sally, Clare's roommate at the women's refuge. We get to know a lot about Sally, her past and her troubles which also become an important focus in the story. I think Sally will resonate with a lot of female readers with her down-to-earth personality and her straight forward talking. The relationship that develops between Sally and Clare is beautiful to observe, showing a real kinship between two troubled ladies. 

DS Susan Clarke is the Detective Sergeant in charge of Clare's case and a long-time friend of Sally. I felt that her character had a very authentic and headstrong personality, but unfortunately I also found her quite stiff, unempathetic and unlikeable at many points. However, as aforementioned, these features of her personality gave her a feeling of being a 'real' person and actually strengthened her character. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book - I loved the fact that I had a perpetual feeling of unease and wonder about the real story and I just didn't want to put it down. I was impressed by the characters, their individual personalities and flaws. The story was of a good pace and I never felt bored - the only things I could criticise is how fast that the story was wrapped up at the end, though the fast pace did emphasise the tension and desperation of all involved, and I did find Gareth's character a little too OTT - I think his character could have been more believable as an 'average man'. Despite these two issues, this really was a fantastic book exploring the intense, damaging and harrowing subject of domestic violence alongside showing the true value of friendship and community. Highly recommended.

A Lie For A Lie Book Tour & Review

Welcome to my part in Julie Corbin's 2020 book tour for her new novel, A Lie For A Lie!

If you haven't already, I urge you to check out the previous stops, encourage you to follow the tour as it goes on and of course, pre-order this fantastic new story. 

Today, I'm going share my review of this book with you. 

Thank you to Myrto @ Hodder for the opportunity!

A Lie for a Lie by Julie Corbin

Paperback, 352 pages

To Be Published 15th October 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton

Shelves: abuse, adult-fiction, arc-or-review, blog-tour, books-i-own, crime-thriller-mystery, death, mental-health, read, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

We all tell lies, don't we? Most of the time, they're harmless. But every now and then, we lie without thinking about the consequences.

As a school nurse, Anna Pierce is a well-respected and trusted member of the community. So when she is accused of hitting a pupil, the reaction is one of shock and disbelief.

The pupil is Tori Carmichael - Anna's mentee and a troubled child known for bending the truth.

With her career and reputation on the line, Anna is determined to clear her name. But before she can, the worst happens: Tori is found dead.

Suspicion mounts against Anna, who says she didn't do it. 
But if she isn't the killer, there is someone out there who is ....

When I was offered to read A Lie For A Lie, I jumped at the chance. Despite being a bestselling author, I was yet to read a book by the acclaimed Julie Corbin and this was certainly a fantastic introduction. The premise of the story sounded very intriguing and neither the story nor the author let me down. 

A Lie For A Lie tells the story of Sister Anna Pierce, a seemingly perfect school nurse whose life is turned upside down when she is accused of hitting one of the children that she mentored - a troubled girl named Victoria ('Tori') Carmichael. Unfortunately, when things seem like they can't get any worse, Tori is found dead in her home. This book explores the time from when Anna is accused and all of the trials and tribulations that follow.

Despite the often 'heavy' subject matter of this book, I found this an easy read from the start - something which was very welcome. The writing is simple yet very well done - the descriptions of the setting, mainly a large boarding school in Scotland, gave me a great sense of where the characters were and a good sense of atmosphere without ever feeling over-explicatory. The characters were written equally as well, having multiple layers and depth and personality.

There are a lot of different emotions and relationships explored within the story and I think that this is one of the main places where the book excels. Relationships between teachers and students, husband and wife, parent and child, teenagers, siblings and even more are all explored with great care and consideration, none falling short. I really was impressed by the authenticity the relationships depicted. 

As aforementioned, there are a lot of 'heavy' subjects discussed in this book including but not restricted to abuse, family separation, bullying and self harm. I was particularly affected by reading about the family separation issues in this book, the explanation and exploration of the the subject seemed so heartfelt and, honestly, heart wrenching at times. It's a subject that is written about frequently, but I have to admit that I related to Corbin's depiction of it more than I have with any other piece of writing regarding it. I admire the author for writing about several difficult topics with great understanding.

A Lie for a Lie is an easy to follow story which becomings increasingly complex with twists and turns around every corner. I had lots of thoughts and ideas of what the real story was but I was left guessing right until the very end. It consists of simple but highly intriguing writing which is a pleasure to read and, if you're like me, will keep you up until the early hours of the morning, desperate to find out more! It is so refreshing to read a book where you're left wondering until the last page.

The Book of Two Ways

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

Paperback, 432 pages

To Be Published 20th October 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton

Shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, contemporary, currently-reading, death, historical, mythology, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Jodi Picoult's stunning new novel about life, death, and missed opportunities. Who would you be, if you hadn't turned out to be the person you are now? Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully. But when the plane she's on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago - when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved. Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to - but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain. As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she's never truly asked: What does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us? Two possible futures. One impossible choice.

The Book of Two Ways is Jodi Picoult's latest offering and possibly, in my opinion, her most cleverly written book to date. The Book of Two Ways is a coffin text, an Ancient Egyptian map of the underworld/afterlife made up of two routes - land and water, separated by a lake of fire, but both ending up at the same place. In this book, Jodi creates her own routes for her main character, death doula and former Egyptologist, Dawn Edelstein. 

Picoult has a real talent for really exploring subjects well with both knowledge and wisdom and her writing is often breathtakingly beautiful, something that I was repeatedly reminded of within this book. What really stood out for me in this book was the character development and the relationships that Picoult writes about. 

Dawn's discussions with her latest client, an elderly artist named Win, were a pleasure to read - sobering, heartfelt, sometimes amusing, always emotional. Dawn's discussions and explanations of death both with her client, her husband and the effect upon herself were very thought provoking and well written.

The main relationships explored in this book are the ones between Dawn, her husband Brian, a scientist whom she first met whilst visiting a hospice and her first true love, fellow Egyptologist, Wyatt. I think that Picoult did a fantastic job of exploring Dawn's emotional feelings and relationship between these two men. Whilst both characters were well written and I did feel a lot of compassion towards Brian, Picoult did such a fantastic job of creating Wyatt's character that I must admit, I fell a little bit in love with him too! The sections of the book that are set in Egypt  and exploring Dawn and Wyatt's relationship quickly became the highlight of the book for me.

In regards to relationships within the story, I particularly loved reading about Dawn's somewhat awkward but ever-loving relationship with her young daughter, Meret, a girl struggling through the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Meret was such a realistic, troubled character who really grabbed my attention and I enjoyed seeing how her relationship with her mother and herself developed and changed throughout the book. 

I had two feelings about The Book of Two Ways - like Dawn, our protagonist, I find death absolutely fascinating and reading about a death doula sounded really, really interesting - which it was and I feel that Picoult really did the subject justice. As a bit of a history nerd, I loved reading and learning about Egyptology as a child, which made me think that the parts of this book that are based in and around Egypt would be really intriguing - which it was, in parts, but unfortunately not always. I quickly became lost in the beautifully portrayed setting of sandy Egypt, imagining myself there in the tombs with the characters, but unfortunately, I found myself getting a little bored after some of the heavy information regarding Egyptian history and hieroglyphics. It is so clear that Picoult has, as always, done a huge amount of research for her story, which I respect enormously and obviously has helped the story, but at points I felt like I was reading unnecessary, textbook-style information. I do find the history of Ancient Egypt very interesting, but I felt completely overwhelmed at some points - it was just too much. Thankfully, the beautiful writing, setting and interesting relationships kept me gripped for the rest of the book.

I had two feelings about The Book of Two Ways - The largest part of me absolutely loved the writing, the story and the emotions, but another part of me also loathed the thought of having to read pages and pages of complex history and even quantum physics. For me, fiction books should be a form of escape. If I want to study a subject in detail, I will choose to read a non-fiction book. Unfortunately this is where the book fell short for me and the reason why I didn't give it a higher rating. I still highly recommend the story for the beautiful writing, the brilliantly thought-provoking exploration of the often-taboo subject of death,  the characters and relationships - they alone kept me gripped. I can't wait to see what Picoult brings us next!

The Nothing Man

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

Paperback, 304 pages

Published 20th August 2020 by Corvus

Shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, contemporary, crime-thriller-mystery, death, en-route, rape, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man.
Now I am the woman who is going to catch him...

You've just read the opening pages of The Nothing Man, the true crime memoir Eve Black has written about her obsessive search for the man who killed her family nearly two decades ago.

Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle is reading it too, and with each turn of the page his rage grows. Because Jim was - is - the Nothing Man.

The more Jim reads, the more he realizes how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won't give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first...

I didn't really know what to expect when I was offered The Nothing Man for review - the description was vague, but intriguing. I am so glad I decided to read this book as it is both different and captivating, a book that is guaranteed to get almost anybody gripped.

The story starts by introducing us to The Nothing Man - a man called Jim Doyle who works as a supermarket security man, when he shockingly discovers that a book has been written about him. The book consists of alternating chapters, some consisting of Eve Black's novel and the rest from Jim's perspective, showing his reaction to the instantly popular publication.

The Nothing Man is a book inside a book. The book is written by Eve Black, a woman who was a witness to her sister and her parent's demise at the hands of The Nothing Man, a serial killer who prowled Ireland over twenty years ago, leaving a trail of devastation but absolutely no trace of his identity - hence his name. Eve is the only person to have witnessed and survived one of this man's crimes and makes it her mission to discover who this man is.

As some of you may know, I have had a deep interest in the Golden State Killer recently, since watching his trial and reading the late Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone In The Dark. In fact, that's the book that I read directly before this one, and I could see a lot of similarities with this story and the real life case. After contacting the author and reading the acknowledgements of this book, I discovered that Ryan Howard based this book on McNamara's. Whilst I understand that it's important to do research and to make the story realistic, the only reason I didn't rate this book higher was because it often felt like a carbon copy of the actions of the killer in I'll Be Gone In The Dark. However, if you haven't read McNamara's book or know about the Golden State Killer case in detail, I doubt that this will concern you at all. The author of this book did well to portray McNamara's message that once you discover who killer is, he really is nothing.

I really enjoyed this book from the very start. Both Eve and Jim were very well developed, interesting characters. The story was super compelling, the format only making it more so. I enjoyed the short chapters as they kept my attention and made it so easy just to tell myself 'just one more chapter' - this book is the definition of a 'page-turner'. This is a very well written,  well paced, engrossing read that will have you riveted until the very end. Highly recommended for anyone interested in thrillers, fictional or true crime reads. 

Keep Her Quiet

Keep Her Quiet by Emma Curtis

Paperback, 432 pages

Expected Publication 17th September 2020 by Black Swan - eBook released today!

Shelves:  adult-fiction, arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, crime-thriller-mystery, favourites, read, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction, really-good

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Jenny has just given birth to the baby she’s always wanted. She’s never been this happy.

Her husband, Leo, knows this baby girl can’t be his. He’s never felt so betrayed.

The same night, a vulnerable young woman, Hannah, wakes to find her newborn lifeless beside her. She’s crazed with grief.

When chance throws Hannah into Leo’s path, they make a plan that will have shattering consequences for all of them.

Years later, a sixteen-year-old girl reads an article in a newspaper, and embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about herself. But what she learns will put everything she has ever known – and her own life – in grave danger. Because some people will go to desperate lengths to protect the secrets their lives are built on . . .

Books like this one are exactly why I read. This is a book that from the first few pages, I didn't want to put down. It's very rare for me to instantly become hooked into a book, but this one managed that with ease. Author Fanny Blake made a quote about this book - "This is grip-lit at it's best" - and I could not agree more.

Initially, I was intrigued by the premise of this book after watching the TV adaptation of another book, The Secrets She Keeps. The story had some similar ideas and after enjoying the TV show, I thought I might like reading about what sounded like a similar story. For those who were fans of that drama, you will certainly be gripped and enjoy this story - likely even more so. Whilst there were some similarities between the stories, this one was certainly original and had an even more interesting, multifaceted storyline which was more consuming. I would absolutely love to see this one adapted to TV or film one day.

It's quite hard to review this book without giving away any spoilers which I don't want to do - the book runs on tension and suspense. The entire book has substance, full of revelations and some twists and turns which genuinely made my jaw drop. There is so much that goes on in this book but it's never confusing, just exciting. The story is a real page-turner and the story is full of so many mixed emotions. The characters felt realistic and complex, particularly Leo, who was the real stand-out character in this book, in my opinion. Leo is a character unlike any other I've read about, he is so realistic and has such a complex, interesting psychology. Curtis has managed to create several realistic characters, all feeling very human, vulnerable and flawed in their own individual ways. 

After such an impressive, eventful story, I was curious as to how all of the events would be concluded. There was an epilogue to this book, which I was a little hesitant about but I am glad to say that it worked well and I was pleased with the ending of the book, most things were wrapped up - thankfully, it wasn't done idealistically, it felt realistic yet was still conclusive. I am so impressed that nothing fell short in this book - the storyline, the characters, the conclusion, everything seemed fantastically done.

Overall, as you can probably tell by my gushing review, this is a book that I will recommend to everyone. We all need something to entertain and distract us from the real world right now and this certainly does that. I can't wait to read more by Emma Curtis. An instant five stars - go and pre-order/buy this now!

Keep Her Quiet is released as an e-Book today!

Dandelion Clocks

Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott

Paperback, 272 pages

Published 6th March 2014 by Puffin UK

Shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, death, medical-conditions, read-in-2014, realistic-fiction, to-read, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott Smith will be loved by fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy or Annabel Pitcher. Liv takes us on a journey through her life from "Thirteen Weeks Before" to "Six Months After". We discover Liv's passion for photography, her brother's obsession with sticking to the rules, the stupidity of Moronic Louise at school, and how the family copes as Mum's terminal illness takes hold...Guided by Mum's own childhood diaries, Liv finds a new way to live. This book is real, funny, utterly touching and absolutely heartwarming. Despite the sadness at the heart of the story, every reader will laugh and keep on turning the pages, charmed by Liv and her mum. 

When I was asked whether or not I would like to review Dandelion Clocks, I jumped at the chance. There seems to be a flood of recent YA books tackling the tough subject that is cancer, and this book is another of those. Thankfully, I think that Dandelion Clocks does add something new to this market, and it's something that's definitely worth checking out, especially for those on the 'younger' side of the young adult genre.

Dandelion Clocks is a book that is said to appeal to fans of authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy or Annabel Pitcher. With this suggestion, you'd assume that it's a book written specifically for middle grade children, and I can easily say that yes it is, but it I would certainly not hesitate to recommend this book to any older teen or even to any adult. I was very pleasantly surprised with the complexity that this book had, the author has proven to have such a wonderful ability of reaching across to different age groups. Though the content matter is treated so carefully that it's accessible, older readers should also appreciate many of the hidden complexities, including the relationships, in this book.

As aforementioned, this is a book that includes many more issues than the main one of cancer. Our very realistic and likeable protagonist, Liv, deals with multiple issues in this book and I commend Westcott for managing to handle them all so well, with a great sense of care and authenticity.  In this novel, another focus is on Liv's brother who has Asperger's Syndrome - this was also fascinating to read about because it taught me about the effect of Asperger's on daily life and it was fantastic to see how Liv helped her brother to try understand some things that those with Aspergers find challenging - in fact, I'd say that this issue is probably rightly explored with the same amount of focus and poignancy as the cancer storyline.

What stood out to me most with this book is that it's a real coming of age story for Liv. I enjoyed seeing her subtly mature in accordance with the things around her. I liked seeing how she dealt with everyday issues, such as friendships at school. Most of all I found it interesting to see how her experience shaped her and had an effect on her and helped on the way to forming her identity and maturity. For her age, Liv seemed very mature for her age and that is another reason why I believe the older YA fans will like this book.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this Dandelion Clocks - I didn't expect to love it as much as I did (for age reasons). I would have never guessed that this was Westcott's debut novel because quite simply, it is written with such a lot of care and talent. If you like the sound of the blurb/synopsis of this book, don't hesitate in picking it up, whoever you are - I am positive that you'll enjoy it. Rebecca Westcott is definitely an author to watch, and I'll definitely pick up her next offering!

Amy and Matthew

Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern

Paperback, 322 Pages

Expected Publication 27th March 2014 by Pan Macmillan

Shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, contemporary, cover-appeal, if-i-were-a-boy, medical-conditions, mental-health, read-in-2014, realistic-fiction, really-good, to-read, young-adult

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Amy loves Matthew and he loves her back. This is their story.
Amy is unflinchingly honest about her limitations. Born with cerebral palsy, she can’t walk or talk without help. But trapped inside this uncooperative body lies a brilliant mind and a luminous spirit – a girl capable of truly loving and worthy of being loved in return.
Matthew has his own set of challenges – a mind consumed by unwanted repeated thoughts, obsessive rituals and a crippling fear that he can't explain. But underneath all of the anxiety lies a deep seed of hope for someone to come along who believes in him…
This is the story of Amy and Matthew. It may not be a fairy tale romance or set in an imagined world far from our own. But the love they share is real. And yes, there's magic in it.

Just when I thought I was maybe growing 'out' of young adult books, along came Cammie McGovern, and alongside her came Amy and Matthew, reminding me exactly why I fell in love with YA in the first place. 

Amy and Matthew seems like a book that was written for me - it contains everything I love and most importantly, two imperfect protagonists who were easy to admire from the very beginning. Both characters have diagnosable 'disabilities', Amy has Cerebral Palsy and Matthew has OCD. Though both conditions can be very disabling, the characters certainly don't just sit back and let their problems dominate them, which is probably the main reason why I admired them so much. Their lives are undoubtedly affected, as anybody who has (or who has had) an illness will know, and it that's certainly a largely covered issue in the book, but I absolutely loved, and was so relieved, that the personalities of the characters were at the forefront. I enjoyed seeing how the two characters leaned on each other and how their relationship helped improve their wellbeing. 

Amy and Matthew learn a lot about themselves through each other and this creates such a perfect chemistry between the two and it's something very special.   Amy and Matthew are, quite simply, perfect for each other. If I was Amy, I would love a guy like Matthew, and if I was Matthew, I'd love a girl like Amy. I don't think that anybody could deny that. The two characters are really quite different and that is patly why they work so well together. Though Amy is less physically able than Matthew, she's perhaps slightly stronger emotionally, where as Matthew is more physically able but has a harder time with his emotions. I was very interested to see what Amy was really like, what she really thought and felt, as she seemed like, and was, a very complex person. I can only imagine what it must be like to be in her situation, but I think that McGovern portrayed her amazingly well. I liked seeing how both characters changed throughout the book - I was particularly impressed with Matthew's improvements and recovery.

As someone who has both chronic physical pain and mental illnesses, from what I understand of Amy and Matthew's issues, they were described well and I am glad that their issues were portrayed in a very frank, but not hyperbolic way. I sympathised with them, but didn't pity them. It is good to finally be able read a book about real people with real issues, trying to lead a normal lifestyle.

I hope it's clear how much I loved this book! It's difficult to write in a review, as you really do have to 'meet' Amy and Matthew through reading. I can not thank McGovern enough for getting me back into this genre and reminding me of everything I love about contemporary YA. Amy and Matthew is definitely one of the top YA books out there at the moment. Move over, The Fault In Our Stars and make way for Amy and Matthew!