Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Published: February 1999
Publisher: MTV books and pockets

Goodreads Summary

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day...or wondering who did the heart breaking and wondering why." Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

This is a rather hard book to review. I was putting this review off for as long as I possibly could as I just can’t seem to form any words to describe how much I loved this book!

Having not watched the movie I decided to tackle this book down after I found a cheap copy in my local store! The book addresses just within the first few pages; suicide, domestic abuse, homosexuality, molestation, rape, abortion, drug use and mental illness. Which is basically a jackpot for me as I’ve been trying to find books that more or less address these issues but are also YA.

Charlie is a freshman who is shy, nervous and not at all popular. Not only that but his bestfriend, his only friend committed suicide. Charlie decides to face the world in a different way, he decides to write letters about his many experiences as a social wallflower to his friend. The way the book was written is original and astonishing. Letters are always somewhat personal and private, you can list all of your fears on a piece of paper and either send it to someone or not. Because Stephen decided to write Charlie’s story this way it’s so much easier to connect with him. To know exactly what he is feeling.

I feel as if this book tackled everything along with the pressure and what it feels like to be a teenager in a new school with no friends.

I can’t praise this book enough, no wonder so many people fall in love with it. 

Review: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedwick My

She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedwick
Date Published: 3rd October 2013
Publisher: Orion Children's
Amazon    Book Depository 

Goodreads summary

Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers--a skill at which she's remarkably talented. Her secret: She is blind. But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her 7-year-old brother Benjamin are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City where surviving will take all her skill at spotting the amazing, shocking, and sometimes dangerous connections in a world full of darkness. She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other.

I was actually hoping to hate this book, or at least be so bored of it that I wouldn’t get past 50 pages but somehow I managed to hit around 100 pages before I realised that it was late and that the book hasn’t bored me to death. I randomly picked this book out of the mass amount of Young Adult books in my local library mostly for the pretty cover and the interesting title. I admit that. So after having the book for about two weeks and my return date being right around the corner I decided to at least give this book a try.

I was so suprised. I mean the writing and the main characters just. Wow. I wasn’t expecting the main character to be blind, and I wasn’t expecting the writing to portray that in such a way. I guess I would have expected the author to make it very clear from the very beginning about the lack of eyesight that Laurenth has but there were only hints I guess is the right word. It took me a while to notice that the author has not actually described what people look like, the colours that were there or anything like it. I guess I was just blind to that (ha… sorry) The amazing thing about this book is how thoughtfully it has been written. All the other senses are heighted and written; like what Laurenth was feeling or hearing at times.

The story follows a 16 year old blind girl and her little brother on a quest to find their father who seems to be missing. Having travelled from England to New York to follow clues that might not actually be there and having to deal with not being able to take care of everything herself the journey is really unpredictable. There was so much that could have gone wrong and nearly did go wrong and I just still can’t get over the writing.

This book was so cleverly written that I’m still in somewhat shock afterwards. By the last page I was mesmerised by the story and how much it meant to me. I wasn’t expecting it to leave any deep feelings or make me sit in my room for a while and think about what I’ve just read.

Marcus is such an underrated writer; I wish that more people would realise how amazing his work is and that his words  are remarkable.

ARC Review: Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
Release Date: March 18th 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you? When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission. Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

First thoughts after I finished this book? Finally! This book was dragging for so long I was losing my patience with it.

Alice and Harvey have been friends since they were children but going to high school they drifted apart with different social statuses, not really talking to each other until Alice is diagnosed with leukaemia. For a year and a half, Harvey has been there by her side during the good and the bad days falling more and more in love with her as her life clock begins to run out. But Alice goes into remission; becoming the miracle patient who will live. Now that she gets to live her, relationship with Harvey ends.

See this annoys me! The fact that she could only love Harvey while she was dying and knew she wouldn’t be with him forever. How stupid is that? I get the fact that she might be scared of commitment but that doesn’t mean you have to break his poor heart after he finds out the love of his life, the only girl he has ever loved will live but doesn’t want to be with him. Ugh. Not only this but Alice is a complete bitch to everyone but yet she gets this amazing guy to fall for her, and she does get what’s coming to her. 

“I knew how to die. It was the living that scared me.”

I loved how the book was arranged. The “Now” and “Then”. Alice was completely different while she was going through chemo and was dying. Later on she turned into a shallow girl who decided she was too good for Harvey and didn’t want him anymore which I guess was how she was before her diagnosis. I guess it was good to see both sides of her but I was hoping this book was going to be about how she realises she gets a second chance at life and decides to change her life around and become a better person.

“That girl in the case was dead. And that girl in the case was me”

I think I liked Alice about 10 percent of the book and that was at the very start and while she was taking her revenge on her ex-boyfriend Luke and the girl he was cheating with. Harvey is a sweet naïve guy and I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked him. At times he was the sweetest guy that was caring for a girl that was slowly dying and at other times he was a total fool for letting her walk all over him!

This book wasn’t anything I expected. I was hoping this would make me cry, or laugh or even feel something but there was nothing. This book was below ordinary. It was annoying. Even the very end annoyed me. I hate cliff hangers!

All quotes have been taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change

ARC Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Release Date: April 15th 2014
Publisher: Headline (UK)
Source: Netgalley
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father. Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A love story that started off in an elevator, under the stars on a roof and got mapped out over America and Europe with postcards saying Wish You Were Here.

“He was just a boy on a roof. She was just a girl in an elevator.”

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building during a citywide blackout. After being rescued they spent a night together in the agonising heat and darkened streets looking up at the stars above Manhattan. However as the lights come back so does the reality and soon Lucy moves over to Edinburgh and Owen and his father take the road and travel across the country. Not seeing each other for months with hardly any contact but a few postcards and emails.

What I love the most about this book is that this isn’t one of those romance orientated teen books where everything is perfect and happy. Lucy and Owen have the space to grow apart and breath. They were able to grow into their own characters and be able to tell their own story rather than being a couple in a book that’s always together joined at the hip. I didn’t particularly understand why Owen and Lucy had to both be so sociably awkward; I loved Lucy and how much of a bookworm she was and I liked Owen liking his own space after his mother dying but it felt like they were massive loners and just didn’t want to talk to anyone which is just silly.

“Nine months ago, he’d met a girl in an elevator and she’s been on his mind ever since.”

Jennifer managed to create a relationship between two people who were separated by thousands of miles and yet still managed to think about each other wherever they went; proving that distance is only mapped out and can be overcome. This book was really sweet and cute but it was in such great doses that I didn’t feel gross after reading it.

The writing is amazing! I can’t even express how much I love Jennifer’s writing. This isn’t one of those soppy boring teenage stories.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Jennifer E. Smith so I wasn’t too sure what to expect but I saw that John Green was a fan of this particular book so I was pretty much sold.

Note that these quotes have been taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change

ARC Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: 4th March 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought. Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

I was so lucky to get this book from Netgalley for my review. I was so excited to start this amazing book and oh, boy was I not disappointed.

For Heather, Dodge, Nat and Bishop summer won’t going to be ordinary. It is their turn to take part in the every year game taken by high school graduates to compete for money. It’s their way to make a name for themselves, take revenge and have the money to move out from the dead end boring town called Carp.

I had no clue what kind of books this was. I just knew that there was going to be a game with a lot of teenagers and possible danger. My first thoughts were Hunger Games. I thought this was going to be another dystopian book with characters set in a different time, with a weird world, with a rundown government, ect. I was so happy to find out that this book was about typical teenagers set in this century doing typical teenage things.

The idea of the game Panic is well to raise as much panic as possible. Running across a busy street blindfolded, to burning down a haunted house while you’re in there. The idea for this game is quite stupid but brilliant at the same time! I could not figure out why a town would even come up with a game like this, it seems so unrealistic. But it was described beautifully.

Each of the characters has their own story, which I absolutely love. Heather who wants to win the games badly so that her and her little sister Lily can finally move away from the town and start again. Doge who wants to take revenge for this sister’s accident that happened in the game before. Nat who was completely different from the rest of the characters and wanted to become a model and Bishop who wasn’t taking part in the game but was still there for his best friends. All the characters were developed so well they had their own personalities and quirks.

I’ve read one book before by Lauren Oliver and I wasn’t so impressed. Her writing didn’t impress me in Before I Fall but this book is so much different! This book was written in third person and what many authors forget to write about are the feelings of the characters and what they are thinking. Lauren however did not forget! You get the entire picture of the whole story along with emotions.

I cannot praise this book enough! There is action, some romance but it’s not focused on that, friendship, family matters, and a lot of emotions. Seriously. Go and preorder this book right now! 

Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green
First Published: March 3rd 2005
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens Books
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

A deeply affecting coming-of-age story, Looking for Alaska traces the journey of Miles Halter, a misfit Florida teenager who leaves the safety of home for a boarding school in Alabama and a chance to explore the "Great Perhaps." Debut novelist and NPR commentator Green perfectly captures the intensity of feeling and despair that defines adolescence in this hip, shocking, and emotionally charged work of fiction.

Miles has a quirky interest in famous people's last words, especially François Rabelais's final statement, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." Determined not to wait for death to begin a similar quest, Miles convinces his parents to let him leave home. Once settled at Culver Creek Preparatory School, he befriends a couple of equally gifted outcasts: his roommate Chip―commonly known as the Colonel—who has a predilection for memorizing long, alphabetical lists for fun; and the beautiful and unpredictable Alaska, whom Miles comes to adore.

The kids grow closer as they make their way through a school year filled with contraband, tests, pranks, breakups, and revelations about family and life. But as the story hurtles toward its shattering climax, chapter headings like "forty-six days before" and "the last day" portend a tragic event―one that will change Miles forever and lead him to new conclusions about the value of his cherished "Great Perhaps.

I love John Green. It's not a secret. For me he is one of the very few YA authors who put a nerdy real life like spin on his books. There is always something quirky with a character that is just amazing. A different perspective on life, or a belief. Like with Miles and his obsessions with last words, and his "Great Perhaps"

This is the third book I've read by John Green and it's amazing. I love it and I love him more. The book has all the essentials; it's funny, sad, meaningful and just in all amazing. The story follows Miles a boy who has never had close friends at school and was always the weird nerdy boy. Until he moved to the Culver Creek Preparatory school. Meeting his roommate the Colonel who showed him a new world full of great friends, smoking and pranks. Not to mention he meets a girl. A girl called Alaska who is funny, sexy and beautiful.

The thing I love the most about this book is that everything is normal to an extent, it's not ridiculously fictionalized.

I usually don't like to read in a male POV as I can't really connect with the character (yes girls are different than boys and we do think differently so reading in his POV was kinda weird) pages 153-155 are literally the most awkward, funny and absolutely ridiculous. If you own the book go and open it right now! 

Miles is a great character, I love how cute and innocent he is. But what I love the most about this character is that he isn't ashamed of being shy and innocent and not knowing certain things. I love his obsession with last words, it's something that makes him, him. Not to mention some of the stuff that he comes up with. 

The Colonel and the rest of the gang are realistic characters; seriously this book has been pretty much realistic for me and I absolutely loved this! 

Right onto Alaska. So she isn't one of the top characters. As a matter of fact I hated her most of the time. She is just pretty much annoying every time she's in the book... Apparently she's super experienced with sex, and alcohol and cigarettes. Which is fine, but it felt like she was showing off all the time about all of this! Not to mention her weird mood swings, I did not understand her at all. At first I could see why Miles thought she was amazing, I mean the whole mystery was really good and I loved that part but honestly after about a few chapters I was shooting daggers her way. 

This book has a big twist. (That I knew about before hand that's why I didn't cry like a baby) but I'm not going to ruin this for you guys... So go read the book! It's really worth it. It is kind of annoying at times (especially Alaska) but if you're looking for a book that's more of less down to earth then this is right for you. 

Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Title- Paper Towns
Author- John Green
Publisher- Speak
Release Date- September 22nd 2009
Buy - Amazon

Goodreads Summary 

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Who's the super big fan of John Green. ME

“As long as we don't die, this is gonna be one hell of a story.”

It’s not a secret that John Green is my all-time favorite author on this planet. So obviously, I was to say the least excited out of my brains to read this book. However, I didn’t think I’d be disappointed with it.

The story is about Margo Roth Spiegelman who lives a very popular high school life living next to the geeky Quentin Jacobsen who is the normal high school boy with a big heart and a massive sweetheart. They have been friends as children and slowly drifted apart as they grew up after finding a dead body in a park. Years later while in high school Margo climbs into Quentin’s bedroom and takes him on revenge cantered adventure before she disappears. Quentin being the sweet boy he is he takes it upon himself to follow the clues that Margo seems to have left behind for him to find her not only missing his graduation day but also dragging his friends along.

The storyline is somewhat childish. It’s the whole shy boy is in love with popular girl and she basically throws him in the friendzone. Yeah, so the idea isn’t very original I guess. The mystery that is Margo Roth Spiegelman is quite interesting but gets boring very quickly. Everything about her seemed so great at first, her weird quirks and thoughts about the world and how seriously she takes her revenge and she just seemed like a great character. But I ended up hating Margo halfway through the book. I felt so sorry for Quentin.  She left him clues to find her, he became obsessed with it, his friends suffered because of it and the “twist” at the end is just stupid. The whole ending was just disappointing and terrible.  Margo is a horrible girl! The whole world was revolving around her and the whole clues and making everyone worry about her being missing never telling anyone anything is just stupidly stupid and selfish. Poor Quentin and his friends wasted so many hours trying to figure out where she is and it was all for nothing. Just ugh! Cannot stand this girl.

Apart from Margo being a massive poop I liked the book. See the word “liked” yeah I didn’t love this book as the rest. I expected so much more. I was prepared to have my heart shattered and then burned but nope. Really disappointed with the fact that I didn’t cry like a baby at this book…

The quotes are really amazing in this book however. Like seriously if I could marry John’s writing I would do it in the blink of an eye. His writing speaks to me so clearly that I sometimes see the world differently (cheesy I know)

“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault In Our Stars
Author: John Green
Published: January 10th 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

When I got the book I thought to myself. It can't be so bad. It can't ruin my life. It can't take over everything. It can't hurt my soul and everything inside me.
GUESS WHO WAS WRONG!!!!!!!

Hi. I'm Paulina and this book ruined me and I cannot live without this book because even though my soul has crushed and died I want to marry this little thing and forever hold it because I love it so much.

Me at the start of the book 

Couple of pages in 

Going so crazy I can't help myself.

Why. Who. Why would this book hurt me so much

Someone hold me. 

Right. Literally. This. Is. What. Happens. 

And I'm still like. 

Just thinking of the book right now. 

 Guess who is now emotionally unstable because of something that happened in a book.

So all in all. This book is amazing. Everyone go read it, the movie is coming out soon just go and read the book and join me being this broken shell. 

Review: What She Left Behind By Tracy Bilen

Title: What She Left Behind

Author: Tracy Bilen

Publication date: May 1st 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse 

Buy: Amazon

“Don’t even think of leaving… I will find you,” he whispered. “Guaranteed.” Sara and her mom have a plan to finally escape Sara’s abusive father. But when her mom doesn’t show up as expected, Sara’s terrified. Her father says that she’s on a business trip, but Sara knows he’s lying. Her mom is missing—and her dad had something to do with it. With each day that passes, Sara’s more on edge. Her friends know that something’s wrong, but she won’t endanger anyone else with her secret. And with her dad growing increasingly violent, Sara must figure out what happened to her mom before it’s too late…for them both.

This book. Just, just wow.

Sara’s dad is violent, her mom does not stand up to him, Sara is terrified of him and she can’t help; and on top of that her big brother is dead.

Sara and her mom are planning on leaving and running as far as they can from the abuse her father afflicts on them. On the day, they are meant to run away and start over Sara’s mom doesn’t show up. Waiting for the whole day at their designated meeting place she returns home to find her dad in complete darkness telling her that her mother went away for a few weeks on a business trip. Wanting and needing to get away Sara decides to stay with her father to find out what really happened to her mother and why she is missing but at the same time not wanting to leave in case her mother does come back to for her.

I love the plot. I haven’t read a book about an abusive dad in detail and it’s such an emotional topic. The book starts off a little dull but after about 50 pages it kick starts and begins to unravel a great and thought-out plot line. For most of the ending I was on my tiptoes scared for Sara about her dad finding out that she’s snooping around trying to find answers about her missing mom. My heart was practically escaping me whenever Sara came close to being caught out by her dad. I was actually scared of a character.

Tracy Bilen can seriously create tension and make every single hair on my body stand up in fear of what would happen next. This book is so realistic that half of the time I was wondering if this was based on a real event or something. Usually I don’t read a lot of realist fiction as it’s far too realistic for my liking but this was great. I loved this book so much!

Sara is a good character. I don’t really like how she doesn’t stand up for herself. I wanted her to stand up to her dad and tell him to stop, or even call someone for help like her grandparents or someone who lives close enough to take her and her mom away. But at the same time I know that there are a lot of teenagers and kids that are in this situation and I guess that Sara’s response is ordinary and it does happen in real life. I didn’t really expect her brother to be the same and just take it when he was alive.

 Alex is a really great character. He’s by far my favourite; with the whole I don’t care about school attitude and always making some kind of joke to his teacher about his hall pass. I just loved him. Plus the name, I’m a sucker for the name Alex. I don’t understand Sara’s and Alex’s relationship though. It’s so random! They have known each other for a long time and Alex randomly decides that he likes Sara? Hmm. I wasn’t really buying this. Spoilers- At the very end when he turns up to save Sara, her mother and Zach I really thought that Alex was going to turn out to be somehow working with Sara’s dad and completely go crazy and help him kill them or something. I really thought that was going to happen…

I’m still really disappointed with the ending. The story has such a massive build up to the end. Throughout the entire book the questions “Where is Sara’s mom?” “What will her dad do?” “Why did Matt kill himself?” fly about. Even the massive plan of escaping the abuse at home and finding her mother somehow was ruined by the very end. Sure the whole cabin experience and what happened was shocking. I’m still shocked, but just the fact that everyone was fine and they somewhat lived happily ever after shocked me even more. I like the fact that none of my favourite characters were killed off. It’s a nice surprise and I didn’t have to keep my breath in wondering whether or not someone was going to be killed but at the same time I wish the ending was more shocking. It was just disappointing compared to the running around and trying not to be caught by her dad and be hit or worse killed. 

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