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#LoveOzYA :: The Deep End :: Jenna Guillaume
It was a new level of loserdom, even for me When Rosie humiliates herself in front of the whole school at the swimming carnival, she vows she’ll never step foot in the water again. Well, until Jake Tran, the best swimmer (and hottest boy) in her year, says he will give her swimming lessons. Against all the voices in her head screaming that it’s a bad idea, she takes him up on his offer. Today was an exciting day on the Aussie bookish calendar – it was Australian Reading Hour, which is all about celebrating reading and encouraging people to celebrate making time to pick up a book. It was…
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Review :: Love, In Theory :: Elodie Cheesman
There’s an algorithm for everything else, so why not love? When 24-year-old lawyer Romy learns that she is at her ‘optimal stopping point’ (the mathematically designated point at which one should select the next ‘best person’ who comes along in order to have the best chance at happily ever after), she knows it’s time to get serious about her love life. Ruthlessly rational, with a belief in data over destiny, Romy knows that reliability and consistency are dependable options, while passion and lust are transitory and only bring pain and disillusionment. That’s why sensible Hans the engineer is the right choice, as opposed to graphic designer James who exhibits the…
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Review :: The Survivors :: Jane Harper
Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home. Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away… News of a new Jane Harper novel on the horizon is one of those things that gives me an actual literal little shiver of…
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#LOVEOZYA :: You Were Made for Me :: Jenna Guillaume
The day I created a boy started out like any other. Katie didn’t mean to create a boy. A boy like a long-lost Hemsworth brother: six-foot tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer’s day; whose lips taste like cookie dough and whose skin smells like springtime. A boy who is completely devoted to Katie. He was meant to be perfect. But he was never meant to exist. I LOVED Jenna’s first book, What I Like About Me (seriously – I did! Check out my review here), so when I heard she had a new one coming out in 2020 it was automatically one of…
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Review :: The Lost City :: Amanda Hocking
Amanda Hocking’s YA urban fantasy seriesabout the worlds of trolls have been on my radar for quite some time, but so far I have only gotten around to reading Frostfire, which is the first book in the Kanin Chronicles. I have been keen to read some more – because what’s not to love about adventure and trolls hidden away in our human world (plus the nods to Norse mythology piqued my interest) – so I jumped at the chance to get an early look at this newest (and final) series. Ulla Tulin was abandoned in an isolated Kanin town as a baby. Taken in by strangers and raised hidden away…
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Review :: OASIS :: Katya de Becerra
Katya de Becerra’s latest novel, OASIS, is quite unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s young adult sci-fi (or is it fantasy?) with elements of mystery and thriller in it too. Here’s the synopsis (from the Macmillan website) Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archeological dig site in the desert with four close friends . . . and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit. Their camp wiped away, Alif and the others find themselves lost on the sands, seemingly doomed . . . until they find the oasis. It has everything they need: food, water, and shade—and mysterious ruins that hide a deadly secret. As…
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Book Stack :: December book mail
Tonight I wanted to share some of the books I’ve received in the post from publishers lately. You can find out more by clicking on the titles to go to the Goodreads page for each book. Oasis by Katya de BecerraThis is a YA mystery/thriller, out Jan 202 from Pan Macmillan. Season of the Witch by Sarah Rees BrennanI understand that this one is a prequel novel, inspired by the Netflix series. It is out now from Scholastic Australia. Heart of the Moors by Holly BackThis novel is set between Disney’s Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. It is also out now from Scholastic Australia. The Space We’re In by…
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Review :: Five Dark Fates :: Kendare Blake
One of the best series I read last year was Kendare Blake’s YA fantasy Three Dark Crowns – you might remember me raving about it when book 3 (Two Dark Reigns) came out and I binge read all three books in a weekend (check out my review here). Of course I was delighted when Pan Macmillan sent me Five Dark Fates, the fourth – and final – book in the series (technically it’s kind of the fifth book since there’s also a novella!). I love the covers on these books – the colours are so striking! Now, obviously it’s hard to give a summary of the plot of a series-closing…
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Review :: Pumpkin Heads :Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
I have been seeing Pumpkin Heads – a gorgeous graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks – all over bookstagram this month, and last week I finally caved and bought it. Here’s the synopsis from Goodreads: Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is…
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Review :: The Harp of Kings :: Juliet Marillier
I hadn’t read any of Juliet Marillier’s books before The Harp of Kings but had heard lots of good things about her work so was really keen to check it out. Here’s the synopsis (from Goodreads) Bard. Warrior. Rebel. Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart and is a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan’s burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. While she and her brother are competing for places in this band, they are asked to go undercover as travelling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and…
