Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Review: These Shallow Graves was one of my most anticipated reads of 2015. From the moment I read about it in the Bookseller, to hearing the enthusiasm from Hot Key Books at their 2015 blogger brunch, I knew this would be a book I couldn’t wait for. It has taken me a little time to review it however do not think this is because it’s not met my expectations or I didn’t enjoy it. I did. Jo Montford wants to be a writer, however that isn’t what her family or society expect from her. Everything changes when her father is found dead after supposedly accidentally shooting himself. However, Jo knows her father wouldn’t clean a loaded gun so tries to uncover the truth behind his death and is later joined by keen reporter, Eddie. These Shallow Graves is a brilliant historical […]

Posted March 30, 2016 by chooseyabooks in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Review: The Serpent King by Jeff Zenter

Review: I heard about the Serpent King on twitter (from the lovely Carly at Writing from the Tub whose review is here) and it sounded completely up my street so I was really pleased when I was able to obtain a review copy on Netgalley. I love books set in the Southern US states, there’s something about them and the Southern Gothic movement I find completely fascinating and the summary seemed to suggest a True Detective style atmosphere. The Serpent King is beautifully written and the small Tennessee town Dill, Lydia and Travis live in is bought off the page and feels so real. Dill, Travis and Lydia are defined, compelling and well-drawn out characters each of whom has their own story and arc within the book. Dill in particular really stands out as the main character who loves Lydia but knows […]

Posted March 28, 2016 by chooseyabooks in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Mini Reviews #5: It’s Getting A Little Creepy

Review: I love a good creepy read and Daughters Unto Devils definitely delivered with its historical setting, mountain location and distinctly sinister plot. After Amanda’s family move to a remote cabin, she hopes she can leave her past behind, including the fever that she’s worried has caused her to lose her mind. Only, the cabin is soaked in blood and there are stories about the area – about murder and unhinged minds. Oh, this book is delightfully creepy and Lukavics writes a sinister, disturbing tale with an intriguingly unreliable and very often unlikeable narrator. The plot develops and becomes even more horror-filled and disturbing by the end and has this feverish quality to it. The horror and gore is not sanitised so I would recommend this to younger readers personally. Books like this aren’t for everyone; that said fans of books with […]

Posted February 10, 2016 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments

Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Review: I had heard a lot about Huntley Fitzpatrick from US book bloggers so was very excited to see that Egmont are finally publishing My Life Next Door in the UK and even more so when I was able to snag a review copy from Netgalley. I adore YA contemporary and I think most people who regularly visit this blog know that. While I try and review all types of YA, and while I admit I sometimes need a little break from contemporary, it’s the YA genre I return to the most. My Life Next Door feels like the perfect YA contemporary read. It’s set in the summer, it has romance, family drama, a main character trying to forge her own identity and some heartbreaking moments too. Samantha Reed has watched the Garrett family next door for years; noting the […]

Posted February 8, 2016 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments

Review: Moth Girls by Anne Cassidy

Review: I’ve read and enjoyed several of Anne Cassidy’s YA novels (for example her Murder Notebooks series I’ve previously reviewed) over the years so I was looking forward to Moth Girls. The concept, with two missing girls, Petra and Tina, and their friend, Mandy, who has been left behind was intriguing and I liked that it showed the aftermath of these very difficult situations. How do you grow up knowing your friends went missing and you didn’t and that no-one knows what’s happened to them? I found Mandy the most interesting and vivid character in Moth Girls. I think this is probably because her arc is the most compelling to me personally. She has survivors guilt, wants to know what happened to her friends and she’s traumatised by her own potential culpability. As the book develops, we get to see Petra’s point of […]

Posted January 4, 2016 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments

2015 End of Year Book Survey

How is this time already? 2015 definitely went far too quickly for my liking. I think a lot of this is due to my offline life (mainly work) and sadly the blog hasn’t been as up to date or on schedule as I had hoped. However, I still got a good amount of reading done and I’m excited to fill out The Perpetual Page Turner’s 2015 End of Year Book Survey for the first time! 2015 Reading Stats Number Of Books You Read: 137 (I forgot to log a lot of my books on goodreads and then had to try and remember and trawl through my kindle and shelves a lot later so there may be more) Number of Re-Reads: I didn’t log all of my rereads on goodreads but I have about 10 rereads, including some Courtney Summers, Sarah Dessen, Louise O’Neill, […]

Posted January 2, 2016 by chooseyabooks in annual wrap-up / 1 Comment

Review: The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

Review: I love Cat Clarke’s writing and think she’s a fantastic voice in YA so had probably been anticipating The Lost and the Found since I found out it was getting published. What I love about Clarke’s writing is the way she doesn’t present things as absolutes, there are shades between and she creates flawed, realistic, compelling characters. The Lost and the Found tells the story of a family in the public eye. When Faith’s sister, Laurel, was six years old, she was abducted. Thirteen years later she returns home. There is an element of ‘ripped from the headlines’ in the concept of this book, however Clarke looks at a difficult subject with care and thought. She depicts how the family has both fractured and rebuilt itself in the wake of Laurel’s abduction and how her reappearance almost feels like […]

Posted October 7, 2015 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments

Review: Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

Review: Jenny Downham is one of my must-read authors, her contemporary YA is always thought-provoking, feels authentic and is beautifully written. Therefore, it’s fair to say Unbecoming was a highly anticipated 2015 read for me. What I love about Unbecoming is the fact that this isn’t a story about one character, but about three generations of women, each with their own secrets and fears and hopes. Considering the popularity of the ‘absent parent’ device in YA, it is refreshing to see a YA book about family relationships ,and one that doesn’t remove the ability to empower its teenage characters through those relationships. Katie’s relationship with her grandmother felt very honest and was a highlight of the book. They develop a strong relationship after a more uncertain start and it’s something I’d like to see more as it’s a relationship not always explored so […]

Posted September 14, 2015 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments

Mini Reviews #4: The Netgalley Catchup

Review: I love Kody Keplinger’s YA. I think she’s a brilliant, honest voice in YA and very engaging. It goes without saying Lying Out Loud was definitely a hotly anticipated 2015 read for me. Sonny is a liar, she almost can’t help it, but in many ways it’s much easier to live a lie than tell the truth, especially about her parents. After Sonny pranks new annoying boy, Ryder, after he asks out her best friend Amy, she accidentally ends up talking to him all night and connecting. Only, she’s still signed in as Amy. Now Sonny’s getting into lies and deceptions that might finally be her undoing and cost her friendship with Amy, as well as ruining her chances with Ryder, who she might actually liked. Wes’ sister from The Duff, Amy, is a key character in this book and it […]

Posted July 29, 2015 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments

Review: Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Review: Leah Thomas’ debut Because You’ll Never Meet Me arrived through the postbox as a surprise with a very intriguing premise. I find epistolary novels quite interesting and the idea of this impossible sounding friendship where they can never meet was unusual. Ollie is allergic to electricity, coming into contact with it causes seizures so he is virtually stranded off the grid. His only real friend is a neighbour’s relative and he struggles with the more normal life she has and reconciling and competing with that with his own isolated world. Ollie is put in touch with Moritz, a teenager in Germany who relies on an electronic pacemaker who was born with no eyes, by his doctor and while it isn’t entirely smooth at first, a friendship forms. The plot goes in a direction I didn’t entirely expect, though as […]

Posted July 27, 2015 by chooseyabooks in reviews / 0 Comments