romance · Young adult

The First Move – Jenny Ireland ★★★★★

Blurb; Juliet believes girls like her – girls with arthritis – don’t get their own love stories. She exists at the edges of her friends’ social lives, skipping parties to play online chess under a pseudonym with strangers around the world. There, she isn’t just ‘the girl with crutches’.

Ronan is the new kid: good looking, smart, a bad boy plagued by guilt over what happened to his brother Ciaran. Chesslife is his escape; there, he’s not just ‘the boy with the brother’.

Juliet thinks Ronan thinks someone like Ronan could never be interested in someone like her – and she wouldn’t want him to be anyway because he always acts like he’s cooler than everyone else. Whereas, Ronan thinks life is already too complicated for dating and just wants to keep his head down at school.

Little do they know they’ve already discovered each other online, and have more in common than they think . . .

My review; This was such a cute, romantic story. It’s a YA/romance. A high school setting, enter Ronin, the new hot, moody guy, and everyone wants him. Meet Juliet, the girl with arthritis… The odd one out who has to use crutches to walk. This story is absolutely perfect in representing a disability at a young age and mixing that in with school, appointments, love, friends, and fake friends. Many characters in this story are battling their own problems at home. It’s an all-around beautiful story with a happy ending for everyone. Does involve a lot of online chess. I devoured this. Highly recommend. A well-deserved five stars from me. It is an easy, uplifting read.

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chick-lit · Young adult

Friends Like These – Meg Rosoff ★★★★

Blurb; New York City. June, 1982. When eighteen-year-old Beth arrives in Manhattan for a prestigious journalism internship, everything feels brand new – and not always in a good way. A cockroach-infested sublet and a disaffected roommate are the least of her worries, and she soon finds herself caught up with her fellow interns – preppy Oliver, ruthless Dan and ridiculously cool, beautiful, wild Edie.

Soon, Beth and Edie are best friends – the sort of heady, all-consuming best-friendship that’s impossible to resist. But with the mercury rising and deceit mounting up, betrayal lies just around the corner. Who needs enemies … when you have friends like these?

My Review; This is a young adult story setting sail into the big world with an internship and starting university. It’s about her friendship with another, which could be classed as toxic. It’s about the difference between rich and poor. Romance. Drugs. This is such an easy read that you will be able to devour in a day like myself. I really enjoyed it. I’m sure we can all relate to at least one friendship very similar to the one we read about. A well-deserved four stars from me.

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mystery · romance · Young adult

Never Never – Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher ★★★★★

Blurb; Never stop…Never forget…Just remember.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us joins forces with the New York Times bestselling author of The Wives. Together, they have created a gripping, twisty, romantic mystery unlike any other.

Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They’ve been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning…they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love…every memory has vanished. Now Charlie and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why.

But the more they learn about the couple they used to be…the more they question why they were ever together to begin with. Forgetting is terrifying, but remembering may be worse.

My Review; I am fast becoming a Colleen Hoover fan. This is another story that did not disappoint me. Told through two teens who find themselves forgetting EVERYTHING every few days. Their families, friends, partners, classes. EVERYTHING. They work together to solve why? Who are they? Their pasts and it gets quite deep and dark. Add in a little romance, a few fights, and you’ve got an easy, fast-paced, young adult story to enjoy. I loved their story and the happy ending. Highly recommend. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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