Contemporary Reads: So Far This Summer

As I've probably mentioned in previous blog posts; I am really into contemporary books this summer. Usually I ignore all the summer contemporary hype and stick to my preferred genre of fantasy. But this year contemporary's are just looking so good to me. I thought I'd do a quick update on which of them I've read so far and how I'm enjoying them.

The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen

5/5

This was just wow. This book follows a group of girls trying to get revenge on the football team. I wont go into detail about the revenge because its a lot of fun to watch it unfold. All the girls had their own reasons which were a little more serious than I had expected going in - but it was so well written and all the characters were individual enough that, despite the multiple POV's, I was never confused about who was speaking. I really really loved this book and I am excited to read more by Rachael Allen.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

3.5/5

I am so unsure about this book. I know that humour is subjective, and a lot of liking this book comes down to whether you like the humour. I did, for the most part but there were times when I just didn't as much. I liked this book and I think the low-ish rating may be more the fault of me putting my expectations too high.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

4.5/5

I am usually a bit meh about Sarah Dessen's books, I like them but I don't get the hype. But this book hooked me. I loved the characters and the atmosphere. It wasn't perfect but its definitely a book I would read again. 

The Baby by Lisa Drakeford

3/5

This was kind of a disappointment. The idea was interesting, the characters weren't bad and its a British YA which I always love because I actually get the references and slang! But ultimately the way it was written was off putting for me. The book is written in five sections each one from a different character's POV. Which is fine because I liked each of the characters personalities and they all had distinctive voices. But once a character's POV was ended they kind of lost most of their input in the story. Suddenly it didn't matter so much what they thought. And because its a really short book, the sections always ended right when I was starting to connect with the character which was jarring.

Lobsters by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison

4/5
This was a fun read, I didn't always love the characters but I loved the setting and plot. I did like this book but I wasn't immediately hooked in, I did like the ending though.

The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro

2/5
There are some fairly good reviews on Goodreads so perhaps I am just missing something. But I just - didn't care. I didn't care which team Parker was on or what her "friends" were doing. And I really didn't care all that much about her love interest.

Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore

3/5
This was... cute. I don't really have much to say about it. I thought it was a fun idea and the romances were cute if not exactly compelling. The one really good element was the friendship between the two main characters.

The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

4/5
A bit slow moving but definitely worth sticking with. I actually really enjoyed the romance element(s) and the plot was very different from anything I've read. Probably the least summer-y of all the books on this list. But I am very glad I read it and highly recommend.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

3/5
I really hate love triangles. The main character was interesting but overall I wasn't that invested. I do know how the series ends (cause spoilers) so I don't have a whole lot of motivation. I will probably finish the series at some point but its not a priority.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han

3/5
I enjoyed these but Lara Jean is honestly such an annoying main character. I did really like Peter and of course Kitty was an amazing character. She was so cool. The ending felt a little rushed which seems to be a general theme with Jenny Han.

Overall I am having a really good reading summer so far. Not all of the books I've read have been exactly what I expected, some of them in a good way some not so much. I still have a huge pile of contemporaries to read this Summer and if the trend continues they should be a lot of fun to read. 

Most Anticipated Reads of Summer (June, July and August)

So my pre-orders on Amazon are already telling me that Autumn is going to be a huge season for book releases and honestly my bank balance and I are kinda nervous. But Summer is also shaping up to be a fairly great reading season. Below are my eight most anticipated, they are in order of release date. And all release dates are for the UK.

1) The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen, due for release 16th June
Don’t get mad, get even!
In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game.    

"I love revenge books. Something about them just draws me in and this one sounds a little like John Tucker Must Die. "

2)  Illusive by Emily Lloyd Jones, due for release 25th June   
  When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She's what's known as an illusionist...She's also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn't?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives.  

"Superpowers are a definite yes! And super powered criminals are just so much more interesting than super heroes!"            

3) The Baby by Lisa Drakeford, due for release 2nd July  
         When Olivia opens the bathroom door, the last thing she expects to see is her best friend Nicola giving birth on the floor - and to say Nicola is surprised is an understatement. She's not ready to be a mum, and she needs Olivia's help. But Olivia has her own problems - specifically her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, and keeping an eye on younger sister Alice. And then there's Nicola's friend Ben, who's struggling with secrets of his own.

"I only recently heard of this one so its probably cheating to say I've been anticipating it when in reality I read the blurb last week. But this just sounds like such an interesting premise and a baby! I love fictional babies!"

4) The Accident Season by Moira Fowley Doyle due for release 2nd July

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

"This sounds very inrriguing. I am so keen to know what causes the accident season. This seems like such an original idea."

5) Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger, due for release 2nd July

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with - secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand - a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually 'like' him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?

"I read and enjoyed Kody Keplinger's other books (including The DUFF) and I love that their all set in the same school, so there is always the hope for previous characters to pop up."

6) The Last Ever After by Soman Chainani, due for release 21st July

Can Agatha and Sophie find the perfect ending to their story in this epic conclusion to this bestselling series.

"This is a sequel so I don't want to spoil the plot of the previous books by looking at the blurb. I haven't read the first two although I do own them, because I've been wanting to marathon the series. So as soon as this is out I will be jumping right on them!"

7) Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell, due for release 13th August

Nicolette's awful stepsisters call her Mechanica to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother's knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday-and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse-Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: There's a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.

"This is possibly my most anticipated release of the Summer. I have been looking forward to this for so, so long. I am a sucker for retelling's - if a book is a retelling of a fairy tale I am pretty much guaranteed to read it. And this one has the added benefit of a seriously gorgeous cover."

8) Maid of Wonder by Jennifer McGowan, due for release 25th August

Sophia Dee, the most unusual spy of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor, has run out of time for her psychic skills to fully manifest. A terrible new prophecy now haunts Windsor Castle, and the Queen demands answers before the next doomed soul dies.

Thrust into a dangerous and horrifying competition to solve the deadly prediction, Sophia finds herself pitted against the most celebrated mystics of Europe: John Dee, her devious uncle and the Queen’s personal astrologer. . . and Nostradamus, the renowned prophet-seer of France.

In a court where whispers of witchcraft, poisonous plots, and grim assassins threaten her at every turn, Sophia needs answers fast. But does she dare trust Marcus Quinn, her uncle’s striking and over-ambitious assistant? Or, instead, should she turn to the tortured dark angel of the spirit realm, who whispers to her only of sorrow and death?

As new dangers surface and dire prophecy sweeps toward its final victim, the five Maids of Honor prepare to do battle. Only then will the girl who so often sees the future finally discover if she can save the Crown—and herself. 

"This is the third in the series although they are really more companion novels since each book follows a different Maid of Honour. Maid of Secrets is the first and Maid of Deception the second. I really enjoyed both the first books especially since the main characters were so different from each other and what I have seen of Sophia so far seems different again and very interesting. The Tudor period is also probably my favourite historical period to read about."