A Person Not A Possession ~ Some Boys by Patty Blount Review

Some Boys
By Patty Blount

Rating: 4.9


'The cops wanted to know if I was Zac's girlfriend, if I was drinking, doing drugs, if I ever worked as a stripper, if I ever kissed Zac before that night.

What the hell does any of that have to do with what happened?

Do the laws against sexual assault not apply to strippers? To girlfriends? I don't get that. (...) He thinks because I went to the woods, drank alcohol, and dressed the way I dress, I should have expected this to happen. That I actually wanted this to happen.

(...) What the hell, just what the hell was wrong with how I looked...why does he care if I wear eye-black like the football team? It's my face. It's my body. I can dress it up or down however I want. Why is that such a hard concept for guys to accept? All that crap Jax said about dressing to be noticed - being noticed is fine. But being noticed isn't the same as being ridiculed, insulted, ostracised, shamed.

Being noticed isn't an open invitation to guys to do whatever they want to me.'


This book carries an important message. This book made me cry. 

I know rape is a complex issue to discuss. I also know that although this book concentrates on a female victim, that there are also male victims of rape out there. 

But what really got me was the shaming. And not the shaming from the guys - I understood the whole 'buddy' system, with the rapist's friends sticking up for him and shunning the girl who dared to speak up. But the shaming by the girls was the most painful to read about. 

We girls, as a species, can be cruel.

Gossip is like a type of currency. Some girls can be more two-faced than Professor Quirrell from Harry Potter! 

But we should never, ever, ostracise another person purely based on idle gossip. And especially when they may have suffered major trauma. You never know what trials a person faces in their daily lives, hidden behind the smiling mask they wear day to day. Don't judge by appearances. Stick up for one another.

The right way isn't always the easy way.

This was another valuable lesson from this book. Peer pressure VS human decency. Speaking up VS importance of friendships. 

But although all these things came into conflict with one another, it was not being able to face one's self that finally brought Ian to the 'good' side. Not that Ian had actuallydone the deed. But he kept choosing to remain ignorant, despite knowing deep down that what was happening was wrong.

True, he ends up growing a spine for Grace. And to fix all the wrongs. But he mainly does it because he cannot stand the person he sees himself becoming. He knows he can't live with himself if he stands back and allows things to continue as they are.

So here's a challenge for us all.

Let's take a good look at ourselves. Maybe glance in the mirror, or sit alone in quiet contemplation.

And let's think: do I like the person I am? Do I like the way things are?

More importantly, it's not a matter of whether you like this or that - but do you knowthe person you are? Do you truly know the way things are, or are you blinded by false loyalties and excuses?

Let's open our eyes and our mouths.

Let's see what's really there - past the lies, rumours and labels. Let's speak the truth. 

Let's make this world a safer, better place :)

What is right sometimes isn't easy. But it's worth it.

Hauntingly Beautiful ~ Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg Review

Our Song
By Jordanna Fraiberg

Rating: 4.4


'Their red beaks let out what sounded like a distress call, a discordant, screaming cacophony, as if they were at war with the swaggering hunk of brass. But as they dispersed into the open sky, their squawks became less urgent, blending into a harmonious song they belted out in unison. With their bright green wings, they glided through the clouds as one, singing at a pitch I'd never heard before.

(...) "You know what that is," Nick said, looking up at the sky. "That's the sound of freedom."'


They say near-death experiences change you. But no one ever said 'for the better'.

Olive Bell had a near-fatal car accident. Yet there was nothing near about her experience. Olive died. Her heart stopped beating for almost three full minutes.

But paramedics brought her back to life - forcing her to face a world she's no longer sure she belongs in.

'It felt like I was looking at a tableau frozen in time before the accident. As if a thin layer of gauze had fallen over the entire neighbourhood, enshrouding it from the rest of the world like a cocoon. This must be what a parallel universe is like, I thought. Everything looked the same, but I suddenly felt like it wasn't. Like everything had been taken apart, brick by brick, flower bed by flower bed, and put back together in the wrong order. Like me.'

How can you move on when you're stuck living in yesterday?

Our Song is a story about adapting to change. About second chances. And about realising who you are and accepting what you find.

Olive's world turned upside down after the accident. And the situation only becomes worse as she continues to live in 'Olive World' - the world of yesterday, where she's the perfect daughter, gets good grades, and has an amazing boyfriend who she adores. She doesn't realise that everything has changed.

That she has changed.

Sometimes we as human beings need to take a step back from our lives and gain a different perspective. To re-assess where we stand, who we are, and what we're doing. People tended to suffocate Olive, pressuring her to be the Olive they all knew. The whole Olive. The happy Olive. The Olive who had never experienced true loss or true pain.

Sometimes we need someone to guide us...to show us the way through the darkness and into the light.

Nick is that 'someone' for Olive. He has no expectations of her - he sees the new Olive, and likes her for who she is. Nick gives Olive the chance to view the world as never before - showing her the little things like hidden places, different facets of society, the thrill of adventure, the beauty in the world around us and the magic in the simple moments. 

And Olive in turn begins to see that perhaps the accident wasn't the end for her. That maybe she was given a second chance at life for a reason.

"It's just that, do you ever wonder what if things happened differently? Like, what if we actually died and there was nothing near about it? What if we weren't supposed to come back?" I'd avoided thinking of my accident and the events leading up to it for so long that I'd barely thought about what would have happened if it had all really ended that night.

He was quiet for a second. "All the time."
"Then sometimes I think we must have survived for a reason. But what are we supposed to do with that?"
"Nothing."

Music is a healing force - soothing both mind and heart.

The story also has snippets of a gorgeous song, whose melody I would simply love to hear one day. The lyrics are interwoven through the storyline, bringing our two characters, Nick and Olive, closer together.

'I see your face all over the place
Like a haunting from above
The only way for this to pass
Is to let go of your love.

Your voice is like an angel
I can hear without sound.
My leaden heart starts floating
Whenever you're around.

When I wake I see your face
Even through the fog that leaves no trace
I will hear you long after you're gone
Mingled with the earth your heart beats on.

On the infinite horizon
Where you and I belong
As the silver moon is rising
That's when they'll play our song.

Read more about Olive's journey and pick up a copy of Our Song today!



Booknut's Song Pick: White Lines & Red Lights by Between the Trees

Claire's Song by Ashley King ~ Review

Claire's Song
By Ashley King

Rating: 4.5


'This girl will either be the death of me or be the very reason I breathe.'


Everyone has a story. Some are just darker than others.

Claire's Song is an oxymoron - a book that is one of the saddest books you'll read, and yet also one of the sweetest, at the same time. There is no other way to describe it but as bittersweet. Fragile moments of happiness intertwined with times of pain and sorrow. Raw, emotional and a balm to the heart, this novel is refreshing as it ditches stereotypes and provides readers with reality.

What is reality you may ask?

Reality is pain. Or more correctly, reality is the understanding that there will be pain and you can't escape it. But you can get through it.

Often novels try to give readers the illusion that mental illness was created by Hans Christian Andersen. It's tragic, but it's a fairytale. People can fight through it on their own, and if they sink deeper into it, they have no one to blame but themselves. 

Or, worse, they show mental illness to be something you can cure with the wave a magic wand.

But that's not reality. The reality is that we need to ask ourselves a very important question:

Why do we so often forget the people side of things?

Yes, things like depression are an illness of the mind. But they're affecting a person's mind. And that person has feelings, a past, emotions and as many rights as any sane person does. 

Claire's Song warns its 21st century audience about the dangers of judging.



I think that was one of parts of this book that stayed with me most. How Claire was so, so close to moving on from what had happened. But she was confronted with it every day. Which was thanks to the immature people around her - hateful, spiteful people who hide behind their ignorance so as to come out on top in an imaginary power struggle. It shows how every person had an obligation to treat others with respect, and to never judge someone lest you be pushing them further down an already rocky path.

Love music? This book is for you!

This book not only gives readers a great story, but one of the best playlists ever! Claire and Ryder have amazing taste in music, and the songs they listen to throughout this book are great picks to listen to at any time - or even whilst you read this book :)


A journey of self-forgiveness, Claire's Song is another classic example of an NA novel that delivers what it promises, and will find its way into readers' hearts.

How to Get Over Your Ex by Nikki Logan Review

How to Get Over Your Ex 
By Nikki Logan

Rating: 4.2


'It dawned on her in realisation as blazing as Cappadocia's sunrise that her way just wouldn't include Zander Rush. He'd come into her life bearing the gifts she needed to find herself again. Perhaps his cosmic role was now complete and the last twenty-four hours were just the most amazing swansong.'


Lessons on love and living are plentiful in a romance novel that teaches female readers the importance of self love.

My thoughts on the book:

True, this book projects the image of 'romantic' love - from its cutesy book cover, to its chick flick movie-worthy title. But looks can be deceiving. How To Get Over Your Exshould be re-named How To Stop Letting Men Rule Your Life, or, How To Start Living Your Life Anew. Either of those would better express the unique angle on romance this book has to offer.

Because, as this book points out, how can we begin to love others (and establish lasting relationships) without first knowing and loving who we are? 

Our female protagonist starts off on rocky ground - unsure, loveless, saddened. And I'll admit, I thought the general storyline to be a little cheesy at first. But it gradually built up to become something much rawer than I expected. The female protagonist, Georgia, ends up realising who she is, and more importantly, what she wants. And in that typical NA/YA scene where the guy begs for her to give him a chance, Georgia shines. She stands up and refuses to back down. She had standards, dreams, desires. And she isn't letting him steamroller over her.

"George-"
"I'm not negotiating, Zander, I'm explaining. I'm telling you why I'm choosing nothing, because everything is not on the cards with you."

The ending was slightly predictable. But hey - I can appreciate a happy ending just as much as the next female! I'm just glad that Georgia got her happy ending on her own terms. She didn't cave. She didn't change herself to win the guy. She didn't wallow. She thrived and won what she wanted, how she wanted it. 

So if you've got an ex book boyfriend (or, you know, a real ex boyfriend)...or you just want to experience a great book, I recommend taking a look at How To Get Over Your Ex. Hopefully you'll find it just as refreshing as I did :)

ARC Review ~ Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate #1)
By Chelsea Fine

Rating: 4.8 (NA Romance)


'I've made my decision and sure, my heart is broken, but it's the good kind of broken. The kind that leaves you branded, so you never forget, and heals over time, so you can see how far you've come.

It's the best kind of broken.'

As fierce and beautiful as a midnight storm, Best Kind of Broken is the kind of novel you just can't put down.

The story of Pixie & Levi is one that will make you consider that decades-old question: how do we, as humans, begin to heal? And, more importantly, how do we fix what we can't see?

Death is a part of life. So is grief. But you don't have to face it alone.

Best Kind of Broken will have readers captivated by the contrasting yet complementing characters of Pixie & Levi - and their undeniable chemistry - as well as the finesse with which Chelsea Fine has created what can only be described as a work of art. Emotions, layered like colours on a canvas, shine through the story and make it a NA read you don't want to miss.

If you want something bad enough, you have to fight for it.

Can Pixie & Levi find a way to let go of the past? 

To find out, be sure to grab your copy of Best Kind of Broken when it comes out :)

Without Magic or Miracles ~ The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay Review

The Sea of Tranquility
By Katja Millay

Rating: 5+

"If we had a telescope, I could show you the Sea of Tranquility." She points up at the sky. "See? Up there on the moon. You can't really tell from here."

"Is that why you have a picture of the moon in your bedroom?" At this point I'm an expert at going along with her tangents.
"You noticed that?"
"It was the only thing on the wall. I thought you were into astronomy."

"I'm not. I keep it there to remind me that it's bullsh**. I thought it sounded like this beautiful, peaceful place. Like where you'd want to go when you die. Quiet and water everywhere. A place that would swallow you up and accept you no matter what. I had this whole image of it."

"Doesn't sound like a bad place to end up."
"It wouldn't be, if it were real."

Like the purest note of a melody, The Sea of Tranquility will pierce your heart and soothe your soul.

The story of Nastya is one that every single person needs to read at least once in their life. To me, it's up there with The Fault In Our Stars, in that its author manages to create such a vivid, and accurate, insight into the human mind and heart. This book is truly a gift - a gift that teaches us that second chances are open to all, love cannot be controlled, and to (forgive the cliche) never judge a book by its cover.

And I think the last one was the one that stuck with me the most. 

So many of us are books. Honestly. We have a wealth of stories within us - filled with intricate emotions. These stories make us who we are. And we choose what our covers look like. Whether we choose to put on the appearance of 'the girl next door', or, 'the bad boy', or even 'the nerdy bookworm'. But all of these are just that - covers.

How often do we let the cover fall? How many times have we honestly opened up and let someone read us - to allow someone else to see who we truly are and what makes us who we are?

Nastya is the perfect example of this.

I think the reason I teared up so much reading this, is because I get Nastya. I think we all do, on different levels, depending on the paths we've travelled in life. 

She feels like someone else. She feels like she needs to be someone else, for everyone else. That the people who love her expect her to help them love her, and to be the 'her' that they love. They fail to see what is right in front of them. They don't see her hurting. They don't look beneath the cover she's wrapped herself in. They let her hide.

It reminded me of the lyrics to a song called Girl Disappearing by Tori Amos:

'With girl disappearing,
What on earth's occurring?
'Cause she's right in front of me.
A girl disappearing
To some secret prison
Behind her eyes,
She whispers:
"Big surprise there was,
No protection by this urban light.
So I'm running to,
A constellation where they can still see you.'

And Josh holds the key to the 'secret prison' that Nastya has locked herself in.

Not because he's 'that guy'. You know the type - the NA/YA hero, who makes the girl feel all swoon-y, and manages to also be tortured and brooding. Josh is perfect for Nastya (and this is the truth), because he's just as complicated as she is. 

He gets her. He gets that her problems can't be solved with the wave of a magic wand. He accepts her problems and all. 

That in itself is a miracle in modern society. In most cases, when people discover that a person has issues - e.g. mental health issues - this discovery sets off a chain reaction. The immediate result: change. 

A change in image. A change in interaction.

Suddenly this person is glued to their issues. They're not 'the girl next door'. They're 'the depressed girl next door', or, 'the boy whose parents are dead', or even 'the girl who goes to therapy.' Small things arise - people treat them like their made of glass, they hesitate to talk about 'sensitive' topics. Basically, they cease to see the person behind the issue.

Josh isn't like that.

True, he finds it hard at first to deal with Nastya. After all - Nastya is Nastya! Those who have read this book know what I mean :)

But when he discovers why she is the way she is, it doesn't change the way he approaches her. He still sees her. Her. He looks beneath the cover...accepting, not judging.

The biggest lesson this book offers? Life ain't a fairytale - so stop expecting one.

This doesn't mean you should start writing sad poetry, or go get a chip on your shoulder.

It means you need to start looking at life realistically.

We need to stop pretending that all our problems will dissolve. That every day will end in fireworks, and begin with rainbows. Instead, we need to appreciate the good moments. We need to take responsibility for our actions, and deal with our issues, rather than avoid them. 

Sometimes we can't save ourselves. Sometimes we need to save each other.

With the most beautiful descriptions - and characters - The Sea of Tranquility should be your next read...or re-read! 

Grab a tub of ice-cream, some of Nastya's peanut butter cookies, and settle back with a book that is sure to change your life in more ways than one :)

Live, Love, Hope ~ All Who Dream by Nicole Deese Review

All Who Dream (Letting Go #3)
By Nicole Deese

Rating: 5


"You can't love me, Angie," he pleaded. "Please don't love me - you deserve a better man."

"I already love a better man. He just can't see that you're one and the same."


My thoughts on the book:

This book turned me into a human sprinkler.

Angie and Jackson's story of redemption is one that will warm your heart to its core and use up your entire supply of Kleenex tissues. All Who Dream is a testimony to hope in the darkest of times, no matter our pasts, or our circumstances.  

So, instead of filling up this review with a bunch of positive adjectives and 'meaningless compliments' (as Jackson would say!), I'm going to share a quote that really connected with me from this book:

'When I was a young girl I believed that romantic love had the power to save. I saw it as the great remedy, the one cure that could fix all wounds and mend all hearts. But I didn't believe that anymore.

Sometimes love was not all we needed.

Sometimes it didn't cure our hurts.

Sometimes it wasn't the eraser of our mistakes.

Love is instead, the bridge that leads the broken to grace, hope, and redemption. Love is the greatest amplifier that God ever gave us. Our strengths are made stronger with it, and our faults are shown mercy because of it.'

How beautiful is that?!

Here is a book that shows us the true meaning of the word 'love'. 

Love isn't the miracle cure that you pop at the end of a tale to give everyone a happy ending. Love can't dissolve the past, and excuse our mistakes. 

Those things we need to do for ourselves - self forgiveness, self healing, contrition, etc. But love can aid us in becoming stronger people. Love can help us to start healing, to start living again. 

Unlike in many NA and YA books, where love is a lovely sandwich spread that is smoothed over everything to make it look prettier.

Angie discovers this and realises that each person needs to make the decision for themselves. Whether that is to forgive themselves, forgive others, or move on. 

We are the most important people in our lives - only we can make the decisions that form the person we can, and wish to, be.

All Who Dream is a deeply insightful and beautiful story, that reveals to readers the beauty in life and its mistakes...and, ultimately, the power of faith and hope.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover ~ ARC Review

Maybe Someday
By Colleen Hoover

Rating: 5


'Me: Don't thank me, Sydney. You shouldn't thank me, because I failed miserably at trying not to fall in love with you.

Sydney: I failed first.'

Music, lyrics and hearts collide in a tale of two people who never meant to fall in love.

Ending up miserable, boyfriend-less, friendless and homeless on her 22nd birthday was not how Sydney Blake pictured her week going. 

But when Ridge Lawson, her guitar-strumming neighbour, offers her a place stay, Sydney accepts. She soon finds herself apart of a motley group of people - forming the unlikeliest of friendships with the roguish Warren, and avoiding the loud rantings of the gorgeous and shrewish Bridgette. 

Ridge is a whole other story.

Unlike her tentative truce with Warren and Bridgette, Sydney's relationship with Ridge flourishes as he presents her with an offer she can't refuse: the chance to write lyrics for one of her fave bands, Sounds of Cedar. 

Ridge is their composer/lyricist, but he's met a writer's block he can't seem to move past. Sydney's lyrics are like a breath of fresh air, opening up new song possibilities and inspiring Ridge to pick up his pen again. She's his muse. And he is the one person she trusts.

But love is a melody that may come out flat.

Because as much as Sydney is attracted to Ridge, and he to her - an attraction that grows steadily by the day - there is just one small problem.

Ridge has a girlfriend. Maggie.

And having been on cheated on, Sydney would never, ever want to hurt someone else the same way she's been hurt. No matter how much Ridge makes her laugh with his pranks, or how beautiful he is when he plays his guitar with his eyes half-closed. 

No matter how deeply she's fallen for him.

Ridge would never hurt Maggie. But by not hurting Maggie, he risks hurting Sydney and watching their friendship slowly crumble.

They're like lyrics and music...but just not meant to be played in the same song.

Coleen Hoover delivers an emotional journey that explores the refrains of the heart...and how sometimes love, just like a tune, can change - rising, falling, clashing and parting in a wave of sweet discord as fate plays out before our eyes.

Maybe not right now. Maybe not tomorrow. But maybe someday.

He Was A Boy, She Was A Girl ~ Love & Skate by Lila Felix Review

Love and Skate

By Lila Felix

Rating: 4 

NA romance is like a packet of Allen's Lollies - sometimes, you'll get a handful of your faves...and sometimes you'll get one or two liquorice flavoured jelly babies which will ruin your day.

Well Love and Skate was definitely not a liquorice jelly baby! (Unless you happen to love liquorice flavoured confectionary) 

Love and Skate is a NA romance with a punk twist, introducing two characters who you will grow to love, root for, and cry over during the course of this novel.

The first of them, being our main protagonist/roller derby gal, Nellie Forrester:

"Yes Mom, I know that I'll never find anybody who loves me with blue hair. That's why I dyed it pink."

Nellie's straightforward personality, wit and charm create a character who has depth and a brain where most female characters only have air and 'feelings'. She has the rare female character ability to see the difference between love and lust - and to only accept the former. 

With a strength built up from years of heartache and a lack of acceptance from her family, Nellie is ready to take on anything. 

Including Owen Black:

'I stood stunned. She had known me less than a week and had me all figured out. She pecked me on the lips and left me standing there in the parking lot, standing on the line that marked where her car was. But instead of feeling betrayed, I felt freed.'

Owen and Nellie are basically two peas in a pod. 

With his own skeletons in the closet, Owen has a hard time with trust - something that he admits he struggles to come to terms with on a daily basis. Yet, be ready to throw your fangirl pom-poms up and down, because this tattooed mountain of maleness is...

*drum roll*

Chivalrous!

That's right, ladies! He may have tats, but the guy has more chivalry packed into his frame than most clean-cut guy characters have at the end of a novel. 

Owen and Nellie's relationship spans across a little over 200 pages, and is allowed to grow, and to be explored by the reader in all its facets - good, bad, ugly. And downright adorable. 

So if you like novels about cute guys who meet feisty girls who happen to like playing at roller derbies, you'll definitely like Love and Skate. 

Although, be prepared to do this more than once: