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Book Review: ‘What If It’s Us’ by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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Title: What If It’s Us

Authors: Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Length: 433 pages

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I mean, this book is the dream. Two amazing authors, a M/M romance. It sounds like my idea of heaven.

Meet Arthur and Ben.

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a show-stopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its own business. If it had his back, he wouldn’t be carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

But after a chance meeting at the post office, they boys leave wondering what exactly the universe does have in store for them. What if they can’t find each other again? What if they do… and then can’t nail a first date? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work, and Ben doesn’t try hard enough? What if life isn’t really like a Broadway Musical? But what if it’s us?

‘I barely know him. I guess that is every relationship. You start with nothing and maybe end with everything.’

I once again, have been waiting to read this book for a long time. So what better month to read it than Pride Month, were I’ve been reading LGBT+ all month long.

I enjoyed parts of this book a lot. It was such a sweet romance. It was one of those books that sweeps you up in the whirlwind of the characters romance. It gave me all the feels.

I mostly enjoyed both characters perspectives. Arthur and Ben were really likeable, although at points Arthur was a little annoying. They were also a little similar. Sometimes I did have to check which character I was reading. I did however, love the relationship between Ben and his best friend Dylan. Such a positive representation to put out in the world.

As for the plot, there wasn’t much of one. It was all about the romance, which at times was a little too sweet. Just a little. Like I said, I did get swept away in the romance, but sometimes it was so sweet, it was a little unbelievable. Only at times though. This book also had few cliches. The ex-boyfriend, the arguments. It was just a little unimaginable. I mean, hasn’t this all just been done before??

Now let’s talk about that ending. It basically ruined the book for me. If you’re going to spend the whole book making this epic romance, just to do that too it. What’s the point? If that happens, you need more of a plot. The Epilogue just wasn’t needed.

Ugh, I just don’t how I feel about this book. When I started this review, I had it at 4 stars but since writing I’ve put it down to 3 stars. Maybe my expectations were too high? I don’t know if I’d recommend this book. A lot of people have loved it. I’ll leave this one up to you.

Until the next review

JTH

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Upcoming Releases!

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Hello my fellow book lovers. I haven’t done one of these posts before, mainly because I usually find out which books I’d like to buy after they’ve been out for a month, I’m always behind the times. But as we are in the second half of the year, there’s a few books I’m looking forward to and I thought I’d share them.

There’s been some great books the first half of the year, and I’ve read some fantastic ones but thankfully we’ve still got more to come.

As I’m sure you might know if you follow my blog, I read many different genres, so this going to be a real mixture of books.

So I guess I should get started:

First up is ‘Find Me’ by André Acimen. I’m sure you guys know about this one, it’s the sequel to ‘Call Me By Your Name’. It’s probably my most anticipated book of the whole year. I’ve actually been blessed by the book gods and I’ve got an ARC copy of this book. I don’t know how I got it, but I’ll be forever grateful. I’m just waiting for the right time to read it so I can savour every word.

Out 29th October

Another book is ‘Serpent & Dove’ by Shelby Mahurin. This is a Young Adult book. I’ve been hearing great things about this one. It’s the start of a new series. It’s got romance, witches, action. I’m super excited. It’s another book I’ve managed to get a ARC of and I can’t wait to dive in.

Out 19th September

‘Kingdom of Souls’ by Rena Barron is another high fantasy Young Adult book I’m looking forward to. I’ve heard such great things about this one. I have to be honest, I’ve preordered a special signed edition of this book! I told you I was excited.

Out 19th September

‘Wayward Son’ by Rainbow Rowell. Another highly anticipated sequel. Yes, I may have preordered an exclusive Waterstones edition with sprayed edges. This is Young Adult queer fiction at its finest. Well at least I hope it will be.

Out October 3rd

‘The Fountains of Silence’ by Ruta Sepetys. Tell me you’ve Salt to the Sea by this author. It’s simply fantastic. That’s why I’m so looking forward this one! I am really! I should go and preorder this now in fact! I’ll be right back!

Out October 1st

‘The Testaments’ by Margaret Atwood. How can you not be looking forward to this one? The Handmaids Tale is just wonderful. I’ll sure be buying this one and adding it to my TBR

Out 19th September

‘Ziggy, stardust & me’ by James Brandon. I’m excited for this one. It’s another one I’ve preordered. I never usually preorder so you can tell I’m excited. Can’t wait to get stuck into this one. Another queer fiction to add my growing collection.

Out September 1st

I kind of feel I should be looking forward to more books, but I’m not! Sure there’s some honourable mentions like ‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo, but I think these are my main ones!

So, these are the books I’m looking forward to. And you can best believe my reviews will be up once I’ve read them. Are you looking forward to any of these? Or is there a book I should be looking forward to reading and it’s not on the list! Let me know

Until the next review

JTH

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Book Review: Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L.C Rosen

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Title: Jack of Hearts (and other parts)

Author: L.C Rosen

Length: 337 pages

Publisher: Penguin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I saw this book on a fellow Bookstagrammers page and it sounded so intriguing I had to have it straight away.

Meet Jack Rothman. He’s seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys – sometimes all at the same time. His sex lift makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, ‘it could be worse’. He doesn’t actually expect it to come true. But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he’s been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack’s secret admirer knows everything: where he’s hanging out, who he’s sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they’ll force him. As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous…

‘To be clear, I’m not, like, a drag queen. I’m not trans. I just like how I look with my eyes outlined in dark colours, or sometimes colour on my eyelids or lips. Call me femme if you want, or a queen, but whatever it is, it’s just me.

This book was so refreshing. Is that a weird way to describe a book? Well it’s the only way your getting! I read this book as part of my Pride Month read. I’m only read LGBT+ books for the month of June.

Here’s what was so refreshing (there I go again) about this book, it was Jack the main character. He was witty, charismatic. It was sad to watch his personality begin to fade when certain events take place in the book. It was so nice, and much needed (I mean it’s really, really needed) to get a different representation of a gay character. Usually in books, we get they gay guy who comes across as straight, but not this book. This is why we need more queer authors writing more books.

Another thing about this book I loved, was how sex positive it is. Where Jack begins writing a sex advice column, there are letters featured in the book and some great advice is given. Since this is a young adult book, and teens will be reading it, I’m sure they’ll find the advice useful. It also showed the other side of sex positivity, the slut shaming. It was surprising who the shaming came from, but the book needed it.

This book had a great storyline going throughout. As Jacks advice column begins to take off and the ‘love letters’ starting turning up, that’s when the mystery began. Like I said, it was horrible reading how it affected Jack. But it sure did keep me guessing, I had no idea who could be sending them. When you find out who was sending, it was surprising.

This book felt really modern. The teenage characters are some of the realist I’ve ever read. Maybe not their situations, but their personalities. Young adults trying to be adults. That’s how teens are. The relationship between Jack and his mum was also fantastic.

I would recommend this book. It kept me intrigued throughout and I loved the representation. Really loved the representation. So many positives. The only thing that let it down a tiny bit was the ending, the reason it’s only a 4 star book not 5.

Also, this book has my name in the title. I had to read it right?

You can pick this book up now.

Until the next review

JTH

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Book Review: ‘The Song of Peterloo’ by Carolyn O’Brien

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Title: The Song of Peterloo

Author: Carolyn O’Brien

Length: 376 pages

Publisher: Legend Press

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was published in early August to coincide with the 200 year anniversary of a The Peterloo Massacre.

Manchester 1819: Prices are high and wages are low, but as the poor become poorer, the rich are alarmed by their calls for reform. Mill-worker Nancy Kay struggles to support her ailing mother and sensitive son. Desperate to provide for them, she is inspired to join the growing agitation. But, as she risks everything to attend a great assembly on St Peter’s Field, Nancy is unaware the day will go down in history, not as a triumph but as a tragedy: the Peterloo massacre.

This book is throughly enjoyable. It’s a heartfelt, brutal look at a turning point in British history.

We see the story of Nancy unfold through the eyes of people around. It’s such a interesting way of telling the story, and you get to know Nancy is such a detailed way. There’s such a sense of foreboding for what’s to come for Nancy and the story. Carolyn has created such a fantastic character in Nancy, I loved reading Nancy bettering herself. It’s what gives heart to this tremendous historical fiction novel.

This novel starts off quite slowly, with it really setting the scene for time and place. Due to Carolyn’s atmospheric prose and wonderful description the slow start really lets the reader immerse themselves in the story.

The ending of the book is absolutely thrilling, yet heartbreaking. Carolyn O’Brien makes such a clever choice when the massacre starts to keep chapters short and to change which character we see the story from. It makes it so invigorating. It creates such a fantastic atmosphere. The pacing at the end of ‘The Song of Peterloo’ is brilliant and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It’s a highlight of the book for me. Like I said, it also was heartbreaking. It just made the ending better. I’m so glad Carolyn chose to end the novel this way, to further show the brutality of the event.

This novel has been meticulously researched. It’s full intricate details that make it a fantastic historical fiction novel. You know I absolutely love a book that is not only excellent, but teaches you something and ‘The Song of Peterloo’ sure did. This isn’t a time in British history I knew much about, but through this novel it felt like I was a part of it.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you love Historical Fiction, or British history then this is the book for you.

Thank you to Legend Press for gifting me with a copy in return for a honest, unbiased review.

Until the next review

JTH

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ARC Book Review: ‘Follow Me To Ground’ by Sue Rainsford

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Title: Follow Me To Ground

Author: Sue Rainsford

Length: 197 pages

Publisher: Doubleday

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn’t know what to expect from this book as it’s not my usual genre I read, but the synopsis sounded so interesting to me. I couldn’t wait to get started.

In a house in a wood Ada and her father, live peacefully, tending to their garden and the wildlife in it. They are not human though. Ada was made by her father from the Ground, a unique patch of earth with birthing and healing properties. Though perhaps he didn’t get her quite right. They spend their days healing the local human folk – named cures – who visit them, guardedly, with their ailments. This is the story of what happens when Ada embarks on a relationship with a local Cure named Samson, and is forced to choose between her old life wither her father and a new one with her human lover. Her decision will uproot the town – and the Ground itself – forever.

This book is one of my favourites of the year so far.

‘Follow Me To Ground’ has this real earthy feel to it, whilst at the same time it’s got an otherworldly quality. It’s set in a small town, on our planet, with only a few main characters, yet it feels large and expansive. There really is something special about this book.

There is a magical, distant from reality aspect to this book, but what (excuse the pun) grounds it, is the characters. It’s what makes it relatable. Here you have a magical creature, born from the ground, yet she’s falling in love, with a human boy. It feels, to me, like when a girl falls in love with the bad boy, but with a much more interesting twist. There’s the very human relationship between Ada and her father. He’s the angry, disappointed father, whilst she’s his too human, rebellious daughter. ‘The Ground’ almost feels like another main character in this book. It’s just got this presence that’s there throughout the book. It’s a got mystery quality to it. Fantastic.

I’ve seen some other reviewers say, that ending let this story down and I just can’t agree with that. I don’t want to spoil anything, but at the end of book something is revealed to Ada and she’s surprised. While we as the reader know what Samson has done, and even Ada has been told, she didn’t believe it. She hoped it wasn’t true. She’s didn’t want to believe that of her love. She even tries to cure him. It just adds to this book for me. It’s another example of this magical creature acting in the most human way.

The writing is so beautiful. There’s so much said in so little and I mean that in the best way. It just adds another layer to this already atmospheric novel. The prose are simple, yet impactful. You have such empathy for the characters, especially Ada towards the end of the novel. Sue Rainsford is a huge talent.

This novel is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. I was hooked right away, and couldn’t to see how this glorious story ended. I read in awe and fascination whilst being totally swept away in the story.

Thank you so much to Katie Cregg and Doubleday books for a copy of this book, in return for an honest, unbiased review. It comes out August 8th! Be sure to check it out.

Until the next review

JTH

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ARC BLOG TOUR Book Review: ‘The Woman in the White Kimono’ by Ana Johns

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Title: The Woman in the White Kimono

Author: Ana Johns

Length: 298 pages

Publisher: Legend Press

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so thrilled to be asked to join this wonderful blog tour for ‘The Woman in the White Kimono’. I couldn’t wait to get started on the book

Japan, 1957. Seventeen-year-old Naoko Nakamura’s prearranged marriage secures her family’s status in their traditional Japanese community. However, Naoko has fallen for an American sailor and to marry him would bring great shame upon her entire family. When it’s learned Naoko carries the sailor’s child, she’s cast out in disgrace and forced to make unimaginable choices with consequences that will ripple across generations. America, present day. Tori Kovač, caring for her dying father, finds a letter containing a shocking revelation. Setting out to a learn the truth, Tori’s journey leads her to a remote seaside village in Japan where she must confront the demons of the past to pave way for redemption.

‘A white mist rose from the curved clay tiles as the sun warmed the morning dew and rolled over the edge like the dangling petals of a cherry blossom in a ornamental hair comb. Backlit by the sun, the large, white-walled structure almost glowed. There was a quiet, understated elegance to how it perched atop the hillside.’

This book was a wonderful, heartfelt trip into post-war Japan.

With the story being set in present day America and Japan in 1957, it could be tricky to blend to two stories, but they work so cohesively together. Both times in the story are absolutely wonderful to read, but there’s something special about the story when it’s set in Japan.

Naoko is such a warm, compelling character. I just connected to her right from the start. I just immediately felt for. She’s been bought in the traditional Japanese way but her spirit, her attitude is so modern. To see her struggle between the two is heart wrenching to read.

I loved the relationship between Naoko and Hajime. It was so sincere and true. Even though you know how this love story will end, I was still rooting for them. Their love story was presented in the perfect way, it was grand and dramatic. It was honest. It was real.

In the present day American timeline, the reader sees the story through Tori’s eyes. We are discovering everything at the same time as her. It keeps this part of the story interesting and moving at a nice pace.

For me, what makes a great historical fiction novel is that it can teach you something. This book did. I didn’t know to much about this time in Japan, and I couldn’t even of imagined the things that happened. I had no idea those kind of ‘Maternity Homes’ existed. It a really powerful moment in the book when Naoko finds out what’s happening.

Now, the ending, although I know how the story reaches its conclusion, I was excited to see how each character got their ending. And it didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It was so pleasing. The conversation between Naoko and Tori bought tears to my eyes. Such a satisfying ending.

The reason this novel works is because of Ana Johns superb writing. She’s formed such fantastic characters. Also, the descriptions of the scenery, of Japan, are stunning. It’s so evocative. The whole book. The fact that is Ana Johns debut book is crazy. Whatever she writes next, I’ll sure be reading it.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It’ll have you hooked from the beginning till the end. It’s also been picked as a selection for BBCRadio2’s bookclub. How amazing is that!

I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. Thanks Legend Press.

Until the next review

JTH

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July Wrap Up

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Well, another Month has come and gone once again. We had a little heat wave here this July, but I wasn’t out enjoying the sun. I was reading, which in my opinion is much more enjoyable.

Now, last month I managed to read 8 books. It was my personal best. And I sooooo wanted to match it this month, but alas I haven’t quite done it. I have read 7 books, which I’ll take. I was so close to matching my personal best, I’ll try again next month but I don’t mind that number.

I also completed my Goodreads challenge of 40 books read this year. I’m not as slow of a reader as I thought. But I’ve decided to up it to 60 books! So I’ll see how get on.

Anyway, here are the books I’ve read:

First up was ‘On My Life’ by Angela Clarke. This is not my usual genre of book but I really enjoyed this book. Such a great story, with a clever twist. It was gripping! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Second Up was ‘The Woman in the White Kimono’ by Ana Johns. Loved this book, it was evocative, sweet, heartbreaking. Just a really nice read. Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Third was ‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo. Had this on my shelf for ages, wasn’t sure if I would like it! I’m an idiot! Loved it. Why did I wait so long? Although it did start off a little slow. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Fourth up was ‘Crooked Kingdom’ by Leigh Bardugo. Could this one be better than the first. Yes it can! I loved it! Such a great conclusion! I was crying at the end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fifth this month was ‘Follow Me To Ground’ by Sue Rainsford. This was an ARC. Not my type of book usually but I absolutely loved it. One of my favourite reads of the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sixth was ‘Secret Keeping for Beginners’ by Maggie Alderson. Without being to harsh this book was just meh. Something of nothing. It was the worst book I’ve read this month. ⭐️⭐️

Seventh up was ‘The Song of Peterloo’ by Carolyn O’Brien. Such a fantastic book. Great historical fiction. Excellent writing! Had me turning the pages so first at the end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well that’s my monthly wrap up. Roll on the next month, more reading and more books! How did you do this month? Let me know.

Until the next review

JTH