Letterbox Love - 12th August

Hello! I am back from a very enjoyable holiday and seeing as I've been aquiring books as souvenirs I have an awful lot to mention in my first ever Letterbox Love post! Letterbox Love is a UK meme hosted over at Narratively Speaking.This is a round up of the past two weeks. Being away has left me dying to squee and fangirl over these books so prepare yourselves!

For review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (won from Waterstone's Facebook page)
The Eyes of the Desert Sand by Edwin Wolfe (sent to me by the author - thanks Edwin!)

Books bought

Before I Die by Jenny Downham (from Foyles)
The Statistical Probabilty of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (from Waterstone's) Review here!
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (bought in my local charity shop)

Books won

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (won from Mira Ink's Facebook page) *huge squeeeeee*

Library books

Legend by Marie Lu
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Book swag

I received this awesome postcard yesterday after entering Meagan Spooner's Skylark contest. I love it! It's going straight on my wall <3 Thanks Meagan!

I've already read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Those were my holiday reads and I thoroughly enjoyed them! I'm currently reading Legend which I've been wanting to read for so, so long.

Words can't describe how excited I was to win a copy of Pushing the Limits. I've been so excited for this book!

I've been waiting an age to read Anna and the French Kiss, too, and my library finally got it in. I can't wait to read it. It seems I'm one of the few people that hasn't read it yet!

Phew! That's a lot of books. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has had through their letterbox this week :)

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Goodreads page

Author: Jennifer E. Smith. Website, Twitter
Published: 24 May 2012 (Headline)
Pages: 240
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Bought from Waterstone's.

Plot Summary: (from Waterstone's)
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane? Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

My Review:
I picked up this book whilst I was on holiday in London which seemed pretty appropriate! This book is all about Hadley, who misses her flight to London by minutes and ends up meeting Oliver at the gate whilst waiting for a later flight. She should be on her way to her dad's wedding, an event she's dreading, but suddenly she finds herself enjoying the company of her new British companion.

The book takes place over the space of 24 hours which was one of the things I loved about it. Despite the short time frame, the story manages to fit in a whole load of drama to keep it pacy and interesting. I felt for Hadley and the situation she'd ended up in. She's torn between her parents and dreading meeting her soon-to-be step-mother, is having to overcome the culture barrier between the UK and the US and then she meets Oliver and has all sorts of boy problems to deal with!

The relationship between Hadley and Oliver is cute without being over the top. The humour and banter between them made me love the time they spent together and Oliver was a really interesting character in his own right. I like how the title sort of sums up the complete improbability of the two of them meeting. The fact it almost doesn't take itself too seriously made it more believable. I liked the elements of fate and chance, and that everything doesn't always go smoothly for the two of them.

It's a perfect holiday read with most of the book taking place on an aeroplane and the rest of it taking place in London, a city unfamiliar to Hadley. I read this on the train home from London which added to the experience! As a Brit, I loved the author's view of London and the humour playing off the differences between America and the UK.

If you're still looking for something to read on holiday or you love contemporary young adult romances then this book is a must. Funny, cute and wonderful writing, it'll have you glued to the pages!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The Rock Star's Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy.
Books like this: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Opinion: Swearing in YA

Recently I've read a lot of articles surrounding the issue of swearing in YA novels. As a YA book blog I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts!

I think before I start off talking about swearing in books, I need to explain my postition on swearing in every day life. I swear. Let's face it - who doesn't?! But one of my biggest traits is politeness. Like, seriously, I'm too polite. Which means there are actually some people who have probably never heard me swear. At school I used to surprise the hell out of people who didn't know me too well if they caught me swearing. I was such a goody-goody that I'd never swear, surely? Wrong.

Here's the deal. I generally draw the line at swearing in public or in front of people I don't know too well. I would never swear in front of a teacher/boss/elderly relative either. At home, I'll eff and jeff as much as anyone. It's where I'm most comfortable. But out in public where kids could hear me? Nuh-uh.

One of my hobbies is writing. I took part in NaNoWriMo last year and love to write when I find the time and energy to do so. When I write novels, I aim them at teens. Writing YA is my passion just like reading YA is my passion. So do I swear in my writing? No. And here's where my thoughts on swearing in YA come in.

Swearing in YA novels doesn't offend me. I don't mind it. Teens swear so swearing teenage characters is realistic. If it's done well then it adds to the atmosphere in a story. But is it necessary? I don't think so. I don't think you need swearing in a YA novel to make it feel realistic. If I had to write a list of must have features in YA writing then swearing wouldn't really come into it.

I read a lot of books where swearing is referenced, but not explicitly stated. For example: "he swore under his breath" or some other such reference. For me this is the best of both worlds. I think the most important thing is that (in general) I don't miss swearing when it's not there. This way of referencing swearing is probably the best compromise in that respect.

It's not that swearing makes me uncomfortable. I just think in a world where you don't need to swear then I'd choose not swearing over swearing. In real life I think people can use swearing far too flippantly. They ingrain curses into their every day way of speaking, and that's where you lose the actual effect of swearing. Do I think kids are damaged by reading swearing in books? No! Would I ever advocate the removal of swearing from YA books? No! I don't believe in censoring and teenagers swear, so as long as they swear in real life they will swear in YA books, too.

This wasn't meant to be a hard-hitting opinion post or anything like that. I'd just seen a lot mentioned recently and so I wanted to throw my own views out there so people know where I stand. It comes up in my reviews sometimes (I sometimes feel the need to mention if there's a lot of swearing, just so people know what to expect).

Some interesting articles/blog posts on the topic can be found below:

"Swearing Characters More Popular, Attractive in YA Novels" - ABC.
"Swearing in YA Novels - Yay or Nay?" - Strange Chemistry Books
"James Dawson: Why Teens in Books Can't Swear" - Guardian Children's Books
"Swear Words in YA Fiction" - KidLit

Back to Blogging!

Hi everyone! I'm back from my summer holiday so just wanted to update my lovely readers and let you know that regular blogging will resume as soon as possible - hurrah!

I'll post a proper post on Sunday documenting all the book news I have from over the past 2 weeks (I have SO much to talk about) and reviews will start appearing regularly again, too.

Thank you so much for your patience and for continuing to visit the blog!

Sarah x

My Blogging Journey

This blog has been up and running for a few months now and so I thought it would be nice to share a little bit more about how it came to be! This is my book blogging story.

Although I started this blog only recently, I'm not new to blogging or to reading and reviewing books. For over a year and a half I've been using Goodreads, which is one of my favourite websites ever. The longer I was on that site, the more detailed my reviews became. What started out as a few sentences slowly grew into a few paragraphs. But I still wasn't ready to take the leap into book blogging.

Last year I started my own personal blog. I often found myself needing to express myself in ways I couldn't quite fit into a 140 character tweet. I began using that to share my thoughts and to raise awareness of M.E, an illness I've lived with for nearly 7 years. I saw what a great way it was to reach people and it was good having a place to go when I needed to share my feelings.

I've always loved teen fiction. It's my ultimate comfort genre and where I'm happiest as a reader. There's a slightly deeper level to it as well. My health problems mean I struggle with concentration and memory, which isn't the most helpful when you love reading! Whilst there are plenty of adult novels and genres I love, sometimes I just find them too hard to read. I love that teen fiction can be exciting, gripping and deal with the most poignant issues, but without you having to wade through heavy, dense text to unravel them. That doesn't mean there isn't brilliant, innovative writing in YA because there is. There really is. But sometimes when your brain is all fuddled and reading is hard, you want those books you can slip into like a worn pair of slippers. YA is that kind of genre to me.

I love so much about YA and over the past few years I realised just how passionate I was. When friends asked me for book recommendations I would always pick a YA title I had read recently. I loved seeing people enjoy books that I'd recommended to them. I think sharing my love of books and reading amongst my friends is one of the most fulfilling parts of those friendships. And that's when I realised that I could do this. I could start a book blog.

It had always been something I'd been a little intimidated by before. I didn't know if I could write a review worthy enough to stand on its own in a blog post, that people would enjoy reading. I didn't know if I'd be able to read enough to maintain a blog. Reading is still something I struggle with because it takes a lot of energy and time. Because of my health issues I have to take regular breaks between reading to rest. I get headaches, I can't concentrate for long and I have a very limited supply of energy. I'm not a naturally fast reader. But it's still my passion. It means it's even more worth it when I finish a book because I feel like it's an achievement - because to me it is! There have been times over the past few years where I haven't actually been well enough to read. Having one of life's greatest pleasures taken away from me in the past makes it something that's even more precious to me now.

For me blogging has become something for me to focus on and in the short time I've been blogging, it's become one of the most important things in my day to day life. I regret not starting this blog sooner! I can't wait to carry on blogging and sharing my books and discoveries with you all. I love reading other book blogs and becoming part of the community of bloggers out there. Discovering new books to read on other people's blogs has been one of the best things about starting my own! I constantly find myself inspired to write new posts and share things on Twitter with fellow readers. I want to thank everyone who's visited TTF so far and made this experience such a good one! I can't wait to carry on blogging and chatting with you all.

Thanks for reading and keep checking back for more reviews!

Sarah x

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Goodreads page

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick. Website, Twitter

Published: 27 May 2010 (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)

Pages: 400

Buy: Amazon: paperback|Kindle Waterstone's: paperback|e-book Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library.

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

My Review:
I was so excited to start this book.. Hush, Hush tells the story of Nora Grey who finds herself being drawn to the mysterious Patch when they're seated together in their biology class. Not only that, but strange things begin happening around Nora; things she can't explain.

This book had me totally hooked from the first couple of chapters. There were so many questions I wanted answering! When Patch is introduced, he's such a mysterious character that, like Nora, I automatically wanted to know more about him. Nora is drawn to him for reasons she can't totally explain, but it managed to avoid feeling too cheesy. I liked that it wasn't too lovey-dovey type of romance.

As well as being mysterious, I loved that Patch was a total bad boy. He was just such an interesting character. In fact, this book is filled with mysterious, intriuging characters! Nora is definitely fascinating: she's lost her dad and struggles to trust people, she sees the school counsellor, her mum is always away working.
I adored her friendship with her best friend Vee. The bounce off each other so well! There's Marcie, the typical popular kid who aggrovates the two of them. Throw in two boys from the local private school and you've got a whole ensemble of interesting people!

Throughout the book you get the whole sense of something really creepy going on. As Nora becomes more and more concerned with the strange things happening to her, the atmosphere gets more and more tense. And then suddenly something dramatic happens and I couldn't put the book down! The author makes you wait a long time before the big reveal so I spent most of the book on the edge of my seat, just waiting for everything to come out. And I loved it! The climax of the story was made even more exciting by the tension created throughout the book and there was plenty of action towards the end. There were some twists and turns I wasn't expecting either which made it even more satisfying!

I can tell this series is going to be one I'm going to want to completely immerse myself in. I love the characters and the excitement and the world itself sounds like it has so much potential. I can't wait to discover more!

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick, book 2 in the Hush, Hush series.
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

July's Book of the Month!

At the end of each month I pick one stand out book (that I've read in that month, not necessarily released that month) that did enough to earn a 5* review and shower it with even more praise!

So without further ado, July's book of the month is...

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer!



This book was everything I hoped for and more. The idea behind the story was wonderful, the book itself was beautiful, I was captivated throughout and I felt it was a book that all book-lovers would appreciate. You can read even more of my thoughts on Between the Lines in my review right here!

My runners up:
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness