Missing by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Atom
Goodreads Summary: The only thing Winter Crane likes about Reeve’s End is that soon she’ll leave it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There’s nothing for them there but abandoned mines and empty futures. They’re better off taking a chance elsewhere.

The only thing Winter will miss is the woods. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found Lennon left for dead, bleeding in a tree.

But now Lennon is gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left at all? What if they’re all missing?
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Winter Crane lives in Reeve's end, a small Kentucky town everyone wants to escape. She has dreams of leaving for medical school and never coming back. When she finds an injured boy in the woods, she becomes enmeshed in a darker plan. There is a stalker out for her, taunting her at every step. Will she unravel the puzzle before it's too late?

Missing had me hooked from the first sentence. It's well written and planned out. I especially liked the plot twist at the end; while I sort of guessed it right, it turned out more sinister than I thought. The characters have interesting personalities that add to the story.

Winter is a logical girl who is a little lonely. She has no one to trust, not since her sister left Winter and her drunk dad Bert. In Jude I see a boy whose perspective of the world changed when he found out a family secret. He craves validation but is defensive, afraid to be hurt. These two and the other characters ensure Missing isn't just a story about some boring teenagers, these characters have a lot of emotional depth.

Now, why didn't I rate this book five stars if I love it so much, you ask? Simple. While I enjoyed Missing, there weren't any standout features that made it an exceptional book. Also, I managed to predict quite a few of the plot twists which was a bit of a downer, even if I was in suspense for most of the book.

This book is yet another example of how amazing a writer Kelley Armstrong is. The mystery is enticing and draws you in, daring you to read on. Each character has traits which make them stand out. Everyone who loves Kelley Armstrong will be delighted to read Missing.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery and Kelley Armstrong.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Goodreads Summary: If you could change your story, would you?

Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”

What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.
Rating:
Review: After her Aunt Magnolia dies, Jane is left unsure of what to do with her life until one day, the enigmatic Kiran Thrash invites her to attend a gala at Tu Reviens, Jane accepts, remembering the promise she made to her aunt: if she is ever invited to Tu Reviens, she must accept.

I love the idea of this book and there are some amazing parts. Kiran and Patrick have a lot of depth and hidden layers. Jane goes on some crazy adventures. Hidden motives, strange late night activities, mystery. All of this was amazing, well written and it kept me interested. But, well, there were many things I didn't like too.

The (lack of) ending bugged me so much. I don't like that it's left so open to interpretation, I'd have liked it more if it was tied up at the end. There's so much potential it makes me want to scream out in frustration. Where's the Kristin Cashore who wrote Graceling? A lot could've been done differently. Maybe if this book had been keep in a "choose your own path" format I would've liked it better. Turning it into a novel is a good idea, but that suits the style of the story better.

I'm not the biggest fan of Jane, either. *le gasp* SHE HATES THE MAIN CHARACTER!! I love that she makes umbrellas and that a certain basset hound follows her everywhere, but besides these two points she's really quite plain. I love Kiran, and I love Patrick. Why couldn't they have had a more central role in the novel?

I don't really have anything else to say, I suppose you've heard it all. I love the ideas, the characters (except Jane), the whole spy theme. The repetitiveness got boring and there wasn't enough additional information to keep me interested. I guess I just hated the execution and that's the only reason I thought less of Jane, Unlimited.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Hardcover
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of choose your own path.

Dear Mr M by Herman Koch (Translated by Sam Garrett)
Publisher: Text Publishing
Goodreads Summary: A hair-raising new tour de force from Herman Koch, New York Times bestselling author of The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool.

Once a celebrated writer, M’s greatest success came with a suspense novel based on a real-life, unsolved disappearance. It told the story of a history teacher who went missing one winter after his brief affair with a stunning pupil. Upon publication, M’s novel was a bestseller, one that marked his international breakthrough.

That was years ago, and now M’s career is almost over as he fades increasingly into obscurity. But not when it comes to his bizarre, seemingly timid neighbour who keeps a close eye on him. Why?

From various perspectives, Herman Koch tells the dark tale of a writer in decline, a teenage couple in love, a missing teacher, and a single book that entwines all of their fates. Thanks to M’s novel, supposedly a work of fiction, everyone seems to be linked forever, until something unexpected spins the “story” off its rails.

With racing tension, sardonic wit, and a world-renowned sharp eye for human failings, Herman Koch once again spares nothing and no one in his gripping new novel, a barbed thriller suspending readers in the mysterious literary grey space between fact and fiction.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Mr M is a writer whose sales are slowly dwindling. He still remembers the days when he wrote Payback and it was a massive hit. Laura and Herman are just two teenagers having a fun time when their lives are ruined by a missing history teacher. Forty years has passed since then, and while he may be slowly fading away, someone is still extremely interested in Mr M.

It takes awhile for us readers to realise what the point of the book is. The first part is observing Mr M from an unknown perspective, which can be confusing but will make sense later on. I especially enjoyed "Life Before Death", a recount of teenage years; it showcased the characters' backstory through memories and answered many questions.

A house some friends go to during their break, some funny films which aren't so innocent... There's a lot of teenage drama in Dear Mr M, but it's paired and mixed in with adult drama for extra effect and worth. Paragraph by paragraph, Herman Koch unveils this massive, detailed portrait. Questions are asked in a futile attempt to understand; for no explanations will be given until the end of the book.

There are some really vindictive characters here, but they all serve a purpose. Mr M, for example, is extremely opinionated in ways which would horrify the world if they knew. These characters have masterfully crafted personas, designed to be disliked. While I definitely despise them, I have to admit they add to the story a great deal and are invaluable to the plot.

Herman Koch has created an interesting type of book with Dear Mr M, a tale of rights and wrongs written in an unusual format. A few of our main characters get no perspective, and one gets a say but then disappears from the book. Fans of mystery novels and adult affairs are sure to love this book.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery books.

The Dinner by Herman Koch
Publisher: Text
Goodreads Summary: Paul Lohman and his wife Claire are going out to dinner with Paul's brother Serge, a charismatic and ambitious politician, and his wife Babette. Paul knows the evening will not be fun. The restaurant will be over-priced and pretentious, the head waiter will bore on about the organically certified free-range this and artisan-fed that, and almost everything about Serge, especially his success, will infuriate Paul.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Paul Lohman hates his brother. A famous politician, Serge Lohman has perfected his smile and polite mask, a façade believed by all but his family. Paul, Serge, and their wives Claire and Babette meet at a fancy restaurant to discuss a crisis which has brought the bickering family together.

The Dinner takes a lot of time to kickstart. At first, it seems like it's just a book about some people having a family dinner. It is much later that we find out this is not the case at all, and that dinner is only a formality and an indicator of the present. I enjoyed the novel regardless of its pace, but I think it could've been at least a bit faster without ruining the suspenseful effect.

As for the storyline? Extremely peculiar. There's no other way to describe it correctly, it's just strange. The Dinner twists and combines past and present, developing the characters in the present and showcasing their pasts, especially describing how they came to be as they are now. The Dinner successfully covers several topics which I didn't expect to show up.

Mystery is amazing in this novel. Questions of innocence and who knows what are asked many times, but it doesn't become repetitive because the story develops in between each occurrence of this and something new is added to the mix. This slow, gradually building method allows readers to form their opinions on every character and event, shaping it with each additional fact.

The Dinner combines food with some disturbing topics of discussion. A lot of things about the younger characters are implied, and we'll never know what really happened. Two marriages, two disasters? The ending has an unexpected, strange twist but I understand where it came from. All in all, this is a great slow paced read.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of slow paced mystery novels.

Title: The DUFF (based off the novel by Kody Keplinger)
Rating: 10/10 Stars
IMDB Summary: A high school senior instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - by her prettier, more popular counterparts.
Review: A story about a girl trying to fit in at high school... Bianca Piper is just another girl trying to survive high school. Until one day, her world is flipped upside down when her neighbour popular jock Wesley Rush calls her a DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. At first she denies that she is a DUFF, but now that she's heard the term her world has changed, and she sees everything differently.

It's been over a year since I read The DUFF, and I seem to forget Kody Keplinger's books easily after I read and enjoy them... Oops. I remember Bianca of course, but besides her, not much at all. While I can't really discuss how accurate this book to movie adaptation is, I found the film enjoyable.

Maybe this is my subconscious remembering more about the book than I do, but for some reason I warmed to Wesley fairly soon. His behavious only bothered me for the first ten minutes or so, but I got over it pretty quickly. This is a great movie for all teens to watch, you'll see so many themes which are common in the high school scene.
IMDB Page
Favourite Acts: 
Robbie Amell as Wesley Rush
Skyler Samuels as Jess

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
Publisher: Hachette New Zealand
Goodreads Summary: A clammy hand pressed Laura down to her knees beside Jacko's bed. It was the hand of terror, nothing less.'

It was a warning. Laura felt it when she looked in the mirror that morning. There had been others: the day her father left home, the day she met Sorensen - the boy with the strange silver eyes.

But nothing had prepared Laura for the horror of today. And now her little brother, Jacko, was fighting for his life after being sucked dry of his youth by the sinister Carmody Braque.

Laura knows there is only one way to save Jacko; she must join Sorensen and use his supernatural powers to change over if there is to be any hope for her little brother.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Laura Chant isn't normal. She receives warnings, feelings of premonition which only proceeds bad things. Sometimes, she acknowledges them; but sometimes she ignores them, and what happens after is always unchangeable, set in stone. To save her younger brother Jacko's life, she must talk to Sorenson Carlisle, the school prefect she knows is a witch. But this journey won't be easy...

The Changeover is a short book, nevertheless a good one. It's not often that I read books set in New Zealand, with typical 'New Zealand' problems such as a single mum raising a child (or children!) alone, and lack of money. The book has a great storyline of ups and downs, however what prevented me from liking it more is actually just the fact that it has such an ordinary setting.

Sorry (short for Sorenson) is another thing I really like about this book. His nickname is quite ironic I think, considering his personality which is unveiled bit by bit. I love his broken-ness I suppose, just the fact that his past still haunts him and certainly has stopped him into the boy Laura meets. His mother and grandmother have their own mysteries about them too; his whole family is an intrigue.

One peculiar thing that occurs in this book is Laura telling her mother these supernatural feelings. Although she isn't really believed, in most Young Adult books the main characters just go off on an adventure with little regard or mention of their parents. In The Changeover Laura's mum Kate is still quite a big part of the novel even though they aren't always around. Margaret Mahy has created a next atmosphere in which her characters grow and inspire others.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of supernatural stories about ordinary people.

Title: Before I Fall (based on the novel by Lauren Oliver)
Rating: 8/10 Stars
IMDB Summary: February 12 is just another day in Sam's charmed life, until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over one inexplicable week, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she's losing.
Review: Samantha Kingston is popular, but she hasn't always been part of this group. A former horse fan, she rejected it all for the favour of Lindsay _. When Sam dies in a car crash, her last day begins to play on repeat. She must fix some things before she leaves this world. But is it too late for her to save someone else's life?

I'm not sure I like this adaptation very much. Don't get me wrong, I love Zoey Deutch and she's the reason I wanted to watch this movie, but Before I Fall just seemed like a cheap recreation of a great book. There were some great moments, such as the beginning and ending.

I think watching this movie is kind of setting you up for disappointment, but go ahead if you want your own opinion. It could've been better, but it wasn't.
IMDB Page
Favourite Acts: Halston Sage as Lindsay Edgecomb

He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Goodreads Summary: In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack. She and her boyfriend Kit call the police, and in that moment, it is not only the victim's life that is changed forever. Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear, and while Laura knows she was right to speak out, the events that follow have taught her that you can never see the whole picture: something, and someone, is always in the dark.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Laura and Kit once saw an eclipse together; a beautiful moment, but perhaps they would choose to sacrifice it if only to escape the horror of what happened in the aftermath of that eclipse. Dragged into a high profile trial, they will never be the same. Fifteen years later, they're still running from the past. But eventually they will have to face it...

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this book. There were moments I absolutely loved, moments I hated, moments where I doubted my thoughts on the events that occur in this book filled with controversy. Laura and Kit both have truly flawed characters, something which I appreciate, but still hate.

He Said/She Said is a multi-sided, a classic who do you believe? tale. I was jerked from side to side, my opinions changing with the completion of each chapter, each dose of information just another slightly zoomed out but still largely magnified big picture.

The characters? Masterfully crafted. That doesn't mean I didn't hate every single one of them at one point or another. In fact, I can almost believe that Erin Kelly actually made them this way on purpose! No character in He Said/She Said is faultless for though they may seem like so at the beginning, this assumption is quickly proven to be just that.

An excellent story with detail, lots of character development and plot twists, what could be missing? Oops, I forgot to mention the sometimes scarce (or nonexistent) action. Action is an important element in my opinion, and it just didn't meet my expectations. Time in the book could've progressed faster and perhaps produced more action but it's only a matter of opinion. Erin Kelly has created a wonderful, complex tale about a young girl struggling to come to terms with what has happened to her.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery thrillers and psychopaths.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Publisher: Penguin
Goodreads Summary: You can’t stop the future. 
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: Hannah Baker is a dead girl. But her ghost remains in the form of thirteen tapes discussing why she killed herself. Clay Jensen finds this mysterious package left for him, a shoebox with seven tapes. Confused, he starts listening to tape one, side a...

Clay's night out isn't easy, and he must summon the courage to keep listening to the tapes recorded by a dead girl he loved. He visits the sports on Hannah's map, remembering many of the events that happened at those places especially after Hannah recounts them. Tape by tape, it gets more and more intense. Things escalate and we get close to Hannah's death, and exactly why it happened.

There are so many layers to the story and nothing is as simple as it seems. Many interwoven storylines piece together the novel as well as characters who play more than one part in this complex tale. Each person may have one main act, but smaller things also are part of it. Without these layers the story would be nowhere near as good.

Hannah may not actually feature in this book as a live character, but she is a huge part of the book and I like how well Jay Asher has animated her stereo voice, which, combined with Clay's thoughts completes this dual-perspective which occurs at the same time. Thirteen Reasons Why is sensitive and won't appeal to all, but if you're feeling brave you should give it a go.
Purchase Location: Birthday Gift
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of teen stories.

The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Goodreads Summary: A sweeping narrative history of a terrifying serial killer--America's first--who stalked Austin, Texas in 1885

In the late 1800s, the city of Austin, Texas was on the cusp of emerging from an isolated western outpost into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis. But beginning in December 1884, Austin was terrorized by someone equally as vicious and, in some ways, far more diabolical than London's infamous Jack the Ripper. For almost exactly one year, the Midnight Assassin crisscrossed the entire city, striking on moonlit nights, using axes, knives, and long steel rods to rip apart women from every race and class. At the time the concept of a serial killer was unthinkable, but the murders continued, the killer became more brazen, and the citizens' panic reached a fever pitch.

Before it was all over, at least a dozen men would be arrested in connection with the murders, and the crimes would expose what a newspaper described as "the most extensive and profound scandal ever known in Austin." And yes, when Jack the Ripper began his attacks in 1888, London police investigators did wonder if the killer from Austin had crossed the ocean to terrorize their own city.

With vivid historical detail and novelistic flair, Texas Monthly journalist Skip Hollandsworth brings this terrifying saga to life.
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: A mysterious killer slipping around murdering women at night, scandalous arrests and gossiping neighbours? A story which has been buried, all traces removed from the histories of Austin, Texas. The Midnight Assassin brings this tale back to life through extensive research and some imagination, telling us of Austin citizens' lives in these turbulent times.

The beginning is good, but it just went downhill after that. More and more characters were introduced, eventually becoming a difficult feat to remember every character and his/her role in this society. The style in which this book is crafted is not what I expected and a huge contrast from my normal reading material. It's a book about a mystery, but not written in the way of a mystery/thriller novel, rather the style you'd find in a historian's novel.

After finishing the book I finally realised that all these characters I was having trouble remembering, they all had a part to play and Skip Hollandsworth only introduces the ones that have something write about them, though there are many such characters. All of this said, I still believe The Midnight Assassin could've been written in a much more exciting and upbeat way, and can't help wondering how different the same book could be if written more like a modern mystery/thriller.

One thing this book did tell me is what customs and thoughts of people in 1800s, Austin. Quick to blame the blacks for any crime, trusting bloodhounds to sniff after trails with such bewilderment when they found none, and of course the rather childish legal courts and detectives. A time when there was nowhere near as much forensic equipment to aid police in solving murders.

The sheer mystery of this tale never ceases to amaze me, the question of who did it marks a gap not even writing can fill. I think the main reason I didn't enjoy The Midnight Assassin more is because the story is because the story itself isn't set in stone, it's predominantly speculation and a retelling of lives, guessing at the murder using evidence.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Hardcover
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of history books.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Goodreads Summary: Vowing to discover the fate of her missing cousin, a woman returns to her family’s Kansas estate where she spent one haunting summer as a teen, and where she discovered the dark heart of the Roanoke clan that left her no choice but to run.

Lane Roanoke is fifteen when she comes to live with her maternal grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, at the Roanoke family estate in rural Osage Flats, Kansas, following the suicide of her mother. Lane knows little of her mother’s family, other than the fact that her mother ran away years before and cut off all contact with her parents. Allegra, abandoned by her own mother at birth and raised by her grandparents, introduces Lane to small-town life and the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But there is darkness at the heart of the Roanoke family, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull she has no choice but to run, as far and as fast as she can.

Eleven years later, Lane is scraping by in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls with the news that Allegra has gone missing. “Come home,” he beckons. Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to Osage Flats, determined to find her cousin and assuage her own guilt at having left Allegra behind all those years ago. Her return might mean a second chance with Cooper, the boyfriend whom she loved and destroyed that fateful summer. But it also means facing the terrible secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between the summer of Lane’s first arrival and the summer of her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Lane Roanoke is a member of the Roanoke family; a rich, have-it-all group. There's just one flaw - all of the Roanoke girls have run, disappeared, or died. When Lane discovers the family secret she chooses to run, but then her cousin Allegra goes missing and loyalty forces her to return and solve the mystery, once again entrapped in the web of lies and resurfacing many memories. Soon Lane must make a life altering choice...

Cooper Sullivan is every bit the dark, mysterious guy that frequents books. As always, I love this archetype and therefore love Cooper. He's a little different though and his relationship with Lane is something I admire, when countless fights and ploys are finally beneath them, after all that time they can still forgive and love.

Dearest grandfather, what have you done? I must say, Lane's grandfather is truly a piece of work. It took me a few chapters to figure out the secret, but when I did, I really was appalled, still am. I wasn't really convinced though, that the whole situation could work out with illnesses or defects? This is simply my core feeling, if forgotten about I enjoyed the read. Osage Flats and Roanoke are closely related, and I really grew to love these twisted characters who can easily be hated if you forget that they too are human and not much more than confused children brought up in a damaging environment.

Throughout the book I debated whether I like Allegra or Lane more, and which I am most similar to. Introduction: I found myself leaning towards Allegra, but once the conclusion was reached, I definitely pick Lane. At least, I really hope to be like her. Tommy definitely wins most interesting character, a "heart of gold" with unclear intentions. This book is explicit and I wouldn't recommend it for sensitive readers.
Purchase Location: ~ I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it ~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of dark tales.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Samantha Kingston is living the high school dream. She's popular, has a boyfriend others would due to date and gets heaps of roses on Cupid day. But one fateful night, it all goes wrong. Sam wakes up one day ago, and wonders why. In this haunting tale of life after death Sammy must try and make things right in her last week of life.

Before I Fall is quite similar to We Were Liars, but I like the characters more. Sam has more layers than most would expect from a typical popular girl and it's really enlightening to see her transform in this last week, back to her younger self/personality. The ending is cliffhanger like, but hints throughout the book give you a fair guess at what happens next.

I just want to discuss two characters: Kent McFuller and Juliet Sykes. Both are social outcasts, but much nicer than the popular crew. A huge chunk of Juliet's past is revealed and Sam's attempts to help her have varying degrees of success, though this effort builds the story so much more. Many minor details recur through the days which makes Before I Fall consistent, and the reader watching for differences.

Samantha reminds me of myself. Alas, I have made many of her mistakes, and probably will make more in the future. Maybe this is reader bias here but I think out of the four girls, Lauren Oliver chose the right narrator because the other girls are interesting too but Sam has more to her than them since she hasn't always been popular. Before I Fall is an alluring, enticing and beautiful teen fiction novel.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

Title: Nerve (based on the novel by Jeanne Ryan)
Rating: 7/10 Stars
IMDB Summary: A high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of "watchers."
Review: *This review contains a lot of book/movie comparisons and therefore minor spoilers are frequent throughout it*

Welcome to Nerve; an online real-life dare game where you compete dares for points and prizes. Vee Delmonico would never have dreamed of playing Nerve, but when her friends say she doesn't take risks, she decides to make a point. Along with her partner Ian, they get into heaps of trouble whilst playing Nerve. The question is, how far will Vee go before she decides the stakes are too high?

This movie has been recommended to me by many people I know, and I later found out that it's based off a book, one which I've frequently seen in bookstores. So I read the book (review here) and watched the movie. I conclude that Nerve is a great movie - if you haven't read the book.

The differences kept coming, an endless stream. For me, Vee's full name not being revealed until late into the book is a small but important part. In the movie her name is revealed early on which annoyed me because it wasn't relevant at all the discovery didn't contribute anything. The basic storyline e.g. dares and character interests are changed, leaving us with blonde Vee and brunette Sydney which I never got used to. One of the main dares from the book stays the same while all the others change and I think if it hadn't I would've well and truly hated this movie after the completely different ending.

Other than the fact that Nerve started as a book, the movie is pretty good. I didn't like the text/dare layout as I thought it wasn't very visually appealing, but the characters and plot are enticing, the movie is filled with action, adventure and of course the high stakes dares which Vee and Ian partake in. It was a lot harder for me to enjoy the movie after reading the book, but I tried and eventually succeeded.
IMDB Page
Favourite Acts: 
Machine Gun Kelly as Ty
Dave Franco as Ian

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's UK
Goodreads Summary: A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly.

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Nerve is an addicting game. Real life truth or dare, without the truth part. When the game knows all your secrets and what you want the most in life, how can you refuse? But the stakes get higher with every level, and Vee will have to decide if the prizes are worth risking her life for.

Vee is often in the shadow of her best friend, the dazzling golden-haired Sydney. Working backstage while her friend takes centre stage in their school production, NERVE offers Vee everything she's ever dreamed of. What starts out as a silly joke to impress a guy turns into a full on, dangerous game with no limits.

Vee's character arc takes some brilliant turns which help readers to sympathise with her rather than hate her. Matthew, on the other hand, is little more than a side character but his personality describes that of many teenage guys. He is one of many underlying messages for the teenage community hidden throughout this book. Sydney and Vee's friendship is something special, I'm happy it doesn't end nastily.

I loved reading this book because the storyline, although abnormal could easily describe any other troubled girl in a difficult place and time. Switch NERVE with drugs, alcohol or any of the various other modern issues, the same story could be produced but with a much sadder ending. Nerve brings technology and reality together in a powerful novel which contains messages about many everyday problems conveyed in a subtler way. A must read for all fans of Sci-fi and YA Contemporary.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of sci-fi and middle grade.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Goodreads Summary: We are the Liars.

We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.

We are cracked and broken.

A story of love and romance.

A tale of tragedy.

Which are lies?

Which is truth?

You decide.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Goodreads Summary: Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Rating: 5+ Stars
Review: Lady Catherine Pinkerton was not always the cruel Queen of Hearts. At first, she was but a lonely young girl with a head full of dreams. Dreams of running a bakery, living a happy life and falling in love. However, this fantasy was never meant to last.

I'm speechless. At every turn, a new happy resolution is introduced and every single time, I believed it. My wish for Cath's happiness seemed to come and go, but not once did Marissa Meyer leave readers in the dark, dangerous pit of despair; happiness although brief existed during the darkest moments.

Can we all stop for a second and appreciate Jest? From the moment he entered the book universe, I loved him. With each appearance that love  only got stronger which is the main reason why this book, although I loved it, most certainly broke my heart. He is mysterious, brave and loyal.

When Catherine's baking is introduced in the first chapter, I marvelled at the sheer amount of detail that lined the first page. Description did not go to waste in Heartless at all. Although I haven't read Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, this book has all the necessary information for those who may not know the story so well. No prior knowledge of Wonderland is assumed, similar to Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die series Heartless is a beautifully crafted complex adventure into Wonderland.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die.

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Goodreads Summary: In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now, she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

In this tautly plotted novel, Stephenie Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: A woman used to work for the US Government until she found out they planned to kill her. Now she lives on the run, going through names, fake IDs and towns at a high rate. When her former handler, Lowell Carston finds and contacts her through email, she takes the bait, heading to DC for their meeting. But she is still careful, more paranoid than they know...

What surprised me about The Chemist from the start is that each and every page of this novel are filled with details. It's not unnecessary information but everything you could possible need to know, written in an interesting way designed to catch your interest rather than pages and pages of boring lists. This nameless woman adapts to her name changes superbly, and I can't help but love her security system.

Kevin and Daniel Beach become the source of this woman's problems. When she kidnaps Daniel, she eventually realises that there's something wrong with the situation. A team effort sees her targeting her former employers and the CIA. There are many cleverly orchestrated situations leading to more conflict, a sign of great mystery thriller writing. These characters and their personalities fit perfectly into Stephenie Meyer's mould; the interrogator, the spy and the innocent.

Not once are they actually safe. The reasons behind this aren't repetitive or simple, instead they're complex, manufactured situations with plans that get put into action before you know what's happening. There is the right balance between real and fake alarm to set readers on edge every time there's a scene, never doubting for a second that a real incident may occur. Stephenie Meyer's intricately sculpted novel The Chemist is a must-read for all who love mystery thrillers.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery thrillers.

The Watcher by Ross Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: The Girl on the Train meets Rear Window, The Watcher is an absolutely addictive and on trend commercial psychological suspense read, with a captivating unreliable narrator and some powerful narrative twists. She's watching you, but who's watching her? Lily Gullick lives with her husband Aiden in a new-build flat opposite an estate which has been marked for demolition. A keen birdwatcher, she can't help spying on her neighbours. Until one day Lily sees something suspicious through her binoculars and soon her elderly neighbour Jean is found dead. Lily, intrigued by the social divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified, knows that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat. But can Lily really trust everything she sees?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Lily Gullick spies on her neighbours. A bird watcher, she uses her binoculars to look out her apartment window and make up stories about her neighbours' lives. When an old woman is murdered a night after Lily has visited her, Lily realises that she may have more information on the killer. The police don't believe her, so she conducts her own investigation. Her snooping doesn't go unnoticed, and soon she is being watched too. But the truth isn't always separated from lies...

This book is written in an original style. At first it took me awhile to understand Lily's observations, but the more I read the easier it became. The stories and names generated by Lily's mind were nothing short of intriguing. The story is directed at Lily's father and is similar to the daily diary entries suggested by Lily's therapist Helen. The mystery side of the novel is nice, I predicted the outcome early on, however at various points throughout the novel Ross Armstrong managed to convince me that I was wrong, make me doubt my theory to the point where I began believing Lily's thoughts.

Other than Lily, the characters that intrigued me are the siblings, Chris and Nathan. While Nathan has very few appearances and Chris a few more, they have a great symbolism and aid Lily throughout her adventure. They're complex because they have little reason to help and not betray Lily but some cash and sense of respect/loyalty. Chris also sees Lily as someone other than the "crazy girl down the road".

Lily's dad was very influential during his short appearance in The Watcher. After his arrival many aspects of the story are revealed, a lot becomes clearer, plus some of the truth and lies are separated. Lily's personality is partially a health condition as well as her underlying curious personality. The Watcher tells the tale of a woman trying to do the right thing and solve a murder mystery while being branded as psychotic and troubled.
Purchase Location:  ~I received a physical ARC from HarperCollins NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery and slightly crazy characters.

Holding by Graham Norton
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Goodreads Summary: Graham Norton's masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Set in the village of Duneen, Ireland, Holding is told in third person omniscient. The main characters are PJ Collins, Brid Riordan and Evelyn Ross. The genres are contemporary, mystery, and romance. This book follows an investigation of bones found during an excavation.

I only realised after starting this book that it is written by Graham Norton, the Graham Norton. I didn't know too much about him anyway, and I read it as if it were any other book. I have to say, I'm impressed; celebrity novels are usually ghost written or terrible. I wasn't expecting Holding to be so good.

PJ Collins is the Sergeant of Duneen. He is rather overweight and not expected to chase anyone on foot, but works hard and does his job well. Brid Riordan and Evelyn Ross were both involved with Tommy Burke, the man whose bones are suspected to be the ones excavated.

Holding is not the contemporary novel I expected. Graham Norton writes the mystery and romance parts of the book with skill, highlighting a lot of current global issues. The ending is shockingly sad and the characters aren't all the same, Graham Norton shows their flaws as well, they are all struggling with various problems in teir lives. I especially enjoyed Holding because the writer connects well with the readers through the style and I was emotionally invested in the book.

This is a great book, I just can't think of what to say about it. As with any small tow, Duneen has a collection of secrets. The discovered bones do no appear to have a backstory until an unlikely witness reveals a hidden past and dirty secrets come to light. Holding is a contemporary mystery romance suitable for mature audiences.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes: "Time didn't [pass]; it seeped away."

"And in those dark endless hours before dawn when she allowed him to hold her [as] she wept, he understood that she still loved him."

"Pain like that can do strange things to a young heart."

"To try was to fail. To care was to get hurt."
Recommended for: Fans of contemporary romance and adult reads.

Run by Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Goodreads Summary: Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and an alcoholic mom. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Agnes Atwood has never stayed out past ten p.m., never gone on a date and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally-blind daughter, but Agnes isn't quite sure what they are protecting her from.

Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs more deeply than anything else. But when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, police sirens wailing in the distance, Agnes is faced with the biggest choice she's ever had to make. Run, or stay?