Boy21

It's never been easy for Finley, particularly at home. But two things keep him going: his place on the basketball team and his girlfriend, Erin - the light in even the darkest of his days.

Then Russ arrives. He answers only to Boy21, claims to be from outer space, and also has a past he wants to escape. He's one of the best high school basketball players in the country and threatens to steal Finley's starting position.

Against all the odds, Russ and Finley become friends. Russ could change everything for Finley, both for better and for worse. But sometimes the person you least expect can give you the courage to face what's gone before ...and work out where you're going next.

My opinion: I loved Matthew Quick's The Silver Linings Playbook and I also love a good YA book, so had high hopes for this book.

Finley is from an Irish American family living in a tough neighbourhood and is the only white boy on his basketball team. Although life isn't perfect, particularly at home with his father and disabled alcoholic grandfather, his girlfriend Erin and basketball make his life pretty ok. When he is asked by Coach to make friends with new kid Russell, his life changes in more ways than he can imagine. Despite Russell being pretty weird with an obsession with space and his insistence that his name is Boy21, Finley likes him, and finds some room in his life for a new friend.

I really liked this book and read it more or less in one sitting. It was refreshing to read a YA book which wasn't about romance, but instead it was about the friendship of two boys, something I don't think I've read about before. I'm probably the least sporty person ever, so the basketball references put me off a bit at first, but once the story got going, I could see why it was such a key aspect of the book, and found that I didn't really need to understand the terminology to read the book. In the style of the best YA books, Boy21 deals with a number of difficult issues including grief, gang culture, poverty and families. I thought it was really well done by the author though as I didn't feel that anyone theme defined the book and were just part of life, rather than necessarily being a focal point.

I really liked the writing style and felt that the story was well paced and flowed really well. It was a short book, but to be honest I think it was the perfect length. I don't like books that are long for the sake of being long and being able to fit everything you want to say in a shorter book is a quality I like in authors. I would like to read more about the characters to see what happens next, and how they each get on following graduation. I really felt that Finley, Russell and Erin were all really likeable, and probably more so as none of them were jock type characters and were all a bit weird in their own special way. I really like these sorts of characters as they are more realistic and I know that I am bit weird in my own way too!

A really good read, and another good American YA book to add to the growing list of books that I wish were around when I was a teenager (not that it stops me reading them now!). I'd definitely recommend this book and will have to get round to reading more of Matthew Quick's books soon!

My rating: Four stars

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, Headline, via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review

Paper Aeroplanes

It's the mid-1990s, and fifteen year-old Guernsey schoolgirls, Renée and Flo, are not really meant to be friends. Thoughtful, introspective and studious Flo couldn't be more different to ambitious, extroverted and sexually curious Renée. But Renée and Flo are united by loneliness and their dysfunctional families, and an intense bond is formed. Although there are obstacles to their friendship (namely Flo's jealous ex-best friend and Renée's growing infatuation with Flo's brother), fifteen is an age where anything can happen, where life stretches out before you, and when every betrayal feels like the end of the world. For Renée and Flo it is the time of their lives.

With graphic content and some scenes of a sexual nature, PAPER AEROPLANES is a gritty, poignant, often laugh-out-loud funny and powerful novel. It is an unforgettable snapshot of small-town adolescence and the heart-stopping power of female friendship.

My opinion: As soon as I heard that Dawn O'Porter had written a book, I just knew I had to read it! Unfortunately it has been sat on my Kindle for a while, but I finally got round to it a few weeks ago.

Paper Aeroplanes is set on the small isle of Guernsey and we get to know unlikely teenage friends, Renee and Flo. They come from different, but equally dysfunctional families and are trying to find their way through all of the trials which teenage years bring. These include school, families, and most definitely boys.

I was hooked by this story straight away and it was a bit like being told a story by an old friend. Dawn's writing style is relaxed and draws you in, but believe me, there is no stone left unturned in the life of these teenagers! I found Renee and Flo easy to relate to, but they both made me wonder whether I had a sheltered time as a teenage girl as I never got in half the trouble they do, particularly with boys! I thought the character of Sally was quite genius too, as this sort of "friend" is very rarely depicted in either books or tv programmes, but most certainly exists in real life.

I think this book could become a cult sort of novel and should definitely be read by all women, both teenage and older to get a glimpse into these girls lives in all its gory glory! I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

My rating: Four stars

The Geography of You and Me

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

My opinion: I was really excited when I received this book for review. I had seen that a lot of other book bloggers had enjoyed the book and loved the cover so couldn't wait to get stuck in over the bank holiday weekend.

Lucy and Owen are two teenagers who get stuck in a lift together in the apartment building where they both live in New York. Lucy lives with her parents who are away on yet another trip, and her brothers who have both gone off to university. Owen and his dad have recently moved to New York after his dad was offered the job of caretaker for the building following the sudden death of Owen's mother. One shared evening and experience links Lucy and Owen together over the coming months, and despite both moving a number of times, they keep in touch with postcards.

This book is lovely and cute, with a real feel of old school innocence. I think this is highlighted by the way that Owen and Lucy mainly stay in contact by sending each other postcards, choosing, in the most part, to shun the more techy methods of contact favoured by teenagers these days. This book is a quick read and is well paced, and even though it's not the most action packed story I have ever read, it still made me want to read more.

A very cute and wonderfully old fashioned love story, I'd recommend this for fans of YA and those who usually read romance and would like to give YA a go.

My rating: Four stars

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

North Pole Reform School

Mistletoe Bell hates Christmas. So would you if you had a name like hers. Her Christmas-mad parents make the festive season last all year, and with another Christmas looming, Mis doesn’t think she can take any more. After her carelessness causes an accident at school, it seems like things can’t get any worse.

Then she wakes up to find The Ghost of Christmases Ruined in her bedroom.

She is taken to the North Pole, to a reform school run by elves determined to make her love Christmas. Stuck in a misfit group of fellow Christmas-haters with a motley crew of the weird and even weirder, watched over by elves day and night, she doesn’t expect to meet cute and funny Luke, who is hiding a vulnerable side beneath his sarcastic exterior. She doesn’t expect to fall in love with him.

But all is not as it should be at the North Pole. A certain Mr Claus is making the elves’ lives a misery, and pretty soon Mistletoe and Luke are doing more than just learning to like Christmas.

A YA romantic comedy in which Santa is the bad guy, teaching reindeer to fly is on the curriculum, and zombies have a fondness for Christmas music.
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Suitable for older teens and upwards due to bad language.

My opinion: North Pole Reform School is the latest book from the very lovely Jaimie Admans, and unsurprisingly is a Christmas book!

This time we are transported to the North Pole with Mistletoe Bell after she ruins the Christmas of others. A purple moose comes in the middle of the night to whisk Mis away, and when she wakes up she's with a group of people at the North Pole who are all there to be reformed.

The group of Christmas ruiners that she joins includes a duck phobic, a boy who thinks he's dead, the awful Joe and the very lovely Luke. They are all there for a reason, and in order to graduate they must learn why Christmas is meaningful to others. This must be fine whilst surrounded by elves, surviving on a diet of candy canes and mince pies, listening to constant Christmas songs and that even before we mention the mean Santa and North Pole zombies!

This book was really fun and I really enjoyed reading it. The detail surrounding the North Pole is amazing and Jaimie must have done a lot of Christmassy research! The story is a good mix of fun and some more serious messages. It did make me think about how Christmas means different things to different people, and how magical it can be to those with children.

NPRS is a good mix of YA with fantasy and a bit of romance thrown in. A great bit of light relief to get you in a Christmassy mood!

I will be taking part in the NPRS blog tour on 12th December with a guest post from Jaimie!

My rating: A festive four stars!

I was sent a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review

Paper Towns

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

My opinion: After reading The Fault in Our Stars last year I was intrigued by John Green's writing, even though I have only really just got into young adult books. I liked the premise of this book and am very glad that I gave it a go.

This book is well paced and full of detail. It's like a detective meets and adventurer and goes on a crazy road trip. It is full of moments that kept me on the edge of my seat, and more importantly kept me guessing. It is obviously well researched and I loved the detail about map makers adding in a pretend town as a way to keep ownership of the design of the map.

The characters were well formed and I liked that the main character Q was a bit of an underdog and really seemed to have a lower opinion of himself than other people did. I found that really endearing and in some ways reminded me of myself.

I will definitely be reading more from John Green, and my Amazon wishlist has already got somewhat longer!

My rating: Four stars

I originally reviewed this book at Reading in Progress.

The Fault in Our Stars

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My opinion: I was a little bit wary about reading this book as I was worried that it could be upsetting and a bit depressing as it is about a teenage girl with cancer. I need not have worried.

This book was my firsty foray into reading some of John Green's writing, and it definitely won't be my last! I was drawn into the story straight away and really loved the friendly writing style. In fact, I could barely put this down when I was reading it.

We follow the story of Hazel who is a 16 year old terminal cancer patient. She is convinced by her parents to join a support group to meet some fellow sufferers and give her chance to get out of the house. She meets a new friend in Isaac and subsequently meets his best friend Augustus. Hazel gets close with Augustus and they eventually start going out.

The book is very funny in parts and there are also parts that made me cry. It is wonderfully written and I especially liked the parts about Hazel's favourite book and going to meet the writer. A lot of the time you were able to forget that she was any different to other teenagers, until something popped up to remind you.

The book has a bittersweet ending, and I will warn you, don't read it in public, you may not want to be around people when you read it. The book is in no way depressing and leaves the reader wanting more. This book will stay with me for a long time and I would certainly recommend it to others to read.

My rating: A big fat tear inducing five stars!

I originally reviewed this book in 2012 at Reading in Progress.

Model Misfit

“My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.”

Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.

What Harriet doesn’t know is where she’s going to fit in once the new baby arrives.

With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother’s ‘chaperoning’. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes.

Because, this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like.

Can geek girl find her place on the other side of the world or is Harriet lost for good?

My opinion: I first became acquainted with the Geek Girl series and Harriet Manners a few months ago when I read the first book. Harriet became my hero at this point, and I couldn't wait to read more about her adventures!

The second book in the series, Model Misfit, does not disappoint. It's six months later and Harriet is still modelling, her stepmother is heavily pregnant and even more importantly, she is still a geek! Not much seems to have changed in Harriet's life, apart from the graffiti on her bag becoming more creative. We join Harriet on the day of her last exam. Which she manages to turn up to painted gold and wearing a shredded sweatshirt following a modelling shoot. See, totally normal!

I love that Harriet hasn't become any more refined or less clumsy despite her new status as a teen model. She is still as accident prone as ever, and when reading her adventures you are guaranteed that hilarity will ensue! And this time, Harriet's adventures take us across the world to Japan for a shoot with Yuka. She shares an apartment out there with two other models, including Japanese girl Rin, who is one of the funniest characters I have come across for a while! Rin is obsessed with all things Australian and is trying to learn English. That's when she's not dressing up her cat, Kylie Minogue, in clothes to match her own Harajuku fashions!

And we can't forget Lion Boy. He is very much a feature in this book even if it's not in the fairytale fashion I think we would all like yo read about. You will have to read the book to find out how it turns out though! Harriet's eccentric grandmother Bunty also makes an appearance in this book and I hope we see more of her in the next book in the series.

As I'm sure you can tell from all of my gushing, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in 3 sittings as I just couldn't get enough of it. It would have been fewer if I hadn't had to get up for work the next day! I believe that the Geek Girl series is due to be a trilogy, but I really hope that Holly a Smale can write us more Geek Girl stories than that. I really don't want to think that the next book might be the last!

A fantastic series from a British YA writer. And Harriet is definitely a better role model for girls than many others I can think of (*coughs*...Miley Cyrus...) and you should all go and buy it and stay up all night to read it!!

My rating: A fabulous five stars!

I received an advance copy of Model Misfit from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This copy kept me going until the paperback I had preordered arrived :-)

Author interview: Holly Smale

Firstly I'd like to wish a very happy publication day to Holly Smale as the second book in the Geek Girl trilogy is published today! I've already got my copy preordered and can't wait to read it!! Holly has very kindly agreed to be interviewed by me to celebrate the publication of Model Misfit.

1. Hi Holly! Welcome to Sheli Reads. Can you tell us a bit about Geek Girl, and the latest book in the series, Model Misfit?

Geek Girl is essentially a modern, comedy fairytale: a kind of retelling of The Ugly Duckling crossed with Cinderella. It’s about a fifteen year old geek, Harriet Manners, who gets unexpectedly spotted on a school trip by a modelling agent and decides that this is her opportunity to reinvent herself. As she soon finds out: life doesn’t always work like that.

In Model Misfit, Harriet is still a model but there’s an entirely different set of challenges. She’s still finding her way, like most teenagers (actually, like most adults too), and she makes mistakes and chooses the wrong path more often that not. Hopefully those who loved her and her friends and family in the first book will enjoy seeing them again, although there are some new faces this time as well!


2. I felt that your main character, Harriet, was quite similar to me as a teenager (apart from bring beautiful and getting a modelling contract - I was average and got a job in a museum!). Did you base Harriet on your own teenage years?

I did, yes. We’re not identical – in my head she looks different, and we have subtly different temperaments (my temper is far worse) – but I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t largely based on me as a teenager. My agent has a terrible habit of calling me Harriet, which indicates I haven’t changed much since then!


3. Some of the situations that Harriet got into made me laugh out loud when reading the book. Were they based on real life events?

Yes and no. I tend to blend real life and imagination to the point where I’m not even sure what’s real or not anymore. Some of the really key narrative points did really happen – I was a geek, I was unpopular, I was spotted at the Clothes Show, and the Big Bullying scene was based on a real event – but the vast majority of it is a story I made up. I’m never sure if that’s what people want to hear or not!


4. What can we expect Harriet to get up to next in Model Misfit?

Model Misfit starts six months after Geek Girl finishes, which means there’s a whole new set of problems for Harriet to contend with: exams, a heavily pregnant stepmother, the prospect of a new sibling, a summer holiday without Nat… And Nick. As Harriet is still realising, things don’t always go according to plan - no matter how many you write to try and make them - and her love life is certainly no exception.

In an effort to run away from it all she takes a modelling job in Tokyo, and – in typical Harriet Manners style – only succeeds in getting into even more trouble.


5. What inspired you to put pen to paper and write the Geek Girl series?

I wanted to write a story about outsiders, about fairytales, about what it feels like to feel lonely and sad and lost and fit in nowhere. I wanted it to be funny, and I wanted it to be wholesome, and I wanted it to be warm and good-hearted. I guess the geek-turns-model seemed like a perfect twist on the Ugly Duckling story, and it felt right. It felt like a story I knew how to tell.


6. YA is a genre that seems to have exploded in recent years with some fantastic books being published. Have you got a favourite YA author?

What’s strange is that there have been amazing YA books for decades; it’s just our awareness and definition of them that has changed, because they have their own separate category now. To Kill a Mockingbird is largely from the perspective of a six year old narrator; in Catcher in the Rye, Holden is 17; Lord of the Flies is about a group of teenage boys. Lord of the Rings is YA, and so is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe; Discworld; everything by Judy Blume; Adrian Mole. YA has always been some of the best fiction in the world: we just used to lump it in with adult fiction.

As a teenager I loved LM Montgomery, Sue Townsend, Harper Lee: they probably had the biggest impact on me, and I still reread them as an adult.


7. Do you have any writing tips for fellow geek girls who aspire to be an author one day?

I think writing is like anything: you have to learn the nuts and bolts before you can do anything really creative with it. You wouldn’t try to build a wardrobe without knowing how to make a finger-joint or use a plane, and the same goes for books: read as much as you can, of as many different types and genres as you can, and learn the basics of grammar and punctuation until they’re second nature. Then write and write, practice and practice, until you find a unique voice that’s yours.

That’s the key, really. The more you can be yourself in writing – using the tools you’ve learnt from others - the better the writing will be.


8. What is your favourite place to write? Do you have an office at home or do you like to be more creative with where you work?

My favourite place to write is on a laptop, in a comfy cushion, staring at a rice field or sea, surrounded by flowers and a light breeze and the smell of a delicious dinner cooking. Unfortunately more often than not I tend to write in my dark little bedroom overlooking a T junction in central London, surrounded by a pungent reminder of burnt toast and the sound of sirens from Elephant and Castle.


9. Do you have a favourite snack to eat when you are writing?

Almonds and apple green tea.


10. What is your first book related memory? Do you think that it inspired you to go on to be a writer?

When I was five, I was totally obsessed with The Faraway Tree and would carry it around with me everywhere like a teddy-bear: I was so deeply engrossed in the world it gave me that I couldn’t bear to physically put it down. I think I knew from that moment that I wanted to part of that magical process. I wanted to create worlds too.


11. And lastly, if you were an animal, what would you be?

A cat. I am disturbingly cat-like.

Thank you so much Holly for some great answers and for being a great sport. I too have always loved Sue Townsend and never thought of Adrian Mole as being YA! Also, I love the comparison to a cat!

Again, happy publication day and I hope to review here at Sheli Reads very soon!






Holly Smale fell in love with writing at the age of five, when she realised that books didn't grow on trees like apples. She completed her first rhyming couplet poem - "The Unicorn" - at the age of seven, and still brings it out for public readings at family dinner parties.

A passion for travel, adventure and wearing no shoes has since led her all over the world: she has visited 18 countries, spent two years working as an English teacher in Japan, volunteered in Nepal, been bartered for in Jamaica and had a number of bags, wallets and ear-plugs stolen in both Australia and India.

As a teenager, she also modelled (very badly) for a top London agency in the hope that eventually they would send her somewhere exciting.

They didn't.

Holly has a BA in English Literature, an MA in Shakespeare, and is currently a writer based in England.