REVIEW: Here Is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan

Well. I really adore Sarah Crossan's verse novels from young adults and I was excited to read something from her aimed at an adult audience. I was intrigued by the title, Here is the Beehive, and the cover is gorgeous. I think by this point, I might just be tempted by every verse novel going. 

Sarah Crossan has such an incredible skill of creating relatable characters with interesting relationships. And Here is the Beehive was such an emotional journey for me. Already it takes such skill to write a novel in verse, but I was amazed by how many surprises there were in this book, how I really came to know Ana and understand her decisions. Here is the Beehive is about Ana, a solicitor who has been having a three year affair with (married) Connor but when the worst happens and Connor dies, Ana's grief is largely invisible because nobody knew that he meant anything more to her.

 This story is told in the present as Ana is struggling to come to terms with her own grief and complicated feelings about her relationship with Connor but it's also told in the past, so we can see Ana and Connor's relationship forming and the lines that are crossed and the decisions that are made, the justification. Everything is pretty messed up, the exploration of this relationship was all sorts of messy, with promises made, lines crossed, the emotional destruction, the lies, the secrecy, the neediness, the insecurity. 

One thing that really stood out for me with this book was that I loved that as soon as I thought I knew these characters something unexpected is revealed. It felt like there were plenty of surprises in this story even when things probably seem straightforward.

Here is the Beehive was one of the stories that creeped up on me. I hadn't realised how emotionally attached I was until that final quarter of the book where all the heartache just built into this crescendo. Beautiful.

REVIEW Gloves Off by Louisa Reid

I've been a big fan of UKYA author, Louisa Reid, in the past, so I was very excited to hear that Louisa Reid had a new book out and a new book told in verse.  This book was gifted to me by Andrew of The Pewter Wolf Reads, which was lovely of him (thanks again!)

Gloves Off is the story of 16 year old, Lily, whose life is split into two parts - her at school, where she is bullied by her classmates because of her weight, and at home where she pretends that everything is okay because her family has its own share of struggles.  When Lily is the victim of a particularly bad bullying incident, her dad encourages her to start training at a local boxing gym in an attempt to regain some of her or self-esteem and self-worth. 

I've said it before, but I've always been in awe of authors who are able to pull off verse novels with such a parity of words but that still pack an emotional punch (pun intended).  Such was the case with Gloves Off. 

The main narrator of this book is Lily, sharing her painful experiences of bullying and toxic 'friendships' but there are also chapters dedicated to Lily's mum, which were an absolute surprise to me that added layers to this book.  Lily is a great character and I was rooting for her all the way through, but I also found Lily's mum's voice to be really compelling and reading of her own struggles with her weight and the trauma that forces her to not leave her house.  Both Lily and her mum are on their own journeys to building confidence and it was a joy to witness them both. 

I was obviously enraged with the lack of action taken by Lily's teachers and school in not protecting Lily better in what was obviously a really bad situation.  I'd have liked to have seen something more practical happening instead of karma but I also realise that these things happen and it isn't always realistic that schools would have adequate policies and procedures in place to protect students from bullying. 

I'm really here for these stories about sport that are encouraging positive aspects of boxing like gaining self-confidence.  In Lily's case, she does get fitter but she also gains skill in boxing, she finds friends and a crush in the shape of Rose, another boxer at the gym. 

Gloves Off was a wonderful story of fighting through adversity and discovering your own strength.  Plus, boxer girls kissing!

REVIEW: Moonrise by Sarah Crossan

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan was an amazing story to read. I knew it would be.  I've loved everything by Crossan that I've read so far and there's just something about her verse novels that resonate with me on such a personal level.  Something about the way she writes and puts words together really manages to shred away at my heart.

Moonrise is the story of brothers, Ed and Joe Moon.  Only Joe hasn't seen his brother in years, not since he left in his aunt's car and got arrested.  He's now on death row in Texas and Moonrise is a heart-breaking look at how Ed's life and death will be remembered.  It's a book about saying goodbye.

There is such tenderness in Sarah Crossan's writing style. Even when the subject matter is a dusty prison and being on death row.  So even when my heart was cracking open and I felt myself close to sobbing and railing at the unfairness of the world and the justice system that has failed Ed and his family ...I was also deeply aware of the beauty of this bond between brothers and the fragility of life.  I loved going over Joe's memories of growing up with Ed as a big brother, seeing the ways in which his mother and sister and aunt reacts to the news of Ed's arrest.  I even enjoyed Joe's uncertainty of Ed's innocence.

I find this book is really hard to discuss in any meaningful way.  Because it's about so much.  About remembering the small stuff, the moments between family.  It was also about forgiveness and facing about to life and death and finding meaning and beauty amongst it all.  Moonrise was a truly emotional story for me and I very highly recommend it.

REVIEW: We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

I'm lately very curious about co-written novels.  How they originated, how they work, who writes what, when.  I find it fascinating.  It makes me think of future pairings, dream writing teams...

And this book, We Come Apart, written by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan is very intriguing. I've read books by Sarah Crossan before and loved everything she's written and also read the one book by Brian Conaghan and found it very unusual and interesting. This pairing isn't one that would spring to mind naturally, but I think it worked very well.

We Come Apart is a novel told in verse. I love verse novels, I think they manage to convey so much depth and emotion in fewer words and I'm usually in awe of that fact. This book manages that very well.  Some of my favourite poems were quite short but each word managed to hit a place in my heart.

This is a dual-perspective verse novel told in alternating chapters from the two main characters. Nicu is a Romanian immigrant in the UK with his family. His parents are hoping to earn enough money for Nicu to return home and marry, though Nicu is struggling with the limitations on his future. And Jess is also struggling in her home life that is overshadowed by an abusive step father.  The pair meet after being caught shoplifting and sentenced to community service.

I think one of my favourite aspects of We Come Apart is how subtly it engaged my emotions. As in, I wasn't fully aware of how much I had to come to care for both Jess and Nicu until something more dramatic began to happen in the last quarter of the novel that made me realise that what I was feeling was shock, anger and devastation.

My only complaint about this book is that I wanted it to be longer. Well I appreciated the ending that this book has, I also wanted more.  I wanted more of these characters and to learn more about their stories.

REVIEW: A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva all get mixed up with a senior boy, a cool, slick, sexy boy who can talk them into doing almost anything he wants. In a blur of high school hormones and personal doubt, each girl struggles with how much to give up and what ultimately to keep for herself. How do girls handle themselves? How much can a boy get away with? And in the end, who comes out on top? A bad boy may always be a bad boy. But this bad boy is about to meet three girls who won't back down.

Without a recommendation from a friend on this one, I probably would have never picked up this book. And that would have been a shame. Even though it's quite a slim book and made for a quick read due to the way it's written in verse, A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone is really powerful look at relationships in high school, with a specific focus on three girls and the same boy they each fall for and deal with the pressures of a sexual relationship.

Each of these three girls, Josie, Nicholette and Aviva are very different, and have certain ideas of the type of person they'd be in a relationship with this particular charming boy at school. And each girl must then struggle with their own doubts and insecurities and must deal with the ways in which this boy handles each girl, always after one specific goal. Will the girls buckle under his pressure to take things farther and farther? Will the girls compromise themselves or their values in order to feel special and important to this popular, charming and good-looking boy?

I loved how each girl is from a different social circle, and these three different 'types' of girls could really encorporate all girls. From Josie, the freshman girl, innocent of any relationships. The girl who abandons her close group of friends in order to be The Girlfriend. Then there's Nicholette, who believes she holds the power between her and him because she's more forward and goes after what she wants. But the shift is fairly evident as we see how He treats her and how he doesn't acknowledge her in the hallways or in front of his friends. And then there's Aviva, the quirky girl who flits between groups of friends, always staying on the fringes, the one who wants to give Him another chance despite being warned off. The three may not normally be friends, but over the course of this verse novel, they have one major thing in common. They've all fallen under the spell of one Bad Boy.

I'm actually a little surprised at how filled with emotion and hormones this book is. I knew there would be sex involved, but there are some really hot scenes there. All the hormonal teenage urges to kiss and press against each other and have sex are very present here. But so is all of the doubt and insecurities as each girl wonders 'why is with me?' to 'what have I done wrong?' My heart ached for each individual girl as Josie, Nicholette and then Aviva all fall under his charms and even though each are strong, intelligent and grounded teenage girls, each one makes mistake after mistake and lets this one boy control and take over.

I do also really love the offensive that is taken during the course of this book and how each girl stands up for herself and for others in order to lessen this boy's hold on them and any future girls he might take a fancy to. It's a wonderful message to give to young girls today - respect yourself, stand up for yourself and look out for those who might make the same mistakes. A wonderful read, I'm very glad to have read it!

A big thank you to Luisa Plaja for recommending it, and to Emma for sending it to me via Lyndsey!

REVIEW: Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.

Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.

And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

Ellen Hopkins is one of those authors who I hear nothing but good things. But Impulse really intimidated me before I picked it up. I really love verse novels, but a 600+ verse novel? With three different perspectives? About teen suicide? I'll be honest and say that Impulse stayed on my shelf for many a month before I decided to give it a chance. And now that I've read it, I don't know what I was worrying about. The three voices are strong and different enough to be identifiable from each other and their stories made my heart break and I sympathised with each of the characters.

Impulse is the story of three teenagers who have attempted suicide and live. They are sent to a psychiatric hospital, where they struggle through recovery, forming a bond between the three of them. They each deal with their own reasons for being there, with different levels of therapy and the system. They are constantly monitored and medicated. They come to rely on and depend on each other as their stories slowly unravel and secrets are revealed...

I find each of the three main characters to be utterly relateable. They're very flawed obviously, but you can see the vulnerability of each of them, as they all want a stable environment to live in and to have stable healthy relationships with other people as well with those who care for them. They have such horrific life experiences and truly awful relationships with parental figures, that I constantly wondered, 'if I was put in their shoes, would I have ended up any differently?'

Conner struggles with the neverending pressure of being perfect. Getting the best grades, getting into the best universities, making the varsity football team, looking the part. All to please his superficial parents who can never find Conner 'good enough'.

Tony has been through the juvenile delinquent centre after committing a terrible crime, and was homeless when he swallowed the pills. His mother never quite around to help him as he suffered abuse after abuse.

And Vanessa's story hit home the most for me. Her need to self-harm, especially as it coincided with hidden mental health issues felt all too familiar. Her father away in Afghanistan, her mother teetering on the edge of something very serious. And to make it through, Vanessa turns to the blade, only that last cut went a little too deep...

It's been really difficult writing this review without using the word 'powerful' but it definitely applies to Impulse. It feels gritty and real and doesn't shy away from really awful topics. Suicide. Sexual abuse. Self harm. Depression. Aspen Springs is no picnic and a lot of really strong emotions and issues are dredged up.

It's not for the faint of heart, but Impulse is a verse novel worth reading.

Verse Novels: Heartbeat and What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

I don't know how or why I picked up my first verse novel, but I love them now. I just wish I knew which other verse novels to pick up! I always feel like there's something so personal about telling a story through poetry.


Heartbeat by Sharon Creech - A touching story about a young girl finding her identity and learning how it fits with the many rhythms of life. Annie loves running, drawing, and her family. She has a best friend called Max who also loves running, but things are not so great in Max's life. As the two come to terms with growing up and getting on and dealing with the many events and pressures around them a new and wonderful rhythm is established. A classic novel by a Carnegie Medal-winning author.

The first verse novel I'm going to talk about is Heartbeat by Sharon Creech. I'd never read anything by Sharon Creech before. She's put in the middle grade section of my library, but I was able to enjoy it just fine and it never once felt like it was aimed at a younger audience, even though I guess it is.

What I loved most about Heartbeat is how much Sharon Creech was able to fit into the story with so few words. The girl's interest in running, her mom's pregnancy. The drawing of the apples, her best friend Max's mood swings, her relationship with her grandfather. She really is struggling to find her place in the world and where she belongs in it all. The whole structure of it seemed to work perfectly and when I finished this book I had a big smile on my face. It's such a sweet story. I shall have to look out for other books by the same author!

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones - My name is Robin.

This book is about me.

It tells the story of what happens

when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom,

the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.

That seems like it would be

a good thing, right?

Only it turns out to be

a lot more complicated than that

Because I'm not gonna lie to you --

there are naked women involved.

Four of them, to be exact.

Though not in the way you might think.

Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing.

But the way things have been going lately,

I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse

than not getting what you want,

is getting it.

Let me just start right here and say that I adore Sonya Sones. And I -loved- What My Mother Doesn't Know. This is the sequel, told from the point of view of Robin Murphy. He's just gotten together with Sophie despite being a social outcast at school. And things are wonderful... and he gets this amazing opportunity to take an art class at the university. ...A 'life drawing' class. And Robin feels like he's finally fitting in someplace. So when things start becoming strained between him and Sophie, and Sophie begins being ostracised at school, Robin starts to doubt his relationship with Sophie and begins to revel in this art class where nobody knows he's a 'Murphy.'

I really loved this one. I absolutely adored Robin Murphy in What My Mother Doesn't Know, and I read reviews that said Robin isn't as perfect and swoon-worthy in this book. But I thought he was. His mistakes and his out of control hormonal feelings made him into a real person in this book, and I think complex, interesting characters are always a good thing. I loved how this book is so sweet and funny and awkward all at the same time.

Other novels in verse (for teens) I'd be interested in reading include everything written by Ellen Hopkins. One Of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones. Far From You and Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Shroeder. Realm of Possibility by David Levithan. Jacqueline Woodson?

Have you read any of these novels in verse? Any you'd like to recommend?

REVIEW: What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

My name is Sophie.
This book is about me.
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love, too.

It's not that I'm boy crazy.
It's just that even though
I'm almost fifteen
I've been having sort of a hard time
trying to figure out the difference
between love and lust.

It's like
my mind
and my body
and my heart
just don't seem to be able to agree
on anything.

I found this book last week in a charity shop for 40p. I love a bargain. I had some doubts about reading this book, wondering if a book of free verse poems about a teenage girl's quest for love would be my sort of thing? It turns out that this book is exactly my thing.

It was quite sweet really, all the way through. Funny and romantic. Everything about it seemed very genuine from Sophie's voice, her relationship with her friends, the infatuation she has with a series of boys, leading up to the confusion she feels for one particular boy - who I may or may not have fallen in love with just a little bit myself!

It was quite quick to read, but very satisfying! Definately on the look out for other Sonya Sones books, the sequel to this book, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know and Stop Pretending about how mental illness affects one family.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What's the most surprising book you've read recently?