Year: 2018

BLOG AVALANCHE: REVIEW – PAPER AVALANCHE by Lisa Williamson

Posted December 30, 2018 by Emma in 2018 Books, 2019 Books, 5 Stars, Blog Tour, Book Review, Contemporary, Featured, Lisa Williamson / 1 Comment

I am so excited to be part of this celebration of the new and upcoming novel, Paper Avalanche by Lisa Williamson. My review was meant to go up way before Christmas but due to end of term I was unable to read it time. So I read this book in two days over Christmas and it was the highlight of my reading that week. Rather than posting it quickly straight after reading it, I want this review and this book to have maximum coverage, because it needs to be heard and praised for how brilliant this book is. So I end 2018 with this beauty of a review.

Paper Avalanche
by Lisa Williamson
Publisher – David Fickling Books
Release Date – January 1st 2019
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository

‘Bonnie. Never Mum or Mummy or Mother. Just Bonnie.’
When it comes to flying under the radar, Ro Snow is an expert.
No friends.
No boys.
No parties.
And strictly NO VISITORS.
It may be lonely, but at least this way the truth remains where it should – hidden.

Then Tanvi Shah, the girl who almost died, comes tumbling back into her life, and Ro finds herself losing control of her carefully constructed lies.

But if Ro’s walls come crumbling down, who’s going to take care of Bonnie…

 

My absolute favourite book from Lisa Williamson. Get a box of tissues because you will need it. It’s good tears, tears of joy and the honest love you have for these characters. I’m going to be very brief with what this book is about because for the main the important part of the book was Lisa beautiful story of two girls, Ro and Tanvi, they each have their own story but together they are an unstoppable force of pure friendship, love and affection of what it’s like to have a friend that is there for you no matter what.

Ro Snow likes to be invisible, to blend in with the rest of the crowd. Because Ro has a secret. Her mum, Bonnie is ahoarder of everything. Their house looks like something of a haunted house, they are constantly in overdraft, and Ro is constantly finds herself playing the adult in their relationship. Her mum irresponsible and immature to say the least and Ro has the whole world is on her shoulders. A family pulled apart, she is alone, segregated by paper avalanches and new families. Her father, has a new family and doesn’t see past them to help Ro. Grrrr. Then, one day at the beginning of a new term, a girl called Tanvi sits next to Ro and they are inseparable, whether they want to be or not, this sparks a friendship like no other.

Tanvi has to be my favourite character of the book. Her story of surviving cancer, how she never gives up and takes on everything. But we see past that, this story isn’t one of sympathy but actually seeing who Tanvi really is. I love how her character shines with such vibrancy, she radiated in colour with each page you turn. I laugh at how blunt and unapologetic she is about everything, she is honestly a breath of fresh air I love how no matter what she will just chat and chat. I loved how she never stopped giving up on Ro, she tried to break those layers off one by one.

Ro Snow is embarrassed where she lives and she doesn’t want to get too close to people, to find out the truth about her. When she meets Tanvi, she’s stubborn, she doesn’t understand why she wants her to her friend, she wants to be left alone, she feels she can’t truly be her friend when she has so many secrets. If it wasn’t for Tanvi she wouldn’t be able to unleash the voice that she has in her, be part of choir or just live and look after herself first. Living at home is hard, no one wants to live next to her until someone moves in, a boy called Noah. I loved how Lisa didn’t entirely focus on the romance between Ro and Noah, it was a sweet sideline storyline, in a way I felt it was a lovely way to see how Ro really tried to open up to others a bit more and allowed more people in her heart.

When I saw this book in my local Waterstones, I can tell you that this digital copy of the cover does nothing to the physical book, because when I saw it, it was utter perfection as it stands out just like it’s characters and storyline. This is honestly the most heart wrenching and emotional rollercoaster of a story. Lisa has really created something special. Her writing is something that continues to grow, the themes of her stories really fits with the current times. A special story that really will break you for the tissues with tears of joy and happiness. Tanvi and Ro’s friendship is inspiring and beautiful. Everyone will want to read their story.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to David Fickling Books for a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

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MINI REVIEWS – SHADOWBLACK by Sebastien de Castell & BOOKSHOP GIRL by Chloe Coles

MINI REVIEWS – SHADOWBLACK by Sebastien de Castell & BOOKSHOP GIRL by Chloe Coles

Some amazing reads I’ve read lately both totally different but brilliant in their own way. Shadowblack (Spellslinger #2) by Sebastien de Castell It’s a few months since Kellen left his people behind. Now aged sixteen, Kellen is an outlaw, relying on his wits to keep him alive in the land of the Seven Sands. He misses home, he misses family and more than anything, he misses Nephenia, the girl he left behind. Then he meets Seneira, a blindfolded girl who isn’t blind, and who carries a secret that’s all too familiar to Kellen. Kellen and Ferius resolve to help – […]

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BLOG TOUR – ROSIE LOVES JACK: IMPORTANT JOURNEYS

BLOG TOUR – ROSIE LOVES JACK: IMPORTANT JOURNEYS

Today I’m so happy to be part of this blog tour celebrating important journeys. I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure what to write at first and then it hit me… and this feels like one the most honest and best piece of writing I’ve written about myself on here. So I really hope you enjoy. A LIBRARY HOLDS MILLIONS OF JOURNEYS… but all you need to do is find just one – MY JOURNEY. Every one has a life journey, we all embark on that special journey we know will stay with us forever. I was going to start this […]

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NOVEMBER WRAP-UP & DECEMBER TBR

Posted December 1, 2018 by Emma in Featured, Monthly Wrap-Up Post, Most Anticipated, TBR / 1 Comment
NOVEMBER WRAP-UP & DECEMBER TBR

Hi Everyone, I’ve been MIA lately, late October and all of November has been very busy at work. I’ve started a new position alongside my Librarian role which has taken up a lot of my work at the moment. I’m hoping December will be a different story as Christmas comes to work and it will feel a lot less busy and more festive and relaxed. This month I have been re-reading the Throne of Glass of series in anticipation of the Kingdom of Ash release. I started this series when it first came out and then stopped at Crown of […]

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REVIEW – A PLACE CALLED PERFECT by Helena Duggan

REVIEW – A PLACE CALLED PERFECT by Helena Duggan

A book that will haunt you in the best way possible weeks after you’ve read it. A Place Called Perfect (Perfect #1) by Helena Duggan Publisher – Usborne Children’s Publishing Release Date – August 1st 2017 Buy – Amazon | Book Depository Violet never wanted to move to Perfect. Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time? But Violet quickly discovers there’s something weird going on – she keeps hearing noises in the night, her mum […]

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REVIEW – SPELLSLINGER by Sebastien de Castell

REVIEW – SPELLSLINGER by Sebastien de Castell

When one author reads from his latest book to spark me into reading the whole series because of it.  Spellslinger (Spellslinger #1)by Sebastien de CastellPublisher – Hot Key BooksRelease Date – May 4th 2017Buy – Amazon | Book Depository Magic is a con game. Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, […]

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SEPTEMBER WRAP-UP & OCTOBER TBR

Posted October 3, 2018 by Emma in Monthly Wrap-Up Post, Random Post, TBR / 2 Comments
SEPTEMBER WRAP-UP & OCTOBER TBR

Hi Everyone, How has your September been? Mine has been manic and the fact that it’s already October has passed me by completely. Where does the time go? I mean we are counting down to Christmas already in shops…. Oh god that means I need to start thinking about presents. Who leaves it to the last minute? With the start of September came the start of term at work, it’s never been busier, additional roles to my job has been interesting but also exciting. That also comes with hardly no reading. I read a grand total of 1 book and […]

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GUEST POST – Chloe Seager talks about making and maintaining friends…

Posted September 17, 2018 by Emma in #Bk2Skool, Chloe Seager, Friendships / 0 Comments
GUEST POST – Chloe Seager talks about making and maintaining friends…

Hi Everyone, I continue my #Bk2Skool September (I finally came up with a cool hashtag name for it.) If this is your first post that you have seen of my blog then here’s a brief catch you up.  #Bk2Skool September was created by me as I work in a school, a librarian. I see first hand what it’s like going to school for the first time with a new cohort of Year 7s, but also to those who are going back to school, starting their GCSEs etc. So I’ve asked some of favourite authors that explore school life in their […]

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ARC REVIEW – THE CRUEL DESIGN by Emily Suvada

ARC REVIEW – THE CRUEL DESIGN by Emily Suvada

This series is like any other… If you think book 1 is brilliant then the sequel is even better.  Read my review for The Mortal Coil, the first book in the series here.  The Cruel Design (The Mortal Coil #2)by Emily SuvadaPublisher – Penguin Random Children’sRelease Date – November 4th 2018Pre-Order – Amazon | Book Depository Where can you hide when you’re running from yourself? Catarina thought they’d stopped the Hydra virus. She was wrong. After laying everything on the line to decrypt the vaccine, Cat realises that Lachlan’s daemon code is in the panel of every person on the […]

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