Enders by Lissa Price

Title: Enders

Author: Lissa Price

Publisher: Random House Children's

Released: January 7th 2014

Pages: 288 (eBook)

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Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael - teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations -With the body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save her life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too . . . and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body?

No one is ever who they appear to be, not even the Old Man. Determined to find out who he really is and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even if it kills her.

It tied all the knots and ticked all the boxes that Starters created, but despite my complete adoration for the first instalment, Enders left a lot to be desired. I don't know whether it's the fact I've grown up a lot since Starters was released or what, but it just didn't impact me as much as I had hoped it would.

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Title: Panic

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Hodder

Release: March 4th 2014

Pages: 416 (eBook)

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Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

I was so excited when I received an ARC of Panic. Having read Before I Fall and the entire Delirium trilogy, I have become a solid fan of Oliver's writing and imagination, and as soon as I saw the synopsis for this, I knew I was going to love it. Whether she is writing a series or a stand-alone, Oliver delivers.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Madness Underneath
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: February 26th 2013
Pages: 290 (Paperback)
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When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.
Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

Do you ever read a book that you just don't know how to review? For me, this is one of them. I'm trying to find the words to explain how I feel about this read, but nothing I think of really sums up what I mean. I guess the closest thing to it would be disappointing.

Bitter Like Orange Peel by Jessica Bell

Title: Bitter Like Orange Peel
Author: Jessica Bell
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
Released: November 1st 2013
Pages: 179 (eBook)
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Six women. One man. Seven secrets. One could ruin them all.

Kit is a twenty-five-year-old archaeology undergrad, who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. Life seems purposeless. But if she could track down her father, Roger, maybe her perspective would change.

The only problem—Roger is as rotten as the decomposing oranges in her back yard according to the women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn’t learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy’s mother—a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and named her daughter after "Intravenous."

Against all three women’s wishes, Kit decides to find Roger.
Enter a sister Kit never knew about.
But everyone else did.

What a bloody awful book. I'm sorry, but it has to be said. I've read some bad books in my time, but this is most definitely in the top five. The synopsis held the promise of a novel that wasn't delivered.

The basic premise is a group of six women who all have ties to this one man - to some of them he was a lover, a husband, and to others he was a father - or an absentee one at that. Kit, one of the daughters, is desperate to find out about this man who she has never met, so sets out on a journey to meet him. However, in doing so she unveils a whole load of buried family secrets.

Pawn by Aimée Carter

Title: Pawn
Author: Aimée Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: November 26th 2013
Pages: 346 (eBook)
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YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

I've had my eye on Pawn for quite a while, so once I got accepted for an eGalley of it, I was ecstatic. Despite the surge of dystopian novels over the last few years, many of them still manage to come up with original concepts; Pawn is a perfect example of this.

Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

Title: Fireblood
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release: December 17th 2013
Pages: 376 (Kindle)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin. 

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult. 

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out. 

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

You know that feeling when you finish a book and you just become speechless? Yeah, I'm like that with Fireblood. I don't think there is any word in the dictionary that could properly sum up just how breathtaking it is. I went into it with high expectations - everyone has heard of Trisha Wolfe, and the reviews I've read have been nothing but praise for her writing. I finished the book with those expectations raised; Wolfe is a tremendous author, and I am now definitely on the bandwagon.

Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae

Title: Hidden Wings
Author: Cameo Renae
Publisher: Indie Inked
Released: January 16th 2013
Pages: 204 (Kindle)
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Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

So ever since I saw Haley's review of this over at YA-Aholic, I've wanted to read it. So when I got accepted for a review copy, I was over the moon! I love angels and demons, and a few years ago I went through a complete stage of being obsessed with them - now I remember why! Hidden Wings was fast-paced and furious, with a witty band of characters and enemies like no other.

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Title: Freakboy
Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Released: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 448 (Kindle)
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From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. He’s a star wrestler, a video game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrong—why he sometimes fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him? Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?

In Freakboy's razor-sharp verse, Kristin Clark folds three narratives into one powerful story: Brendan trying to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fighting to keep her and Brendan’s relationship alive, and Angel struggling to confront her demons.

This is the second verse book I have read, and the first of which I have reviewed. I'm a keen supporter of LGBT rights, and I never turn down an opportunity to learn a bit more about the different situations people of the LGBT community have been through, fictional or otherwise. I've read a few novels centred around being transgender, and I'm honestly amazed at the strength these people have - how horribly they are judged, but how they still persevere to get what they know is right. Freakboy was an amazing story, and I'm just left in awe.

The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles

Title: The Kissing Booth
Author: Beth Reekles
Publisher: Random House Children's
Released: December 13th 2012
Pages: 448 (Kindle)
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Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother... 

When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. 

But will Elle get her happily ever after?

I don't like cheesy books and I don't like cheesy couples yet I liked The Kissing Booth.  Please go and figure. Something about this read appealed to me, so despite it's vast amount of teen angst, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're looking for a light, easy-going read, I'd definitely recommend this.

The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns

Title: The Name on Your Wrist
Author: Helen Hiorns
Publisher: RHCP Digital
Released: July 15th 2013
Pages: 185 (eBook)
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It's the first thing they teach you when you start school. But they don't need to; your parents tell you when you're first learning how to say your name. It's drummed into you whilst you're taking your first stumbling steps. It's your lullaby. From the moment it first appears, you don't tell anyone the name on your wrist.

In Corin's world, your carpinomen - the name of your soul mate, marked indelibly on your wrist from the age of two or three - is everything. It's your most preciously guarded secret; a piece of knowledge that can give another person ultimate power over you. People spend years, even decades, searching for the one they're supposed to be with.

But what if you never find that person? Or you do, but you just don't love them? What if you fall for someone else - someone other than the name on your wrist?

And what if - like Corin - the last thing in the world you want is to be found?

I can't decide on a rating. I can't decide on a rating and I hate it when that happens! The Name on Your Wrist's synopsis piqued my interest, and whilst on one hand I want to sing its praises, on the other I just can't get over the fact that nothing happened.

Blog Tour: Intermix Nation by M. P. Attardo (Review + Giveaway)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.P. Attardo is a twenty-something, part-time writer, full-time daydreamer. She has a college degree … is still trying to figure out what ever to do with it. She loves amateur baseball commentating, heckling, and overindulging. And putting her bizarre, gritty thoughts into words for all to read.
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REVIEW
Title: Intermix Nation
Author: M. P. Attardo
Publisher: Self
Released: March 5th 2013
Pages: 331 (Kindle)
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Intermix: to mix together, blend

North America, paragon of diversity, is gone. From its ashes, a new nation has arisen – Renatus – where the government segregates the surviving population into races, forbidding interracial marriage, mating, and love.

Eighteen-year-old Nazirah Nation is a pariah, an intermix, born of people from different races. When her parents are murdered in the name of justice, Nazirah grudgingly joins the growing rebellion fighting against the despotic government.

Overwhelmed with grief, consumed by guilt, Nazirah craves vengeance as a substitute for absolution. But on her journey to find the girl she once was, Nazirah must learn the hard way that nothing … no one … is purely black or white. Like her, every human is intermix, shades and hues of complex emotions. And those who can take everything away are also the ones who can give everything back.

Well, I really wasn't prepared for that emotional rollercoaster! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew Intermix Nation was a book I had to read. As someone who is mixed heritage, I know what it's like to be of two different ethnicities but feel that, at times, I belong to neither. In Attardo's debut, North America has been divided into a land known as Renatus. The divides have been put in place to separate races, forbidding them from mixing – but love can conquer boundaries, and the children of two races are born. They are known as intermix, and are cast out by everyone but their own. Nazirah is an intermix, but not just anyone – she is the face of the rebellion, a beacon of hope for the citizens of Renatus. But Irri has her own past, and if she’s going to win over the nation, she’s going to have to face her biggest enemy yet: Adamek Morgen, murderer of her parents.

I can't believe how well-written this was, especially for a debut novel. I'm not suggesting that debut authors are bad, but usually since it's their first book, they're still trying to find their own individual style. Attardo has her style set. Admittedly I at first found it strange to read in the person she used, but as I became more engrossed in the story, I grew used to it. Aside from that, the language, the plot, the build up...it was the perfect concoction for a story.

Nazirah Nation has to be one of my favourite protagonists of all time. I know I can go on a bit about how I love my brave heroines, but I think she's one of the strongest I've ever come across. Nazirah is put through a lot of trials, yet she is as hard as nails the entire time. She is a true face of a rebellion, and because of that she made the diegesis, the plot, the idea believable. 

Adamek Morgen is my latest addiction. When we were first introduced to him, I just thought he'd be the counterpart to Nazirah, an enemy to reinforce the idea that she is the good guy. However, halfway through and I realised she created him to be so much more than that. Although the book centers around the issue of racism, it also talks about forgiveness. How can you forgive someone who has wronged you so terribly? He is a counterpart, that's for sure, but he's not necessarily just the enemy. Although we don't find as much out about his past as I would have liked, his character holds a depth so vast that you can't help but feel that he's real. 

This may seem strange, but one thing I really loved about Intermix Nation was how Attardo managed to get this entire story into just one book. A lot of dystopians nowadays are split into a trilogy, a lot of which tend to fall short towards the end. Although I do like it when books are a series, I was glad she just got to the point with the story and didn't unnecessarily drag it out, making it intense, dynamic and dramatic.

I must admit, I really am impressed with Attardo. Debut novels rarely come as good as this, especially New Adult books. This genre has me skeptical, but this book just had the right amount of snarky language, witty characters and smoky sex scenes to be perfect. I recommend this book 100%, it's one of the best indies I've read yet.
Rating: 5/5

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Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Title: Crash Into You
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher:  Harlequin Teem
Release: November 26th 2013
Pages: 489 (Kindle)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Am I the only girl stupid enough not to have fallen in love with Isaiah from book one? Yes? Well, better late that never! The Pushing the Limits trilogy is one of my favourite YA contemps out there, and you wouldn't believe how excited I was when I received an ARC of it. True to what is becoming McGarry's fashion, it was an absolutely breathtaking read - imagine my relief when I found out that the series wasn't ending here!

Blog Tour: Gargoyle Addiction by Livia Olteano (Review)

About The Author
Livia lives in Europe where she listens to obscene amounts of music and devours every reading material in sight. When she’s not doing either of the two, she fiddles with anything remotely customizable within reach.

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Review

Title: Gargoyle Addiction
Author: Livia Olteano
Publisher: Self
Pages: 240 (Kindle)
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Summonari don’t trust. Under their command, they summon any number of creatures from the Otherwolds—but never trust them outside of the summoning.

Gargoyles don’t love. Fierce descendants of dragons, they function on power and fear—never love.
Karla isn’t the happily-ever-after type of girl. No territory-hungry guy is going to stick flags all over her unclaimed grounds.

Kann’s world is death and betrayal. As Dar Primus of Haus Varis, he’s expected to follow tradition but he’s not your regular gargoyle. In fact, he’s anything but. 

One fateful Friday night, Otherworlds collide. Stuck together in one world or another, Karla and Kann face everything from Awakenings and turbulent love to Festnavals and bloodthirsty scorned suitors.

If there’s one thing they can’t escape, it’s the addiction to each other. And they’ve got it bad.

I only had to see the word 'gargoyle' to know that I wanted to read this book. I love the paranormal genre as a rule, and I read a lot of it. However, I had never come across gargoyles before - well, not outside of the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame - so naturally I was intrigued. For my first book on gargoyles, Gargoyle Addiction was amazing, and I can tell you that I am now in love with this sub-genre!

15 Minutes by Jill Cooper (Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

About The Author

Jill loves to blend horror, comedy, the supernatural, and love, through her novels. A fan of genre blending, her work strives to cross boundaries, but most of all strives to entertain. She loves soft cuddly cats, warm blankets, and paranormal romances. Jill resides in Massachusetts, is constantly renovating her home that she shares with her husband, young daughter, and two skittish cats.

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Review

Title: 15 Minutes

Author: Jill Cooper

Publisher: Self

Released: June 15th 2013

Pages: 236 (eBook)

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I have 15 minutes to save my mother’s life….

15 minutes is all the Rewind Agency gives you in the past, but for Lara Crane it’s enough time to race through the city, find her mother, and stop her from being killed in a mugging that happened over ten years ago.

But that’s not how it happened. The story she’s been told all her life is a lie and when Lara takes a bullet meant for her mother, her future changes forever.

The love of her life acts like a stranger. Her simple life is replaced with a giant house, glamorous clothes and a new boyfriend. 

Except someone knows her secret. And he will try to stop her at every turn as she races against the clock to unravel a dangerous conspiracy.

Science fiction stories featuring time travel can either go really, really well, or really, really badly. With an electrifying plot, an amazing concept and likeable characters, 15 Minutes is one of the best I've read yet.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: September 25th 2012
Pages: 416 (Kindle)
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She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

This is not a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I feel like maybe this statement is the first thing that should be on the synopsis? A lot of the low-rating reviews I have come across are from disappointed readers who expected a book-version of the video-game Alice - the only thing Alice in Zombieland has in common with these other franchises is a main character called Alice and a rabbit-shaped cloud. However, that certainly doesn't mean that this book isn't good - on the contrary, it is actually amazing. If I wasn't a fan of Showalter's before, then I definitely am now.

Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Title: Witchstruck
Author: Victoria Lamb
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: July 5th 2013
Pages: 320 (eBook)
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If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned.

If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged.

Meg Lytton has always known she is different--that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.

With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

I don't really know what I was expecting, to be honest. I like historical novels - there's something educational but equally fascinating about them - and as the Tudor period is one of my favourites to study, I thought this would be right up my street. Turns out that it wasn't what I had been expecting.

Blog Tour: Addicted to You by Colina Brennan (Review + Giveaway)

About The Author

I’m a new adult author with a love for the fantastical and the romantic. My new adult contemporary novel ADDICTED TO YOU will be available June 25.

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Review
Title: Addicted to You
Author: Colina Brennan
Publisher: Self
Released: June 22nd 2013
Pages: 183 (eBook)
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When twenty-one-year-old Leah Carter's latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she isn't a sex addict; she just doesn't do relationships. After all, sooner or later, everyone lets you down.

At first, the group sessions are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts relapse.

Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with his assignment.

As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can't kick.

Okay, so my track record with New Adult books isn't that great. However, Addicted to You caught my eye. The idea of sex addiction was intriguing - I mean, where is the line drawn between enjoying sex and being addicted to it? I couldn't wait to start reading it.

Blog Tour: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard (Review + Giveaway)

About The Author

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

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Review
Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Publisher: Amazon
Released: April 28th 2013
Pages: 197 (Kindle)
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Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

I'd had my eye on The Forgotten Ones for a while, so when I was given the opportunity to join in on the blog tour, I jumped right in. The folklore genre is constantly growing on me - there is something I love about the beauty and majestic energy surrounding it. The Forgotten Ones was no exception to this, and from beginning to end, Howard swept me up into the world of the Tuatha de Danaan.

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

Title: If You Could Be Mine
Author: Sara Farizan
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Released: July 1st 2013
Pages: 256 (eBook)
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Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love— Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light.

So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively—and openly.

Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in, without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?

I love me some books dealing with potentially difficult subjects. If You Could Be Mine strikes two of these - not only LGBT acceptance, but also what it feels like to be a girl living under the Iranian government. This book, whilst a good story, also gave me a huge insight into something that I otherwise would be pretty oblivious about.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Title: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
Author: Matthew Quick
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Released: August 1st 2013
Pages: 208 (eBook)
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In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was--that I couldn't stick around--and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart--obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.
In this riveting book, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made--and the light in us all that never goes out.

I read this book in four hours. Four. Hours. And those four hours were an emotional rollercoaster. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is one of my favourite ever reads, full stop. I liked Quick's other novel, The Silver Linings Playbook, but this is on a whole other level. I feel like I've been searching all my life for a book like this.