Young Adult

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas – Book Review

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On the Come Up, Angie Thomas’s second novel, stars sixteen-year-old Bri, who dreams of becoming a rapper. Inspired by her late father, pursuing a music career feels like the only way to get her family out of their desperate financial situation.

The odds seem stacked against her: her mum was a drug addict during Bri’s formative years (and Bri’s worried that she’s relapsing), and even though her brother has a psychology degree, he only earns the minimum wage at a Pizzeria. Compounded with the constant stereotyping and racial profiling that she faces at school, she must carve her identity and make her voice heard in order to get her come up.

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Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – Book Review

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After meeting online, Simon Spier has been in contact with the elusive Blue over email, sharing their experiences of coming out with one another. It’s not long before the pair are really close, sharing secrets that they wouldn’t even tell their best friends. What’s more, not only do Blue and Simon go to the same school, but they are in the same year – as Simon begins to fall for Blue, he wants to know Blue’s real identity…

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – Book Review

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To All the Boys I've Loved Before.jpg

To allow her to express her feelings, Lara Jean decided to write 5 letters to all the boys she has had a crush on in the past. Of course, these letters were never meant to be sent. Until one day, when they mysteriously find their way out of her special hiding space, and all of a sudden, her next door neighbour and her sister’s boyfriend, Josh Sanderson, and the popular loved-by-everyone Peter Kavinsky, among others, know the intense feelings she once had for them. Now she must face the boys who once meant so much to her as she begins to realise that some still do…

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One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus – Book Review

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One of Us is Lying

Monday afternoon, detention. Four completely different students – Yale hopeful Bronwyn, sports ace Cooper, homecoming princess Addy, Nate, who always seems to be in trouble for something, and Simon, an outsider who maintains a gossip app. This is not the usual, uneventful detention – only four students walk out alive. It isn’t long before fingers are pointed at Addy, Nate, Cooper and Bronwyn. They decide to work between themselves to solve the case, revealing a lot of secrets in the process…

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Release by Patrick Ness – book review

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Release is one day in the life of seventeen-year-old Adam, a gay teen with a homophobic preacher father from Washington. It’s a big day for him, with heartbreak, love, secrets being told, relationships breaking down; Adam will learn a lot from today…

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Every Day by David Levithan – Book Review

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EveryDay DL

Every day A wakes up in a new body. In order to make it through the day without the person suspecting that they are being possessed, A must access the person’s memory in order to learn their routine, personality, likes, dislikes, relationships and how they act towards others. For one day, A must live their life for them, making decisions in their best interests. It has always been like this for A – their surroundings and physical body changing daily. Then one day, A finds themself in Justin’s body, Rhiannon’s boyfriend. As he moves through the day, he grows closer and closer to Rhiannon – he has found someone he wants to be with every day, a constant when everything around him is changing.

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Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda – Book Review

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Fragments of the lost

A month after a terrible flood took her ex-boyfriend Caleb’s life, Jessa is asked by Caleb’s mother to tidy their house to prepare them for moving. As she begins to sort his belongings, she learns more and more about the boy she thought she knew. As the memories overwhelm her, she begins to piece together his story, until she’s left with a picture that is unrecognisable – what exactly happened on that bridge, and was it his fault?

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Running Girl by Simon Mason – Book Review

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Running Girl

Meet Garvie Smith, a 16-year-old with a genius IQ, and, to his teachers’ and mother’s dismay, the student with the lowest grades. Nicknamed ‘Sherlock’ by his friends, he is known for solving every puzzle that his friends give him. His skills are put to the test when he tries to solve a real crime – the disappearance and murder of his ex-girlfriend, Chloe. He soon learns that people aren’t who they seem – as he delves into Chloe’s secrets, he realises that there is more to the case than originally thought…

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Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas – Book Review

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After winning the competition to be crowned the King’s Champion, assassin Celaena Sardothien is tasked with the dispatching of anyone who dares to challenge the King of Adarlan’s rule. As she has already suffered at the hands of this ruthless king, she offers all of her targets the opportunity to flee, to never be seen again. However, with every death she fakes, she puts the lives of the people that matter the most to her at risk – Dorian, Chaol and Nehemia. As she learns more about the King’s court and it’s secrets, she must decide which side she is on and how much she is willing to sacrifice…

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Charlotte Says by Alex Bell – Book Review

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charlotte says

In the chilling prequel to Frozen Charlotte, Bell explores the dark secrets behind the Dunvegan School for Girls. In 1910, Jemima takes up a job offer after a devastating fire at her home, claiming the life of her mother. Wishing to start afresh, She travels to the school’s remote location on the Isle of Skye. She is not prepared for the horrific events that follow. Without headmistress Miss Grayson on her side, she begins to uncover the sinister truth surrounding the “accidents” happening to the school’s students. The weirdest thing about it all? It seems to have something to do with the spooky “Frozen Charlotte” dolls that the girls play with…

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