Our Own Private Universe

Author: Robin Talley
Date Published: 9th February 2017 
Pages: 384
Suitable for: YA+
My overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buy your copy here: Amazon

Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory.
And it's mostly about sex.

No, It isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual-even if, until now, it's been in the hypothetical sense.

Aki's theory is that she's only got one shot at living an interesting life-and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something, or at least try.

So when Aki and her friend Lori set off on a trip to a small Mexican town for the summer, and Aki meets Christa-slightly-older, far-more-experienced-it seems her theory is prime for the testing.
But something tells her it's not going to be that easy...

My Review
  Ok where to begin with this review? This is the first and only diverse book I have read to date. I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and aside from a couple of niggly bits I will explain in a second, it didn't really let me down.

So our main protagonist is Aki Simon and she is struggling with her sexuality. She doesn't know if she is bi-sexual or a lesbian and the only other person that knows anything about it is her best friend, Lori.

Her father is a priest, so to come out to him would be really frowned upon. They go on a church youth group trip to Mexico in the summer and Aki see's this as a perfect opportunity to explore her sexuality more..well that and a little bet she placed with Lori to have three romantic encounters before they have to go home.

Aki meets this girl Chrisa, who seems like the perfect girl for her. She's outgoing, she's experienced and she could teach Aki a few things..or can she?

The story takes lots of new twists and turns and the author, Robin Talley, really hones in on the detail. I am thirty-one, and was actually shocked at how graphic some of the content was..especially when our main character is only fifteen...maybe I'm just old and the youths of today are more open with sexuality now, than what they were when I was at school (which is a good thing by the way). I felt maybe it would be better suited to a New Adult audience than a YA audience, but that is just my opinion.

Another small thing that I noticed was the frequency of religion. Now Aki's father was a priest, so obviously there is going to be some aspects of religion involed..but at times it felt like the author was preaching to me. Once I got passed that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

We learn so much about all the different characters in this book and Robin Talley takes us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. How friendships can be tested, jealousy is a terrible thing! How loyalty between a brother and sister can bring siblings even closer, and Aki also learns if she puts her mind to it, she can make a difference in the world, and that for me...is something I could work on in my own personal life.

The story was described so vividly, I felt I was actually experiencing life through Aki's eyes. A lot of books once I've finished, I put down and move onto the next one without any hesitation, but I have be thinking about this book a lot since I finished reading it at the end of January. It really makes you question your own sexuality..

I gave this book (originally) a 3 out of 5 stars, but as I thought more and more about the plot and how the author portrayed the sexuality aspect, the relationships...it's just mind blown! So it is now a 4 out of 5 stars. A great first read of 2017, and it's opened my eyes to more diverse subjects and I would now like to read more books by this author.

A big thank you to Harlequin for sending me this book for review!

Until next time...Happy Reading Everyone!

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February TBR

Hello everyone!

As promised I am here with the books I plan to read during the month of February.
This month I have been sent quite a few books from various publishers so I will put all the details about whom I received the book from and when it's being published and when my review of that book will be live on this blog.

The first book I am reading this month is:

Wishbones by Virginia Macgregor

I was kindly sent this copy of Wishbones from Harlequin for an honest review. I have already started reading this book and I'm about 111 pages in, and loving it so far!

It's about a girl called Feather, who comes home on New Years Eve to find her morbidly obese mother in a diabetic coma.
After overhearing the nurses talking in the hospital, about her mothers condition, she realises something has to be done to help her.
I don't want to say anything else as the review of this book will go live on this blog at 9am GMT on the 9th March.
Being overweight myself I am relating to certain aspects of this book and I can't wait to see where the author takes the rest of the story.

The second book I am reading this month is:

Carnivalesque by Neil Jordan

I was kindly sent this copy of Carnivalesque from Bloomsbury for an honest review. I am starting this book this week and cannot wait to delve into it.

Here is a little excerpt to pique your interest like it did mine... 

It had its own little backstreets, its alleyways of hanging bulbs ad ghost trains and Punch and Judy stands...And at the end of one he saw the Hall of Mirrors. There were looping strings of carnival lights leading towards it, and a large sign in mirrored glass reading 'Burleigh's Amazing Hall of Mirrors' and the sign reflected the lights in all sorts of magically distorted ways.

To Andy and his parents, it looks like any other carnival. But of course it isn't. 
My review for this book will be on the blog at 9am GMT on the 23rd February. I have never been to a circus in my life so I'm really excited to visit one in my imagination!                                                                                           
The third book I am reading this month is:

See you in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng

I was kindly sent an E-copy of this book by Penguin Random House. Here is the synopsis..

11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl
Sagan - named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden
iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog( launched his Golden Record on
the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex 
records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is life.
But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along
the way can only partially prepare his for the secrets he'll uncover - from the truth about
his long - dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around
brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.

I have never read anything like this before and it is aimed at a middle grade audience. With me being a child at heart this story is going to be a perfect read and I cannot wait to get to it!
My review for this book will be live on here on the 2nd March.

So those are all the books I'm planning to read during February. If I managed to get anymore I will update this page and you will also see in my February wrap-up post.

Until my next post...Happy Reading Everyone!

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January Wrap Up

Hello everyone. I am here with my first wrap up!

I would be filming and uploading these to Youtube, if I had the courage...which I don't, but maybe one day!

I am going to stick along the same kind of lines as Youtube though, and provide you with posts about what I have read during each month, and also my TBR pile for the upcoming month...so without further ado..here is what I read during the month of January.

Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. by Jennifer Li Shotz                                 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received this book as a Christmas present as I wanted to watch the film, but I always love to read the books first so I can compare the two. It was a lovely story and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I would now like to read more by this author, and plan to read her other novel which is called Hero. You can find my review of this book here MAX

⭐⭐⭐⭐











Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley                                                              ⭐⭐⭐
I kindly received this book for review from Harliquin. It's a young adult coming of age novel and one of the first diverse books I have ever read. I don't want to go into too much detail now as I don't want to spoil the review which is due to go up on my blog at 9am GMT on the 9th February, so be sure to look out for that.
I can however reveal I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I will discuss this book in full in my review.

                                                                                                                                                        









Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce                                                                                   ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is one of the books that has been sat on my shelves for quite some time, as I had heard about it on booktube and it had piqued my interest. It is a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and I honestly don't know why I didn't pick this book up sooner!!!
Again I'm not going to say too much as the review is due to go up on here this week and I don't want to spoil it, but I loved this book! I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I am now looking forward to reading Sweetly by the same author, which is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel.

                                                                                                                                                  





I am really pleased I managed to read 3 books during the month of January as it was quite a busy month for me. I turned 31 on the 15th and also suffered with chronic toothache due to an infection (double extraction happening in Feb :( not looking forward to that!).
I will be posting my February TBR later on today so be sure to look out for that. It's scheduled to go live at 9pm GMT and it's a month full of review books I have been kindly sent from various publishers.

So until my next post everyone...

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Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine

Author: Jennifer Li Shotz, Boaz Yakin, Sheldon Lettich   Publisher: Harper Collins
Date Published: 9th June 2015
Pages: 256
Suitable For: Ages 8-12
My overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buy your copy here: Amazon

Synopsis
  When Justin's older brother, Kyle, is killed in Afghanistan, Justin can't believe that his brother is really gone. Except there's one thing that Kyle left behind...
  Max is a highly trained military canine who has always protected his fellow soldiers. But when he loses his handler and best friends, Kyle, Max is traumatised and unable to remain in the service.
  He is sent home to America, where the only human he connects with is Justin, and he is soon adopted by Kyle's family, essentially saving his life. At first Justin has no interest in taking Care of his late brother's troubled dog. However, the two learn to trust each other, which helps the four-legged veteran become his heroic self once more. As the pair starts to unravel the mystery of what really happened to Kyle, they find more excitement-and- danger-than they bargained for. But they might also find an unlikely new best friend-in each other.

My Review
  From the very first page in this book we were introduced to the characters and the history of what happened to Justin's brother, Kyle, although it's not until later in the book we find out how he actually died. so there is a hint of suspension.
  Justin, at first, appears a bit of a brat. He illegally rips copies of games and sells them to his friends for money. He answers his family back and lacks respect for his parents, especially his father, also an ex-veteran. On the other hand, you feel sorry for Justin as he has always been the 'golden boy' to his parents, or so it feels to Justin. I think all siblings can relate to that at some point in their lives.
  As the story goes on and Justin goes on his adventures with Max, their newly adopted dog, the pair start getting themselves into all sorts of trouble, but it turns out in the end, it's in the best interests for his family.
  With bad guys you can really love to hate, this book takes you on a journey of happiness, sadness, even a spot of romance tossed in for good measure, you feel like you've been transported into the book and your living the story.

I was given this book for Christmas 2016, and even though I am almost 31 years old, it's a story that any age can enjoy. I primarily wanted to read the book because I had bought the DVD a couple of months before. When I discovered there was a book based on the film I knew I had to read it before I saw the movie...it's a rule of mine.
  It took me approx 3 days to complete. The first couple of days I read approx 35 pages per day as I was coming out of a reading slump but when I got towards the middle of the book it become unputdownable and I ended up reading from page 70 to the end in one sitting...I just had to know what happened!
  I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars, as I felt some parts of the story could have expanded on, and some bits felt a little rushed. Overall it was a really touching story and it just goes to prove that dog really is man's best friend!

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