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Book Review: Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar

Feb 15, 2016

Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar

Pages: 352
Publish date: February 1st 2016
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781925266924
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Jess Gordon is out for revenge. Last year the jocks from Knights College tried to shame her best friend. This year she and a hand-picked college girl gang are going to get even.

The lesson: don’t mess with Unity girls.

The target: Blondie, a typical Knights stud, arrogant, cold . . . and smart enough to keep up with Jess.

A neo-riot grrl with a penchant for fanning the flames meets a rugby-playing sexist pig – sworn enemies or two people who happen to find each other when they’re at their most vulnerable?

It’s all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair and burns Boy’s stuff. Just your typical love story.

A searingly honest and achingly funny story about love and sex amid the hotbed of university colleges by the award-winning author of Raw Blue.

Summer Skin:

I was sent an arc of Summer Skin my Kirsty Eagar from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Summer Skin is a sexy, funny, female driven OZ YA novel that reminds that things are not always what they seem and even people who seem all and mighty on the outside need a little loving. Summer Skin is also not for people under the age of 17, because there is loads of sexy time.

Summer Skin follows protagonist Jess as she forms a pack to give even with the jocks from Knights College that shamed her best friend and let’s just say at first things go to plan, then everything kind of falls apart.

I loved Jess, she was sassy and a feminist and stood up for what she believed it. It’s not rare that you get a strong female character in YA, however there is something about Jess that is different. Jess is by far not your usual protagonist, she is strong and takes shit from no one. And although she is strong she has a vulnerable side that stays hidden and only Blondie can pick that apart.

“I want you to revise your attitude. Women, amazingly enough, are allowed to like it. If that’s news to you, then you’re not doing it right.”

Blondie otherwise known was Mitch is your typical Alpha Male. He is sexy as hell, however he is also quite sexist to begin with and even if he did feel differently about he showed no signs of fixing what the Knights stand for.

The sexual tension between these two was off the scales from the very first chapter. I adored the banter and sarcasm between Jess and Mitch, it had me laughing quite a bit. It was nice to see that it wasn’t love at first sight, more of his hot and I would love to do stuff with him.

It was something very different, that you don’t normally see in YA, I loved it. Kirsty Eagar did that part so well. You wanted Jess and Mitch to get together, but you love that it was slow burning and started off with something other than I love you.

Both Jess and Mitch have dark pasts that they have to conquer throughout the novel and again something that Kirsty Eagar did so well was that Jess and Mitch talked a lot. They simply just talked. About how they felt, what they have been through and although it does take time to get through the cracks – it’s beautiful when it happens.

Jess has a hard time trusting males, because of the toxic relationship that she just got out off not long before the book started and we see throughout the book. Some people may not like Jess for some reasons and I can totally understand why, she has one way of thinking and it isn’t until Mitch breaks down her walls that she sees other things in life.

Mitch on the other hard holds a dark past, one that he feels terrible about and cannot seem to let go. He holds up a barrier that doesn’t let anyone get too close or even close at all. He uses the dick façade, so no one, especially girls don’t like him.

‘You’re probably also threatened by the fact that the guys here can cope with women in contexts other than porn. Not like a bunch of little lords who hate women because they secretly prefer getting hot and sweaty with each other under the guise of chasing a leather ball around a field.’

Nevertheless, they both start to break each other’s walls and sometimes the talking is sexier than sexy time.

However, sexy time is pretty saucy, but not like other New Adult novels that it takes over the story. It’s beautiful.

I loved the writing style of Eagar, it kept me engaged and I was able to read Summer Skin in a couple of hours. It was easy to read and I kept on turning page after page.

Summer Skin is not for the faint hearted, be prepared for a sexy, slow burning love full of passion and secrets. Summer Skin deals not only with young men taking advantage of women, but how women can act differently to it. It shows us that people hide behind fronts not only to keep themselves safe, but others as well. Summer Skin is full of empowering young women that take a stand.

Book Review: My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Feb 11, 2016

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Pages: 398
Publish date: January 27th 2016
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781760112226
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU

What if the most terrifying person you’d ever met was your ten-year old sister? A spine-chilling psychological thriller from one of Australia’s finest YA authors.

‘I promise,’ said Rosa. ‘I won’t kill and I won’t make anyone else kill.’

I can’t see the loophole. Since the guinea pig there’s been nothing. Months now without Rosa killing as much as a mosquito.

As far as I know.

Che Taylor has four items on his list: 1. He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym. 2. He wants a girlfriend. 3. He wants to go home. 4. He wants to keep Rosa under control.

Che’s little sister Rosa is smart, talented, pretty, and so good at deception that Che’s convinced she must be a psychopath. She hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but he’s certain it’s just a matter of time. And when their parents move them to New York City, Che longs to return to Sydney and his three best friends. But his first duty is to his sister Rosa, who is playing increasingly complex and disturbing games. Can he protect Rosa from the world – and the world from Rosa?

My Sister Rosa

I received an early copy of My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier for review from Allen and Unwin, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Before you go into this book be prepared that it is going to mess with your mind, there is no doubt about it. When you think something is going one way, it changes all up and you are back to the start: You know that something is going to happen, however you have no idea what, or when or how.

When I wake up the sun is coming up and Rosa is curled up in a ball on my bedroom floor.
Her face is relaxed, her mouth a little open. She looks like the baby she once was, the one whose tiny fingers curled around mine, who smiled up at me. It’s hard to believe this is a child with no heart.

I haven’t read numerous psychological thrillers, but by far My Sister Rosa is the best that I have read. Justine Larbalestier is brilliant, she knows how to write a book that only the author knows what is going to happen and everyone else that reads it, sits there is shock when they have finished it.

Che is the protagonist of My Sister Rosa, he is trying to be a normal 17-year-old male, which happens to move around quite a bit. Che only wants 4 things:

He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym.
He wants a girlfriend.
He wants to go home.
He wants to keep Rosa under control.

And trying to get those 4 things is pretty hard. I loved Che, he is probably one of the sweetest, most nicest protagonists that hasn’t annoyed me to hell. All I wanted to do throughout the whole of My Sister Rosa was hug him.

Che has this characterise about him that you just enjoy reading. I also loved that he was male. You don’t get to see male protagonist much in YA – so whenever I have the chance I pick the book up. I loved that he boxed too. I find boxing quite fascinating.

Rosa on the other hand– man that girl can charm. Who knew a 10 year old could be so nice and yet be a psychopath. But you see that is their speciality. They can manipulate people and boy does Rosa do it well.

I wish I was a psychopath so I wouldn’t hurt, so I wouldn’t care. Right now I wish I had no feelings. If I had no feelings I might be able to survive this.

Rosa frustrated me to know end, especially since we knew what she was doing and no one else could see it, it’s like open your eyes!

Their parents, let’s just say that they are not my favourite people in the world. Apart from being oblivious to Rosa’s behaviour or simply ignoring it – they weren’t the best of parents and so many times when Che tried to tell them about Rosa, they put him down for it and blamed him.

Nevertheless, I also loved the diversity of My Sister Rosa, it stood out. It was nice to see different races, different religions, and different ethnicity.

Overall, My Sister Rosa is a terrifying, fantastic read that will mess with your mind. Be prepared for a book that has many twists and turns that you have no idea what hit you, My Sister Rosa reminds us that sometimes a smile and looking pretty doesn’t mean that the person is not a psychopath. Nevertheless, Larbalestier also reminds us that you not always like your family.

Book Review: Beyond The Stars by Stacy Wise

Feb 5, 2016

Beyond the Stars by Stacy Wise

Pages: 336
Publish date: 8th February 2016
Publisher: Embraced: Entanlged Publishing
ASIN: B01AGF8X70
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Falling for him wasn’t in the plans…

Most girls would kill for the opportunity to work for Jack McAlister, Hollywood’s hottest actor, but twenty-one-year-old Jessica Beckett is ready to kick him out of her red Ford Fiesta and never look back. She should be spending her junior year in France, eating pastries and sharpening her foreign language skills. Instead she’s reluctantly working as Jack’s personal assistant, thanks to her powerhouse talent agent aunt.

Jack is private, prickly, and downright condescending. Jessica pushes his buttons—she’s not the type of girl to swoon over celebrity heartthrobs, precisely why her aunt thought she’d be perfect for the job—and Jack pushes right back.

But as she begins to peel away his layers, Jessica is shocked to find she craves her boss’s easy smile and sexy blue eyes. The problem is, so does the entire female population. And what started out as the job from hell soon has Jess wondering if a guy like Jack could ever find love with a regular girl like her.

Beyond the Stars:

I received an e-arc of Beyond the Stars by Stacy Wise from Embraced: Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Reading books from Embraced: Entangled Publishing is my guilty pleasure, most of the time they are very fluffy, sweet and cliquey, but sometimes I want that. I don’t want to read a book full of magic or supernatural creatures, I like to read a book that is fun and exciting. That is why I requested Beyond the Stars, and I wasn’t disappointed on that mark, however some parts did fall flat for me.

Beyond the Stars follows protagonist, Jessica as she becomes personal assistant to Hollywood’s new hottest start Jack McAlister. She was supposed to spending her summer in France, eating pastries and polishing her skills of speaking French. But it’s life doesn’t always go to plan.

Beyond the Stars starts off quite unusual, with a pig in the passenger seat. A real pig, like the animal. I was like, umm, am I reading the right book here? It was funny and the pig turned out to be the cutest thing ever. The plot of Beyond the Stars was very cliquey and I was hoping that something more would happen and it didn’t. I was looking for it towards the end of the book and it wasn’t there.

I enjoyed Jessica as a character. She liked to cook and that is always a bonus for me. She was this sweet, but sometimes sassy girl who has been hurt before by someone from Hollywood, so she has this guard up. Although I did like Jessica, she was sometimes quite annoying and I didn’t want that, I wanted to like her.

Jack, I didn’t find him as quite as annoying as Jessica found him. Which was quite frustrating. Jack tries to keep everything private and I totally understand that, but somehow that annoyed Jessica at times, but to me he wasn’t doing much wrong.

However, both with both characters, I didn’t feel like they had any character arc. They went from what they were at the start of Beyond the Stars to what they were at the end, but then it didn’t truly show what was in between.

The romance was, wired. It didn’t go anywhere for a while and then bam they were all lovey dovey and I thought I missed something because I hadn’t picked up too much connection previously and then they were suddenly together. So it was confusing and startled me for a second. There wasn’t any chemistry or connection.

The major tension of Beyond the Stars kind of fell flat for me. It was good and interesting, however, I didn’t feel that it was big enough. It played a part in the novel as it created heaps of tension between Jessica and Jack as well as someone else. But once it was all over, it was all over.

There was also scenes and events that happened that confused me, they were not needed and it made the book longer than necessary or it could have been focusing more on the connection between Jessica and Jack.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed Stacy Wise’s writing style. It was easy to read and understand. Wise is quite good with cuteness and creating an interesting story.

Overall, I liked the fluffiness and cuteness of Beyond the Stars, I also enjoyed both Jessica and Jack, however the plot and the romance fell flat for me. It had me wishing for more.