Angel Reads

14 Jul

Book Review: Anya and The Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner

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Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner

Pages: 200
Publish date: July 14 2015
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
ASIN: B00ZOGRDD2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

It’s always the quiet ones…

Anya Anderson doesn’t just need a big break, she needs any break. Living on the streets doesn’t leave a girl many options, so when she scores a gig reporting on the Seconds to Juliet tour, she jumps at the chance to earn enough money to sleep somewhere safe. And the paycheck will get bigger—and keep her off the streets for good—if she can dig up dirt on Will Fray, the irritatingly hot “shy guy” of the band.

Problem is, Will Fray isn’t who everyone thinks he is. In fact, he’s not Will at all. Matt, Will’s identical twin, is actually the guy onstage, reluctantly covering for his brother while he’s in rehab. To make matters worse, Matt’s being shadowed by a cute reporter with troubled eyes determined to get the scoop. On him. And he’s having trouble finding the willpower to keep his distance…

But if the secret gets out, it won’t just be his head on a platter—it’ll be the whole band’s.

Anya and The Shy Guy:

I received an e-arc of Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner from Entangled Publishing: Crush via NetGalley in exchange for a review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book in any way.

This is the 4th Book in the Backstage Pass Series from Entangled Publishing: Crush, and the 3rd book I have read in this series. I missed reading the 3rd in the series somehow, but I will get to it hopefully soon. From all the books that I have read in the series, Anya and the Shy Guy is probably my favourite. It may have to do with the fact that I started reading it before I headed to the 5 Seconds of Summer concert and finished it when I was home.

Anya the female protagonist of Anya and the Shy Guy was someone that I really enjoyed reading. I don’t know what it practically was, but I liked being in her perspective on her journey finding more about herself and the people around her. Anya has suffered more than enough; being homeless since she was fifteen and not really have knowledge of the ‘outside’ world, so when she goes on tour with Second to Juliet she struggles.

Anya has been hired by a magazine to dig some dirt on Will Fray the ‘shy guy’ from Seconds and Juliet, but there is a problem. One big problem, Will Fray isn’t, Will Fray it’s his identical twin Matt.

Matt (the male protagonist) is taking Will’s spot in the band while he is in rehab recovering from pain killer abuse. Matt is quite similar to Will except for one thing – his not shy. While Matt struggles to act like Will would, react when he hears ‘Will’ and remember the words of the songs that he has to sing on stage nearly every night, he must also keep his identity not only from his band members, but their manager and now, Anya.

Like Anya, I really enjoyed Matt in Anya and the Shy Guy. He was interesting and mysterious, but also the reader is able to see him break down, as the pressure starts to build.

I enjoyed the writing style of Suze Winegardner in Anya and the Shy Guy, more than the other books in the series. It was more refreshing and didn’t have too many cliché responses like the other books. There were still some here and there, but I found it more toned down from the other books.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed the banter between Anya and Matt. While they tried to shy away from each other because of all the secrets that they both hold, they are drawn to each other and they both have to do their jobs. Anya find some dirt of Will Fray and Matt has to keep his brother being in rehab a secret.

The romance like the other books in the series moves fast. If you don’t like fast moving romance, then Anya and the Shy Guy might annoy you. But If you don’t mind a fast past plot and romance, then I am sure you will love it. I am not the biggest fan of fast moving romances, but occasionally I just need a cliché romance.

I loved seeing the other boys throughout the book and it’s awesome to see the interaction of the boys from different perspectives. What the boys think of each other, how the different girls seem them together. It’s fun and different.
I also like the friendships that build throughout the book. It creates the book into something that isn’t solely focused on the love side of it but Anya and the Shy Guy has a combination of friendship, family and love.

If you like a fun, fast paced, but emotional read that will have you screaming and giggling at times, then Anya and the Shy Guy is the book that you need. Suze Winegarnder’s writing style is clever and entertaining, while her characters and plot keep the reader engaged.

11 Jul

Book Review: Lorali by Laura Dockrill

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Lorali by Laura Dockrill

Pages: 352
Publish date: July 2nd 2015
Publisher: The Five Mile Press (Hot Key Books)
ISBN: 9781471404221
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn’t exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.

Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.

But along with Lorali’s arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory’s bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway?

Lorali:

I received Lorali by Laura Dockrill from The Five Mile Press (Hot Key Books) in exchanged for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book.

As soon as I read the synopsis for Lorali, I knew I needed it in my hands so I could read it. Firstly the cover is stunning, not only does it look beautiful. but it feels so cool. The front has scales like fish do, or like a mermaid’s tale and you can feel them.

Lorali jumps through 3 points of view; Rory the male protagonist and who the novel follows, Lorali; the mermaid that washes ashore and ‘The Sea.’

It was easy to distinguish between the different points of view. Rory had a very man like even boy like attitude in the way that he spoke and referred to things. I actually really enjoyed Rory as a Protagonist. It’s rare that I read a book with a male protagonist and I find them 1. Hard to connect to and 2. There isn’t too much of it. Rory is kind of the loner in a sense – he has friends, yes. But I got the vibe that he likes to be alone and that people just don’t get him.
Pretty early on in the book, the reader is able to see that Rory family is pretty dysfunctional. His father has left and too Rory, he is dead to him, but this took a toll on Rory’s mum and she isn’t what Rory needs.

Lorali’s point of view is interesting. All her sentences are short and don’t always make sense. But I think that added to her character. Lorali acted like a little girl and in a sense she was. She didn’t really know all too much about the land and ‘walkers,’ so she was new to everything. She acted like a 3 year old and it was so cute. She was excited about so many different things that a normal 16/17 year old wouldn’t get excited about. It was so adorable and I love the way that Rory acted about it as well; yes it thought it was so wired before he knew what she was, but after…oh it made my heart flutter.

‘The Sea’ was an interesting point of view. I haven’t read too many things when an author personifies something and I think that Laura Dockrill, did it perfectly. It was humanized in a way that if the chapters of Lorali didn’t have ‘The Sea’ at the top, you would have thought it was human.

‘The Sea’ followed a different people and it also gave the reader some back story on things and people that were brought up through the book.

One of the groups of people that the sea followed were aboard the Liberty Ship, the Ablegares boys, who are pirates. Otto, Oksa and Jasper are quite entertaining characters and I really enjoyed following their story. They shared such an awesome bond it was fun to read, but then they could be harsh and mean.

‘The Sea’ also follows Orla a mermaid whose job is to keep an eye on the walkers, again she was a really interesting character, which kind of disappointed me in the end.

Although I loved the plot, the characters and all the twists and turns. I didn’t fall in love with the writing style. I am not a massive fan of lots of short sentences, I felt that when the book was in Lorali’s point of view it made sense, but not when it was in others. I also felt the ending lacked – I was just really confused by the ending. I don’t know if that was just me and I missed something.

Overall, I really enjoyed Lorali. It was a fun, exciting read, that had me turning page after page. It was fast paced and exciting. I also loved that Laura Dockrill put newspaper/internet and other forms of media pieces in the book about things that occurred it added something different to an already unique book. There is so much more that I could go on about, but I won’t. If you like fantasy/paranormal, romance anything really, I think that you would enjoy Lorali.

Have you read Lorali yet? Did you like it? Are you plannign on reading it?

04 Jul

June Wrap Up

Posted by angelreads Discussions, Features, Monthly Wrap Up No Comments

I haven’t done this in a while but as I love reading everyone else’s wrap up’s I thought I would start doing my wrap ups again. June has been quite a good month; no uni, lots of reading and some tattoos!!

On the Reading Front, I read 10 books in June. I am pretty proud that I read that many books but when I don’t have any classes and all I am doing is sitting at home for a month.

I have also been going to the library a lot the past couple of months which is helping me read books that I have wanted to read for ages.

– A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J Mass: I adored this books so much. I couldn’t put it down; just everyone read it. 4.5 Stars | Review
– The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward: I liked The Potion Diaries but didn’t love it. 3 Stars| Review
– 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher: It made my cry but it was also really beautiful. 4 Stars.
– What Lies Within by James Morris: A interesting YA thriller. 3.5 Stars | Review
– Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover: Not my favourite Colleen Hoover but I still really enjoyed it. 4 Stars
– Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I liked it but didn’t love it. 3.5 Stars
– Anya and the Shy Guy by Suzi Winegarnder: My favourite from the series, and I really enjoyed the writing style of Suzi Winegarnder. 3.5 Stars

I love posting photos of my books on Instagram. I may not be a fantastic photographer but it’s fun to take these photos. Here are some that I posted in June. You can follow me at angelreads.

Also I want to share my love for some of this lovely book lovers on Instagram.
Paperfury | The Bookish Girl | youngadultbookaddict

So as I said before I was on break from uni. It’s been so good, I was so exhausted from my first semester and it was so good to have a break. So yes I have finished my first semester of uni and I loved it so much. I love my course so much, I learnt so much and cannot wait to learn more.

I also did some brave at the end of the month, something that I have wanted to do since I was 12 years old and I am so glad that I did it. If you follow me on social media you know what I am talking about. I got two tattoos!! I am in love with them so much and they are healing up nicely.