3 Recent Reads

Reading is something that I have really been trying to get into recently. I always view reading a book as something far superior to scrolling on my phone – it doesn’t feel like wasted time. For some reason though I have always found the scrolling way more tempting, so I’m really trying to turn that habit around. I even wrote a whole article about this before, as creating a reading habit is something I have always wanted to do – in my Basic Girls Guide to: Getting into Reading. Here are a few of the books that have really helped distract me from my phoneI have been reading recently:

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus: You might have already read this one as it’s been pretty popular for a few years and I think it was recently picked for Zoe Sugg’s book club. It’s a YA thriller, mystery style book set in an American High School – all fairly typical – with a ‘Breakfast Club’ style comparison. I really liked the way the perspective was constantly changing, although it was a bit confusing at the beginning. It gave you the chance to see things from each character’s view and have the ability to see how the incident impacted them all individually. I did find this a real page-turner and if you like that very specific and popular YA genre then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this!

Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams: If you like Paige Toon, ‘The Flatshare’ or most of Giovanna’s Fletcher’s books then I think you will really enjoy this one! It has that classic romance, chick lit style to it but there is also some difficult themes in there too. It’s a book that really has some heart and that is one of the best qualities that a book can have. These are the perfect books for escapism and although sometimes it was a bit predictable, on the whole this was a really great read to transport you to happier and more romantic times.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: I really liked the style of this book as it follows a teenagers EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) as she investigates the suspected-murder of local girl Andie Bell. There are lots of twists and turns within the book and the ‘scrapbook’ style made it a real page-turner. One of the things that I found difficult was that it was set in the UK, when the whole thing just felt really American. I don’t know exactly why this is, but it didn’t feel like it fitted within a usual British secondary school or society at all. There was something that didn’t click with the plot, characters and location which made it a bit hard to believe and disjointed. Overall, if a YA thriller is your thing then I think you will find this story really engaging and the unique writing style will make you want to find out the truth, just as much as the narrator does.

Take care,

Amy