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Really enjoyed this. Review to come

Full review to come closer to UK publication. Really liked the setting and some elements but some parts didn't work for me personally like the 'cloud'.

Before Christmas, the lovely Hannah at Walker sent me a selection of three upcoming YA titles and Hidden Among Us was one of them. From reading the summary, I had a feeling this was going to be a book I either loved or wouldn't get on with at all; fairies/mythical creatures can feel a little overdone and there were so few fae series I'd got on with, I really wasn't sure about it. However, I decided to give it a go before it's publication date and I'm so glad I did.Hidden Among Us is a fantastically creepy UK paranormal YA told in multiple perspectives. As a baby, Lissy was stolen by the Hidden and her mother managed to bargain for fourteen extra years before she had to return her to Hopestay. Now, the fourteen years are up and her elder brother, Rafe, is researching the Hidden and trying to save his sister while Lissy is oblivious to the danger around as they all return to Hopestay. At first I have to confess I wasn't sure if the multiple perspectives would work, however as the plot developed I could see how important having all of the views was and it really worked. Every voice was distinct as well, which is such an important detail and one that can be quite difficult in terms of writing.The setting of Hopestay was wonderfully written and I could really picture this small village so well. I loved the British setting as so many series involving the paranormal and faeries are set in the US, but there's a wealth of history and folklore in the UK which is desperate to be explored. I was so pleased Moran chose to do this with Hidden Among Us and I think this is one of the features that really makes it stand out amongst similar books.The Hidden are really creepy and malevolent in this book and I really liked this. I was also really intrigued by the shadowy human group who are aware of the Hidden and pursuing Rafe. As I read,  I was desperate for Lissy to escape from her destiny with the Hidden and as soon as we entered the Hidden world fairly early on in the book, I was hooked. I really liked the twists and turns and how the plot developed to its conclusion at the end which left me desperate for a sequel.This is a highly enjoyable YA book that I think has the potential to appeal to those who don't normally read books about the Fae, as well as those who adore them. It's beautifully written and an exciting, chilling tale as well. Hidden Among Us is available to buy now. I received a free proof copy for my honest review from Walker Books. Thank you so much Hannah for sending me this!This review was originally posted at www.chooseya,com: Link

Strong narration and an emotional read about war, family and loss.

In short: great fun read, snappy dialogued and full of movie references. Full review to possibly come soon.

Loved this book - really interesting concept and very well done.Nb - had uk proof but no uk cover, etc on goodreads yet

I adored The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight so the second I heard about Jennifer E Smith's next YA book I was dying to read it. I was lucky enough to get a proof and decided to save it for my then upcoming holiday as it looked like the perfect feel good book I needed to relax with. My book arrived a whole week before the holiday and I'm highly impatient person so I was a little enthusiastic when I finally got to read the book. This Is What Happy Looks Like made waiting at an airport and a stressful night flight tolerable; it also ensured I didn't sleep on the plane.This Is What Happy Looks Like tells the story of Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill. When Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about looking after his pet pig by mistake, the two start up an email rapport and friendship. However, Graham is the teen actor du jour and when he discovers Ellie's small hometown is the perfect setting for his new film, he decides for them to have a relationship beyond email, but will this work out when she learns who she is?The idea of the teenage star and ordinary romantic interest is something I can see having real appeal in YA, and it's something I've often considered playing with myself, but personally avoided as I think I'd make it a bad fanfiction. Smith however weaves a heartfelt story about love, chances and family that is much more than a story about a ordinary girl snagging a celebrity.I thought Ellie's reluctance for the limelight and her family's backstory was really interesting and I liked that Smith didn't shy away from showing how unpleasant and invasive the press intrusion can be on a person. However, the real selling point for me of this book is the characters. Smith creates wonderful characters who feel real beyond the page and can make you smile at the right moments, or feel whatever they are. I adored Graham with his pet pig and he had a really strong voice, especially in the email exchanges between the two.I also loved the inclusion of the emails and the way we got see their friendship develop through these. They framed chapters really well structurally at the beginning and central moments and I thought that they complemented the narrative without seeming out of place.This Is What Happy Looks Like is both the perfect book for a gloomy day or for a holiday read; it will either cheer you up or reinforce that fun, sweet vibe you're already in. I received a free proof copy for my honest review. This What Happy Looks Like is published by Headline and is available to buy now! Review also posted at www.chooseya.com 20/4/2013: http://wp.me/p31Y8L-kI

Full review to come.

Fantastic! Full review to come shortly but a great zany, humorous and genre-savvy (in the sense of horror/Frankenstein tropes and playing with them) read.

So creepy. Really interesting read and a full review will come shortly,but a fab YA horror.

More a 4.5 than 4. Loved this sequel even more than the first book. Really enjoyable read, but how can I wait a year after that ending? Full review to come shortly,

Brilliantly written but a disturbing and haunting read. Will review properly soon,

Hm, I don't know if I'll review this one, found it didn't meet my expectations if I'm honest

Jem Halliday has been in love with her best friend, Kai, for years. The only thing is, he's gay, which doesn't help matters but she's got used to this. However after he is cruelly outed online, and not just outed but exposed in an intimate position, he kills himself. Jem is devastated and wants to join him, however then she receives the letters. One for every month of the first year without Kai. Her plan changes and she decides to delay her demise so she can exact revenge on those responsible.What follows is an intriguing and disturbing novel. Jem is utterly obsessed both with Kai and revenge and her behaviour throughout the novel was very self-destructive to me, however Clarke brings her vulnerabilities and humanity out as well and incredibly effectively. Clarke creates human, multi-dimensional characters well and her narrators are flawed, imperfect and in Jem's case unlikeable, but at the same time vulnerable and relatable.Early on in the novel, Jem says something that for is unforgivable. I won't spoilt it, but it's a lie I don't think that can ever be justified, even in revenge. In all honesty at this point I wondered if I could finish the book as I was so furious at Jem, but I love Cat Clarke's writing so persevered and was glad I did. This lie just proves how much of a spiral Jem is in and how obsessed she has become with revenge.Parts of this novel like Jem's attempts to blend into the popular group's circle were really interesting to read and reminded me a little of Mean Girls. Clarke effectively exposed the superficial coatings of appearance and we group people by clothing, makeup, etc. The revenge plots start off fairly tame but become more and more sinister as the novel progresses.Clarke was directly influenced for Undone after reading an article about a teenager who was outed and killed himself. Undone is set before It Gets Better and the moment where Kai wishes he wasn't gay on the eve of his suicide is one of the most painful scenes and heartbreaking moments I have read. Kai's letters in general were incredibly poignant and the whirlwind of emotions he goes through as he writes all twelve on the eve of his suicide is a horrifically effective device and also constantly reminds the reader of just what Jem has lost.The ending in particular of this book is one that left me torn between throwing the book against the wall (don't worry, I'd never hurt a book) and crying. Days later, I was still haunted by Undone which is just a testament to how brilliantly written and provocative Undone actually is.Unflinching and uncomfortable, Undone may be Cat Clarke's best novel, and certainly one of the most important in terms of topic, yet.This review will go live at www.chooseya.com/2013/01/05/review-undone-by-cat-clarke/ in full on January 5th 9AM, UK time.

The Lost Girl is a stunning debut that I couldn’t put down and is incredibly thought-provoking. Eva is not her own person, she is a copy and has spent her whole life learning everything she can about Amarra, the girl she has been made by the Weavers in the image of. In the event of Amarra dying, Eva is her replacement. So she has spent her life only eating what Amarra eats, learning all about her friends and life and boyfriend in case she ever is needed. Then Amarra dies in a car crash and Eva has to replace her. The thing is Eva wants to be her own person and thinks for herself and is struggling to become Amarra. However as Amarra lived in India where echoes like Eva are illegal, she has to convince everyone she really is Amarra.Mandanna’s debut is beautifully written with evocative prose and descriptions that bought India out of the page for me. However this was one of the most compelling YA books of this type that I have read to date because of how well it handled the spiritual debate about what makes a person. Eva was so real and relatable that I couldn’t help but feel distraught that she would have to stifle herself and be somebody else. Her desire to be Eva and her own person was beautifully and poignantly evoked.I loved Eva’s ‘family’ at the start as well; the people who raised her and knew she was more individual than other echoes and tried to help her conceal this from authorities while allowing her leeway to develop. The interactions between Eva and Sean in particular, a human teenager whose father used to look after Eva and her life with non-echos was wonderfully developed and Sean became a hugely loveable romantic interest. The scene where he took her to the zoo was just wonderful.I also love that this book explored the other side of the dilemma with echoes. Amarra’s family are lost in their grief and are hoping Eva is more Amarra than Eva, even hoping Amarra’s soul might have gone into Eva’s body. Their grief and love of their daughter was well-explored as was their growing loyalty towards Eva and their own conflicts. I adored Nikhil, Amarra’s brother, who was a wonderful character who did not judge Eva on being an echo and accepted her more as her own person than a replacement for a sister he had loved.Amarra’s own reticence towards Eva and the knowledge that Eva will one day replace her is another touch that contributes to the ethical questions of the novel wonderfully.This is a fantastic debut, one I couldn’t put down and that raises some truly interesting question about the nature of the soul, ethics and the truth about being ‘human’. I cannot wait to see what Mandanna writes next. The Lost Girl is available now and published by Definitions, a Random House Children’s Publishing imprint. I received a free copy for my honest reviewing purposes.Review posted at chooseya.com on January 8th.

Enjoyed this one, but expected to as had watched and liked the film first, review to come v soon!