Crossing the Line - Katie McGarry

Synopsis: "Lila McCormick first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives.

But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters - or that she'd fall for the boy she's only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most."

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry follows the story of Lila McCormick, best friend of Echo Emerson from Pushing the Limits, and her relationship with Lincoln Turner whom she met at the funeral of Echo's brother. The two have an unexpected connection and grow closer as they regularly write to each other in an attempt to forget that they live 12 hours from each other. But their relationship soon takes a sharp turn as Lila questions whether she can trust the boy she thought she knew.

This novella is a short and sweet read but isn't really much more than that, which really disappointed me as I'm such a massive fan of McGarry as she has the ability to make you feel so engrossed by a character and has a beautiful and unique writing style.

Saying that however I was immensely irritated by Lila in this novella, which is a shame because she was a really likable character in Pushing the Limits. I feel as if she was portrayed rather pathetic and childish manner - I was reading about a grown girl who couldn't hack a night by herself and gets angry and hurt over the most ridiculous of things. It was understandable that she was hurt by Lincoln lying to her but I was expecting something really explosive and gripping, instead it turned out to be nothing more than a silly teenage drama.

I was also frustrated by how short this novella was. Yes, novellas are meant to short, but I feel as if McGarry could have stretched to at least 100 pages so I could get more insight into what happens with their long distant relationship and whether Lincoln succeeded in Summer school to join Lila at the University of Florida.

Fortunately though McGarry seems to have mastered a style that many authors have failed at by introducing new characters and minor characters from Pushing the Limits in a way that refreshes your mind about who is who. I went into this novella having forgotten who Lila was but the way in which McGarry explained the first time she met Lincoln is just one example of how she cleverly refreshed my mind on who was who from the previous book, allowing me to understand any references made.

It was also nice to see how this novella links with the previous story, and future stories, with some references to Echo and Noah.

I give Katie McGarry and Crossing the Lines ★★★

Weekend Reads #5

The book I set to start reading last weekend was Undone by Cat Clarke and it was a truly phenomenal read. I can't even begin to describe just how much I loved it. I'm in the position where I wish I could unread it and forget about everything that happens just so I can enjoy it all over again.

So this weekend I've decided that I'm finally going to continue with Katie McGarry's novels (all of which are part of a YA romance series) and kick-start the weekend with her novella, Crossing the Line, which comes after her debut novel, Pushing the Limits.

I adored Pushing the Limits because it's such a raw, beautiful and real novel, not to mention it finally gave me hope for the romance genre, so I have high hopes for all of her novels. Fortunately Crossing the Line is only available in ebook format and as a result it's available for free on the Amazon store.

As it is most likely to be a really short read, I also plan to read Dare You To which is also by Katie McGarry. I was so excited for this book to come out but I held off for a while because it was so expensive, that is until last week when it was available for just 99p for the day - it's hard to believe that I used to despise Kindles because without one I'd be pretty lost.

Be sure to let me know what you plan to read this weekend in the comments section below!

Undone - Cat Clarke

Synopsis: Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online, and he kills himself. Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down.."

Before I go into this review I just want to apologise for how excessively long it's going to be, I just have so much (spoiler free) stuff to say.

Undone by Cat Clarke follows the story of Jem Halliday as she tries to come to terms with the sudden death of her best friend, Kai. Sadly, following a video published online outing Kai as gay, he commits suicide. As Jem's only and best friend she is distraught and contemplates joining Kai, until she discovers how vital it is for her to find out who is responsible for outing him so she can take them down.

At the start of this novel Kai is already dead and as a result we get to know him through Jem's telling of the past from the moment they met to the very last time she sees him. What I particularly loved about this approach is that even in the present day it didn't feel like Kai was dead because he remained such a massive part and key character of the story. I was able to remain connected with him and grow a greater understanding of why he committed suicide and the things he wanted in life for both himself and Jem, through letters he wrote for her before committing suicide. I found it such a refreshing element of the book as other novels I've read with a deceased primary character, such as Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, I've found it difficult to relate to and connect with the character. Typically the fact that the character is dead remains conscious in your mind, this however isn't the case with Kai.

I had mixed feelings about Jem. At one point I had so much sympathy for her and imagined how awful and depressed I would be if I was in her shoes, then at other points I found myself disliking her for becoming the very embodiment of the kind of people she despised and forgetting where she came from and what she set out to do. That however was okay because she wasn't the kind of protagonist that you have to develop a strong liking for because there is so much going on with the other characters that they all feel just as important.

Clarke really captured what school life is like for teenagers in the UK without taking a superficial and somewhat stereotypical approach, much like you see in American novels and TV shows. It's simply a case of unpopular kids, the inbetweens and the popular ones. But what was really interesting about the popular kids is that Jem comes to notice that people outside of their bubble don't really pay much attention to them, other than her, which is kind of funny because it raises the argument of are 'popular' kids in schools actually popular and considered so by their peers or is it simply a case of them making everyone assume, or assuming themselves, that they are?

In light of their popularity Clarke presents them as these shallow, perfect and attractive characters on the outside and then these fragile, caring and shelled characters on the inside and I loved that because at the end of the day they're human like everybody else - just because someone appears to have a near perfect life doesn't necessarily mean they do. They all have their insecurities, their flaws and things they're not proud of just like everybody else and it's great that Clarke captured that because you often find that YA characters are too perfect to be real and that can make it extremely difficult to connect with them - how are you supposed to love or hate a character that you don't consider possible in the real world?

I'd say that the only element this novel was slightly lacking was greater discussion of sexuality. Although it's discussed occasionally in Kai's letters and mentioned a couple of times by Jem, I felt that as the story is dominated by Jem's grief and her progression to getting revenge because Kai killed himself after being outed, that there should have been more about sexual orientation present in the book.

Finally, I want to talk about how gripping and insane the ending was; I just didn't see any of it coming. It was just so intense and tragic from the party in the woods onward. Everything that happened was such a massive surprise, there was no predictability to any of it and I found it so thought provoking and beautifully written and that's when I came to realise just how much I adore Clarke's writing style. There's a part of me that wishes there was a second book, even if it was simply a short novella, that picks up from the ending of this book and told from the point of view of a different character so I can find out what happens to all of the other characters. But at the same time I'm also so pleased that it's a stand alone book.

Ultimately, this is a passionate and gripping YA novel about love, betrayal and revenge and is guaranteed to keep you hooked from start to finish.

I give Cat Clarke and Undone ★★★★★

Looking for Alaska - John Green

Synopsis: Alaska Young. Gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, screwed up and utterly fascinating. Miles Halter could not be more in love with her. But when tragedy strikes, Miles discovers the value and the pain of living and loving unconditionally.

Looking for Alaska by John Green follows the life of Miles Halter who leaves his family and old life behind as he embarks on a new one at Culver Creek Prepatory High School in Alabama. At Culver Creek Miles discovers true friendship, something he's never experienced before, with his roommate, Chip 'The Colonel' Martin, and the mysterious but gorgeous Alaska Young. The three continually grow as friends, particularly Alaska and Miles, as they make their way through Junior Year, experiencing typical teenage drama, pranks, hurt, love and loss along the way.

There's only one word to describe John Green's writing style: beautiful. I don't know how he does it but Green has a way of making you fall so in love and become so engrossed by a character that they feel so real to you, it's almost as if the characters he creates are people you know from down the street or your friends at school. It doesn't feel like you're reading a book, which might I add is an awe-inspiring piece of fiction, it feels as if you're reliving endless precious memories and that's something I've only ever experienced with Green.

The story of Miles 'Pudge' Halter, Chip 'The Colonel' Martin and Alaska Young is so thought provoking and enticing to read. I love how Green built a friendship that portrayed a real sense of realism. There isn't an instant friendship between the three from the get go and there are arguments here and there and not knowing everything there is to know about each other, despite being so close, it's how a true friendship is. It was also refreshing to read a novel that portrayed some of the struggles teenagers face on a daily basis, contrary to many adult's belief that "we have it easy".

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Pudge and Colonel because it was just so enjoyable and mirthful to read. One minute they'd be the best of friends and then the next they'd be pissing each other off over the most ridiculous things and that's just what best friends do, and it's a shame that there aren't many novels that have a strong 'bromance' relationship.

Although the book becomes heartbreaking to read it also remains lighthearted and relaxed. When tragedy strikes the key characters really come together to deal with their pain and pay tribute to their loss in the most hilarious and respectful manner possible. It became nostalgic to read because it made me think of the things I've gotten up to with my friends in the past, allowing me to connect further with the story.

Ultimately, this novel is a heartbreaking yet hilariously funny read that captivates you from the word go and takes you on a journey of true friendship, highlighting the best and worst of your own teenage years.

I give John Green and Looking for Alaska ★★★★★

Weekend Reads #4

So my original plan to start Looking for Alaska by John Green last weekend went down the drain as I wasn't willing to start it until I completed The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, a feat which I didn't achieve until Tuesday.

With the completion of that book out of the way I was able to make a start on Looking for Alaska last night. I only got 39 pages into it but I'm already in love with it. Hopefully I'll get about half way through by the end of the tonight and then I'll be able to complete it by tomorrow night - in fact I will get it completed by tomorrow night because the BookTube-A-Thon starts Monday.

As a result of the BookTube-A-Thon kicking off on Monday I've decided to cheat a little and start Sunday night as I'm going to lose a lot of reading hours from Monday through to Friday due to school.

I've decided that I'm going to kick-off with Undone by Cat Clarke. I've had this book on my shelf since February and I've been dying to read it but I just haven't gotten round to it and I've also been quite skeptical about it as it's unlike anything I've ever read. That skepticism however has vanished since Claire Weller gave it an awesome review the other day, so now I'm really excited about starting it.

Be sure to follow my new twitter dedicated to my blog for regular updates on my progression of the BookTube read-a-thon when it starts Monday by clicking here or searching @insideofthebook