Virgin – Radhika Sanghani

Title: Virgin

Author: Radhika Sanghani

Publisher: Mills & Boon

Release Date: September 12th 2014

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

“Ellie Kolstakis is a twenty-one-year old virgin. She’s not religious. She’s not waiting for marriage. She’s not even holding on for The One. Ellie’s just unlucky.

But, with her final year if university coming to an end, she’s determined to shed her V-plates,once and for all.

And she’s ready to try anything – from submitting to her domineering Greek mother’s matchmaking skills to embracing the world of nether waking trends (no one wants a ‘Hitler’) and even YouTube tutorials on how to give a ‘blow gift’ (it should never be a job).

After all, she’s got nothing to lose. Well, maybe one thing…”

Again, me and the wonderful Erica from Tangled in the Willows did a book swap and, again, she did not fail on giving me one hell of a read. That girl knows me well. In return I gave her my precious copy of Caitlin Moran’s ‘How To Build A Girl’ (which was an absolute scream) and the more serious ‘A Certain Age’ by Rebecca Ray.

The obvious thing to love about ‘Virgin’ is how damn hilarious it was. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that’s given me stiches before but Sanghani has absolutely nailed it. A chapter didn’t go by without there being some blunt statement, a shocking anecdote or awkward situation to make you smirk, chuckle or do a full on belly laugh. I don’t know if this is just me but I always find written humor hard to get into. I’m sure why because because when it comes to TV and film, I’m absolutely fine, but as soon as a book cracks a joke it never seems to have the same effect. But the author has conquered the near impossible and for this very reason, I implore you to snag a copy of this one.

Also, this will probably sound a bit weird, but a lot of the information in there was actually quite useful. As a teenager who has yet to explore every inch of the world, the stuff that Sanghani included in her novel was insightful She raised various questions that I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves asking before letting her characters explore the answer for us. It feels like Sanghani was trying to not only gift us with her impeccable humor but also gift us with the knowledge that doesn’t get openly discussed that she herself has had to discover.

That brings me to my next point -SEX IS OPENLY DISCUSSED. ‘Virgin’ doesn’t treat the very natural and reoccurring act of sex as some sort of ‘taboo’. In my opinion (and a lot of other people’s) we really do need to start having more open discussions about sex and all those other, supposedly ‘taboo’, subjects, like periods for example. Otherwise we’re facing a life like the Victorians – we all end up repressed and unable to differentiate what’s healthy and what’s not. So we all need to take a page (or all of them) from Sanghani’s book because this girl is owning it.

Focusing more ‘Virgin’s literary bones, I am in love with its characters. They became so visual and relatable and they had anything you could possibly desire from a fictional character. They were just built in such a way that made it so easy to imagine and get into their heads that it was so easy to tuck yourself up in the ‘Virgin’s warm, funny, little bed.

The only reason that this book was not perfect was because I don’t think the dialogue was written as well as it could have been. I think there were some points in the book that got too bogged down in what the characters were saying – so much so that I sort of forgot where I was picturing them and what they were doing with themselves as they spoke. I mean they weren’t just sat there straight-faced discussing the altercations of pubic hair length were they? ‘Virgin’ perhaps need to include more of the ‘para-linguistic’ features just to push it even further.

‘Virgin’ in three words? Hilarious, candid and noteworthy. Read it.

The Problem With Forever – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: The Problem With Forever

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publish Date: June 16th 2016

Genre: YA

Rating: 4.5 stars

“For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.”

(I received a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review)

My journey through this book was very rocky. I opened the first pages and as I read those perfect words on the page, I realized that this book was going to be so important and I was already in love. I even had to post on Goodreads about how much I loved this one. But then that love began to waver about halfway through and I wasn’t as addicted to devouring its pages as I was when I started (I also went to a festival for the weekend so I didn’t really get chance to read much then anyway). After that halfway point though, I couldn’t put the damn thing down. It was about 3 am before I went bed and the complete lack of sleep I had the next day was 100% worth it.

“Forever was something we all took for granted, but the problem with forever was that it really didn’t exist.”

I think the obvious thing to start off is how deftly Armentrout dealt with the very heavy subject matter. She made it as easy to digest as something like this could be. It wasn’t blown out of proportion in anyway or exaggerated for the sake of it but written plainly and honestly. I think that by saying it how it was made the storyline so much more powerful – you didn’t think about Mallory and Rider’s childhood abuse as some sort of ‘gossip’ but as a tender and upsetting event in their lives, making it all that more compelling.

There was also a lot of character growth that made the ‘The Problem With Forever’ even more special. I always love seeing how people develop into something that is so much more better than who they began as. It was also lovely seeing how the characters helped each other to become the better, enlightened version of themselves. Mallory was the one who made Rider see who he was meant to be how much he was holding himself back, squeezing out all of his negativity and bad memories, turning him into the sort of Rider that could be even more powerful. But in some ways it did annoy me how reliant the characters were on each other. Obviously to develop you need someone to help and guide you but Mallory seemed unable to develop until she met Rider and vice versa – surely you could be able to develop without completely relying on one person?

“Because it wasn’t that important. Something else was. Living life was.”

And I can’t go without mentioning my favourite character Ainsley. I couldn’t even dream of having a better character than Ainsley – she was so patient and kind and, in my opinion, even more relatable than Mallory. To be honest, I would just love there to be a sequel that focuses more on Ainsley just see what happens with her and her own storyline that was starting to take shape here. The rest of the characters were just as interesting though. They all seem larger than words on paper and so realistic – Armentrout’s descriptions making them seem and feel so real and vivid.

Another thing that caught my attention was that lovely focus on art! Rider’s painting skills and Mallory’s carvings were made to sound just as impressive as one another as in a few YA I’ve read that featured art like this they were compared like they in competition of something ridiculous. But Armentrout steered clear of this which was a huge positive. Also, she made the descriptions of the art really detailed so that you could sharply picture them in your mind – whether it was the textures on Mallory’s carvings or the perception within Rider’s painting, you could easily picture their creations. While talking about art, we would be stupid not to mention how magnificent that cover is.

“And it was knowing that I could still be… still be afraid of everything, but not letting that fear stop me from living”

There was just a very small reason why it lost half that star though. Along with the fact that the characters were so reliant on one another, at one point of the book it just completely focused on the romance between Mallory and Rider. I get that it was part of the storyline but after such a powerful start, it just made the intensity that Armentrout had been emulating fall flat slightly. Like there was this very serious and heavy subject matter and all of a sudden we are all fluffy with cute acts of love and kissing. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the romance itself but it just made me feel slightly bored after such an interesting start (this only lasted for a few chapters, then things got AMAZING again).

It’s such a wonderful, heart-grasping book that I highly recommend that you get this one onto your shelves ASAP.

Divergent – Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books

Re-release Date: December 31st 2015

Rating: 4.5 Stars

“In the world of Divergent, society is divided into five factions – Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite. Every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice Prior, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is. Her choice shocks everyone, including herself.

During the initiation that follows, Tris and her fellow initiates undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them, Tris must determine who her friends really are – and whether she can trust the man who both threatens and protects her.

Because Tris has a deadly secret. And as growing conflict threatens to unravel their seemingly perfect society, this secret might save those she loves… or it might destroy her.”

(I received a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review)

I was SO excited to get my grubby little hands on the new edition of Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy, LOOK at how good those covers are! And I am definitely glad that this one isn’t covered with stills/graphics from the film because that is one of my biggest gripes. But I digress…

Literally everyone I know has either loved the books or loved the film and I haven’t read/seen it. I’ll be honest and say that I was really worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype but then there’s always hype for a reason right?! Because Divergent is fucking awesome.

“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”

Despite the beginning being a bit slow to get moving, there was so much action and different things going on that I just couldn’t help but stay up late and read the whole thing through. And the descriptions were just so vivid that I felt so like Beatrice/Tris that I was worrying about everything for her. Really, she didn’t need to worry about anything because I was over-thinking everything for her. Roth’s amazing descriptions also meant that her new world could only be imagined as she imagined it. Wherever Tris went, I knew exactly what she was seeing, how it made her feel, even what I should be looking behind my back at.

HOWEVER. I did have a problem with the plot progression. I could easily draw out three sections of the book – training, romance, world goes to shit. There was a very slightly blur between the sections but I mean very. And it bugged me. It just made it really hard to move onto the next section of the book. And you could see where the ending was going, it’s almost a given that the world is going to end right? But I did get thrown off on HOW it would end. I’m not sure on if it was just me failing to pick up clues (because they definitely were there) but I was thrown off my feet a little.

“Becoming fearless isn’t the point. That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.”

The characters were mostly developed. I say mostly because how the fuck is Four only 18??? I swear I spent half of the first part of the book thinking that he was a 32 year old with a very weird interest in Tris. But as it turns out he is not a 32 year but an 18 year old that is just insanely mature. I also think that there was room for development with Tris too. She spent half the book um-ing and ah-ing about who she was, despite having already made her irreversible decision, and it did start to drag. The last thing I want to say about the characters is that Tris’s mom kicks ass. All I’ll say is that she made my mouth drop at the end of the book. That women slayed.

Despite never being sure on how I felt about dystopian novels, Divergent really made me turn my head. So even if you aren’t sure on the genre, this is seriously something to check out. Or at least do a double take if you see it in a bookshop somewhere.