Five Great Summer Reads
by Luisa Plaja.
Here are five books I've read and loved recently. They're all the kinds of books I'd want to take on holiday with me if I hadn't read them already (and some of them more than once)!
I've been meaning to write more detailed reviews for all of these, but I just haven't managed it - sigh! In the meantime, I'm going to recommend them anyway...
1. Buttercup Mash by Joanna Nadin
"OMG. I think I just joined glee club and I am NOT EVEN JOKING! Buttercup has ISSUES. Her family's dysfunctional, her best friend's a drama queen and she doesn't know who her dad is! What's a girl to do? Isn't it obvious? Join the school glee club, embarrass the hell out of yourself singing rock ballads and dancing like a demented hamster on a sugar rush and write a diary for an internet shrink about your messed up life. OK, well perhaps YOU wouldn't, but Buttercup does...The mash-ups at the glee club are nothing compared with the mash-up that's Buttercup's life!"
This book is so densely packed with jokes that I found myself relishing it very slowly, and wanting to start again from the beginning as soon as I'd finished. Hilarious and glee-tastic!
2. Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
"Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.
New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.
They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they find each other?"
This is by my friend and Chicklish co-founder Keris Stainton, and it's wonderful. If you've ever dreamed of being a heroine (or hero) in a romantic comedy movie set in New York City, and/or if you love breezy, absorbing stories, then this is the book for you...
3. Wuthering Hearts by Kay Woodward
"Passion, the Yorkshire moors, a wild and handsome stranger... sound familiar? When Robert arrives in town with his dark good looks and mysterious background, Emily has a huge crush! It’s almost enough to take her mind off this year’s school play... miserable, wailing Wuthering Heights. But Robert is no prince, with his black moods and fierce temper. The beautiful untamed moors would be the perfect backdrop to their fiery romance, if only Emily could work it out. On stage or off stage, will Emily ever be the Cathy to his Heathcliff?"
OK, maybe the wiley, windy moors, where you roll and fall in green, are not exactly the most summery of places, but this is still perfect summer holiday reading - a sweet, dramatic and funny re-telling of Wuthering Heights. Let it in a-your window-oh-oh-oh! (Er, or just read it.)
4. Trapped: The Cate Carlisle Files by Isla Whitcroft
"School's Out and sixteen-year-old Cate Carlisle lands a job on board a gorgeous yacht, moored in the south of France. She's working for the glamorous supermodel, actress and pop star Nancy Kyle! But mysterious, terrifying events keep happening around her. Soon Cate's resourcefulness is the only thing keeping her, and the smuggled animals she discovers, from a terrifying fate."
Mystery and intrigue mix with glamour in this tightly-plotted thriller featuring a super-fierce heroine. Gripping stuff!
5. Will Work For Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris
"Quigley Johnson has, reluctantly, given up the rest of her last year of high school to take part in her best friend Anne's Betterment Plan, which will turn them into the best-dressed, most sought-after, most admired girls at their senior formal. Because - hey - who doesn't want the perfect prom, complete with a dream dress and a devastatingly handsome date? But the prom costs money - lots of money - and even though the girls could easily have Anne's mom design their dresses (she's only Victoria Parisi, one of the most famous designers in the world), Anne insists that they pay their own way. And that's how Quigley gets stuck making artistic topping masterpieces on frozen pizzas canvases, before becoming a live model for Ms. Parisi's fashion design class, where she meets Zander..."
Follow Quigley's adventures in odd (literally) jobs, life, love, family - and friendship with the quirky Anne. I loved this novel's focus on photography and dress design. Engaging and brilliant!
What are you reading this summer...?
Luisa
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