Hello friends,

I hope you've been spectacularly well and that you've read plenty. The month of May was a busy one, as will June be (oh lord, I cannot wait for holidays), but I still managed to fit in a few books and I'm on track with my 2016 reading challenge! Two of the books I read this month were sent to me to review (I've linked the full reviews below if you're interested), another was a book I've been waiting to read for months which also left me depressed because I have to wait another year for the next book, and another was a reread. Perhaps a bit all over the place, but I think a good mix. So without further ado...


BOOKS



1. The Yearbook Committee - Sarah Ayoub
I had heard a few good things about this one and I saw it had short chapters and when you are a busy uni student, that is very appealing. The Yearbook Committee is about five very different teenage students in their last year of high school who must come together to produce their yearbook. The attitudes and personalities of the characters constantly collide which is actually quite enjoyable and while you may get annoyed at the arrogance of some of the other minor characters, you also get to experience the good things. I think this book is better aimed at teenagers (especially if in high school) and younger adults as the bigger picture is the stigma of bullying. You can read my full review of The Yearbook Committee here. 3.5/5



2. Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets - J.K Rowling
I'm currently rereading the whole series which I've done multiple times already but I can never get enough Harry Potter. I won't say much about this one but if you haven't read it, you need to read it. Don't ever tell me you haven't read Harry Potter but you've read Twilight or Divergent etc. This series is always 10/10



3. A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J Maas
My biggest anticipated release for 2016 comes book two of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. The story follows on after Feyre's escape and saving of Tamlin from Under the Mountain however, she's having trouble living her life in the Spring Court. We get to see a lot more of my beloved Rhysand (who could quite possibly be #1 Book Boyfriend!!) and the Night Court, as well as new Night Court characters that are charming, hilarious and super badass. A Court of Mist and Fury was my perfect novel; it has fantasy, action, romance, comedy and I'm gonna use the word again, badass-ness. I did a very messy review/discussion here. I give this one a million stars/5.



4. The Crown - Kiera Cass
The final segment in The Selection series. Last year, you may have seen that I read the first four books in about a week, as they are so easy to read, and left me wanting more. The previous book (The Heir) and The Crown is all about Princess Eadlyn, daughter of America and Maxon, and her own Selection. Like the previous books, this one is very easy to read and flows nicely however, I felt it needed a little more... surprise or 'the bad things that happen in stories' to be more... bad? All in all, this book is not perfect but it was pretty much what I hoped for and I'm happy with that. Also, it's a lot better than The Heir. I did a full review here. 4/5

JUNE TBR



1. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K Rowling
Continuing my reread of the series. Because I started this in May, I've actually finished this already.

2. Cinder - Marissa Meyer
This was actually on my May TBR but I put it down as I didn't want to continue reading after A Court of Mist and Fury as I was in a massive book hangover and didn't want to not enjoy it, you know?

3. Hidden Bodies - Caroline Kepnes
I started this in May as well but was only reading it when I was at work - which isn't much. This is the second book to 'You' which was friggen brilliant. I'm not sure why Kepnes wrote a second book because it honestly didn't need one BUT, I am enjoying it so far.

4. Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
I've heard great and sad things about this one so I'll make sure to get under a blanket with my box of tissues for this one.

I think I'll also pick up another book this month, but I'm unsure of what it'll be at the moment.

And that's all for this post! I hope you enjoyed my mini reviews for the month of May, feel free to check out the full reviews I did for 3 out of 4 of the books I read - much appreciated.
Let me know what you read in May and what you plan to read in June, I'd love to know!

See you soon!
x



Where you can find me:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Bookstagram: @erenareads
Instagram: @erena_b
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"Five teenagers. Five lives. One final year. 
The loner: At school, nobody really notices Matty. But at home, Matty is everything. He's been single-handedly holding things together since his mum's breakdown, and he's never felt so alone. 
The school captain: Ryan has it all... or at least he did, until an accident snatched his dreams away. How will he rebuild his life and what does the future hold for him now? 
The popular girl: Well. the popular girl's nest friend... cool by association. Tammi's always bowed to peer pressure, but when the expectations become too much to handle, will she finally stand up for herself?
The newcomer: Charlie's just moved interstate and she's determined not to fit in. She's just biding her time until Year 12 is over and she can head back to her real life and her real friends...
The MP's daughter: Gillian's dad is one of the most recognisable people in the state and she's learning the hard way that life in the spotlight comes at a very heavy price.
Five unlikely teammates thrust together against their will. Can they find a way to make their final year a memorable one or will their differences tear their world apart?"
- Sarah Ayoub



Set in Sydney, Australia and written by Australian author, Sarah Ayoub, this YA novel revolves around five teenagers who must band together to create the school yearbook for their final year of high school at Holy Family private school. If you didn't catch it, these five teenagers couldn't be more different. You get to know each character very well, delving a little into their past - though I felt that Ryan's past wasn't looked into enough, his 'accident' was mentioned often and you only get a brief story of what happened.

From the start, Gillian (the politician's daughter) was my favourite, Charlie was my least. Gillian is kind hearted and so easy to love, her life isn't easy but she does well to cope. Charlie, has no interest in making friends and goes out of her way to make sure she doesn't; while at first I don't like her, I understand that's what the author was going for. You get introduced to a few other characters whom have a lot of impact on the main characters - Tammi's douchebag boyfriend David and her mean, stuck up best friend Lauren, both who I hated immensely and you will too.

As you can expect, the characters develop some kind of friendship with each other throughout the story - though not really how I first predicted. I enjoyed the easy character development and it flowed nicely. Ayoub not only makes it easy to read but really captured some of the issues that occur during high school years. Some of this is real life and whilst reading it reminded me of my high school years and how cruel some people can be, especially people that are meant to be your friends.

I wished the author had spent more time on the ending, I almost felt cheated. Something I did not see coming happens closer to the end of the book and the build up of it was great however after that, I felt I didn't really have time to process it and therefore did not make too much of a connection with it. I also felt since it is based around the students creating a yearbook, that there would be some snippets of it in the back - well no, there is not.

Overall, this book was still a great read. I think it is more suited to teenagers and possibly younger adults than I but I have seen bookstagrammers only slightly younger than me, enjoy it immensely. I hope that high school students take a chance and read this one; I hope it shines a new light on life for those struggling and those who could be the cause of the struggling.

I gave this book 3/5 on Goodreads albeit, a high three.

If you've read this book, let me know in the comments below what you thought!


*This book was sent to me by Harper Collins Australia in exchange for an honest review.


Where you can find me:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Bookstagram: @erenareads
Instagram: @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads

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