Lies by Michael Grant - Trailer

As I just finished reading this book, I thought I would post the official trailer for it. It's kinda scary (lol)! Anyway, here it is:

REVIEW: Private by Kate Brian

Private is about a girl called Reed Brennan who gains a scholarship to the privileged boarding school Easton Academy, where she meets a group of girls called the 'Billings Girls'. It's the first book in the popular 'Private' series.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, it strangely reminded me of the Gossip Girl books (i <3 gossip girl!), as it is based around similar characters. So I was hoping it would be as good. And I was not dissapointed!

Firstly, I liked the narrative style the writer used as it was in first person and I really did get a good insight into the character's mind and thoughts. It was also quite engaging from the beginning and I immediately got interested in the story.

The Billings Girls seemed like such strong, individuals and they each had different personalities and traits even though they weren't described that much. There was Taylor - the smart one, Noelle - seen as the 'leader' of the Billings Girls, Ariana - the modest one. And regards to the main character, Reed, my first impression was that she kind of follows others and she wasn't really going to Easton for a particular reason but as you learn more about her family background, you understand her more and I could actually relate to her in a kind of way.

The 'Billings' Girls also reminded me of 'Mean' girls but not as mean (lol)

Anyway, it was a great start to a series and it was definitely one of those books that left me wanting more! The next book is called 'Invitation Only'.



Old cover

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover(there's 2 covers, this is the rating for the one I read (as pictured <--)): 3/5


Overall: 5/5

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen!

The new Sarah Dessen book, What Happened to Goodbye, cover has been revealed!!

What Happened to Goodbye is about a high school senior who, after her parents’ divorce, has taken up the practice of assuming a new identity in each of the four towns she’s lived in

Although, the cover will probably look different in the UK. Probably something similar to this:

Anyway, this is coming out in May 2011 (so excited!!). Definitely will be posting a review to this new book.

The Versatile Blogger Award

I recently discovered that I received the Versatile Blogger Award from Kate @ Literary Explorations (thanks so much!!!).

For the people that won the award, here are some things that you need to do:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave this award

2. Write 7 things about yourself
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked to let them know about the award


Here are the bloggers that I picked for the award:

Elena's Book Cafe
Persnickety Snark
Reading Vacation
Mindful Musings
The Sweet Bonjour
What's Cracking Coops?
Call Me Crazy
Wondrous Reads
A Flight Of Minds
Books Are Life
The Crazy Bookworm
The Naughty Book Kitties
The Bookette

Steph Su Reads

Here are seven things about me:

1. I live in London, England

2. I play the piano

3. I want to go to university/college abroad

4. I love Amazon.com for not just books but loads of other stuff too!

5. I'm learning Spanish at the moment

6. I love watching US dramas such as; Gossip Girl, Glee, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and 90210!

7. I'm a Cancerian, born in July

REVIEW: A Note of Madness Series* by Tabitha Suzuma

*Just to clarify, this review is the whole series (A Note of Madness and A Voice in the Distance) so I'm reviewing them together.

 A Note of Madness and A Voice in the Distance are one of Tabitha Suzuma's first books which she wrote in 2007 and 2008. The story follows Flynn, a student at the Royal College of Music who suffers from Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)

When I finished one of Suzuma's more recent books, Forbidden, I couldn't wait to read her other books as I loved Forbidden. And I wasn't dissapointed. Firstly, I felt that the author did her research into the topic really well. She didn't portray Bipolar Disorder as just a mental illness that can be cured, she expressed that there was more to it than just that. It was like you could feel Flynn's pain.

I also liked the romance in the story between Jennah and Flynn (and I love romance!) which was kind of like 'Forbidden Love'. Furthermore, I also found both books to be very absorbing and I finished them really quickly.

The other characters, Harry, Kate, Rami etc. were also portrayed realistically and well.

Overall, I found this to be a great series (although not as good as her other book, Forbidden) and very moving. I hope she writes another book to continue the series.

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 3.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover: 2/5


Overall: 5/5