REVIEW: Underwater - Marisa Reichardt

Title: Underwater
Author: Marisa Reichardt
Series: None
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 7th April 2016

“Forgiving you will allow me to forgive myself.” Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then herself. But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

REVIEW: Beautiful Broken Things - Sara Barnard

Title: Beautiful Broken Things
Author: Sara Barnard
Series: None
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: 21st January 2016

I was brave She was reckless We were trouble Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

BLOG TOUR: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Today I am so, so excited to host an audio clip and video for Dawn Kurtagich's phenomenal debut The Dead House. The Dead House is the chilling story of Carly and Kaitlyn  and what happened at 'the Johnson incident'. It's one of my favourite books of 2015 and it holds a special place in my heart. Before I go into it, here's what The Dead House is all about:

Title: The Dead House
Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Series: None
Publisher: Indigo
Publication Date: 6th August, 2015

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . . Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers. Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’? Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading..