Book Review: For Holly by Tanya Byrne

All the girls in comas nowadays.

Lola Durand hates her stepmother. It's a cliché but it's true.

Lola Durand can't get through to her father. He never wants to talk about the things that matter: why they had to move to Paris, why he had to marry evil Agatha, and how they can get through the heartache of her mother's death together.

If he won't listen, she'll show him. She'll show him the truth about his new wife and then her life can go back to normal, just the way she likes it.

Lola Durand knows a secret about her stepmother. She's going to share it.

This is the second novel by Tanya Byrne that I have read (and reviewed). I probably enjoy this book less, but I really like Follow Me Down.

This book is in a diary/confession form from point of view Lola going over the events that lead outcome of the book. Most of the main plot has already happened by the time Lola starts writing. This book has a lot of tropes, but uses them to explore the emotion of the characters.

Lola is a sympathetic character going through a hard time since the death of her mother and her father's half abandonment. She has done dumb stuff, but I feel for her as she is a motherless 17 year old whose not handling her grief well with a bad support system. The adults aren't really better, as they aggravate the situation.

It explores grief and being from a mixed race character, Lola having a white French father and black Barbadian mother (I got this book from library, I might be slightly wrong), without the parent she takes after and feeling disconnected from her father without Mother's presence.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for stolen lippy. This was a decent YA distraction, with complex character and though is filled with medical tropes (this is third book I've read with a coma in the past few months and it's a random first in books), they are used well as away get to the emotion.

Room 601

Hello People,  I have had a fun exciting week of broken printers and terrible attempts of a Read-a-thon. I'm doing the Bout of Books read-a-thon but I also watched the whole Total Drama Island over two days so you know I'm committed. It not been terrible, but I don't think I've read more than I might in a normal week. I want to finish two books today as I'm going to a event where the author is talking about the series. I highly doubt it will happen.

I have continued walking as a form of exercise. In fact, in spirit of the readathon I attempted to walk whilst read and actually finished reading Shadow and Bones by Leigh Bardugo with this method and did tonight as well. I stayed out for an hour and half, my hands were freezing and my right thumb feels weird and sore from the strain of holding the book in one hand for that long. It's not a perfect method of making walking, sure less boring, getting more reading done as I exercise but my lap time doubles and I'm sure I would read quicker if I was just focusing on the reading. I need a solution to make my hourly walking less boring. I'm thinking of trying audio books, I don't think audio books are me though because my brain wanders when I'm listening to something.

I went to the Edinburgh Festive again last week (and going for the last time this year tomorrow :() I saw Sarah J. Mass and had another event with Lauren Oliver, Tanya Byrne and Erin Lange. The Sarah J. Mass one was meant to be her and another author but he wasn't there due to "Personal Issues". I didn't care about him, but I'm such a nosy person I wonder what happen. This is why tabloids exist. I don't think a sole writer/author base one will ever exist thankfully. That would be really depressing. They are really depressing.

Back to the point, it was petty cool entertaining hearing Sarah J. Mass talk and basically tell half the audience to get out through the process. Maybe more than that. But at one point I should have gotten out because I never watched sailor moon or something. Also Disney being secretly creepy and Buffy. There had early copies of Heir of Fire on sale but they sold out before I found out. It's a bummer because I was there last week. Oh, well that what I get for not reading the review copy before I saw her.

She got the stupid question of ideal casting. From this book festival it just proves to me how many dumb questions authors get. Especially, since she been asked that tons of times and if a film is made she have none or little say over who gets cast. Also books are not there to made into films. There is a rant to this but we shall leave it to another time.

 It was as busy as expected for Sarah J. Mass signing, in fact I left the festival between events and when I came back she was still signing after 2 hours or something.

The Trio of Authors was interesting. Lauren Oliver dominated a lot, Erin Lange was quiet and Tanya Byrne made up the rest of the silence. Interesting things were discussed like the need for diversity in books and how Lauren Oliver's book are all about fear (the point was writers do tend to write about the same thing, they've wrote about before).

I had a great time at the festival once again. Lauren Oliver asked me if was my first time at the festival and I awkwardly said no but it was my first year. I also got told by Sarah J. Mass that she liked my hair so another thing to add to "Author's think I'm cool" list. More confusion over my name.

Outside the festival was eventfully. I brought trolley bag with me and the wheel fell apart as soon as we got off the bus so it was a good thing we had hotel room which was spookily the same number as last week's hotel room 601. There was this weird bit of fabric on the bottom bed that I just feel doesn't belong there. But was lovely colour to wear. Also lots of Americans where we were staying, would stay there again to stalk them (I am completely kidding).

 My mum and my sister had came with me this time so we went out to TGIF, which is by the way is more expensive in Edinburgh than say Glasgow. I got ribs but you really go there for the starters. If anything get starters and dessert. Also cocktails are good I'm told.


We also went shopping, found earphones and argued over the best place to get the bus.

I'm off to walk and try to finish the Gisha trilogy.

Book Review: Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne

Boarding schools are fun and tragic places in YA novels.

When 16-year-old Adamma Okomma, a Nigerian diplomat's daughter, arrives at exclusive Crofton College in Wiltshire, she is immediately drawn to beautiful, tempestuous, unpredictable Scarlett Chiltern. Adamma and Scarlett become inseparable - until a boy comes between them. Soon the battle lines are drawn and Adamma is shunned by Scarlett and her privileged peers. But then Scarlett goes missing and everything takes a darker turn.

This is a cool book with a cool writer. coolio.

The book is formatted into an interesting way with the book being a cycle. The story switches between the present, the day Scarlett disappears and from the day Adamma meets Scarlett. So if you want you could just read the past entries first and then go back and read the present part but probably won’t be as good of experience since the book wasn’t design to be read that way. Maybe do that if you decide to reread it. 

The plot had you guessing and doubting where Scarlett had gotten off to. The relationship between Adamma and Scarlett was really well done and believable. I felt really invested with the characters by the end of the book and heavy effected by what occurs between them all.

I really love the end scene and its kinda perfect for the book.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars for drinking in the woods. Whilst really liking this book, I did find it bit predictable near the end but it still amazingly written so read it.