February TBR

I only managed to read one out of my three possibles for January. February is obviously shorter, but I don’t have as many blog tours planned, so hopefully I tick a few more off the list. In an effort to clear some of my physical TBR books, I’ve picked some great YA reads.

This month’s choices:

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

I loved the Brown sisters trilogy and the cover of this is a feast of delicious pink that is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

What it’s about?

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption–yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth

Not My Problem is a multi-award winning book. Among the accolades is the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Older Readers. This is one I’ve been really looking forward to and could be a fantastic addition to my classroom library.

What’s it about?

Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t fix. Her best (and only) friend is pulling away. Her mother’s drinking problem is a constant concern. She’s even running out of outlandish diseases to fake so she can skip PE.

But when Aideen stumbles on her nemesis, overachiever Meabh Kowalski, in the midst of a full-blown meltdown, she sees a problem that—unlike her own disaster of a life—seems refreshingly easy to solve. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help. By pushing Meabh down the stairs.

Problem? Solved. Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule. But when another student learns about their little scheme and brings Aideen another “client” who needs her “help,” it kicks off a semester of traded favors, ill-advised hijinks, and an unexpected chance at love. Fixing other people’s problems won’t fix her own, but it might be the push she needs to start.

Once Upon a Leap Year by Anna Bell

Thank you to the lovely folks at HQ for sending me a copy of Anna Bell’s new book. Absolutely perfect for the book with ‘leap’ in the title prompt for the Popsugar Reading Challenge.

What it’s about?

A gorgeous, high-concept romcom about finding love and daring to take a chance. After all, it’s all about timing. . .29th February 2000. Lucy’s never met another leapling until she encounters Noah also spending his once-in-four-years birthday on a disappointing day trip to Calais. There’s a spark that Lucy is sure Noah must feel too, and their friends insist they have amazing chemistry, but they’re both with other people. It can never be more than platonic and that’s OK.

Over the next twenty years, they’re at each other’s side through all of life’s big moments – weddings, babies, new jobs, family illness – but Lucy can never shake the feeling that they were meant to meet. . .

If Lucy is to find a love that’s rarer than a leap year, she’s going to have to take a leap of faith.

Happy reading

E x