Becky's Book Reviews

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (first published by Penguin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, in 2015)   Disclaimer: Review first appeared on Women24.com .   You can purchase a copy of the book on Raru.co.za Trigger warning: Suicide Keep a box of tissues at hand because Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places will rip your heart to shreds.  This book, already one of the most hyped about of the year, takes a look at depression, mental health and suicide amongst teens, and explores the stigma associated with illnesses that can’t be seen, but is felt on so many levels. I’m no fan of the hype monster, but given that I was interested in this book even before it started, I simply had to pick it up when it arrived on my desk. Needless to say, my experience of this book was decidedly jarring. Yet, despite my initial ambivalence towards it, I can certainly say that this is a novel that will stay with me for the rest of my life. In fact, I think my battle with it ...

It’s never too late to start (or restart) living the rest of your life. Disclaimer: This review also appears on Women24.com , a South African women's lifestyle website where I manage, amongst other things, an online books section. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr (Usborne) I’ve always held the opinion that some of the best books are the novels that seem to have little to offer, but which result in you taking an unexpected journey into a story full of heart, introspection and battle-weary protagonists who discover that no matter how life treats you, glimmers of stars can still be seen in the dark. For me, Sara Zarr’s How to Save a Life ended up being one such book. I have of course, heard wonderful things about her novels, but having never read any of her work before I was understandably unsure of how I’d react to How to Save a Life. As a result, this book’s been sitting in my one of my shelves for months. I finally decided to pick the book up, and am very relieved to say that this b...

Today I have the privilege of welcoming Kate Scott, author of the contemporary YA novel, Counting to D. Now for those of you who haven’t heard about this book yet, Counting to D is a novel that tackles a topic that’s very much underrepresented in YA fiction: dyslexia. When I first heard about it, my curiosity was immediately piqued. For one, I’ve never read a book that deals with dyslexia, and secondly, it strikes me that this book must have had an additional and challenging aspect to it – not only in terms of writing, but also in terms of the fact that, because it’s a topic that’s generally swept under the radar, not as many people would generally consider reading it. Especially when they have nothing to compare it to. In today’s guest post, and as part of the Counting to D blog tour, Kate chats to us about why she’s chosen to write about a protagonist who has a learning disability, the marketing value of book comparisons and what she hopes readers will take from it once they've r...

Today I’d like to welcome Elena Perez, author of the YA novel, The Art of Disappearing, to my blog today. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and compile a Q & A, so I’m super thrilled to have Elena stop by on my blog. In this interview, I chat to Elena about issues such as identity in YA (Her book, The Art of Disappearing, is very much centred around this theme), ask for an introduction to some of the characters featured in her as well as sharing a sneak peek from the book. But, before we kick off, here’s some more information about the book (How awesome is the cover by the way?).   About The Art of Disappearing Delia can see the future . . . but can she change it? All Delia wants is to be popular. She has the perfect plan: join the cheerleading squad with her best friend, Ava, and rule the school from the coolest table in the cafeteria. But everything changes the day she watches a boy die—before it actually happens. After dreaming about a classmate’s demise, she...