The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie

The Paper & Hearts Society was, without doubt, my most anticipated contemporary novel of 2019 and it did not disappoint!

Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn't want to go to parties - in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.

It's like she hasn't found her people ...

Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING - especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body.

But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it's the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed's fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself ...

Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE? {Goodreads summary}

As a frequent participant of the #UKYAchat on twitter, I preordered Powrie's book as soon as it became available. I knew from Powrie's blog post that her writing was good, and I was excited about a novel about teenager book-fanatics who loved classics as much as contemporary YA. 

I only wish this novel had existed when I was a teenager because I know I would have loved it even more at that age. If I was still working in a school library, this would definitely be my top summer read recommendation. Here are three things I loved about The Paper & Hearts Society:

1. The mix of characters. Every one of the club's members had their own important backstory, and it felt as though the novel could have been written from any of their perspectives and still been just as strong. 

2. It's a teen novel that is definitely written for teenagers. That's not to say that adults can't enjoy it too! I just mean that there were never references/language that made me feel disconnected from the teenage protagonists. Its use of social media and technology is really authentic and never jars. 

3. The Paper & Hearts Society shows the bravery it takes to be honest and be your true-self, rather than hiding behind the idea of who you think you should be to fit in. 

Overall, this was a fun, heart-warming story which championed books and the teens who love them. I'm really excited to see where Powrie takes the story next, for her sequel 'Read with Pride'. 

The Shadow Keepers by Marisa Noelle

Today is my stop on The Shadow Keepers blog tour!

This brilliant novel comes out on the 30th July and is definitely one not to be missed. Here is the creepy blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Georgia Boone has seen the shadow creatures in mirrors and other reflective surfaces since she was six-years-old. But no one–not even her brother, the person she’s closest to in the entire world–believes her. She is all alone in the hellish world where crow-like creatures hunting her everywhere she goes.

When an afternoon of shopping ends in violence and blood, Georgia is sent to the UK’s most prestigious mental health hospitals: Brookwood Hospital. There, she’s forced to face her fears and answer the question:

Are the shadows real, or is this all in her head?

At Brookwood, the shadow creatures are more present than ever and are getting stronger every day. Only with the help of a mysterious boy who lives inside the mirror world might she be able to prove that she’s not hallucinating and stop the shadows from destroying the human world.

I was gifted an ARC of The Shadow Keepers by Marisa Noelle and Magnolia Press earlier this month and I raced through it in a few days! The Shadow Keepers was so hard to put down, and the creepy premise ensured that I was always thinking about it, even when I couldn't read on. Tensions and stakes run high as Georgia races to uncover the truth about the terrifying shadow creatures who have haunted her for most of her life. 

I don't think I've read many non-contemporary YA novels which features mental health so prevalently, and it was really clever how the character's mental health struggles became integral to the plot - they made them stronger, rather than being purely another plot-point or issue to 'get over'. The topic as a whole was sensitively handled and I felt like I learnt some new things about mental health conditions as a result of reading.

Having said that, readers should bear in mind that as mental health is so important within The Shadow Keepers, the novel does include subjects like self-harm and suicide. If this isn't something you're comfortable reading, it would probably be best to avoid this novel. They're not a large part of the plot, but do come up.

You should definitely read The Shadow Keepers if you like:
- creepy monsters
- slow-burn romance
- seeing mental health in non-contemporary stories. 

From a writing perspective, The Shadow Keepers is brilliant for:
- world building - I could completely believe in the monsters and shadow world that Noelle created. 
- pacing - this story is paced just right, with plenty of action and tension, but also some great character driven moments to help back the pace off and give you a respite between the horror. 
- keeping the reader guessing about who they could and couldn't trust!

I really enjoyed The Shadow Keepers and am now even more excited about Noelle's second novel, The Unadjusteds, which comes out later this year.

Here's a little bit about Marisa Noelle:

Marisa Noelle is the writer of middle grade & young adult novels in the genres of science-fiction, fantasy & mental health. The Shadow Keepers is her first novel. The Unadjusteds is due out in November 2019 & The Mermaid Chronicles – Secrets of the Deep at the end of 2019. When she’s not writing or reading or watching movies, she enjoys swimming. In the pool she likes to imagine she could be a mermaid and become part of some of her make-believe words. Despite being an avid bookworm from the time she could hold a book, being an author came as a bit of a surprise to her as she was a bit of a science geek at school. She lives in Woking, UK with her husband and three children.

If you want to read more, you can preorder The Shadow Keepers from here. The tour continues tomorrow at Kimothy Wish.

Writing Wednesdays

I'm doing an MA in creative writing! The offer has been accepted, my student loan has been approved, so I am now, 100%, officially, starting my MA this September! 

I'm going to be doing it part-time, distance learning, with Manchester Metropolitan University (which has an amazing Writing School) and specialising in writing for children and young adults. It was the flexible learning opportunities and the children's focus that drew me to this course and I'm already working my way through the reading list for September, starting with The Hobbit. 

I'm really looking forward to learning everything I can on this course, and putting it to work in my rewrite of Fearful (although I'm also planning to start something new for the writing elements of the course). 

I'm taking a career break for at least the next two years (due to the high cost of child care) and I'm excited to have a new challenge to focus on while I'm at home. 

Other writing news:

I've entered three stories into this year's Wattys and am still updating On Sapphire Wings and Democracy is Dead twice a week. 

Last month, I started Fearful all over again and I'm really pleased with how this new take on the story is progressing (higher stakes, more angst for the characters - I'm being really mean to them in this redraft). 

I'm also making a few final tweaks to Mirrored Snow, although I can't decide whether to start querying it this summer, or to sit on the manuscript until after my MA.