I decided that I would put up a post of books that I like, because I feel that it’s really cool to share things that I enjoy, so that other people can hopefully enjoy them too!

• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything first came to my attention when I saw the advert for the film whilst on YouTube, and when I saw that it was based off of a book, I knew that I needed to read the book. And when I read the book I was totally blown away – for a debut novel, it was astonishingly deep and well written. The character of Maddy really is 3D and complex, like a real person; it felt like she was speaking to me personally, as a friend. And Olly is a great character too – he’s not just the “boy next door” but a true friend to Maddy.  It’s a book about growing up, and realising that sometimes things have to change, and that things can hurt you. Throughout the book I worried, rejoiced and cried, especially the end, and never wanted to put it down. 5 stars/5 stars

• The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon strikes again! I found The Sun Is Also A Star from reading Everything, Everything. The characters Natasha and Daniel are also very complex and I love the fact that neither of them are white (Natasha is a Jamaican illegal immigrant, and Daniel’s family is Korean), as it shows diversity. Natasha and Daniel cross paths, which seems like a complete coincidence, but Daniel chooses to believe that it is fate. Whilst spending a day together, they slowly become friends, despite having differences, especially on their ideas of love, and slowly begin to realise that despite those differences – they love each other. It’s a wonderfully interesting concept and book in general; I love that despite their differences, they fit perfectly. Plus I read it very quickly, because I just didn’t want to stop living in their world. 5 stars/5 stars

• Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Another teen/YA romance (I am totally a sucker for them). Libby was dubbed “American’s Fattest Teen”, and everyone thinks they know her, but what the don’t know is that she gained weight after her mum’s death. She’s been homeschooled for years, but now is ready to go to high school, despite her anxiety. Jack is the cool guy at school, and everyone thinks they know him too, but they don’t know that he has prosopagnosia, otherwise known as facial blindness. Through a cruel game incented by Jack’s friends, they meet and end up in group counseling, and through spending time together, they begin to feel less lonely. This book is so beautiful, and is a story of finding someone who sees you for who you really, truly are, and it made me cry a whole, whole lot (which let’s be honest, lots of books do). 4.5 stars/5 stars

• The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This is honestly one of my favourite books I’ve ever read – ever. Originally written in Spanish, it is set in Barcelona, Spain and follows the story of Daniel Sempere, whose father takes him to the Cemetery Of Forgotten Books, a building in which books that no one remembers are kept. Daniel picks up the book The Shadow Of The Wind by Julián Carax, and falls in love with it. There is also a mysterious man, with no face, who is walking around Barcelona, trying to burn all of Carax’s books, which, despite the danger, makes Daniel even deeper into the past. This book is full of mystery, and you have to be careful to make sure that you don’t misread or miss anything, because if you do, you will get very confused later on. It was originally written for adults, but I think that if you pay attention, teens can read it too. 5 stars/5 stars (would give it a totally higher rating if I could).

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is a classic, and many people have talked about it during my life, and so when I was 11 I finally decided to read it (maybe a little too young, because I didn’t understand it properly when I first read it). The characters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are so 3D, and despite the fact that they were born in a completely different era to me, I feel like there’s a little bit of me in each one of them. Meg is the oldest and loves fancy dresses, and dreams of being rich one day. Jo is the second oldest and is I guess more of what we would now call a “tomboy”, and wants to be a writer. Beth is an absolute ray of sunshine and loves to play piano and sing. Amy is the youngest, and likes to act older than she is, and wants to be an artist. There is no exact storyline; it just follows the life of these sisters, and how they try to fit into the 1800’s ideas of what a woman should be like. Despite the old fashioned language, I actually really enjoy this book and find it really interesting. 4 stars/5 stars

Here you go, those are the book recommendations that I have for you so far! The books in here really are great, and you totally should read them!