I admire and respect Holly Bourne for tackling topics of mental health in her YA books. She did it with aplomb in “Am I Normal Yet?” and she’s done it again with her newest title, “Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?” It cannot be stressed enough how books like these are so relevant for diverse representation and oh so helpful in breaking the the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Mini-Reviews: Complicated YA Heroines

Complicated characters make reading interesting. In this post of yet another mini-reviews, let me talk about backlist books with complicated Y.A. heroines.

Review: It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

It Only Happens in the Movies
by Holly Bourne

Synopsis:
Audrey is over romance. Since her parents' relationship imploded her mother's been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn't mean things are easy. Because real love isn't like the movies...

The greatest love story ever told doesn't feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies... YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel.

Review: What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne

What's a Girl Gotta Do?
by Holly Bourne

Synopsis:
HOW TO START A FEMINIST REVOLUTION:

1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender

2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)

3. Always try to keep it funny

4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...

Wandering Thoughts: 3 YA Heroines Who Are Passionate Readers of Harry Potter

Image: Kaboompics

Wandering Thoughts is where I let my mind stray, think and talk about non-routine things. This is an avenue for bookish personal stories, fun posts, musings and discussions.

As any Potterhead next to you knows by heart, today is the glorious birthday of The Boy Who Lived and his creator, Queen Jo. *virtual toast to all the witches and wizards around the world* Most authors in the scene nowadays belong to this wonderful fandom are Hogwarts alumna and have incorporated a bit of the Potterverse in their works. While others drew subtle inspirations such as those with “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell and “More Happy Than Not” by Adam Silvera, some have direct references to the beloved book series. As a sort of tribute post for this special day, I will share with you three YA books with heroines who have definitely read the Harry Potter series and are passionate about it.

Stacking the Shelves (STS #6)

Image: Kaboompics

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's all about sharing the books added to our shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Hello, it's been a while since I did a book haul post. I mentioned on my The Philippine Readers & Writers Festival 2016 recap that Kate of The Bookaholic Blurbs handed me a tote loaded with books and I want to share them here on the blog today. Plus I got a #SparkNA novella for review that I am already currently reading.

Review: How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne

How Hard Can Love Be?
by Holly Bourne

Summary:

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that.

And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard.

Teaser Tuesday: How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne (TT #1)

Photo: Kaboompics

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Grab your current read, flip to a random page, share two teaser sentences, but avoid spilling spoilers!

I am currently halfway reading through How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne. It is Book # 2 of the Normal series. This continuing story of the Spinster Club girls focuses on tall and ginger, Amber.

Review: Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne

Am I Normal Yet?
by Holly Bourne

Summary:

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?