Review: The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Title: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Cynthia Hand
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

Review by Nara

Where Are All the Male Protagonists?

This post is a part of Contemporary Conversations, hosted by The Thousand Lives and Talking Bookworm.

You know what there isn't enough of in Contemporary YA? Male protagonists.
I know there are a lot of people complaining about diversity in YA, and I feel like that can even apply to gender. There are way too many white, female protagonists.

Review: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss
Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Review by Nara

Blog Tour: Interview with Gayle Forman

As part of an exciting opportunity with Simon & Schuster Australia, some of us Aussie bloggers were given the chance to interview the fabulous Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay, Just One Day, and most recently I Was Here.

I Was Here was a book that I enjoyed very much, in fact, it has been my favourite book of Forman's so far, and I was pretty excited about being able to interview the author of such a gem!

We all got to ask Gayle one question; these questions will be revealed throughout the week and the full interview with all the questions will be posted on the Aussie YA Bloggers blog on March 8th (link to that will be below).

Without further ado, here's my question! Thanks to Kelly @ Diva Booknerd for making all the lovely graphics!

Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Wait… what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um…

Review by Nara

Reading Compatibility Test 2: Contemporary Edition

Basically, I'm going to give you a list of statements that you have to agree or disagree with. If you have any idea what book/series they're referring to, it means that you've probably read some of the books that I've read, i.e. our reading tastes are somewhat compatible. I thought it'd be more interesting doing this in quiz form than me just listing off some of the books that I enjoy. Really, this feature is going to be a series of disguised recommendation posts!

In honour of Contemporary Conversations, this edition of the Reading Compatibility Test will be on some my favourite contemporary novels!

It's Time for Contemporary Conversations

I can't believe it's already March! The start of the year went by ridiculously quickly...
But since it is March, it's the start of a new bookish event: Contemporary Conversations. Basically this is an event hosted by Kayla @ The Thousand Lives (a.k.a. beloved book twinnie) and Veronica @ Talking Bookworm that lasts for the entire month of March and is to celebrate the contemporary genre.

I'm actually a massive fan of contemporary novels, especially in the way that they can really make you empathise with the characters. Often your main characters are in situations where you can easily imagine yourself being in. They're not in some fantasy world, they're not trying to take down a government. They could be the girl who lives down the street or the boy who works at your nearby grocery store, or your sibling, or your best friend. There's just something very real about the contemporary protagonist.