'Did I Mention I Love You?' By Estelle Maskame (***.5)

Hello, readers! Today I’ve got a very exciting post for you- a review of Did I Mention I Love You? by the mega-talented Estelle Maskame. When I was first asked if I wanted to review the book by Black&White Publishing, I researched it and was absolutely staggered by the fan base it already had, months before publication! That was when I saw that this epic teen romance was originally self-published on WattPad, and after thousands of frenzied and emotionally charged ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ by hundreds of pre-teens and teenagers, Scottish-based publishing house Black&White Publishing snapped it up like lightning. 


This story is unbelievable in itself, and surely every young aspiring writer’s dream, however what I found the most inspiring in all of this is Estelle Maskame herself. SHE IS SEVENTEEN (well, eighteen now actually- her birthday was this week). That makes her around one month older than me. So for me, personally, I wanted to review this book not only because it sounded like a stonking good read, but also because I wanted to expose further a novel written by a teenager. Estelle is surely a young person that every teenager who has a dream should look up to.

Intrigued? Here’s the blurb…

When sixteen-year-old Eden Munro agrees to spend the summer with her estranged father in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, she has no idea what she’s letting herself in for. Eden's parents are divorced and have gone their separate ways, and now her father has a brand new family. For Eden, this means she's about to meet three new step-brothers.

The eldest of the three is Tyler Bruce, a troubled teenager with a short temper and a huge ego. Complete polar opposites, Eden quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences as Tyler's group of friends take her under their wing. But the one thing she just can't understand is Tyler, and the more she presses to figure out the truth about him, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't – her step-brother.

Throw in Tyler's clingy girlfriend and a guy who has his eyes set on Eden, and there's secrets, lies and a whole lot of drama. But how can Eden keep her feelings under control? And can she ever work out the truth about Tyler?


Did I Mention I Love You is the first book in the phenomenal DIMILY trilogy, following the lives of Eden Munro and Tyler Bruce as they try to find their way in an increasingly confusing world.

So not only do I hugely admire Maskame, but Did I Mention I Love You? was an amazing read that I absolutely zoomed through. If I am completely honest, the writing style took a little getting used to (it sounds like it is written by a teenager- and obviously I am not so used to that- there are not many published teenagers about!) but once I got into it I honestly could not put it down. The protagonist, Eden, is hugely likeable and easy to relate to, and has quirks that every young person can identify with. The writing is incredibly cinematic and I could envision each scene unfolding in my head- let’s keep our fingers crossed for a movie deal! The opening gave a great introduction to the characters and the underlying tension between Eden and her father, which is a recurring theme throughout the entirety of the book.

The only point I could complain about- and it is a picky point- is the realism. It seemed as if in every single chapter Eden would stay out all night, and the next morning would argue with her father, and then by lunchtime all would be well again. This is entirely subjective and a lot of people will probably not agree with me, but I found it a little repetitive.

That being said, I loved every other aspect of the book. All characters were well thought out and worked really well together, and the complex (to say the least) relationship between Eden and Tyler was tumultuous and perfect. I liked the fact that it wasn’t made the sole element of the novel, and there were plenty of other points to keep the reader on their toes. There were many twists and turns and I loved the moments of shock and surprise. The ending was flawless and a great cliffhanger- I could not have wished for a better ending and it made me desperate to have the sequel already!

Altogether, I loved Did I Mention I Love You?, and if you love teenage romance novels, you will love DIMILY. Also, the fact that it is written by a teenager makes it all the more special.

Want to grab a copy? You can pre-order it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mention-Love-DIMILY-Trilogy-Book/dp/1845029844/

Check out Estelle Maskame here: http://www.blackandwhitepublishing.com/index.php/author/view/estelle_maskame

Until next time :) 

Interview with 'The Underwriting' author Michelle Miller

Hello, readers! I'm sorry I haven't been that active recently but exams finished TODAY and I am SO READY FOR SUMMER. Literally. YOU HAVE NO IDEA. 

But anyway, I'm going to get on with today's post, which is an interview with the wonderful Michelle Miller. I feel very lucky to be interviewing her; a) because The Underwriting was absolutely fantastic and b) Michelle Miller has been in some very fancy features and glossy magazine pages... and now she is on Delightful Book Reviews. I'm not saying it's a step down or anything, I'm just pointing it out.
Anyway. Rambling over. I was lucky enough to interview Michelle, wanting to know about the story behind The Underwriting, the real Silicon Valley, and in what ways The Underwriting is a feminist text.

How did you find inspiration to write The Underwriting?
I was working for JP Morgan in Silicon Valley in 2012: Grinder (the location-based dating app for gay men) was on fire, the Facebook IPO was making hundred-millionaires of 30 year olds, and Wall Street was under attack from Occupy protestors: there was so much material, I couldn’t help myself!

In The Underwriting, are the Silicon Valley characters completely fabricated, or are they based a little on people you’ve encountered?
I believe all the characters could exist, but none of them are based on real people, except for one, who shall remain nameless. Also Stephen Hartley, who is one of my best friends and deserved the shout out he got in Chapter One.

Is Wall Street as glamorous as it is made out to be?
God, no! The reality of Wall Street is insanely long hours in front of Excel models, surrounded by competitive people waiting for you to screw up, running against the pressure to ‘hit your numbers.’ This is occasionally interrupted by a ‘blow out’ night of excess, in which bankers rationalize the sacrifice of personal life, health and happiness by spending lots and lots of money.

What is it like being a woman in this environment?
For women my age - 30 - it’s a mixed bag, and I tried to show that in the book. There are certainly disadvantages - unconscious biases, being left out of social events - but there are also advantages - attention by virtue of being the only girl in the room, special mentorship programs, clients who prefer working with women. It really depends on the firm, the sector of finance you’re in, and (most importantly) the values that you as an individual woman hold.

What did you want The Underwriting to do in terms of reverting expectations?
I wanted to humanize Wall Street and Silicon Valley by showing the contexts of “stereotypical” characters within them. I hoped that by exploring the feelings and pressures and fears of these people, readers would understand them - and their real-life counterparts, and the news headlines they drive - a little better.

Can The Underwriting be read as a feminist text? What do you want your readers to take from it?

I hope readers take away a more nuanced understanding of the pressures and trade-offs both women and men face in the present age. I think there was a time when gender issues were a hockey match - us against them, winners and losers - now it’s more like figure skating. Still slippery, but more nuanced and more subjective in terms of determining what winning means. 

Thank you so much for being on my blog, Michelle!

Check out Michelle Miller and The Underwriting here: https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/the-underwriting

Check out my 5* review of The Underwriting here: http://delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-underwriting-by-michelle-miller.html

Order The Underwriting here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Underwriting-Michelle-Miller/dp/0399174850

Until next time :)

'The Underwriting' by Michelle Miller (*****)

Happy Monday, readers! If you're not following me on twitter (and want to, of course feel free to follow me) then you will be unaware of my persistent tweeting last week about a wonderful book I finished reading, called The Underwriting by the ever-so talented Michelle Miller. I have talked to you before about FMcM and the wonderful YA and Adult books they have sent me these last few months, exposing me to authors and publishers I would not have come across otherwise. Well, The Underwriting is one of those books. When I was first told about it I had never heard of it, then later I discovered it started off as an online web-series, and was published in the USA last year. It is published in the UK on June 25th, and I highly recommend you all go and get a copy, because it is AMAZING.

I was kindly sent The Underwriting by FMcM in exchange for an honest review :)

Intrigued? Here's the blurb...

The Social Network meets The Wolf of Wall Street in The Underwriting, as it takes you behind closed doors into a post-recession world of sex scandals, power plays, and underhanded dealings.
Todd Kent is young, hot, and on his way to the top of Wall Street when the eccentric founder of Hook, the popular new dating app, handpicks him to lead its IPO. Given just two months to pull it off, Todd and his investment banking team brainy Neha, party-boy Beau, and old college flame Tara Taylor race to close the $14 billion deal of the decade. It's the chance of a lifetime for Tara, too, who sees her opportunity to break through the glass ceiling and justify six years of sacrifices for her career. But nothing is what it seems in Silicon Valley, and when tragedy strikes Stanford University's campus, there's no telling where the sparks will fly.

This is definitely one of those books I never thought I would adore, or even understand (the words 'investment' and 'banking' didn't fill me with confidence). I've never read a book like this before, but I was so pleasantly surprised at how engaged I was in the plot and the lives of all the characters. In the novel you follow the lives of Todd, Tara, Kelly, Charlie, Amanda, Juan and Nick with their entourage of business beetles scuttling within the walls of Wall Street and Silicon valley. 

Who knew investment banking could be this entertaining?!

There was nothing I could fault in this book. The characters were vivid, flawed, carefully crafted; you loved to hate them and even deliriously admired them at times. In particular, Todd Kent was someone whom I instantly disliked, yet when the book drew to a close I realised that he was one of the male characters whom I hated least. The plot was fast-moving and fluid; I was carried away with it and thoroughly caught up in the chaos until the final page. Miller herself, as a former employee of J.P. Morgan, casts an all-seeing and ruthless eye on the sparkling world where no one sleeps. It is clear that this book was not simply created to entertain. Miller leaves us as the readers to evaluate whether this is a world that should be allowed to exist, and whether some of the richest people in the world, who are behind our most well-loved apps and programs, should be allowed to carry on the way they are. 

Furthermore, Miller also showed us what it is like to be in the minority, and how social diseases such as sexism, homophobia and racism does not appear to faze most in the cut-throat world of Wall Street.

THE ENDING. Throughout the whole book I kept on wondering to myself, 'How is this going to end? What's going to happen to *character name*?' 'Will Hook go through?' But I couldn't guess at any of the answers. The ending was horrific, delightful, terrifying. The ending a book like The Underwriting should have, to remind readers that despite all preconceptions, Wall Street is not a place for happy endings. Not everyone comes out alive.

I thoroughly recommend that you, your mum, your grandpa and your uncle's dog go out on June 25th and buy this book. It will keep you captivated until the very last page, I promise you.

Buy The Underwriting here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Underwriting-Michelle-Miller/dp/0399174850

Check out Michelle Miller and The Underwriting here: https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/the-underwriting

I have an interview coming up with Michelle Miller on Wednesday! Stay tuned!

Until next time :)

Interview with Savannah Avery, author of 'Girls'

Happy Wednesday, readers! Today I have for you an interview with Savannah Avery, author of Girls, a new YA novel about human trafficking among a group of teenage girls. Here's the blurb:

When Coco meets the girls she wants nothing more than to be apart of their group. They have everything she ever wanted- friendship, independence, beauty, and attention from boys.

But being one of the girls isn't easy. The group's leader M has strict rules and requires all of her girls to use their bodies to make her money.


How much is Coco willing to give up to be one of the girls?

I was able to talk to Savannah Avery about where the inspiration to write Girls came from, the importance of YA literature and why human trafficking should become a more widespread message to people everywhere.


How did you first start writing?
I can't really tell you when I started to write, I think it's always been something that had been apart of my life. I've always read and I'm sure at one point I thought 'Hey! I can do this too!'

Where did the inspiration come from to write 'Girls'? 
I thought about the book's characters before I even thought about the plot. I had this idea about writing a story of teens who 'did something wrong'. I thought about it for a while, trying to figure out what that 'something wrong' could be. That's when I came across human trafficking, and I knew I had to write about it! 

What messages did you try and get across in the book? 
I want people (teenagers and adults!) to know that human trafficking can take place anywhere. It can happen in a high school, it can happen to a regular teenager. I hope this book will help people rethink what they think about human trafficking. 

How important do you think YA literature is? 
I think it's probably one of the most important genres out there! YA literature talks about topics that a lot of other genres won't! It also helps teenagers learn more about the world around them. 

Sum up 'Girls' in three words.
Real. Intense. Sad. 

Thank you for being interviewed on my blog, Savannah! You can order Girls here.

A review of Girls will be up on my blog soon!

Until next time :)

Interview with 'Read Me Like A Book' author Liz Kessler!

Happy Friday, readers! Today I have a very exciting interview for you... It's an interview with the wonderful Liz Kessler, author of the incredible Read Me Like A Book that was published only a few weeks ago. Now, I have been a huge champion of this book ever since I learned that Liz was bringing out a new YA title, as I have been a huge fan of her Emily Windsnap and Philippa Fisher books ever since I was little. I was lucky enough to receive an uncorrected proof copy of the book before it's publication, so I was able to read it verociously before the launch party a couple of weeks ago, which was amazing. It was clear that everyone who attended was just as excited as I was at the prospect of this incredible novel finally appearing on the shelves, after fifteen long years of waiting. It was also great to finally meet Liz, who was hilarious and kind and lovely. 

I was delighted to hear that I would be able to interview Liz for my blog and on Huffington Post, as a celebration of how excited the UKYA blogging community is at this book finally being published, and how pivotal books like these are for young people and adults alike. 

What has the journey been like for getting 'Read Me Like A Book' out into the world? What does it mean to you to finally see it on the shelves?

The journey has been bonkers! Fifteen years, umpteen rejections, and now its day has finally come. It means the world to me to see it on the shelves!!!

How similar is Ashleigh to yourself as a teenager?

I don’t think she’s really like me all that much at all. I think Ashleigh is very much a contemporary teenager, and my teenage years took place in very different times. But we do have some things in common. Having said this, I never think my characters are like me, and someone usually points out that actually they are very much like me - so what do I know?!

What inspires you to write? 
Gosh, anything. Quite often it’s a place. It’s also often a chance event, or even something that someone says. There’s often a little seed in my mind that sits there for years before I get to work on it!  

What advice would you give teenagers who are struggling with overcoming obstacles like Ashleigh? 
I know it’s easy to say, but - try not to worry too much. Living with question marks all around you can feel really hard, but try to just accept who you are - even if you don’t know exactly who that is just yet! You are fine exactly as you are, and you’re not alone. Also, it can be easy to worry about things like 'coming out', but in my experience, the worrying beforehand is usually much worse than when we actually do it. 


What do you want 'Read Me Like A Book' to show/teach people? 
I don’t really feel that I’ve written it in order to show or teach anything. Mostly, I want people to do what the title says and simply read it - and enjoy it - like a book! If it opens people’s eyes to anything along the way, or helps anyone to feel better about themselves or anyone else, then that is a bonus. 

Why is YA literature so special? 
YA literature is focused on a time and an age where so much is going on and everything is so intense and emotional and important. Providing books for young people who are going through all sorts of things at that age means giving them characters and themes that they can connect with and see themselves in. I can’t think of anything more special to do as my day job!

What is different about writing for young children and writing for teenagers?

For me, it’s very similar. The only difference really is that the main characters are going through different experiences and act or speak a bit older than the younger ones. I try to just get under the skin of my characters and write their stories with their voice - and that’s true of all my books.

One piece of advice you would give to yourself as a teenager?

Don’t change a thing. It’s all going to come right in the end. 

At the end of the book, the readers are left unsure of Ash's father's feelings towards her coming out. Is 'Read Me Like A Book' a novel for adults/parents as well as teenagers? 

 I really hope so. Ash’s dad’s feelings are still a bit ambivalent at that point, but I hope that I have hinted that he is open to them changing for the better given time. I think that Ash’s relationship with her parents is one of the biggest parts of the book, and I would almost love nothing better than to get emails from parents saying that it has helped them understand their daughter or son a bit better.

Sum up 'Read Me Like A Book' in three words…

It’s out - YAY!!!!! :))))))) 

Thank you so much for being interviewed, Liz! 

 Read Me Like A Book by Liz Kessler is published by Indigo in hardcover (£10.99) and as an e-book (£5.99).

Check out Liz Kessler and Read Me Like A Book below:

 Check out Liz Kessler here: http://www.lizkessler.co.uk

Buy Read Me Like A Book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Read-Like-Book-Liz-Kessler/dp/1780622090/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427636195&sr=1-1&keywords=read+me+like+a+book


Find out more about Read Me Like A Book here: http://www.lizkessler.co.uk/more-about-read-me-like-a-book/

I'd also like to credit Mark Noall for the photos of Liz!

 
Until next time :)

Spring Book Haul 2015!

Hello, readers! Today, I'm going to do a book haul for you lovely people. I am aware that I don't do these very often (I really should!) but I have received so many amazing books lately that I felt I should do one!

All of these books I have either been sent or gifted, so thank you to Black & White Publishing, Orion, FmCM, my Dad (lol) and Jim, who lent me Back to Blackbrick. 

 In The Steps of The Brontës- Ernest Raymond

Read Me Like A Book- Liz Kessler

Back to Blackbrick- Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

The Dead House- Dawn Kurtagich

Wolf by Wolf- Ryan Graudin

Did I Mention I Love You- Estelle Maskame

The Underwriting- Michelle Miller

Orkney Twilight- Clare Carson

Have you read any of these titles? Lemme know!

Until next time :)

Liz Kessler Book Launch Party!

Happy Sunday, readers! Today, I'm really excited to talk about an amazing event I attended last Thursday: Liz Kessler's Read Me Like A Book launch party! There was such a huge build up to the publication day and UKYA bloggers and authors were going crazy with excitement. I had chatted to Liz a bit on Twitter in the weeks before the launch and so I was so excited to finally meet her, having been a massive fan for over seven years! 

The launch party was held at Waterstones Hampstead; a branch I had never visited before. It was such a lovely venue and the perfect place for a book launch. There was plenty of space for mingling and eating cake (!) but not too big that you felt overwhelmed. As soon as I arrived I could feel the electric atmosphere; the place was buzzing with excitement. The turnout was incredible and the upstairs space was packed with people. The champagne was flowing and everyone was chatting, waiting for the special guests of the evening.

First off we heard from Yael Rischler, children's bookseller at Waterstones Hampstead, who gave an amazing and emotional speech about finally getting Read Me Like A Book out into the world, and then we heard from the woman of the hour herself. I have to say that I learned a lot; I wasn't at all knowledgable about Section 28 or what it entailed, however Liz added that it politicised her and that's when she started writing Read Me Like A Book. There were countless rejections. No one wanted it. At one point, she thought that it would have to forever sit at the bottom of a drawer. Then, after hearing the inspirational song It Does Get Better, Liz was inspired to send it to Orion. After all, if Ash could be brave and take a leap of faith, so could she! The section Liz read from Read Me Like A Book is one of my favourite sections of the book, as I think it is one of the most pivotal moments where Ashleigh begins to accept herself for who she really is. There was a brief moment of stunned silence after the reading was finished, and then the place went crazy! Everyone was very emotional, and it was so wonderful to see. What was even more special was the fact that Liz invited her English teacher from school, who was responsible for making her fall in love with literature.

Next, we heard from special guest Ruth Hunt, who told us all about Stonewall and the amazing work it does to change people's attitudes towards LGBT people, especially in schools. Ruth talked of the importance of LGBT literature for teenagers, and how excited she is for Read Me Like A Book to finally be published. She had no doubt that it would be a great help for teenagers feeling as confused and lost as Ashleigh did at the beginning of Read Me Like A Book. 

After the thank yous and champagne-lobbying was finished a massive queue formed for everyone to get their books signed. I was a little gutted that I hadn't quite been brave enough to bring my old Emily Windsnap and Philippa Fisher books with me, but I had my advance proof copy of Read Me Like A Book and I was very excited to finally meet Liz. She was absolutely lovely and recognised me, probably from my excessive fangirl tweeting. I was so happy that I finally got to meet her, and congratulate her on the INCREDIBLE success that is Read Me Like A Book.

Overall, it was a fantastic evening, and it was definitely a momentous one. Read Me Like A Book is one of those books that changes lives for the better, and everyone at the launch was just so grateful that this book finally got to sit on the shelves, after 15 very long years.

Check out my review for Read Me Like A Book here: http://delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/read-me-like-book-by-liz-kessler.html

Check out Liz Kessler here: http://www.lizkessler.co.uk


Buy Read Me Like A Book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Read-Like-Book-Liz-Kessler/dp/1780622090/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427636195&sr=1-1&keywords=read+me+like+a+book


Find out more about Read Me Like A Book here: http://www.lizkessler.co.uk/more-about-read-me-like-a-book/

Until next time :)