TRIGGER WARNING: violence against women, misogyny, domestic abuse. Jamie doesn’t like what’s happening in his life, and he blames women.  This book terrified me. In fact, I desperately wanted to put it down, but I couldn’t – in that can’t-look-away-from-a-car-crash kind of way. Not that either the writing or the story is a car crash at all – they’re both fantastic and perfectly achieve their purpose: I was totally gripped by the plot and had such conflicting feelings for Jamie, who I both pitied and was completely repulsed by. He is lured into the dark world of incels and targeted for what makes him vulnerable: his feelings of rejection, isolation and shame. I recently finished watching Adolescence on Netflix, which has similar themes of incels and also has a main character named Jamie. I wanted to learn more to get my head around how boys and men get to this place of absolutely hating women. What’s scary is that the path Jamie and his friend Lee go down in this novel really isn’t that far-fetched. The way they are manipulated is so believable. If you are worried about someone going down this road, or just worried about the theme in general, this book might not make you feel better, but it could give you some insight, and some hope, too. This is a book for #incels #rejection #isolation #loneliness #understandingmisogyny Video review here .

Imagine there were twelve of you, and you had to keep it secret: that's Teva's life. Every year, on her birthday Teva splits in two. By her seventeenth birthday, Teva's determined to stop herself from replicating. I was totally gripped by the idea for this book, and as expected, it was nothing like I'd ever read before. This is a book about taking control when everything in your life gets out of hand. It's about learning from the older versions of yourself and taking that information forward to make a better, stronger you. It's also an award winner, super clever and completely original. This is a book for #growingup, #takingcontrol and #identity

From under the thumb of her mum, Xiomera finds freedom, strength and expression in poetry. Xiomera doesn't shy away from fighting - whether it's the boys who grab at her, or the people who give her twin brother a hard time - she's not to be messed with. But it's not so easy standing up to her mum. She lives in a strict household, and her mum's interpretation of their religion makes life extremely hard; Xiomera's treated differently to her brother just because she's a girl. She gets more chores, more rules, and it's all completely sexist and uneven with her brother. But, in her poems, she finds strength. This novel is INCREDIBLE. It is some of the most beautiful YA writing I've come across. I LOVE that it's all written in Xiomera's poetry. It's very emotional - the way she is treated so cruelly is hard to read. But she is a proper fighter, and after being shut down for so long, she finds her perfect way of being seen and heard: slam poetry. This is a book for #strictparents #abuse #sexism and #innerstrength Video review here .

Two Bengali girls living in Ireland are NOT friends, but their shared cultural experiences bring them together. Hani is bisexual, only her friends are not very accepting and don't seem to believe her. So, Hani lies, saying she has a girlfriend, only keeping up this lie is going to be pretty difficult without Ishu's help. Ishu, however, has her own problems, her stupid older sister has decided to drop out of med school to get married and her parents have cut her off. It's Ishu's job to excel, to become Head Girl and ace her exams and make her parents proud. There are fabulous themes in this book surrounding school, friendships and family relationships as well as the cultural aspect of growing up in a country that's not the same as where your parents grew up. A book for #parentalrelationships #socialissues #bisexuality #schoolstress See the video review here

Naomi falls down the stairs, hits her head, and can't remember anything from the last four years. This novel really got me thinking about whether, if I had to start my life from scratch, work out my relationships and my likes and dislikes, things would end up the same as before I forgot everything. Naomi doesn't even remember her best friend or her boyfriend, so obviously feels completely lost and confused. On that self-discovery level, this book is super relatable. Naomi works through so many feelings and frustrations trying to understand herself and the people around her, and you don't need to be an amnesiac to relate. It's also a good book for exploring sensitive family situations, like divorce, adoption, and strained relationships with parents. It's also just amazing writing. So funny and easy to read. This is a book for #selfdiscovery, #divorce, #adoption, #strainedfamilyrelationships. Video review here .

Sam time travels to 1995 and suddenly her mother makes sense. Ever wonder what your parents were like before you came along? The year is 2025 and Sam and her mother do not understand each other at all; they care about totally different things. One day, when Sam's grandmother becomes ill, Sam has a total blowout with her mum. And then, suddenly it's 1995 and Sam has to repair the past to save her family's future. This book explores the impact immigration can have on families for generations. It explores racism, and it made me think about the stories behind why people are the way they are. It's completely addictive and I'm so sad I can't read it anymore. This is a book for #racism #immigration #motherdaughterrelationships #family Video review here .

Self help for anyone who is feeling a bit crappy about how life is panning out. This book promises a massive change in perspective! The habits in here are really useful and game changing if you're someone who always ends up in an argument, feels depleted by other people or struggles with self doubt. My absolute fave (and one I'm STILL working on) is habit 3 - seek first to understand then to be undersood. I wish someone had given me this advice when I was a teen (or at least, I wish I'd listened to this advice) because the deepest need of every human heart is to be understood, isnt' it? It's a little dense in places but a really good insight into how to do life better and has super relevant examples, despite it being written a good while ago. A book for #selfhelp #anxiety #socialissues

Ffion spends the summer with his irritating sister on an island where their grandad seems to be the 'storm keeper' but is also losing his mind. For fans of the mystical and the enchanted, Ffion learns early in the summer that his destiny is wrapped in the mystery of the island and that a grave threat lurks just around the corner. The biggest and, I think, most interesting mystery, is that of Ffion's dad - a father he has never known, who died before Ffion was even born - and his mother's depression that seems to be connected to it and to Ffion himself. A book for #siblingissues #knowingyourworth #overcomingobstacles See the video review here

It's Christmas and EVERYTHING is going wrong for Jubilee . . . or is it? Jubilee is all excited for a perfect Christmas with her family and her perfect boyfriend, but when her parents get arrested for being in a squabble over a ridiculous model Christmas village, it starts an equally ridiculous, and very unlucky, chain of events. Somewhere amongst all the catastrophes she faces, Jubilee realises she's being taken for granted and things need to change. This short story was exactly what I wanted to read this time of year. It has quirky, quick-witted characters and it's so funny and easy to read. A perfect dose of Christmassy chaos and a good reminder to know your worth, if you feel like you're not being treated the way you should, or if you've ever felt like you're someone's backup plan. This is a book for #knowingyourworth. Video review here .

A book about facing some of the scariest monsters: grief, sadness and loneliness. This is an EMOTIONAL read, but I'm so glad I read it. Colin's mum has been diagnosed with cancer. Every night he has the same nightmare, and is visited by a monstrous yew tree, which tells him tales that have surprising outcomes. This story is all about facing up to your deepest fears, one of which is the thought of losing the person you love the most in the world (every time I tried to dry the tears off my face, it was basically soaking wet again). It is like a fairytale in many ways, but the feelings could not be more real. Colin learns how important it is to be completely honest with himself about his feelings, and to feel them completely, or they will never properly go away. You'd have to be much braver than I am to read this book if you're actually grieving, or worried about someone's health. Honestly, it would just be too much. But if you're in the right place for it, this book could be really cathartic (help you get rid of lots of emotions). One tip: Make sure you read the printed version. I read it on an e-reader and later discovered the beautiful illustrations. This book suits ages 12 and up - Colin is young but I believe anyone could get something from his story. This is a book for #grief, #loneliness, #anger, #bullying and #cancer. Video review here .

The warm fuzzy feeling of young lovers in the glamorous setting of Italy! Lina, meets her father for the first time in a foreign country and unravels the mystery of why she never met him when her mother was alive, by reading her journal. Harold lives in a graveyard and is so entirely different to Lina that she can’t understand how he could possibly be her dad. This book will make you feel reaffirmed by your difference, decisive about love and friendship and all warm inside. If you’re going through a cultural change, like you’re the new kid, this book would be a great comfort. A book for #teenromance #parentrelationships #bigchange Video review here

If you get to know your enemy, you might not hate them after all. This book kind of blew my mind. There is no getting around the fact that it’s REALLY weird, but I LOVED everything about it. It is based on Moby Dick, which is a novel told from the perspective of whalers seeking revenge on a whale, whereas this book is told from the perspective of a whale seeking revenge on humans.  The main character (whale) is called Bathsheba, and she is part of a group of hunters that hunt humans. They have their own ships and harpoons, and while at times I struggled to get my head around these sorts of things, there are really beautiful illustrations that helped me understand what was going on.  In this book, whales are just as cruel to humans as humans are to them. Prejudice, evil, war, revenge, and the foolishness of all these things is explored, which seems pretty timely with the way the world is going these days.  “For there are devils in the deep, but worst are the ones we make.” This is a book for exploring #prejudice, #war, #revenge and #evil. Video review here.