Book Review: Mr and Mr J by Rachel McIntyre

Me and Mr J is written from the point of view of Lara, our fifteen year old protagonist. Lara is at a difficult enough age as it is, but her parents are having troubles both financially and, as a result, in their relationship, and her family life is suffering.  Add to this, the bullies have singled Lara out and are treating her really badly at school... and making it absolutely clear her family will suffer even more if she speaks to anyone. This, I believe, is the root of this story, the poor girl has a hideous psychological nightmare going on, and seemingly no solutions available to her.

Enter Mr J, a very young, newly qualified teacher, who is instantly a hit with the girls in year 11. Lara sees in him a way of avoiding the bullies for a while and escaping the family issues that are constantly on her mind. As a result her feelings for him snowball into something enormous, and this is how things develop. Two vunerable people finding their way.

While this story of forbidden love should, perhaps, have been shocking, it was in fact more about other issues than the relationship between Lara and Mr J, in my opinion. Also, as it was told entirely from Lara's perspective, and in the form of a diary, it was great to get to know her and see her sense of humour. There are a few lines in the book that made me laugh out loud, and I particularly love the way Lara records her interactions with her Gran.

I love the voice of Lara in this, all of the characters are strong, I think the way it is written as a diary reads really well and I do like the ending and the epilogue too. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Find out more about the book in this fantastic author interview with Rachel McIntyre:

You can find Me and Mr J on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com or at any book retailer.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman

 

Katie, Pixie, Jane and Ellie are the sort of women that all other women will be able to relate to; they have worries about their looks, but it's more than a book about weight issues, it's a book about relationships (of all kinds), career highs and lows, health scares and all sorts. 

I enjoyed the flowing changes in the relationship dynamics between the four women, the issues they all faced brought enough grit to evoke a whole range of emotions, and some of the other characters were just as interesting as the main four.

The Curvy Girls Club was a joy to read. I found I got completely absorbed in the story and characters, and particularly towards the end, I didn't want to put the book down. I found myself wishing there was such a thing as The Curvy Girls Club, and what do you know; there at the back of the book was a link to The Curvy Girls Club on Facebook.

I will be keen to read more books by this author.

You can buy your own copy now on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com or at any other book retailer.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.