The Pastel Effect - Arly Carmack

Genre: Young Adult / Romance

Release Date: 25th November 2020

TW: Mental Illness / Drug & Alchohol References / Sexual References / Self-Harm / Accidents

Caroline wanted the things that everybody did in highschool. The grades, the friends, the cute boyfriend - ideally her best friends adorable brother Skip. But that was never going to happen with their pastor father looking over them.

Then Cody Kirby walks into the picture during a class project. The image of popularity and confidence, part of the 'circle' - but suspciously nice. And now all of a sudden she is crushing hard on a boy who she'd only ever said a few sentences to - the first one being "What song will we play at our wedding then?"

They were the last people in town you'd imagine becoming best friends - but they have one very real thing in common - they're both pretending to be happy. Caroline is plagued by loss, doubt, and underlying issues and Cody is slowly crackng under the pressure of trying to be the person everybody wants him to be - and losing himself on the journey.

At the beginning of this story, It honestly felt a little stiff and rushed, just pushing us through so we could get to the action - but once we got a real feel for the characters it ended up with some really wonderful moments throughout.

Now, let's talk about our two main characters - they're annoying as hell. They're whiny, they're obsessed, they're naive and unreliable. But that's exactly why they're so perfectly written. Don't you remember what being a teenager was like? This story gives such an refreshingly frank look into the truths of being a confused, hormonal teenager trying to navigate who you are and what you want.

Now, this book does go to some very dark places, dealing with the issues that so many young people are going through when they're growing up - but it's mostly handled very well and while there are difficult subjects - this isn't a sad book at all. It's about living with issues, instead of just surviving with them.

Once I'd warmed up to the story, this book was a pleasure to read and very easy to speed right through - it was a slow burning drama for the first half of the book, while we navigate the complications of young love and friendship and it most definitely quickly changed pace in the end. There were a few loose ends bothering me towards the end of this tale, but this also worked in a unique way - we don't get all the answers because these kids still have a lot of growing up to do.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley & Arly Carmack for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Comments

REVIEW: This Could Be Us by Clare McGowan

Genre: Fiction | Literary Fiction Release Date: Expected 1st June 2023 Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group | Corsair Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard to build a perfect life for herself, while ignoring her growing unhappiness. But when her second child was born profoundly disabled, reality hit. Unable to cope, Kate left - disappearing without a trace. She ends up in LA, with a glittering career and a new family of sorts, but the guilt is still suffocating. Husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces and care for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on Olivia, Kate's best friend. She's been by his side ever since, ignoring her own needs to meet his. Years later, Andrew has written a memoir about his daughter learning to communicate against all odds. But when Kate's new producer husband decides he wants to make a film of it, their worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must return to the life she abandoned and reck...

REVIEW: Live, Laugh, Lesbian by Helen Scott

Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGTBQ+ Release Date: 19th October 2023 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love. The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge the Essex-isms. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family...

BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

" This town has secrets that are best left alone." Author Hannah is a success, on paper at least. She's receiving critical acclaim and praise worldwide and her work is regarded as some of the best. She writes literature, not just books. But the reality is, outside of the literary circles nobody actually reads her work. But when she finally snaps at a book event and publicly criticises the genre fiction books that outsell hers, claiming they're easy and mindless she's challenged to write her own crime fiction novel in just thirty days by an author she loathes. Desperate not to lose to him, her editor arranges for her to spend a month in a quiet, cold village in Iceland hoping that the solitude will spark inspiration. But instead of writing a murder story - she's in one . Just before she arrives, the body of a young man is pulled from the icy waters and her search for ideas soon becomes a search for a killer. And if she's not careful, she might end up the...

On Bee's Bookshelf

Search This Blog