Lyndsey Rushby

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Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Between the Lines (Between the Lines, #1)
by Tammara Webber (Goodreads Author)

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Between the Lines is a bit different from the other New Adult books I have read so far, mainly due to the setting. This book is set within the film industry and more importantly, on location in Texas. Most of the other books in this genre that I have...more Between the Lines is a bit different from the other New Adult books I have read so far, mainly due to the setting. This book is set within the film industry and more importantly, on location in Texas. Most of the other books in this genre that I have read have been set in college so it made a change to read about characters in a completely new and different setting. It was also interesting to see the characters reacting to such a different situation than we are used to in this genre. The book also takes on a modern day story of Pride and Prejudice, which is the film Emma and Reid are filming. It really reminded me of something along the lines of 10 Things I Hate About You.

This is a book that is told through the dual narrative of both Emma and Reid. I do like dual narratives due to really being able to get to know both of the main characters. Emma I really liked while Reid I wasn't so hot about though. Emma is quite naive when it comes to the film industry due to her lack of major experience but Reid is completely the opposite. He knows exactly what he's doing and how to play the people around him. He thinks he's a big hot shot and can do whatever he wants while Emma is trying to get her head around everything that is happening and how it's changing her life.

The romance in this book wasn't at all what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting for this to be quite straight forward and for it to be a bit of a chase between Reid and Emma and while it was, there was so much more going on at the same time. Fellow cast member Graham is a large part of the story but one who is never quite in the forefront of what is going on. I can't say that I was the biggest fan of Reid and Emma and their relationship. I always felt as though Emma was getting the rough end of the deal and Reid still did whatever the hell he wanted. There are also smaller plot lines regarding the romances of some of the other cast members which spiced things up a bit and broke up what was going on with Emma and Reid.

As a New Adult book, this one is extremely tame in the ways of sex scenes, which some readers will be happy to know. I, however, was quite disappointed. With this genre, I expect to get some of the stuff that isn't included in Young Adult books and considering the majority of that characters are young and pretty much living in hotel rooms without supervision, I would have thought there would be some more crazy antics and fun going on.

Although not the best New Adult book I have read, it was certainly enjoyable and the ending was fantastic. I'm glad I have the second book waiting as I think it will be a much better book than the first.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Wild Boy
by Rob Lloyd Jones

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Wild Boy is set in Victorian London, with the young boy covered in hair living in a place where he is constantly belittled and bullied because of how he looks. Instead of rising to the other boys around him, Wild Boy spends his time watching people,...more Wild Boy is set in Victorian London, with the young boy covered in hair living in a place where he is constantly belittled and bullied because of how he looks. Instead of rising to the other boys around him, Wild Boy spends his time watching people, learning more about them. One day though, a strange man comes to take him away to a travelling freak show and circus and he has no option but to go with him. He believes it cannot be any worse than what he already has to deal with.

Wild Boy was such a wonderful character. First off, he was abandoned in a London work house and teased beyond belief, then he’s shipped off to a freak show. I couldn’t have felt more sorry for him. It wasn’t his fault he looked the way he did, nor did he have any say over what happened to him. It doesn’t get any better for him either once is he a part of the freak show. He’s alone all of the time, is forced to perform and has no friends which is something he wants more than anything.

It doesn’t take long for the mystery and action to begin in this book, which was a really good thing. Wild Boy manages to stumble across a very important letter which warns of extremely bad things. He, along with acrobat Clarissa, are brought right into the middle of a strange murder mystery and they must both fight to clear their names. I loved the aspects of the circus people, the involvement of an outside organisation and Wild Boy being able to use his special ability to find sets of clues about the murder. This also sparks a strange friendship between Wild Boy and Clarissa as they are forced to work together, even though they dislike one another.

The travelling freak show setting was fantastic, especially when contrasted with the dark, seedy streets of Victorian London. While one setting is colourful, busy and exciting, the other is creepy, dark and quite disgusting. I especially liked Wild Boy and Clarissa’s adventures on the streets of London and where else it led them to. There are dark, damp sewers along with a mansion hiding secret rooms which are filled with bodies and bones. Rob Lloyd Jones certainly makes his world a place to chill you to the bones, and to never want to go there yourself.

Overall, Wild Boy is a fantastic read filled with interesting characters and a great mystery to solve. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 5 of 5 stars

French Kiss (Diary of a Crush, #1)
by Sarra Manning

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After absolutely loving other Sarra Manning books such as Adorkable and Nobody’s Girl, I will read anything she has published now. Whilst I never read this series when it was in J17 magazine, I had heard nothing but good things about it and was dying...more After absolutely loving other Sarra Manning books such as Adorkable and Nobody’s Girl, I will read anything she has published now. Whilst I never read this series when it was in J17 magazine, I had heard nothing but good things about it and was dying to read it. Manning has slightly updated this series from when it was first published to make some pop culture references more up to date and current.

As this was something that was first in a magazine, the diary format works really well. I can see how well this would have worked in each issue and as the diary entries all vary in length, it would have made for easy and quick reading. This also works in a book format as well because it means you’re never having to wait ages for the end of a chapter if you need to put it down. Instead, you can stop at the end of a diary entry and pick it up again easily. I also found the diary format to give the writing an edge as it was fast paced and punchy.

Diary of a Crush: French Kiss follows Edie and her move to a new home. She finds it difficult at first to fit in at college and seriously misses her old friends back home. Edie is one of those characters who I fell in love with straight away. She’s quirky, different and has a fabulous dress sense. She wears what she wants, even if it means a posh looking dress with her favourite converse. At 16, I definitely wasn’t that sure about what I wanted to wear and how I wanted to be portrayed. I think 16 is also a scary age to move and to have to start over again but I think Edie coped pretty well.

The friends she does make at college though are older than her. At 19, they have more life experience, have had more relationships etc and have more maturity (at times anyway). Dylan is the brooding bad boy who everyone seems to love. Dylan’s behaviour gave Edie every single reason to be angsty over him. One minute he seems to want her, the next he doesn’t and then he does again. What a way to mess with a girl’s head, especially one three years younger and with very little experience. This book gets the idea of mixed signals spot on and I was thinking does he/ doesn’t he the whole way through. As annoying as Dylan was though, I did love him a little bit. It was clear did he did like Edie but was just torn about what the best thing to do was.

Secondary characters also help to show the kinds of relationships and friendships teenagers have. Some of the funniest moments were between Edie, Mia and Shona. I remember having bitchy fights with my friends as a teenager and these scenes made me think back to these times. These characters also made me think about the boyfriend swapping, boy drama and going behind other people’s backs in order to get what you wanted. Being a teenager was so dramatic. Manning gets the voice of a teenager perfectly right too, honing in on all of the emotions that can be felt and the mood swings which are inevitable.

The additional setting of Paris made this book even more perfect for me. I remember going away on both a school trip to Germany and then a college trip to Prague and this book brought back so many memories. The trip is what helped to really explore the relationship between Edie and Dylan. Before the trip, the pair had been having a very informal kind of fling, with random kissing going on. Edie wants more but Dylan seems quite happy with what they have. There isn’t much actual talking before the trip to Paris so it was nice to see the pair on a deeper level.

Diary of a Crush: French Kiss is a wonderful book about teenagers and one that is very entertaining. I can’t wait to read the other two books in the trilogy.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London, #2)
by Maureen Johnson (Goodreads Author)

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I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Name of the Star. The whole story with Jack the Ripper, ghosts and the London setting were all extremely interesting and exciting and I couldn’t wait to get back into that world. The Madness Under...more I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Name of the Star. The whole story with Jack the Ripper, ghosts and the London setting were all extremely interesting and exciting and I couldn’t wait to get back into that world. The Madness Underneath is set a short time after the first book, with protagonist Rory in Bristol with her parents, trying to sort herself out. I really loved getting to know Rory a lot better in this book as she begins to air out her problems and concerns about her life. Nothing is straight forward for her anymore and along with moving to another country, she can’t have it anywhere near easy.

As Rory heads back to London and her school, Wexford, she begins to realise that everything is not as okay as she had hoped. She’s extremely behind in her school work, feels out of place and also has to deal with the ability to see ghosts. I could really sympathise with Rory in this instalment of the trilogy because of her situation. People were there trying to reach out to her although there really aren’t many people around who truly understand what she is going through nor can they help with her problems.

Along with characters from book one being back, there is also a great new range of new characters in this second book. These new characters help to form the plot of The Madness Underneath, which is very different from The Name of the Star. I was a little disappointed though to see that the dark, old and creepy side of London was not included in this book like it was previously. I felt that because of the plot change, and the changes in setting, this book was not nearly as eerie as it could have been.

The first half of this The Madness Underneath was pretty slow going, with us getting to know Rory again and for us to catch up with everything that has been happening with her. The second half of the book though is where it really gets exciting and where the new characters really come into play. Johnson adds in some fantastic twists which I would have never seen coming. With there only being three books, this one ends on such a big cliff-hanger. As soon as I put the book down, I instantly wanted the third and final book in my hands. I have no idea how I’m going to wait to find out what happens next.

Maureen Johnson’s writing is incredibly funny and quirky, which is partly why I love reading this series so much. Although it has a quite serious plot and a scary setting, Johnson injects her personality into the writing. There were numerous times I found myself giggling out loud at suggestions such as pirate bikini models. I wasn’t expecting to find this book as funny as I did but it was nice for everything to not be doom and gloom the whole way through. Johnson sets herself apart from other young adult writers due to her unique style.

Although not quite as dark as the first book, The Madness Underneath is a great middle book which sets the scene for the final book extremely well.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Sever (The Chemical Garden, #3)
by Lauren DeStefano (Goodreads Author)

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Sever begins where Fever left off, with Rhine stuck back in her home with husband Linden and sister wife, Cecily after being subjected to Vaughn's awful experiments. Rhine is still determined to go and find her brother, who has been a part of a range...more Sever begins where Fever left off, with Rhine stuck back in her home with husband Linden and sister wife, Cecily after being subjected to Vaughn's awful experiments. Rhine is still determined to go and find her brother, who has been a part of a range of bombings. He believes that Rhine is dead and she wants to prove him wrong. She also wants to get away from the marriage she was forced into and her terrible father in law who does things like stick needles into her eyes. Who wouldn't want to get away from that.

In this book, both new and old characters play a big role in Rhine's life and her decisions. Although not mentioned before now, we get to meet Linden's uncle Reed, Vaughn's brother. What I loved about this new character was that he was so different from Vaughn, who is terribly scary. Reed has been kind of outcast from the family, living in a run-down house with his inventions. Reed's house becomes a safe haven for Rhine but through this, we get to learn more about both Vaughn and Linden, and their lives before Rhine.

Vaughn has to be one of the most well developed characters throughout this trilogy. To begin with, in the first and second books, we see him as only the villain. He does some terrible things in the first books and torture/ experimenting are two of his favourite pastimes. However, up until this point, we have never been able to understand his actions or the reasons behind them. In Sever, we get to see a completely different side to Vaughn which made me have a completely different opinion of him than I did before. I never thought Vaughn could be anything other than evil but there is a lot more to him than originally thought.

Sever's plot spends most of its time answering mysteries that have previously been unanswered. We finally get to find out what the deal is with Vaughn, what Rhine's brother is really up to and we get to find out what happened to Gabriel and also how everything ends. I found the plot to be fast paced and really exciting. The setting changed constantly, which made the story really interesting for me. I liked how there were so many places to see and how different each of them were to each other. Each different setting also gives up a variety of answers and it was like pieces of a puzzle finally fitting together.

One aspect lacking throughout the whole series, and especially in this book, is romance. There have been, and are, romantic aspects but none have ever been enough for me. To begin with, Rhine falls for Gabriel but the passion was never really strong enough. I never believed the feelings that were supposed to be there. Also, Linden is clearly torn between Cecily and his feelings for Rhine but again, they weren't absolutely believable. I would have loved for there to be a lot more romance in this book, especially as everything was being wrapped up so nicely.

Sever is a fantastic end to a really good series. If you haven't read any of these yet, I urge you to. The Chemical Garden world is beautifully created, written and explained. There is so much intrigue and mystery in this unique series.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Kissing Booth
by Beth Reekles

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The book follows the story of Rochelle, aka Elle and Shelly. She’s one of the popular girls in school but has never had a boyfriend. Her lifelong best friend Lee is like her twin and they are scarily connected to one another. To start with, I have to...more The book follows the story of Rochelle, aka Elle and Shelly. She’s one of the popular girls in school but has never had a boyfriend. Her lifelong best friend Lee is like her twin and they are scarily connected to one another. To start with, I have to say that I absolutely loved the fact that Elle had a guy as a best friend and that there were no romantic feelings between either of them. It’s about time a friendship like this wasn’t ruined and turned into a relationship. Ella and Lee are wonderful to read about together as they are so refreshing and different together.

While I did like the idea of the kissing booth at the carnival, I do think it is a little outdated. Also, the author is British but sets the story in America. This I don’t have a problem with so much but lack of experience in that particular setting shows. Would this kind of thing be done nowadays and would a school even allow it?! There are also problems with British terminology being used and this bugged me quite a bit. I would have much preferred for American words to be used instead of things like jumper or trousers because they just didn’t fit in very well.

The plot is pretty clichéd and predictable. However, I really did like the plot. With a young adult contemporary, I don’t look for complete uniqueness and a tried and tested formula is ok by me. Elle has had a semi-secret crush on Lee’s big brother for some time now but has never done anything about it because of who he is and his reputation. Noah is known as the bad boy who every girl wants to be with. Elle sees him slightly differently though due to knowing him a lot better than the other girls. Her dreams come true when she is asked to step in on the kissing booth and manages to kiss him.

From here, the majority of the plot revolves around secrets and lies. Elle and Noah have chemistry but she doesn’t want to ruin what she has with Lee. She also doesn’t want to think they have something they don’t as Noah has a reputation for sleeping around. I liked the secretive meetings between Elle and Noah as they were exciting and fun.

While I did really like the plot, there were things that I just didn’t understand. Elle’s Dad seemed to be completely ok with her going out to parties without much explanation as to why she doesn’t come home some nights. Noah is a straight A student but constantly gets into fights and trouble without even the smallest detention. Surely these things wouldn’t get passed most parents or schools. If Noah was a bad boy through and through, I could have understood but how on earth did he get away with having the best of everything? That would never happen.

Overall, The Kissing Booth was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While predictable, the story was cute and enjoyable but there were quite a few problems with the writing.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
by Melissa Jensen (Goodreads Author)

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Melissa Jensen tells the story of Ella, a teenager who is an outcast at school. She only has two friends, has a strange obsession with a dead painter and has large scarring on her body due to an accident as a child. I absolutely loved Ella’s friendsh...more Melissa Jensen tells the story of Ella, a teenager who is an outcast at school. She only has two friends, has a strange obsession with a dead painter and has large scarring on her body due to an accident as a child. I absolutely loved Ella’s friendships with Frankie and Sadie and how close the three of them were. The title of the book comes from the three of them playing Truth or Dare every time they go out to eat together, which is quite often. The game was a fun way of getting to know each of the characters more, especially as truth was used more than dare.

Ella as a character on her own was also great. She’s very quirky, has a large Italian family and her love for art is quite obvious. The whole thing with the dead Edward Willing was a little too strange for me for the most part of the book though. However, I do think that this was an inventive way for Ella to express herself. She talks to the dead painter out loud and has whole imaginary conversations with him. This allows Ella to work through her feelings and her experiences though and in a way I have never seen before. Ella has quite a lot going on in this book due to her family, friends, project on Edward Willing and her new tutoring sessions with a guy she is crushing on. Sometimes though, there was a little too much going on.

As Ella has liked Alex for quite some time, she is both terrified and happy at the prospect of him tutoring her. She doesn’t want people to know though because she’s afraid of what they might say about her. Ella’s scarring has a lot to do with her confidence levels and also how the other girls at school see and treat her. She doesn’t think she’s good enough to be spending time with Alex, even in a tutoring environment. The build-up between Ella and Alex was cute enough and it was nice to see the whole book not completely be about the romance. The more time they spend together, each character begins to see the other for who they really are, rather than who they thought they were. This book has a great moral lesson of not judging a book by its cover which was a nice addition to the rest of the plot.

While I did find this book a little strange in parts, I did like it. It isn’t my favourite contemporary read but it is cute and different.(less)

Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Skin Deep
by Laura Jarratt (Goodreads Author)

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Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars Between the Lines (Between the Lines, #1) by Tammara Webber (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Between the Lines is a bit different from the other New Adult books I have read so far, mainly due to the setting. This book is set within the film industry and more importantly, on location in Texas. Most of the other books in this genre that I have...more
May 19, 2013 02:53pm · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Wild Boy is set in Victorian London, with the young boy covered in hair living in a place where he is constantly belittled and bullied because of how he looks. Instead of rising to the other boys around him, Wild Boy spends his time watching people,...more
May 19, 2013 09:41am · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 5 of 5 stars French Kiss (Diary of a Crush, #1) by Sarra Manning	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
After absolutely loving other Sarra Manning books such as Adorkable and Nobody’s Girl, I will read anything she has published now. Whilst I never read this series when it was in J17 magazine, I had heard nothing but good things about it and was dying...more
May 15, 2013 04:55am · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Madness Underneath (Shades of London, #2) by Maureen Johnson (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Name of the Star. The whole story with Jack the Ripper, ghosts and the London setting were all extremely interesting and exciting and I couldn’t wait to get back into that world. The Madness Under...more
May 15, 2013 03:16am · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars Sever (The Chemical Garden, #3) by Lauren DeStefano (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sever begins where Fever left off, with Rhine stuck back in her home with husband Linden and sister wife, Cecily after being subjected to Vaughn's awful experiments. Rhine is still determined to go and find her brother, who has been a part of a range...more
May 13, 2013 04:06am · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The book follows the story of Rochelle, aka Elle and Shelly. She’s one of the popular girls in school but has never had a boyfriend. Her lifelong best friend Lee is like her twin and they are scarily connected to one another. To start with, I have to...more
May 01, 2013 11:16am · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Melissa Jensen tells the story of Ella, a teenager who is an outcast at school. She only has two friends, has a strange obsession with a dead painter and has large scarring on her body due to an accident as a child. I absolutely loved Ella’s friendsh...more
May 01, 2013 10:24am · see review
Lyndsey Rushby rated a book 4 of 5 stars Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 30, 2013 02:00am

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