Bookish

Thanks to NetGalley for this free Galley.

Ok, so I’ll be honest, reviewing a compilation of book extracts is not easy. And deciding on a rating is even harder, as if I were to review these extracts individually then they would all receive very different ratings. Originally I was going to rate Buzz Books 2014: Young Adult as a middle-of-the-road 3 stars to balance out my mixed feelings in regards to each extract. But, no, some of these extracts were AMAZING, and quite frankly, they outweighed the extracts that I didn’t quite enjoy.

Now, don’t get me wrong, none of these YA extracts were “bad”, some of which just weren’t to my taste. Such as Press Play by Eric Devine and Endgame by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton. However, I imagine that in the context of the whole novel, they will be thoroughly enjoyable reads.

Moving on to the highlights of this compilation…… Where do I begin!? My favourites were [b:Zac and Mia|15757486|Zac and Mia|A.J. Betts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372227353s/15757486.jpg|21455857], which I’m sure will appeal to fans of the likes of John Green, and is not to be dismissed! [b:Vivian Apple at the End of the World|20256737|Vivian Apple at the End of the World (Vivian Apple, #1)|Katie Coyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400936249s/20256737.jpg|24935012] had me hooked along with [b:The Zoo at the Edge of the World|19099499|The Zoo at the Edge of the World|Eric Kahn Gale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396037376s/19099499.jpg|27128930]. And just as I was getting into [b:The Scavengers|19522670|The Scavengers|Michael Perry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394994897s/19522670.jpg|27431429], the extract was over, I was so disappointed because I wanted to read more.

Three extracts that stick out for me were [b:Rumble|17460553|Rumble|Ellen Hopkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395175464s/17460553.jpg|24354415], [b:Belzhar|20821376|Belzhar|Meg Wolitzer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395326170s/20821376.jpg|40167214] and[b:Lies We Tell Ourselves|15828079|Lies We Tell Ourselves|Robin Talley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394316627s/15828079.jpg|21561215]. I was so desperate to read more of Rumble, I love Hopkins style of writing and from what I have read so far, it really encapsulates dark and difficult thoughts of Matthew Turner. The first thing I noticed about Belzhar was the cover of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (a favourite book of mine) and an Unknown Pleasures tshirt (I am a big Joy Division fan), so automatically I was uber excited to read the extract….and let’s just say, I was not disappointed! The Lies We Tell Ourselves, on the other hand deals with such an intense subject matter, and even from reading such a short extract, I realise that this is going to be a thought-provoking book and although I have only read a small section, I still recommend it to all.

Other highlights include: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield, Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang, and Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto.