Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell-Now this has been on my 'to-read' list for over a year so I added it to a recent online order. Set in the eighties, without the daggy outfits, we meet two teens, Eleanor and Park. They're both somewhat social outcasts who meet and bond over a love of music, mix tapes and comic books. Eleanor comes from a dysfunctional family and Park saves her to an extent. I won't spoil anything else for you but this was brilliant. It's such a sweet story. Funny, adorable, a little bit cringe-worthy in parts and even a touch sad. I loved it and it was a great introduction to Rowell's writing.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven*-One of the most highly anticipated YA debuts of 2015 and it really didn't disappoint. As the blurb states, it tells the story of the girl who learned to live from the boy who wants to die. Violet and Finch are in their last year of high school before they depart for college. They work together on a class geography project, make their way around Indiana spots and always leave something behind wherever they visit. This book touches on first loves, mental illness and learning to live again after more trying times. It doesn't glorify or romanticise the issues at all, which was fantastic. This novel is beautifully done. You'll laugh and you will cry. Everyone needs to read this. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell-Another read from Rainbow Rowell. This one centres around Cath's experiences as she heads off to college. Her first encounters with romance, classes and of course her fan fiction about Simon Snow are explored. The fan fiction in question is very Harry Potter-esque, maybe it was just me that thought that. Like Eleanor & Park this was a sweet, heartwarming story. I did feel like it was over too quickly though so I'll definitely have to go back for a re-read of this at some point. 

Stuff I've Been Reading by Nick Hornby-Nick Hornby's books are probably going to be making their way into these posts for the next while, just a heads up for y'all. Anyway, this book contains Hornby's essays about books that he penned for a magazine/newspaper (I think). It's actually really interesting and I'm loving this at the moment. The majority of books he's featured are ones I've not heard of too so I've been adding to my ever-increasing 'to-read' list.

-Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

*Press Copy