The Alibi Book Club #15 | Zoella Book Club Review

While everyone is raving about Zoe's Sweet Inspirations range - which I'm still waiting to come to my store (ugh), I thought I would get some books from Zoe's book club collaboration with WHSmith. Being a serious bookworm, I was really excited about it when she announced she was doing it a couple of months back. If you aren't aware of what it's about, Zoe has chosen 8 books that she's read and the store has put them in a sort of book club so we can read them for ourselves. All of the books have different covers especially for the promotion which I think is really cool and quite special, and the stickers that come on each book are so pretty that I'm never going to take them off! And generally the books she's chosen are perfect for teens and young adults alike, so I would say to definitely check it out.

Now down to the main event. There was a 3 for 2 offer straight away, so I couldn't resist not buying the three titles that drew me in. If you want to stock up on some reads for the summer, then take advantage of the offer as I don't know how long it'll last. I can't wait to sit in the garden with some squash and one of these books... The first one was Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher. I was drawn in the by the concept of falling in love with someone famous and living in a village. I love stories about people living in villages (call me an old lady!) and this sounded like such a cute story...

"A gorgeously romantic novel about fame, friendship and falling in love. Sophie May has a secret. One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop. But then Sophie unexpectedly meets the gorgeous Billy Buskin - a famous actor with ambitions to make it to the top. As they begin to grow closer, Sophie finds herself whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world. After years of shying away from attention, can Sophie handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? How much is she prepared to give up along the way? And is their love strong enough to keep them together against the odds? Charming, heart-warming and utterly romantic, Billy and Me is an unforgettable story that will completely capture your heart." 

Next up is All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. This young adult book is a tad serious as it centres around mental health. I picked it up because there were good reviews about it and I wanted to get a better understanding of the subject.

"On the surface, Violet Markey and Theodore Finch could not be more different; Finch is a melancholy and unusual figure, preoccupied with death. He fixates on the notion of taking his own life. However, each time he decides to kill himself, some small but wonderful thing stops him. Violet is a popular girl, usually surrounded by many friends, but she is having a hard time coming to terms with the death of her sister. When the two meet on a ledge, they manage to save each other and, understandably, find themselves drawn to one another. When the two embark on an adventure - a road-trip round Indiana to discover the ‘natural wonder’s of their home state -Violet gets to know the other, warmer, funnier side of Finch. Events do not conspire to help Finch’s state of mind, though, and Violet will have to decide how far she is willing to go for the boy she now realises she loves. All The Bright Places navigates the very complicated and troubling world of mental illness in a moving and accessible  way; the novel will help YA readers gain a greater understanding of the very real and important issues faced by those who are experiencing mental illness, issues that a quarter of the population will face at some point in their lives. It  also contains a simple but ever useful message for anyone who may be feeling blue, in essence, as Finch tells Violet, whatever you do, make it lovely."

And lastly, I couldn't not get Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard. Not only because it was set in Brighton, it's also about friendship which I think not a lot of books are about. They seem to be always about romance, so it sounded refreshing and right up my street.

"Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie - confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne's past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own."

I didn't want to ramble on as I haven't read them yet, but I hope the descriptions I got from the books has given you a good idea of what the books are about. Alternatively, you can actually watch Zoe's video here about why she picked them and what she thinks!