TBR - June 2017

Last month I only managed 1 of the 5 books in last month's tbr post (I was also distracted by other books but shh). Now that my exams are over, nothing can stop me and *fingers crossed* I'll be able to read all of the books which I neglected last month too and I now officially have zero things to do.💃

The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas

Honestly I am so excited to read this! I'm very aware that as someone who aims to read diversely I've not yet read a book with a character with an ASD before and I'm just really really looking forward to it!

How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne

This has been on my shelf for a while and I need to return it to it's owner before the summer holidays (shoutout to Bella for loaning it to me). I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to it because quite frankly everything by Holly Bourne seems to be amazing as yay!

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

I think this is going to be a really beautiful and important read, I've heard nothing but good things abut it so naturally I can't wait to read it! I'm intrigued by what the storyline will be like from the synopsis but I'm sure this book and I will get along well.

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz

Okay I'll be honest I was a big fan of Melissa de la Cruz' Blue Bloods series when I was about 15 and this book (although sounding very very different to vampires!) sounds like it'll be really interesting, I bought it ages ago and I'm excited to finally pick it up!

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

So I'm very aware that it's pride month this month and so it's essential (as with every month!) that I include at least one LGBT+ book in my tbr! I'm hoping I'll be able to read more than just one but I'm putting Carry On in this post because a) it's been on my list for SO LONG and b) it's the only LGBT+ book that's currently on my bookshelf that I haven't yet had chance to read!

I have high hopes for June being a month of lots of reading! Have you read any of these or are you planning to read any of them this month? Let me know in a comment, I'm nosey and want to know what you're planning to read!

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne

Rating : 8/10
This was a fantastic book, I was absolutely hooked from the first chapter. It's one of those where you sit down and think to yourself "Yes, I've got time to just read a couple of chapters before I carry on with my coursework." then low and behold three hours have gone past and you're still in exactly the same position, no closer to reaching your deadlines.
It follows the story of schoolgirl Bree who dreams of becoming a published author, but her applications keep being rejected despite all of her efforts. When she is told to live a more exciting life before trying again, she takes it upon herself to becoming interesting, the living stereotype of all things popular in high school. As you would expect, the popular life isn't all that it seems to be from the outside and Bree is soon in a bit of a mess! But I'll leave the rest of the story for you to learn for yourself.
Bree, is a character who I hold close to my heart (I think it's because we've both dyed our hair stupid colours and have had to deal with the weird is it pink? or is it brown? stages of colour fading), she's like so many of us are (or have been), unhappy with the way things are even though there is no real reason. The difference between us however, is that she has the guts to go "Okay let's see what the popular thing is about then shall we, if I have to be interesting I'll go all the way!" and that's what makes this book such a joy to read, we can all relate to different aspects of what she's going through and we can learn from her story, whilst at the same time look at everything which happens to her and marvel at how someone can deal with so many things at the same time!
The one factor that I wish I had been warned about before I began reading this book however, is that it should come with a pretty big trigger warning for self harm. Holly Bourne writes about such a sensitive topic as well as anyone could do, whilst still reflecting the way in which it affects her character's life, but I found it very challenging to read and I would have much appreciated knowing what I was in for before I opened the book. I would never tell anyone not to read something but I would just suggest considering if it is a wise idea before you start this one, if you know this is something that can upset you.

Overall this is a wonderful read, a classic coming of age novel with a heartbreakingly relatable lead character that you will fly through once you open, and I would certainly recommend it.