Recommended Reads #1

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

"For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty. Parents and children alike are best friends - so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.

When the midnight calls come in from the hospital, no one is prepared for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head as part of an apparent suicide pact. The gun holds a single unspent bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself, but a local detective has doubts. And the Hartes and Golds, in a single terrifying moment, must face every parent's worst fear: do we ever really know our children at all?"

Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors, and this book definitely didn't disappoint. I really enjoy reading this book and I was hooked on Chris and Emily's story from the first page. As you can probably tell from the picture, I've read this book many times and I don't think I'll ever be bored of it. You can buy it here.

My Mad Fat Diary by Rae Earl

"It's 1989 and Rae is a fat, boy-mad 17-year-old girl, living in Stamford, Lincolnshire with her mum and their deaf white cat in a council house with a mint off-green bath suite and a larder Rae can't keep away from. This is the hilarious and touching real-life diary she kept during that fateful year - with characters like her evil friend Bethany, Bethany's besotted boyfriend, and the boys from the grammar school up the road (who have code names like Haddock and Battered Sausage).

My Mad Fat Diary evokes a vanished time when Charles and Di are still together, the Berlin wall is up, Kylie is expected to disappear from the charts at any moment and it's £1 for a Snakebite and Black in the Vaults pub. My Mad Fat Diary will appeal to anyone who's lived through the 1980s. But it will also strike a chord with anyone who's ever been a confused, lonely teenager who clashes with their mother, takes themselves VERY seriously and has no idea how hilarious they are."

After watching (and falling in love with) the first series of MMFD, I found out that it was actually based on a book, which I found in a local bookstore for £1.99 in a sale. Obviously, for that price, I definitely couldn't leave it in the shop and I'm glad I picked it up. I loved the book, but if you're going to read it I suggest you don't associate it with the series too much, as they're quite different. You can get it here.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up."

This is definitely one of my favourite books. Ever. It's amazing and heartbreaking and it's one of those wonderful books where both the film and the book are really, really good. There are lots of  little details in the book that make it slightly better but I enjoyed the film just as much. I think it's better to read the book before you see the film, as you get the jist of the story a lot quicker. You can buy it here.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

"Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life.

Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible . . ."

This is my favourite book out of all the ones I've read recently. As a very easily attached teenage girl, I found Fangirl incredibly relatable and very, very hard to put down. The characters are so loveable and  I saw a lot of my own personality traits in the main character Cather, which made the book even better for me. You can buy it here.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going in this way - thin, thinner; thinnest - maybe she'll disappear altogether."

This book has been a favourite of mine for a few years now. However, it could be highly triggering for people affected by eating disorders or self harm, so if that sounds like you please, please read with caution. I found the Wintergirls so good because it is a very realistic insight into the mind of someone suffering with mental illness, and it really opened my eyes to what it's really like for people who suffer from eating disorders. It's wonderfully written, and I would recommend it highly to anyone who feels able to read it. You can get it here.

There we have it! Those are just five books that I love, and this is the first post of many like it. Although I don't have all the time in the world to read like I did back in high school, I do it as much as I can and enjoy burying my head in a good book which is why I'd love to share my favourites with all you guys. Please feel free to leave me any book recommendations in the comments!