Review: The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

Title: The Lost and the Found.
Author: Cat Clarke.
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2015.
Publisher: Quercus.
Genres: Mystery, Contemporary, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 441 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

Can you imagine?
A child - taken.
A whole family - torn apart.

Slowly, over the years, the family put themselves back together. A little broken, but still strong.

But then the child (now all grown up) comes home.

This is the story of what happens next.

 
 

Review

Whilst reading The Lost and the Found, I constantly had a heavy and foreboding feeling in my chest- kind of like the feeling you get when you know something bad is going to happen in a movie because you’ve seen it a million times before. I knew from the off that this book wasn’t going to be sunshine and butterflies, and there was going to be some big twist/and or reveal, because hey – this is Cat Clarke we’re talking about! Cat Clarke’s books aren’t for the faint hearted, they’re gritty and realistic with the ability to really make you question life. I’ve now read three books by Cat Clarke, and I must say she’s an absolutely brilliant author that I can’t wait to read even more from in the future – keep on writing, Cat, you’re incredible!

Faith is our main protagonist in The Lost and the Found and I loved her right from the start. I felt like I could really connect with her character in a way that made reading The Lost and the Found even more exciting! Faith is a really realistic character, with quirks and faults that make her even more loveable. She’s an incredibly strong person, and I don’t know how she’s dealt with being in the shadow of her missing sister all her life. She’s grown up with a mother who’s a shell of her former self, and who’s not been emotionally there for her at all, yet she still manages to be selfless and is always thinking of other people. She’s truly an inspirational character. Faith is torn between being delighted that her sister has come home, and feeling there’s something just not right – I personally think she handled the whole situation a whole lot better than I would have!

The secondary characters in The Lost and the Found were also brilliant and really well developed. They all had different and separate personalities and traits and although I didn’t love them all, they were still all brilliant to read about. Laurel is Faith’s missing sister, and at first, I was sure I was going to like her character, but as the book went on – I really started to despise her. She seemed too sweet and kind, almost to the point where it was sickly, and although she had been through a lot, she really irritated me with her behaviour. I have to say I wasn’t that keen on Faith’s mum either, I thought she was way too interested in the publicity of the whole situation. She seemed to love it and was revelling in it, and I often thought that it was strange, and definitely not right for her to be taking such a shine to the spotlight in the light of things. The last character I would like to mention is Michel, I won’t go into too much detail about him as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I have to say he was one of my favourite characters! I thought he was a brilliant little extra in the book, with his quirky personality and caring and loving nature. He’s definitely a character that I won’t be forgetting any time soon!

Overall, I thought The Lost and the Found was absolutely superb, and I loved every second of reading it. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but then again, very few books are, and I thought the ending seemed a little too rushed for my liking which was quite disappointing. However the characters were brilliant, and the plot, although a little predictable at times, was remarkable as well. I believe The Lost and the Found well and truly deserves the 4.5/5 star rating I’ve given it, and if any of you are fans of Mystery novels, then I’d really recommend you giving this book a go! I’d also recommend Cat Clarke’s writing to as many people that’ll listen as she’s a fantastic author who manages to put a twist into any average novel idea and make it shine beyond measure.

Quotes

I didn't even notice at first; Thomas is very good a skulking. But then I realized that I was seeing him all the time - in the corridors, in the library, in the courtyard. I mentioned it to Martha one day and she rolled her eyes at me. 'Finally. I was wondering when you were going to notice.' She was the one who encouraged me to talk to him, although 'Why the hell are you stalking me?' probably wasn't quite what she had in mind. - Page 98.

The sound of the balloon popping makes everyone in the common room jump and turn around to see where the noise came from. Laney Finch clutches her hand to her chest and leans on one of her friends to steady herself. One of the boys standing next to the coffee machine shouts the word 'DICK!' in our direction, probably embarrassed because he jumped so high his head almost hit the ceiling. - Page 315.

I thank her again, then rush out of the door, leaving a half-drunk cup of tea, a whole slice of carrot cake, and a slightly baffled Australian girl. - Page 382.

Review: A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke

Title: A Kiss in the Dark.
Author: Cat Clarke.
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2014.
Publisher: Quercus.
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 384 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant.

Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend.

Alex can’t help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive…

But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.

 
 

Review

I’ve only read one other book by Cat Clarke before, and that was quite a while ago – however I really enjoyed it and thought Cat’s writing was fantastic and really detailed, unique and interesting. When I first started reading A Kiss in the Dark, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What was this huge secret? How will it affect the couple’s relationship? You find out much more quickly than I expected what the secret is and it really shocked me – I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all! I can’t say much more, otherwise I’m afraid I’ll spoil the whole thing, but I flew through A Kiss in the Dark, finishing it in just two days – I absolutely adored it! A Kiss in the Dark is a fast-paced, compelling and beautifully written novel that’ll keep you engrossed until you’ve turned the very last page.

Alex is one of our two main protagonists throughout A Kiss in the Dark, and I really loved his character. Alex was a kind, funny, and really sweet and lovely character that you just can’t help but fall for (although he’s a bit too young for me!). He’s made some bad decisions, and kept a big secret from Kate but you can tell he’s really battling with himself over the situation. He’s in love with her, and just doesn’t want to lose her – so although I’m not saying that keeping everything a secret was the best idea, I could understand where he was coming from.

Kate is our other protagonist and the love interest throughout the first half of the book. I really adored her character; she was just so cute and sweet! Kate is smart, weird, and really a very loyal and wonderful girl and I loved reading about her. However, when the novel swopped to her perspective, and she found out Alex’s secret, my opinion of her went completely downhill. Eventually, nearing the end of the book, I started gaining more respect for her – but the decisions she made were appalling. I understood that she was hurting and upset, and people do crazy things when they’re like it, but what she did was down-right awful and spiteful. I’m glad, however, that things started to change as the book drew to a close – and I started to love her character once more.

Although Alex’s and Kate’s relationship was slightly insta-love, I actually really loved it. They were so passionate about each other, and everything was so sweet, that I instantly became jealous I didn’t have a relationship like it myself! It was so clear how absolutely besotted with each other they were, that it became a little cheesy at times, which isn’t a huge flaw, but one all the same that irritated me a bit. However, I really loved both their characters. I absolutely loved the ending of A Kiss in the Dark, it sort of bitter sweet, and I believe it ended perfectly. It was left open, which I thought was great, so the reader can decide in their own mind what would happen next. Usually I hate endings like this, but I thought it was perfect in this situation. A Kiss in the Dark is split into two sections; the first in Alex’s perspective, and the latter in Kate’s. As I’ve mentioned on many different occasions in the past, I love multiple perspectives in books, it’s great to get into the heads of the other characters in the story, to see what they see and feel what they feel. Although I loved reading Alex’s point of view, I wasn’t as keen on reading Kate’s – mostly because I found it quite hard to connect to her – even though I loved her character in the first half of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading A Kiss in the Dark; it was a fantastic and incredible novel that I’d recommend to anyone who loves contemporary romance, but also has an open mind. Cat Clarke’s writing is wonderful and beautifully scripted – I was laughing one moment, and then crying the next. It’ll have you riled up and angry, with your stomach in knots, and shedding tears a few pages later – she really is fantastic and writes some very realistic teen romance. I believe it well and truly deserves the 5/5 star rating I gave it, and although it wasn’t absolutely perfect, it was incredibly well done – with many different twists and turns throughout the story. I can’t wait to read even more from Cat Clarke in the future, she’s definitely an author to keep an eye out for!

Quotes

When we sat down, Kate scooted her chair across so she was sitting next to me and we could hold hands. When the waitress came over to take Kate’s order she smiled as if maybe she remembered what it was like to be our age and in love. Because I think that’s what it was, even then. I was in love with Kate. I wasn’t sure when I’d started loving her, or exactly what it meant, but that didn’t stop me knowing it. And it made me feel good to know it, even though I had no intention of putting it into words. I didn’t want to freak her out.

I was in love with a girl and she was in love with me. This was what people talked about, what songs were written about, what made the world go round, apparently. Now I could understand what all the fuss was about. I wanted to stop random people in the street and tell them I was in love. But I didn’t, because that would have been weird.

I didn’t move. The snow turned into icy rain. The light in the front room went out. Before long I was shivering uncontrollably. I watched the door even though I didn’t expect it to open again. I wondered how long I could stay out in this cold before I would die. If I curled up into a little ball on Alex’s front doorstep would I be dead by morning? Would Alex come outside, all dressed up for court, and find me frozen to death, a fine layer of ice blanketing my body?
No one would be able to hate me if I was dead.

Review: Red by Alison Cherry

Title: Red.
Author: Alison Cherry.
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2014.
Publisher: Quercus.
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 320 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

Top student. Beauty queen. Girlfriend of the hottest football jock. Felicity’s got everything. And it’s all down to her red, red hair.

Felicity lives in Scarletville, the world’s only redhead sanctuary, where red hair is celebrated, protected – and the key to success.

But Felicity has a secret. A red hot secret. And if anyone finds out, she’s finished.

Because Felicity’s a natural blonde.

And in Scarletville, blondes need not apply.

 

Review

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first started reading Red, something quirky and funny maybe? The whole concept and idea around the book is pretty ridiculous, yet fantastic and really funny at the same time. Red was a really exciting read, with an interesting plot and bubbly writing style. I’ve never read anything like Red before; it’s completely unique and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I’ve read quite a few reviews that said this novel was absurd, and I agree with them in a way, it is absurd – but that’s part of the charm of the novel and I loved every minute that I was reading it!

Felicity is our main protagonist in Red, and I absolutely adored her character. She’s under a lot of pressure from her mother to be the best she can be, and to win the Beauty Pageant that Red focuses on and I couldn’t help but feel extremely sorry for her. Felicity has tried to contain who she really is; someone who hates the competitions and the lies. Someone who loves art and just wants to be herself, even though she feels she can’t be. I felt like I really had a connection with Felicity’s character and thought she was really relatable. All my siblings have red hair, and although I’ve never disliked my dark-brown hair, I can understand how Felicity just wants to fit in with her family.

I loved how all the secondary characters were really well developed and all had their own personalities and different quirks, even if I didn’t like their characters much at all. Jonathan is the boy that changes everything for Felicity and I loved him right from the beginning. Jonathan saw who Felicity for who she really was, and didn’t question it. He was a really adorable character; shy, kind, caring and all around loveable! Moving onwards - I really disliked Felicity’s mother, Ginger - she drove me round the bend and I visualised shoving her off a cliff on more than one occasion. I found it incredibly hard to comprehend how Ginger could go on shoving her own dreams onto her daughter. I understand that Ginger just wanted her daughter to fit in and have lots of opportunities, but she made her entire life a complete and utter lie – it was almost as if she couldn’t love her daughter properly unless she kept dying her hair. The whole situation was filled completely with drama and angst and was pretty messed up – but I suppose that’s what made the book what it is.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Red – it was a light, refreshing read with a really wonderful look into the stereotypes in the world. With its wonderfully written characters and overall drama – it’s definitely a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Alison Cherry’s writing was really brilliant and beautiful with the perfect amount of humour and seriousness mixed together to create a fabulous novel! I’d definitely recommend Red to anyone with a sense of humour (even if you’re not a redhead), although I wouldn’t recommend anyone to take it too seriously, as it’s obviously not meant for that – apart from maybe the morals of the story. The only reason Red is getting a 4.5/5 star rating instead of a 5/5 star rating is because I kind of wished the ending had been a little more resolved. I thought there were a lot of loose ends that I thought need tying up and it was all kind of abrupt. However, none of this deters from the fabulousness of this novel. I can’t wait to read more from Alison Cherry is the future; she’s definitely an author to keep an eye on!

Quotes

The mayor’s undersized orange mustache twitched like an agitated chipmunk, and Felicity had to work hard not to snicker. - Page 05.

There had been so much sweetness and longing in his expression.
Nobody had ever looked at her that way.
She hadn’t even known she wanted that kind of attention until now, but suddenly she wondered how she had ever managed to live without it. - Page 65.

Felicity looked up and met his eyes. They were warm and gentle and full of unconditional acceptance. She knew he was seeing her – really seeing her – and that he liked what he saw, red hair or not.
She put the booklets down on the trunk of her car.
And then she kissed him. - Page 308.