Naomi’s Comments (group member since Mar 07, 2019)

Naomi’s comments from the Turning Pages by Penguin Books NZ group.

Thanks so much to all of our wonderful reviewers who got their reviews in on time! We love hearing what you guys think of our books.

We were delighted to see that overall, you guys were big fans of Instructions for Dancing.

Here are just a few quotes from your excellent reviews:


'Was this story beautiful? Yes. Did it ruin me? YES. It’s 1.30am and I’m sitting here crying but god I’m so glad I read this book. Watching Evie’s development and self realisation was beautiful, and I felt like I was right there with her. The writing style was gorgeous, the pace was excellent and the characters were so fleshed out and vivid!'
- Victoria

'I really enjoyed this one and found it very easy to read. I found I related so much to Evie. I too am a bit of a sceptic when it comes to love having been burned too many times in the past. Maybe all I need to do is sign up for ballroom dancing and I’ll find my true love!'
- @booksandanthro (instagram)

'This book is full of fun, but also gives you all the emotions that Nicola Yoon loves to slap you in the face with . . . It’s a total must read in my books.'
- @itskitasai (instagram)

'This book was utterly amazing, I couldn't put it down and when I reached the end I was in a puddle of tears in the best way possible. As a fan of Nicola Yoon's previous work, this book met and exceeded my expectation. Though be prepared for the ending!!!'
-Sophie

'Because this is a Nicola Yoon novel it was diverse, it had relatable characters going through challenging experiences. It made me think, it surprised me. . It made me laugh and it made me CRY.'
- @jenthebookishbaker (instagram)

'I found the themes in this novel really important, and I feel that through Evie’s story, I have realised a lot about just how important life is and living in the moment without worrying about what the future may hold. The characters were all interesting and it was enjoyable getting to know them all throughout the book. I loved the dialogue and relationships between the characters.'
- Ciara

'I cannot rave about this book so much, it flowed so well and had me hooked from the beginning. I love Nicola Yoon, I love her writing and the way she can hold my captivation from start to end. If you're looking for a pick-me-up book, something to get you out of a reading slump, or just something new, consider picking this one up!'
-Piper

Go in the draw to win a copy here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKxU_teHGH8/

Closes 4 Feb, 2020 !

The first in a series, The Magpie Society: One For Sorrow is a murder mystery set in an elite boarding school (two of my favourite ingredients for a book!).  It feels aimed at a slightly younger audience then the YA I’m used to, but it’s a super pacey and fun read.
 
Illumen Hall is a boarding school of tradition, achievement and wealth. But tragedy strikes when the dead body of a student, Lola, is discovered. On her back is an elaborate tattoo of a magpie. The police claim no foul play, but the students think differently.
 
One year later, Audrey arrives at Illumen Hall as a new student and is placed in Lola’s old room. Things seem to have settled down at the school but when a podcast called ‘Who Killed Lola?’ suddenly springs up, and nobody seems to know who’s behind it, the students go into meltdown. After a rocky start with her roommate Ivy, the girls find themselves developing an unlikely friendship as they are drawn deeper into the mystery of what happened to Lola.  
 
The story is told in dual perspective, with one POV written by Zoe Sugg and the other by Amy McCulloch, a device which works really well for differentiating between the two voices . The setting is suitably gothic and effective and the story balances multiple plotlines with ease.

And what a cliffhanger! Can’t wait for book 2!

*SOUND THE KLAXONS!*

Do we have an opportunity for you!

As you probably know, YA Queen Jennifer Niven has a new novel coming this October.

Due to Covid-19, getting our usual physical proof copies of books has proven difficult/impossible. BUT we didn’t want our favourite YA community to miss out on the chance to read and review an advance copy of one of our most anticipated 2020 titles!

SO, we have 20 DIGITAL editions to send to 20 Turning Pages members in exchange for an honest review.

NOTE: You will need the kindle app (free to download on any device) or have a kindle. Instructions on how to download will follow if your application is accepted.

Apply to receive a copy here: https://forms.gle/BncemE6SZd7kHQE5A

Please note: filling out this form does not guarantee you a proof copy.

Synopsis:

You were my first. Not just sex, although that was part of it, but the first to look past everything else into me. Some of the names and places have been changed, but the story is true. It's all here because one day this will be the past, and I don't want to forget what I went through, what I thought, what I felt, who I was. I don't want to forget you. But most of all, I don't want to forget me.

For her last summer before college, Claudine Henry and her mother head to a remote island off the Georgia coast. There, amidst the wild beauty of the place, she meets the free spirited Jeremiah Crew. Their chemistry is immediate and irresistible, and even though they both know that whatever they have can only last the summer, maybe one summer is enough . . .

We have 10 review copies of Kat Ellis' hotly anticipated debut novel, Harrow Lake to send out.

Apply to receive a copy here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

Please note: filling out this form does not guarantee you a proof copy.

Synopsis:

Stephen King meets Hitchcock for the Netflix generation in HARROW LAKE, the most nerve-shredding thriller of the summer.

Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker - she thinks nothing can scare her. But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she's swiftly packed off to live with a grandmother she's never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father's most iconic horror movie was shot. The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map - and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.

And there's someone - or something - stalking her every move.

The more Lola discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola's got secrets of her own. And if she can't find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her.

If you still need convincing to check out ONE OF US IS NEXT, have a squiz at this long review from the Guardian (a rarity for YA titles):

https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

' McManus keeps the juicy subplots ticking over and drip-feeds reveals as clinically as an IV tube. '

We have 20 review copies of Eileen Merriman's new book, A Trio of Sophies to send out.

Synopsis:

Secrets, lies and love.

A missing girl, a secret diary and unsettling revelations . . .

Sophie MacKenzie last saw Sophie Abercrombie kissing James Bacon, their English teacher. She's passed this on to the police, but there is plenty she knows about James Bacon that she hasn't told anyone. She hasn’t even told Twiggy, the third Sophie in their once tight-knit threesome.

The Trio of Sophies is no more.

Please only apply to receive a copy if you are able to read and review this book by 28th February.

Applications are open to NZ residents only and will close on 21st January.

Please note: filling out this form does not guarantee you a proof copy.

Fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/TYHFJYmbmpMitutu8

Madeleine wrote: "Oh man, I loved Ready Player One! I read it back in 2016 and was not expecting to find it as ace as I did! I gave it to my video-game-loving, book-avoiding older brother to try - he dug it too! And..."

It is such a good recommendation for people who aren't necessarily enthusiastic readers! I wonder why that is? Maybe it's just that it's such a straight forward, fast paced adventure?

Have any of you read his next book Armada? I heard it was fun but not quite as good.

Bland Boring Jessica wrote: "I’ve read this!! Such a great concept for a book and even though the movie was quite good the book is ALWAYS better !!"

I actually haven't seen the movie! I always thought it would be a really tricky story to adapt though so I'm definitely interested to see it.

Your comment just kicked off a very lively discussion in our office about whether we can think of any movie adaptations that are better than the books they were based on.

So far we have:
Blade Runner
Silence of the Lambs
Fight Club
Jurassic Park
The Shawshank Redemption

Great Friday afternoon workplace chat haha.

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late twentieth century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle. Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.

This book is SO much fun!

I used to work for a small literary agency in London, and this book was recommended to me by every single one of my seven colleagues (all of whom had generally very different tastes in fiction). It took me a while to pick it up because it didn’t sound like the kind of book I’d normally reach for (I’m not a gamer, nor am I particularly invested in 80’s nostalgia) but when I finally did, I couldn’t put it down.

It’s heavily nostalgic (I got a kick out of a number of the references but even those I didn’t get still added something to the story) and the world building is really fun, but beyond that it’s just a great example of a really solid adventure story! And I think that those are surprisingly hard to come by these days.

Have you read Ready Player One? How did you find it?

Naomi’s Picks!

Dystopian- Ready Player One
To me this book is the definition of adventure! The pace is cracking and reminded me of a really gripping choose your own adventure. I recommended it to my boyfriend (not a big reader) and he finished it in days and then proceeded to recommend it to everybody he spoke to for the next 6 months.

Set in High School- One of Us is Lying
If The Breakfast Club was a murder mystery! If that doesn’t sound like a book worth getting your hands on, I don’t know what does. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

One Word Title- Tease
This isn’t a Penguin book (we can’t publish ALL the best YA!) but it’s one that really stayed one with me after I finished reading. Based on the true case of an American teenager who committed suicide in 2010 after being endlessly harassed by her classmates, Tease is told from the perspective of one of the bullies who, in the wake of the girl’s suicide has to come to terms with the role she played in this tragic event.

A re-read- All These Beautiful Strangers
My favourite YA of last year. Super fun and unputdownable-- I’m a real sucker for stories about wealthy kids behaving badly, especially if the majority of the action takes place at a boarding school. Secret societies, family secrets and murder—this book has it all!

Has been made into a movie: The Sun is also a Star
Confession time. . . I actually haven’t read this book! But the trailer for the upcoming film has me swooning and I can’t wait to start reading. It’s next on my pile!

Maddison wrote: "Would I be able to request a copy of the sequel?"

It's super early days so not sure if we're even receiving proofs for this one yet but Turning Pages members will be the first to know if we are!

Maddison wrote: "I had no idea, the twist did shock me. But that's just because I never read mysteries/thrillers like that, and I have no idea what the deal was."

Yea I think I'm definitely a little de-sensitized to twists because I read so many thrillers!

Courtney wrote: "I have and I mean I enjoyed it enough, but I wish I didn't guess the ending before I even read the first page. I hoped it would shock me"

Mm, I know what you mean-- although I actually think it's incredibly hard for authors to genuinely shock readers anymore. I think these days we're so used to 'twists' that we expect the unexpected before the unexpected is even hinted at, if that makes sense? haha.

I anticipated the ending of One Of Us is Lying quite early on but thought that the author planted enough red herrings which made me question my theories and did enough character work to keep it genuinely interesting.

I always find the best twists are the ones that really incorporate an interesting 'why' and 'how' as opposed to just 'who'. It's often quite easy to guess 'who' but 'how' and 'why' are always the more interesting questions.

The most exciting news just landed in my inbox at Penguin HQ!

Karen M. McManus is writing a sequel to her blockbuster novel One Of Us Is Lying!

One Of Us Is Next takes readers back to Bayview High, a year after Simon's death, and no one's been able to satisfy the hunger for gossip quite like he could. That all changes when someone starts playing a lethal game of Truth or Dare; one where choosing the truth may reveal your darkest secrets, and accepting dare can lead to serious danger.

Simon may be gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy alive. At any cost.

Coming Jan 7th 2020!

Eeeep! Sounds right up my alley. But then again I LOVED One Of Us Is Lying. . . and I'm a sucker for a murdery high school plot.

Are you intrigued? Did you read One Of Us Is Lying?

Sound off bookworms!

Hi readers!

I have fifteen exclusive proof copies of The Girl Who Came out of the Woods by Emily Barr, to give away in exchange for an honest review.

You can read more about the book here:
https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/the-g...

Before you apply, please read about the process of applying for review copies in the Turning Pages 'about' section.

If you'd like to receive a review copy, please fill out this application form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

Applications close 5th May 2019 at 5pm

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Joanna wrote: "Oh gosh yes I want to shake every adult in the book. Bailey's Dad for being a (insert rude word here), his mum for not protecting her own son from being constantly abused, Felix's Dad for the class..."

Joanna! Congratulations, you're our winner!

Please contact communications@penguinrandomhouse.co.nz to claim your prize.

Thanks so much for participating everybody and keep checking Turning Pages to find out about our next read-along.

Chloé wrote: "I know I missed this read-along, but will we have another one? :)"

We'll definitely have another one! Next time we might notify all members via the events function to make sure nobody misses out on the chance to participate,

Courtney wrote: "My favourite is RENT! It was Cats when I was younger and that still holds a special place <3"

Courtney you're our winner!

Please email communications@penguinrandomhouse.co.nz to claim your prize.

Thanks!

I can't enter either but LOVE a musical chat--

Current fave is Hamilton (my 2016 Spotify most played playlist consisted largely of Hamilton haha) but also love Matilda and Les Mis.

Chicago is one of my most favourite soundtracks and if I could play any musical role it would be Roxy Hart but when I saw the actual musical I didn't actually like it that much. . . I thought the movie was better!