Blog Tour: Guest Post by Author Natalie Hibberd; Inside Out

Inside Out 
by Natalie Hibberd

Release Date: November 30th, 2019

Publishers: Matador

Genre: YA, Dystopia 
Pages: 192
Amazon: Purchase

 

In a divisive world of mistrust and murder, there's only one thing that matters growing up: you're either in The Inside or The Outside.

While the Insiders appear pampered and privileged, the Outsiders know only harsh realities. Believing themselves to be needlessly deprived of everything the Insiders have, the younger generation channel their rage into a terrorist group called The Freedom Fighters, a group intent on overthrowing the Inside at any cost. Now the Insiders must watch as the world they love collapses around them while the government resort to increasingly desperate tactics to try and contain the Outside threat. When the latest initiative catapults one of the young into the heart of the war, everything is pushed to breaking point.

Loyalties will be tested. Lives will be risked. Their worlds will change forever.

My Top 5 YA Books

It’s so hard to narrow down my favourite YA books, as this is a genre teaming with wonderful and inventive voices. My ‘favourite’ books fluctuate all the time but here - in no particular order - are some fantastic reads that have stuck in my head (and my heart): 

Only Ever Yours (Louise O’Neill)  

Set in a world where women are artificially grown and brainwashed by the state to believe that their only purpose is to serve the needs of men, this book was so acerbic it actually made me wince. Unlike most dystopian heroines, O’Neill’s Freida is not a defiant ‘chosen one’, but a girl who is abused, repressed and indoctrinated just as much as her fellow ‘eves.’ Never have I been introduced to a protagonist whose behaviour made me veer so dramatically between pity, empathy and frustration. Fiercely feminist and not for the fainthearted – this novel is not to be missed. 

The Declaration (Gemma Malley) 

Another haunting dystopia, The Declaration takes place in a world where, as a result of humans becoming immortal, almost all children are illegal. Known as ‘Surpluses’ these children are stolen from their parents and raised in prisonlike ‘Surplus Halls’ to atone for the sin of their existence by serving the legal population. I have poured over this intricate, multi-layered masterpiece so many times that my original copy has literally fallen to pieces. I come back to The Declaration again and again – and every single time something new leaps out at me from these disintegrating pages. 

Every Day (David Leviathan) 

Reading this book is like sitting in an orchestral pit, with Leviathan’s melodic prose leading you through the life of protagonist A – a soul that spends every day in the body of a different person – in this emotional rollercoaster of a novel. Although the central romance is utterly swoon-worthy, the thing that makes this book so remarkable is the diversity and inclusivity which powers the story like a beating heart. In this world, there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ (a central theme of Inside Out.) There are just people and that is vitally important. 

Noughts and Crosses (Malorie Blackman) 

This romantic, gritty and devastating story was the first ever YA book I read (nine years ago as part of my secondary school English class) and I have been wedded to the genre ever since. Like Inside Out, this is a book that discusses the colossal damage that can be done to our fellow human beings by the rampant application of labels. So moved was I by the plight of star-crossed lovers Sephy and Callum that I accidentally spoiled the ending for my twin sister Lorna – something about which I still feel guilty.  

Meat Market (Juno Dawson)  

Part social realism, part twisted fairy tale, the story of teenage supermodel Jana had me gripped from the first page. This book contains all the things that make me angry (sexism, dishonesty and damaging, arbitrary labels) but still somehow left me feeling hopeful. An essential read for the #MeToo era. 

About the author:

Natalie Hibberd was born in Portsmouth and has wanted to be an author since she was two years old. She is publishing her debut novel Inside Out, independently with Matador, aged 21. Natalie was born with cerebral palsy. When she isn’t writing and reading, she enjoys singing, amateur dramatics and listening to podcasts. Natalie lives in Petersfield, Hampshire, with her parents and her assistance dog, Cleo. 

Follow Natalie on Twitter @NatalieHibberd 

Inside Out is available in paperback and e-book on 30 November. 

{Blog Tour} The Haunting of Violet Gray by Emily Sadovna

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 31st, 2018

Publishers: MG Publishing 
Genre: YA Paranormal 

Pages: 306
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

A dark tale of witch craft, time travel and conspiracy 

Witchcraft
Cat is inexplicably drawn to a beautiful mansion where she is seduced into the heady world of modern witchcraft. Opening herself to magic, her mind reveals the impossible. Cat becomes plagued by the paranormal happenings of the house and the desperate whispers of a long-dead girl.

Time Travel
Cursed with the gift of astral travel, Cat discovers a witch’s journal which anchors her mind to the summer of 1940. She witnesses events that lead to a secret occultist ritual.

Conspiracy
Can Cat piece together the clues before the sun rises at the Mabon feast? Can she prevent a repeat of the disastrous ritual? An event so scandalous and deadly it remained a state secret for over eighty years. What terrible price must be paid to stop it happening again? This time, on a devastating scale, engineered for the Twenty-first Century.

Emily Sadovna’s Favourite Halloween books.

With the autumn evenings drawing in, Halloween is the perfect time to cozy down with a good book. Here are my favourite books to revisit over Halloween:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 

I heard a story of how Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron were stranded in their villa near a lake with a storm lashing down on them where Byron challenged them to write a scary story. That was where Frankenstein came into fruition. I adore the darkness and tenderness of the story. The idea of man attempting to over-rule nature and harnessing the power of the storm to make life and witnessing the heartbreaking consequences of his ambition is compulsive reading for me. 

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore. 

I studied this for my A Levels. There was something about it that haunted me and stayed with me my whole life.  A woman driven is to insanity by the oppression of a controlling man, seeking solace in the arms of an otherworldly woman trapped behind the wall paper who later frees her mind from her own dark reality. I have long been fascinated by alternate realities and the fine line between sanity and madness. 

The Shining by Stephen King  

I read this as a teenager then went on the become addicted to his books as well as James Herbert. I have never seen a ghost, but I have never doubted their existence. I once went on a ghost tour of Dudley castle where I learn that ghosts are like memories of people trapped with in the walls of the houses they occupied or died in. The way the vast empty hotel wakes and gradually consumes Jack is chilling. I can’t forget REDRUM, you might see a homage to this in my book. 

The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James 

This is a recent discovery. I was toying with a similar name so I wondered if the contents had any parallels. It was a creepy, gothic story, like mine, set in dual times. Again the house seduces and begins to consume the main protagonist. 

The Graces by Laure Eve

I was recommended The Graces and I zipped through it. It’s set in Cornwall, an area buzzing with magic and myth as well as being a cool hangout. Laure blurs the lines between magic, the discoveries of adolescence and coping with real and raw issues. We see a girl find herself with the help of a family of beautiful people with power. Then the story takes a dark and unexpected turn…

The Spell Book of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle

You are thrown into a party, like many I went to as a teenager, and I am sure still go on. That night everyone lost something, some things more significant than others as the story unfolds the main characters uncover lost secrets. The web expands and connects and takes twists and turns you can’t guess. I like unpredictable stories.

Author bio:

Born in Essex, Emily Sadovna grew up near Oxford. Trained in fashion journalism, Emily’s career began as a window dresser and freelance stylist. Later, Emily launched her own deli and catering business and learnt the art of chocolate making. She went on to qualify as a food and nutrition teacher at a secondary school and now teaches primary school children to cook in afterschool clubs. 
Emily’s pen name originates from her Polish grandfather. Her imagination derives from a line of formidable women all with wonderful stories to tell. She lives with her husband and their two daughters on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. The Haunting of Violet Gray is her first novel. 

www.emilysadovna.com

instagram: EmilySadovna 

www.facebook.com/EmilySadovna 

Twitter @EmilySadovna

{Blog Tour} Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) by Laura Sebastian

Posted by Donna
Release Date: June 14th, 2018
Finished Date: June 10th, 2018

Publishers: Macmillan Children's Books 
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperwork 

Pages: 448
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

The queen you were meant to be
The land you were meant to save
The throne you were meant to claim

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. Ten years later, Theo has learned to survive under the relentless abuse of the Kaiser and his court as the ridiculed Ash Princess. 

When the Kaiser forces her to execute her last hope of rescue, Theo can't ignore her feelings and memories any longer. She vows revenge, throwing herself into a plot to seduce and murder the Kaiser's warrior son with the help of a group of magically gifted and volatile rebels. But Theo doesn't expect to develop feelings for the Prinz. 

Forced to make impossible choices and unable to trust even those who are on her side, Theo will have to decide how far she's willing to go to save her people and how much of herself she's willing to sacrifice to become Queen.

From author Laura Sebastian comes Ash Princess, a nail-biting YA fantasy debut full of daring and vengeance.

The Review: I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Ash Princess because it sounded like something I would enjoy and I am so pleased that I exceeded my expectations because it was simply amazing. 

Ash Princess is about Theo, a teenage girl who has lost her kingdom, mother and people to a tyrant king who invaded Astera ten years ago. In the ten years of Astera being ruled by the The Kaiser, Theo has endured pain and brutal punishments but no matter what Theo knows she has to remain strong. She cannot show weakness and must pretend to be loyal to the Kaiser no matter what. But it’s now Theo’s time to help her people regain all that has been taken from them even if that means betraying those closest to her. 

What a promising start to a new fantasy trilogy! As I said before Ash Princess definitely exceeded my expectations because I was hoping it would be great but it was better than great. I was thrown into Theo’s world from page one and couldn’t put it down, admittedly it is a little bit of a slow started but that did not stop me from enjoying this book as much as I did. I loved discovering the facts about each kingdom with their customs and I definitely cannot wait to find out more. 

Theo is such a good character that you can’t help but connect with her immediately. For a character that has so many bad things done to her from bullying and beatings she remains completely strong willed and determined and I really admire that about her. I could understand why she would become docile under the Kaiser care because she had no other choice, it was down to her survival but what I loved was that when help comes for her, she is 100% committed to help her people. This is her time for revenge for all the things she has lost and I was so glad she had loyal people helping her. 

Now most people will want to know if there is a love triangle and yes there is. We have Soren and Blaise but for me I think I’m wholeheartedly team Soren. I do really like Blaise but I much prefer Soren because I think the things that Theo and Soren could do together would make their world that much better. 

In all, I really enjoyed Ash Princess and I am already eagerly awaiting for Lady Smoke to release.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Laura Sebastian on ‘unlikeable’ heroines

The word unlikable has become ubiquitous in talking about heroines, used to describe everyone from Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games to Lada Dragwlya in And I Darken to Princess Katherine in Three Dark Crowns. You see it pop up in reviews and discussions, and it’s usually meant as a good thing, a way of saying “this character is not easy to digest, they have flaws, they’re sometimes difficult to root for, just as any real person would be.” But I’ve long been bothered that it’s only ever used to describe female characters. Male characters with the same traits are termed “well-rounded” or “fully fleshed out.”
Maybe it’s because for so long, heroines weren’t complex or layered or flawed—they were merely pretty, hollow, wholly likable cutouts who existed only in relation to the hero. They didn’t have to make difficult choices or reckon with consequences—those journeys were saved for their male counterparts. They simply had to support the male protagonist along the way or be there waiting for him at the end. There was no opportunity for them to be unlikable because there simply wasn’t enough of them on the page to dislike.
But we aren’t talking about disliking them, are we? After all, most people like Inej and Nina from Six of Crows and Mare Barrow from Red Queen—but not everyone does. Just as no person can be universally liked, it stands to reason that no well-developed character should be, either. And that is what we’re talking about when we call a female character unlikable. We’re saying that they’re real, that they’re relatable.
These girls tend to be ambitious and desperate and bitter and reckless and stubborn, and they have the audacity to want things and the grit to take them. They make mistakes, they trust the wrong people, and sometimes they outright fail, but they wouldn’t be nearly as compelling—or human—if they didn’t.
There’s nothing inherently unlikable about so-called unlikable female characters, and we should stop pretending that there is.

AUTHOR BIO

I write YA books and I'm also entrusted with taking care of other people's children. I write books about girls who are strong in all different ways, usually with a healthy dollop of magic and a few dragons.

I live in NYC with my extraordinarily fluffy dog, Neville.

You can find out more at http://www.laurasebastianwrites.com 

{Blog Tour} Daughters unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

Daughters unto Devils
by Amy Lukavics
Release Date: October 8th, 2015

Publishers: Simon & Schuster
Genre: YA, Horror

Pages: 240
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

 

Sometimes I believe the baby will never stop crying.

Sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner fears she is losing her mind. When her family move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, Amanda hopes she can leave her haunting memories behind: of her sickly Ma giving birth to a terribly afflicted baby; of the cabin fever that claimed Amanda's sanity; of the boy who she has been meeting in secret...

But the Verners arrive on the prairie to find their new home soaked in blood. So much blood. And Amanda has heard stories - about men becoming unhinged and killing their families, about the land being tainted by wickedness. With guilty secrets weighing down on her, Amanda can't be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or within her soul...

Top 10 Horror Films (In No Particular Order)

by Amy Lukavics

The Exorcist- I saw this movie when I was way too young to. It introduced me to a level of terror I hadn't yet known existed- I was literally too scared to move. It didn't help much that when the movie was over, the lamp in my bedroom just so happened to short out, but of course I was certain it was the devil who did it.

Pet Sematary- The Stephen King book that this movie was based off of is, to this day, my favourite horror novel of all time. But I actually saw the movie first, when I was very young. The themes of this story are terrifying on their own; to add a cursed burial ground that raises pets (and people) from the dead just takes the terror that much further.

Alien- This film is just plain artful in its delivery. Everything from the setting to the visuals to the soundtrack work together to create a truly epic horror experience. Ellen Ripley is a hero to us all!

The Others- I saw this when it first came out to theaters, and was blown away by the intensity of the atmosphere. This movie is the definition of chilling. All the actors nailed their performances, and the end twist was quite horrorlicious.

Cabin Fever- This movie is incredibly gruesome, with buckets of blood and an assortment of other crazy things. From the treatment of the title screen to the stomach-turning ending, this movie makes you feel the dirty paranoia around catching a mysterious (and brutal) illness. Effective? I'd say so.

The Babadook- This one lived up to the hype for me- I always tell people that I recommend it to that it's psychological horror done right. I especially love how it doesn't spell things out for the viewer; instead, you are forced to draw your own conclusions as to what exactly is happening in this petrifying tale about a mother and son who are suddenly being stalked by a picture book monster.

The Descent- Like Alien, this movie possesses a setting that is capable of instilling fear on its own. A group of girlfriends get stuck in a complicated and seemingly never-ending system of underground cave tunnels, that also just so happen to be infested with monsters. It's the type of movie where you are gifted with a feeling of immense gratefulness and content once you leave the dark cave of the movie theater, a true indicator of a good, solid horror.

28 Days Later- Never before had zombies been as truly visceral as they are in this movie. They don't just hobble after you, they sprint. They don't just bite, they maul. And while many will argue that 28 Days Later is not a 'true' zombie movie due to its lack of undead subjects, I greatly appreciated the fresh take on a classic horror staple. Even better, the sequel actually holds up to the original fine enough.

It- This wasn't actually a movie, but a mini-series made for TV. Regardless, my child self had never seen anything so scary. A clown that eats kids and causes blood balloons to inflate (and pop) from the bathroom drain? Yeeeah, needless to say, young Amy's heart skipped many beats while watching (and re-watching) this one.

Tremors- Can you say instant classic? This movie is legendary! As an adult re-watching, I can greatly appreciate the funny lines and entertaining effects, but as a child, the notion of monsters that could swallow people or even cars from under the ground was petrifying. The first time I watched it, I had to turn it off for about an hour because the car scene scared me so bad. Of course, I couldn't resist turning it back on as soon as my heart rate slowed back down...

{Blog Tour} This Is One Moment (Come Back to Me #2) by Mila Gray

 

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 10th, 2015
Finished Date: August 2nd, 2015

Publishers: Pan Macmillian
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Didi Monroe’s waited her whole life for the type of romance you see in the movies, so when Hollywood heartthrob Zac Ridgemont sweeps her off her feet, Didi believes she might finally have met the one.

While Zac’s away filming for the summer, Didi begins her internship at a military hospital in California. There, she meets wounded Marine Noel Walker.

Frustrated on the outside and broken on the inside, Walker’s a pain-in-the-ass patient who refuses all help.

Yet Didi can’t help but be drawn to him, and though he’s strictly out of bounds it soon becomes impossible to ignore the sparks flying between them.

As the attraction simmers into dangerous territory, Didi finds herself falling hard for a man she knows is going to break her heart. Because Walker doesn’t believe in love or happy ever afters. So what possible future can there be?

Then tragedy hits, shattering both their worlds, and Didi is forced to choose between fighting for love or merely falling for the illusion of it.

The Review: Being a huge fan of Mila Gray/Sarah Alderson I find myself always looking forward to a new release from her and waiting for This is One Moment was no different, especially when I found out it was centered around Didi.

Didi whom we first meet in Come Back to Me has always been a romantic at heart. So when she meets Hollywood heartthrob Zac Ridgemont, Didi believes she's possibly found the one she's supposed to spend her life with. It's not until Didi beings her new internship at a military hospital that she meets Noel Walker - a marine with a wounded body and heart. Didi find some connection to Noel but he's struggling to come to terms with his new life. But with Zac in the picture and Noel being her patient, can Didi choose between her love for each guy?

This Is One Moment is a great follow-up to Come Back to Me. Although it can be read as a standalone because it's about a different set of characters I would still always advice to start with Come Back to Me because you can get the back story on Didi more and see what happened before. I've always been a fan of Didi so I'm pleased she finally got her story told. 

Didi is a great character. She's caring, honest and has a great soul. Being a romantic at heart she's always on the lookout for love and it's kind of typical it comes at the same time. For me there was simply no contest between Zac and Noel. The more I read about Hollywood heartthrob the more the characters become predictable and boring - this is how I felt about Zac. I didn't like him. I didn't want to like him because I wanted Didi to be with someone more down to earth and that person was Noel - even despite the problems he had. It's understandable that someone that has come back from war would be struggling with the events that happened and with any injuries that they had have. Noel's character was written perfectly. He's not perfect by any means and he has struggles and mood swings, but I felt his character was written well. He and Didi have a slow burning relationship that comes with time and patience and Didi was fantastic with Noel. I really liked the two together! 

The story has a few twists that will keep you guessing but it's also a story about hope, love and loss that will easily capture your heart. Well done Mila Gray for another fantastic story! 

Thank you to Mila Gray & Pan Macmilliam for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.                                     

Mila Gray's thoughts on the cover for This is One Moment.

I was really worried before they sent me the cover design for This Is One Moment because I wasn’t sure it could ever live up to the cover for Come Back To Me which was so amazing and which received a lot of love. So I was very nervous when they sent it through to me and opened the email with a sense of trepidation. But I was instantly relieved. 

I love how this cover riffs off Come Back To Me, with a similar style and tone, but also has its own strength. Both book covers brilliantly depict the different characters. In this case Walker – who is a Marine. He’s dark haired, gruff, tall, physically imposing. And Didi, the girl who falls in love with him.

I think what we were striving for with both covers was a sense of illicit and steaming hot passion that’s underscored by tenderness and romance. The books are undeniably hot but I’m much more interested in the intricacies of love than in portraying sex without emotion and I wanted that to come across in the covers. They also wanted to make it feel very summery because both books are set in California.

Probably the one thing that doesn’t come across though is the level of heartbreak and loss. Both books are much more than light summer romances – they both tackle quite hard material – death, war, trauma, grief, mental illness – as well as being about first love, relationships, sex and family.

I hope the covers and the blurbs are enough to make people pick the books up and read them!

AUTHOR BIO

Mila Gray is the pen name for Sarah Alderson, author of Hunting Lila, Losing Lila, The Sound, Fated and Out of Control.
Originally from London she has lived in Bali for the last four years with her husband and daughter.
As well as writing young adult fiction under the name Sarah Alderson and adult fiction under the name Mila Gray, she also writes screenplays.

You can find out more at www.milagray.com and on facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson

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{Blog Tour} I Knew You Were Trouble (Jessie Jefferson #2) by Paige Toon

I Knew You Were Trouble 
by Paige Toon
Release Date: July 30th, 2014

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK 
Genre: YA Contemporary

Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Life as the undercover daughter of a rock god isn't going to be easy. 

How will Jessie adjust to her old boring life again after spending her summer living it up with her dad in LA? 

With tough decisions ahead (and not just choosing between two hot boys), can she cope juggling her two very different lives? 

Summer may be over, but Jessie's story is just beginning…

Paige Toon playlist: Jessie Jefferson series. 

Ever since writing my debut novel Lucy in the Sky back in 2006, I have loved working to music. The song that really sums up Lucy in the Sky for me is ‘When You Were Young’ by The Killers. For Johnny Be Good, it’s Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex on Fire’. Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ kicked off the whole plot idea for One Perfect Summer (my male character Joe is the Adele in that story, the actor who can’t stop thinking about the girl – Alice – who he fell for before he became famous). 

Sometimes I love listening to a song so much that it makes an appearance in the book. In the case of The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson, I was so into ‘This Modern Glitch’, an album by The Wombats, that the band and their songs got several mentions. 

Jack is wearing a Wombats band T-shirt when Jessie first meets him. He even talks about going to see them in concert in LA. In fact, when I wrote that part of the story, The Wombats hadn’t planned a European tour, so I admit I was actually feeling a little envious towards a fictional character! I saw them in Amsterdam in March in the end – the best gig I’ve ever been to. 

Read on for my Jessie Jefferson playlist – featuring songs from both books in the series so far: The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson and I Knew You Were Trouble. I hope you get a chance to listen to some of them while you’re reading. No surprises for who’s at the top. 

Lots of love, Paige x 

Jump into the Fog and Tokyo by The Wombats Jessie thinks of ‘Jump into The Fog’ when she’s flying through the smog cloud into LA to meet her dad for the first time, and she hands Jack the record when he’s DJ-ing at his sister Agnes’s birthday party in The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson. In I Knew You Were Trouble, Jessie requests ‘Tokyo’ at Natalie’s crush’s party because it reminds her of Jack. 

I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You by Black Kids Jack impresses Jessie with his mixing skills with this song when he first DJs at Agnes’s party in Accidental Life. It also gets a mention in Trouble because it’s just so incredibly catchy and always on my go-to writing playlist. 

Running Up That Hill ¬– the Placebo version This dark and sexy song was Jack’s choice of music when he takes Jessie up to his bedroom for the first time in Accidental Life. They make out to it on his bed… 

I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift This song was played over the sound system at the Hollywood Hills party that Jessie goes to with Johnny and Meg in Accidental Life. Jessie had just been warned by a bitchy girl that Jack is ‘trouble’, so she laughs when the song comes on. Needless to say, it also inspired the title for the second book. 

Live While We’re Young and Kiss You by One Direction Jack has a tattoo that is similar to Zayn Malik’s from One Direction. Jessie teases him about it, but he bets her that he got his done first. Later he jokily sings her some lyrics from these songs, but forgets most of the words. 

All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix Jessie hears this super cool song blaring out of Jack’s stereo in his bedroom when she goes to visit his sister Agnes in Trouble. It sort of sums up his taste in music. 

People Are Strange by The Doors This is played at teen actress Lottie’s Halloween party in Trouble. The song was on the soundtrack for classic vampire movie The Lost Boys, and when Jack and his band members come dressed to the party as blood-suckers, their mate on the DJ decks whacks on this song. 

Never Tear Us Apart by INXS This song was played at Jessie’s mum’s funeral, and when it comes on during a drunken game of SingStar in Accidental Life, Jessie gets very upset. She flees and Tom comes to find her – it’s the first time they properly talk. 

A few more… 
Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hang Me Up To Dry by Cold War Kids (Rock) 
Superstar by Cypress Hill Live Forever by Oasis (Jack mashes these last two songs together) I Bet You Look Good on The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys 
Katy Perry’s California Girls 
The Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition 

I’m sure I’ve missed out loads, so if you spy any more while you’re reading, please tweet me @PaigeToonAuthor!

AUTHOR BIO: 

I was born in 1975 and my dad’s career as a racing driver meant that I grew up between Australia, England and America. I worked at heat magazine for eight years as Reviews Editor, but left to have a baby. I’m now a full-time author and freelance journalist. I live in North London with my husband Greg, son Indy and daughter Idha.