Two wrongs by Rebecca Reid

Life is comfortable for Chloe and her husband Rav - they live in a tiny flat saving madly for their first home, but they both have jobs they enjoy and great friends living nearby who they socialise with all the time.  There is some pressure from Rav's family for them to start a family of their own, but Chloe is not so sure she wants a baby of her own just yet.  The gentle monotony of their lives is interrupted when Max reenters their lives.  Going to dinner with Max and meeting his fiancée is the last thing Chloe wants to do, but she goes anyway and the past suddenly rushes into the present.  Unsettled and angry after the dinner Chloe makes a startling discovery that brings up memories and feelings from fifteen years earlier when Chloe was in college and met the force of nature that is Zadie Lister.

Zadie is everything that Chloe isn't - she's self-assured, wealthy, and gorgeous.  She's not perfect, but it takes time for Chloe to see the cracks and flaws in her friend.  At first all Chloe can see is the sophistication and polish, the confident girl who can walk into any party and make friends and be the centre of attention.  For a relatively sheltered girl who has had to earn her own way, Chloe finds Zadie dazzling and is determined to keep up with her - even though she is risking her own education in the process.  Zadie's family and her boyfriend Max keep saying that Zadie has dark times and that she needs to be careful, but Chloe is loyal to her friend and doesn't quite belief it.  As Chloe gets sucked further and further into the whirlwind of her friend's life she has no idea that they are all heading for a disaster that will have an echo fifteen years later - an echo that could bring her life and everything she knows crashing down around her ears.  How far would you go to find out the truth about your friends?

Two wrongs was a real treat, an excellent example of a book that shifts between the present and the past - bringing you flashes of the past to help you puzzle out the future, little snippets that add dimension and depth to the characters without overwhelming you with details.  Chloe is a very real person, her emotions and reactions bringing her to life, and each jump to the past adds more understanding to why she is acting and responding the way she is - and makes the ongoing story more addictive.  It is easy to see some of the people I went to University with in both Chloe and Zadie - there were people who blossomed at University when they were essentially free of their parents for the first time, and there were also the more worldly students who seemed to attract friends that became 'more' just by being their friends.  I have also known people like Zadie, people who seem to have it all, but have a fragile shell that wobbles, cracks, and sometimes shatters.

Two wrongs was an excellent read, and a fantastic example of the genre - and while my local public library system put it in the crime section, it could also just be seen as a great example of a 'human' story.  A highly recommended read.

If you like this book then try:

• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
• Hidden lies by Rachel Ryan
• When I was ten by Fiona Cummins
• Before she was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney
• The perfect mother by Caroline Mitchell
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• Behind closed doors by B.A. Paris
• Either side of midnight by Benjamin Stevenson
• Good me bad me by Ali Land

Reviewed by Brilla

Robin Hood: Hacking, heists and flaming arrows by Robert Muchamore

Robin Hood is your pretty average twelve year old - he's smart, computer savvy, and pretty handy with a bow and arrow.  He lives in Locksley, a town that once had a booming automotive industry, but over the years the manufacturers have closed and people have moved away.  Locksley is just holding on, and it has allowed Guy Gisborne and his men to take over the town and get away with murder.  If you want to o business in Locksley you pay protection money or suffer the consequences.  You can't even turn to the law for help, because Gisborne has corrupted most of the Police force and even if he hadn't the Sheriff of Nottingham is a good friend of his. 

Robin and his big brother John live with their father in an old house that is slowly falling into disrepair.  They live a relatively simple live, getting by on the small amount of money that comes in from his dad teaching community classes and freelance work.  They don't have a lot, but Robin has been able to indulge in his hobby of archery - learning speed shooting and trick shooting.  It may not seem like a particularly useful skill, but when his father is falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit and John and Robin are threatened with going into the care of social services, Robin and John are forced to go on the run to Sherwood Forest.  

Sherwood Forest is home to people who have nowhere else to go - people who have no jobs, no hop, and no future.  They take what they need to survive, some calling them bandits and thieves, but they prefer to just survive.  When Robin is injured he is taken in by them, despite the danger he represents to them.  Separated from John, Robin is determined to help their father while staying out of the vengeful hands of Guy Gisborne and his men.  With his new friends and allies by his side Robin is ready to fight for his family - but the odds are stacked against him.

Tackling a well known story and updating it is always risky as if you don't get the right balance of familiar and new it can go very (very) badly.  Robin Hood: Hacking, heists and flaming arrows has the perfect balance between familiar and new, with familiar names molded into new characters that work in a modern setting.  Some of the traditionally male characters have fresh new female aspects, but the expected favourites are there.  Robin is the key characters in this refresh, but the characters that are built around him in this first book in the series are just as real, and help to bring the whole story to life.  

There are some very "Muchamore" aspects to this retelling - he doesn't talk down to his readers, he keeps the writing fast paced and action packed, and he creates characters you can understand and care about.  It will be interesting to see how many books he plans for the series and if he can keep up the momentum across the entire series.  This was a real treat to read, and another great series for teens of all ages and reading abilities from one of the best teen authors of the past couple of decades.

If you like this book then try:

• A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J. Maas
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• Long may she reign by Rhiannon Thomas
• Throne of glass by Sarah J. Maas
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
• The treachery of beautiful things by Ruth Frances Long
• Ella enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
• Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
• Throne of glass by Sarah J. Maas
• Crown duel by Sherwood Smith
• Dealing with dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
• Princess of the midnight ball by Jessica Day George

The complete original CHERUB series in order is:

• The recruit by Robert Muchamore
• Class A by Robert Muchamore
• Maximum security by Robert Muchamore
• The killing by Robert Muchamore
• Divine madness by Robert Muchamore
• Man vs. beast by Robert Muchamore
• The fall by Robert Muchamore
• Mad dogs by Robert Muchamore
• The sleepwalker by Robert Muchamore
• The general by Robert Muchamore
• Brigands M.C by Robert Muchamore
• Shadow wave by Robert Muchamore

Reviewed by Brilla

The other woman by Sandie Jones

Emily wasn't looking for love, but that's what she found in a crowded bar after an HR conference.  On the surface Adam was attractive and fit, even if he showed an impressive lack of empathy.  A top consultant at her firm, Emily is doing well and doesn't need a man in her life to make her complete, but that doesn't stop her from falling under the spell of Adam's charm and attention.  During a whirlwind romance Adam becomes part of Emily's life, a part of herself that grows until she can't do without him.  It seems perfect, they're living together and planning a wedding, but that all changes when Emily meets her future mother-in-law Pammie.  

During their first meeting Pammie appears to be welcoming, but Emily feels like there is a strange distance between them - that Pammie is not that keen on Emily joining her family.  Pammie is a widow who mostly raised her two boys on her own and she is very close to both her boys - Adam and his younger brother James.  At times it feels like there is no space for Emily in the relationship, and at times it seems like Pammie is deliberately trying to split them up.  As the wedding approaches Emily becomes convinced that Pammie wants to keep Adam to herself, and she becomes even more determined to marry Adam.  When Pammie crosses a line that horrifies Emily it is full out war as far as Emily is concerned and she is willing to fight for herself, for Adam, and for their unborn child.  Why is Pammie so determined to keep Emily out of Adam's life, and how far will she go to get what she wants?

When you read a lot it can be a challenge to find a book that is a fresh voice, or that surprises you - and The other woman managed to cover both bases.  There are quite a few books out there that cover similar relationships, or that pit mother-in-law against future daughter-in-law, but few unravel the story as well as Sandie Jones has.  I liked Emily from the start (even if I didn't really like the fact that she was so smitten with Adam so quickly and gave up on her life so quickly - but that's not Jones's fault).  Having the story told from Emily's perspective left a lot of room for the story to develop, and avoiding spoilers gets tricky if you want to do a good review.  

The highest compliment I can pay The other woman is that it was a thoroughly satisfying read, with little twists and clues that keep you wondering what is really happening (and what Emily might be imagining).  The characters felt real, and this would easily translate to a television movie or a feature film without needing to be made more realistic.  I have requested more Sandie Jones books to see if I like her other books because I really, really liked The other woman.  Best enjoyed in a single sitting if you can.  Enjoy!

If you like this book then try:

• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
• Hidden lies by Rachel Ryan
• When I was ten by Fiona Cummins
• Before she was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney
• The perfect mother by Caroline Mitchell
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• Behind closed doors by B.A. Paris
• Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
• Either side of midnight by Benjamin Stevenson
• Good me bad me by Ali Land
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

Reviewed by Brilla