Goodbye...

I don't quite know to say this. Blogging had been a huge part of my life for over two and a half years, and I loved it. Having a blog was a fantastic experience for me - I found books I would never would have tried otherwise, discovered some of my favourite books, and best of all, I discovered the fantastic YA blogging community, and made loads of wonderful, book-loving friends.

However, you've probably noticed that for a good while I haven't been committed to the blog. I scarcely post reviews or anything else really, any more. And to be honest, I'm sad to say the reason why is that I don't enjoy writing reviews anymore. I've felt like this about the blog for a while, but I've tried to keep going, but there's no point in me continuing on with something I don't enjoy any longer. I've taken breaks, and they haven't made a  difference, so I think it's time for me to call it a day :(

I am honestly really sad to be doing this - as I said, blogging has been such a big part of my life for so long, that it's strange to think I won't be doing it anymore! But I think it is for the best.

Thanks so much to all of the bloggers, authors, publishers that I've been in contact with over the years. Everyone was so kind - the book blogging community is definitely one of the nicest communities that I've come across, on or off the internet! I will miss chatting with you all! But, I will still be reading and commenting on some of my favourite blogs as much as I can - I'm not going to be totally gone!

Thanks to all of the publishers who sent me books, and I'm so sorry I haven't had the the chance to review them - each one was much appreciated!

I won't be deleting Bookster Reviews, as I've put a lot of work into it over the last two and a half years. I'll be leaving it up on the internet, and who knows, maybe some day I'll come back to it! But for now, - thank you and goodbye.

Drummer Girl giveaway winner!

Sorry for the late post - exams and all that! Anyway, I'm delighted to reveal the winner of the Drummer Girl make-up set and book is.....

Robyn Logan!!!

Congrats Robyn, I've e-mailed you. A new winner will be picked if I do not get a reply by Tuesday, so make sure you do e-mail me back ASAP! :)

Thanks to everyone who entered and Templar for donating the prize!

REVIEW: Drummer Girl by Bridget Tyler

It was supposed to be the summer of her life. Instead, 17-year-old Lucy finds her best friend Harper shot dead in an LA swimming pool. How did it come to this? Lucy Gosling is the drummer in Crush, a rock band formed by five London schoolgirls that has just won the UK semi-final of an international talent contest. But when the band lands in Hollywood for the big final, things are not quite as they seem. The band's lead singer, Harper, has just one thing on her mind - using sex, drugs and rock and roll, not to mention Crush itself, to win back her bad-news ex-boyfriend. Lucy must decide whether she's playing to Harper's tune, or setting the rhythm for the rest of the band 

I really, really loved Drummer Girl! It's a really fantastic book. I loved the way it was told, from the perspective of all of the main characters, and some of the minor ones. I thought it was a great way to get an insight into lives of other characters, not just Lucy, and it definitely made the story move fast-paced and exciting! I haven't read many books that tell a story from multiple points of view, but after reading Drummer Girl, I'm definitely going to be looking for more! Recommendations, anyone?

I think my favourite element of Drummer Girl was the setting. It was so much fun to read about the girls lives in the music scene in LA! It was something different, and really interesting! It was so glamorous and exciting, but I liked the way we were also shown the dark side of the music business, and how the different girls dealt with the pressures. It made the whole idea of the girls being celebrities seem more real - we saw it wasn't just all fun parties and adoring fans, there was a negative side to the girls new lives, and this made it feel more personal.

There was a large cast of characters in Drummer Girl, too many to go through fully, so I'll just talk about a few of my favourites. I liked all of the five main girls, Lucy, Toni, Harper, Iza and Robyn, but Toni and Robyn were the most interesting - I enjoyed their stories the most and they were my two favourites. Harper was a great character too, and Lucy and Iza were nice, if a little boring... Skye really grew on me as a character, and Alexander was another fantastic supporting character.

The only thing I didn't like about Drummer Girl was the ending. I thought it was too rushed, and Lucy's ending was all a bit to perfect and convenient. And, also, nobody seemed very upset about the big thing that happened in the end, which really annoyed me. If the ending had been wrapped up better, I think this would have been a brilliant standalone, but I have a feeling there might be a sequel - I have mixed feelings about a sequel! I probably would read it though - I couldn't resist.

I loved Drummer Girl, definitely get your hands on a copy ASAP if you haven't already! It's is a brilliant book, the perfect summer read.

                                                               4.5/5

Source: For review
Format: Proof copy

Age group: 13+

Official Publication Date: 1st May 2013
Publisher: Templar