Review - Last Seen Online by Lauren James

 

 

 

 Title: Last Seen Online

Author: Lauren James

Pages: 314

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 1st August 2024

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 A contemporary YA murder mystery set in sun-drenched LA, for fans of Malibu Rising, We Were Liars and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

The novel of Lauren James' hugely popular online story "An Unauthorised Fan Treatise"

When Delilah meets Sawyer Saffitz (son of Anya Saffitz, aka Hollywood royalty), she becomes hooked on a decade-old scandal. In her quest for the truth, Delilah uncovers blogposts written by the mysterious “gottiewrites” and is soon caught up in a world of greed, fandom conspiracy theories … and murder. And the deeper Delilah digs, the more dangerous it becomes – because someone is willing to kill to hide the truth.

 

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Walker Books*

When Delilah auditions for the latest school play with Sawyer Saffitz, the son of a famous actress, she finds herself thrust into the world of the celebrity.

While dealing with her unfortunate source of new found fame, Delilah learns of an old scandal in Hollywood that involved the murder of one of Sawyer's mother's co-stars.

As Delilah delves deeper into the mystery, it soon becomes clear that there are some secrets people still want to stay buried, and are willing to kill to protect.

Having read several of the author's previous books and enjoyed them, I was intrigued to try this one, especially with the premise.

Delilah was a likeable and relatable protagonist. She could be quite intense at times, but her heart was in the right place, and I liked how much Delilah cared about the people she loved.

The concept of the book feels very relevant, especially the parasocial relationships people had with the stars of Loch & Ness. It's something that can, and also does, get very out of hand in the real world.

The plot was interesting for the most part. However, there were a few things that bugged me that I won't go into as they're minor spoilers.

I liked the inclusion of the gottiewrites blog posts and their comments.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

 

 

Review - Green Rising by Lauren James

 

 

 

 Title: Green Rising

Author: Lauren James

Pages: 432

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 2nd September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Set in a near-future world on the brink of ecological catastrophe, Lauren James’ novel is a gripping, witty and romantic call to arms.

Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet.

On the face of it, the three have very little in common. Yet when Hester and Theo join Gabrielle and legions of other teenagers around the world in developing the strange new “Greenfingers” power, it becomes clear that to use their ability for good, they’ll need to learn to work together. But in a time of widespread corruption and greed, there are plenty of profit-hungry organizations who want to use the Greenfingers for their own ends. And not everyone would like to see the Earth saved…

As they navigate first love and family expectations, can the three teenagers pull off the ultimate heist and bring about a green rising? 

 

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My Review:

 *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Walker Books and NetGalley*

The world changes forever when some teenagers develop the ability to grow plants. They become known as Greenfingers, but not everyone will use their new powers to help others or the planet.

Gabrielle, the first teen to exhibit the ability, is a climate-change activist, and is willing to do anything to get the governments of the world to take climate-change seriously.

Hester is the daughter of the CEO of one of the biggest oil companies in the world and tries to use the new Greenfingers phenomenon to help the company.

Theo comes from a fishing family and will do everything he can to help his parents with their money troubles.

Gabrielle, Hester and Theo are all very different, but can they work together to save the planet?

Having been a fan of the author for a long time, I was interested to read their latest release. However, having not enjoyed their last few books as much as earlier ones, I was also a bit unsure how much I would like this.

Gabrielle, Hester and Theo were all likeable and relatable protagonists. I admired Gabrielle's determination, Hester's drive and Theo's love for his parents. Hester was my favourite of the three and I enjoyed reading as she grew as a character. None of the side characters particularly stood out to me, apart from Theo's parents.

One of my favourite parts of the book was the diversity.

The science in the book and concept of the Greenfingers were really interesting. The author thought of consequences and ideas that I hadn't or wouldn't have.

The plot was interesting overall, but I wasn't gripped or shocked by anything that happened. I don't feel that I was overly invested in what happened to the characters.

The writing style was easy to follow and I found the book quite fast to read.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I hoped I would, I enjoyed it overall and thought the messages in it were very important and relevant.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

 

Review - The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker by Lauren James

 

 

 Title: The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker

Author: Lauren James

Pages: 426

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 3rd September 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

“Congratulations, new kid. Welcome to the afterlife.”

What if death is only the beginning?

When Harriet Stoker dies after falling from a balcony in a long-abandoned building, she discovers a group of ghosts, each with a special power.

Felix, Kasper, Rima and Leah welcome Harriet into their world, eager to make friends with the new arrival after decades alone. Yet Harriet is more interested in unleashing her own power, even if it means destroying everyone around her. But when all of eternity is at stake, the afterlife can be a dangerous place to make an enemy.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Walker Books and NetGalley*

When university student Harriet Stoker falls to her death in a derelict building on campus, she finds herself in the afterlife with a group of other ghosts.

The ghosts - Felix, Rima, Leah and Kasper - welcome Harriet with open arms into their group, but when Harriet learns that everyone develops a power upon becoming a ghost she becomes obsessed with discovering what her power is.

As Harriet's obsession strains her new friendships she will have to decide what is more important, having power or friends.

Going into this I wasn't sure how much I would like it as I was disappointed by the author's last book and the premise for this one didn't excite me overly. However, as a fan of some of the author's previous books, I decided to give her new release a chance.

I didn't find Harriet to be a likeable protagonist, but I don't think she wasn't meant to be. Harriet's relationship with her grandmother was complicated and reflected the way Harriet treated people herself, which was quite interesting.

Rima was my favourite character and I liked the relationships she had with Felix, Leah and Kasper.

The plot was a bit mixed for me, with times where the pacing dipped, but there were several things that happened that I didn't expect. However, these unexpected plot points didn't have the intended shock value and some scenes didn't have the intended emotional impact because I struggled at times to connect with the characters.

The book is told from several point of views and there were times when the point of views changed too quickly for me, making the story a bit jarring at times.

While I did enjoy the book overall, it didn't grip me or have me eager to keep reading.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.