Grays Shadows

King of Nothing
I loved this book. It has a very relatable and funny storyline. The author uses a different blend of themes to explore Antony's journey of identity, friendship and personal growth. It shows varying perspectives on the challenges faced by teens.

Dara

King of Nothing
I loved reading King of Nothing. It portrayed so many topics, like bullying, identity, and challenging childhood-teen experiences, yet in a slightly humorous and welcoming way, which is what I really liked about the writing. I decided to do some research in order to put my thoughts and emotions into words, and I realised that Nathanael Lessalore, along with the laughs, tackles the conflict of toxic masculinity head-on. It also looks at stereotypes and problems that still exist in the world today, but through a teen, whose life is clearly being badly influenced- but begins to realise it (whether or not it is directly stated). In my opinion, one of the best ways to show this point of view, is we can see the side of him that is like most of his peers, or 'mandem' :) and his bad influence, but as he begins to open his eyes, with the help of Matthew, he begins to see more about what's going on and the risks he's taking, which is kind of why I think that the author used the perfect protagonist to tell the story from. I truly enjoyed reading this novel.

Tazmeen

Glasgow Boys
I really liked reading this book- it beautifully describes the two boys' struggles of growing up, making their stories separate, but linked. I also liked how little pieces of their habits mentioned throughout the book, help shape the characters and their backstory, even when their flashbacks from 3 years ago aren't present in parts of the story. Examples of this can be that Banjo likes to run to calm himself down, and get rid of his problems, and it foreshadows to us that he can't deal with his stress properly, wanting to say sorry to Finlay for a long time, but finding it hard to do so because of his problem. Another example of this was that Finlay was originally perceived as very enclosed to himself, and socially anxious because of his past trauma of losing Banjo for not opening up to him. I noticed that, although this book was titled as a romance, yet I do not think so- there are love interests, but falling in love is not the main theme, however, Glasgow Boys IS about love, though. It was about finding your place in the world, learning to love your people, and also loving YOURSELF for who you are, and i found that quite beautiful.

Tazmeen

Little Bang
I enjoyed this book . It had a gripping tale that left me wanting to turn the page. I liked how it tackled tough themes that you really wouldn't expect in YA literature or any kind of literature. I also liked how each character had their own distinctive personality like I can read a quote and know "Oh so and so said this". Honestly I would like if their were more books like this because there are themes that need to be spoken about especially to the new generation which is why I personally love this book. 11 stars ***********

Favor

King of Nothing
I rather enjoyed King of Nothing as it showed Anton's journey from being a gangster in the making to becoming a wholesome person. I liked how Anton broke away from the toxicity he was in that he thought was what he needed. It also had a few laughs and the slang I felt was really relatable. I would definitely recommend . 11 stars ***********

Favor