Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher
Marnie’s really messed up this time…
Thrown out of her posh boarding school just before GCSEs, the only empty seat in her new class is next to Zed, a nerd with zero tolerance for mistakes. Marnie (great at art and Spanish but definitely not numbers) can’t wait to lose her virginity – whereas Zed (great at maths and physics but definitely not languages) is a loner who can’t stand being touched. But they have at least one thing in common: they need good grades. And what starts as a trade in tuition, turns into an unlikely friendship… a friendship that’s tested to breaking when Marnie’s tricked into having sex without a condom.
Definitely one for out teen readers. I loved the characters in this novel – they were likeable and relatable. It was a gripping story line, which didn’t shy away from difficult subject matter, but dealt with it sensitively.
Some Like it Cold by Elle McNicholl
Having read Elle McNicoll’s other books, I was intrigued as to how her first foray into YA would fare. I will confess that I was little disappointed at first as I thought it was going to be the archetypal “rom com” churned out regularly on the Hallmark channel, with the golden girl loved by everyone, the evil older sister and the broodingly handsome Mr Darcy cipher. However, I soon realised that Elle had brought in many of the classic romantic tropes but there was much more to this story. For me, by far the best part of the story was Jasper’s neurodiversity which was described in an achingly effective way. I enjoyed the setting; who can resist a small-town vignette in the run up to Christmas? The characters were well written, and Elle fleshed out the selfish older sister and brooding boyfriend admirably. The minor characters also felt real. Best of all, there was a lovely happy ending, as you would expect with a rom com. I’m looking forward to recommending this to neurodivergent readers and those who love a great romance.
