This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Without ado and in no particular order…
Never Can Say Goodbye by Christina Jones
KIRA CHOSE
This is Paige Toon's follow up to her second book Johnny Be Good, and if I’m being completely honest I thought the sequel outweighed the original. The same characters were featured in the book, yet I found the pace of the storyline and the development of the characters a vast 
improvement on the previous book.
The beginning of the book took some time to get off the ground, yet when the story kicked in, with Meg’s boyfriend Christian finding out that his former best friend Johnny is actually the father of his son, I just couldn’t help getting drawn into the storyline and trying to guess what would happen next. To me this is the sign of a good book and the fact that I couldn’t put it down for the whole day it took me to read it, shows that it is one of my Best Books of 2011.
It Happened in Paris by Molly Hopkins
After reading numerous titbits about the release of this book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. It sounded like a funny, light-hearted read, which is what I come to expect from any top quality chick lit. The main character Evie was funny and very relatable to the reader, as some of the situations she finds herself in allow the reader to think that maybe she’s not as perfect as some other heroines we find in other books.
After bagging herself a job as a tour guide with a coach company, she finds herself travelling through Paris with some very odd yet quite enjoyable characters. To add to this, you have a very gorgeous sounding leading man in the form of Rob, who I couldn’t help but swoon over (do we still swoon in the 21st Century? I’m not sure but there was definitely some swooning on my part).
Along with humorous characters and a fast paced storyline, I couldn’t help but love this book, and I cannot wait for the sequel, It Happened in Venice, to come out next year. I can only hope it lives up to its predecessor.
KIRSTY CHOSE:
with. You can really tell when an author has loved writing a book; Wright's enthusiasm leaps off the page. This, combined with fantastic technique and storytelling skills, makes Lizzy Harrison Loses Control an unmissable read.
CESCA CHOSE:
The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons
The book is set in the Dorset countryside during World War II and centres around the story of Elise Landau, a Viennese Jewess, who applied to become a domestic help in England to escape the troubles in Europe. The book is a wonderful mix of light and dark. Natasha Solomon’s ability to draw such bright, eccentric people allows the reader to fall in love with a host of characters. We get a real insight into a dying world, an old order. Then there are the little glimpses of local history that drag you straight back into the 1930’s and wish you could experience it all for yourself. There is humour and charm on every page. As I closed this book I had that dreadful realisation that the characters in the pages were fictional and I could never 
actually meet them.
Room was a disturbing and totally unique book. The newspaper stories we have all heard are brought to life and you are gaping as you discover that Jack, the 5 year old narrator, has lived in a single room with his Ma and believes it to be the entire world. The book opens with Jack asking questions and you don’t stop turning the page from that moment. It is exhausting, squirm-inducing, brilliantly executed, often amusing and deeply moving. It is a fascinating read and you will want to discuss it long after you read the last sentence.
AMANDA CHOSE:
Dani's Story by Diane and Bernie Lierow with Kay West
This is the real story of what happened to young Dani, who was removed from her home aged seven, written by her newly adoptive family. Dani was found to have suffered such severe neglect at the hands of her birth mother that she did not speak, was not potty trained and walked around on her tip-toes. Doctors diagnosed her with a form of Environmental Autism. Supposedly, she was born healthy and happy but the neglect she suffered at the hands of her birth mother forced her to go into her own world.
