Mine by Emily Merrill

While I don't often do standalone book reviews, I do hop onto tours for books I'm particularly excited about - and Mine by Emily Merrill* easily fell into that category. Emily is someone I've known through blogging since my very early days, and now she's only gone and got a real life published novel under her belt. I bloody LOVE seeing people I know achieve their dreams so Em, congratulations. Now - about that book...

Mine is about an English student called Avery; immediately, I liked this - it's not quite YA, and not quite a fully adult novel. This is great for me because I love YA and the themes it explores, the way it's written etc, but I sometimes struggle to relate to the characters. Knowing that the protagonist was only a couple of years younger than me (rather than still in high school) was a refreshing change! And she was relatable; I loved uni, and seeing a fictionalised experience of it in the UK was so interesting.

Anyway, the story follows Avery through her second year of university - her boyfriend has moved to the same city to be with her, and she's desperately trying to navigate this new situation. Balancing her long-term romantic relationship with her studies, friendships, writing endeavours and strained family life is bound to be difficult; then things start going wrong with The Boyf, and everything Avery wanted in the first place is becoming everything she definitely doesn't want.

Ultimately, it's a book about 'finding yourself' during that period between childhood and adulthood; it's about dealing with relationships that turn nasty, and having friends to fall back on and a family that can help you get out of a difficult situation. It's about cute coffee shops and dreams of being a writer, takeaway pizza and nights out with the girls, sisterly bonds and hot chocolate with mini marshmallows. It's so real, and despite the heavy themes it was a lovely read.

If you want a book you can relate to and you're a British girl in your early 20s, then this is absolutely for you. There's ups and downs, but ultimately a happy ending - and it's SO beautifully written.

This would also make the perfect gift for a book lover, and seeing as we're currently in the run up to Christmas I'd be daft not to point that out! You can get it HERE or HERE.