The Swansea Blogger Collective

I am a huge fan of the Swansea Waterstones Twitter page and one day whilst scrolling, I came across an announcement for the SBC – Swansea’s Blogger Collective which would be happening there on August 5th. A place for fellow Welsh bloggers to meet up monthly and talk about all things books and events! Me, being the Queen of Anxiety, really wanted to attend but didn’t know if I could but guess what? I did! And it was amazing. Not only did I come away with some amazing books, but I also met some amazing people. I thought meeting other book-lovers in Swansea was a month but here I was, surrounded by them (and biscuits!) All of this couldn’t have been possible without The Twitter Guy who arranged the event and got us some amazing books to take home and review. 

We all gathered in the very top floor (!) of the Waterstones building which as we learned, was originally the first cinema in Wales. Although not everybody could make it, I still met some amazing people including Amy @tomeswithtea, Zoe @drawingonbooks, Shelby @shelbycat, Rebecca @beckythebookbutterfly, Bethan @bethanmaybooks, Ash @ashleighbekkah, Amy @Hubbuckox, Zara @copperpoet and Mike @MichaelEverest!

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But finally, what we’re all here for. The books I managed to grab! I’ll eventually write a review for each of these books but for now, I’ll give you a little synopsis but from what I’ve heard, they all look and sound amazing!

Floored: A Collaborative Novel
The Breakfast Club meets One Day in Floored, a unique collaborative novel by seven bestselling and award-winning YA authors. Six strangers are stuck in a lift together and their fates between intertwined after a traumatic event occurs. Every year on the anniversary, the six misfits meet up to celebrate. Dawson, a failed child TV star. Sasha, a girl just trying to please her dad. Hugo, a rich asshole. Velvet, a girl judged just by her looks. Kaitlyn, a girl dealing with gradually going blind and Joe, the sweetheart who wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.
Goodreads | Waterstones

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All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth
Not only has this paperback got the most amazing sprayed pages, but it also sounds amazing. This young-adult mystery follows the story of Grace Fairchild, the beautiful young wife of real estate mogul, Allister Calloway. Everything seems perfect until she disappears without a trace, leaving behind a young daughter and a lot of questions. Years later, Grace’s daughter, Charlie is haunted by the past events. Joining an elite school, she comes across the As, an elite society where becoming a member comes at a high cost. She must play The Game, a semester-long scavenger hunt that is a lot more dangerous than it sounds.
Goodreads | Waterstones

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The Ghosts & Jamal by Bridget Blankley
Taking place in Nigeria and touching on subjects such as racism, terrorism and religion, this book follows the story of a 13 year old orphan negotiating an unforgiving society after waking up to the aftermath of a terrorist attack. He must piece together what happened and evade capture from the ones responsible. Following a young boy definitely makes his naivety more prevalent, especially as he mistakes yellow gas as the  ghosts that killed his family and now he must follow them to find out what happened.
Goodreads | Waterstones

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The Island by M.A. Bennett
Seven students. One plane crash. No rules. A take on Lord of the Flies, this book follows the story of Link, having newly arrived in America, he is finding it difficult to settle into his new prestigious school. However, when a school trip is offered, he can think of nothing worse than spending time with these people. However, his mother says that if he goes on this trip, he can leave the school. He accepts. As you can tell, this doesn’t end well when their plane crashes onto a remote island and they only have each other for company.
Goodreads | Waterstones

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The War in the Dark by Nick Setchfield
James Bond meets Indiana Jones. The book takes place in Europe, 1963 as the Cold War rages on. After the assassination of a traitor goes wrong, British Intelligence Agent, Christopher Winter must flee London. Whilst on a quest to hunt down forgotten intelligence from centuries before, he teams up with a mysterious woman called Karina. Racing against the Russians, they are led across the Hungarian border filled with demons and into the tunnels beneath Berlin and then to Vienna and Bavaria. This is a world of treachery, blood and magic.
Goodreads | Waterstones

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Ascension by Vixtor Dixen
Marketed as Love Island in space. Are you sold yet? Six girls and six boys are on a spaceship, kept separate until they come together for six minutes each week to attempt to seduce each other under the watchful eyes of the on-board cameras. This is the Genesis programme aiming to create the first human colony on Mars. One contestant is 18 year old orphan, Leonor and she has signed up for a one-way ticket. There’s no going back now and it is too late for regrets.
Goodreads | Waterstones

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American Girl by Iowa Riley
On a hot Brooklyn afternoon, 32 year old failing novelist Kate Archer will destroy a stranger’s life – her own. Up until then, Kate has been in a tepid marriage, a standstill career and hiding a big secret that could destroy everything. When she comes across a man from half a world away, it can be described as nothing but an emotional collision. She now has a chance of a life she has only ever dreamed of. But when a cruel twist of fate puts her between the two people she loves most, Kate realises she can’t love the woman she has become. She must choose between her own happiness or the happiness of the ones she loves.
Goodreads | Amazon

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Lots of Love,
Angharad @