Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Ever had a friend who seems to be everything to you – companion, supporter  encourager? And even though they may not be perfect, you still love them because they love you with all your imperfections? Well that was Alice – a great friend but with some strange personality traits.

But Katherine likes her – she needs friends when she moves to Sydney to live with her aunt after shocking events have happened in her family. It’s just that as the story progresses, Katherine begins to doubt that the pluses are more than the minuses in her relationship with Alice.

It’s great to see a book set in Sydney. Katherine’s parents seem very realistic and Alice’s ability to twist most people around her little finger is almost scary to watch.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Matt lives with his two sisters and their single mother. She is seriously mentally unstable so their life is one of walking on eggshells. What state will Mum come home in? Will she be nice to them or tease and hurt them.

The novel moves at a fast pace with the reader wondering who will break first – the mother, the children or the various people that Matt hopes will help them survive. Nancy won several awards for this and other books. You can find out all about her at http://www.nancywerlin.com/

Headgames by Casey Lever

Ever played Truth or Dare? Five teens decide (some more eagerly than others) to have a go at this game. Not many dares get taken up but lots of truth gets told, things that have never been told to others – on very “touchy” subjects.

You have the nerd, the big guy, the tough guy, the school Miss Popular and the Goth. But these stereotypical labels hide a lot of hurt and it’s fascinating wondering what is going to be let out of the bag next.

Lever really writes a page turner – shades of psychological thrillers.

Love, Shelley by Kate Saksena

Shelley’s has some really big problems in her life – a younger brother to look after, the housework to do, a mum with an alcohol problem, bullies at school and her dad living with his new family. She decides to write to her favourite pop star and tell him about her troubles. His encouraging postcards keep her battling through the problems.

While you sympathise with Shelley’s problems, you also admire her spunk. Her love for her family and her good common sense make her a really likable character without being too much of a “goody goody”.