Access All Awkward by Beth Garrod (Scholastic)

Is there anything more exciting than stumbling into a series where you just adore the books and know that you can immediately dive into the rest. Well luckily for me the brilliant Beth Garrod has written two books before the fabulously funny, ‘Access All Awkward,’ so I know I’m in for lots more laugh-out-loud moments. For those like me new to the desperately awkward Bella Fisher, fear not I was able to get to know her very quickly and soon discovered we had a lot in common. Yes because Beth is totally, seriously and downright especially awkward, in fact you could say her life just never goes how she wants it to. So it seems inevitable that she’s dawdled away most of her revision time researching rare breeds of dogs, meaning that her chances of going to college with her friends is increasingly slim. But Bella distracts herself from potential misery with the promise of a festival ticket, if only she didn’t have to work as a litter picker to get one because nothing is ever that straightforward for her. And if things couldn’t get worse her Mum has sent her annoying older sister Jo to watch over, officially ruining her life. Surely that’s the worst thing that could possibly happen, what else could possibly go wrong?

This brilliant story just oozes fun and laughter from every page, I completely devoured it desperate to know just how disastrous Bella’s life was going to turn out to be. In a world of filtered, glamourous teens that dominate social media it’s really refreshing to meet someone who is so real that it hurts. There are so many cringe worthy moments for you to savour as we watch Bella turn from loser to saviour much to the disgust of the popular, mean girls. I’m sure all teenagers can identify with Bella, her struggle to fit in, when she can’t afford the best of everything and having the most embarrassing Mum who appears to be up to something very strange behind closed doors. You will be cheering Bella along all the way, wanting to hug her when things go badly wrong and wishing so hard that she can get through a whole day without being completely awkward. I would love for there to be more series like this, it’s perfect for young teens in secondary school feeling totally overwhelmed with what the world has instore for them. Genuinely hilarious from its head to its toes, this is a truly entertaining read that I just loved.