Tag | Try A Chapter

The Try A Chapter tag is one that has been doing to rounds on Booktube for a couple of years now and it's one that I have really loved watching. The idea is to read the first chapter of a selection of books. There are a couple of variations of the tag; some read the first chapter of books they are unsure about to decide whether to get rid of it or not, others do this to determine what book to read next. For me, I thought it would be a fun way to chose my next read, so chose a random selection of books I have some interest in reading soon. I'm not entirely sure how this tag will work in blog form, but I'm going to give it a go.

I chose four books from my shelves that I would like to read sometime soon: The Truth And Lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr, Wonder by RJ Palacio, Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider & Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy.

The Truth And Lies Of Ella Black by Emily Barr

Pages: 18

- This was a very odd/confusing/messed up first chapter of a book. I didn't know much about this book going into the first chapter and was left even more confused after reading it. It was a brief introduction to the main character, Ella, and her family and friends. It was weird enough to intrigue  me but also kind of put me off at the same time, particularly as there was some completely unnecessary animal abuse featured.

Wonder by RJ Palacio

Pages: 1

- This first chapter was so short, just 1 page, that it wad hard to get any idea of the story of the writing. It gave a brief introduction to August but, like I said, it was hard to gain anything from such a short chapter. I am a huge fan of short chapters in books, though, so that is definitely something that attracts me to this book.

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Pages: 20

- This was the longest of the first chapters I read for this tag. This first chapter follows Lane as he first arrives at Latham House, though doesn't give you much of an idea of what Latham House is. I got some boarding school mixed with summer camp vibes, which really intrigued me, though I know from the synopsis that this book is about more than that. The first chapter definitely intrigued me and gave me the impression that this could be a book I really enjoy.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Pages: 8

- Going into this, I had an idea that this would be the book I would pick. It's one I have been wanting to pick up for a while now but just never got around to it. The first chapter didn't really give much away, it's basically just Alice's boyfriend trying to pressure her into having sex with him and being a bit of a jerk. It made it seem like an average YA contemporary, which I know from the synopsis that it is not. The first chapter alone wouldn't make me want to carry on with this book.

The Winner: Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Keep an eye out for my May wrap up, and possible a review in the future, to find out my thoughts on this book.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Sophie :)