World Book Day has always been so important to me, and I have so many memories of walking into a bookshop with my £1 book token when I was young, excitedly treating myself to a new book; usually from one of my favourite authors. As I grew into my teens, and my love for reading continued to grow, I realised there weren't any World Book Day books aimed at teens. As an avid teenage reader, this broke my heart - and that's why I'm so thrilled to be showcasing such an amazing video today, introducing 5 full-length YA novels for just £2.50! (Or £1.50 with a book token!)

When I was sent this video last week and asked if I'd like to help promote these books, I was so excited by it. Encouraging people to read, in particular young people, is one of the reasons I started my blog; and being able to do that with World Book Day is just incredible.

The World’s biggest celebration of reading for pleasure, World Book Day, returns this year on Thursday 1 March. In its 21st year, World Book Day Authors for 2018 include Clare Balding, Adam Hargreaves, Tom Fletcher, John Green and Taran Matharu. World Book Day delivers millions of £1 book tokens (€1.50 in Ireland) to children and young people across the UK and Ireland in order for them to claim a free World Book Day book or a discount on other books.

The 2018 World Book Day Teen & Young Adult books in full:

• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Penguin) 
• Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan) 
• I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson (Egmont) 
• Summoner: The Novice by Taran Matharu (Hachette) 
• Gangsta Rap by Benjamin Zephaniah (Bloomsbury) 

For your chance to win just answer the question below in an email to zoecollins1994@gmail.com with your name and UK address.

How many years has World Book Day been running?

a) 12 years
b) 19 years
c) 21 years

Closing date: Midnight 28th February (a video with the winner will be posted on 1st March). UK only.

In early April last year, my life turned upside down. I had been living with PoTS for 6 years at that point. I was coping, but barely. I had several bouts off sick from work; I tried various days and hours in the hope it would alleviate my symptoms, but whatever I did, I had to face the fact: My PoTS was getting worse.

In April, I was signed off work indefinitely and applied for PIP (Disability). I was struggling, but due to not working and receiving no financial help, money was tight. I needed a wheelchair, a kitchen stool, a shower seat; all things impossible to afford when you're receiving no income and paying out well over £1000 a month on rent and utility bills.

When I applied for PIP, I assumed it would be sorted in a month or two - I'd have the money to buy the things I needed to ensure I could live my life to the fullest, and things would be great - right? Wrong.

I waited 3 months for my assessment in July (which was one of the most awful experiences of my life), only to be told 6 weeks after that they'd made the decision - and the answer was no. I wasn't eligible for any help. After battling my condition without any living aids for 6 years and finally asking for help, only to be told no, was so disheartening and I almost gave up.

My family pushed me to appeal; they knew I deserved it. I asked for a mandatory reconsideration. Again, 2 months later, I was told no. In December 2017, I applied for a tribunal (my case to put in front of judges and healthcare professionals), where I was told I could be waiting 16-20 weeks for a date.

I put it to the back of my mind, as I have really important testing for my PoTS in 2 and a half weeks. So when a letter fell through my letterbox today, I assumed it would just be a letter informing when my tribunal date was. I was wrong.

I opened the letter and sobbed. And sobbed. And sobbed. "You are entitled to the daily living rate". The words I had been dreaming of reading since April last year were right in front of me. They were real. It was really happening. I read the letter over and over, thanking the 3 judges in my head repeatedly.

The thing with waiting so long and being told "no" repeatedly is, you start to doubt yourself. You doubt that you're worthy of it, that you deserve it, that you need it. Your mental health spirals into oblivion because you start to feel like you're a fraud. You can rifle through hundreds of pages of paperwork from consultants, cardiologists, GPs, healthcare professionals, but the little voice in your head reminds you daily, "the PIP board said no".

As I'm typing this now, it still doesn't feel real. 10 months of battling to "prove" to people that I'm ill enough to receive help has been draining and demoralising...but worth it. I'm due for another assessment in April 2020, and my pay will be backdated from April 2017 so I can finally buy the equipment I need to have a life again.

For anyone out there who's wondering whether to apply, in the middle of a case, awaiting a tribunal - keep fighting. I almost gave up so many times over the past year but you deserve that help; you deserve that money. It's hard - my god, it's possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to do but don't give up. Keep going, keep pushing. There's a light at the end of that tunnel; even if you can't see it yet. I'm finally seeing mine today.

I Stop Somewhere
Rating: 5/5
Buy/Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Hashtag Reads (Released 5th April 2018)

Ellie Frias has never wanted to be popular, she just wants to blend in, to be accepted. But then Caleb Breward, tells her she’s beautiful and makes her believe it.

Ellie loves Caleb, but sometimes she’s not sure she likes him that much – his awkward smile, the possessive way he touches her, his harsh tone, how he ignores her one minute and can't get enough the next. And then, on one black night, Ellie discovers the monster her boyfriend really is.

Ellie wasn’t the first girl Caleb raped. But she was the first he murdered.

This post is from Charlotte, Somewhere, a contributor to nosaferplace. Charlotte is a wife, mother, cocker spaniel owner and someday Queen of the Universe. She can almost always be found with her face in a book and a coffee in her hand. She likes writing, knitting, crafty things, baking, eating, walking, taking photos and nurturing a close relationship with her sofa and blankets.

The Witch's Blood
Rating: 5/5
Buy/Borrow: Buy
Source: Early copy courtesy of HarperCollins (released 8th March)

The final spell-binding book in THE WITCH’S KISS trilogy by authors and sisters, Katharine and Elizabeth Corr.

Life as a teenage witch just got harder for Merry when her brother, Leo is captured and taken into an alternative reality by evil witch Ronan. Determined to get him back, Merry needs to use blood magic to outwit her arch-rival and get Leo back. Merry is more powerful than ever now, but she is also more dangerous and within the coven, loyalties are split on her use of the magic. In trying to save Leo, Merry will have to confront evil from her past and present and risk the lives of everyone she’s ever loved. Given the chaos she’s created, just what will she sacrifice to make things right?

Movie Night
Rating: 4/5
Buy/Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Team BKMRK (Out now)

Sol and Hanna were best friends at primary school and after reuniting at college, they spend approximately seventy per cent of daylight hours together.

When disaster strikes at a New Year's Eve party and Hanna sees new boyfriend Danny Dukas kissing Lizzie Banks, a New Year's Resolution is formed. Sol and Hanna will watch one film a month for twelve months until the next New Year. After all, films hold answers to life's hardest questions. Maybe they'll figure out why they are both members of the dumpee club.

Only Sol Adams has a new year's resolution of his own: to kiss Hanna Bergdahl before the year is over.

Will Sol ever defeat the Friend Zone?

This post is from Charlotte, Somewhere, a contributor to nosaferplace. Charlotte is a wife, mother, cocker spaniel owner and someday Queen of the Universe. She can almost always be found with her face in a book and a coffee in her hand. She likes writing, knitting, crafty things, baking, eating, walking, taking photos and nurturing a close relationship with her sofa and blankets.