Monday 4 July 2016

BLOG TOUR | #Michael4Mina

I'm so happy to be a part of the blog tour for this amazing book! Check out my review below!


Book Review | Underwater by Marisa Reichardt

Title: Underwater
Author: Marisa Reichardt
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: 7/4/2016
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher

Star Rating: 3.5 stars
GOODREADS


Synopsis ->
Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then herself.
But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. 
When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. 
Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.


Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for sending me a copy of this book!
I loved this book because I could relate so much to the main character, not the traumatic experience, but the anxiety and agoraphobia that she developed. So many things had me nodding my head in agreement. I loved the cute little romance that happened throughout and how supportive they both were and they were just so good for each other BUT he was only really supportive and good for her towards the end. It took him a while to actually understand what she was going through and how to react to certain things that she did. Sooooo I'm kind of 50/50 on the romance.


It doesn't explicitly say what Morgan went through in the synopsis, but you find out about a quarter of the way through and there was something about that day that Morgan hasn't told anybody.
There was one part of the novel that really resonated with me and it's when Morgan is with her psychologist (who is awesome, by the way) and they managed to leave the house which was a huge feat in itself and Morgan says, 'I can't do it', and Brenda says something like, 'You're already doing it'. Your brain tries to trick you, and I recently had an experience where mine tried to trick me while I was on my prac for uni, and I'd get to school and say to myself that I couldn't do it, but I just needed to remind myself that I was there. I was already doing it. I could do this. I don't know if the author has a background in psychology, but I loved how the psychologist in the book actually knew what she was talking about.
I definitely recommend this one!

Friday 20 May 2016

ACOMAF PLAYLIST

So I finished reading A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas last night, and I haven't been this obsessed with a book and its characters for a while so I immediately went and created a playlist for all my feels! 

BEWARE - SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. Follow You by Bring Me The Horizon
"So you can drag me through hell
If it meant I could hold your hand.
I will follow you, cause I'm under your spell
And you could throw me to the flames.
I will follow you, I will follow you."

I wanted to put this song first because to me, this song is literally the perfect Rhysand&Feyre love song. omg as soon as it gets to the chorus I just want to CRY bc I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Okay I like to call this next section the 'OMG TAMLIN WTF R U DOING? STOP!' section. These ones are pretty self explanatory if you've read the beginning of the book. It centres around Feyre's unhappiness while with Tamlin.

2. (The Symphony of) Blasé by Anberlin
"This is our last goodnight
Say what you will
Say all that you can.
Words have no meaning 
When I've seen where you've been."

3. Let Go by Safetysuit
"You go a long way getting your way sometimes
And everything's screaming.
It's time we let go, let go let go. 
I'm gonna say no, say no, say no.
It's time to let go, let go, let go."

4. Drown (new) by Bring Me The Horizon
"What doesn't kill you makes you wish you were dead.
Got a hole in my soul, growing deeper and deeper.
And I can't take one more moment of this silence.
The loneliness is haunting me.
And the weight of the world's getting harder to hold up."


5. My House by Pvris
"Haven't you heard?
I'm not yours anymore."
"Never thought that I would feel like this
Such a mess when I'm in your presence
I've had enough, I think you've been making me sick
It's my house
And I think it's time to get out
It's my soul
It isn't yours anymore
It's my house
And I think it's time to get out"

"No love, you have come too late
No love, you have come too late

Such darkness
But I know your face cause I learned it as if I was blind
In the moment
I feel like I am and I hate that I know it so well
You're always in my head
Searing your thoughts in to my skin
But this still won't work, no"


Okay, these next songs take place after Feyre has left Tamlin.

7. Fix You by Coldplay

"Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you"

Rhys and Feyre both being broken by what Amarantha had done to them and Rhys always being there for Feyre and letting her be her own person.

8. Waking Up (Acoustic) by Pvris
"Oh I can't see
The whites are missing from my eyes
I can't breathe
I'm doing everything to bring this body back to life."
Feyre trying to feel something again.

9. Dig by Incubus
"We all have something that digs at us
At least we dig each other
So when weakness turns my ego up
I know you'll count on the me from yesterday
If I turn into another
Dig me up from under what is covering
The better part of me
Sing this song
Remind me that we'll always have each other
When everything else is gone"

When Rhys has to become the dreaded 'High Lord of the Night Court' in front of Feyre.


10. The Way by Zack Hemsey
Whenever I hear this mostly instrumental song, I think of Feyre picking herself back up and becoming the biggest badass in history.

11. Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande
"Nothing to prove and I'm bulletproof and
Know what I'm doing
The way we're movin' like introducing
Us to a new thing
I wanna savor, save it for later
The taste of flavor, 'cause I'm a taker
'Cause I'm a giver, it's only nature
I live for danger
All that you got, skin to skin, oh my God
Don't ya stop, boy
Oh yeah
Somethin' 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman
Somethin' 'bout you
Makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't
Somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout you."


How Rhys makes Feyre feel 😍


12. You Belong Here by Anberlin
"You belong here.
You were meant for me.
You belong here.
You belong here with me.
You were meant to be with me.
You are the better part, you see.
Always have and always will.
You'll be the better part of me, oh oh.
For the rest of my life."

How Feyre feels at home in Velaris with Rhys and her new family. I WANT TO CRY WITH HAPPINESS JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.

13. Empty by Pvris
"You took these starving limbs, try to see
Try to see what they could be
I thought I would be something
I thought you'd complete me
That you'd erase all the pain
That I felt in my brain
If you fill my heart with love
Then you'd fill my voids with love
And now you see that didn't change a thing.

What do you want from me?"

Feyre reflecting on her relationship with Tamlin when she sees him again in Hybern.


14. Fire by Pvris
"You're out of line,
Buried yourself alive and expected to be fine
You can't rewind,
When you're choking on your own dirt begging for your life
Your bridges are burning
And all the tables are turning
You started a fire, and you're burning up, up
Burning up.

What you give, is what you get
And in your case that's nothing but guilt and regret
And all the flames you kept in your brain
Came out your lips and sent you straight into your own grave
You were a walking, talking, corpse at best.
And I swear I couldn't wait to get you off my chest,
And when you asked us why
We couldn't look you in your eyes,
It's hard to find life in something that's already died."

Feyre's all consuming rage at Tamlin and what he's done and how she plans to ruin him. I AM RAGING RIGHT WITH U GURL OMG.

15. Medicine by Broods
"Oh and it's the only way, it's the, it's the only way out"

What Feyre is thinking and trying to shout through the bond as she pretends that she's been tricked by Rhysand so that they can all get out alive. 


16. Killing You by Broods
"But it's killing me
And it's killing you
Cause I wish you were here."

This is how I imagine Feyre and Rhys feel straight after the events in ACOMAF, when they're forced to separate while Feyre tries to take down the Spring Court from the inside.

CUE THE BIGGEST BOOK HANGOVER IN HISTORY. *faints*

Thursday 14 April 2016

BOOK REVIEW | The Protected by Claire Zorn

Title: The Protected
Author: Claire Zorn
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: 23/7/2014
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher - UQP

Star Rating: 4 stars
GOODREADS

Synopsis -->
Hannah's world is in pieces and she doesn't need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems?
Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that?
In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl's struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.



THIS, my friends, is how you write a YA novel focusing on a serious topic.
Claire Zorn is definitely an author to watch. I read her debut, The Sky So Heavy, in less than 24 hours and immediately after finishing it, I picked up this book because I couldn't get enough of Zorn's realistic and raw characters. 

The Protected is about Hannah and how her and her family are torn apart by the loss of Hannah's older sister. It also realistically portrays horrific bullying, family troubles, panic attacks and the reality of being an outcast in high school. I am honestly blown away by Claire Zorn's ability to write so realistically. 

What I absolutely adored about this novel is that it doesn't have your typical YA instalovey bullcrap that makes Hannah magically okay again. Yes, she meets a guy, but he's her friend and he helps her just by being there for her. Sure, they'll probably get married in like 12 years, but at this point in time when the novel is set, THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. What's important is Hannah's mental health and overcoming her guilt and her grief, overcoming years of horrific bullying and a year of having a mother completely disappear into herself and an injured father who can't remember anything that happened on the day they lost Katie. 

My only complaint about this novel is that I wanted more, but I think this has more to do with me, not the book. The book ended beautifully, but personally, a lot of the time I crave more of the characters that I've grown to love. 

Definitely go and check out The Sky So Heavy AND this book, because Claire Zorn is definitely an author to watch! She has a new book coming out soon and yOU BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR I'LL BE DEVOURING IT ASAP. 

Wednesday 13 April 2016

Mini Review | This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Title: This is Where it Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Genre: YA Thriller/Contemporary
Publication Date: 5/1/2016
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

Star Rating: 3.5 stars
GOODREADS

Synopsis -->
10:00 a.m. The principal of Opportunity High School finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.
10:02 a.m. The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.
10:03 a.m. The auditorium doors won't open.
10:05 a.m. Someone starts shooting.
Told from four different perspectives over the span of fifty-four harrowing minutes, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.


I keep changing my rating because I have very mixed feelings about this. Firstly, I stayed up into the early hours of the morning reading this because I couldn't put it down. It was completely gripping and horrific and I just had to know what happened. However, I felt as though some of the characters (especially the shooter) were very underdeveloped. I have personally never experienced a school shooting, but some of the things that characters did/said seemed completely ridiculous and unrealistic to me - for example one of the characters confronts the shooter and says 'You know, sweaty chic does't suit you'. Like, what????????? If there was the possibility that you were about to be shot, that's really what you would say? You wouldn't be shaking in your boots? That just didn't make sense to me. But like I said, I was hooked from page one, and I didn't think I would be because the entire novel spans only 1 hour, but through the different perspectives there were expertly placed mini-cliffhangers and you had to wait until you got their perspective again to find out what happened. 
The novel also has a very 'black and white'/'good vs evil' stance which I don't necessarily agree with either. I think I'll keep it at 3.5 stars for now because of how it kept my eyes glued to the book until the very last page.

Book Review | The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn

Title: The Sky So Heavy
Author: Claire Zorn
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Genre: YA Apocalypse/Dystopia
Publication Date: 24/7/2013
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher - UQP

Star Rating: 4 stars
GOODREADS

Synopsis -->
For Fin, it's just like any other day - racing for the school bus, bluffing his way through class, and trying to remain cool in front of the most sophisticated girl in his universe, Lucy. Only it's not like any other day because, on the other side of the world, nuclear missiles are being detonated.


I just finished this book, hugged it to my chest and let out a small wail. Wow. What an engrossing and gripping debut. The Sky So Heavy follows the aftermath of Nuclear testing gone wrong, resulting in a nuclear winter. Our main characters live just outside of Sydney, Australia and it is their harrowing story of loss and survival, of love and friendship and ultimately, it's a powerful allegory in which the reality of Australia's asylum seeker crisis is brought to light. 

This book was also scarily realistic, in that this isn't a dystopian revolving around a disaster that could never happen in real life (e.g. zombies), but a nuclear war? That could happen and the results would be absolutely devastating, like worldwide famine and entire nations completely demolished. The book was brutal, honest and raw. The last 50 pages had my heart caving in in agony. 


The characters were really what made this book for me. We have Fin, who is just trying to keep his 12 year old brother alive. We Lucy, the girl that Fin has had a crush on from the minute she first walked into the classroom. And then we have Noll, my precious cinnamon roll. He was severely bullied in school and nobody did anything to stop it, not even Fin, who was best friends with one of the biggest bullies in the school. But disaster brings people together and things like this get put into perspective. There were also some amazing side characters that honestly stole my heart. Mr Effrez OMG i love him so much <3 and Alan! What a precious old man.


An absolute stunner of a debut and a book I wish I'd read sooner! I highly, highly recommend this one if you want a realistic look into a devastating disaster and a book that will leave you sobbing with the pain of it all. 

Friday 1 April 2016

A V. Personal Review of Bridget Jones's Diary

Title: Bridget Jones's Diary
Author: Helen Fielding
Series or Standalone: Bridget Jones #1
Genre: Adult Contemporary/Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
Publication Date: 1996
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

Star Rating: 1 star
GOODREADS

Synposis ---> A dazzling urban satire of modern human relations?
An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family?
Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something?
Helen Fielding's devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud account of a year in the life of a thirty-something Singleton launched a genre and transcended the pages of fiction to become a cultural icon.

Prepare yourselves, it's about to get personal up in here.
So, I've never seen the movie of Bridget Jones's Diary, so I thought I would read the highly acclaimed book before doing so and, to my great surprise, I ended up hating almost everything about it. I 100% understand why people like it - it's funny and relatable and reminiscent of the great decade that was the 90's, but because of a purely personal problem, this book made me feel like garbage and therefore making me absolutely loathe my reading experience. 
Bridget is always writing down her weight and saying she's fat, but the thing is, it's not just herself saying this. Friends, family and other characters also call her fat throughout the novel and then I look at me, who weighs over 15 kilos more than Bridget, and it honestly made me feel like crap. I have already been struggling with confidence and self-loathing because over the past couple of years I've put on 25 kilos due to changing medications for my mental health, so this book honestly just made it worse. Is this what people on the street think about me when I walk by? Do my friends and family secretly discuss how much weight I've put on behind my back? It honestly took me back to when members of my own family were making snide remarks about my weight or offering suggestions for how exercise and dieting could benefit me, thinking they were helping when really, it made it ten times worse. 
I was 3/4 of the way through the book, when I thought to myself, has anything plot-wise actually happened? Nope. Just a bunch of damaging self-hatred that triggered my own. 
I get that a lot of people love the book and that's fine, I totally get it, but for me, it ended up being a damaging and destructive novel that ended up being quite triggering for my depression.
Let me know any thoughts you guys have on this book or any of the things I've discussed!

Monday 7 March 2016

BOOK REVIEW | JANE EYRE

So, I recently read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë for the first time and it swiftly became my favourite book of all time! Watch my review here ->


Monday 25 January 2016

BOOK REVIEW | Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira

Title: Bookishly Ever After
Author: Isabel Bandeira
Series or Standalone: Book 1 in a series!
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: January 19th 2016
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley & Spencer Hill Press
GOODREADS

Synposis ---> In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary. But when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?


Thank you to NetGalley & Spencer Hill Contemporary for providing me with a copy of this book to review! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to request it. I mean, it's every YA booklover's dream! A book about a main character obsessed with books? SIGN ME UP! 
THE PROS:
Okay so before I say anything else, I'm just going to say that this book is SO relatable and adorable - from the book signings, to the ignoring the world through reading, to the crushing on fictional characters! It was just so much fun to read about! I also LOVED the diversity! Dev is Indian and one of Pheobe's friends is a lesbian, but what I loved was that she wasn't stereotyped. She's a cheerleader and she's fashion and make-up obsessed and she just happened to like girls. SO WHAT? I loved how it wasn't made into a big deal and it didn't feel like the author just shoved an lgbt character in there so that there was diversity in her novel, you know? 
The other thing I really LOVED about this book is that the last 1/4 takes place at a camp for 6th graders and Dev & Phoebe sign up to help out and it was SO CUTE! And it totally took me back to my school camps and how fun it was and who I was crushing on at the time and it gave me all the nostalgic and giggly feels!
THE CONS:
So Phoebe was REALLY annoying because every time Dev put himself out there and gave her signs that he liked her, she just pushed him away. And I understand that she's an introvert and she's shy (I can relate), but she did it time and time again and it got a bit repetitive and frustrating.
If you've read the novel Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Bookishly Ever After followed the theme of having snippets from the MC's favourite books. And just like while I was reading Fangirl, I found myself skipping those parts because I honestly didn't care about them. I just wanted to get back to Phoebe and Dev! *heart eyes*
The writing wasn't anything spectacular or beautiful, but it wasn't bad in any way and definitely kept me hooked!

I definitely recommend this for fans of adorable YA Contemporary who want a relatable main character who fangirls as much as you do! 
~3.5 STARS~

Sunday 10 January 2016

2015 END OF YEAR BOOK SURVEY!

This survey was created by The Perpetual Page-Turner, an amazing blog that I follow! 
I left out one section of the survey, so if you want the full thing, click here




Number of books you read: 200
Number of re-reads: 20
Genre you read the most from: Young Adult Contemporary




1. Best book you read in 2015: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
2. Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn't: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
3. Most surprising (good or bad) book you read: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
4. Book you 'pushed' the most people to read (and they did): Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
5. Best series you started? Best sequel? Best series ender? The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, Queen of Shadows & Winter by Marissa Meyer
6. Favourite new author you discovered: Meg Cabot, Nicola Yoon, Renee Ahdieh, Becky Albertalli
7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone? Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
9. Book you read in 2015 that you are most likely to reread next year: Illuminae & The Wrath and the Dawn
10. Favourite cover of a book you read this year: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
11. Most memorable character of 2015: Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass
12. Most beautifully written book you read: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book: Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper & Feed by M.T. Anderson
14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read this year: 
“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.” - Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
“She looked at them, at the three males who meant everything—more than everything. Then she smiled with every last shred of courage, of desperation, of hope for the glimmer of that glorious future. “Let’s go rattle the stars.” - Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
16. Shortest and longest book you read: Just One Night by Gayle Forman & Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
17. Book that shocked you the most: After You by Jojo Moyes
18. OTP of the year: SPOILERS FOR QUEEN OF SHADOWS ---------- Celaena & Rowan <3
19. Favourite non-romantic relationship of the year: Celaena & Lysandra 
20. Favourite book you read from an author you've read previously: The Just One Day Duology by Gayle Forman
21. Best book you read based solely on a recommendation from somebody else: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
22. Newest fictional crush: IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION? ROWAN WHITETHORN.
23. Best 2015 debut: The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting: The Wrath & the Dawn. again.
25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
26. Book that made you cry: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
27. Hidden gem of the year: Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
28. Book that crushed your soul: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
29. Most unique book you read: Illuminae!
30. Book that made you the most mad: Where Rainbows End (AKA Love, Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern




1. One book you didn’t get to in 2015 but will be your number 1 priority in 2016: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Book you are most anticipating for 2016: The 5th book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas!
3. 2016 debut you're most anticipating: Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
4. A series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating in 2016 ToG 5, The Rose & the Dagger (Renee Ahdieh), ACOMAF (Sarah J. Maas), Gemina (Illuminae #2).
5. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2016: BUY LESS BOOKS THAN I READ (Like that's ever gonna happen tho let's be real)
6. A 2016 release you've already read and recommend to everyone: Remembrance by Meg Cabot (the 7th and only adult instalment in the Mediator series!)

DECEMBER 2015 WRAP UP

So, I may or may not have lost the video footage from my December Wrap Up (oops) and haven't had the chance to re-film, so I decided I'd do it in blog-post format! Here we gooooooo!

The first book I finished in December was Feed by M.T. Anderson. This is set in the future where everyone has what's called a 'feed' implanted into their brain from birth which provides humans with constant advertisements, shows, chatrooms, etc right in front of their eyes. One day, while a group of kids are on a trip to the moon (yeah, the moon) something happens and their feeds stop working and they're like WHAT THE HECKY DO WE DO EVERYTHING IS SO BORING WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER. They all get their feeds functioning again, except for this one girl because she didn't have her feed implanted until she was older, so hers is deteriorating and because it's connected to her brain and therefore, her entire body, her limbs stop working and eventually, she'll die. At its core, this book is a satire and it is so, so clever. It's honestly the most realistic portrayal of our future that I've ever read about and it's so freaking scary. It absolutely astounds me that the author wrote this 15 YEARS AGO and he has already predicted so much of what's happening it's CRAZY. So many people hate this book, and I think it's because they couldn't get past the way the characters spoke (which was another super realistic thing in the book bc they had all these little sayings like we have YOLO and stuff) and from reviews I've seen, I think some people just didn't get that it was a satire? A goodreads user named Annalisa reviewed this and she PERFECTLY sums up how I feel about this book and its meaning, so in her words - "For all the dystopias I've been reading, I'm amazed that Anderson's world could discomfort me this much. And I've been thinking about his main character. While reading it, I was often disappointed with his choices, but now I think he was the perfect embodiment of this shallow world. I loved that Anderson offers no judgment or solution, just shows us this world with all its many flaws and lets it creep under your skin and make you uncomfortable with where the world is headed."  4.5 STARS



The next book I read was The Best Goodbye by Abbi Glines. This is the 13th book in the Rosemary Beach series, which is a guilty pleasure of mine! It's a New Adult series, so it's super steamy and full of drama and they are just SO fun to read and SO quick. 4 STARS







Then I read The Revolution of Ivy, which is the sequel and conclusion to the Book of Ivy duology by Amy Engel. If you're looking for a good dystopian, check out this duo! I fell in love with the characters and I couldn't stop reading! I think I loved the first book a little more than the second book, but I still recommend both! 4 STARS





I read November 9 by Colleen Hoover, which is her latest New Adult release. Colleen Hoover is usually a favourite of mine and I've loved all of her books except the Slammed series, but this one was a bit of a letdown. I loved the concept of the novel (A guy and a girl meet on November 9 every year for 5 years without any contact in between), but the love interest Ben said and did some things that really aren't okay. For an example (it isn't really a spoiler), but he's undressing her for the first time and she's crying and he doesn't even stop to ask what's wrong or anything, he just keeps going????? How is that acceptable? When appreciating her body, his inner monologue was also not great, as it made me feel like she was just a pretty object to him the way he was describing her. I don't know, I'm very torn on this one and it definitely wasn't my favourite of hers. 3 STARS




Then I reread Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! I was rereading it for #HarryXmasToYou, but only ended up reading this one and a little bit of the Half Blood Prince because I read so many other books! I forgot how much teenage angst is in this book, but it's made up for by McGonagall being a SASS MACHINE! She's honestly one of my favourite characters EVER. 5 STARS (OBVS)






Then I read what is now one of my all time favourite books - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This is an adult contemporary all about 26 yo Louisa, who takes a job care-taking for a man who was in an accident and is now paraplegic. He used to be so successful and such an adventurer, but now he feels as though his life is over and there's nothing left to live for. Louisa takes it upon herself to convince him that life is worth living and OH MA LORD WILL THIS BOOK BREAK UR LIL HEART. I'm not going to spoil anything, but just know that this book touches on a very controversial subject and it's an interesting topic for discussion after reading this book. It's also funny, warm and witty, so I definitely recommend you check it out. It's so beautiful.
5 STARS




Next I read Where Rainbows End (also known as Love, Rosie in the U.S.) by Cecelia Ahern. This book started out so well! It's an adult contemporary romance that's told entirely in letters, emails, IMs and texts and was so cute and fluffy, but then it went downhill until I wanted to throw the book across the room. After the first 100 pages, it just gets so frustrating that these two characters who obviously love each other can't tell each other how they feel, and so they both move on with their lives. The amount of time it takes for these characters to get together was RIDICULOUS. And I'm not talking like a year or two. IT LITERALLY TAKES FOREVER OMG IT WAS SO ANNOYING. I just got too frustrated and ended up not enjoying the story, but loving Cecelia's writing so was very mixed on this one! 2.5 STARS







Then I decided to get into the Christmas spirit by reading this anthology! It has 3 stories that revolve around Christmas and they all intertwine and it's just fabulous! Each story was super cute, even if the main character in Lauren Myracle's story was super unlikable. I highly recommend you read this next holiday season! It wasn't anything amazing, but it was adorable! 4 STARS







I got 66 pages into Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody before I put it down and DNF'd it. It was just SO boring. The only redeeming factor was the talking cat but to be honest, I didn't want to commit to such a HUGE series where the books are like 1000 pages long if I didn't even like it, so I gave up. DNF








Then I read Apocolyptigirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean. This is a standalone graphic novel and I'll be honest, it was pretty horrible. It's all about the girl and her cat fighting things off after an apocalypse and the entire story made absolutely NO SENSE. I was so confused. But there was a cat in it, so I had to give it that. Other than that, so weird. 1.5 STARS






But then I read 2 graphic novels that totally made up for the sucky one and they are Rat Queens Volumes 1 & 2! THESE WERE FREAKING AMAZING YOU GUYS. It follows 4 DIVERSE girls who fight monsters in their magical world and OMG. I CAN'T EVEN DEAL. These are VERY mature though and contain lots of swearing, sexual content and drugs, so be aware of that. But if you're looking for a kickass series with AMAZING, colourful illustrations and super diverse characters, then pick this up! It's incredible! 5 STARS






I finished off a series by reading the fourth and final book in the Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockhart, which is a Tween series about a girl who has anxiety! I could relate to this SO MUCH and I wish I had this when I was 14! They're super cute and realistic and funny. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others in the series, but I still recommend them! 3,5 STARS







Then I read the sequel to Me Before You and it was absolutely beautiful and full of shocking- jaw on the floor moments! I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one, but I still loved it. Jojo is amazing and I now want to read all of her stuff! 4 STARS









So I finally finished reading Memories by Lang Leav after 100000 years. So I've figured out that poetry is just not my thing, and I struggled to connect to the poems that Leav published in this book. I only connected to one. ONE! This was really meh, unfortunately. 2 STARS






Then I read books 3-6 in the Mediator series by Meg Cabot! I absolutely ADORE Meg Cabot and this series was SO MUCH FUN. It's classic YA Paranormal with a sexy ghost and a sassy MC, but it's just great. I gave book 3 4 STARS, book 4 5 STARS, book 5 4 STARS and book 6 5 STARS.








The second-to-last book I read in December was a review copy from Edelweiss! It's the 7th instalment in the Mediator series which also happens to be an ADULT instalment, so you get to revisit these characters 6 years after the end of the 6th book! I loved seeing them all grown up and how they've changed, but also stayed exactly the same :') I wasn't absolutely amazed by this book as I feel like it didn't have anything super crazy happen, but it was so fun and adorable and I love the characters so much. I'm loving how Meg is released adult continuations of her series! 4 STARS






The last book was a reread for me and I read it purely so I could reach 200 books for the year! I was running out of time, so I decided to reread my favourite picture book! It's very mature and I swear I cry every time I read it, it's just beautiful! If you ever get the chance to read this, just do it! 5 STARS




So those are all the books I read in December! My favourites were definitely Me Before You & Rat Queens! Thank you all for tuning in! :D

April xxxx