Book Review: "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" and "PS. I Still Love You" by Jenny Han

Book Review: "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" and "PS. I Still Love You" by Jenny Han

Monday 29 June 2015

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I think it’s fair to say that I am VERY late on the Jenny Han bandwagon. It’s also fair to say that I am very happy to finally be on it, and I can’t wait for her future releases now that I am. 

I absolutely loved this book series. 

I didn’t know a lot about the series before I started it, in fact all I knew was what I’d read on the blurb. I’m a big lover of Young Adult fiction and I get through quite a lot of it on a yearly basis, so I kind of expected it to be the same old teen romance story, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that that was definitely not the case. I ordered both books in the series at the same time (wise choice there Hollie) so that I wouldn’t have to wait for the next to arrive from Amazon (or rush into town to Waterstones) between reading. 

The story itself started off a little slowly and I took a little while to get through the first few chapters. After that, I just sped through it. The premise is pretty simple- letters that the main character, Lara Jean, wrote to boys that she liked are mysteriously delivered to said boys. These letters were, obviously, never intended to be sent, and she finds herself in a very awkward situation where she has to navigate her way through the repercussions. It follows the romance between herself and two of the recipients (awkwardly, one being her sisters incredibly recent ex-boyfriend) and a very bizarre situation where she finds herself in a fake-relationship with her 8th grade crush. 

The novels follow the relationship between her and her two sisters, as well as her relationship with Korean culture. Her eldest sister, the reliable and organised Margot, moves to St Andrews in Scotland for university so she finds herself in a position of responsibility for the first time in her life. I have to admit that I much prefer the youngest sister, Kitty, to all of the other characters as her character is just hilarious and I’d love to read more about her in the future. Her character was very black and . The second book follows on from the events of the first, and focuses on the responsibilities and issues that come with a real-life grown-up relationship. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t a good book. The first was just so wonderfully beautiful that there was no way a sequel could live up to it. The second did a hell of a good go at trying, though.  

I love the intricate details of the relationship between Lara Jean and her sisters however the relationship between Lara Jean and Peter was a little bit more difficult to feel positively towards. I appreciate that at the age of 16, relationships are difficult and it’s incredibly easy to be jealous and self-conscious and insecure. I’m nearly 22 and I still occasionally feel out of my comfort zone as far as my relationships are concerned. It’s incredibly easy to see something innocent and interpret it as something more, and this is exactly what Lara Jean does with regard to the friendship between former lovers Peter and Genevieve. I feel as though this could have been explained a little bit better, as her jealousy was presented as being something that is okay, where is definitely wasn’t healthy. On the other hand, Han did a wonderful job of explaining how it was Lara Jean who had the problem as opposed to Peter, which definitely overrode the unhealthiness of the jealousy. 

I honestly can’t rave enough about this series and I recommend it to anyone who loves contemporary young-adult fiction. I’ve since purchased the “The Summer I turned Pretty” trilogy so I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into that one in a few weeks time. 

Rating: 4/5.

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Life: An Evening in Images

Life: An Evening in Images

Saturday 27 June 2015

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Wednesday, 24th June 2015.

Manchester Arena. 

Taylor Swift ft. Vance Joy

List: What I'm loving this week!

List: What I'm loving this week!

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It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these posts so it’s more of a “what I’ve been loving since I last posted this kind of list” than a “… this week” one, but no sweat there. It’s actually a pretty long list this time as I’m enjoying quite a few products and different things! 

I’m STILL absolutely raving about LUSH’s Shower Jelly. It smells absolutely incredible and makes my skin so soft and smooth. I honestly can’t get enough of this product and will definitely buy it over and over again. 

I recently noticed that the entire Sims 2 collection was on sale on the App store for Macbook so I decided that investing in it whilst it was cheap was a good idea. I originally wanted Sims 4 but I couldn’t justify £50 for a game, so instead i got this for a bargain £8! It has the original game and all the expansion packs included on it so it has taken up a good chunk of my computer’s memory but I’ve had a lot of fun playing so far. 

Pretty Little Liars is back on our screens once more and once again I’ve got myself hooked on it. It’s driving me mad not knowing who A is, as always, and all the twists and turns are way too much for me to handle! I also have a ridiculous crush on the guy who plays Caleb, Tyler Blackburn, so that definitely makes for good viewing. 

I’m drinking fizzy vimto like it’s going out of fashion right now, it’s just so addictive. I have a bit of a sweet tooth at the moment, which is unusual for me as I’m normally into more savoury things. I’ve been getting it as my treat drink every other day or when I want a break from boring old water! 

I bought a beautiful red Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick while I was in boots the other day- I’m really late on this bandwagon but they never had a colour in stock that I actually liked until now, so I haven’t been at all inclined to part with my money. However, I love this colour- I think it’s absolutely gorgeous to look at and really compliments my skin tone. 

My final thing I’m loving this week is the amazing song “Sugar” by Maroon 5. If I’m honest, I’ve been listening to it on repeat for about a month and I’m yet to grow tired of it. It’s just such a beautiful song and I love the video and the concept behind it. I’d LOVE Maroon 5 to crash my wedding, the lucky little so and so’s! 

What have you been loving this week?

Book Review: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Book Review: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Tuesday 23 June 2015

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Review: I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh

I’ve really been getting into psychological thrillers recently, this being the second in the course of a few days that I’ve read and it’s no surprise to hear that I absolutely loved this book. It’s another one that seems to be on everyone’s “to read” piles and Clare Mackintosh thoroughly deserves all the hype and all of the praise that she’s been receiving as a result of this amazing debut novel. 

The style of writing is phenomenal and kept me hooked all the way through. We are introduced from the offset to Jenna, the protagonist and we follow her as she tries to recover from what only can be described as a tragic accident and consequently unimaginable loss. It’s really difficult to say too much here without giving away the plot - and believe me, you want to read this one yourself. so I’m going to be as vague as humanely possible and just witter away. 

Generally speaking, novels like this have massive twists towards the end of the book, but Clare Mackintosh treats you to twist after twist throughout the novel. I honestly have to admit that she left me thinking “what the…?” on multiple occasions, and one point actually left me completely speechless (and if you know me at all, you know how miraculous that is). You feel every ounce of sympathy towards Jenna and left doubting absolutely everything you read and questioning every character that’s introduced. I would definitely not be exaggerating when I say that the plot twists in such a way that I have never seen before, and it’s arguably also one of the best I’ve ever seen. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I love trying to guess what is going on and what’s going to happen. Usually, I guess bits and bobs of it, missing a few details here and there but it was absolutely impossible in this case. I didn’t guess a single twist or a single turn and I absolutely LOVE that. I loved the other characters, the police officers and the hunky vet that Jenna befriends, as well and all in all I don’t have a bad word to say about this novel. 

I picked this up because the cover claimed that lovers of “The Girl on the Train” would love this too, and that is definitely the case. I hate to compare books but I’d argue that this is actually better than “The Girl on the Train.” All I can say here is that Clare Mackintosh has got a devoted fan for life now!! 

5/5. 

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List: June/July Reading List

List: June/July Reading List

Monday 22 June 2015

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I’m currently juggling work and placement alongside blogging but as a keen bookworm, I’m trying my very best to make sure I make time to read. My to-read pile is sky high as always, but I’ve chosen 6 books to read towards the end of June and the beginning of July which will make up this post’s reading list. I’ve actually bought all of these books recently, as in in the last fortnight or so and they’re generally quite new to publication. 

Us - David Nicholls

I’ve been a big fan of David Nicholls for a while now, having read 2 of his novels already (One Day, of course, and also Starter for Ten) and I’ve been pretty excited to get hold of his newest novel. It’s been out for a few months now but I’ve only just bought my own copy of it.

Elizabeth is Missing - Emma Healey

I’ve actually already started this one, but I put it down as I wasn’t sure if I felt comfortable with the subject matter. I’ll probably give it another go in the next few weeks because I hate to start reading books and leave them unfinished, and I’ve heard that this book really is worth reading, but I’m not going to force it and if I can’t get to grips with it I’ll most likely just give up. 

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

This is another one which was recommended to me by a friend and I can honestly say I know absolutely nothing about it whatsoever, other than the fact that the cover is gorgeous. It’s quite a hefty read so I might not manage this one in the next few weeks but it’s definitely on my list of my up and coming reads.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan

I picked up a beautiful hardback copy of this one in waterstones for £5 while I was shopping a few weeks ago and I’ve had it on my reading list for months and months. It’s recently emerged on the amazon bestsellers lists so I’m hoping that is a positive thing, and means that it’s an amazing piece of literature. If it is even half as beautiful as the cover it’s onto a winner. 

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides 

I started reading this last summer when I was on holiday in Malta, but on my kindle. About halfway through the book, my kindle broke and it didn’t save where I was up to. I recently received a copy of the book in paperback so I’m going to start again and finally finish the book. I was enjoying it very much up tot he point where my kindle decided that it didn’t want me to finish the book, so I’m assuming that this is one I’ll get through pretty quickly. 

The Rosie Effect - Graeme Simsion 

I read the Rosie Project a few months back and absolutely loved it. I found the entire concept hilarious and really enjoyed the characters so I’m really excited to read the sequel. A friend of mine has already read it and told me that it is just as good, if not slightly better, than the first book in the series so again, this is one I’m really looking forward to sitting down with and getting stuck into. 

What are you planning on reading these next few weeks??

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Haul: Thursday Treats

Haul: Thursday Treats

Saturday 20 June 2015

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This is a bit of a late Thursday Treats but better late than never. I’ve been a little more stingey with my money (I’m saving up to buy pretty things for my new house) so I haven’t allowed myself the luxury of a weekly Thursday treats recently. I went shopping this week for a few bits and bobs and ended up getting my very belated 21st birthday present from my parents along with a few other things. I did pay a little bit towards the gift as it was quite expensive, but I’m really chuffed with it.

I’ve been trying out different shampoos and conditioners - my hair is growing quite quickly now after I made the (stupid) decision to cut it off in March, and I’m trying to make sure it keeps in the best possible condition so I don’t have to have it trimmed. I’ve heard loads about the Aussie shampoos before but thought it was ridiculously overpriced, especially considering the size of the bottles. They were on offer in Tesco so I picked up the shampoo just to try it, and then I got a bottle of the conditioner this week after deciding that actually, yes, they are worth all the hype. My hair feels better than it ever has before, I haven’t actually had to use that much product on my hair to get a better result than other shampoos, and the smell is on another level. It just goes to show that sometimes you need to fork out a little bit for the best. 

My present from my parents was this beautiful camera. It’s a Panasonic Lumix and it’s absolutely perfect, the photos that it takes are fantastic and I’m really looking forward to start taking pictures with it properly. It has the option to use the camera on a manual basis as well as automatic features, so that’s good because while I do understand photography to some extent, I’m by no means an expert and need a hand with getting aperture correct and keeping levels up. I’m going to be testing out the camera properly at the Taylor Swift gig that I’m going to with friends on Wednesday so I’ll probably share those photos when I review the camera itself! 

Have you treated yourself to anything nice recently? Let me know! 

List: 3 things I'm grateful for..

List: 3 things I'm grateful for..

Friday 12 June 2015

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1. FRIENDS 

I was able to see some of my friends from university this weekend and it was really lovely to catchup. I hadn’t seen them properly since the last time I visited the UK, which was at the beginning of March. I went out for dinner and drinks with one friend, and then breakfast the following morning, and then lunch and a night out with my old flatmates. It made me feel so blessed to have lovely, thoughtful friends who still care enough to spend time with me, even though I’ve been away for a year and, quite frankly, have been pretty much off the radar. I am very lucky to have such wonderful friends.

2. LITERATURE

Sometimes when I’m feeling down in the dumps, there’s absolutely nothing in the world except a good book that can get me out of that hole. I’ve been pretty down about being back in the UK after an amazing year, but I’ve read some amazing books recently that have definitely had a positive effect on my mood. 

3. INDIAN FOOD

Going back to my first point on this list, I went out for dinner with my best friend last week and we decided to go to a lovely little Indian street food restaurant in Liverpool. The food was to die for, especially the curried chickpeas and they catered to our every need. I ate a predominantly dairy free diet because I suffer from lactose intolerance (I say predominantly because sometimes pizza is the question and hell yes is the answer, regardless of my stomach and digestive abilities) and they were very happy to make sure that all of my dishes were dairy free so I didn’t fall ill. They also stocked my favourite wine, an Alsatian one, which reminded me of home, and it’s very uncommon to find it outside of France so that made me very happy. This is obviously a little more lighthearted than my other two choices but if you can’t be grateful for Indian food once in a while, what can you be grateful for? 

Book Review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Book Review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Wednesday 10 June 2015

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There’s obviously been a lot of hype surrounding this book for quite a while now, and I managed to pick up my copy of it for about a fiver in Tesco a few months back. I put it to one side and it’s only recently when EVERYONE and their dog was reading it that I thought I’d better get my ass into gear and read it before I find myself reading spoilers. I took a few days to get into it, picking it up and reading a few pages at a time when I had a break in the day. I went to Liverpool this weekend to catch up with some friends, and that involved a train ride and two bus journeys totalling a couple of hours worth of travel, and that was all it took for me to get well and truly hooked on the story. I finished it the same night after a solid reading session and have to say that it’s one of the best novels that I’ve read in a long time, and it’s absolutely remarkable considering that this is Paula Hawkins' debut novel. 

The story revolves around a woman called Rachel, but you actually get to see another two perspectives. We learn that her current state (a woman suffering severely from alcoholism, blackouts and arguably from depression) is one that developed as the result of a number of devastating events. She loses her job and becomes obsessed with watching a couple from the window of the train on her commute to ‘work’ everyday. She notices something unusual one morning, and from this point onwards she can’t help but insert herself into their lives wherever she can. 

I have to say that I did eventually, around 40 or pages towards the end, guess what was going on but I think that’s just because I drive myself mad with theories whenever I can’t work something out- it really wasn’t obvious and I was still slightly shocked with how everything panned out. I liked Rachel as a character, generally speaking, although I couldn’t really connect with her with regards to the alcoholism- I didn’t have much sympathy because she was aware of how it was doing her no favours, and I feel that aspect was overplayed a little bit. On the other hand, I absolutely hated the character of Anna, I thought she was a really unnecessarily nasty, vindictive character and I felt sorry for Megan for a number of reasons, least of all because of what happened to her. The writing was mature and full of suspense, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. It actually got to the point where I refused to go to sleep because I couldn’t wait to finish the end of it, and that hasn’t happened to me for a very long while. I am really getting into the psychological thriller genre recently and this is definitely one of the best I’ve read- I wasn’t really a fan of Gone Girl, and this has been compared heavily to that (although I really don’t think the plots are all that similar really) so if you enjoyed Gone Girl then you’ll definitely love this. 

5/5.

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Instagram: a month in the life...

Instagram: a month in the life...

Monday 8 June 2015

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I’m not a big instagrammer nowadays, as I’ve mostly been spending my days at work or else travelling. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make for interesting pictures. I have managed to accumulate a few beautiful images over the last month so I thought I’d post a little summary blog post on these images to put a more personal spin on my blog. I’ll talk about the images from left to right. 

This weekend I caught up with my best friend and my old flatmates in Liverpool. I’ve just signed a contract for a new house in the city, after a year of living in France, but I can’t move in for another month, so I’m having to stay with friends and my parents in the meantime. On Friday morning, my best friend and I went for a post-night out breakfast at Leaf on Bold Street. I decided to go with American Style pancakes and they were delicious, the berry coulis was my favourite 

The second image is a beautiful image of where my parents live in Lancashire, where there are just miles and miles of countryside and fields. There’s also a beautiful reservoir where you can go sailing. 

My cousin and I are very close, and she just recently came to visit me in Strasbourg, where until 3 weeks ago I lived. The third picture is of us two as little ones, I think we were around 8 or 9 years old and it’s lovely to see that we’ve always been as close as we are now. I went to Paris with the same cousin whilst she was over in France for the day, and obviously we visited all of the different monuments and were super-tourists whilst we were out there. The fourth image is the fountain at Place de la concorde, the seventh is the back of Notre Dame cathedral, where we visited early doors. We also climbed the Eiffel tower, which for me is remarkable as I’m pathetically afraid of heights, to the extent where I normally cry when I have to go up to high heights. I actually managed to climb up to the second floor of the tower and didn’t get too stressed out about it so woo me. We went to the Louvre (to see the Mona Lisa) and I love the pyramids outside so I took a couple of pictures of different views of those. 

Skipping back up to the fifth image, I recently treated myself to a cute little phone case. I love cats so this really suits my personality. I also went out for a dinner date in Liverpool city centre recently, I love getting dressed up to go out and I felt really cute in this outfit, so here’s my selfie. We ended up going to a Mexican tapas restaurant and the food was really good, it’s definitely somewhere I’d recommend to my friends (and have done!)

The final two images are of different places that I took my cousin to in Strasbourg. The first of the two is Parc de l’Orangerie, where we went one afternoon to sunbathe- Strasbourg gets to around 35 degrees around this time of year so it’s perfect weather to get a tan. The last is my favourite place in Strasbourg, Petite France, at night. It really is a beautiful place to live and my photos just don’t do it justice.

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