It’s Sunday already? My days have blurred this past week. I’ve had the week off to sit around waiting for the builders to do the kitchen and so I have been so confused about what day we’re on. It’s partially why this post is up late, I’m writing this up on a Sunday which I never do. But I didn’t even totally realise it was Sunday. I both love and hate that feeling of your days blurring together and losing what day you’re on when you’re on holiday. It reminds me of school when you'd have the summer holidays and you would totally lose track and then suddenly it was time to go back to school.
Anyway, enough of that. This week has been a slow one. Like I said, I’ve been at home with the builders doing our kitchen. We know have cupboards in our kitchen! But still no electric and no oven in sight. It should all be over next week and they don’t have that much work left to do. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for mid-week next week but I could also see it being Friday. Sadly, I won’t be here for the last part, I’m back off to work next week and there is a small feeling of dread there, I’m not going to lie.
I’ve liked how relaxing it’s been, even if I’ve done a whole heap of nothing this week. I’ve barely left the house and it’s pretty extreme for me to say I was going a little stir crazy but I have been. I saw a friend Thursday night and we were literally hanging out at her house catching up and I decided a full face of makeup was needed because it had been days since I’d been out. And Friday someone else was home so I was so excited about getting to leave the house! I went shopping to our local shopping centre so I could feel like I’d done stuff. It was so nice but I probably spent a little too much money. Oh well.
What I’ve Been Reading
I got approved for Teach Me on Netgalley and pretty much immediately started reading and I have no regrets, a definite favourite of this week. I ended up DNF-ing A Girl Like Her straight after, though. I got 20% of the way in and was just confused where the story was. The characters were ok but there was no plot developing. I am determined to try again with another book by Talia Hibbert, but sadly A Girl Like Her didn’t work for me. I did love Luna and the Lie, though. I’ve had the latest Mariana Zapata on my Kindle for a little while so very excited to finally have a week off of work and the chance to just read all day if I wanted to. So I did. After reading Teach Me I’d done some hunting for more so-called ‘seasoned romance’ and came across Love Game. I was trying not to buy new books but after the sample, I wanted to read and let me say it was definitely good. I’ll need to continue the series. And finally, I am now reading Lethal White. Yes, very different from the romance run I’ve just had but I figured might as well read a heavy hardback while I’m not at work and I figured I should try and catch up on the series.
New To Me
I’ve already talked about two of these books, but A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was an impulse supermarket buy when I was all excited at the chance to leave the house. I think that book was the sign I wanted something a little different, the mystery element made me want to buy and I couldn’t resist. I’ll try and read in the next couple of weeks and then I can always send it on to a better home.
And that was my week, have you done anything exciting? What good books are you buying and reading lately?
Source: Purchased
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating:
From the author of Letters to the Lost comes a heart-wrenching story of two teens with big secrets and a love that could set them free.
Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.
Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage. She can solve any problem with the right code, but when an online troll’s harassment escalates, she’s truly afraid.
When Rev and Emma meet, they both long to lift the burden of their secrets and bond instantly over their shared turmoil. But when their situations turn dangerous, their trust in each other will be tested in ways they never expected. This must-read story will once again have readers falling for Brigid Kemmerer’s emotional storytelling.
After adoring Letters to the Lost, I waited far too long to read Rev's story and that's my bad but it was really good and just what I'd hoped to get for Rev’s story.
In Letters to the Lost we all knew Rev had a dark backstory, I mean, he was abused by his dad and was preached at and blamed each time he was hurt. That’s messed up and my heart broke for him each time we learnt something new because a guy that good and that kind did not deserve such a past. He got lucky and was adopted by a truly wonderful couple who couldn’t have been kinder. I cried when I read about why they adopted him and how they developed a connection with Rev. And when you found out the reason they’ve continued to foster children after they’d adopted Rev was because he asked them why they hadn’t. I mean, even once he had a safe home he still wanted his parents to help out others. That’s a truly good person.
Rev was kind-hearted, but he still had so many issues to work through from the abuse of his father and this is what we get in this book. He has to reconcile his father was to blame, not him, for everything that happened to him. Rev was paranoid that he was going to become like his father and he was nothing like that man. It was slow going but he did finally realise it. He had me crying because I cared so much for him and I wanted him to believe the best in his self. His progression in believing himself was helped by a new foster kid that was taken in, Matthew. He was older, a teenager, when he came to them, the oldest child that they’d taken in and this was a new experience for Rev. He worried about how he would react to having someone he could potentially hurt in the house. He thought he could harm him and Matthew helped him slowly realise that he wasn’t that type of person.
Rev was also helped along by Emma. I know this was very much Rev’s book, but it was a little bit Emma’s too. She was not my favourite character, but I liked that a lot of this book was about women in gaming and the sheer amount of abuse they receive simply for their gender. It’s disgusting and it’s half the reason I hate laying online in games because I just don’t want to put up with the idiots you always get that it’s a man’s world. I really respected her passion for gaming and her dedication for trying to make it in the gaming industry, she developed her very own game and she hadn’t even left school But because of it she faced abuse from an online troll who hated women and took it out on her. She was struggling with that when she met Rev by accident and slowly a connection developed. They had a sweet friendship and romance and Rev very much deserved this. Emma wasn’t perfect, I mean she made some idiot choices towards the end of the book, but I got why, but she helped Rev and he helped her and it was what he needed. He needed someone outside of his friends and family to help him realise a few things and drive him outside of his comfort zone and moving forward.
This was exactly the story we deserved for Rev and I’m so glad I read it in the end. I may have been slow about it but I’m so happy to see this book on my shelf.
Have you read this? Wasn’t Rev a sweetheart?
I have two very different books to review today. both released last week (although one of them has been around a little longer than the other) and I wanted to get my review up for both. I liked one a touch more than the author, but both are very awesome reads. First up is an amazing YA romance which
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating:
Bollywood film fanatic Winnie has grown up believing the future is written in the stars. Her family's pandit predicted she would find the love of her life before her eighteenth birthday. So when her relationship with Raj collapses, despite him meeting all the criteria, Winnie is lost. This is not how her perfect ending is scripted.Then fellow film geek Dev challenges Winnie to look beyond her horoscope: is taking the future into her own hands the way to find her happily ever after? To get the perfect ending, Winnie will need a little bit of help from fate, family and, of course, a Bollywood movie star.A fate-filled debut sure to dazzle fans of Stephanie Perkins, Maureen Johnson and Sandhya Menon.
First up we have My So-Called Bollywood Life and it was a young adult read in a run of them. It did mean I was a little harsher on this book than I might have been otherwise. That being said, I did really enjoy it and thinking back on it I am so impressed by it and am glad I read it. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a lighter romance read which will probably make you want to watch a Bollywood film (or five).
When you start this book it's with Winnie breaking into her ex-boyfriend’s house to steal back everything she had given to him after he cheated when they were on a break (yes, all I thought of was friends when I read that) and from that first moment, I knew I liked her. She was not shy or retiring, she was strong and she knew her mind. Raj seemed like the boy she was meant to fall in love with but he did so much wrong and she knew he wasn’t, no matter what others might think. But her family believes in the prediction from her family pandit since he got so much else right. So this is very much about family expectations and making your own destiny and I was cheering Winnie on to make her own choices because Raj sounded like he did not get her at all.
I loved that the whole book was filled with Bollywood references and films considering the book title. It was obvious many a Bollywood film was watched in the writing of this book and I was tempted to compile a list of some to watch given I'm a complete newbie to Bollywood films. I got Winnie's passion for Bollywood films and films in general. Not everyone can make reference to some of their favourite Bollywood films and follow it up with references to Pride & Prejudice or Never Been Kissed. It was little things like that which helped show the character of Winnie was well-written to show she wasn't some Bollywood fangirl (she was) but someone who was serious about film as a whole and willing to learn and watch everything in her quest to pursue her passion. It was that which made me so very frustrated by the character of Raj. He continually brushed off Winnie’s love of film and dreams of being a film critic as impractical but anyone who listened to her talk about films would have been blind to not see her dedication to it. I think that's why I was so pleased she continually turned Raj down when he kept trying to get back with her. As soon as someone is unwilling to support your dreams you have to cut them loose as they don't want the best for you.
And Dev! Now that boy was adorable. He was exactly right for Winnie. He challenged her but never held her back. He tried to get her to think of new things and wanted to help her move forward not to hold her back or change her. I loved seeing them together as they went through meeting each others family and got to know each other. I was sad when the inevitable separation happened as drama came to keep them apart but it made the ending all the more rewarding. But the separation portion of this book bothered me. I got why Winnie was annoyed, and I got why Dev was angry too, but I felt like the massive deal that was made out of the whole situation just to be able to have the dramatic reunion at the end. I knew it was going to happen but it just felt a little much. More talking was needed I think, but it’s a minor grumble.
I loved how involved Winnie’s parents and family was in her life as well. Her parents were so cute both scolding her and telling her to follow rules and be good but always pushing her to pursue her dream as well. I think because I've read a lot of books where parents are trying to force their kids to do something they don't want to do, especially in YA because the 'my parents don't understand me' trope is strong that seeing supportive parents was exciting to see.
I really enjoyed this book and it was such an easy read. I'm sad I kept comparing it to other books I read because honestly, it was really good and definitely one I think others should read too as it's better than at least 50% of contemporary YA books I've read. And it was fun.
Source: Netgalley/Author
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
My Rating:
Finding a family…
…with her ex?
In this Billionaires for Heiresses story, Autumn is stunned when Hunter Lee, her billionaire ex turned best friend, appears on her doorstep—with a son! Their relationship changed because she wanted a family and he didn’t believe he’d make a good father, but they never stopped loving each other. Now he needs her help. Will caring for baby Eli together make them realize how much they both want this little family…forever?
This was only my second Therese Beharrie book and I enjoyed it a lot, but I think the first one, Second Chance With Her Billionaire, was just that bit better so I was constantly comparing this to that one and that meant I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I might. It was still a really good book and I was wholly invested and wanted to give Autumn a big old hug on basically every other page because she was hurting, but the angst of the first book was stronger somehow. But me saying this doesn’t match up to the first is me just saying it was really good rather than amazing because that bar was set quite high.
I think it was the baby element that might have taken it down that notch. Or it could be the fact that the break-up reasons were way more Hunter’s fault and I got my back up a little that he then turned to Autumn for help when kids were one of the reasons the two split. I mean it did lead to an epic amount of emotional angst that was so satisfying to read as the two slowly worked through their issues but having your back up at the start of a book can occasionally lead to you thinking a little less kindly of some characters. Hunter won me over in the end, but that man had to work for it much like he did with winning Autumn over so I suppose he’d romanced us both by the end of the book hadn’t he? That just shows Therese Beharrie skill that I came out at the end having really enjoyed the book and love the ending.
Hunter and Autumn are so good together and they both had their issues to unpack which stopped them being able to be a successful couple. Autumn needed to work on accepting herself and not doubting the opinions of those around her and that they actually cared. And Hunter had both daddy issues and a huge amount t of grief and guilt to deal with and had no place being in a relationship when he had that to contend with. But the two had had a relationship and it ended badly. Hunter was too scared to commit and give Autumn the family and future she wished and Autumn found she couldn't keep twisting herself up trying to please Hunter and give him what she thought he wanted. But she also couldn't expect him to love her when she didn't love herself and allow others to love her without her doubting them. Like I said they had issues. But they worked through them using their words… and raising a baby together (sort of, the actual mom honestly is in the picture but you really should read to get the details on that). Them working together to help Hunter be a good dad and get over some of his issues meant that they also worked through their issues for why their relationship didn’t work in the first place.
This book did really well in making me care for the characters. Autumn and Hunter got together at the wrong time and they broke up for the wrong reasons but this baby coming into their life? It totally brought them together. I may have hated that Hunter’s first instinct when finding out he had a surprise baby was to call Autumn which was gutting to her as she so wanted kids, but also the fact that his first instinct was to do that really says everything. He loved her and when something major happened she was the first person he wanted to turn to for help. It was a book with a whole heap of angst, I mean, a lot, and so I looked away a lot because damn I hurt for them both, but I was smiling by the end and that’s the important part really.
Have you read either of these books? Do you find yourself inevitably comparing books to others and finding yourself being overly critical?
How has April ended already? I feel like it barely started and we were already halfway through it And now we’re in May. I’d say something trite like ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ but I think we can all agree that so many parts of this year have been less than fun. But let’s not get ourselves down when this post is barely even started.
It’s been a while since I did a wrap up, it feels weird to summarise the past month because I barely remember what happened. I haven’t wrapped anything up since January or something, it has most definitely been a while. I feel a bit bad about it and forgive me if I forget to mention anything, I used to have a good system with how to write them, and now I seem to have forgotten all of that.
I would normally give you a nice summary of my month… but I can’t remember most of it. I feel like it was a month of brunching. I mean, I went for several brunch dates with friends. And I spent a lot of time trying to remember how to blog and watching a bunch of Game of Thrones.
Can’t Stop Listening
This month’s music is a bit of a mix, I was listening to Ben Platt’s album on repeat and I discovered Lizzo when watching Someone Great and have listened to Truth Hurts way too many times in the space of two weeks. And I discovered a couple of old gems when listening to my music on shuffle and I couldn’t believe I forgot how much I loved some songs. The newest Taylor Swift release is included because I did listen several times… but I actually don’t think I like it. It’s just way too cheesy and I think it’s going to get annoying.
April Reads
Favourite Reads
And The Rest
April Posts
April Favourites
I don’t have any none TV-related favourites this month. I have been watching a whole heap of Game of Thrones, far more than I probably should. It sucks you right on in, though. There's way too much sex and a whole heap of bloodshed and violence, but I’m totally invested. The only other favourite thing I have is a new cleanser, but it’s nothing exciting and I doubt you guys are interested in my skincare picks,
What were your highlights of April? Is there a song you’ve had stuck on repeat? And which book have you been forcing down people's throats to get them to read?
Hi guys, I’ve been a bit quiet this week. You might have noticed I’ve not been by blogs commenting and I feel bad, I’ll be playing catch up next week and be regretting my laziness. Especially as I currently have no posts lined up for the coming week and I had planned to have a couple of weeks worth sorted. I didn’t even manage to write my wrap up post for the month of April as I intended. Does anyone else find that sometimes blogging is simply the last thing that I felt like doing with their free time? That’s what I had this week but my motivation is picking up once more so hopefully, I won’t be quite as lazy this week.
I think my lack of motivation for blogging is mostly the fact that I’ve felt so exhausted all week and been a bit of bad mood for no particular reason. I think our lack of kitchen has thrown me out and the awkwardness of it has been putting me in a bad mood. I miss home cooked food, I’m hoping we’ll have more of a kitchen next week. Maybe that will put me in a better mood. Either that or the fact I have a week off of work and the excuse of not being able to do a whole lot because I need to sit in with the builders so I can watch all the TV I want and read all of the books and I could not be happier about it. This obviously means I will read and watch nothing and waste the week. That’s how these things normally go.
For those who are interested, my brunch last weekend was lovely. I had the pancakes above and let me tell you, they were delicious. I could easily have eaten them again and I am regretting having taken this picture now because all I want to do it eat them again. I am totally cooking pancakes when we have a kitchen again. Pancakes are delicious.
The only other thing I did this week was watch Game of Thrones. I will offer no spoilers, but I will say as much as I couldn't look away from the screen for the whole thing I did have complaints. But that may be because we have been building up to the battle for so long, any outcome would have probably felt a little disappointing.
What I’ve Been Reading
As you can see, it’s been a slower reading week than last week, but I was in work for a full week so that is no surprise. More Than We Can Tell was just as good as I’d hoped, I really enjoyed reading Rev’s story. I then didn’t know what to read next, I was going through that weird moment of ‘what do I want to read’ that I always hate, especially as I had to figure it out fast as I had no book to take to work with me. I chose One Dance With A Duke and although this was nowhere near my favourite Tessa Dare read, it was pretty enjoyable and it did make me want to read more historical romance and return to some of my favourite Tessa Dare books. That's probably why I picked up The Other Miss Bridgerton and I enjoyed the latest Julia Quinn release, she doesn’t do bad books, but I didn’t love it and it probably won’t be one I’ll be eagerly reaching for, not like some other books, anyway. But I may be wrong yet.
I got no new books this week (impressive, I know). I’m hoping to get through a few more books this week and maybe I’ll treat myself to a new one… but it’s New York Next month so maybe I’ll save all my book buying until then.
What have you been up to this week? Do you find yourself unmotivated blog when your everyday routine is thrown out? And what have your favourite reads of this week been?
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