What I've Been Watching: Christmas Edition

As I have mentioned already, I like Christmas quite a lot. I have my favourite Christmas movies that I watch every year, usually multiple times, but I do try out some new ones each year. I thought it might be fun to share the Christmas movies, and TV show, I have watched so far this holiday season.

Let It Snow - This is the Netflix adaptation of the novel by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. I read the book last year and enjoyed it, so I was super excited that this was being adapted. This follows a group of teenagers in a small town during a Christmas Eve snowstorm. I actually ended up being a little disappointed by this film. It wasn't a bad film, but it almost felt like nothing really happened. It had its cute moments and a few festive bits, but probably not one I'm likely to watch again.

A Christmas Switch - This is basically a Christmas version of Freaky Friday. Two completely different women end up in the others body and have to live their life during the holiday season. If I'm being honest, this wasn't that great. It's obviously a concept that has been done many times before, but this wasn't done very well. I wouldn't recommend this one.

Merry Happy Whatever - Unlike anything I have seen before, this was a Netflix Christmas show. The story itself is not unusual, a girl brings her boyfriend home to meet the family and it doesn't go quite as smoothly as everyone hoped. I wasn't loving it after the first episode but decided to keep going and I'm really glad I did. I ended up really enjoying it and got pretty invested in the story. I would definitely recommend giving this a watch.

Christmas In The Heartland - This is another switching movie! In this one, two teenagers on their way to spend Christmas with grandparents they have never met decide to switch places. This was a pretty average teen movie that I almost gave up on. It really wasn't great to start with, the acting was bad and the story was slow, but it did get better. It was very predictable and even more cheesy than the usual Christmas movies. However, it wasn't terrible and I did find it quite sweet in the end.

A Bad Moms Christmas - I watched Bad Moms a few years ago and really enjoyed it so it was nice to finally get around to watching the Christmas sequel. This movie follows the three mothers from the first movie who have to deal with the stress of the Christmas season, but with their own mothers turning up to add to the madness. I really enjoyed this, though not as much as the first, and thought it was a super fun Christmas movie. Although I am not a mother, I thought it was super relatable at showcasing the stress of Christmas, while most other movies like to paint the picture of a perfect, stress free holiday season. The cast is great, the plot is never dull and pretty funny, and there is a nice heartfelt message to it as well.

A Christmas Prince - This was probably the biggest surprise of the Christmas movies I have watched this year. It follows a reporter who is sent to write a story about a Prince and ends up under cover as a tutor in the palace. I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to. It was pretty predictable but it was also really sweet. I enjoyed the story and ended up quite invested in the relationship. There are another two movies in this series available on Netflix and I can't wait to check them out.

That is everything Christmassy I have watched so far this year, well except all of my usual favourites. I will for sure be watching more in the next couple of days, so they will most likely feature in a future What I've Been Watching post.

Do you have any Christmas movie recommendations for me?

Sophie :)

Four Christmas Book Recommendations

I love books, I love Christmas, of course I love Christmas books! I've read a few Christmas/holiday themed books over the last few years, some hits but also some definite misses. I thought, since were getting pretty close to Christmas, I would share some of my favourites that I have read over recent years.

(full disclosure: I haven't actually read all of these, they were just the only Christmas books I had to hand)

1. My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

This is an anthology filled with 12 amazing holiday stories written by popular YA authors, edited by Stephanie Perkins. These stories cover a variety of holidays, not just Christmas, and feature some of the most adorable couples. I haven't read this since 2015, so I definitely need to reread it soon. I do have a full review, in which I go into detail about each individual story, if you want to know more.

2. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle

I read this one last year, after putting it off for a while after hearing some mixed reviews, and ended up really enjoying it. This book features three interconnected stories taking place during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town. I absolutely loved Maureen Johnson's story, really liked John Green's story, and thought Lauren Myracle's story was just okay. As a whole though, this was a really fun, super sweet book that definitely got me in the Christmas spirit.

3. The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

This is another one I read last year and was a real surprise for me. It's a little bit odd, and took me a bit to get into, but I ended up loving it. It follows a man who struggles to juggle work and home life and claims he needs to be two places at once, who meets a homeless man outside his office and gets him a job. However, everything isn't quite as it seems. It's a great story, with a hint of fantasy/paranormal that Cecelia Ahern does so well, that has a really great message.

4. What Light by Jay Asher

As I write this I am in the process of rereading this one to see if I still love it quite as much as I did back in 2016. This is about a girl who essentially lives two lives - one during the majority of the year at her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon, and another at Christmas at their tree lot in California. One Christmas she meets a boy, who of course has a bed reputation, and begins to fall for him. I thought this was the most adorable Christmas read.

What Christmas books would you recommend I check out next?

Sophie :)

What I've Been Watching Recently Part 1

I haven't posted an update on the movies and TV shows I've been watching for the longest time, so I thought it was about time I did just that. I found that when my life was pretty crazy I reached for the remote rather than a book, so I have quite a lot to cover and will need to do this in two parts. This isn't in any kind of order because I can't remember all the way back to April!

Friends Seasons 5-7 - As I have said before, I have watched this show so many times but never every episode in order so I have been rewatching it in order slowly over the year. I have always and will always love this show! Season 5 onwards are my favourite seasons so I have really been loving watching them again. 

The Last Summer -  This is a Netflix movie that I decided to watch because it has KJ Apa in it, but I now can't remember anything else about it. I know it's a romantic comedy about four friends during the last summer before they go off to college. I liked it okay at the time but it is so forgettable that I forgot I even watched it. 

Glee Season 1 - I decided on a whim that I wanted to start rewatching Glee. I watched the first two seasons when it first aired and then gave up on it, so I wanted to give it another go. I am a huge musical theatre fan and am not averse to anything cheesy but Glee was just too much even for me. I forgot how cringey and just plain bad the first season of this show is. Honestly, I struggled to get through it. One of my friends absolutely loves the show and has convinced me it gets better, so I might try and keep going at some point.

Otherhood - This is another Netflix movie and another one I would say is pretty forgettable. It's about three mothers who decide to surprise their adult sons after they forget Mothers' Day. It is meant to be a comedy but I didn't really find it that entertaining at all. In fact, the only thing I really liked about it was Jack Lacy.

After - This was a total surprise. I wasn't going to watch it because I hadn't read the book and was considering doing so first, but in the end I just decided to watch it without reading the book first. I didn't know what to expect but I definitely didn't expect to love it as much as I did. This is, like I said, based on the book After by Anna Todd, and follows a 'good' girl who moves away to college and meets a 'bad' boy and of course she falls for him. It's nothing that hasn't been done before but I just thought it was so adorable and I was completely invested. 

Good Sam - This was another Netflix movie that I enjoyed slightly more than the others. It follows a reporter who is made to cover a story about people finding bags of money on their doorstep and she is trying to uncover who is doing it. This was a nice, sweet movie but it was quite predictable and is a storyline I have seen done better before. I would say it's a good feel-good movie but nothing super special.

The Good Place Season 3 - I was loving this and then stopped watching it for ages and I don't know why. I decided to finish off the third season in time for the fourth (which I still haven't started yet) and loved it just as much as the rest. If you don't already know, this is a series basically about the afterlife. It is absolutely hilarious and they have taken the show in so many weird and unexpected places, I can never tell what is coming next. I just think it's amazing and don't want it to have to end.

Someone Great - Yet another Netflix film, yet another disappointment. This is another romantic comedy following a girl who's long term boyfriend breaks up with her and her two best friends try to give her a good night to get her out of her depression that follows the breakup. I was expecting great things given the cast, but it fell flat for me. It was just like any other 'party' romcom and didn't do anything different of special. I didn't really enjoy it at all.

Falling Inn Love - So basically, I've been watching a lot of Netflix films this year. This was a sweet little romantic comedy about a girl who, after losing her job and boyfriend in the same week, wins an inn in New Zealand, which turns out to be needing a lot more work than first appeared. Obviously there is very nice to look at local who offers to help her with the work needing done and everyone knows where this is going. It was cute and had some pretty funny moments, but it was very predictable and I got a little bored.

Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past - I have no idea why I decided to watch this but it popped up on Netflix so I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, this was just bad! It is about a 'womanizer' who is haunted by ghosts of former girlfriends during the lead up to his brother's wedding. I didn't find it funny, it was pretty boring and really feels like a waste of an hour and a bit.

Death In Paradise Season 7 - I somehow skipped a season and watched season 8 before 7, so I obviously had to go back and catch up. I love a murder mystery so this is the perfect show for me, plus is has some comedy mixed in to make it such a fun watch. Every episode is so clever, I am always being surprised and can never guess the ending. I will never get bored of this.

That was basically everything I have been watching on Netflix over the past few months. In part 2, I'll chat about the things I've been watching on all other platforms. Netflix seems to have been my go to recently.

Do you have any good Netflix recommendations for me?

Sophie :)

5 Books I Want To Read Before The End Of The Year

I haven't had the best reading year in 2019, as I have been so busy with everything else going on in my life to read as much as I would have liked. However, I am wanting to try and make up for that a little bit in the last few weeks of the year and read as many books as I can. There are some books that are high on the priority list to read before the year is over, so let's talk about them.

1. Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay - 

I mentioned this in the End Of The Year book tag as one that I definitely want to get to before the end of the year. I absolutely loved This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay and this is essential a festive follow-on to that. It is another 25 stories from Adam's time as a junior doctor in the NHS, but with a festive twist in that they are all Christmas stories. I can't wait to read this!

2. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare -

On every 'books I want to read before...' list I do, there is always a Cassandra Clare book. I finally read City Of Glass this year, after putting it off for a year, and I am reading Cassandra Clare's books in publication order, so this is the next one I need to get to. I have been saying that since February but I really do hope to get to it before the end of the year.

3. Christmas With The Bomb Girls by Daisy Styles -

This is the third book in a series I haven't read that was sent to me for review two years ago! I don't know why I accepted it for a start, but I also really should have read it before now. It is historical fiction, which isn't always my cup of tea, but it is also a Christmas book and it is no secret that I love Christmas. I'm going to give it a go, even though I haven't read the rest of the series and don't have a clue what it's about. 

4. Girl Made Of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake -

This was another one I mentioned in the End Of The Year book tag. I have heard so many people rave about this book for the past year and a half and haven't seen a single negative review. I am very intrigued to see if I enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to, so I'm really hoping to get to it before the end of the year. I think it has the potential, judging by all the opinions I have seen, to be a favourite of the year.

5. What Light by Jay Asher - 

Again, this is one I mentioned in the End Of The Year book tag. This is a reread, so I'm not sure if it really counts. I read this a few years ago and really loved it, but I have since seen a lot of negative reviews. I thought it was a really sweet, fun romance with some Christmas fun thrown in and I had a great time reading it. I really want to read it again and see if I have the same thoughts the second time around.

Let's be honest, there are only a couple of weeks left of the year so I'm most likely getting to none of these books before the end of the year, but sometimes it's nice to set unrealistic goals for yourself.

What books are you wanting to get to before the end of the year?

Sophie :)

October & November 2019 Wrap Up

So, apparently I wasn't quite as 'back' as I thought I would be. I'm definitely still trying to juggle work, life and blogging, but I'm getting there. I may not have my blogging life back to normal, but my reading life started to get back on track a little bit in October and November and I'm so happy about that. I'm definitely not back to reading as much as usual, and I really doubt I'll hit my Goodreads goal this year, but I'm glad I'm reading something. I read 3 books in October and 3 in November, so let's talk about them.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven -

I have had this on my shelf for the longest time but it is so crazy hyped that it put me off reading it, but I finally picked it up. This follows a boy and girl who meet on the ledge of the school bell tower and then become connected through a school project. People seem to either love this book or hate it, but I seem to be somewhere in the middle. I found the characters to be pretty bland, as though Jennifer Niven tried so hard to make the characters quirky that it they became nothing more than quirks. I thought the story was interesting and enjoyed getting both perspectives, though I didn't feel the mental health rep was entirely accurate. I thought the ending was important and impactful, but the book as a whole didn't blow me away. I also got very strong Eleanor and Park vibes while reading this and I really didn't enjoy that book.

Rating: 3/5

The Wrong Side Of Kai by Estelle Maskame -

Estelle Maskame's DIMILY series is one of my all time favourite series', so this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. It follows a girl who has an explicit video of her made public and teams up with the new boy in school to get revenge. I was so disappointed that I didn't love this as much as I wanted to. I liked the idea of this, I love a revenge plot, but this seemed very rushed and quite predictable. As usual, Estelle Maskame created great characters, who I really enjoyed getting to know, and I really loved that Vanessa wasn't the typical 'good girl' who couldn't possibly ever have sex with anyone, she was a real teenage girl. I also thought there was a great message regarding slut shaming and sharing explicit content. Overall, I liked this but not as much as I had hoped to.

Rating: 3/5

How To Love by Katie Cotugno -

This clearly made an impact as I'm honestly struggling to remember much about this book. I remember it following a girl both before and after becoming a teenage mother; the developing relationship between her and her childhood family friend, and her dealing with him returning after disappearing for some time. I remember enjoying the alternating before and after perspectives, but I didn't love the characters. I thought the story was okay, it was interesting enough, but the characters took away slightly from my enjoyment of the story. This wasn't a bad book, it was just pretty forgettable.

Rating: 3/5

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern -

Finally something to break up the run of 3 star reads! This is the sequel to the debut novel of one of my favourite authors, Cecelia Ahern's PS I Love You. Despite being such a popular book, the PS I Love You isn't one of my favourite novels of hers. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. The sequel, however, was a different story. Postscript follows Holly seven years after her husband Gerry died and she is approached by a group inspired by Gerry's letters to help them create their own versions. I wasn't sure what to expect from this but I absolutely adored it. I loved revisiting Holly and her family and seeing how things have changed for them all in the years since the first book ended. Even more than that, I really enjoyed meeting new characters and experiencing their stories. This story was completely heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time, and approached death and grief in an entirely unique way. I thought Holly's struggles throughout the book were very real and something many in similar situations may be able to relate to. I really did absolutely adore this book.

Rating: 5/5

Layover by Amy Andelson & Emily Meyer -

This was my biggest disappointment of the past couple of months. It follows three step-siblings who decide, during a layover in LA on the way to a family vacation, to run away in response to finding out their parents are getting divorced. The two oldest step-siblings also have feelings for each other. This was one of the most ridiculous books I have read in a while. The characters are pretty much unbearable and the authors liked to make it very clear that Flynn, one of our main characters, was not like other girls. Despite the annoying characters, the plot, while completely ridiculous and not at all realistic, was pretty fun. There was even a trip to Disneyland, so that was fun to read. The romance between the step-siblings was kind of unnecessary and seemed like an afterthought that was just added for an extra little bit of drama. There was some anxiety rep, specifically anxiety in younger people, which I thought was good to include and, at least from my personal experience, was a fairly accurate representation. This was definitely a disappointing read.

Rating: 2/5

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston -

I'm so sad to say this was another slightly disappointing read. I did enjoy it, but nowhere near as much as I expected to given the hype surrounding it. This follows the son of the American president and a British Prince who hate each other but have to stage a friendship, which of course leads to romance. There was nothing I disliked about this book, it was a good story with good characters that I enjoyed reading, but it didn't blow me away. I really liked all of the characters, although I did find it hard to keep track of who was who, and really enjoyed the romance. I did wish there was more of a build up to the romance, it seemed to all happen very fast in the beginning of the book. I didn't find the American politics all that interesting, a lot of it went over my head, and did find there was a few incorrect British stereotypes thrown in, but neither ruined my enjoyment. I think the reason I didn't love this book was just the fact that I got bored for middle of the book. I felt it was longer than it needed to be, and while I enjoyed the beginning and really loved the end, the middle section was just a bit dull. There were also so many really great messages throughout the book. Overall, I did enjoy this book but it was way overhyped and fell flat for me.

Rating: 3/5

It wasn't the best reading month in terms of quality, everything was pretty average other than my one 5 star, but I'm just glad to be reading anything. 

Have you been reading anything great recently?

Sophie :)