Where I've Been And What I've Been Reading: July & August 2021 Wrap Up

 So, it's been a while! As seems to be the case every year, August was just not a blogging month for me. With everything starting to open up here in the UK, August was crazy busy for me as I was spending any time I wasn't at work being back out in the world again. With everything being so crazy, I had very little time to blog or read at all. I never got around to wrapping up my pretty great reading month in July or my very poor reading month in August, so let's chat about those books now.

I read 9 books in July, which is the most I have read in a month since the beginning of the year, and only 2 books in August, which is the least I have read in a month in a really long time. I'll be honest, I don't remember much about some of these books so this will not be my best wrap up.

Ever After Always by Chloe Liese -

This is the third book in the Bergman Brothers series and follows Freya, the eldest sister in the family. This is a marriage in trouble romance with Freya and her husband Aiden dealing with some big issues going on in their marriage. I love this series and this book was no exception. I haven't read a lot of marriage in trouble romances but I'm starting to think it could be something I really enjoy. I found Freya and Aiden's journey through their struggles to be really interesting and was really rooting for them throughout the book. This book also features a family trip, which was my favourite part as we get to see the entire Bergman family together. I just love this family so much.

Rating: 4/5

Dating In The Dark by Alexandria Bishop -

This is one that I picked up for free because the premise sounded so interesting. This is an enemies to lovers romance that follows a woman who is forced by her friends to go to a speed dating event, but the twist is it takes place entirely in the dark. This just fell flat for me. The speed dating premise sounded so much fun, but it was such a short part of the story and the rest was just boring. I didn't really love the relationship as I didn't really see any chemistry between the two. This is also part of a series that basically splits the one story into multiple books, meaning it ended on a cliffhanger in the middle of the story, which I didn't love. I will not be carrying on with this series.

Rating: 2/5

From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata -

I have been wanting to read this book for the longest time! This was on my radar before I even became a romance reader as I have always really loved figure skating and the idea of a romance involving skating sounded amazing to me. This is an enemies to lovers romance between two figure skating rivals who are forced to become skating partners. As I expected, I loved this book. It is everything I normally love in books; slow burn, enemies to lovers, sports romance. This was just perfect. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect and how long it took them to even be able to tolerate each other to becoming such close friends before developing into anything more. The family relationship was a lot of fun and I want to read a whole other book just about Jasmine and her siblings. Basically I loved this book and now want to read everything Mariana Zapata has ever written.

Rating: 5/5

Hollywood Roommates by Elizabeth Briggs -

This is another one I picked up randomly after seeing some people in the romance community reading reverse harem and wanting to try it out. This follows a woman who moves to a house with three actors and obviously enters into a relationship with all three of them. There isn't really much to this. It's minimal plot with a lot of sexy times but it was a quick, fun read.

Rating: 3/5

Being Hospitable by Meka James -

This is a super short sapphic novella that I saw recommended on youtube so picked it up. It's about a woman who's best friend's younger sister moves in with her and tries very hard to seduce her. Again, there is really not much happening in this at all other than the steamy scenes. It was fun but nothing super special.

Rating: 3/5

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas - 

This is one of the most popular books in the romance community so I was kind of scared to pick it up. This is a romance between a girl and her boyfriends father, so obviously a bit more forbidden and taboo than the romance I usually pick up. While I enjoyed this book, I think the hype ruined it a little for me. This is such a well loved book that I found myself getting disappointed when I wasn't completely in love with it. Like I said, I don't read a lot of age gap romances and this has made me think it is not going to be a favourite kind of romance for me. I liked the slow burn romance between Jordan and Pike, but it made me feel uncomfortable at times. I also found myself getting a bit bored at times throughout this book and I'm finding it kind of forgettable now. I did enjoy it, it just didn't live up to the hype.

Rating: 4/5

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - 

Speaking of a hugely popular book that didn't live up to the hype, I also read possibly the most loved book in the romance community. The Hating Game is like the original hate to love romance and everyone seems to consider it one of their favourites of all time. It is a hate to love office romance between two rival colleagues going for the same promotion. Hate to love is one of my favourite tropes but this book just didn't do it for me. I know it's an unpopular opinion but I didn't really like our main characters and wasn't that invested in their relationship. I thought it was a kind of cute, but sometimes cringey, fun romance but I didn't love it the way everyone else seems to.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Last Summer Of The Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood -

This is a book I had owned for a few years before finally picking it up. It is a YA contemporary following four sisters during the last summer they are all together before one of the sisters moves away for college. Each sister is dealing with their own issues over the summer that lead to them questioning their identities and trying to find themselves. This was a really sweet story of family, love, finding your place and discovering who you are. I struggled to get into it at first but soon found myself really invested in these sisters and their lives. I love books set in small towns over the summer, so this setting was perfect for me and it gave me all of the Gilmore Girls vibes. This was a nice surprise and I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected to.

Rating: 4/5

To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn -

Another month, another Bridgerton book. This is the 5th book in the Bridgertons series and follows Eloise, the second oldest Bridgerton daughter and self-imposed spinster. After the death of her distant cousin, Eloise writes to her husband with her condolences and so begins a correspondence between the two. When Eloise runs away to Sir Phillip's home in the middle of the night, the two begin a bit of a hate to love romance. Eloise has always been one of my favourite characters in the Bridgerton family and I was very excited to read her story. Sadly, this wasn't one of my favourites in the series. I didn't like Phillip at all and I couldn't see him and Eloise being a good match, which made me pretty disinterested in their romance. The one thing I did love, though, was the relationship Eloise formed with the children. I love children in books and Phillip's children redeemed this one for me. I'm disappointed as I wanted so much more for Eloise.

Rating: 3/5

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon -

Clearly I've been in a hate to love mood recently. This is another hate to love workplace romance, this time between two rival coworkers at a radio station who are forced to be fake exes in order to present the new show which is hoped will save their struggling station. I really loved this premise and really enjoyed the beginning of this book. However, for a book about a radio show, they didn't spend a lot of time actually doing the show. I wanted to see this relationship develop through their work on the radio show but that all seemed to happen outside of the workplace. The characters felt a bit flat for me, and at times annoying, but I did still enjoy their romance. It was the conflict that ended up letting me down more than anything, with certain characters actions making me kind of angry, but that is probably more of a me thing.

Rating: 3/5

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines -

This is a YA sports romance that I had on my Goodreads TBR since 2016 and only just got around to it. It follows a girl who moves to a new town to live with her Aunt and Uncle after witnessing her father kill her mother. Despite not having spoken a word since her mothers death, she forms a connection with the town's star football player whose father is dying from cancer. As you can tell from the premise, this wasn't exactly a light, cheery read. It was very emotional and dealt with some hard topics, but other than that it fell flat. The characters were bland and didn't have much more to them than their respective family issues. The friendship they developed to help each other through their struggles was really sweet but the development into a romance wasn't very exciting. Overall, this was fine and I enjoyed it enough while I was reading it, but I'm not sure that I'll carry on with this series.

Rating: 3/5

Those are the 11 books I read in July and August. I had one new favourite, a couple I really enjoyed and a whole lot of average reads. I seem to be incapable of giving anything more than 3 stars since the beginning of August, which I'm putting down to being slumpy, so I'm hoping that will change soon. If you have any recommendations for a great book to get me out of this slump, please let me know.

What was the best book you read recently?

Sophie :)

Top Five Books I Want To Read This Summer

 We all know by now how terrible I am at sticking to TBRs. And yet, here I am making another one. There are so many books I want to read this summer and even though we are now already a month into summer, I still want to share some of those in the hopes it encourages me to actually pick them up.

As it is summer, and I am very much a seasonal reader, these are all going to be summery romances. I always seem to read almost entirely contemporary romance in the summer months, and that is exactly what I am in the mood for right now.

1. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. This is definitely a priority for the coming months. It follows a single mother who decides to try out an app that claims to use DNA to find your soulmate. It reminds me of The One by John Marrs, but hopefully with a happier ending.

2. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

Everyone in the romance community raves about this book and I still haven't read it. The cover makes it look perfect for summer so I'll hopefully get to it soon. This is a forbidden romance between a girl and her boyfriend's father.

3. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Apparently I want to spend this summer reading the hyped books I haven't read yet. This is one of the most hyped romances and I'm a little scared to pick it up. It is an enemies to lovers office romance between two coworkers who are going for the same promotion.

4. The Deal by Elle Kennedy

This is the first book in the Off-Campus series, a New Adult sports romance series. I am in the mood for all the sports romances just now and this is a series I have heard so much about. This is a romance between the captain of the hockey team and the girl tutoring him.

5. Breathe by Abbi Glines

This is the only book on this list that is on my physical TBR. This is the first book in the Sea Breeze series and follows a girl who has to take on her mother's job as a 'domestic servant' for a wealthy family in the beach town. This is giving me all the summer vibes.

Those are five of the books I really want to get around to in the next couple of months. We'll see how many of them I actually get around to reading, but they are the ones that I'm really in the mood for right now. 

What books are you hoping to get to this summer?

Sophie :)

August 2020 Wrap Up

I'm not entirely sure how it is already September, but I would really like for this year to just slow down a little. August was a busy month for me, which meant I struggled with blogging again and only had three posts in the whole month. However, I did do a bit better with my reading. I read a total of 7 books in August, 5 of which I read in the one week I had off work, and ended up hitting my Goodreads goal. I read a bit of a mix in August, so let's talk about them.

Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga -

This is a middle grade novel that I picked up on audio when I was looking for something short to listen to. It follows a girl living in Syria who has to move, with her mother, to live with her Uncle and his family in the US. We follow her as she leaves her family and friend behind, and adjusts to her new life. This is written in verse, which I somehow didn't notice while listening to the audiobook. What I did notice, was how beautiful the writing was. This is a beautifully written book that touches on subjects like war, violence and Islamophobia in a way that is both eye-opening and easy for the younger reader to understand. I thought everything about this book was great, but the messages it teaches young people in such an easy to comprehend way were perfect.

Rating: 4/5

So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo -

This is a non-fiction book discussing race, which basically does as the title suggests. It is primarily aimed at white people who want to have discussions regarding race but perhaps are not sure how to do so in a way that is not harmful. It answers questions many will be wondering but unsure how to ask, and not only answers those questions but the author also provides suggestions on how to further educate yourself. It covers a variety of different topics and issues facing Black people, predominantly focusing on the US. This is another incredibly well-written book. Ijeoma Oluo is an amazing writer, who not only answered the questions posed and provided a thorough education to those reading, but also made her heart, passion and fight into every part of this book. I gained so much from this. There were just a couple of areas I felt weren't touched on to the same extent as the rest, but I am doing further reading to educate myself more on those aspects.

Rating: 4/5

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer -

I finally finished my reread of the Twilight series! Breakign Dawn was my favourite in the series back in the day, so I was interested to see how I would feel about it now. This is such a beast of a book, I have no idea how I flew through it so quickly when I first read it. I did enjoy this book on reread, but I wasn't in love with it to the extent I used to be. All of the characters were annoying to me at some point throughout this book and I was picking up on the not-so-great writing a lot more. However, a large part of my enjoyment of this series is the nostalgia. As I was rereading, I was constantly taken back to when I first read this book and everything I felt at that time. Objectively, I know this wasn't a great book, and not something I would give 5 stars to now, but I loved reading it anyway. As with the rest of this series, I will not be changing my rating from my original rating, though it is not necessarily how I would rate it now.

Rating: 5/5

Believe In Me by Amy Sparling - 

This was free on Kindle so I thought I would give it a go, not realising it was the start of a spin-off series to a series I had started by this author a few years ago. This is a YA contemporary following a girl who hasn't had the best life and has been moving about with her mother for years, never really having a home. When they move to a small town in Texas, her mother leaves her with a young, wealthy couple for a weekend, which ends up becoming longer. This couple happen to be the best friends of the couple from Amy Sparling's Summer Unplugged series, and this is a bit of an enemies to lovers romance between her and the son of the couple from the original series. This was a fun, quick read. It was a predictable story but the characters were nice and the romance was sweet. The writing definitely wasn't the best, it felt very juvenile and just not well developed. However, I enjoyed my time with these characters and found myself lost in their story.

Rating: 3/5

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa -

Everyone and their dog was reading and raving about this book towards the beginning of the year, so I finally decided it was time to pick it up. This is another enemies to lovers romance between a wedding planner and the brother of the ex-fiance who left her the morning of their wedding, blaming something his brother had said for his decision. However, several years later she has to work with the brother of her ex-fiance in order to land her dream job. This was so much fun! I love enemies to lovers and while I wasn't entirely sure why the brother was the bad guy and not the ex-fiance, I still really enjoyed that aspect of this story. I loved Max and thought he was just the most adorable hero ever. I really enjoyed the banter between the two and how the would push each other's buttons, but also let the other see their more vulnerable side. The chemistry between the two was so apparent and made their relationship so believable. I have seen some complaints about the steamy scenes in this book, but I thought they were very well-written and a lot of fun. I just had so much fun reading this book.

Rating: 4/5

Moment Of Truth by Kasie West -

Another Kasie West read for the year. This is her newest release and the third book in the Love, Life and the List companion series. This book follows the star swimmer, Hadley, who happens to be the best friend of Cooper's (from book one) sister. When one of Hadley's swim meets is disrupted by a someone dressed as Heath Hall, a film characters who appears in the second book in the series, she sets out to find out who is behind it. The premise itself didn't do anything for me, I wasn't really interested in that storyline, but I love Kasie West so picked it up. For the first half of the book, I was disappointed. I was bored, I didn't care about the mystery and Hadley was a bland character. However, my opinion totally changed in the second half. I really loved the romance in this book. The love interest was so freaking adorable, I just wanted to protect him at all costs. Hadley really grew into herself in the second half and I started to enjoy her character more. I thought the family aspects of the story were interesting and added another layer to the story. In terms of the Heath Hall mystery, I wasn't at all interested for the majority of the book, but I did really love the reveal and how they mystery wrapped up. What started off an a disappointing read turned into another enjoyable read from Kasie West.

Rating: 3.5/5

Beach Read by Emily Henry -

Another book everyone seems to be reading recently, and yet another enemies to lovers romance. This follows a romance author who moves to a beach house next door to college rival, a successful literary fiction author. The two decide to try to write each other's genres to beat writers' block. This is so much more than the bright, summery cover suggests. It is a lot of fun but it also deals with a lot of serious topics, in terms of both her present and his past. There are several different elements to this book, but all are done so well. I loved the romance so much. These characters have the best chemistry, great banter and just feel so comfortable around each other to me. They had their issues and conflicts, as all couples do, but all were resolved quickly and the communication between them was something I wish we would get more in romance novels. I also really loved the writing aspect. Writing in books is never something that has particularly stood out to me as something I enjoy, but I found the writing process and development of the novel really interesting. I think what really makes this book great is the writing. Emily Henry is one hell of a writer and I spent so much of my time while reading this marvelling at how beautifully she can write the more simple things. I now need to go and read everything she has ever written and hope she continues to write more amazing romance novels. 

Rating: 4/5

Those were the 7 books I read in August. I read so many books in August that I wanted to give 5 stars to, but for some reason I just couldn't. It takes so much for me to give a book 5 stars, I don't know why I can't just rate all the books I love highly. Maybe I can give some 5 star ratings out in September.

What was the best book you read in August?

Sophie :)

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR

I'm finally posting a Top Ten Tuesday on a Tuesday, it's a miracle! This week the topic is books on your Summer TBR. With everything going on in the world recently in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement and all of the amazing action being taken, I took the time to reflect on my own behaviours and the changes I can make. I was incredibly ashamed and embarrassed to discover that almost all of the 30+ books I have read so far in 2020 have been written by white people. I have made no effort to read books by Black authors, which is not right. I was always of the belief that I don't choose books to read by the authors skin colour but by the content of the book itself and this is not the right attitude to have. All voices deserve to be heard, all authors should have their stories shared. I want to do better, not just right now but always. I will now be making much more of an effort to diversify my reading. With that in mind, I decided to share with you the top ten books by BIPOC authors that I hope to get to this Summer.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson - A battle for Prom Queen, in order to win a scholarship, plus a f/f romance. This is everything I could want in a book.

2. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender - Black, queer, transgender teen gets transphobic messages, sets out for revenge and it turns into so much more. This sounds amazing. Plus, this cover is possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! 

3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Teen witnesses her best friend shot by a police officer. There is no excuse for me to have not read this yet, I've owned it for ages.

4. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa - Enemies to lovers, ex-fiance's brother, forced to work together. This gives me Unhoneymooners vibes and I need to read it soon.

5. Intercepted by Alexa Martin - I love a sports romance, I want to read more of them, and this one involves an NFL player.

6. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory - Another one I've owned for too long. Fake dating, one of my favourite tropes, after getting stuck in an elevator together. 

7. Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - Our chronically ill main character makes a list (I love a list!) to help her 'get a life' and falls for the guy she gets to help her.

8. Love From A-Z by SK Ali - Blurbed as 'a story about finding love in the time of Islamaphobia', this sounds beautiful but heart-wrenching. Ive heard nothing but amazing things.

9. The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai - Another enemies to lovers romance, this time involving two rival dating app creators. 

10. Opposite Of Always by Justin A Reynolds - After the girl he meets at a party dies, our main character is forced to relive meeting her over and over again.

Those are ten of the books at the top of my Summer TBR. I am notoriously bad at sticking to TBRs so we'll see how many I get to, but hopefully I manage quite a few. I am also planning to read some non-fiction books over the Summer to further educate myself on racism and learn how to do better, but I think it is just as important to read books by Black authors for fun. 

What books are you hoping to read this Summer?

Sophie :)

Find out how you can help the Black Lives Matter movement here.

Wrap Up | May - September 2019

Life is crazy. Blogging is hard. I read some books, let's talk about them while I have a spare five minutes!

In all seriousness, I am currently the busiest I have been in a long time and blogging has had to take a serious back seat. I am trying to post wrap ups when I can, but I doubt I'll have anything more than that for at least the next month or so. I've hardly even had time to read recently, which makes me quite sad, but I did manage 3 books in May, 3 in June and 3 in July.

Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon -

This was a complete cover buy, but sadly not one that paid off this time. This follows a woman who uses her assistant as bait for her best friend's husband, who she is convinced is cheating, and things get very messy. It turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I disliked most of the characters and didn't really see any kind of character development, they stayed selfish and unbearable for the whole book. I also wasn't a fan of the cheating storyline. I'm not someone who always dislikes cheating in books, I think a cheating plot can be done well, but I didn't like this one. Especially as I felt many characters did not receive any consequences for their actions and blame seemed to be placed predominantly on one party when many were involved. It did have some redeeming qualities; it has some funny moments, there was one characters I liked, and it was a pretty quick read for being over 400 pages. However, it was still a disappointment.

Rating: 2.5/5

Lucky In Love by Kasie West -

Speaking of disappointing reads, I am so sad to say this is possibly my least favourite book from one of my favourite authors. I adore Kasie West but this story just fell flat for me. This is about a girl who wins the lottery and has to deal with all the changes it brings, including how differently people are suddenly treating her. I'm generally not a fan of lottery win storylines and this was no exception. I didn't dislike the book, I just found the plot to be predictable and filled with unnecessary drama. The characters were fine but forgettable and didn't live up to what I have come to expect from Kasie West's books. I guess I can't love everything she writes.

Rating: 3/5

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins -

This is the second book in the Royals series, a series following a Scottish royal family and American teens who find themselves involved in royal drama. The second book is set in a Scottish boarding school and find American Millie sharing a room with the princess of Scotland. I have such mixed feelings about these books as a Scottish person myself. After reading Royals, I claimed that it would have been a 5 star read had it not been set in Scotland as I found many of the inaccuracies too difficult to ignore. However, I went into this book with the mindset of the Scotland in this book being entirely fictional, which made it a lot easier for me to simply laugh at the inaccuracies and focus on enjoying the story. I think these books are so much fun! I love all the characters and particularly loved the boarding school setting in this second book. I also really enjoyed the romance and found myself really rooting for them from the outset. As long as you don't believe this is what Scotland is actually like, I would definitely recommend giving these books a try.

Rating: 4/5

The Second Summer Of The Sisterhood by Ann Brashares -

After reading the first book in the series two years ago, I decided it was definitely time to continue with the second book. The second book takes place the summer after the first, as the girls once again go their separate ways for the summer with the travelling pants to keep them connected. This was a different reading experience for me as, unlike with the first book that I read after watching the movie so many times, I did not know this story at all. I didn't enjoy this as much as the first, particularly as I didn't enjoy Carmen's storyline, but I still had a lot of fun being with these characters again. I loved Bridget's story in this book and really enjoyed seeing her character grow and develop so much. I can't wait to carry on with the rest of the series.

Rating: 3/5

Did I Mention It's 10 Years Later? by Estelle Maskame -
This short novella/bonus chapter was released to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Did I Mention I Love You? It takes place 10 years after the end of the DIMILY trilogy and was a lovely insight into how all of the characters are doing in the future. This was so lovely to read as I often finish books or series and wonder how the story would continue - if couples would stay together, new friendships would last, family issues would be resolved - so I enjoyed getting some of those answers. The DIMILY trilogy is a favourite of mine, so of course I loved this.
Rating: 5/5

Girl In The Mirror by Cecelia Ahern -
Let me just say that I adore Cecelia Ahern, she is one of my favourite authors. However, this wasn't for me at all. Girl In The Mirror features two short stories, one of the same name and The Memory Maker. One I thought was just fine, the other I didn't understand at all, but I couldn't tell you which one was which. In fact, I don't really remember a much about either. I think that tells you my general feelings. Disappointing from a favourite author.
Rating: 2.5

Listen To Your Heart by Kasie West - 
Kasie West is another of my favourite authors, as I already mentioned, and as far a I can remember I enjoyed this book. It follows a girl who ends up as the host of her school's podcast, which is completely outside of her comfort zone, and has to give advice to callers; including a guy asking for advice about his crush, who she believes to be her best friend. It was pretty typical Kasie West, fun and cute with a sweet romance and some nice friendships. It wasn't my favourite of hers but it did give a great Summer vibe, with the lake being a big part of the story, which was exactly what I was looking for.
Rating: 4/5

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame -
This was a reread for me. After reading Did I Mention It's 10 Years Later, I was desperate to go back and read this first book in the series again. I have a full review of this book, and the series as a whole, and I stand by pretty much everything I said in both. I did enjoy this more upon reread, I think as I had more of a connection to the characters and the story, but did still have the same issues as I had the first time around. This is my least favourite in the series, but I do still love this book, and the series as a whole.
Rating: 3.5/5 (maybe 4 this time)

Becoming by Michelle Obama -
If you don't know about this book, where have you been? This is Michelle Obama's memoir, following her life and journey to becoming one of the most influential women in the world. I have huge respect for her, I think she is an incredible woman, and this absolutely grew and grew while reading this book. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Obama herself, which added another level to the reading experience. I felt as though she was sitting in the car with me, telling me all about her life. I found it so interesting to hear all about her upbringing, her career, and particularly to find out more about her as a person, rather than Barack Obama's wife. As with most memoirs, I did get a little bored at some parts, but overall, it was a really interesting and enjoyable book.
Rating: 4/5

And that is it. I didn't read a single book in August or September, which is so disappointing as that is the longest I have gone without reading a book in years! However, life is just so crazy at the moment. I am happy to report that I have read a couple in October so far, which I will hopefully be able to share with you at the end of the month, if I can get myself back on track. For now though, those were all the books I read in May, June and July.

What is the longest you've gone without finishing a single book this year? Any tips for finding time to read when life is too crazy?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | August 2018

I know I say this every month but can someone please tell me how it is already September? August was such a busy month for me as I was making the most of my last summer as a university student. Reading took a bit of a back seat, and let's not even talk about blogging, but I still managed to read 4 books. My life is getting back to normal now and definitely nowhere near as busy, so hopefully I can read more in September.

Super Awkward by Beth Garrod -

I was reading this in preparation for YALC but didn't quite finish it in time. This is the first book in a series following awkward teen, Bella Fisher, as she navigates high school and boys. I really enjoyed this book, it was pretty much exactly as the title suggest. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious and had me constantly cringing. It did feel a little young, at times I thought Bella seemed a lot younger than she was meant to be. However, this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I can definitely see myself continuing with this series in the future.

Rating: 4/5 

My (Secret) YouTube Life by Charlotte Seager -

I picked this book up at YALC as early copies were available. I thought it sounded like something I would enjoy as it is about the reality of life online. It follows both Lily, a very popular YouTuber, and Melissa, Lily's biggest fan who wants her life to look just as amazing. I really don't know how I feel about this book as a whole. I really enjoyed reading Lily's chapters, I found her story very interesting and really felt for her as she dealt with her struggles. Melissa, on the other hand, I couldn't stand. I didn't enjoy her story at all as it just seemed so incredibly stupid. I ended up skimming her chapters because I was getting too annoyed at her. If this book was solely Lily's story, I would be giving it at least 4 stars. However, that was not the case.

Rating: 2/5

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger -

After loving The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, her 2018 release was one of my most anticipated of the year. I find books about school shootings very interesting to read, but had yet to find one I didn't dislike. This book follows the survivors of a school shooting, including the best friend of one of the victims who everyone believes died proclaiming her faith, a story that is not actually true. I didn't really know what to expect from this but it was a very interesting read. It was less about what happened and more about how it had impacted the lives of those affected, which I feel was written well. This is such an important and prevalent topic, making this an important book at the moment. It was a difficult topic handled well and I would definitely recommend picking it up.

Rating: 4/5 | Review To Come

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han -

I have had this book on my shelves for years but never got around to reading it. With all the hype surrounding the movie, I knew it was time to pick it up. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this is about. Lara Jean has written letters to every boy she has ever had a crush on and stores them under her bed with no intention of every sending them, until one day they are somehow sent. This completely lived up to the hype for me. It was a fun, cute story with a really great family dynamic. I loved the relationship between the three sisters, that was by far my favourite aspect of the book. In fact, I loved pretty much everything about this book. I can't wait to continue this series.
Rating: 4/5

While I didn't read as much in August as I would have liked, I'm happy to have read three books I loved. I guess it wasn't too bad a reading month. Hopefully September will be another good reading month.

Did you read anything great in August? How was your reading month?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up & Haul | August 2017

It has been way too long since I last posted! I don't know how I let it get this long but things got a little crazy in the past few weeks. I had a really busy month in August with finishing up placement and enjoying my last couple of weeks of freedom before starting back at uni at the beginning of September. I am now getting ready to go back out on placement so I know things are not going to get any less busy but hopefully I can keep on top of the blog a little more.

With things being so busy I only managed to read two books in the month of August and both were audiobooks. Audiobooks have been a lifesaver while on placement when I haven't had time to pick up a physical book, and they make long commutes much less of a pain.

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B Jones -

I read Jenny B Jones' Katie Parker series a couple of years ago and loved it. Since then I have been wanting to pick up more of her works, especially as she writes Christian Fiction and that is something I have been wanting to read more of. This book follows Finley who travels to Ireland to study, as her recently killed brother had done the same. This book tried to do too many things in one story. There was so much happening in the story that nothing could be executed well. I also found the main character to be incredibly irritating and just plain rude. As much as I have loved Jenny B Jones' writing in the past, this is not one of her books that I would recommend.

Rating: 2/5 | Review

Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby -

While I went into the previous book knowing the author and expecting to enjoy it, this book was the opposite. I had never read anything from Jessi Kirby before and was a bit wary of the plot. This is the story of Quinn whose boyfriend dies and his organs are donated. In an attempt to help her grieve, Quinn attempts to contact the recipient of Trent's heart but things don't quite work out as she planned. I was a bit unsure about this storyline as I was worried I would find the romance aspect uncomfortable. However, the romance was handled in a very sensitive way that made it heartwarming to read about. I ended up really enjoying this book, in particular the way organ donation was discussed and highlighted.

Rating: 4/5 | Review

While being busy meant not reading a whole lot, it also meant not buying too many books, which my bank account was particularly happy about. I only bought two books in the month of August, which I think is pretty reasonable.

Dare To Fall by Estelle Maskame - I picked this up before a signing that I was planning to go to but ended up being unable to go. This is her newest release and first outwith the DIMILY trilogy.

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough - I hadn't heard of this but it was on the buy one get one half price table with Dare To Fall and it sounded interesting so I picked it up. All I know is it's about a girl who was in an accident and ended up dead for 13 minutes.

August wasn't the best reading month for me but it definitely could have been worse. I'm glad I managed to read something while things were so crazy but hopefully I can do better in September. Did you have a good reading month? What was the best book you read in August?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | August 2015

August has been an extremely busy month for me and that has resulted in a terrible reading month. This final month of my Summer has been the most eventful month I have had in a long time and I have next to no free time. However, it has been a great month for everything other than reading. Hopefully I can get some more reading done in September to catch up.

My Life In August...

- I spent a great week with some amazing friends at a church summer camp.

- We got two gorgeous but very energetic new puppies, who are taking up all of my time.

- I spent a great night out for dinner with loads of friends.

- One of my closest friends sadly moved about 4 hours away from me.

- I spent a nice week with one of my best friends for her birthday.

- I got to meet one of my favourite bands Union J and see them live with some great friends.

Watched In August...

- Pretty Little Liars Season 6A - 4/5

- Teen Mom OG (Teen Mom Season 5) - 3.5/5

- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - 3/5

- Cheaper By The Dozen (rewatch) - 5/5

- One Tree Hill Season 3 - 4.5/5

- Mean Girls (rewatch) - 4/5

Read In August...

Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - 

I may have only read one book in August, and it may have been one I have already read, but it is also one of my favourite books I read in 2014. I absolutely loved Isla when I first read it, to the point where I wanted to reread it straight away. I managed to wait almost a year before rereading it, but it was just as great the second time. I have a full review of this book here. 5/5

Blogged In August...
- I listed my Top Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From.
- I hauled some good books I bought in July.
- I wrapped up the month of July.
- I shared my August TBR.
- I reviewed I Was Here by Gayle Forman.
- I reviewed How To Fall In Love by Cecelia Ahern.
- I reviewed Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.
- I reviewed Make It Count by Megan Erickson.

So that is the whole one book I read in the month of August as I was so busy looking after my two little puppies. What have you read this month?

Sophie :)

Haul | August 2015

Since I have been so busy throughout the month of August, I have done pretty well with my book buying this month. I have been trying my hardest to reduce my book buying and having only acquired 5 books this month, I would say I'm getting better.

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by JK Rowling - After reading the third Harry Potter book, Prisoner Of Azkaban, in July, I was desperate to get my hands on the next in the series. I was always a little intimidated by books 4-7 due to their size, but I am really enjoying reading the series that everyone raves about so I am looking for to continuing. 

Frostbite by Richelle Mead - I also read Vampire Academy in July, the first book in the series, and though I didn't love it, I am definitely continuing with this series. I decided to pick up the second book in the series as so many people have said the series improves as it goes on. I am looking forward to seeing how the series progresses and will hopefully get to this soon.

More Weird Things Customer Say In Bookshops by Jen Campbell - I read the first Weird Things Customers say book last year (and have a mini review here) and thought it was a pretty funny read. When I found the set of two on The Book People for just £2.50, I decided to pick it up. I gave the first book to my best friend, as it is definitely something she will enjoy, and kept the second book for myself as I can't wait to read more funny stories.

I Wish For You by Camilla Isley - I was lucky enough to be sent this ebook from the author herself to read and review. This is the story of a woman who is struggling with a bad breakup when she finds a magical object through which a mysterious man appears. It sounds to me like a chick lit book with some magical realism thrown in. I am interested to see how I feel about this book as the magical realism is a little out of my comfort zone, but I am looking forward to trying it out.

Thanks For The Memories by Cecelia Ahern - I got this with my audible credit for the month. I have been loving Cecelia Ahern recently so I am desperate to read more of her work. I don't know what this one is about but since it is Cecelia Ahern, I know I'll want to read it no matter what the storyline. I am really excited to read this one.

Those are all of the books I got this month. Have you read any of these books?

Sophie :)

TBR | August 2015

After my great reading month in July, I am hoping to continue doing well throughout August. So far, I have managed to read five of the ten books on my Summer TBR and hopefully, with no university work to do, I can get the other five read. I am being a little ambitious with this TBR but we'll see how it goes.

Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins -

I have previously read this one but as one of my favourite books of last year, I am desperate to read it again. I absolutely love the Anna trilogy and Isla was by far my favourite of the three. I love the characters so much, and the settings are also great. This is one on my Summer TBR so I will be trying m hardest to get to this one this month. I am so excited to read this one again.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han -

This is another of the books on my Summer TBR. I have been wanting to read his trilogy for a while now so I am determined to at least make a start to the trilogy by reading the first book in August. I know very little about this trilogy but from what I do know it sounds like a perfect summer read.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - 
I've been working my way through Morgan Matson's books this summer and her most recent novel, Since You've Been Gone, is the last one I have to read (not including her novels under a different name). This is one that I have heard so many amazing things about, and seems to be most people's favourite Morgan Matson book, so I am really looking forward to reading this one.

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare - 
This is another series that I really need to make a start on. Everyone seems to have read these books except me and with the TV show starting soon, it really is about time to make a start to the series. This is another series that I know little about other than how much people love it, so hopefully I will love it too.

Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout - 
The Lux series is yet another series that I need to start. I know that this one is about aliens, which is something I have not read about before. This series seems to get rave reviews so I am looking forward to trying out something a bit different.

Daughter by Jane Shemilt - 
This was not on my Summer TBR but I decided to pull a couple of books out of my TBR jar for this month and this was one of them. This was an impulse buy and I haven't heard great things about it but it sounds pretty interesting. It is about a woman whose daughter goes missing and follows her search for answers.

Summer Sky by Lisa Swallow -
I also pulled this one out of the my TBR jar for the month and it is my ebook pick for August. I know very little about this one but it seems to be your average new adult contemporary story, which is perfect for summer.

Those are all of the books I hope to get around to reading during the month of August. Hopefully I will have time to get a fair bit of reading done but my main aim is to complete my Summer TBR books.

What are you planning to read in August?

Sophie :)