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 :)

Five Booktubers Who Got Me Into Romance

If you've been around this blog at all this year, you will have noticed that I have started to pick up some more adult romance books. I have always loved romance in my movies or in my YA contemporaries, but have delved very little into the adult romance genre. However, towards the end of 2019/beginning of 2020, I started watching a lot of new booktubers. Several of those booktubers are predominantly romance readers, so of course when I heard them raving about the romance they love, I had to pick some up for myself. 

Now that romance seems to be my most read genre of 2020 so far, I thought I would share with you some of my recent favourite romance booktubers.

1. Jessica - PeaceLoveBooksxo

My absolute go-to for romance recommendations! I came across Jessica's channel years ago, but as I didn't seem to be very interested in the same books as her, I guess I lost interest. I rediscovered her towards the end of last year and have been obsessed with her channel ever since. She reads pretty much everything when it comes to romance so she gives the best recommendations, has the most fun, enjoyable reading vlogs, and has the cutest dogs.

2. Bree - In Love & Words

I found Bree a few months ago and have been binge watching her videos ever since. Bree is another booktuber who reads a variety of different subgenres within romance. I always find out about books from her that I haven't heard a lot of people talk about, and my massive ebook TBR is largely due to her ebook hauls.

3. Lacey - LaceyBookLovers

If you are looking for 40 minute+ wrap ups full of great romance recommendations, Lacey is your gal. I am in awe of how much she reads every month, her wrap ups give me kick in the butt to get reading. She reviews books so well and has recommendations for anything you could want in a romance.

4. Spencer - Intentionally Bookish

Another one I just discovered a few months ago. I just find Spencer's videos so nice to watch, as though I'm chatting to a friend about good books. She is another who talks about a lot of books I haven't heard other people talk about and her recent novella recommendations video is another reason my ebook TBR seems to be never ending.

5. Riley - Riley Marie

I have been subscribed to Riley's channel for years, but only recently started watching her videos regularly and taking recommendations from her. She read a little bit of everything and doesn't just talk about romance on her channel, but I do get a lot of recommendations from her. I especially get a lot of LGBT recs from her, which is something I really love about her channel.

Who are your favourite romance booktubers? Who else should I check out?

Sophie :)

I Recommend 5: Medical Memoirs

I have made no secret of my love for memoirs relating to the medical/nursing/healthcare field. It is quite a specific area of interest, which is probably not something a lot of people would chose to read, but I find these so interesting. As someone who personally works in this field, I gain a lot more than entertainment from reading these. While many of the memoirs I read are entertaining and contain a lot of funny stories of real life experiences, there is always a lot to learn from the overall message. 

As I have read quite a lot of these types of books, I wanted to recommend some. Not all of the books on this list were 5 star reads for me, but all of them are books I feel are important. Books in general are subjective, and I feel like this kind of book is even more so as everyone can take something different from them depending on their connection to healthcare. I have specifically chosen 5 very different books so I am hopeful that there will be something for everyone.

1. This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay

This is such a popular medical memoir that I feel like everyone I have spoken to about it has read it. Adam Kay was a junior doctor working within the NHS in England and, in this book, shares his experience. This is one of the funniest medical memoirs I have read, as Adam Kay is just a brilliant storyteller. He does an amazing job of sharing hilarious patient stories, while also emphasising the problems within the NHS that lead to him reconsidering his career. I listened to this on audiobook, which the author narrates himself, and can't recommend it highly enough. If you only read one book from this list, make it this one!

2. Hard Pushed by Leah Hazard

This is another one of my absolute favourites. Leah Hazard is a midwife in the NHS and shares her story in this memoir. This is one of the most eye-opening and well-written memoirs I have ever read. Leah Hazard balanced showcasing the struggles of working in such an understaffed and underfunded health service with the beauty and importance of the role of a midwife perfectly. She so eloquently expressed the real lows she has reached throughout her career, while also sharing some fun, heart-warming stories about the women she has cared for. She tells her story with such passion for job that you can't help but feel passionate about it with her.

3. The Language Of Kindness by Christie Watson

Another memoir from within the NHS, this time from a nurse. This is a bit different to the previous recommendations, as it focuses a bit less of fun stories and more on a more academic discussion of the role of a nurse and of kindness as the one fundamental aspect of the job. While there are stories throughout of Christie Watson's time across a variety of settings within the hospital, both as a nurse and as a family member, each story is used to display the role of the nurse and what it takes to be a nurse. It felt a lot less accessible as the others I have mentioned, but I would consider it a must-read for anyone in the nursing field, or considering nursing as a profession. 

4. Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd

The most recent medical memoir I have read tells of the career of the UK's top forensic pathologist. This is one of the most unique memoirs I have read as it was an area I knew absolutely nothing about. I found it so incredibly interesting to learn about a topic most people would shy away from: death. This book makes you think about death more than is probably comfortable for most people, but in a very different way. It is full of interesting stories of Richard Shepherd's career, including high profile cases such as the death of Princess Diana and the 9/11 attacks. I have never read anything like it, and I learnt so much from it.

5. The Shift by Theresa Brown

This is the only book on this list that isn't based in the UK healthcare system. This is a book by a nurse in the US and essentially chronicles one twelve hour shift. We follow her throughout her shift, meeting her patients and observing her ever growing list of jobs. I think this is such a great way of showcasing how much a nurse has to do over the course of just one shift. It's a great look at just how varied the role is and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is still under the impression that the role of a nurse is to 'wipe bums'. It was quite different to any typical 12-hour shift I have experience in the UK, but it a was a very interesting, and super quick, read.

Those are my 5 recommendations, for now. I have read so many medical memoirs, and continue to read them, so I could definitely do a part 2 if anyone would be interested. I am also always looking for more recommendations, so please do leave any you have in the comments.

What is your favourite type of non-fiction to read? Have you read any good medical memoirs?

Sophie :)

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I Recommend 5: Small Town/Beachy Contemporaries

Inspired by Kayla from BooksandLala's 'overly specific' book recommendations series, I thought it would be fun to start a vaguely similar series, in which I recommend 5 books in a random, possibly quite specific category. It seemed like a good idea so I went with it, we'll see how quickly I run out of ideas.

For today's list, I'm bringing Summer to you early. All I have been wanting to read recently are super summer, mostly YA, contemporaries. I want all the light and fluffy summer fun. It seems to be my perfect escape from reality so, as that is something I think we all need right now, I decided to share five of my favourite books in this category. More specifically, five contemporary books set in small beachy tourist towns as this is one of my favourite settings.

1. Love, Life and the List by Kasie West

This is the book that reminded me just how much I love this setting and gave me the idea for this list. It is a YA contemporary following two best friends as they spend the summer trying to complete a list, in order to help our female MC improve her art, and obviously there's some romantic interest between them. This is so stinking cute and is set by the beach.

2. Any Morgan Matson book

So this is cheating a little but I couldn't choose just one. Morgan Matson books are the perfect summer read, and the majority of them are set in a small beachy town. In fact, I believe most of them are set in the same town. If you're looking for a fun summer adventure, involving a summer bucket list, Since You've Been Gone is really great. If you're looking for a beach fun with some more hard-hitting aspects, Second Chance Summer is beautiful but utterly heartbreaking. If you just want some slice-of-life summer fun, The Unexpected Everything is exactly that. I just love her books.

3. This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

If I remember rightly, this isn't set in a beach town but it is set in a small tourist town that gave me the same kind of feeling. This is a super cute YA romance between a small town girl and a movie star, which all starts with an email being sent to he wrong person. It's been a while since I read this so I don't remember too much, but I do remember it giving me all the small town vibes that I love and a really sweet romance.

4. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

This series as a whole isn't my favourite, but I did quite enjoy the first book. This is about a girl who has been going to the same beach house with another family for years and takes place the summer she has really grown up, causing the two boys from the other family to finally notice her. Its full of beachy summer fun, but does have some more serious underlying storylines.

5. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

This is the book that made me fall in love with a beach setting. There is nothing light and fluffy about this book, it is heartbreaking. It follows a girl who goes to spend the summer with her father in a small beach town. This is one of the first books I can remember absolutely loving and I still think about it probably ten years later.

If you have any recommendations you could add to this list, please let me know as I would really love to read more books in this kind of setting. I just want to read them all just now! I would also love some ideas for future posts like this, let me know what you would like recommendations for.

What is your favourite setting for a contemporary? Do you love a beach setting?

Sophie :)

Five Series To Get You Through Isolation

The situation in the world right now is something causing a lot of stress and anxiety right now. For me, I find escaping into a book can help massively during times of uncertainty. I know not everyone can focus on books at the moment, but for those of us needing a bit of literary escape, I thought I would share some recommendations.  For those, like myself, considered key workers and putting themselves in danger to work on the front line during this pandemic, thank you for all you are doing! For those who are doing their vital part by staying at home, I've compiled a list of five series I think would make great reads to get you through being stuck inside during this time.

1. Anna, Lola & Isla by Stephanie Perkins - 

The Anna and the French Kiss series - Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door & Isla and the Happily Ever After - are some of my favourite books to reread when I just need to escape reality. I love these characters, the beautiful settings and the adorable relationships. They're such fun, easy reads.

2. The Selection series by Keira Cass - 

If you want reality TV in book form, this is definitely the series to pick up. Following a competition to marry the Prince, this dystopian series is the perfect escapist read. It has some great characters, a fun storyline, and they're all pretty much stuck inside the whole time as well! I would highly recommend if you're looking for something fun and easy to get through that will take your mind off everything going on.

3. Did I Mention I Love You? series by Estelle Maskame -

I take pretty much any excuse to recommend this series, it's one of my favourites. It is a step-sibling romance, which is a bit taboo, but I really enjoyed this series. Tyler and Eden are one of my favourite bookish couples and no matter how many times I read these books, I always love experiencing their story. I would recommend this any time, but it's definitely a good one to be reaching for just now.

4. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling -

I know I don't need to include this in this list, I think a lot of people will be reaching for this series to keep them company while they are staying at home. It is the ultimate series to escape into, as it will completely transport you to the world and most likely take over all of your thoughts.

5. Beautiful Broken Things series by Sara Barnard - 

Beautiful Broken Things and Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard are two of the most beautiful, well-written books I have read in a while. They feature some of the best characters and one of the best friendship groups I have found in books. If staying at home has you missing your friends, get yourself introduced to these girls. I instantly felt part of their group reading these books. They also follow a great storyline, with a lot of different mental health representation.

A lot of these are 'oldie but goodie' type series and I think that is what I tend to gravitate towards in times of anxiety and uncertainty. If you don't feel like picking up any of these recommendations, I would highly recommend rereading an old favourite, that seems to be all I want to do right now.

Are you staying at home at the moment? What have you been reading?

Sophie :)

Top Six | Most Disappointing Books Of 2018

While I read so many amazing books in 2018, inevitably there were those that did not live up to my expectations. I would love to just talk about the best of the year but I do find it interesting to take a look at those books that I didn't love. This isn't a list of bad books but rather the books that I expected more from. Obviously I expect to like every book I read, or else I wouldn't want to read it in the first place, so those that I end up not enjoying are going to leave me feeling disappointed. If I mention your favourite book then that's great, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. These books just weren't for me but they will be for other people.

1. From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon - 

I didn't love Sandhya Menon's debut novel but I wanted to give her another chance. Unfortunately, I didn't love this one either. This is about a girl who is directing a film for a school festival with the help of her crush's brother. I found the main character very annoying and I was disappointed that film-making wasn't much of a focus, which I believed it to be from the synopsis. It all just fell flat for me.

2. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll - 

This is a mystery/thriller that I had heard so many people rave about. It follows a woman who appears to have the perfect life but she is living a lie and hiding secrets from her childhood. I just found this quite boring. I wasn't really invested in the story at all and didn't find any of the twists particularly shocking. 

3. Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan -

This books is unlike anything I have read before. Seriously, I have never read a more pretentious book before. It is about twins who decide to throw a final dinner party before graduation. It was so bizarre, but also as though it was trying too hard to be strange. There wasn't really any plot and I didn't really like any of the characters. This book definitely wasn't for me.

4. Bookshop Girl by Chloe Coles -

I really wanted to love this book as the synopsis sounded really great. It is about a girl who works in the local bookshop that is being shut down and decides to fight to save it. This was a fun read but it featured so many of my bookish pet peeves and so much drama. It was very predictable, I don't think there was anything I didn't see coming. This is definitely a book for younger readers but I don't think even teen me would have enjoyed it. Another one that just wasn't for me.

5. My (Secret) Youtube Life by Charlotte Seager -

This is the most infuriating book on this list because I really loved half of it. It is written from two perspectives; one is a popular youtuber struggling, the other is a huge fan and wants her life to look the same. I loved the chapters from Lily, the youtuber, but hated the other chapters. I would have enjoyed this far more had it just been Lily's story, as I found Melissa's story annoying and kind of stupid.

6. We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han -

The first two books in this series were average for me but this one was just too much. The way the story went in this book was just silly to me and I ended up really disliking a lot of the characters. It was such a disappointing ending to a series I had somewhat enjoyed up to that point. 

Those are the six books that disappointed me in 2018. Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?

Sophie :)

Top Five | Series I'll Never Finish

I've talked a lot on this blog about all of the series I want to start or have started but need to finish. I love talking about series for some reason, perhaps because it makes me actually want to pick up those series I've been putting off. Today I wanted to talk about some of the series I have started but don't plan to finish. I won't lie, this is largely because I want to know if I'm making a mistake by giving up on these series. So if you absolutely love any of the ones I mention, please convince me to finish it.

1. The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
This is an 8 book series so far! I'm not sure if it has ended or if there are more to come, but that is a serious commitment for me and I just don't have the desire to finish it. I read the first book, Confessions Of A Shopaholic, last year and it was such a disappointment for me. I really didn't enjoy it, despite hearing nothing but amazing things about the series. I couldn't stand Becky as a main character, so I think the only thing that would convince me to keep going is if she mature a lot in the sequels.



2. The Clique series by Lisi Harrison
I read the first three books in this series years ago, when I was the target audience age, and absolutely loved them. I didn't really understand the whole series thing too well then and just assumed that because those were the only ones in the shop there weren't any more. This is a freaking 14 book series! As much as part of me wants to reread the first few books to see what I found enjoyable about the books, I really don't think I have time for a 14 book series that is probably too immature for my tastes now.



3. Stargirl duology by Jerry Spinelli
It has been so long since I read Stargirl that I honestly couldn't tell you a single thing that happened in it. That's pretty much the only reason I don't plan on reading the sequel, simply because I would have to reread the first book and I don't have much desire to do that. This is one that I need convincing on. Should I reread Stargirl and pick up the sequel?



4. Bowler University trilogy by Megan Erickson
I read the first book, Make It Count, a couple of years ago and it was a pretty average, 'meh' book for me. I loved the characters but the plot got boring and repetitive. The other books in the series follow different characters, I believe, so I'm not really inclined to continue unless the series gets better as it goes on.



5. Chasing Nikki trilogy by Lacey Weatherford
I started this series most recently, just a few months ago, but the first book, Chasing Nikki, didn't blow me away. It was a very average contemporary that became a lot more deep and serious than I was expecting. I enjoyed the first book but not really enough to convince me to pick up the rest in the series.

Am I making a mistake with any of these series? If you think I am, please feel free to convince me to give them a chance, I am always up for adding more books to my ever growing TBR pile.

Sophie :)

Top Five | Favourite TV Shows

Recently I have been trying to incorporate things like TV and movies into this blog as I wanted to talk about more than just books sometimes. I've been sharing what I'm currently watching but I thought it might be fun to share some of my favourite shows.

Finished Series

One Tree Hill is probably my favourite TV show of all time. I just love this show so much! I adore these characters and their friendships and relationships. 

Favourite Character: Brooke Davis

OTP: Nathan & Haley or Brooke & Julian

Favourite Friendship: Lucas & Haley

Favourite Season: 6

Gossip Girl is my ultimate guilty pleasure show. I binge watched the entire series in about a month, when I should have been studying, and I was completely obsessed.

Favourite Character: Blair Waldorf

OTP: Chuck & Blair

Favourite Friendship: Blair & Serena

Favourite Season: 6

Ongoing Series

Grey's Anatomy is another contender for my all time favourite show. I fell in love with this show from the first episode and will continue to love it even as all my favourite characters die. I also loved the spin-off show Private Practice.

Favourite Character: Lexie

OTP: Jackson & April

Favourite Friendship: Callie & Mark

Favourite Season: 6

Chicago Fire is a more recent favourite of mine. I was hooked from the first episode as firefighters and the firehouse culture fascinates me. I love PD and Med as well but Fire is definitely my favourite.

Favourite Character: Shay

OTP: Mills & Dawson

Favourite Friendship: Shay & Severide

Favourite Season: 2

Pretty Little Liars is another guilty pleasure show. I know everyone is getting fed up of this mystery being dragged out but there is part of me who doesn't want the series to end.

Favourite Character: Hanna

OTP: Caleb & Hanna

Favourite Friendship: Caleb & Toby

Favourite Season: 4

Those are my top 5 favourite TV shows, however there are plenty more shows I love. I would love recommendations based on the shows I have mentioned, I'm always looking for more shows to watch despite me ever growing list.

Sophie :)

Top Five | YA Contemporary Romance

Valentine's Day is upon us once again. For those of you, like me, who are once again alone this Valentine's Day, it's the perfect time to curl up with a good contemporary romance and live vicariously through some great characters. That is why I decided to share with you my top ten favourite YA contemporary romance novels to help you lose yourself in someone else's love story. Or if you're not alone this Valentine's Day, it's still a great opportunity to read some cute love stories.

1. Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

This is my absolute favourite YA contemporary romance I have read so far. I would definitely recommend the other books in this trilogy as well, Anna And The French Kiss and Lola And The Boy Next Door, by Isla is my favourite. I think Isla and Josh make the most adorable couple and I can relate to the characters and the story so much. This is definitely the book to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

2. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
I love Kasie West's contemporaries and The Distance Between Us is my favourite. Again, I would also recommend the others of her's I have read, One The Fence and PS I Like You. The Distance Between Us is a really fun contemporary story. The characters are great, particularly Caymen who is a great main character with the best snarky and sarcastic personality.

3. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
This is like your rom-com of YA contemporary. The DUFF is such a fun read with characters that I found extremely relatable. I love a bad boy and I'm a sucker for 'hate-to-love' stories. I mentioned in my review that my favourite thing about this book was the fact teenagers were treated like teenagers and things like sex and alcohol weren't total taboo subjects.

4. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Just as the name suggests, this is a very different and unique contemporary romance. This story is a romance told from multiple perspectives, none of which are the couple themselves. I think this is such a great idea and it was executed really well. I loved the relationship and seeing it develop from the outside looking in, rather then through the eyes of the couple. It was a really fun, sweet read.

5. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
I have read quite a few of Jennifer E Smith's books and I do like them all, but this is the only one I absolutely loved. This book contains a lot of my favourite things; airports, plane journeys and stories that take places over short periods of time like one day. I really enjoyed this story and loved Hadley and Oliver as a couple. I read this so long about that I can't really remember the details but I do still remember just how much I loved it.

I love contemporary romance so narrowing it down to just 5 was pretty hard. What are your favourite contemporary romance books? Are there any you think I need to read after loving these so much?

Sophie :)