Unhaul | Bookshelf Declutter

Like I do at the beginning of every year, I have recently had a bit of a declutter of my bookshelves. I don't like to get rid of books I read in the year I read them, for whatever strange reason, so tend to get rid of a lot in January. This year is no different, I am getting rid of quite a number of books for a few different reasons.

The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han - I finished this series in 2018 and while I thought the first two books were fine, I didn't enjoy the last book and know I will never reread it.

Tell Me No Lies by AV Geiger - This is the second book in a duology that was just average for me the first time around, I know I wont pick it up again.

My (Secret) Youtube Life by Charlotte Seager - I've talked about my frustration with this book a couple of times already. I loved one perspective and hated the other. I just didn't love one enough to put up with the other a second time.

The Baby by Lisa Drakeford - I really enjoyed this book when I read it but I just don't have any desire to read it more than once. Someone else can enjoy it instead.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - I have been hanging on to this for a few years now with the hope that I will reread it and enjoy it the second time. However, it hasn't happened yet so I don't think it ever will.

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon - I didn't love this book but I did love this cover, which is why I held on to it. As much as the cover is beautiful, I need the shelf space.

Solitaire by Alice Oseman - Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment when I read it last year. It just wasn't for me but I know someone else could love it.

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera - This is one that I enjoyed when I first read it but just don't see myself ever picking up again. 

Super Awkward by Beth Garrod - Again, I really enjoyed this but I know I won't reread it. I know someone who would love this so it seems right to pass it on.

Insurgent, Allegiant and Four by Veronica Roth - I have been hanging on to the Divergent series but I disliked Insurgent so much that I don't think I will ever make it through this series a second time. I really loved the first book, though, so I am keeping a hold of it.

Vampire Academy and Frostbite by Richelle Mead - I enjoyed the first two books in this series but I am unsure about whether I am going to continue with it. I do know that I am not likely to reread these books so I don't see the point in hanging on to them.

The Selection Stories by Kiera Cass - I still adore the Selection series and these short stories but they also feature in the other collection of short stories, Happily Ever After, and I don't need them twice.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - I finally started this series in 2018 and, while I did enjoy this book, I don't think I will be continuing this series. There are just too many other books I want to read more. I don't see myself ever rereading Cinder either.

Bridget Jones' Baby: The Diaries by Helen Fielding - This is another one I read and really enjoyed but I won't be rereading. I would rather just watch the movie repeatedly.

A Nurse and Mother by Evelyn Prentis - This has been on my shelves for years and I have never picked it up. I'm just not really interested anymore and there are so many other books I want to read.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella - Sophie Kinsella is not for me. I have read a few of her other books and not enjoyed them so I will most likely never pick this one up.

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella - This is one of those Sophie Kinsella books I have read. I didn't hate it but I didn't really enjoy it so it is going to someone else who can appreciate it more.

Those are the 20 books I am getting rid of at the beginning of 2019. The majority are books that I have already read, which doesn't do much for my ever growing TBR. It does give me some more space on my overflowing bookshelves, though.

Does anyone else enjoy a good unhaul to start the new year? 

Sophie :)

2019 | Reading & Blogging Goals

I'm pretty late sharing my reading and blogging goals for this year, but that has a lot to do with the fact I couldn't think of many. Last year I tried to limit the goals I set myself as I had felt restricted in previous years. Giving myself fewer, less specific goals led to me reading the most I have read in years so this is something I want to continue this year. However, I do have a few little goals for myself in 2019.

Goodreads Reading Challenge

Despite reading 67 books last year, 17 more than my Goodreads goal, my goal is not changing this year. I am sticking with 50 books. This is partly because I know this year is going to be crazy for me - I graduate this year so I have to be a real adult with an adult job - and partly so there is less pressure to meet my goal.

Read More Variety

Of the 67 books I read in 2018, 42 were YA Contemporary. That is my favourite genre so it is always likely to be the biggest number but I'm not very happy with that number. I really enjoy many other genres but I just haven't been picking them up recently. I would like to make it a priority to reach for books from other genres throughout 2019.

Use The Library More

Last year I discovered my library ebook and audiobook service and it's great. I would love to make use of it a bit more in 2019, which will hopefully help me to buy less books. At the moment my library isn't great for physical books, and I am not the most reliable when it comes to returning books, so I'm sticking to this service for now. 

Get My Physical TBR Down

I am sick of setting this goal for myself every year but it just never seems to happen. My physical TBR is currently sitting at around 145, which is a little overwhelming. I'm not giving myself a number to get it down to this year, I would just like it to go down.

Request Less ARCs

Over the past couple of years I have discovered Netgalley. Last year, despite my best efforts, I went a slightly crazy with requesting and ended up getting overwhelmed at times. This year I am hoping to limit myself to no more than one ARC per month. We'll see how well that one goes.

Post Reviews On Goodreads

I often forget to post my reviews from my blog to Goodreads. I also don't tend to review a book on Goodreads if I don't write a full review on my blog. I would like both of these things to change in 2019. Ideally, I would like to review every book I read this year on Goodreads.

Post At Least Once A Week

I have given myself to goal to blog consistently every year and I always struggle to do so by the end of the year. This year I'm trying to be kinder to myself and take into account the fact that life is about to get mad. I know there are weeks that I can't post consistently, but I am hoping that I can manage at least one blog post a week.

Bookstagram

This is another one that is on the list every year. However, this year I am putting less pressure on myself. Rather than try and be as artsy and creative and all the crazy talented bookstagram people, I just want to have every book I read this year featured. There will most likely be nothing creative but I like to have a visual representation of the books I read.

Those are my goals for 2019. They are a lot less specific than in previous years, I have tried not to set any specific numbers to my goals. I have also tried to take into consideration that fact that a lot of things are going to change throughout this year and I don't know how that will affect both my reading and my blog. Hopefully I can accomplish at least some of these goals.

What goals have you set for yourself in 2019?

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 :)

2018 | Reading Goals Review

I'm really stretching out these end/beginning of the year blog posts! I love looking back at my previous reading year so I like to do as many of these kinds of posts as I can. I always enjoy looking at the goals I set myself for the year and seeing if I managed to accomplish them and, if I remember correctly, I didn't do too bad a job in 2018.

Goodreads Reading Challenge

As always, I set my Goodreads goal to 50 books in 2018. This is a number I have always struggled to reach, having only done so one year. However, 2018 was completely different. I ended up hitting 50 books in September and managed to read a total of 67 books in the year. This is the most I have ever read in a year, so I am very happy about that.

Finish 5 Series

I wanted to make series a priority in 2018, as I tend to pick up standalones or start series and never finish them. I didn't expect to finish 5 series, it just seemed like a good number to aim for. However, this is another goal I managed to accomplish. This even included reading 3 complete series in the year.

Listen To 5 Audiobooks

For the past few years I had been going through phases of listening to audiobooks but it was something I wanted to do regularly. I figured 5 would be a good number to go for, but 2018 seemed to be the year of getting back into audiobooks and I ended up listening to 17! This was very unexpected but I am so glad to have incorporated audiobooks into my reading and they have definitely helped me to read more books in the year.

Re-Read 5 Books

I struggle to make re-reading a priority when there are so many unread books that I am desperate to pick up. I do love re-reading favourites though, so I am really glad I managed to accomplish this goal and re-read 5 books in 2018. I would have loved to manage more than that but I'm happy with 5.

Read 5 Before Buying

This is something I have tried for a couple of years now in an attempt to reduce my book buying. Like the previous year, I gave up on this after a couple of months. I did cut back on book buying considerably, though. Not including the insane amount of books I bought at YALC (because that doesn't count, obviously), I only bought around 30 books in the year. 

Physical TBR Under 100

When I set this goal for myself, I was not aware of the fact I would be attending YALC. That is my excuse. My physical TBR is sitting somewhere around 140 at the moment so it has actually grown in the year. I don't know how to fix this problem.

Blog Consistently

Ah, poor little naive Sophie thinking this would be a thing I could do in 2018. Life was crazy and I couldn't keep it up, sadly. If you have any advice on how to keep up with your blog when life gets crazy, please do let me know. 

Revamp Reviews

This was a super vague goal and it is something I am still working on. I tried a few different things throughout the year but I have yet to find a way of reviewing that I really like. 

Bookstagram

The less said about this the better. I failed miserably again. I'm just not creative enough for bookstagram.

I definitely prioritised certain goals over others in 2018 and those that I did prioritise I did quite well with. Things like reducing my physical TBR and blogging consistently are things I need to work on, but I need to find better ways of fixing these problems. Overall, I am pretty happy with how many of my 2018 goals I did meet, I think I've done pretty well.

How did you do with your reading goals?

Sophie :)

Top Ten | Favourite Books Of 2018

I'm really behind on these end of year blog posts but I'm getting there eventually. I read a lot of really great books in 2018, so it only seems right that I take some time to rave about my ten favourites. It was so hard to narrow it down to just ten but every book on this list still gets me excited to talk about, which seems like pretty good favourites criteria.

1. I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman - 

This list isn't really in any order but this is probably my number 1 book of the year. I went into this not expecting to love it, as books set in one day are hit or miss for me, but was so pleasantly surprised. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the way it was written. It was a emotional rollercoaster, but one that made me think a lot about myself and being lost in my own life. It was just amazing.

2. Wonder by RJ Palacio - 

It seems like everyone has read and loved this book and I was the last one to jump on the bandwagon. I'm so glad I did though, as this story is truly beautiful. It is a very touching story that managed to be both heartbreaking and fun at the same time. So much was packed into such a short book. It has a brilliant message and I would encourage everyone to pick this one up.

3. This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay - 

For something completely different, this is a non-fiction book about life as a junior doctor within the NHS. I work within the NHS so I always enjoy books like this, but I have never enjoyed one this much. As well as clearly emphasising the many flaws in our current system, this was a hilarious collection of stories from Adam Kay's time as a doctor. It had an important message to portray about the state of the service, but it did so in a comedic way that was enjoyable to read. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a book.

4. Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel - 

This was a complete shock. I picked this up having heard nothing about it. simply because the synopsis sounded intriguing. It is a very interesting take on sexual assault, victim blaming and slut shaming, which was difficult to read but a very important topic of discussion. I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did but it was incredible.

5. Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame - 

I have made no secret of the fact I adore Estelle Maskame and this series. I read all but the first book in the series this year and I would probably put all of them on this list if I could. However, book 2 is definitely my favourite. I love Tyler and Eden but the new characters introduced in this book added so much for me. The New York setting also has a lot to do with this being my favourite in the series. Basically I just love all of these books and I will push everyone to read them.

6. The Gift by Cecelia Ahern - 

This was an other surprise, although it really shouldn't have been. Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors and I have had one of her books on my favourites list every year I believe. This book I picked up on a whim because I fancied something Christmas related and it was available on Scribd. It was not at all what I was expecting it to be, but it was an incredibly written, beautiful story about using your time wisely and appreciating what you have. 

7. Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard - 

For some reason, I put off picking up this one for a couple of years. When I finally did decide to pick it up, I was so angry I hadn't done so sooner. This is a story about friendship and features one of my favourite friendships I have ever read. These characters are real and flawed but so amazing that I want them to be my friends. It explores some pretty dark topics but it is written incredibly well and is so different to any 'typical' YA contemporary, particularly in the lack of focus on romance.

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

I finally picked this up in preparation for the film and loved this whole series. This is another one that I would put all three books on the list. I love the fake relationship trope, which was done very well in this book. This series also has one of the best families I have read, I loved the relationship between the sisters. On top of all of that, this was also just a really fun book that I had a great time reading.

9. Unboxed by Non Pratt - 

This was the first book I read in 2018 and what a way to start the year. It is so short but yet another book that fits such a beautiful story into such few pages. This book deals with so many topics - such as grief, sexuality, unhealthy relationships - and does so very well. However, at the heart of the story is friendship. It is definitely an emotional read, it will have you sobbing, but it is really beautiful.

10. Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli - 

This is another book that was a surprise to me. I also read Simon in 2018 and Leah was one of my least favourite characters. However, I was surprised to find I absolutely loved her in the book and actually loved her story even more than Simon. Friendship seems to be a theme in my 2018 reading and this friendship group is another of my favourites, so that was great to read about. The relationship was definitely the most adorable thing about this book, and the discussions regarding sexuality were really great.

I read some pretty great books in 2018! Just writing this list has made me want to reread all of them straight away. There are so many other really great books that didn't make this list, I just had too many to talk about. I really hope I have such a great list for 2019, I can't wait to read even more amazing books.

Did you read any of my favourites in 2018? What were your thoughts?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | All The Books Of 2018

I read 67 books in 2018! 67!! That is the most I have ever read in a year so I am completely thrilled. I smashed my Goodreads challenge goal of 50, and though my reading did slow down a bit towards the end of the year, I am more than happy with the amount I read. Here is a list of all the books I read in 2018, by month, with my star rating and the link to my review, if I have written one.

January

- Unboxed by Non Pratt - ★★★★ - Review
- The Selection by Kiera Cass (Reread) - ★★★★★ - Review
- Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel - ★★★★★ - Review
- My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows - ★★★½ - Review
- By Your Side by Kasie West - ★★★★ - Review
- City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Reread) - ★★★★ - Review

February
- City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare - ★★★½ - Review
- The Last Laugh by Tracy Bloom - ★★★ - Review
- Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll - ★★
- They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera - ★★★½
- Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - ★★★★ - Review
- The Initiation by Chris Babu - ★★½ - Review
- Weightless by Sarah Bannan - ★★★

March
- More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer - ★★★ - Review
- In Search Of Us by Ava Dellaira - ★★★ - Review
- Student Nurse: 60s Style by B Park-Dixon - ★★★
- The Worry Website by Jacqueline Wilson - ★★★★

April
- Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - ★★ - Review
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer - ★★★★ - Review
- I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman - ★★★★★ - Review
- Bookshop Girl by Chloe Coles - ★★ - Review
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - ★★★★
- Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman - ★★★ - Review

May
- The Language Of Kindness by Christie Watson - ★★★ - Review
- Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli - ★★★★ - Review
- From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon - ★★ - Review
- Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider - ★★★★
- Eve Of Man by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher - ★★★ - Review
- A Thousand Perfect Notes by CG Drews - ★★★ - Review
- Quidditch Through The Ages by JK Rowling - ★★★★
- Wonder by RJ Palacio - ★★★★★
- Emergency Admissions by Kit Wharton - ★★★★
- The Summer Of Us by Cecelia Vinesse - ★★★ - Review

June
- The Shift by Theresa Brown - ★★★½
- Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame - ★★★★½ - Review
- Royals by Rachel Hawkins - ★★★★
- Did I Mention I Miss You? by Estelle Maskame - ★★★★ - Review
- Save The Date by Morgan Matson - ★★★★
- Just Don't Mention It by Estelle Maskame - ★★★★ - Review
- Floored by various authors - ★★★½ - Review

July
- Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard - ★★★★
- Toxic by Nicci Cloke - ★★★★ - Review
- Solitaire by Alice Oseman - ★★★
- Everything All At Once by Steven Camden - ★★★
- The Baby by Lisa Drakeford - ★★★½

August
- Super Awkward by Beth Garrod - ★★★★
- My (Secret) Youtube Life by Charlotte Seager - ★★
- That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger - ★★★★ - Review
- To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - ★★★★

September
- PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han - ★★★★
- It Ends With You by SK Wright - ★★½
- Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan (Reread) - ★★★★★ - Review
- This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay - ★★★★★

October
- Always And Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han - ★★★★
- What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera - ★★★½ - Review
- Easy Prey by Catherine Lo - ★★★ - Review

November
- Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich - ★★★ - Review
- The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (Reread) - ★★★
- It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han - ★★★
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Reread) - ★★★★
- We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han - ★★

December
- Follow Me Back by AV Geiger - ★★½
- Tell Me No Lies by AV Geiger - ★★½
- Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella - ★★★
- Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle - ★★★★
- The Gift by Cecelia Ahern - ★★★★½
- The Twelve Days Of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - ★★½

Those are the 67 books I read in 2018. I really sucked at reviewing books towards the end of the year but I am hoping to review at least some of them sometime soon.

Did we read any of the same books in 2018? What did you think of them?

Sophie :)

2018 | Bookish Statistics

I am a little bit in love with bookish statistics. I got excited about the end/beginning of the year because I knew that people all over the internet would be sharing their bookish statistics for me to enjoy. It's sad, I know. However, for those of you that are anything like me, please enjoy my 2018 reading statistics.

Number Of Books Read...

- In Total: 67

- Under 250 Pages: 11

- Between 251-399: 44

- Between 400-449: 8

- Between 450- 499: 3

- Over 500: 1

Number Of Pages Read...

- In Total: 20,910

Number Of...

- Hardcovers: 2

- Paperbacks: 19

- eBooks: 29

- Audiobooks: 17

- Re-reads: 5

- DNFs: 1

- New Releases: 27

- Backlist Titles: 40

Number Of Books Rated...

- 5 Stars: 6

- 4.5 Stars: 2

- 4 Stars: 24

- 3.5 Stars: 7

- 3 Stars: 17

- 2.5 Stars: 5

- 2 Stars: 6

- 1.5 Stars: 0

- 1 Star: 0

Authors Read...

- Male: 8

- Female: 52

- Other/Mixed: 7

Number Of...

- Adult Books: 10

- YA Books: 55

- Middle Grade: 2

- YA Contemporary: 42

- Adult Contemporary: 3

- Fantasy/Dystopian/Sci-fi: 8

- Historial Fiction: 1

- Mystery/Thriller: 5

- Non-Fiction: 5

- Poetry: 1

This & That

- Happiest: Super Awkward by Beth Garrod

- Saddest: Just Don't Mention It by Estelle Maskame

- Longest By Pages: City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare (506 pages)
- Shortest By Pages: Quidditch Through The Ages by JK Rowling (129 pages)

- Longest By Title: To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

- Shortest By Title: Toxic by Nicci Cloke

- Longest From Buying To Reading: Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

- Shortest From Buying To Reading: The Twelve Days Of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

- First Read Of 2018: Unboxed by Non Pratt

- Last Read Of 2018: The Twelve Days Of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

- First On Your Bookcase: Life & Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer

Last On Your Bookcase: No Place To Hide by Susan Lewis

Some of theses statistics are really quite interesting and unexpected. I read more eBooks than anything else this year, which is really unusual for me. I also read a lot more new releases than I usually do. I had more 5 star reads than I have had in while and I am thrilled to see 4 stars was my most common rating by quite a large margin, it's usually 3. I am disappointed to see I didn't have a lot of variety in terms of genre, the vast majority of my reading was YA Contemporary. It's not much of a surprise, as that is my most read and favourite genre, but I would like to do better in 2019.

I hope you found this as interesting as I do.

Sophie :)

Top Ten Tuesday | Most Anticipate Release For The First Half Of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke And The Bookish, now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Lists galore, I can think of nothing better!

This week's theme is Most Anticipate Releases For The First Half Of 2019. There are a lot of amazing new releases this year that I am super excited for. The majority of the books featured in this list are YA Contemporary Romance, my most read genre, but I promise there are new releases in other genres I'm excited for. All dates shown are expected publication dates in the UK.

1. Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M McManus - Jan 8th
I enjoyed Karen M McManus' debut One Of Us Is Lying so I'm excited for her second book. This is another mystery/thriller about a girl who has to move to a small town with a lot of secrets, where a girl goes missing just as her aunt did years before. It sounds creepy, I'm excited.

2. The Love & Lies Of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan - Jan 29th
This is a contemporary romance about a girl in a very conservative Muslim family who, after being caught kissing her girlfriend, is sent to Bangladesh and into an arranged marriage. This premise sounds really interesting and I love when books feature cultures I'm unfamiliar with and learning more about them.

3. Fame, Fate, And The First Kiss by Kasie West - Feb 5th
It's Kasie West, do I need to say anything else? She is one of my favourite authors, of course this is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. This follows a girl who is finally getting her big acting break in a movie, with some relationship drama, family drama and a bit of sabotage thrown in.

4. Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard - Feb 7th
This is a follow up to Beautiful Broken Things, a book I read last year and really enjoyed. Sara Barnard is quickly becoming a favourite author of mine, I can't wait to read more from her. This picks up two years after the events in the first book and follows Suzanne. 

5. A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson - May 2nd
I met Holly at YALC last year and hearing her talk about her debut novel made me so excited to pick it up. It's a mystery/thriller about a girl who is researching a closed murder case for a school assignment but uncovers some secrets.

6. Serious Moonlight by Jen Bennett - May 16th
This is about a very sheltered girl who gets a job at a hotel and, along with a boy who also works there, tries to uncover the mystery of a famous reclusive author. I haven't read anything by Jenn Bennett yet but this synopsis totally intrigued me. 

7. Going Off Script by Jen Wilde - May 21st
Another author I haven't read anything from before but I was intrigued by the synopsis. This follows a girl who is interning at her favourite TV show when a writer steals her work and passes it off as his own, but making her lesbian character straight. I believe this is her trying to fight for her character and for diversity in media. It sounds really great.

8. Field Notes On Love by Jennifer E Smith - May 30th
Jennifer E Smith is another one of my favourite authors and this definitely sounds like my kind of book. It is about a boy who is going on a trip across the US but needs a new travel companion, and one with the same name as his ex-girlfriend. It then follows the two strangers as they take the trip together, getting to know each other, and inevitably falling for each other.

9. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi - Jun 11th
This follows two girls, one of whom, Rachel, is casting for her film project and knows her perfect lead is our other main character, Sana. However, Rachel hates Sana after Sana asked her out, which she believes to have been a cruel prank. Despite taking me a while to get my head around, this premise seems really interesting.

10. Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer - Jun 27th

I read my first Brigid Kemmerer book last year and enjoyed it, so I expect to really enjoy this one. It follows two characters with a lot of home issues, as her books tend to have. Rob's father is caught embezzling money from the town and after a failed suicide attempt, Rob is having to care for him. Maegan is an overachiever with a secret and pregnant sister who is trying to keep it from her parents. They are brought together by a school project. I can't wait to read this!

Those are my top ten most anticipated (mostly contemporary romance) releases of the first half of the year. There are just so many books great sounding books, my TBR pile is never going to stop growing.

What upcoming releases are you most looking forward to?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | December 2018

Happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2019 already? December flew by in a complete whirlwind so I didn't get to read quite as much as I would have liked, but I did manage to read 6 books. I even managed to get in some Christmassy books, which I always hope to do but usually forget, so I'm pretty happy about that. This was the first year for a while that December wasn't spent struggling to meet my Goodreads goals, I got to enjoy my reading rather than fly through the shortest books I could find. Unfortunately, this was probably my worst month of the year in terms of ratings, but I did read a couple of stand outs.

Follow Me Back by AV Geiger -

This is the first book in a YA mystery/thriller duology involving a famous singer, social media and a girl with agoraphobia. This was quite an interesting read as I didn't really know what to expect from it. As quite the twitter fan and fangirl myself, I was intrigued by that aspect of the story, as it surround a fangirl who is basically catfished by the singer she supports. However, that was the one aspect I didn't really like. The plot was engaging and wasn't too predictable, but I really didn't like the way fans on twitter were portrayed and some of the discussion surrounding them was not nice. Overall, it was a pretty average 3 star read, with a half star docked for the talk about fans.

Rating: 2.5/5

Tell Me No Lies by AV Geiger -

This is the sequel to Follow Me Back, which I'll be honest I only picked up because I was trying to reach my goal of completing 5 series in 2018. This follows on from the events in the first book and honestly that is about all I remember about it. This was quite forgettable and definitely not as engaging as the first book. It was very fast paced and the mystery was fine but nothing was particularly shocking. The ending wasn't predictable but it wasn't the kind of twist you could never have seen coming. Again, this was pretty average but overall quite forgettable.

Rating: 2.5/5

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella -

I have had this sitting on my shelf for years so I figured it was about time to finally pick it up. It is about a woman who reveals all her secrets to a stranger on a plane, only to discover he is the CEO of the company she works for. Everyone raves about this book, and Sophie Kinsella in general, but after this one I think I'm giving up on her. I just don't seem to connect with her books. I thought this was fine but I was bored for a lot of the book. I might enjoy this as a cheesy rom-com movie (which I believe is in the works) but I didn't enjoy it as a book. I think Sophie Kinsella just isn't for me.

Rating: 3/5

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

This is another book I have been wanting to read for a while and finally got around to in December. This is three holiday stories, each about a different couple, set in a small town during a snow storm. I had heard mixed things so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying it. Maureen Johnson's story was my favourite; I thought the characters and plot were both fantastic. John Green's story I also really enjoyed; it was great fun and the characters were a blast to read about. Lauren Myracle's story was my least favourite; I didn't really like the main character and the plot was a bit boring and predictable. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and it definitely got me in the holiday mood.

Rating: 4/5

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern -

It's no secret that Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors but there are a lot of her books I have yet to read. This is her one Christmassy book and as I hadn't read anything from her in the year, this seemed like the perfect book to pick up. It follows a man who struggles to juggle his work and family life, always needing to be two places at once. He meets a homeless man outside his office and gets him a job, but not everything about his is as it seems. Cecelia Ahern is an amazing author who can tell stories like this one so cleverly. It isn't at all what you expect it to be but it is brilliant. The plot is quite slow-paced and the focus is much more on the characters, but it doesn't drag or get boring. This would have been 5 stars but the ending made me bitter.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Twelve Days Of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan -

This is the sequel to Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares, which I read last year. I wasn't sure about reading the sequel but since I was trying to finish 5 series in 2018 I decided to give it a go. To be honest, I found it pretty boring. Lily was annoying and felt much younger than she is meant to be. The plot was dull and didn't get me in the holiday mood like I expected. In fact, it didn't really feel at all necessary to have a sequel.

Rating: 2.5/5

Those were the last 6 books I read in 2018. Not quite the great end to the year I hoped for, 2.5 seems to be my rating of choice in December, but I did read a couple of books I really enjoyed. 

Did your reading year end well? Did you read any new favourite books in December?

Sophie :)