Saturday 25 July 2020

History Of My Bookshelf Tag

As always, I am very behind the times here. The History Of My Bookshelf tag/challenge was created by emmmabooks back in November of last year and I am only now getting around to doing it. I really loved this when it was going around the bookish internets so I decided to do it myself. 



1. The oldest book on your shelf
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I never used to keep books I had read but I could never bring myself to get rid of this series.

2. A book you read in 2013
Matched by Ally Condie. I remember reading The Hunger Games series in 2012 and then searching for more popular YA series. I think I heard Elle Fowler talk about it back when she did Glitterature videos and I loved it at the time.

3. A book you read in 2014
Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern. This was the year I started my blog, so I read a lot of amazing books that year. This is the one that stands out though as I still consider it one of my favourite books.

4. A book you read in 2015
The Selection by Keira Cass. This was the first year I ever hit my 50 book goal! The Selection was the first book I read that year and I absolutely adored that series.

5. A book you read in 2016
City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I finally started The Mortal Instruments series this year, and I still haven't finished it.

6. A book you read in 2017
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I put this off for so long because everyone loved it! It was the first book I read this year and I was so glad I finally did.

7. A book you read in 2018
Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame. I read the most books this year than I ever have in a year! 2018 was the year I read the second and third books in the DIMILY series, and then got to meet Estelle at YALC.

8. A book you read in 2019
Fierce Fragile Hears by Sara Barnard. Probably my favourite book of last year. I loved this so much more than I was even expecting.

9. A book you've read more than once.

10. A book you waited over a year to be published
Save The Date by Morgan Matson. I read The Unexpected Everything in 2017 and then not so patiently waited for my next Morgan Matson fix, which I got in 2018.

11. A book you read on vacation/away from home
Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry. I read this while lying by the pool in Dubai.

12. A book you got from someplace special
What Light by Jay Asher. I bought this at Shakespeare & Company in Paris.

13. A book that made you cry
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. This is the first book I remember ugly crying at.

14. A book you read in one sitting
Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire. This book is so short that its super easy to fly through it in one sitting.

15. A book that was a gift
Girl Made Of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake. This was a Christmas gift.

16. A book you read before owning
I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman. I read this as a Netgalley ARC and loved it so much I bought my own copy, which I was able to get signed when I met Gayle at YALC.

17. A book you lent to someone else
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. I lent it to my mum and she wasn't a fan.

18. A book that has been damaged

19. A book you got on sale/discounted
Meet Cute by Helena Hunting. I got this for £1 at The Works. Almost all of the books I buy are on sale.

20. A book you read with someone else
Paper Towns by John Green. I have never buddy read a book or been part of a book club, but I did read Paper Towns when it was the group book for a Booktubeathon back in the day.

21. A book you associate with a song
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. I can't see it without getting the Kelly Clarkson song stuck in my head.

22. A book you associate with a food
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. I couldn't really thing of anything for this one but I guess Lara Jean and her baking come to mind when I think of this book.

23. A book you got years ago that you probably wouldn't buy now
Room by Emma Donoghue. I bought this because it was being made into a film and I had heard good things about it. I still haven't read it and I'm not sure if I ever will.

24. A book you associate with a specific time in your life
Wonder by RJ Palacio. This is a bit more specific as I can vividly remember the day I read this book. It was over 2 years ago but I can still remember that whole day so clearly.

25. A book you used to like, but don't anymore
Unwind by Neal Shusterman. It's not that I don't like this book anymore, I do. However, when I first read it I adored it, gave it 5 stars and considered it a favourite. On reread this year, I gave it 3.5 stars.

26. The newest book on your shelf
The Secret Midwife by Katy Weitz. I bought this last week. 

That was the History Of My Bookshelf tag. I had fun looking back at my reading over the years and remembering some of the books I had forgotten about.

Sophie :)

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

Thursday 23 July 2020

One Direction Songs As Books

Any of my fellow die-hard One Direction fans out there will know that today is a special day. Today marks 10 years of One Direction. So, of course, I had to do something to mark this occasion. Back in May I matched Taylor Swift songs to books and had so much fun doing it that I figured why not do it again but with a twist. I thought, to celebrate 10 years of One Direction, I would recommend books based on One Direction songs.


More Than This - Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan
A second chance romance but the girl he has loved for years has a boyfriend. He believes he can love her more.

 

Last First Kiss - Fame, Fate and the First Kiss by Kasie West
A young actress sworn off dating to focus on her career but meets a boy who could change all of that, and could maybe even lead to her first proper kiss.


Don't Forget Where You Belong - Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
A cute love story that takes place during a country singer's tour. The famous singer in this story has an ex-boyfriend back home and struggles with that aspect of her life.

 

18 - How To Love by Katie Cotugno
A second chance romance between teen parents, who were each others' first loves before he left town. Now he is back and trying to fix things.


I Want To Write You A Song - This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
The main character has a song ' This Lullaby' written about/for her. That is really the only similarity here.

 

Stand Up - Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
A very complicated, forbidden love story between two characters who new they were meant for each other the moment they met. The hero would do absolutely anything for his heroine.


Little Things - Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
This song is adorable, and this book is adorable. A second chance romance between childhood sweethearts.


Half A Heart - Out Of Love by Hazel Hayes
This book starts with the couple breaking up and our main character feeling a bit lost. Their love story is then told in reverse.


A.M. - The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Childhood friends turn into something more. I'm pretty sure there are some middle of the night chat in these books as well.


If I Could Fly - Where Rainbows End (Love, Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern
My favourite One Direction song deserves to be paired with my favourite book. That is my only reasoning for this. Plus, the relationship in this book is adorable.

This was harder than I expected it to be! Mostly because while trying to choose the books I spent most of the time having a little One Direction party by myself.

Those are ten books matched with One Direction songs. What books would you match with these songs?

Sophie :)

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

Sunday 19 July 2020

My 2020 Reading Rush TBR


It's that time of year again! The Reading Rush 2020 starts tomorrow (20th-26th July) so I'm late as usual sharing my TBR. I am historically pretty bad at sticking to TBRs, and more often than not fail miserably at readathons. However, I am still going to try and take part in this year's Reading Rush. I am going to pick a book for each challenge, but will probably end up doubling up on some of the challenges as there is very little chance of me reading 7 books next week.

1. Read a book with a cover that matches your birth stone
I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter. The cover I have of this books is a beautiful blue that matches Blue Topaz pretty well.

2. Read a book that starts with the word 'The'
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It really is about time I finally get around to reading this book! I have a physical copy but may also listen to the audiobook on Scribd.

3. Read a book that inspired a movie you've already seen
After by Anna Todd. This is the only book I can think of for this challenge. I have very little desire to read this book, even though I enjoyed the movie, so this will be pretty low on my priority list.

4. Read the first book you touch
I haven't got a book for this challenge yet. I'm not at home at the moment but as soon as I get home and in front of my bookshelves I will pick one.

5. Read a book completely outside of your house
Giant Days Volume 6. I'm hoping I can knock this one out before I head home tomorrow.

6. Read a book in a genre that you've always wanted to read more of
This is another I don't have a specific book for. I'm planning to read a romance novella for this challenge, I just need to pick which one.

7. Read a book that takes place on a different continent that where you live
I could choose any of the books on my TBR other than Giant Days for this one so will probably end up doubling up for this challenge. However, if I have time to read a whole other book, I would like to get to Maybe This Time by Kasie West.

That is my Reading Rush TBR. I'm hoping I can do better with this readathon that I have with any others I have taken part in recently. 

Are you taking part in The Reading Rush? What are you planning to read?

Sophie :)

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

Saturday 18 July 2020

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.

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 :)

Monday 13 July 2020

If You Liked This Book...Try This One: 5 Book Recommendations

I've been seeing posts and videos like this going around for years, but for some reason never decided to do one of my own. Better late than never, I thought I would give it a go today. I will be giving you 5 recommendation based on 5 other books you may have read. Books that are in some way similar, or reminded me of the other while reading. Hopefully you can get a few recommendations and discover some new books.

 
If you liked Flawed by Cecelia Ahern, try Eve Of Man by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher
Both of these series feature strong, rebellious young girls discovering the truth about their messed up societies. Two very interesting societies to read about and plenty of adventure.

 
If you liked Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, try This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
Both of these books deal with school shootings, so be very aware of that before going into either. Nineteen minutes is my least favourite book on this topic, while This Is Where It Ends is my favourite, though that doesn't seem the right word. Both incredibly hard books to read but very powerful.

 
If you liked Girl Made Of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake, try Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel
Two very emotional, hard-hitting books dealing with sexual assault, so again be aware going into them. Girl Made Of Stars follows the struggle of the main characters brother being accused of raping her best friend, while Lucky Girl deals with victim blaming and slut-shaming.

 
If you liked Luck In Love by Kasie West, try Windfall by Jennifer E Smith
Two YA contemporary romance novels involving a lottery win. These books are so similar! Lucky In Love follows our main character winning the lottery, while Windfall deals with the aftermath of our main character buying her best friend/crush a winning lottery ticket.

 
If you liked Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, try Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Royalty, enemies to lovers, a little bit forbidden and adorably gay! That pretty much sums up both of these books. Two fictional royal families, one m/m romance, one f/f romance, all the feelings. 

Some of my favourite books are featured in this post, so I definitely hope you find some books you love from these recs. Let me know if you can think of any other books similar to these, I would love some recommendations.

Have you loved any of these books?

Sophie :)

Sunday 5 July 2020

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan Review



Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Series: Hoops #1
First Published: May 20, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Published By: Tantor Audio
Narrator: Sean Crisden & Jo Raylan
Source: Scribd
Genre: Romance
Rating: 

Long Shot follows NBA star August West ant the mysterious and beautiful Iris DuPree, who meet in a bar one night and can't deny their instant chemistry. The only problem is, Iris is already another 'baller's girl.

This is not at all what I expected. I went into this book knowing very little; just that it was a basketball sports romance. As it turns out, this was so much more. It was a truly heart-breaking, at times difficult to read, story, which dealt with some very hard topics.

HUGE trigger warnings for domestic violence and sexual assault, both of which are shown on page and in graphic detail. I don't have triggers myself, but even I struggled with a lot of the content in this book.

This book is incredibly dark. A few times I had to put it down and take a break from it. At one point, I put it down for two whole days, simply because I was scared for what was to come. This is one of the most atmospheric books I have ever read. I really felt like I was right there with these characters, experiencing not only their highs, but also the lowest of lows. It was just so well written, especially the way the darker topics were handled and discussed. I thought the discussion regarding domestic violence and victim blaming was particularly interesting and presented a lot to think about. It was clear that Kennedy Ryan didn't simply throw this topic in to make the story more interesting. She did her research and made sure to present an impactful and important take on the topic, to bring more awareness and potentially help those affected.

All of the characters in this book were very well developed and real rounded characters with such distinct personalities. I particularly loved Iris and Lotus and their relationship. Their backstories were interesting to read about, and I hope to learn more of Lotus' backstory in the third book in this series. August was an incredibly sweet hero; I just loved him and his devotion to Iris, no matter what. I also loved his relationship with his family. Although we didn't see too much of his family interactions, what we did get to see was just so wholesome and lovely. Even Caleb was such a well-developed character.

I think the thing I appreciated most about this book was the fact that it didn't do what it so easily could have. The hero did not swoop in and save the girl. August didn't suddenly appear and fix all of Iris' problems. So often in romance, the hero saves the day, Iris was a prime example of an incredibly strong, independent woman, and it made me happy and proud to see that was not taken away from her at any point.

I loved pretty much everything about this book. All that is stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is the fact it took me some time to get in to. I struggled at the beginning of the book to understand this infatuation that August and Iris seemed to have with each other after just a few hours in a bar. Although I obviously fell in love with their relationship as the book progressed, I did struggle with it at first.

This was my first book by Kennedy Ryan but I can guarantee it won't be my last.

Wednesday 1 July 2020

June 2020 Wrap Up

I realise I say this every month but this year is flying past! I can't believe it is already July when March feels like it was only last week. June seemed to go by so quickly that I ran out of time to read. I thought I had so much more time to read loads more books, and then suddenly it was the end of the month. I read a total of 5 books in June, most of which were 4 star reads, and even found a new great author.


Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer -
I continued on with my Twilight reread in June and picked up Eclipse. This is probably the book in the series I remembered least about. I have only ever reread the first book in the series, but somehow remembered quite a bit of second and fourth books, while the third was just gone from my brain. I remember disliking all the love triangle drama we got in this book, which I also didn't love on reread. I am liking Jacob more on reread than I initially had, so it was nice to have some more of him. It's been fun picking this series back up again and I'm enjoying it more than I was expecting to. I'm excited to get to the final book.
Rating: 4/5

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen -
I picked up my second ever Sarah Dessen book in June. I read That Summer years ago and was quite underwhelmed. Luckily, though, I enjoyed this one more. This follows Remy during the summer before she leaves for college, dealing with all her friend and family drama while also falling for the guy who is everything she shouldn't want, despite being against relationships. This was a pretty typical YA summer contemporary, which is what I expected from Sarah Dessen, but it was fun and a really enjoyable read. I enjoyed Remy as a character, although she probably wasn't the most likeable, and her journey throughout the book. I particularly liked her relationship with her mother and how that changed and developed as the story progressed.
Rating: 4/5

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan -
This was not at all what I expected. This is a sports romance with a very dark, hard to read plot. It follows a NBA star and the girl he meets in a bar and their forbidden relationship. This took a turn that completely shocked me and went places I never could have imagined it going. It was was hard for me to read at points but incredibly well written. I have a full review of this coming, so I will go into much more of my thoughts there, but this was just a great book that broke my heart over and over again.
Rating: 4/5

Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan -
This is the second book in the Hoops series, with Long Shot being the first. It follows the brother of the main character from book one, and is an enemies to lovers second chance romance with his college crush. I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book. I loved Jared's character in Long Shot, but really didn't in this book. I'm all for a guy going for the girl he wants, but I hate the 'I will get the girl no matter what, I don't care who I have to hurt' kind of hero. So much of this plot just didn't sit right with me and I think that was made worse by the fact I didn't love the characters and didn't buy their connection. Banner, our female main character, was so great 90% of the time but I her opinions on Jared kept changing so dramatically with no justification, which really started to annoy me. It was equally well written, it just wasn't as good as Long Shot in my opinion.
Rating: 3/5

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy -
I've been neglecting my owned TBR recently so decided to pick this up at random as it had been on my shelves for so long. This is about a girl who, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, set out for revenge on those who wronged her. However, when she discovers she is in remission, she has to face the consequences. I wasn't a fan of this one. I thought the characters were annoying and the plot was just boring. This had so much potential, but ended up being more about the relationship between Alice and her best friend Harvey than any revenge plot. In fact, that almost seemed like a complete side plot. Alice didn't even develop much as a character, instead she flipped a switch and completely changed. It was disappointing.
Rating: 2.5/5

Those are the 5 books I read in June. A few hits and a new author, Kennedy Ryan, who I now want to read everything from. I would say that's a pretty good month. I have some time off work in July for the first time in a while, so hopefully I can have an even better month.

What was the best book you read in June?

Sophie :)

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