Mini Review | Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Series: Me Before You #1
Published On: January 5, 2012
Published By: Penguin
Genre: Chick Lit, Realistic Fiction
Pages: 481
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Narrated By: Jo Hall, Anna Bentinck, Steve Crossley, Alex Tregear, Owen Linsday, Andrew Wincott
Rating: ★★★★

Amazon | Goodreads

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. 
What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. 
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. 
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Oh man, this book!
I really like this book and I wasn't sure I would. I was so put off by the hype that I was starting to question whether I wanted to read it or if I should just watch the movie. I'm so glad I read it as I liked it so much more than I was expecting to.

These characters stole my heart.
I really enjoyed reading about these characters and particularly enjoyed how completely different Lou and Will were. I loved Lou's quirkiness and how just plain odd she was, she was such a fun main character. I also really loved Will, how rude, blunt and sarcastic he was for much of the book.

I laughed out loud.
All everyone says about this book is how much it made them cry, so I was not expecting to be full on laughing out loud and getting strange looks from passers-by while I was listening to this in my car. It is a sad book overall but there were so many really hilarious moments.

Can I join the Clark family?
I absolutely loved Lou's family dynamic. I loved reading about her family in general but in particular I loved her relationship with her parents and her sister. I thought they added a lot to the story, especially having Treena help Lou to deal with such a difficult situation.

Some aspects made me uncomfortable.
As a healthcare professional, I did find the whole 'carer'/'patient' relationship a bit uncomfortable to read about. I know that wasn't exactly what this relationship was as Lou wasn't technically Will's nurse or official carer but as I have been trained to see that situation as wrong, it was difficult to read about at times.

This is such an important topic.
I don't want to go into specifics as I'm not entirely sure what is and isn't considered a spoiler. However, I think the main theme of this book is something that needs to be talked about more and I really appreciated the fact that this could encourage some very important conversation.

I didn't ugly cry.
Almost every review I have read for this book has mentioned something about ugly crying but it just didn't have that impact on me. I am the kind of person that cries at books, and I did get a little teary, but I just didn't get as emotional as others seemed to.

Audiobook was great.
I really loved listening to this on audiobook. I thought the narrator was great and actually sounded exactly as I would expect Lou to. I think it really added to the whole experience of reading this book.

So much criticism.
Upon finishing this book, I came across so much criticism for it. I can understand a lot of where that criticism is coming from and I really wanted to address that in my review but really I just have too much to say on the matter, so I have posted a separate discussion on my thoughts surrounding that, which you can find here.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was glad I didn't let the hype put me off. Although it is a predominantly quite sad book, it was written in a way that allowed for a lot of very funny, light-hearted moments that I really enjoyed. There is a sequel, which many people say was a bit unnecessary, but I am interested in checking it out in the future.

Review | The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
Published On: November 1, 2016
Published By: Corgi Children's
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★

Amazon | Goodreads

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story. 
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us. 
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

I have a strange relationship with Nicola Yoon and her books. I absolutely love her writing style and the unique, creative way she writes. I love her short chapters, interesting page layout and those quirky things that make the book all the more exciting. However, I never like the actual stories all that much. I want to adore her books, and I think with the write plot I absolutely would, I just haven't connected with any of her storylines yet.

As I mentioned, I love how Nicola Yoon writes, and one unique aspect of this book that I really loved was the various different perspectives used. The majority was written from both Natasha and Daniel's perspectives but every so often we got a short chapter from the perspective of the lawyer or one of their parents, for example. I thought this was a really interesting aspect of the story and allowed for more of an insight into the side characters and how their actions were affecting the main characters, and vice versa. I appreciated the chapters on the history of hair or certain scientific theories that gave the reader more information on something the characters had mentioned, I thought this was a great addition to the story.

Though I did appreciate the extra information chapters, I found parts of the book to be a bit too scientific. I am not a science minded person so a good majority of the science talk went right over my head and left me quite confused. I ended up skimming a lot of that science talk to avoid my brain feeling slightly fried. I'm sure more scientific minded people may have enjoyed that aspect but that wasn't for me.

I was a little disappointed when reading this that the characters were just pretty average. I had heard a lot about how great these characters were but I didn't see that at all. I didn't think they were bad characters I just didn't feel anything for them. At the start I thought they had potential to be great characters, but I ended up never connecting with them.

Another thing I didn't connect with was the relationship. The relationship was far too instalove for me. They literally fell in love in less than 24 hours. I'm sorry but I just can't accept that as realistic. Perhaps I'm just not enough of a romantic but I don't believe in love at first sight and all that jazz, which I think you kind of need to in this situation. I didn't feel the connection between the characters, but I think if this relationship had been developed over a longer time period I could have, although obviously that wouldn't have worked with this plot.

While there were aspects of this book I didn't like, I loved the messages within the story. There was a lot about this book that made me think. There was questions of religion and faith, discussions about personal beliefs and how the characters understood God. The characters talked and thought a lot about fate and whether or not it played a role in their meeting and I found a lot of what was said and their thoughts on fate to be very thought-provoking and questioned my beliefs about fate.

One of the highlights and redeeming qualities of this book for me was the ending. I really liked the way things ended for the characters and loved that it wasn't what I was expecting. I was preparing myself for a predictable, eye-roll inducing ending but instead was so pleasantly surprised. I think the ending was refreshingly realistic, even if it did have some very cheesy moments. I also loved the epilogue, I thought it was such a perfect way to wrap everything up.

I didn't realise until I had finished reading this book that a lot of it was inspired by Nicola Yoon's own life as a Jamaican woman married to a Korean-American man. I thought that was really interesting and great to know that a lot of the culture specific aspects of the book are likely to be accurate. Not that this has any relation to my enjoyment of the book, I just found it interesting.

Overall, I thought this book was pretty average. I enjoyed some aspects of it but couldn't connect with the characters or appreciate the instalove aspect of the relationship. I will continue to read everything Nicola Yoon writes in the hope that one day I will find a story that I love just as much as her writing.

Let's Talk | Why I Read YA

I was standing in the YA section of a bookstore when I was asked a question that really challenged me. A member of staff approached me and, since it was the middle of the day on a weekday, asked "should you not be at school?". I don't look anywhere near my age so I get questions like that a lot. When I responded, as I always do, with "no, I'm 22!", he looked up at the sign stating 'Young Adult' then asked "if you're 22, why are you reading kids books?". 

I haven't thought a lot about why, as a 22 year old, the majority of the books I read are targeted towards a younger audience. As far as I'm concerned, I read the books I read because that's what I like. However, when directly asked I was challenged to think about why exactly I do read YA. I have decided to share the answer I gave that stranger in a bookstore questioning my taste in books.

The majority of adult books are about, specifically chick-lit as that is what I read most in adult books, are about people in their late 30s/40s who are married/divorced/desperately trying to find a man before it's too late and have however many kids. I am in my 20s, single and without kids, I can't relate to their experiences.

YA books, on the other hand focus a lot on teenagers in high school. They deal with discovering yourself, experiencing love for the first time, coping with your first heartbreak. I have been a teenager, I have fallen in love and had my heart broken. I have been through a lot of the experiences the characters are going through and can relate to how they are feeling or reacting. 

Of course there is New Adult as well, but something I have been noticing recently is that I can't seem to find any NA books in bookstores. I have to buy my NA books online or as an ebook. So when it comes to bookstore browsing I spend much of my time in the YA section.

So why do I read YA? Well other than the fact I enjoy it, I guess I read YA because I can relate to it more than I can adult books.

Why do you read YA?

Sophie :)

Mini Review | Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Published On: April 12, 2012
Published By: Orion
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 329
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★

Amazon | Goodreads

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor. 
Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park. 
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Everyone loves it, but not me.
I really do like Rainbow Rowell. I have read Attachment, Fangirl and Kindred Spirits are really enjoyed all of them. Eleanor & Park, however, I did not like. This is many people's favourite Rainbow Rowell book but I found myself wondering if I was reading something different to them. I was disappointed.

This book triggered me.
I tried really hard not to let it affect my enjoyment of the book but I struggle with anxiety and depression and some of the things that happened in this book hit a bit close to home and did have a pretty bad affect on me. This isn't so much a criticism of the book as a warning for those in a similar situation. To clarify though, this wasn't the main reason I disliked the book.

I was bored.
Honestly, I found this book boring. They got on the bus, they were awkward, they got to school and didn't talk, they got back on the bus and were more awkward, they went home to their bad parents and repeat. It felt like nothing happened other than their increasingly awkward romance.

Eleanor & Park are not couple goals.
I'm sorry but I just didn't like the relationship. Everyone seems to love it but it made me cringe constantly and some parts were just uncomfortable to read. Their connection felt fake and forced and just not very believable or realistic. I didn't like the way they treated each other either. Some of the comments they made about each other were just downright mean and not what you should be saying to someone you apparently love, or at least like a lot.

I just generally didn't like the characters.
I didn't connect with the characters at all and just didn't care about them. At one point I actually found myself thinking the story would be a lot less boring if one of them would get killed or something. That is not something I want to be thinking about characters, and not something I think about real people, I just felt the need to clarify that.

Overall, I absolutely love Rainbow Rowell and her writing was good, I just really didn't like the story or the characters. I wanted to love this just as much as everyone else and I'm actually really sad that I didn't. I guess this book just wasn't for me.

Tag | Mushy Gushy Book Tag

Continuing on with the theme of Valentine's Day, that seems to have taken over the blog this week, the Mushy Gushy book tag seems like the perfect Valentine's Day tag. I think this tag came about this time last year so I'm a little late to the party. It was created by SimplyABookLover on Booktube.

Valentines - A book with pink, red and white on the cover

PS I Like You by Kasie West - So there's only a little bit of each but we do have pink & white on the card and in the title, and red shoes.

Sweethearts - A book with the best pickup line

I honestly don't remember any good pickup lines in books! I obviously haven't read a good enough pickup line to remember it.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Favourite book couple

Isla and Josh from Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. Do I mention them enough?

Roses - Most romantic book couple

Lauren and Dean from Ignite by Lily Paradis - Everything Dean does for Lauren is just so romantic! I mean we all need a surprise trip every now and again.

Teddy Bear - A book that makes you want to snuggle with someone

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - I just recently finished this book and it definitely made me want to snuggle with someone...like my dogs.

Candle Lit Dinner - A book that you'd take out on a date

Does this mean because it looks so good? Because that would have to be What Light by Jay Asher.

Pizza - Best book for single people

For this I would have to say Where Rainbows End (Love, Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern. This is great for the single people like me who are happy with being single but it also shows those who aren't happy with their single life that soulmates will find each other eventually.

That was the Mushy Gushy Book Tag - perfect for Valentine's Day week. Do you recommend any books with great pickup lines? I feel like I need to pick some of them up now!

Sophie :)

Review | PS I Like You by Kasie West

PS I Like You by Kasie West
Published On: July 26, 2016
Published By: Point
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 330
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gift
Rating: ★★★★

Amazon | Goodreads

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue! 
Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

I absolutely love Kasie West, she's one of my favourite authors, so of course I was super excited to read this book. The previous two books of hers that I read I feel in love with straight away, so I was a little disappointed when I didn't have the same experience with this book. However, as I expected, I couldn't resist Kasie West's great writing and storytelling for long and I soon fell in love with this one as well.

Kasie West never fails to impress me with her awesome, unique and interesting characters. I absolutely loved all of the characters and Lily, in particular, was an great main character. As I have found to be the case with Kasie West, she just had a really great personality. She was quirky and awkward, but very loveable and relatable. I also loved her passion for music, particularly as this wasn't one of the usual 'I listen to old music because I'm too cool' situations that I'm fed up of reading about, it was just an extra layer to her personality.

The central aspect of this story is the letters passed between Lily and her mysterious letter writer during Chemistry class. I really loved the letter aspect of the story. I thought it was a very unique way of watching a relationship evolve, particularly as Lily didn't know who she was writing to for much of the book. It was just a great way of showing their love story. I also loved that we were able to see different sides to both characters through the letters, as they were both sharing sides of them they wouldn't normally be comfortable sharing.

Another important aspect of the book, as far as I'm concerned anyway, is the beautiful friendship between Lily and Isabel. What I loved the most about the two of them was that this wasn't the typical friendship I'm used to reading about. More often than I can cope with, there is a huge argument between the two best friends over the love interest or some aspect of the relationship. I absolutely loved that this wasn't the case in this book. Yes, they had their arguments as all friends do, but the arguments never lasted long as they both seemed to realise that their friendship was more important that some silly argument. This seems more realistic, to me, of a normal teenage friendship.

While I did really enjoy this book, a couple of things did bug me just a little. I think the mystery aspect of the letter writer could have been such a great aspect of the book as the reader was constantly left guessing who it could possible be. Unfortunately, I guessed who the letter writer was really early on, which made much of the middle of the book a little slow. I was just waiting for Lily to catch on and realise just how obvious it was, so spent much of the middle section internally screaming at her to just work it out already. I did like how it was revealed though, and the book definitely picked up once she knew who it was. I also like that we didn't have to wait until near the end of the book for her to work it out.

I also found a lot of this story to be a little bit predictable. I know that is often the case with contemporaries but for some reason I noticed that more in this book. I just seemed to always know what was coming and guessed all the mysteries and plot twists easily. Maybe I just wasn't expecting that from this book as it wasn't the case with the two of Kasie West's books I had previously read, I don't know. It didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book though.

Although I did have a few issues with this book, there is no denying that the best thing about this book is that it is so unbelievably cute. I absolutely loved the Chemistry (ha! Get it?!) between Lily and her letter writer, both through the letters and in real life. I pretty much spent the last 50 pages of the book, and much of the time before that after the reveal, swooning and thinking about how completely adorable it was. This is most definitely a very cute and adorable read.

Overall, this is probably my least favourite of Kasie West's books that I have read so far. That being said, I did really enjoy it and would absolutely recommend it. It is a typical Kasie West book with a fun plot, unique characters and great writing. It's definitely one of the cutest contemporaries I have read in a while.

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 :)