The Book Junkie Trials Read-a-thon Challenges & TBR

Hello beautiful people.

For the first time ever, I will be participating in a read-a-thon. A shocker, right? So I stumbled across this read-a-thon on YouTube and thought it sounded like so much fun. Please can we have more read-a-thons like this?!

What is this, you may ask? Well... it's all explained in this nice little Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/TheBookieTrials/status/1136695944265773056

Have a read through that, take the personality quiz & then pop back when you've got your team!

The aim of the game is to get to the Bookie Grail. The team with the most points wins. Each prompt completed I believe is 10 points, there are mini prompts as well for extra points. I don't really know all the rules, so have a read through the Twitter thread and watch some YouTube videos - you'll soon know what's going on!

I've been placed in the Mage team - which frankly, I don't know what that means but I'll take it. Here's the map to get to the Bookie Grail.

We have to follow the path to get to the Bookie Grail and we have to do it in order. 

Ok so that's the map... here are the prompts:

We can start 3 days early, so this read-a-thon for Magi runs from 28th June - 31st July. 

Our journey begins at Orc Grove where we must read a book that's gruesome, gory or gritty. 

I've chosen to read Bird Box - Josh Malerman. I've seen the film and judging by the synopsis of the book, this is fairly gruesome, gory and gritty.

After we've made it through Orc Grove, our journey takes us to Ol' Pirate Road. A book that takes place on sea that I've chosen is The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware 

Judging by the cover, this looks like it'll work.

Once we've conquered the high seas, we end up on the Isle of Glimmer, where we can read a beautiful or colourful book. This was easy. Beautiful is subjective, so I've chosen Forever Interrupted - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Anything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes is beautiful, so there you go.

Ok, so we've had a break and read a beautiful book. Now we have to go and defeat some dragons on the Draconic Isle. I've chosen: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.

I've heard a lot about this book and honestly, it's the only book featuring dragons that really intrigued me. Dare I say it, but I'm not a huge fan of dragons... Hopefully I'll enjoy this though.

Finally, we've made it to the Bookie Grail! In order to win, we need to read Stardust - Neil Gaiman.

No idea what this is about, but it's part of the quest so I'll read it :)

That concludes the TBR. I feel like this'll be pretty easy to do so I'm trying to challenge myself to read all the books for all the quests to the Bookie Grail but I doubt I'll be able to do that! We'll have to see.

I've concocted a TBR for the rest of the prompts but that'll probably change so I'll just do a wrap up at the end of the month to see how I got on!

What team are you on? What's on your TBR? 

The Light We Lost - Jill Santopolo

Title: The Light We Lost

Author: Jill Santopolo

Publisher: GP Putnam's Sons

Date Published: 9th May 2017

Pages: 328

Format: Audiobook 

He was the first person to inspire her, to move her, to truly understand her. Was he meant to be the last?

 

Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning.

 

Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other’s hearts.

JANUARY 2019 WRAP UP

Hello hello. I know this is late but you know what they say, better late than never! I'm coming to you today with my January 2019 wrap up. I read a grand total of 19 books in January. I know. It's a lot.

Honestly, I just want to put it out there that I had a lot of time off work due to depression and anxiety, so I spent most of the month reading.

I also wanted to mention that audiobooks were my actual best friends during January so that's another reason why this wrap up is bloody huge. I wish every month could be like this (reading wise, not mental health wise d'oh).

A whole lotta books, eh! I can't go into detail about every single one, this would be a bloody long post if I did but I will go through the best/worst!

REVIEW: All Your Perfects - Colleen Hoover

Title: All Your Perfects 

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Date Published: 17th July 2018

Pages: 306

Format: Audiobook 

Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.
Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.
All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

REVIEW: The Cruel Prince - Holly Black

Title: The Cruel Prince 

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Date Published: 2nd January 2018

Pages: 370

Format: Audiobook 

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Okay. I have no idea where to start with this review. I'll be honest and say that I really only picked this book up because of the HYPE that it was getting all over the bookish community. I'm glad I read it, but I'm also a little disappointed. I've heard countless amounts of people rave and rave about how amazing and incredible this is and honestly, it was good... but it wasn't amazing. It kind of fell a little flat for me. Let's dig a little deeper and I'll tell you my thoughts.

REVIEW: Vengeful - V.E. Schwab

Title: Vengeful (Villains #2) 

Author: V.E. Shwab

Publisher: Titan Books  

Date Published: 25th September 2018  

Pages: 480 

Format: Physical ARC 

This book is the sequel to Vicious. For protective purposes, and because I’m nice and don’t want to spoil anyone - I have included a synopsis of Vicious. If you haven’t read Vicious, you SHOULD because it’s incredible. Come back here when you’re ready to read/have already read Vengeful so we can squeal together! 

“Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. 
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?” 

In my eyes, Victoria Schwab can do absolutely no wrong. I’m never a fan of sequels, they never seem to match up to the greatness of the first book but this was one hell of a masterpiece. I absolutely loved every second of this book, from beginning to end. It was written beautifully, it had just the right amount of drama and craziness and the new characters were honestly, SO much more likeable than the original ones. This is honestly my favourite book of the year. I actually prefer it to Vicious, which is highly highly unusual for me to say. Well, I said it. It was great. 10/10. Now, for the juicy bits. 

REVIEW: Dry - Neal Shusterman

Title: Dry  
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
Date Published: 2nd October 2018 
Pages: 352 
Format: Physical ARC 

“The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.Until the taps run dry.Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.” 

I thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly, enjoyed this book. It was captivating, it was honestly terrifying. Not terrifying in a horror story, it’s so creepy way but terrifying in an ‘OH SHIT THIS COULD REALLY HAPPEN’ kind of way. The characters were a little average at times, but they each had their redeeming features. Although I ended up really disliking Alyssa, she still had her good bits. Anyway, let’s get deeper into this! 

REVIEW: When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon

Title: When Dimple Met Rishi
Author: Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 380
Source: Audiobook

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. 

REVIEW: The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date Published: 18/09/2012
Pages: 409
Format: Audiobook/eBook

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

This book was so damn hyped up, that when it showed up on my library's page as an audiobook, I thought now was as good a time as any to give it a try. The synopsis was intriguing, the book was... okay but it wasn't great and doesn't make me want to continue with the series. I enjoyed it, but I didn't really understand its point.

REVIEW: To Kill A Kingdom - Alexandra Christo

Title: To Kill A Kingdom
Author: Alexandra Christo
Publisher: Feiwel Friends
Date Published: 06/03/2018
Pages: 342
Format: eBook

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

I looooooooooooved this book. I can't even write a coherent sentence and it's been at least a month since I've read it. I love anything to do with sirens/mermaids/underwater worlds. The Little Mermaid was my favourite story as a child, and this retelling is honestly perfect.

REVIEW: Good Me Bad Me - Ali Land

Title: Good Me Bad Me
Author: Ali Land
Publisher: Penguin
Date Published: 12/01/2017
Pages: 338
Format: eBook

Good Me Bad Me is dark, compelling, voice-driven psychological suspense by debut author Ali Land.
How far does the apple really fall from the tree?

Milly's mother is a serial killer. Though Milly loves her mother, the only way to make her stop is to turn her in to the police. Milly is given a fresh start: a new identity, a home with an affluent foster family, and a spot at an exclusive private school.

But Milly has secrets, and life at her new home becomes complicated. As her mother's trial looms, with Milly as the star witness, Milly starts to wonder how much of her is nature, how much of her is nurture, and whether she is doomed to turn out like her mother after all.

When tensions rise and Milly feels trapped by her shiny new life, she has to decide: Will she be good? Or is she bad? She is, after all, her mother's daughter.

Serial killer books are my thing. Anyone who knows me knows this. Although this wasn't a direct serial killer book, it had some after-effects of it, it showed how it affected the family and the victims and the fallout and it was fascinating. This book wasn't as dark as I liked it to be, but it was okay.

I really enjoyed the entire premise, but it fell flat. It felt like it was rushed, the events in the book were odd... to say the least. It was just eh. It was a typical YA book that I needed to be darker, more disturbing, more emotional you know? I wanted it to draw me in, I wanted to FEEL something. But I didn't.

I rated this book 2* on Goodreads.

REVIEW: Moonrise - Sarah Crossan

Title: Moonrise
Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date Published: 07/09/2017
Pages: 400
Format: eBook

'They think I hurt someone.
But I didn't. You hear?
Coz people are gonna be telling you
all kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.'
From one-time winner and two-time Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this poignant, stirring, huge-hearted novel asks big questions. What value do you place on life? What can you forgive? And just how do you say goodbye?

I have to admit, I really don't remember anything about this book and I honestly feel like that says it all. I expected so much from it but it didn't deliver. The fact that I didn't even remember what this book was about until I scoured Goodreads for reviews, just shows that it was completely and utterly forgettable.

There was so much promise, it had so much potential but it fell so flat. It really didn't deliver. I wasn't invested in the story, I didn't care all that much for the main character, and I just really didn't give a ****.

Eh. I rated this 2* on Goodreads, but in hindsight, I might drop that to 1* (and that's being generous!)

REVIEW: Holding Up The Universe - Jennifer Niven

Title: Holding Up The Universe
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date Published: 04/10/2016
Pages/Length:  9h3mins
Format: Audiobook

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours

This book was honestly nothing like I was expecting. I really really enjoyed it and I absolutely loved Libby as a character.

Without Merit - Colleen Hoover

Title: Without Merit
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books
Date Published: 3rd October 2017
Pages: 385
Source: Bought

Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.
The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.
Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.
Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

I am a fairly big fan of Colleen Hoover, so I know what to expect with her books... and it's usually something that will stab me in the heart and make me cry for hours. I love going into her books blind, which is exactly what I did with this book. I knew absolutely nothing about the premise when I went in and I'm glad that I didn't. I enjoyed this book to an extent, but it wasn't my favourite book that Colleen has written.

Update.

Hi guys! I'm so sorry I haven't been posting. I've been absolutely swamped with work and uni! I doubt anyone's noticed, but thought I'd make a short little post just to have a quick update with you all!

I've been in the world's longest reading slump for what seems like a century, but it's finally over and I'm making my way through my TBR.

I have about 2 weeks left of university forever so that's exciting and it means I'll have loads more time to read without feeling guilty.

I feel so out of the loop when it comes to books, I have no idea what's popular, what's recently come out or what's due to come out, I have no idea who's reading what and what the latest gossip is so I'm trying to get back into the groove of things, slowly but surely.

Anyway, I've read a few books in the past week or so, so I'll be writing up those reviews and hopefully get a steady stream of posts up and running on the blog!

If there's anything you wanna see me review, leave your suggestions in the comment, or tweet me @anthblogs :)

Also, I would love to hear what you've been reading these past 6-8months, and what you'd recommend for me to read! I'm in a fantasy/dystopian mood at the moment so hit me up!

Book Blogger Memory Challenge!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have the memory of a fish (I can't even remember where I found this tag). Even my new driving instructor asked me if I had rubbish memory because I kept forgetting to do things. So why, do you ask, are you doing a tag that relies on memory? I like challenges! (And I thought this one would be kind of easy because I came up with a book for each question as soon as I read it!)

So without further ado, let's see how great my memory is!

1. Name a book written by an author called Michael

Kensuke's Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo

Remember that book? We had to read it in primary school and I absolutely loved it. I believe it's about a boy who gets stuck on an island, he meets Kensuke and it just goes on from there!

I'm gonna be really extra and give you another book, Gone - Michael Grant. Which I believe is something to do with all the adults in the town disappearing and the kids having to take control of things. I have read it, but years and years ago so the details aren't clear anymore! 

2. Name a book with a dragon on the cover

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

I have no idea if there's actually a dragon on the cover, but there's dragons in the book so it's an educated guess.
*checks to see if I'm right*
So it depends which edition you've got, but the one I was thinking about was the original Bloomsbury one!

3. Name a book about a character called George

George - Alex Gino

That was easy, it's in the title! I believe this is about a transgender girl? Or a boy who wants to become a transgender girl. And he wants to do things other girls do, but he can't because he's a boy - so I think he moves away and starts a new life as a girl? (I might have made that bit up...) Anyway, it's a really good MG book!

*In editing, and just realise this works for Q9 too!

4. Name a book written by an author with the surname Smith 

Winger - Andrew Smith

*Thought process* Andrew Smith wrote a book beginning with W that I cannot remember right now... Wicked? Withered? Winged? Winger! I think it's Winger? How embarrassing if I'm wrong. Now I'm doubting if the author is even called Andrew Smith? *End thought process*
< Obviously I was right!

I don't know what this book is about - I think a boy in boarding school? I've tried to read it but I just couldn't get into it...

5. Name a book set in Australia

Risk - Fleur Ferris

Ok, so I sort of cheated for this one. I knew that I had read a book set in Australia before, I just couldn't remember the title. I knew it was about some friends and one was killed/missing(?) and the police were investigating or something!? It was a really good book! So I had to Google the name of the book, but I found it eventually!

6. Name a book with the name of the month in the title

November 9 - Colleen Hoover

So I haven't read this book, I've just heard about it a lot around the bookish community! As with most Colleen Hoover books, this is on my TBR and I know next to nothing about it but going into her books blind is the way forward!

7. Name a book with a knife on the cover

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

So my first thought was Knife of Never Letting Go but I knew that was wrong and it only popped into my head because it had 'knife' in the title! So Graceling was the second option, but I'm almost 100% sure that it's a sword and not a knife? It still counts though right?!

I really enjoyed Graceling but I can't for the life of me tell you what it's about. It's one of those books that you just forget about as soon as you finish it.

8. Name a book with the word 'one' in the title

One - Sarah Crossan

I absolutely loved this book, I cried my eyes out at the end, like genuinely cried like a baby. HIGHLY recommend it. It's short so if you don't like it, it's not a big waste of time (you will love it though).

9. Name a book with an eponymous title

Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

Took me a long long long time to even understand what the word 'eponymous' meant, anyone else had that problem? And now it's taking me an even longer time to come up with a title... But of course this is a classic and I love it.

10. Name a book turned into a movie

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

This one was easy, there are SO many and whilst I usually hate all the movie adaptations, I still watch them all. It's weird to see the books I've loved being played out and interpreted differently to how I imagined things. But Twilight was the first one that popped into my head. It's the one book/movie, I hate to love and I love to hate.

If there are any GREAT movie adaptations then definitely let me know, because I'm up for watching some good things for once!


So there we go, I went a bit crazy with all of my explanations but I hope you enjoyed this little tag! I haven't done any for ages but I'm going to try and be a bit more regular with my posting! If you've done this tag, I'd love to give it a read, so link it below! 

The Circle - Dave Eggers

Title: The Circle
Author: Dave Eggers
Publisher: Knopf
Date Published: 8th October 2013
Pages: 493
Source: Bought

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.

As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO.

Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in America - even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

I really have no idea where to start... All I know is that I have 2 full A4 pages of notes about this book and that I'm really not sure if I enjoyed it or not. So that's a great start. I did like this, I mean I liked it to the point where I found it entertaining enough to finish the entire thing... but there were just so many issues with this book that I really couldn't overlook. Briefly, the characters were flat, the plot was lacking and the writing was odd. That being said, the concept was still very intriguing and there was a lot of potential that just unfortunately, went unfulfilled.

Last Semester - Corine Mekaouche

Title: Last Semester
Author: Corine Mekaouche
Publisher: Corine Mekaouche
Date Published: 21st April 2017
Pages: 360
Source: NetGalley

Buy It Here: Last Semester

When Johanna ‘Jo’ Gold, witty college life blogger and senior at Rutan University, decides to move in with three male strangers her last semester of school, her life unexpectedly turns upside down. While dealing with her new roommates, A.J., the pompous rich kid who feels trapped in following his father’s footsteps; Rob, the prematurely engaged former womanizer who tries to force Jo out of the house at all costs; and Drew, the 21-year-old virgin genius whose encounters with women have been more than limited, Jo learns that change isn't always easy and it's up to her to learn how to survive the remainder of her time at Rutan the best that she can. Along with searching for her missing mother, figuring out a clever way to pay for school tuition on her own, and dealing with the childish pranks brought on by a certain roommate, Jo’s issues seem more complicated than the average 21-year-old. Can Jo endure the dramatic perils of college while planning for life after graduation?

I wasn't expecting to like this book, I'll be completely honest with you. When I requested it on NetGalley I was knee-deep in contemporary books but right now I'm just really not feeling them... or so I thought. I surprisingly really enjoyed this book and finished it in near-record time! It's a lighthearted, cute and generally a pretty realistic read. This book is very character-driven, which I think is a major reason why I enjoyed it so much, I just loved the characters. Jo was funny and not your typical girly girl. I typically hate to read about girly-girls because I just can't relate to that. I loved Jo because she reminded me of myself. Obviously, like any book, I did have my issues with it but they're really only minor. I would still 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves character driven contemporaries with no romance. Yes, you heard it, no romance. 

BOOK HAUL!

Good morning! I am currently sitting on the sofa with a cup of peppermint tea, listening to the raining hit and roll down the window and thought you know what? This would be a great time to write up a post. So here I am with a little book haul, full of books I'm planning on reading in the near future! Most of these books have been sent to me by the Publisher (so thanks pubs!) and all of them sound amazing! 

It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover

Title: It Ends With Us

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Date Published: 2nd August 2016

Pages: 367

Source: Bought

Buy It Here: It Ends with Us

SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan - her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

This book contains graphic scenes and very sensitive subject matter.

I really don't know where to start with this review. I feel like I've been betrayed, I wasn't expecting the book to go in the direction it went in. I started it knowing pretty much nothing about it, I hadn't read anything about it. The only reason I picked this book up was because of recommendations and dear GOD I am so happy that I did. This book will take you on the emotional ride of your life and you will be a changed person after reading it.