Book Review - The One We Fell In Love With By Paige Toon

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The One We Fell In Love With

"Phoebe is caught between a rock and a hard place. Settle down and get married, or return to the French Alps to pursue her passion?

Eliza is in love with someone who is no longer hers. In fact, he probably never was… And her dream of becoming a successful musician seems to be vanishing before her eyes.

Rose is out of a job and out of a boyfriend. To make matters worse, she’s been forced to move back in with her mother…

But these very different girls have one thing in common. Angus. The one they fell in love with…"

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Ah this book.

I love writing reviews just as I finish a book so I can put everything I'm feeling down in words. Main point of this book; it surprised me.

I knew I would love it. Look at that front cover? It just screams rom-com but I never thought I'd be so attached to the characters, I really didn't want to finish reading it!

You're introduced to 3 triplets at the beginning of the story; Phoebe, Eliza & Rose, who couldn't be more different, but that's what makes the story so great.

I actually surprised myself & warmed to the character I thought was going to be my least favourite, Rose. She is the most adorable person, who I just wanted to be friends with immediately. Obviously they all have a bond with Angus but I read another review of this book & the person stated even though the title is 'The One We Fell In Love With', it really isn't that much about Angus. It's all about the sisterly bond & the relationships between the girls, which I loved.

People have mentioned online that there was a 'big twist' to the story & yes.. there was! A complete twist which surprised me so much, I had to go back & read a few pages again as I wasn't sure what I was reading! Sounds silly, but I can't really re-literate it as it'll totally give it away but I really wasn't expecting it.

I have to mention another character that becomes a main part of the story, who I warmed too immediately; Toby. I won't say anything else, but if you read this book, let me know what you thought of his character!

Overall I absolutely loved this book, it's been one of my favourites so far this year!

Have you read any of Paige Toon's books?

Overall rating -★★★★

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Book Review - Everything Everything By Nicola Yoon

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Everything Everything

"Maddy is allergic to the world; stepping outside the sterile sanctuary of her home could kill her. But then Olly moves in next door. And just like that, Maddy realises there's more to life than just being alive. You only get one chance at first love. And Maddy is ready to risk everything, everything to see where it leads."

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I had no idea I owned this book for the longest time. No seriously. It was only when the film was released earlier this year I suddenly twigged that I recognised the title. I was actually very intrigued by the storyline, so I raced to check if I still had the book (which I did) so I could read it before seeing the film. (Update; I've finished the book but haven't seen the film yet! Anyone know if it's on Netflix?)

Despite the storyline seeming quite unusual, I actually fell into Maddy's world quite quickly. I warmed to her almost immediately & truly felt her desperation to escape into the world, after being locked up for so many years. She has a condition that basically means she is allergic to the world. Everything has to be sterilised, people & objects before she can come in contact with them. It's quite an odd concept to get your head around at the beginning, but a few chapters in, it almost became normal.

I loved the relationship Maddy had with her nurse. Their bond made my heart melt. Olly however I didn't initially warm too. I don't want to give anything away, but towards the end I found I was disagreeing with his decisions & overall I wasn't 100% sold on their relationship.

I am still keen to see how they've done the film in relation to the book, but I won't be adding this one to my top 5 of the year, which I'm quite sad about as it sounded like a storyline I would have enjoyed.

Overall rating -★★

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Book Review - A Walk In The Park By Jill Mansell

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A Walk In The Park

"It's been a while, but Lara Carson's back in Bath and lives are set to change as a result. Because Lara left her family and boyfriend Flynn eighteen years ago without a word to anyone. Why has no one heard from her since? Her childhood best friend Evie is thrilled Lara's back and able to share her happiness. Evie's about to walk down the aisle with her dream man, Joel. Or so she thinks... Then there's Flynn Erskine, even more attractive now and stunned to see Lara again. The spark between them is as strong as ever, but how's Flynn going to react when he discovers the secret she's been keeping from him? Oh yes, there's a lot of catching up to be done..."

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I'm going to start with my absolute favourite thing about this book.. it's set in Bath. James & I visited bath at the end of 2016 & it became one of my all time favourite cities we'd explored to date. We are hoping to go back next month for the day on the way back from Bristol & I can't wait.

Jill has an amazing gift when she writes of transporting you to where ever she wants to take you. I could almost see myself in the city, walking around the gardens, taking in all it's beauty. As soon as I picked up this book, I was transported to the most lovely places & it therefore became a pleasure rather than a chore to read it.

Onto the characters. I loved Lara & Evie & following their friendship as they reminisced over the years. I also really liked Flynn's personality & found myself warming to him instantly.

I genuinly found myself laughing out loud in places & equally emotional in others. I've only ever cried once reading a book & I have to say, it almost became a second time!

I would highly reccomend giving this a read.

Overall rating -★★★★

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Book Review - Hygge & Kisses By Clara Christensen

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Hygge & Kisses

"Bo, 26, has always been careful, cautious. However, she's just been made redundant and her life plan is beginning to unravel. Before she starts immediately applying for other jobs in a panic, her friend Kirsten persuades her to take a holiday, to visit Kirsten's mother's house in Aalborg, North Jutland, a part of Denmark Bo is ashamed to admit she has never heard of.

'What's the weather going to be like?' she asks Kirsten hopefully, scrolling her cursor over the budget airlines webpage. 'Terrible,' Kirsten replies, 'London is positively Mediterranean by comparison, and of course it's November so it'll be dark seventeen hours a day. But no one goes to Denmark to get a tan. You need a change of scene and to blow away the cobwebs, and trust me, Skagen will do that. Besides, the summerhouse is cosy whatever the weather, and you never know who else will be around.'

A few clicks later and there is no going back. And Bo's life plan is about to be entirely rewritten."

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I think I first became obsessed with Hygge about 2 years ago. I was intrigued how it related to mindfulness & I loved reading about the history of how it came about in Denmark. It initially started when I picked up The Little Book Of Hygge & now anything that's related to Hygge, I immediately gravitate too.

My mum kindly got me this book, she said it was because it reminded her of me. Cups of tea, candles & a cosy setting. That's everything I love on a front cover basically! 

Let's start with the main character Bo. I'm not really sure what I thought about her if I'm honest. She's supposed to be a 26 year old, but I felt at times, she seemed alot older. I thought I'd be able to relate to her more, being a similar age, but I didn't really feel that connection. I also didn't enjoy the character of Ben. I know he was supposed to be the one that treated Bo badly & she was therefore drawn to another character, but I just felt their relationship wasn't very believable.

My favourite part of the book was the second half when Bo goes to Aalbord & meets Emil, Flo & Simon. The house they stayed in was beautiful described & I could almost imagine myself there, snuggled up in bed with a book, watching the snow fall outside. The Danish landscape sounds truly breath-taking.

Flo soon became my favourite character, she is just so sassy & funny. I love her relationship with Simon as well, the characters bounced off each other & made me laugh out loud.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, it was a nice light-hearted read, but not a story I'd reccomend if you want something to get stuck into.

Overall Rating - ★★★

Have you read any 'Hygge' books? What do you think about the whole concept?

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Book Review - Three Amazing Things About You By Jill Mansell

Three Amazing Things About You

"Hallie has a secret. She’s in love. He’s perfect for her in every way, but he’s seriously out of bounds. And her friends aren’t going to help her because what they do know is that Hallie doesn’t have long to live. Time is running out…

Flo has a dilemma. She really likes Zander. But his scary sister won’t be even faintly amused if she thinks Zander and Flo are becoming friends – let alone anything more.

Tasha has a problem. It’s not being nicknamed ‘Bin Girl’ because of an embarrassing incident with a credit card. It’s that her new boyfriend is the adventurous type. And she’s afraid one of his adventures will go badly wrong.

Three Amazing Things About You begins as Hallie goes on a journey. A donor has been found and she’s about to be given new lungs. But whose?"

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I've been trying to write my review of this book for the longest time, but have no idea how to start it. How do you put into words how a few hundred pages can make you see a different side to life?

What I love most about this book, compared to the last one I read (The Fifth Letter By Nicola Moriarty) is that the characters are clearly introduced from the start. Even though you're following three completely different story lines, there wasn't a point in the book where I didn't know who was who or what was happening.

I absolutely loved all three of the stories, but Hallie's particularly touched my heart. I won't give anything away but, you find out towards the end how all their stories intertwine. Hallie is a similar age to me (late twenties) & it made me connect with her even more. She is fighting for her survival, needing lungs from a donor to keep her alive. She is the most amazing, positive character & that made me love her even more! Add in a bit of forbidden romance & I was hooked. Hallie's character honestly couldn't have been anymore likable.

You also get to meet Flo, another lovely character who falls in love with Zander, who has an extremely aggravating sister. What I love most about Jill's writing is she instantly brings you closer to the characters - whether you dislike them or not!

& finally, Tasha, who falls for Rory, the adventurous, adrenaline junky. I actually really liked this storyline as I completely felt for Tasha. Rory is such a strong character & I really related to her when she feared for his life doing some of the things he was doing. I absolutely hate anything remotely daring.. the idea of rock climbing or jumping out of a plane or even going on a ferris wheel is not my idea of fun! But I loved how they came together & became stronger because of it.

As always, I love Jill's writing. There's something so heart warming & beautiful about the characters she creates, you just can't help but love them! I have quite a few of her books on my shelf to read, so expect a few more reviews coming soon!

Overall Rating - ★★★★

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Life Lately #144

It feels like ages since I wrote an update post! & it obviously was as my first update is from Valentine's Day!

You might remember if you read my last update post, I bought Cathy a Valentines afternoon tea for 2 at Wyevale Garden Centre. We attempted to get there on the Thursday after Valentines & got stuck on the M23 for 3 hours! We re-arranged it for Sunday & actually managed to get there this time! It was so worth it as well, which was lucky, as I'd never been to the garden centre before, so it was a bit of a gamble. For £5 each, we had a full afternoon tea, complete with sandwiches, scones, cream, jam, strawberries dipped in chocolate, brownies, macaroons & bake wells!

I blogged at the beginning of the year about my goal of reading at least 8 books this year & so far I'm on number 3. I finished this one by Jill Mansell at the end of February & I've written a full post reviewing it which will be coming up soon, but I'm currently on track to read at least 1 book a month, which means I'll be smashing my goal!

Now, I couldn't really do an update post without mentioning the snow could I?! I stayed over at my parent's house while they went away for the night to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday & got to spend some time with my little girl. She's not a massive fan of the snow, it tends to get matted in her long fur coat, but we did venture out a few times before it got too heavy! I can't believe how cold it got as well, I was wrapped up in so many layers! I also wanted to show you this scarf I got from Primark, it was £3 in the sale & is the cosiest thing ever, even though it's constantly malting!

On Sunday, I travelled to Worthing to visit my friend Ricka who has just bought a house nearby. It was so lovely to have a catch up with her as I hadn't seen her since before Christmas & see her new place! We ventured into town where one of my best friend's mum was putting on a book show. We got to meet a few authors & listen to them talk about their books, then had a mooch round the town, before heading back to hers for crisps & tea!  

Later that evening, James & I went to see Allan & Maria for dinner. They've just got back from a 2 week holiday, so it was great to hear all about their adventures over dinner.

& finally, the girls & I got to try the new halloumi with chilli jam at Nandos. It was ridiculous how excited we all were for these & just to confirm, they were amazing!

Oh & the final update for this month is I became contracted full time at work! I've always worked around 40 hours a week at my current place of work, but only been contracted 25 hours & the rest was overtime, so when I was offered a full time contract, I obviously was over the moon. When James & I come to look at buying a house, that will definitely help!

How has your month been so far lovelies? I'm in the best mood as Crufts has officially started & James & I are headed to Birmingham this weekend to see all the doggies! I can't wait.

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Book Review - The Fifth Letter By Nicola Moriarty

Hello lovelies,

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to read more. I've set myself the task of reading at least 8 books this year. It's a massive goal as I only tend to read when I'm on holiday, never in my day-to-day life.

I started reading The Fifth Letter on 1st February & finished on it 5th February. Nobody was as surprised as me.. haha! I'm starting to think 8 books a year wasn't a high enough goal, but I know it will definitely be a test now that I've finished one book to move onto the next & keep it up through-out the year.

I wanted to start documenting my thoughts on the books I've read to remind myself of what I've accomplished this year & also to advise you guys if you're looking for a new read!

"Joni, Trina, Deb and Eden.

Best friends since the first day of school. Best friends, they liked to say, forever.

But now they are in their thirties and real life - husbands, children, work - has got in the way. So, resurrecting their annual trip away, Joni has an idea, something to help them reconnect.

Each woman will write an anonymous letter, sharing with their friends the things that are really going on in their lives.

But as the confessions come tumbling out, Joni starts to feel the certainty of their decades-long friendships slip from her fingers.

Anger. Accusations. Desires. Deceit.

And then she finds another letter. One that was never supposed to be read. A fifth letter. Containing a secret so big that its writer had tried to destroy it. And now Joni is starting to wonder, did she ever really know her friends at all?"

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When you begin the story, you are taken to the present day, where Joni is confessing to a priest about her recent admissions on the girl's holiday. You flit between the present day & the previous month where the four friends go on their annual holiday & decide to write anonymous letters revealing a secret from their lives. 

The narrator uses the 3rd person, but you emphasize with Joni's character the most. As she discovers secrets about her friends, you learn them too, but you have no idea who has written each letter except from the clues the author choses to give you. It does get you thinking & Joni goes through every possible senario you can think of!

I wasn't 100% sold on the characters to be honest. I didn't feel like their personalities shone through & I struggled to visualise them from the description the author was giving. I had to keep reminding myself which person was who & how their families came into the storyline.

You actually get to read the 'fifth' letter, quite early on & even though the whole book is about finding out who wrote it, I have to be honest & say I guessed first of all, but then was put off, but eventually it concluded I was correct.

The conclusion of the book was a little disappointing, but if I really think about it, I wasn't sure how I wanted it to end as it was quite a far fetched storyline! I was really intrigued when I was reading the book & found myself desperate to read more, however I wouldn't actively seek out any other books from this author as there's so many more I'm keen to read first!

Overall Rating - ★★

Let me know if you like these sort of posts & if you've read anything by Nicola Moriarty. I'd love to hear your thoughts : )

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