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 #145

Hello lovelies,

In my last post, I mentioned James & I were heading to Crufts for the weekend in Birmingham & if you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you would be sick of seeing all my dog pictures, but it honestly was so much fun! I got to meet the wonderful JB from The Kingsman & Fru Fru from Beauty & The Beast! I also got to stroke about a million different dogs, I was in heaven.

We stayed in the most adorable Air B'n'B, which was perfect for us. As we were driving up late Friday night, we wanted somewhere we could access after 10pm, which surprisingly limits you on the places you can book! Jo's home was perfect for us & was warm & welcoming when we arrived. Oh & if you haven't booked with Air B'n'B before, you can use my code to get £25 off your first trip! It's the first place I check when James & I are looking for a short break away.

On Sunday it was Mother's Day, so we went over to my parents' for lunch with my grandparents. Mum had made the table look incredible as always, laid out with way too much food. We bought Nan some presents too, here she is buried in a massive box! It was hilarious seeing her open it!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm slowly building up my book collection & recently added Lily Pebbles' book, The F Word. I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm finding it really interesting & very relatable. Have you got a copy?

Last Thursday I met up with my girlies for Pizza & a catch up & it was so lovely to see them & hear all about Boop's birthday! I can't wait to get our plans together for her surprise.. ; )

& finally, I couldn't do another update post without mentioning the snow again.. I mean.. what is actually going on.. it's nearly the first day of Spring!? James & I came back late Saturday night to find our parking space covered by snow, it made our little flat look so pretty. It's now only 2 & a half weeks till we move seriously not looking forward to packing up everything but we're extremely excited to get settled in now. I'm just going to miss our little flat so much.

How has your March been lovelies?

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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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March & April Favourites

Floral Boots

Since buying these boots, they have not left my feet. Seriously. I just love them so much. Embroidery has been massive so far this year & I really hope it stays for the Summer, because it's just too damn cute. They are seriously one of the comfiest boots I've owned & only cost £18 in the sale!

Fluffy Birkenstocks

Ok, so I'm thinking you'll either love or hate these! But look at them, they are so fluffy & soft! I picked them up on a recent trip to Primark thinking they'd be perfect for holiday when we are sun bathing around the pool. I've actually been wearing them around the house instead of slippers now it's got a bit warmer & they are just the comfiest pair of shoes eveeeer.

Soap & Glory Body Lotion

If you haven't smelt this, drop everything & get yourself down to Boots. It's just sooooo good. It instantly reminds me of holidays & I can't wait to get back into the sunshine this Summer!

All The Bright Places 

Ok, so I'm reading a book. Have you fallen off your chair yet? Haha! It's rare for me to read as I just 'never find the time'. Yeah, that old chestnut. It's true though. I really struggle to sit down & immerse myself in a book. However, this one has really got me hooked & I find myself racing home to read it each day! 

Chokers

To be fair, I've always loved chokers, but as they've recently come back into fashion, retailers have brought out some beautiful designs. I'm loving this bow tie one from Primark that came in a pack of 3 for £3. So affordable.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss

Have you ever used a lip-plumping lip gloss before? Neither had I until this one, but I'm seriously addicted to it. Nothing prepares you for the sensation of the lip gloss working its magic on your lips. It feels almost numbing but satisfying at the same time! My lips have never looked as healthy as they do when I apply this gloss! I'm so tempted to pick up a darker shade to add to my collection.

TV

The Only Way Is Essex

I've watched TOWIE since the very beginning, so I get extremely excited when a new series starts. We're almost at the end of this one but I'm seriously loving it as always. 

Riverdale

How addictive is this show? I heard loads of bloggers raving about it on Twitter so thought I'd give it a go & I'm loving it so far. 

One Night With My Ex

Trashy tv at it's best right? This again has been so addictive & actually quite emotional at times.

Orange Is The New Black

So James & I have only just started watching this but seriously, why has nobody ever told me how good this was!? Ok, some people have but we just haven't gotten around to watching it. I'm already so invested in the characters & just want to know what all their back stories are!

Events

At the end of March, Maria celebrated her hen do. I've written a full post if you wanted to have a read here, but we had the most amazing time eating tons of food & dancing the night away to a Michael Buble tribute! I can't believe her wedding is under 5 weeks now! I'm so excited.

Gemma & Ollie welcomed baby Alice into the world & she is absolutely beautiful. She's so tiny & soft. I wish I still had baby skin!

James & I went to see Craig David at the beginning of April & oh my word, that man has still got it. He was absolutely incredible on stage & performed solidly for 2 hours. Tinie Tempah  made a guest appearance as well which was such a surprise.

& finally James & I moved in together! I'm sure you already know this as it's been plastered all over my social media & blog but yay! Definitely a highlight for me & probably the biggest adult thing in my life to date. I'm already so in love with our little flat & can't wait to make some memories there.

How has your month been lovelies?

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Little Steps To.. Relieving Stress

Hello lovelies,

This post is part 2 of my "Little Steps To.." posts. I blogged about ways to find happiness last week, so today is all about de-stressing & how I find ways to switch off at the end of the day.

1. Go outside

I find at the end of the day is when I'm most stressed. I'll come home from work & immediately think 'I've done nothing today, if I was at home I could have done all these things & now I have such a lot to do'. Sound familiar? Yeah, I know right. My job means I am stuck behind a desk for the day, I do get to see the outside world, but I'm unable to actually go out & enjoy it, so I find when I get home all I want to do is go outside. This is obviously a lot better in the summer when the sun is shinning & you can feel those rays on your skin. However, sometimes it is just nice to have a walk in the chilly, frosty air & come back to a nice warm house.

2. Animals

Ah where do I start with this one? I am so grateful every day to have animals in my life & to have been brought up around them. My family have had chickens, cows & horses since I was born. We got our first cat when I was 5 & a few years later, we got our first dog. Since then, we've had dogs ever since & even though we no longer have cows or horses, we still have chickens. All I remember when I was younger was whenever I was upset, my mum would give me a chicken. I'd sit with the chicken & stroke it while it sat on my lap & it immediately calmed me down. Now I don't understand exactly how animals do it, but they are just the most comforting, reassuring things ever. Honey gives me so much love every day & I can't thank her enough for it.

3. Read

I'm hopeless at picking up a book. The only time I really read is on holiday where I get stuck into a book & will get extremely excited & say to myself I'm going to continue this at home, but I never do. It's such a shame because there are so many books out there I want to read but just haven't gotten round to it. What I do manage to pick up & read is non-fiction books. I mentioned the book Calm in a blog post last year which I'm still obsessed with, but I'm also currently loving Hygge (I'm going to do a full post on this in a few weeks time) but I'm addicted to it, anyone else?

4. Colouring

I got some new pencils & a colouring book for Christmas & I'm loving sitting down with it in the evening. You can pick up some beautiful books from The Works at the moment (they have an amazing sale right now!) but I know most places will sell them now as they are making a comeback! 

5. Meditation

Ok, so I touched on this in my Calm post last Summer, but meditation has become such a big part of my life. I sadly don't manage to practice it as much as I'd like, but I can't believe how amazing it is. If you haven't tried, I'd highly recommend it. Calm & Headspace are my favourite apps to use.

6. Planet Earth

Ok, so you've probably got to this one & thought, what the actual **** but hear me out! As I've already mentioned, animals & being outside are two of my stress relievers, so why wouldn't a program all about animals in the natural world relax me as well? I'll give you an example. For my birthday, I'd organised a night out at the local pub for my group of friends to go for drinks on a Saturday night. So, if I'm honest, I put up the event on complete auto-pilot & it was only after I'd selected the people to invite, made the event & posted it on Facebook, my heart sank. I'd organised something on the busiest night of the week, surrounded by people drinking. My head was screaming 'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE'. If you haven't already guessed, this was one of the worst scenarios for me to put myself in, which is silly because I used to do it most weekends when I was 18/19, but I'm in a completely different frame of mind now. I was ok up until 3 hours before we were due to meet everyone & I sat down with James, almost in tears, saying I couldn't go. Being the amazing man he is, he wrapped my up in his duvet & put on Planet Earth on iPlayer & we sat in silence & watched it. Half way through I realised I was ok. My chest felt lighter & I could breathe again. My head was saying 'you can do this, it's your birthday, nothing bad is going to happen'. & I listened. The program ended, I got ready & went out & I had one of the best nights out I've had in ages. So yes, Planet Earth is my saviour.

I would love to know what you do when you're stressed & how you find ways of calming yourself down. Remember to check out my "Little Steps To.. Happiness" post as part of this series if you liked this one : )

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