Girl Online Going Solo - Zoe Sugg

Girl Online Going Solo is book number three in the Girl Online series by YouTuber, Zoe Sugg aka Zoella. This book starts the new year with Penny being alone. Noah has gone and no one, not even Penny or his family knows where. So when Penny gets an invitation from old school friend, Megan, to go visit her at her new school she jumps at the opportunity. Seems like a good opportunity for her to make new friends but can Penny really ever move on from Noah?

I’ve never been the biggest fan of this series of books yet I still keep on reading the sequels. I think that I just like the idea of them more than the actual book. I picked this book up to take as holiday reading and to be honest it was pretty good for that. It’s a light hearted quick read which is exactly what I want from a book I take on holiday with me. However, once again I sadly just didn’t enjoy it.

I just can’t gel with the characters. Penny however, does make some character progression in this book which actually is great. It’s wonderful to see her finally standing on her own two feet and getting on with things without depending on Noah. She has truly developed as a character and I loved the fact she’s started getting on with her life. I also really liked how much she helped out other characters in the novel too. Yet despite this I still just can’t get enough of an attachment to her to care about her story. Noah, however is a horrible character. I liked him in book one, despised him in book two and in this book he just seemed neither here nor there. I get that he had to stay out of Penny’s way in order for her to develop but he just didn’t feature enough in this book.

I’ve said in previous reviews of this series that I think it’s great that a person with such influence over a young audience writes about anxiety etc and this book is no exception. A character in this novel has severe stage fright and of course Penny suffers from anxiety. The inclusion of this is such a brilliant thing as I feel many people suffer with mental issues and if it helps even one person feel a little better about what they’re going through then I can’t really knock these books. 

I should just realise now that these books just aren’t for me.  If you loved the previous Girl Online novels however you’ll still love Girl Online Going Solo. It provides the same elements as in previous books that lovers of the others will absolutely enjoy.

Synopsis –

As Penny starts the school year she's ready to face the world - alone. Noah has gone off the radar after ending his world tour early and no one, including Penny, knows where he is. So when she accepts Megan's invitation to visit her performing arts school it seems like an opportunity to make some new friends.

Helping everyone else seems to be the right remedy - Elliot needs her friendship more than ever, and she meets Posey, who she can really help with her stage fright. But is charming Scottish boy Callum the right kind of distraction? And can Penny truly move on when Noah's shadow seems to haunt her round every corner?

Book three in the number-one bestselling Girl Online series.

Blogtober - Day 8

I’m sure I’ve mentioned my Kindle alot on this blog because now a days that is where I do 99% of my reading. I still absolutely love physical books though so today’s post is going to be my thoughts on kindle vs physical book.

It took me a long time to convert to a kindle – and I mean a long time! I was very anti kindle. I was that person who couldn’t understand why anyone would ever read a book on a kindle verses buying a real book. It just didn’t make sense to me why you would sacrifice the great things about a physical book in exchange for reading it on a screen. Yet a few years later I have turned into the person who is 100% a kindle addict. I have a kindle paperwhite and honestly its one of the best things I own. It’s worth mentioning here that I’ve never tried any other of the e-readers that are available but I’m sure they’re all as good as the kindle!

For me practicality of a kindle just wins a physical book for me. It just got to the stage where I couldn’t fit any more books in my house anymore. I had books under my bed, in my wardrobe; in storage boxes...you name the place it had books it in. I’m pretty sure I could’ve given Waterstones a run for its money with the amount I had. Sadly I had a real big clear out and donated most of my books to my local community library which is being run by a family friend whose trying to keep it open so as much as I hated parting with a lot of my books at least it’s good to know others will be getting enjoyment from them. I don’t have this problem with a kindle, I can download as many books as I like and wherever I take my kindle all the books that are on it are just sat on it too which is frankly just the most amazing thing.  

Another reason that I love my kindle is the price of books. I read insanely quickly and I sadly I don’t earn enough money to cover new books at the speed that I read. Amazon’s Kindle store has a ton of free books and most that aren’t only cost a couple of pounds anyway which is amazing for someone like me.

I used to always travel with a book. Every time I went on a train I had a paperback thrown into my bag. Then I used to get annoyed that said book used to get quite battered from me quickly putting it back in my bag when I realised I’d reached my stop or when the train pulled into the platform. My kindle is the perfect travelling companion in this respect. It  also saves me a lot of weight in my suitcase when I’m going abroad! 

All this being said, I still absolutely love physical books. Nothing beats the smell of a brand new book and actually turning real pages. A physical book you can flip through, look at the covers and they look a million times nicer on a bookshelf! If I had the money and space, my house would pretty much look like a bookshop. However, I don’t so for me my kindle is just the best thing I own and now I sadly would chose to download a book on their rather than pick up a physical book.

Blogtober - Day 7

Its Bookshop Day today so it only seems appropriate that todays Blogtober post is book themed. I know its past shop opening times today but it is Bookshop Day so perhaps tomorrow is the perfect excuse to go out and buy that new book you've been wanting to purchase.

As if I don't do a lot of reading on a normal week, when I'm on holiday I become obsessed. It's got that out of hand on my most recent holidays that I've finished reading a book before I've ever boarded the airplane - its definitely a time I spend catching up on my to read list.

Whilst on holiday last week I became in a bit of a book rut. I always download new books onto my kindle / buy a couple of physical books to take with me. For this holiday I wanted one of those novels that just made my heart tingly because of the absolute romantic adorableness of the book. Unbelievably after spending an extensive time (I'm not even kidding, I was there for hours...) browsing in Waterstones and even asking the sales assistant for a super cheesy romantic novel recommendation I couldn’t find anything that fit that description that I’d not already read. So I found myself browsing through my kindle and rereading books that I'd read within the past couple of years that I absolutely loved but just haven’t really had the time to read again for a long time. I’d forgotten how much I adore the two books I’m going to tell you about so I absolutely loved rereading them!

Not In The Script - Amy Finnegan

Click here for my original review of this book. 

 

Boy Band - Jacqueline E Smith

Click here for my original review of this book.  

For me these 2 books are some of the best romantic / young adult novels that I've ever read. Even though I'd read them both before and knew exactly what happened in the books they both gave me that same tingly feeling from cute romance over load. Plus I've read a lot of books in this genre and both contain characters that I still wish were real! These are definitely some of my favourite books so if you're looking for this kind of genre of book you have to buy these two!

Blogtober - Day 6

Today’s been a really productive day at work - I was introduced to the world of Tinder. It sort of fascinated me so I figured it would be a perfect post for today’s Blogtober post.

I have absolutely no interest what so ever in joining tinder (or any other dating site for that matter) as I’m happy in my personal life but it was interesting to see how it worked.

From the very little I’ve seen of Tinder, it seems to be about judging someone instantly based on very little information. You decide on an age and location range then simply swipe left or right depending on if you like the look of them or not. I actually sat there and dismissed a guy for my colleague just because he was called Harvey as I decided it was too much of a dogs name to swipe yes. It was the most ridiculous reason but so many photos come up you find yourself nit picking people over the littlest things.

The messages my colleague had received on tinder were something else. Men were messaging her with just the most cringeworthy chat up lines, think of the worst chat up line you could imagine and times it by 100 and you’re at the tinder levels of messages! Then some messages she received, the man asked her out on a date within the first message then when she didn’t reply asap they unliked her. Another colleague went on a date with a guy she met through tinder and he refused to take her home, locked his car doors and drove her to his house for after date fun...needless to say she binned him off rather sharpish! So many horror stories! Call me old fashioned but this isn’t the way I’d want to start a relationship! 

The whole thing just seems false. Photos people chose to put up are the most posy photos you’ve ever seen. From topless guys who know they look good to those with pouts to those who are clearly trying too hard to look cool. I know it’s like Facebook etc where you wouldn’t put a photo up where you look rough but to me it just all seems false! 

I know I have old fashioned, hopeless romantic views on relationships but I just don’t think tinder is for me. I’d want to have more romance and less cheesy chat up lines. I completely get why people do it. I mean you could be sat watching The Chase at 8pm on a Friday evening but at the same time sat swiping through hundreds of potential love interests. In a world where social media dominates it does seem a great way to meet people but I would be interested to know if anyone has actually found the one this way.

I’d love to know others peoples experiences on tinder, as from what I’ve heard so far they’ve not all been that great! 

The Song Rising - Samantha Shannon

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon is book number 3 in the bone series of books. This book continues as Paige Mahoney has just stepped into her role as Underqueen. However, that position has now brought her a whole host of new enemies who want rid of the clairvoyant community. Paige quickly discovers that a Senshield has been created in order to detect those with clairvoyant powers and sets off on a mission to destroy them. 

I've read all of the books in the series and I actually reread the series of books before reading The Song Rising. The worlds and the story that the author writes about is that detailed and complex that I think you need to get back into the story again to be able to fully appreciate the new books story. Things and the characters that are mentioned throughout this book are things which have been described in previous books so it is now just accepted that you know about these things. It is for this reason that I think that if you're planning on reading this book, you must read the others in the series first. I love this book series and know the world that is wrote about quite well but I think would’ve been struggling to follow without rereading first! 

Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot more than the last book in the series and that is saying something because I adore this book series. I really enjoy the fact that this book see's Paige out and about in other areas of the UK. I feel that this is the book that Paige really develops as a character and despite the fact that she's now Underqueen, she is still absolutely fearless and will do anything to help out when she can. If I had to complain about one thing in this book, its the lack of Warden that appears in the story but again that's only a little thing and more about my story preference than how good the book is. 

Paige in particular develops a lot a a character in this novel. The stakes are higher than ever now she’s the underqueen and her character adapts to this role wonderfully. The pressures of the role clearly show but I really like the actions she takes in this novel. 

This book series has such an incredible way of dragging you into the book. The descriptions are just unbelievable. It’s one of those books that you spend your day worrying about things that are happening in the book. They definitely aren’t happening in your life but you find yourself spending your day worrying about being caught by a Sensheild?! That’s how you know a book is good.

If you’ve loved the book series so far you will absolutely love The Song Rising. If you haven’t yet started reading these books you have to! They’re one of my favourite book series and I’m sure if you’re reading this you’ll love these books too!

Synopsis - 

The hotly anticipated third book in the bestselling Bone Season series – a ground-breaking, dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London's criminal population.   But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging. Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it…

Don't Stop Me Now - Colleen Coleman

Every so often you discover a book which parts of it overlap with your real life so much that you wonder if the author has been secretly spying on you. Well for me, Don't Stop Me Now is that book.

Don't Stop Me Now focussed on main character Poppy Bloom. She has just finished her PhD but suddenly all her life plans have gone four of the window. Her perfect life she has at university has now shattered, unemployed and homeless she's found herself forced to move back into her mums house. One day when she's feeling sorry for her self her life changes forever as she calls into a radio station to air her opinions. This call changes her life as she's offered a job at the radio station. However, now can Poppy successfully balance her work and friends? 

Not one part of this book wasn't likeable. If I had to pinpoint one thing I really loved it's Poppy. She was such a well written and normal character which is very relatable. Poppy’s friends and family are also just delightful to read about. 

As I’ve said before I can completely and utterly relate to this book. I’m sure most graduates have that smack in the face realisation that the life doesn’t end up the way you planned. This book so wonderfully captures that bubble you’re in at university and then how horrendous it is when that bubble pops. From the high of graduating, to the sheer horror of moving back to your childhood bedroom, it’s all just so incredibly described. I loved everything in about this story. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, I loved the friendship groups etc etc.....I just looked this book!

For me, I adore a relatable book and Don’t Stop Me Now is certainly that! I would recommend this book to everyone - I just loved it!

Synopsis - 

Poppy Bloom planned to finish her PhD and walk straight into a job at her university. But here she is, unemployed, unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, and living back at her mum’s in her vampire-themed childhood bedroom.

Not exactly what she was hoping for.

But when Poppy sets her mind to something, nothing can stand in her way. She scores herself an internship at the hottest radio station in town, joins a netball team, and renews her friendship with her oldest friend Leanne. Spending time with Leanne’s gorgeous twin Tom is just a bonus…

But life has a way of tripping you up when you least expect it, and Poppy soon has to decide where her priorities lie… With new friends, a new career and a new romance, can Poppy keep everyone happy, or is everything about to tumble down around her?

Blogtober - Day 3

As ever when you start a challenge obstacles always get in the way - and it’s only day 3! Arghh! I knew that doing blogtober especially without doing a rough plan was already going to be tough - after all failure to plan is planning to fail. That little saying is pretty much the only thing I can remember about my 3 years at university, one of my lecturers used to say that all of the time! I do realise now that perhaps that saying was right and have started making a rough plan of posts for the upcoming weeks otherwise I am going to fail miserably.

I figured thinking of topics to write about would be the toughest thing I’d have to face and trying to fit in how on Earth I’d write said blog posts after a 45 hour working week. I figured I could just push past this with motivation? What I didn’t account for is the fact that I am deathly ill. Ok I may be the queen of over exaggeration and I’m not actually that ill but I am at that awful I’m sneezing so much I’ve gone through 2 entire boxes of tissues in a day and all I want to do is go to sleep stage. Again, I’m going back to the planning to fail point. Perhaps if I’d started writing potential future blog posts in advance if I was ill it wouldn’t have mattered as I would’ve have had things ready to go. 

My work colleagues have been great all day to be fair, in between my constant stream of sneezes I was passed over Lemsips and various tablets which just about helped me get through a 9 hour shift but when I got home today I’ve just been a bit blurghh. I admit it, I’m that pathetic person tonight who sits on the sofa, watching The Great British Bake Off complaining they feel ill after every cough/sneeze. Then whilst in the midst of drowning in my pathetic ill party it dawned on me that I needed to write day 3s blog post! 

So here I am with yet another pointless blog post. I think ultimately, the lesson I’ve learnt fast is that I should’ve planned. Blogtober isn’t something you can just decide to do on the 30th September in the hopes of winging it everyday. Am I the biggest failure of Blogtober? Probably...but I promise i’ll try write things with more point when I’m feeling tip top again.

If anyone reading this has any suggestions on how to get rid of a cold please let me know as I’d very much like to feel ok again now!