10 May 2017

Book Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

It's been a while since I've reviewed a book, and in all honesty, it's been a while since I've actually read a book. For a girl who claims to love reading as much as I do, I don't read enough. Because I'm on a creative writing degree we're assigned books to read and half the time I find them very boring. If I'm forced to read a book then you can guarantee that I'll hate every second of it. Is anyone else like this, or is it just me? 

'All The Bright Places' has been on my reading list for over a year. The first time I heard about this book was on Zoella's channel in one of her monthly favourite videos. I remember her raving about it and saying that if you were a fan of 'The Fault In Our Stars' then you'd love this, so naturally, I put it straight down on my reading list. My lovely friend Caroline kindly gifted me the book for Christmas and I have been trying to read it since then, but have only got round to it now. So without further ado, here's my thoughts. 

When I first opened the book, I didn't know what to expect. I got the feeling that it was going to have some form of heartbreak in it, but what that was going to be, I had no idea. I tried not to hype it up to myself because I didn't want it to let me down, being compared to John Green's best-selling book, it had a lot to live up to. All I can say is that it gripped me straight away and from the moment I started reading, I couldn't stop. There wasn't one point in the story where I felt bored or felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere, it was constantly developing and keeping me guessing. Since starting University, I find that I'm more critical towards the books that I read. I'm constantly in writer mode and I can't seem to switch off, so when a book impresses me as much as this one has then it's definitely a good one. 

The story follows two teens, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey. They couldn't be more different, Violet is the popular girl who everyone wants to be friends with and Finch is the school freak. They meet at the top of a bell tower, where Finch saves Violet from jumping to her death. Finch is suicidal and Violet is overcome with grief from the death of her older sister, Eleanor.  But when they're paired together for a class project an unlikely friendship blossoms. The relationship that forms between Finch and Violet is a breath of fresh air and is so beautiful to read. 

This is a love story, but nothing like you've ever read before. I became so attached to the characters and found myself staying up till the early hours of the morning just to find out what happened to them. The dual narrative helps the novel to create this effect and it's lovely to see both sides of a story. It's such a beautifully heartbreaking story and the way Jennifer Niven approaches taboo topics is incredible. The characters are both relatable, funny and everything you could want from a YA fiction. I can't express how much I love this story. It's so relevant to modern society and it gave me a massive wake up call, as well as a lot to think about. I think everyone should take the time out to read it. It both inspires you to go and see the places that surround you and not to take advantage of the time you have with people. 

The only criticism that I have is that I found the plot a little bit predictable. There's a big twist at the end which I saw coming, it was inevitably going to happen and I would have liked to have been surprised. I'd really like to see a sequel to this story.

'All The Bright Places' - Jennifer Niven
Recommended: YES! 
Rating: 5 Stars

Lots of Love,
Meg
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28 June 2016

Book Review: The Single Girls To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk

The reason why I love reading so much is because it allows you to escape into another world for a while. I'll be very honest with you, I've completely lost the reading bug the past few years, and I completely blame my education for that. I've grown to hate reading because of studying English Literature, you're forced to read to pass an exam, not because you enjoy it. I've been waiting for that one book to get me back into the reading mindset, and now, I think I've finally found it. 
I actually started this book a few months ago, but had to stop reading it due to my studies, however once I'd finished Uni, I picked it back up again and I'm so glad I did. 

'The Single Girls To-Do List' is one of those books that I've been wanting to read for a very long time, and it's pretty self explanatory. The story follows Rachel Summers, a makeup artist who's newly single. Rachel has always had someone to pre-occupy her mind, she's always been in a relationship, but when her long-term boyfriend Simon calls time on their relationship she is left devastated and clueless. It's then down to her two best friends Emilie and Mathew to teach her that it's okay to be single. The group of friends then create a list, but not just any list, a single girls to-do list. This is then the start of a crazy adventure. 

I honestly can't express to you how much this story made me laugh. I don't think a book has made me laugh out-loud in such a long time, and it was a pleasure to read. It was unpredictable, and I loved that because it kept you on your toes. There's nothing I hate more than reading a book, and by the halfway point you pretty much know what's going to happen in the end and that's that. I'd rather be surprised, it's such a thrill. Rachel is such a relatable character, and she resembles a strong independent woman who learns that a woman can survive on her own without a man. We also get to know her friends too, and they're just as crazy. I'd love Mathew as a best friend, he's so awesome. 

It's a book full of laughter, giggles and the importance of having good friends to pick you up when you fall. If you get the chance to read it, then I would 100% recommend it. It is definitely on my top 10 favourites list. 

'Single Girls To-Do List' - Lindsey Kelk
Recommended: YES!
Rating: 5 Stars

Lots of Love,
Meg
xox



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28 December 2015

Where Have You Been?

It's been about three weeks since I last posted on this blog, and I've really really missed it.
I always said that I'd post a lot on here because I was studying writing at Uni, but since my assignments have been flooding in, I haven't even had chance to prepare one single blog post and that upsets me a lot. So, first, I would like to say that I'm sorry. I promise I'm going to post so much on here in the next few weeks! It's been so hectic with Uni, and then work. If you didn't know, I currently work for Disney Store; it's been a job I've wanted since I was a little girl so it really means the world to be to be able to say that once in my life, I worked for the Walt Disney Company. When Uni finished, I was then whisked home to spend time with my family who I haven't seen in a very long time and then it was Christmas! It's been insane!

The next thing I'd like to say is Merry Christmas!! I can't believe how quickly this year has passed, I mean it only seems like two seconds ago when I was writing my blog post about the highlights of 2014, and now I'm in the process of writing about my favorite parts of this year. I hope you all had a really lovely Christmas, I know I did. I got some really lovely presents and was able to spend the day with my family and friends, which meant the world to me. I got some amazing beauty products for Christmas, so keep your eyes peeled for some reviews coming in the New Year!

So, for now, what I'd like to say, is that I'm back and blogging again and to be expecting a lot of blog posts in the coming months. I'm really excited to get back blogging again, and I hope you guys continue to enjoy the posts as much as I love writing them!

Lots of Love,
Meg
xox

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