A Perfect Summer Night Out

Last week, Emma and I attended an author evening at Oh Me Oh My in Liverpool to hear three of my favourite authors Lindsey Kelk, Giovanna Fletcher and Paige Toon speak about their new novels. It was an evening full of laughter, prosecco and books (lots and lots of books!). 

I've never been to an author event before but when I found out that three of my writing inspirations would be touring together, I knew I couldn't miss it. I've been reading Gi and Lindsey since I was around 15 years old and started to read some of Paige's books in college. It sounds cheesy but the three of them inspired me to pursue my passion for writing at university and gave me the confidence to write in the genre that I love. I'm pretty sure that my lecturers were fed up with me going on about how much I love them (sorry Sarah!). 

Oh Me Oh My was the perfect venue for the event. 

Located just opposite the Liver Building, it provided the perfect chilled out atmosphere and the most beautiful views of the city. I've been here once before for my graduation ball and I'll definitely be going again. As we waited for the authors to start their talk, all I could think about was what a perfect wedding venue it would be. 

The ladies spoke about books, how they get inspired and told us all about Paige's fit husband, Greg. The room was full of laughter from the minute they started talking and it's very clear that they all get along so well. I want to be part of their girl gang! 

The audience had an opportunity to ask them some questions and one particular topic mentioned was the 'chick-lit' genre. As a writer of chick-lit, I can confirm that it gets a lot of bad press. Critics class it as an 'easy' genre to write and although for some that might be true, let me tell you now that it is in no way 'easy'. In the words of Gi, who wants to sit there and read a book full of big words that you don't understand? People want to read something real and from the heart, something they can pick up, open on any page and understand what's going on. Just listening to them talk about the genre made me so proud to be a writer of chick-lit. 

Lindsey is one of the only authors who is guaranteed make me laugh and let me tell you now, she's even funnier in person. She had us in stitches with everything she said. She started the talk by raising her glass of wine and saying, 'it's Tuesday, it's nearly the end of the week.' 

That's going to be my new life motto. 

We then had the opportunity to go and get our books signed. I took one book from each author, although I wish I would've taken more because I have quite the collection at home. The ladies were even lovelier in real life and I know I was a rambling mess when it was my turn to speak to them. I basically just thanked them for my degree and inspiring me to write. They are three of the loveliest people I've ever spoken to. 

I left Oh Me Oh My feeling inspired. 

Hearing them speak about their passion for writing and being in a room full of avid readers, like myself, made me feel so content. I came out of that talk feeling more inspired than my entire degree made me feel in three years. 

If you're yet to read anything by Paige, Lindsey or Gi then I highly recommend grabbing one of their books. I promise you won't regret it. 

Hopefully one day I can have a novel of my own on a bookshelf next to theirs!

Lots of love,

Meg

xxx

What I've Been Reading: August 2017

My work schedule has been hectic so I haven't been able to read as much as I wanted to this summer. That being said, I have managed to read two books that were recommended to me by friends and I have some very strong, and quite controversial, reviews on them. 

'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' - Jenny Han

The first book I read this Summer was the 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' by Jenny Han. This is the first in the series of the Lara Jean trilogy - a series I'd heard so much about - so I was very excited to see what all the hype was about. I'll admit, my expectations were pretty high but I can't help but feel disappointed by what I read. The story follows Lara Jean, a young girl who lives with her father and two sisters and who seems like a hopeless romantic. Lara has a box of letters that she's written to every boy she's ever 'loved' - and I'm saying 'loved' very lightly as I don't see how you can know what true love is at that age. These letters are for her eyes only, she has no intention of sending them to anyone, but when her crush Peter approaches her with the letter in his hand she realises that her letters are no longer her little secret.

In terms of plot, I was very impressed - it's the perfect teen book and I know I would have loved it if I would have been 13. However, it was very poorly written and at times it felt like I was reading one of those awful fanfictions that we've all read when we've gone through an obsessive phase with a band. For me, one of the most important aspects of reading is having a connection with the characters but I just didn't find myself connecting with anyone - it was only towards the end of that story that I started to feel sympathetic towards Lara and if I'm honest with you, I'm very surprised I made it to the end. I think the main reason for the lack of connection was the poor description and imagery, I struggled to picture the scenes in my mind meaning it took me a while to really get into the story. Don't get me wrong, it's the perfect book if you're not an avid reader and just want something you can dip into now and again but don't be counting on it to be amazing because it really isn't. 

Despite the criticism, the ending was such a cliffhanger and I couldn't believe what I was reading. Do you ever finish a book and are so shaken by the ending that you just sit there clapping your hands in excitement, raring to find out what happens next? Because that was me. I need to know what happens to Lara and Peter - I know I would've been in love with Peter - and if Margot and Josh ever get back together. Jenny Han may not be the best for description but she must have been doing something right to make me want to buy the second book in the series. 

'Girl Online: Going Solo' - Zoe Sugg

The second book I read was 'Girl Online: Going Solo' by Zoe Sugg aka Zoella, an author, blogger, and YouTuber loved by her millions of fans around the world. This is the third book in her 'Girl Online' series, one of which I have followed and loved since it was first released. The story follows Penny and her adventures after Noah's departure in the second book. I remember that ending being another cliffhanger so I couldn't wait to see what happened to Penny and to see if Noah ever made a return. 

Overall, I was very impressed with the story and it's definitely her best written from the series. However, I did prefer the plot of 'Girl Online: On Tour', it had more twists and turns, was less predictable and I remember reading it very quickly. The story is very 'Uniquely Zoe' and although the plot is obvious in parts, I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It was so nice to see the development of Penny as a character - she's really grown up in the same way her readers have. I think Zoe has got the perfect balance of keeping it as a young adult book whilst tackling modern day issues that affect the younger generation. 

If I could critique anything about the book, and this is only a very small criticism from a writing perspective, it would be that Zoe gives too much away. When we're in a lecture, we're always told to show instead of tell - an example of this would be if someone is sad, instead of writing 'Penny was sad' you'd describe her emotions. facial expressions and actions and then let the audience do the rest. If there's one thing I've learned from my degree, it's that you need to let the audience do some thinking work or else they'll get bored. Although the book was cringeworthy in parts, I'm very interested to see where it goes next. 

'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' - Jenny Han
Recommended: Maybe

Rating: 2 Stars

'Girl Online: Going Solo' - Zoe Sugg

Recommended: Yes

Rating: 4 Stars

Lots of Love,
Meg

xox

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What I've Been Reading: July 2017

The first book I read in July was actually a Christmas book called 'The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily' by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It's the sequel to 'Dash and Lily's Book of Dares' which was one of my favourite books as a teen. Why did you choose to read a Christmas book in July? I hear you ask. Well, it's been sat on my shelf for a few months and I couldn't wait until Christmas to see what happened to Dash and Lily (the anticipation was killing me). Before I start the review, I'd recommend re-reading the original story before starting this one; it's been years since I read the original and I found myself getting confused with some of the characters. The story follows Dash and Lily in the twelve days before Christmas. Dash can see that Lily is losing her love for Christmas; what with her family moving away, her brother moving out and her Grandpa being in the hospital, there's no festive twinkle in her eyes. But Dash is determined to make this a Christmas to remember and remind Lily why she loves the festive season so much. 

Overall, it was a really good book. It was nice to just dip into from time to time and I found it to be quite a slow read. Although the story was adorable, I didn't find myself hooked on it where I couldn't put it down. Instead, I just read it as and when I pleased, which was nice as sometimes books can be a little bit too intense. Dash and Lily are as cute as ever; Dash is hilarious but Lily annoyed me more than I remember her doing in the first book. I think her character over-reacted a lot and I remember thinking 'Calm down, Lily' a lot. 

The plot was brilliant; there were constant twists and I found myself not knowing what was going to happen next which was something that I really liked about the book. There's nothing I hate more than reading a story that is so predictable and you just know what's going to happen next. However, this story was one of those where I thought I knew what was going to happen but then things took a completely different turn. I found myself experiencing a mixture of different emotions; it made me cringe, laugh, cry and fall in love all over again. I now remember why I loved the first book so much. It was extremely well written and the perfect story to get you into the Christmas spirit (I think I'm going to re-read it when we get closer to the festive season!) 

The next book I read was 'A Night in with Audrey Hepburn' by Lucy Holliday. I found this book in a small bookshop in Southport, saw the word Audrey Hepburn and already knew that it was right up my street. If you didn't already know, Audrey Hepburn is one of my idols and I do everything I can to be like her. It's the first in the 'A Night in with...' series and if this is anything to go by, then I can't wait to read the rest. The story follows Libby, a young girl who's forced into the acting lifestyle by her mother. However, when she suffers an embarrassing incident on the set of her latest show, her day just goes from bad to worse. That is until Audrey Hepburn turns up on her sofa, a Fairy Godmother to help turn her wrongs into rights. 

If you're an Audrey Hepburn fan, then this is the story for you. It is absolutely brilliant. Libby is such a relatable character and the banter between her and Audrey is hilarious. I spent many nights laughing out loud at how funny they were together. It had a Bridget Jones vibe about it, I found myself laughing at Libby's expense with all the hilariously cringy things that happened to her but at the same time, I was rooting for her, it somehow felt like she was a friend. The imagery was so vivid and I could picture every character and every scenario they found themselves in; it was like a movie playing in my head. Dillon O'Hara was such a dreamboat. 

It's clear that a lot of research has gone into the story as the character of Audrey was so believable, from the way she spoke to the way dressed. I could see her sitting on the sofa, cutting Libby's hair and giving her a make over. The small reference to her at the end of the story almost brought me to tears, I'm not going to say anymore as I don't want to ruin it for you when you read it. There were so many subtle hints to Audrey throughout the story and it was so cleverly written by Holliday. I found that the story inspired me, I've found myself asking 'What would Audrey do?' when I find myself in a tricky situation or 'What would Audrey wear?' when I'm going out and I can find nothing in my wardrobe. I just wish she'd turn up on my sofa and be my BFF. 

However, the book did have some very minor faults. It's very clear that it needs editing as I spotted a lot of mistakes in printing and sometimes the story rambled on a little too much. The perks of reading as a writer. Despite this, I read the book in a week and I couldn't put it down. I loved the personal issues touch; the book was less about Audrey Hepburn and more about Libby's relationship with her Father. It had everything going on and I didn't find myself getting bored at all. It's definitely one of my new favourite books and I'd recommend it to everyone. 

'The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily' - Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Recommended: Yes

Rating: 3.5 Stars

'A Night in with Audrey Hepburn' - Lucy Holliday 

Recommended: Yes

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

If you have any book recommendations then leave them in the comments!

Lots of Love,
Meg

xox

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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

xox

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My Top 10 'Must-Reads'

I can never understand people who don't like reading, how can you dislike something so amazing? Does it seriously not fascinate you that someone has created an imaginary world in their mind and put this world into words, therefore creating a story to share with you? Ever since I was a little girl, reading books has always been something I have been passionate about which could be an explanation as to why I'm currently doing a creative writing degree. 

If someone tells me that they hate reading or they prefer watching the film to reading the book then I always bring out my list of my must-read books, and they've seriously got some people back into reading again. The list I'm about to share with you is a collection of my favourite books, all of which have moved me or made me want to read them over and over again. Also, I will just make a disclaimer and say that this list changes a lot so if you ever want any book recommendations then make sure you tweet me! 

1 ♡ Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
'P.S. Please give my love to Tink. She was always a funny little bug' 

2 ♡ To Kill A MockingBird by Harper Lee
'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it' 

3 ♡ The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
'I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly, and then all at once' 

4 ♡ The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
'I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool' 

5 ♡ Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
'Why is it that the right people never wind up together? Why are people so afraid to leave a relationship even if they know it's a bad one?' 

6 ♡ Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan
'Yes, girls want their Princes, but boys want their Princesses just as much'

7 ♡ The Single Girls To Do List by Lindsey Kelk
'Bloddy Facebook - and to think I'd enjoyed the social network. Clearly Mark Zuckerberg was the devil'

8 ♡ The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
'And if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have. Good and bad.'

9 ♡ Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher
'It's funny how friends we were so close to now only exist on our computers as a bunch of photos and status updates'

10 ♡ 1984 by George Orwell
'The best books...are those that tell you what you know already'


What are your must-read books? Leave me some suggestions in the comments!

Lots of Love,
Meg
xox

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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. 

You can buy the book here.

'Single Girls To-Do List' - Lindsey Kelk

Recommended: YES!

Rating: 5 Stars

Lots of Love,

Meg

xox

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Harper Lee 'Go Set A Watchman' Review

It's the event I've been eagerly anticipating for for over a year now. When Harper Lee announced that she was going to be writing a sequel to 'To Kill A Mockingbird', I had it pre-ordered straight away and it was all I talked about for weeks. Since being introduced to 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by my English teacher who allowed the class to study it as part of our GCSE exams, I fell in love with the book, the characters and Maycomb. Since then, I've read it another five times and I can safely say that it's one of my favourite books, there is no doubt about that.

On July 14th, when the notification came through that the book had downloaded onto my Kindle, I was up straight away, snuggled in a blanket and started to read. The novel follows Scout, the main character both novels. However, this time, instead of being a young girl, she's grown up and has come back to Maycomb from New York to visit her father Atticus. A lot has changed, and there are some massive bombshells; many of my favourite characters from the first novel are no longer with us. It's not just this that has changed though, it seems that society has changed, and along with it, Atticus has changed too. Scout can't understand why Atticus has changed and it's amazing to follow Scout's thoughts and see how she has developed from a little girl with a big imagination into a woman who is so aware about society and is extremely intellectual.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and it was lovely to revisit some of the iconic characters who I came to know and love. It's weird to see how they all developed and what they're doing now, because some people are doing things you would never have imagined. However, in comparison to 'To Kill A Mockingbird' I would say that the novel is a little bit of a let down and is nowhere near as good as the original. If I had one complaint about the novel, it would be that we didn't hear anything about Boo Radley, because for me, that's the character who I really wanted to hear about. I thought he would have at least been mentioned just a little bit, but there was nothing about him and it was a big disappointment to me.

If you're going to read the book, the advice I would give you is to read 'To Kill A Mockingbird' first just so that you can get to know the characters and the setting. It'll make the sequel a little bit easier to understand.

'Go Set A Watchman' - Harper Lee
Recommended: YES
Rating: 4 stars

Lots of Love
Meg
xox

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