Stealing houses, stealing hearts (e.g. mine)

The Boy Who Steals Houses ~ C.G. Drews

Hello everyone!

Wow so it’s been awhile since I properly reviewed a book on here. My life has been busy busy busy. But I have been reading loads! Including The Boy Who Steals Houses by the wonderful C.G. Drews, aka Paperfury. I’ve always looked up to Cait because she’s a great blogger but also a brilliant writer! It’s hard to be so successful at both, but I think Cait is doing really well with her books. Her debut, A Thousand Perfect Notes, which I reviewed last year, broke me into a million pieces, and I’m yet to forgive Cait for that, but I thought I’d still give her second book a go. (Who am I kidding? I was wetting myself with excitement for this book.) Just as I was beginning to heal from her previous attack on my emotions novel, this book broke me into a million pieces too so oops.

15-year-old Sam has been running for years now. Running from the police, from his aunt, from his past… All he has now is his older brother Avery, and a bag full of keys. He breaks into houses at night in search of a comfort he’s never known: a home. But one day it all goes wrong when a family returns home while Sam is still inside. He is sucked into this whirlwind of a family, and takes a liking to wild but caring Moxie, for the first time in his life feeling like he actually belongs somewhere. But Sam can’t keep running forever. His past still hangs over him, Avery is starting to get into trouble, and any day now this family will discover that he’s not who they think he is…

OUCH this book hurt my heart. And also made me feel physical pain because (be warned) there is quite a bit of violence in this. Which just makes it all the more sad, really. Coming from quite an abusive family, Sam has become accustomed to instinctively turning to violence when it comes to solving certain problems, especially to protect his brother Avery.

Avery is autistic and, although he’s older, Sam has always felt the need to look after him, particularly because they really only have each other to care for them. I liked how their relationship was explored more deeply through flashbacks, when it was naturally stronger as they were spending every day together and had to go through so much by themselves so relied only on each other. In the present, there isn’t really that much of Avery as he has found a place to live, and the brothers seem to have grown a little distant. But I loved how they sort of reunited at the end (spoiler?) with their whole “You and me. We.” thing that gets me all teary because sibling love, ya know? *sniffs*

My favourite times in the book were with the crazy De Lainey family. I would honestly miss them when they weren’t in a chapter, just as, I’m sure, Sam did. I loved having a glimpse into the lives of this family. They were constantly bickering (oooh so relatable) but also they’re having to rely on each other after the loss of their mum and they’re struggling not to fall apart with just one parental figure looking after 7 kids. Moxie is kinda mad (and very tired, bless her) because she has to babysit the two really young kids in the family so she feels like she’s replacing their mum, which makes her angry at her older brothers and father for putting her in that position. This all means that when Sam shows up after, ya know, breaking into their house, it’s clear to see that this wounded family need Sam just as much as he needs them. It’s kind of a story of two families that are both desperately missing something, but they begin to heal when they find each other.

But, while it sounds like this book is all tears and shattered pieces of my heart, I have to say there are way more light-hearted moments than there were in ATPN, so thanks, Cait! Moxie’s older brothers, Jack and Jeremy, are the life and soul of the party and I love ’em to bits, especially Jeremy (the softer twin)!! So yeah you will have a laugh because of them, but also there were lots of other warm, fluffy moments which made the book generally a more enjoyable read.

As expected from Cait, the writing was brilliant. The wit is A+ but also the more serious chapters were filled with emotion and meaning and it was beautiful and heartbreaking to read. And our main characters, Sam and Moxie, were great. Honestly I feel like they’re the kind of people in school who you just wouldn’t expect to be together, but they have fun together, and they really depend on and bring out the best in each other.

I was going to finish by talking about the ending but… I just can’t. Bruh, it broke me. Mr De Lainey’s lil speech about houses and stuff… oh, that got me. Cue the tears. I can feel them. They’re on their way. Sorry I just need to go compose myself… *sobs*

Clover count: ♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣ (9/10)

6th Blogiversary!

Hi everyone! It’s a bit late, but happy blogiversary to me!

I just want to say thank you to all my followers for reading my blog! The fact that people give their time – even just a smidgen of it – to my blog means a lot to this lil blueberry.

As always, I’ve got to thank Alyssa for being my number one commenter with 179 comments in total! And of course being my blogging bestie. She’s pretty cool, y’all. Go check out her blog.

As for some other stats, I’ve just hit 500 likes! My top viewing day is Wednesday, so that’s nice. Wednesdays are great. This will be my 160th post! And I’m almost at 100 followers! I have 94 so far, but I recently got Bloglovin’ and I have a few on there so maybe I’ve reached 100 by now? Eh, I’m not really counting it.

Anyway, sorry to cut this post short, but I’ve got lots of other posts waiting to be written… 🙂

Long time no see…

Hello all!

So yeah, it’s been a while… My year has been pretty busy, but I miss blogging so thought I’d squeeze in some time to pop back on here and say hi! I’ve been reading lots and building up post ideas, so hopefully I’ll have those written up and posted soon. But also I don’t feel the need to apologise really because I do this blog for fun so I shouldn’t have to stress about not posting. Anyway, my 6th blogiversary is coming up this month (wow blog, when d’ya get so old?) so now’s a good a time as any to get back into blogging!

I’m just gonna leave y’all with my summer TBR. I’ve got to make the most of this last month of summer! I’m going on holiday next week which will give me a chance to eat through this list a bit.

(click the booky photos to go to their goodreads page)

Pride and Prejudice ~ Jane Austen

My English Literature exam has been and gone so I don’t even need to read this anymore… (umm maybe I should’ve read it before the exam hehe oops) But while I was trying to read it quickly the week before my exam in May, I actually started to really enjoy it, though only got about a quarter of the way in. So yeah, gotta finish it sometime soon.

The Astonishing Colour of After ~ Emily X.R. Pan

This book shouldn’t really be on my TBR because I’m literally reading it right now, but I’m a rebel. And yeah I really want to finish it soon because I have no clue how it’s going to end and I NEED TO KNOW. But also I have a lot of books to get through this month so hopefully it won’t be too long now, and I’m ready to sob when it happens.

Frankenstein ~ Mary Shelley

I actually have to read this one for school because I’m taking English Lit next year (which y’all know I’ll be amazing at eheh let’s just ignore the fact that I didn’t even read Pride and Prejudice…) but also if you saw my 2019 TBR those many moons ago, you’ll know that I do want to read it too so hopefully it won’t be too much of a chore! It looks pretty short.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles ~ Thomas Hardy

Like Frankenstein, I have to read this for September, but unlike Frankenstein I’m not particularly looking forward to reading it. My sister read it for English too and she kinda hated it so I’m a bit worried I will too… but we shall see! If you’ve read it and enjoyed it then do let me know 🙂

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom ~ Leigh Bardugo

Last but not least, I must must must read the Six of Crows duology this summer. My friend and I read the Grishaverse trilogy together (review coming soon!) but she read this duology ahead of me and I’m scared that if I don’t read it by the end of summer she will attack me with spoilers. But also I know I likely won’t finish both that quick because these are hefty books, people. Wish me luck.

You’re welcome bookish people for this lovely summer TBR! Yes I’m aware that none of these books is remotely summery, but oh well. As aforementioned, I’m a rebel.

I want to keep this post brief (well, I tried) so this lil blueberry is signing off now. (But speaking of blueberries, I tried blueberry juice recently and ooh it was tasty. 100% recommend.)

What’s on your summer TBR? Have you read any of these? If so, tell me your thoughts on them!

Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events ~ season 2 review

Hey guys! I’m back! I have returned to the land of blogging with a review. Not just any ol’ book review though, oh no. I am doing a TV show review. A lil while (um 2 years) ago I reviewed the first season of Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, so today I thought I’d finally review season 2, seeing as tomorrow marks one year since the second season of the show was released. Yep, I’m a whole year late, but better late than never right? Right…?

I actually haven’t finished the third season yet! Even though it’s been out for a solid 3 months now! I know, I’m a terrible Lemon – a word which here means “a big Snicket fan” – but I’m reading the books as I go which turned out to be a big mistake because wow do I have a lot of other books to read and exams to study for. But I just couldn’t resist rereading this brilliant series! Once I’ve finished season 3, I’ll review that so keep your eyes peeled because that could be very soon!

Also I’d like to say that I finished this particular season quite a while ago, so don’t expect much from this review because I really have forgotten most of what happened. I had lots of help from the wonderful Fandom wikia website to jog my memory…

Beware: this review may contain some (minor) spoilers for the books and show.

This season follows books 5-9 which is where the series really starts to get juicy. The Baudelaires begin the season at Prufrock Prep where they have to live in a shack and get teased by the charming Carmelita Spats. She’s so horrible in the books, but in the show she’s mostly just super annoying to the point where I actually found her scenes fun to watch. I think she was cast really well. Her lil musical numbers really just top it all off. AND OH WHEN SHE SNIFFED THAT CAKE! At first I was slightly confused, but then it clicked and I was in a fit of giggles.

I absolutely adore the Quagmires, Duncan and Isadora! I think they were also cast well. They are so so cute and loyal to the Baudelaires and I love them, though I didn’t really like how there was a romance hinted at between Duncan and Violet, but then again maybe I just want the show to stick to the books as closely as possible.

But then again (again) the new storyline between Olivia and Jacques Snicket was one of my favourite things about this season. Jacques’ character was so much more developed than in the books (or book, he’s literally just in one), as was Olivia’s. That’s what I really like about the show – it doesn’t just give you the Baudelaire’s story. We saw more of Olaf, as well as the other characters like Jacques and Olivia and silly old Mr Poe. Also Esmé is just fabulous and I love how she’s been adapted from the books. For starters, she’s British! I find it so funny how many villains are British, like guys some of us can be nice sometimes?? I mean yes, not very often but also like… it’s hard, ok?

Still a massive fan of the opening theme song and how it changes for each book! Love it!

This part of the story is where the Baudelaires begin to really travel and the settings get more interesting, meaning it gets more difficult for the show when it comes to building sets and whatnot but I think it was all done so well. The set looked amazing! The hot air mobile home especially was wildly impressive. And speaking of! This season has in it my favourite of the Baudelaire’s guardians, Hector! What a lovely man. I wouldn’t mind at all leaving my life on the ground to live with Hector in his hot air mobile home and eat Mexican food every day.

If you’re thinking of watching this show but haven’t read the books, then still watch it! It’s a very entertaining show in my opinion. But to get a real understanding of the plot you might want to read the books, because I found it quite hard to follow even though I watched it literally just after putting the book down. I felt like this with Harry Potter too. I grew up watching and enjoying the films, but never truly got what was going on until I read the books. And I mean yes I was young when I watched the films so obviously didn’t understand literally anything going on around me anyway, but still! I think most of the time it’s better to read the book(s) as well as the film(s) or show, just to get better insight into the story that a screen adaptation can’t always provide. Basically, go watch the show and read the books because both are fabulous! Snicket is a genius!

Clover count: ♣♣♣♣♣♣♣ (7/10)

5 book series I’m yet to finish (oops)

Hey guys!

In my book look forward for 2019, I mentioned that I would try to finish some series this year that have been sitting neglected on my shelf for FAR TOO LONG, poor things. I started and enjoyed the books I got up to, but… for various reasons, I’ve never finished them. Today I’ll be listing some of the series that I’m yet to finish, in hopes that it’ll encourage me to finally get round to these books. I literally can’t stand not finishing things I’ve started, and yet there are so so many things… I’m a busy blueberry, ok?

(click the booky photos to go to their goodreads page)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard ~ Rick Riordan

I mentioned in my book look forward that I would (hopefully) read the last two books in the series this year, because I miss Riordan! His books are just bursting with wonderful adventures, as well as scenes that give everyone aaaaall the feels. Lots of pain and death… but they’re lovely books! I swear!! Hehe. I hope this series is as good as PJO and HOO because I adore those two, and the Magnus Chase books are QUITE CHUNKY so I don’t want to strain my muscles for nothing.

How to Train Your Dragon ~ Cressida Cowell

I’m not going to read this whole series because, as you can see from the above photo, it’s very long and, however much I love HTTYD, I’d rather read more YA than the entirety of this kids series. I do plan on reading some of them though! So far I’ve only read the first one, but I own the next two so will get round to them some time soon, especially as they won’t take very long to read. Also the third film is OUT TODAY and wow am excited to go see it.

The Maze Runner ~ James Dashner

So, I have read the trilogy but not the prequels. Yes, yes, I know I don’t need to read those, especially as I didn’t particularly enjoy the series after the first book… but I own The Kill Order so I just feel obligated to read it. Then once I read that I’ll feel obligated to read The Fever Code, even though I don’t have it. So I must and will finish this entire series someday, I promise! And maybe reread the first book because it’s great and I loveeeee it.

Thursday Next ~ Jasper Fforde

When I read the first book a few years ago, not gonna lie here I wasn’t a big fan. I think I gave it 3 stars? But now that I’m a bit older, I feel like I’d enjoy the book more. I have the second one so I want to read that, though I’ll probably stop there because there are 8 books in total and that’s just too much commitment for me (she says, while currently reading the 13 books of A Series of Unfortunate Events…) unless I actually enjoy the second book. We shall see!

Ruby Redfort ~ Lauren Child

Aww, I read the first three books in this series when I was in primary school and Ruby was honestly my role model. Catch Your Death, if I remember correctly, was the first book that made me cry, though I was kinda crying with relief when Hitch arrived to save the day (spoiler) so does it count? Anyway, now that the last three books are out and on my shelf (many thanks to my lovely friend who gave them to me) I must finish this series! I miss Ruby and her codes.

There you have it, folks! 5 series I’m yet to finish. These aren’t even all of them, they’re just the ones that I actually want to and can finish because I own most of the books I haven’t read. I’m hoping 2019 will be the year of finishing off series so I can live a slightly less guilty bookish life!

Which series are you yet to finish? Have you read the ones I haven’t got round to yet? Who’s excited for the third HTTYD film because I SURE AM EEK. I’m going to go rewatch the first two now, not because I need to refresh my memory (I’ve seen them so many times that I literally know them by heart) but simply because I adore them and so should you.

Also, don’t forget to enter my blogiversary competition! Just send a review of your favourite trilogy to simizat@yahoo.co.uk (that’s meee) and you could win an ebook! Exciting times, y’all.

(Who else is just stressed out by the fact that the singular and plural of ‘series’ is the same?)

Ok, now I’m actually going to end this post. Happy February, my bookish friends!

Fact File: Percy Jackson

Hey guys!

So I’m moving on from fact files of The Maze Runner characters and have decided to do Rick Riordan characters next! His books are also favourites of mine because obviously. Have you read them? They’re fun and adorable and exciting and I should really reread them! I miss Percy and Co.

Also there’s still time to enter my third competition! All you have to do is send a review of a trilogy you like to simizat@yahoo.co.uk and you could win an ebook! Exciting times. Please note: it can be an old review if you wish!

Anyway, let’s get back to the fact file!

Percy Jackson :
Gender : Male
Age : 17 (as of most recent book)
Occupation : Head Counselor of Poseidon's cabin
Famous for : leadership, sarcasm, Son of Poseidon
Starring in : Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Books 1-5 and Films 1 and 2 (actor : Logan Lerman),
Heroes of Olympus (Books 2-5), Magnus Chase and the
Gods of Asgard (Book 2), Trials of Apollo (Book 1)
Comment:
Although he isn't the best student, having been kicked out of many
schools, Percy has always been talented in a very different way,
despite not knowing it until he was 12. His courage (and ability to
make a joke) even in the most terrifying of situations often aids
him and his friends. However his most admirable quality, though
also his greatest weakness, is without a doubt his undying loyalty.
Percy never really felt like he fit in anywhere until he arrived at
Camp Half-Blood, and he'd do anything to protect the friends he has
made there, Annabeth in particular (they're so cute ahh my OTP).

To learn more about Percy, click here.

Book look forward ~ 2019

Hey guys! Happy 2019! This past year has gone by so quickly, yet so much has happened and so many great books have been read. Check out my book look back on 2018 if you want to know what those books were in particular 😉

Today, though, we aren’t looking back at 2018, but looking forward at 2019! Usually my book look forwards discuss the books I received for Christmas, but this year I didn’t get any, because otherwise my bookshelf would burst with all the books I’ve been given for Christmas/my birthday over the years that I still haven’t read. So instead today I’ll just be listing some of those books, that I’ll hopefully get round to this year!

(Although, with a £20 gift card I got from my sister, I’ve bought two new books anyway…)

(click the booky photos to go to their goodreads page)

Harry Potter ~ J.K. Rowling

Ahhh it’s been like 5 years since I read this wonderful series! I miss it immensely!! Whenever my family marathon the films, it reminds me how desperately I need to reread it. Last Christmas I received the special Gryffindor edition of the first book, which was just another prod. Don’t worry Harry, 2019 will be the year I come back to you!

All the Wrong Questions ~ Lemony Snicket

I loooove this series almost as much as I love A Series of Unfortunate Events (eek the third season of the Netflix show is out!!) because IT’S SO DARN CLEVER. I would reread it every time a new book in the series came out, but I haven’t reread it since finishing because the ending of the fourth book stressed me out, which I guess was Snicket’s intention BUT STILL.

Ruby Redfort ~ Lauren Child

I’ve only actually read books 1 to 3 of this series, and that was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and the last three hadn’t come out yet. But now that they’re all out – and more importantly, all on my bookshelf – I must finish the series once and for all. Ruby is literally my role model. Why can’t we all be secret agents at 13?

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard ~ Rick Riordan

Yes, all of the books on my rereads list for 2019 are series. I guess I just like rereading them more than standalones? Like with Ruby Redfort, I need to actually finish this series, because I’ve only read the first one. Luckily I have both of the other two, so it won’t be any hassle to finish this. Also I can’t believe in 2018 I didn’t read any Riordan! I’ve missed him.

Frankenstein ~ Mary Shelley

Ooh, spooky cover. I was trying to find the least spooky one but… there aren’t many, I can tell you that. I’ve been meaning to read Frankenstein, ever since I studied the shorter play version at school, and read the biographical graphic novel Mary’s Monster last summer (so dark and beautiful, definitely recommend) but I’m hoping the original isn’t too creepy.

Peter Pan ~ J.M. Barrie

The animated Peter Pan is no doubt my favourite Disney classic and, like most people who watched the 2003 adaptation when they were younger, I had a big ol’ crush on Jeremy Sumpter’s Peter. Also, Alyssa over at readinganyone has recommended this book to me quite a few times, as it’s her favourite classic, so I will read it this year, Alyssa! Promise!

Pride and Prejudice ~ Jane Austen

This is one of my English Literature texts but I haven’t actually read it all the way through yet, so this year is my chance. I literally grew up watching the BBC adaptation because we didn’t have TV when I was little so obviously the next thing you turn to as a parent of small children is tapes of period dramas. I had an interesting childhood…

The Grisha Trilogy ~ Leigh Bardugo

I literally just finished the first book and the second is waiting in my Kindle library! I’ll write a review soon, probably of the trilogy as a whole once I’ve read it, but honestly I don’t know how I feel about it?? I mean, I enjoyed reading it and gave it 4 stars on Goodreads so I guess I thought it was pretty good, just not amazing. Let’s hope the other two are 5 stars!

The Astonishing Colour of After ~ Emily X.R. Pan

This book is just gorgeous! I’ve seen it here and there on the internet, so decided to buy it when I spotted it while hunting for books to buy with my sister’s gift card. From the blurb this book seems like a really sad one, but I’ve heard great things about it so I’ll definitely be reading it this year. I mean, John Green recommends so how can I not give it a try?

The Colour of the Sun ~ David Almond

Look at me with all my ‘colour’ books. This was my second buy using my sister’s gift card because I was drawn in (again) by the pretty cover. The saying goes ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, buuuut let’s just admit that we all do when it actually comes to books. This one also looks quite sad… can 2019 be more emotional book-wise than 2018? We shall see.

I’m thinking of blogging only twice a month, because this year’s gonna be a busy one for me and I think I’m more likely to stick to blogging twice a month than every week

This year I will reach 100 followers!

And I will (try to) write a book!

Write 5 discussion posts

Read 35 books

(How satisfying is it that my goals are arranged in a lil upside-down pyramid?? I’m an artist really.)

There you have it, folks! My book look forward for 2019. This means that, sadly, the end of the book look season is upon us once more, but don’t you worry, because I’m already getting started on my 2019 TBR! And I’ll (hopefully) be back in two weeks with some feedback on that.

Also eek season 3 of A Series of Unfortunate Events is out on Netflix, so keep your eyes peeled for my review! Which will come after my season 2 review that I still haven’t written hehe oops.

Happy New Year, guys! What have you been up to? What’s on your 2019 TBR? Goals for this year?

Book look back ~ 2018

Hey guys!

My favourite time of year has come around again – the season of book look posts! It only consists of 2 posts, one looking back and one forward, but it’s exciting nevertheless. The first of the two, this book look back, is a general wrapping up of the year where I list my fave books of 2018 and reflect on my achievements. I’m also kind of linking up with Top Ten Tuesday for their Top Ten Books of 2018 prompt, except I’m only listing 5 books and today isn’t Tuesday… oh well.

Before we begin the post, just so y’all know there’s still time to enter my third blogging contest! Send a review – old or new – of any bookish trilogy to simizat@yahoo.co.uk and the winner, who will be announced in the new year, will win an ebook of their choice. Good luck!

Without further ado, let’s take a book look back at this year!

(click the booky photos to go to their goodreads page)

The perks of being a wallflower ~ Stephen Chbosky

Wow, this is honestly a bookish masterpiece. I’m glad I started off the year with such a good read! Charlie is just the sweetest narrator and, by the end of the book, I felt like I had made a friend. Also the loving relationship he had with his family was so refreshing, and Charlie’s friends were so unique and wild but super caring all at once. Basically this book is cute and fluffy, while also being thought-provoking and insightful, and I think that everyone can and should read it.

A Monster Calls ~ Patrick Ness

This one was really moving because the story is so tragic, but beautifully told. I don’t know why I hadn’t picked up a Ness book until this one? But I’m definitely doing it again soon, probably with the Chaos Walking trilogy because I found it at my school library! Anyway, this book is a work of art because the storytelling is excellent, the writing enchanted me. I could feel what Conor felt. It was all so vivid and magical and heartbreaking and you must read this masterpiece now.

A Thousand Perfect Notes ~ C.G. Drews (Paperfury)

Ahh, Cait’s debut! I just noticed that so far all the books on my list have been pretty heart-smattering… and there’s more to come. 2018 has been an emotional year, especially when precious lil Beck from A Thousand Perfect Notes is around to steal your soul with his beautiful piano playing and loving heart. This boy needs a hug. At least he has lovely August and his wild sister, Joey. I can’t wait for Cait’s second book, The Boy Who Steals Houses, in April!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda ~ Becky Albertalli

Oh look! Pretty much the only solidly happy and fluffy book on my list today. Aren’t we all grateful for a bit of happiness and fluff from dorky Simon? I watched the film adaptation earlier this year in the cinema and just thought wow that adorable-ness needs to be read, so I stole it from my sister (thanks sis) and read it at the perfect time – summer! This book centers around Simon and his friends and family so it was just fun and a pleasant read, with great diversity.

Salt to the Sea ~ Ruta Sepetys

I haven’t reviewed this book, because I don’t think any words can really do it justice. The story is slow to start, but gradually we are introduced to the deepest, darkest parts of four young minds, all on a journey to safety, all carrying a secret… and wow, the writing was so beautiful and meaningful. When I finished this book I was in tears. There are so many stories, like this one, out there that are hidden in the depths of history and need to come to light. This is a must read!

Actually try to blog every week ~ yeah, this didn’t work out too well this year because I only wrote 22 posts…

Branch out with my posts ~ don’t really know how I was thinking of branching out? I mean, I did another mini reviews post, but other than that my posts weren’t too different this year.

Reach 100 followers ~ I’m at 89, so almost there! I got Bloglovin’ this year so I have a few more followers from that.

Read 41 books (one up from my goal of 40 in 2017) ~ I read 31, which is 10 more than last year!

Write a book for NaNoWriMo ~ not quite yet. I did start writing a few but didn’t get very far.

I’m thinking of making my 2019 goals a lil more achievable…

Thanks for reading guys! What were your best reads of 2018? Have you read the ones on my list? What did you think of them? Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for my second book look post, a book look forward to 2019!

Mini reviews ~ succumbing to the hype of YA contemporaries

Hey guys!

In my last post – a pretty mammoth bookish tag – I announced some of my upcoming reviews, so today I have for you the first of those many! Plus two others, all squished into one post, because I actually read one back in April I think, and the other two in August, so this post is long overdue. But they’re nice books to review towards the end of the year, ones considered ‘hyped’ due to their popularity and, for two of them, film adaptations! (Still waiting on a The Sky is Everywhere film…)

(click the booky photos to go to their goodreads page)

The Sky is Everywhere ~ Jandy Nelson

Lennie’s older sister Bailey has just died, and Lennie finds that the only person she can rely on to bring her sister back is Bailey’s boyfriend Toby. But she has also caught hot new boy Joe’s eye, and now she is stuck between the two. Through her grief, Lennie is learning lessons of love and begins to grow and mature in ways she thought she could never do without her sister by her side.

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The writing in this book is so unique! At times I was grinning like an idiot, but, while it was a fun book, it was also very moving and thoughtfully written. I especially liked the poems that began each chapter, and the ending I thought was well done. My favourite thing though was probably the secondary characters. Lennie’s remaining family, Gram and Big, are the cutest, and Sarah, Lennie’s best friend, is just great. Everyone needs a Sarah in their lives.

BUT, the overall storyline I have to say was very cheesy and unrealistic. And I did not particularly like Joe, the main love interest, a seemingly perfect musician who charms Lennie. Their whole relationship felt a lot like insta love to me, and Joe getting with Lennie so quickly after having his heart broken just prior to the story was kinda immature. I guess he is just a teenager BUT STILL.

Clover count: ♣♣♣♣♣♣ (6/10)

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda ~ Becky Albertalli

Simon has been keeping his sexuality a secret, until his junior year when suddenly he falls in love online with cute but shy Blue and then gets blackmailed after his classmate Martin discovers Blue and Simon’s emails. Between keeping his secret from his friends and keeping in touch with Blue, on top of helping Martin so as not to be outed, life for Simon is pretty chaotic. How long can he keep all this up before his life comes crashing down around him?

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This book is the cutest thing to ever exist!! I’m still smiling like 4 months after reading it! Simon himself perfectly sums up my feelings after putting this book down: “I can’t stop smiling. I mean, there are times when it’s actually more work not to smile.” Guys, this book is hilarious. I was giggling stupidly loud way too often. And when it’s not being funny, it’s just adorable. Simon is so relatable and just a dork, and his friends are so normal and lovely!! My favourite part of the book though was definitely Simon’s family. I loved their cute lil traditions and nicknames, and how they actually care about each other instead of constantly winding each other up! I will warn people that the homophobia is pretty nasty, but other than that this book is just so CUTE. Why are there not more synonyms for cute because honestly I’m being very repetitive here.

Clover count: ♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣ (8/10)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ~ Jenny Han

Lara Jean has been in love 5 times, and she writes a letter each time so as to overcome her feelings. But when the letters find their way to their recipients, everything becomes a lot more complicated for Lara Jean. Her older sister Margot has left for college, leaving behind heart-broken Josh, the boy next door, who happens to be Lara Jean’s crush. What is she to do when he receives his letter?

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The focus on family was probably my favourite thing about this book. I think all the books in this post did a good job of portraying lovely family relationships so yayy! I loved the Song girls, especially Kitty, the youngest. That girl is a true inspiration. Also Lara Jean is the cutest! Everyone kept ganging up on her near the end and like please don’t hurt my child, she’s innocent and lovely and all I want for Christmas is literally anything baked by Lara Jean.

I have to admit though, the storyline was very predictable and, honestly, in my opinion, this whole fake relationship trope is overused. Also I found myself wanting more Margot and Josh, just to understand their relationship better, and more Gen too, Lara Jean’s ex-best friend and Peter’s ex. I didn’t like how she was just there to be evil. What does Peter actually see in her? Speaking of Peter, the whole guy situation (funnily enough) reminded me a bit too much of The Sky is Everywhere, with Peter being fun but slightly childish and Josh being sweeter but off-limits… basically why are there so few types of boys out there? Why are there types at all? But, while I do have some complaints, overall this book is a fun, fluffy read!

Clover count: ♣♣♣♣♣♣♣ (7/10)

There ya have it! Some popular YA contemporaries I’ve read this year. (If ya haven’t read them yet, what are ya doing with ya life?!) My opinion on the whole is that these lil things called YA contemporaries are very cheesy, but I guess it is nice to see happiness and cute families in books for a change. If you love a bit of fluff then you’ll love these three books; for me, though, all the fluff is a bit too much. I need to go finish rereading A Series of Unfortunate Events…

Have you read these? What did you think? Any YA contemporaries that you desperately recommend? Also don’t forget to send in a review of a trilogy you love for my competition!

Disney Princess book tag

Hey guys!

As you might have noticed, I’ve been terrible at posting lately. Exams have kept me really busy, so I’m behind on basically everything book/blogging related… including my monthly competitions. I will finally announce, though, that the winner of my second competition – for which you had to send me two photos showing me your favourite things – is Maddy @ Maddy’s Digital Diary! She is a beautiful photographer so you must check out her blog, and Etsy too. Congrats, Maddy! I’ll send you your prize as soon as possible 🙂

Here are Maddy’s favourite things:

I love the theme of this one, and will definitely also call reading one of my favourite things!

Maddy’s sunset photos are my favourite ones on her blog. I think it’s clear to see why!

For the next competition (seeing as it’s the third one) you have to review your favourite trilogy, or just one you like if you don’t have a favourite, it’s up to you! The review can be an old one from your blog/Goodreads/Amazon or you can write a new one. But yeah, just one review for all three books. Email the review to simizat@yahoo.co.uk by December 20th and you could win an ebook!

Moving on, today I thought I would do a fun lil tag because there’s something exciting about tags, ya know? I saw this one on Sophie’s blog Blame Chocolate which you should definitely go follow! She has the loveliest blog! GO CHECK IT OUT!

I do love a bit of Disney, as everyone should because Disney is amazing. My top three Disney animated films you ask? Well non-princess: Treasure Planet, Big Hero Six and Brother Bear, and princess: Tangled, Mulan and Frozen (I know Frozen is terrible but I lowkey love it?) if I had to choose, although I enjoy many others too. What’s not to love about Disney? I mean yeah, it’s cliche after cliche… but it’s pretty much everyone’s childhood and it’s great ok, fight me.

(click the booky photos to go to their goodreads page)

(from Cait’s blog paperfury.com)

1) Snow White (favourite debut book) – A Thousand Perfect Notes

Ahhh Cait has a book! Her debut, A Thousand Perfect Notes, was released this June and you all must have a taste (or, ya know, eat the whole thing) because this book is amazing and heartbreaking and brilliant! Read my review here 😉 And she has another book coming out next April! Cait is on her way up, guys. World domination will follow shortly, as she’d say.

2) Cinderella (surprisingly a gem) – Where Dandelions Grow

So I’m not always a fan of Christian books because I feel like most just slip in a prayer or two and maybe the protagonist goes to church, but it doesn’t really mean anything to the story. However I liked how this book actually incorporated Christian values, especially forgiveness! Thanks, book.

3) Sleeping Beauty (couldn’t hold your attention) – The Eyre Affair

It seems like this book is always popping up in these tags under a negative category, so I’m sorry book. To be honest, I think I just need to give it another try because I was too young when I first read it to really understand and enjoy it…

4) Ariel (water setting) – The Grim Grotto

I need to reread this, and will soon for Season 3 of the Netflix show (January 1st! I’m so excited!!), but I do remember that pretty much the whole book is set underwater, making it very suitable for this category. The Baudelaires stumble across a submarine and its crazy captain, his daughter and an old friend on a mission to find a lost object… ONLY ONE MONTH TO WAIT!

5) Belle (features a bookworm) – The perks of being a wallflower

Charlie! The cutest lil bookworm ever! He would just eat his way through books and then write essays on them as a hobby, and I admire him so much for this. Can we all have a lil bit of Charlie please. I need his attitude towards school.

6) Jasmine (unlikely love story between two characters or you and book) – The Maze Runner

This was, I think, the first dystopian I read and LOVE LOVE LOVE. I was looking back at some old posts to see what I actually thought of this (of course I don’t remember, it was a whole last summer ago) and saw that I had called it my favourite read of 2017! So that just says it all, really. Not a fan of the rest of the series, though 😦

7) Pocahontas (based on a true story) – Mary’s Monster

Wow. This book. I’m yet to review it so I don’t want to say much, but it is so darkly gorgeous and Mary Shelley’s story is so moving. Seeing what Frankenstein’s monster really meant to her… all I can say is everyone needs to read this book.

8) Mulan (fierce heroine) – To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

I ‘nominated’ quite a few books for this because there are lots of fierce heroines out there! Woo for fierce heroines! In the end though, I chose Lara Jean from TAtBILB because the thing about her is that she isn’t very fierce, but when you step back you can see that she really knows who she is and what she wants, which I admire about her and think counts as being fierce. (Review to come!)

9) Tiana (a diverse book) – Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer

This book is bursting with diversity, as books should be nowadays. Magnus, the title character, and his friends, a dwarf and a deaf elf, are homeless, there’s a Muslim character (Sam, my fave) and no romance! So yeah, this book is a refreshing read. I should really finish the trilogy at some point…

10) Rapunzel (a really long book) – The Book Thief

I’ve read longer books than this, but they were mostly part of fantasy series whereas this one is a standalone. But a really, really long standalone (554 pages) that takes quite some time to get through, especially for a snail reader such as myself. I think there are around 90 chapters? But also honestly the more gorgeous Zusak writing the better.

11) Merida (no love story) – Clownfish

I had to pick a Middle Grade book for this one because ahaha, a YA with no romance? Never heard of it, sorry mate. I had originally put Holes down for this, but then remembered the beautiful love story between Kate and Sam… *sniffs* Anyway, Clownfish (review coming soon) features a cute boy/girl friendship! I mean, they’re only around 12 BUT STILL. No romance.

12) Anna & Elsa (winter setting) – An Elephant in the Garden

I read this quite awhile ago, though I do remember it was set in winter and features a long journey (the cover was a bit of help, I won’t lie…), similar to the book in the next category. But I think I chose this for the winter category just because of the snow on the front haha.

13) Moana (features a long journey) – Salt to the Sea

I read this very recently and now am broken forever. The cold and perilous journey that is the focus of the book is one that millions had to take to escape the Russians. With each of these stories, I am more and more astounded by the great courage and resilience of those who suffered. I hope to review this book soon so you can all know how important it is to read it!

Thank you for getting through this monster of a post, guys! I feel like most of it has just been me shouting about reviews that I’m going to post soon… Do look out for those 😉

Feel free to steal the tag, then comment below the link to the post so I can come check it out!

Do you love Disney? If not, are you insane? What’s your favourite film ever? Don’t forget to take part in my competition and send your review to simizat@yahoo.co.uk!