Everything Everything by Nicole Yoon

Paperback: 320 pages

• Publisher: Corgi Childrens (3 Sept. 2015)
• ISBN-10: 0552574236
• ISBN-13: 978-0552574235

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.


Cover: Look at it.  There can be no doubt that that is one of the most stunning covers.

I have heard a lot about this one.  So was excited when I was accepted to read it on NetGalley.
Covering the subject of bubble baby syndrome really drew me in.
But I was slightly disappointed.
I feel the romantic element was sudden and rushed.  It could have built to something intense and beautiful, but I feel it kind of fell flat.
The twist- I unfortunately saw coming.  It was definitely a fantastic twist, but I feel it was made too obvious.
It was definitely a fast paced read.
I don't know if the galley I read was formatted incorrectly but it was quite hard to follow, disjointed even.
I think I will buy a finished copy and re-read to compare it at some point.

3/5 stars,  Definitely worth a read.

Read from August 13 to 14, 2015

[Youtube Review] Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Booking Through Thursday 26/11/15 'Thankful'

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted byBooking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.

What is it about reading that makes you most thankful?

I'm thankful for reading because it's a constant in my life- there's always a book in my life.  That whatever is going on in my lkfe
I'm thankful for the books that have changed me and the way I think.  The books that have moved me to tears, to laughter, to silent contemplation- The Fault In Our Stars, Ella Enchanted, The Princess Diaries, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Me Before You.
I'm thankful to my mum that introduced me to reading- that took me to the library to share her love of reading.
I'm thankful to the blogging and BookTube community- that gives me somewhere to rant and enthuse constantly about the books that I love, that were disappointing, that I want to read with like minded people, a lot of whom have become friends.
I'm thankful to any publisher or author that offers me the chance of review books.  It is a privilege, most definitely not a right.

W...W...W...Wednesday 25/11/2015

 

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

My current read is Where The Heart Leads by Jeanell Bolton

I recently finished reading Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I think my next read will be Alienated by Melissa Landers

Teaser Tuesday 24/11/2015 'Oblivion'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from page 288 of Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout.




"Neither of us spoke.
Both of us lay there, side by side, staring at the ceiling.  If anyone said a year ago I'd be lying in a bed with a human girl like this,  would've told them to get off drugs.
Biting down on my lip, I turned my head toward hers.  A handful of seconds passed before she looked over at me.  I grinned at her."

[VLOG] Saturday in Swanage 21/11/15

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Michael Joseph (5 Jan. 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0718157834
• ISBN-13: 978-0718157838

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Cover:A cute and simple cover that I neither love nor hate.

I first heard of this book a little over a month ago when I watched a review by a fellow BookTuber- she was so enthusiastic about it that I knew I needed to check it out.
And boy am I glad that I did.
This has become my favourite book.
And that's saying a lot.
From the minute I started reading reading I was sucked right in- I loved the characters, the story, the writing, the humour- absolutely everything about this novel drew me in and just made me fall in love with it.
It genuinely made me laugh, cry and everything in between.
I couldn't put this book down- I didn't want to stop reading it for any length in time, but then, when it got down to the final one hundred pages or so, I started stalling because I didn't want it to end.
This book has stolen a little piece of my heart- I've become a little bit obsessed with it.
When I turned the final page, I just lay back on my bed and didn't quite know what to do with myself.  I felt drained.  Truly moved by this book.
I do have the sequel on my shelf but I need to recover from this one before picking it up.
I also found out that a movie adaptation of this book is being released this year- which I look forward to with no small amount of trepidation and excitement.
I highly recommend this book to absolutely everyone.  It's a life affirming book with zero pretension. 
Easiest 5/5 stars I've given in ages.

Read from November 02 to 08, 2015

November 2015 Book Haul | In My Mailbox

[REVIEW] Secret Garden: Artist's Edition by Johanna Basford

Waiting On Wednesday 18/11/15 'Oblivion'

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.

This week the book that I'm waiting on is Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout, book 1.5 in the Lux series, basically book 1 retold in Daemon's POV.
We got Daemon's POV in the later books in this series, but it was missing from the earlier installments- so I'll be glad to finally get inside his head for the start of their story.

Released December 3rd.

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

W...W...W...Wednesday 18/11/2015

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

My current read is Where The Heart Leads by Jeanell Bolton

I recently finished reading Raze by Tillie Cole

I think my next read will be Reap by Tillie Cole

Teaser Tuesday 17/11/2015 'Where The Heart Leads'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page



- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from the 8% mark of Where The Heart Leads by Jeanell Bolton.

"Moira was surprised to realize that she liked the feel of Rafe's arm looped casually around her as he led her through the jungle of old cars, new cars, vans, pickups of all sizes, a couple of motorcycles, even a small RV.
Up ahead, a string of randomly blinking lights hung down from the front roof of a cinder-block building with two corrugated metal units attached to each side of it.  It looked like a setting for yet another follow-up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which made her wonder whether Rafe was actually trying to keep her steady on the uneven terrain or trying to prevent her from escaping."

A Double-Edged Blade by Julie Moffett

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (Mar. 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0505523698
• ISBN-13: 978-0505523693

Lovely British agent Faith Worthington is sent on a mission to expose a ruthless IRA terrorist. But a bullet to the thigh knocks her back to seventeenth-century Ireland...and into the arms of rebel leader Miles O'Bruaidar.

Known as the Irish Lion, Miles immediately suspects the modern-day beauty of being a spy. He takes Faith as his hostage, only to discover her feminine wiles are incredibly alluring. But desperate to return to the future, Faith has no time for love with a mutton-feasting, ale-quaffing brute like Miles. Yet with each passing day her own time and staying with the charming rogue, Faith knows her heart has been pierced to the quick, but she wonders if their love will always be a double-edged blade. 
Cover: I know the cover is old school romance novel- but I kind of love it.


This is a re-read for me.  I took this book out of the library what must be like seven years ago now- and have wanted to own a copy ever since.  As soon as it arrived I started my re-read and I can tell how much I loved it the first time around because I remembered the story really well- and I loved it just as much.
It actually reminded me of a slightly cheesier Outlander- and if you don't already know, I'm OBSESSED with Outlander.
Faith is an MI5 agent- and while on a mission to capture an IRA assassin- they both Faith and her target end up stumbling through time, ending up 350 years in the past.
Faith is found by Miles O'Bruaidar- thinking she's probably an English spy, he keeps her as a 'guest' in his keep.  But he can't help but feel the attraction between them.
I really loved this one.  
I had no idea there was a companion novel about Faith's cousin- Across a Moonswept Moor - which I can't wait to pick up.
4.5/5 stars.


Read from October 20 to 22, 2015

October 2015 Favourites

Booking Through Thursday 12/11/15 'Nostalgia'

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted byBooking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.

What book (or books) from your childhood do you think about most often? That had the most effect on your life?

The book that first came to mind was Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.  A book I have read over and over again.
I remember reading it for the first time, and being completely absorbed by it.  
I remember having a sleepover at my grandparents and taking it with me.  
I remember going to the park and reading it there.  
I remember the moment when it hit me that it was like ' a new version of Cinderella'.  
I remember being so excited by how much I loved it and being desperately sad that I was getting towards the end.
Mostly, I remember how this book made me feel, how it made me love reading just that little bit more,
I think about it the most often- because it's one that I love now just as much if not more, that when I first read it.

W...W...W...Wednesday 11/11/2015

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

I recently finished reading Saga: Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaugh and Fiona Staples

I'm currently reading Easy Melody by Kristen Proby

I think my next read will be Raze by Tillie Cole

Teaser Tuesday 10/11/15 'Cuckoo in the Nest'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page



- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from page 4 of Cuckoo in the Nest by Nat Luurtsema.

"I'm the oldest child of a meagre two.  It's a more high-pressure role.  I'm the one that has to pioneer and make all the mistakes first.  And I've really taken that obligation seriously over the years."

Leo by Mia Sheridan

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1917 KB
• Print Length: 214 pages
• ASIN: B00BT0JB0A

Evie and Leo met in foster care as children and formed a bond of friendship. As they grew, their bond turned to love, and they vowed to make a life together when they turned 18 and were no longer a part of the system.

When Leo unexpectedly gets adopted as a teen and moves to another city, he promises Evie that he will contact her as soon as he gets there and come back for her in a few short years. She never hears from him again.

Now eight years later, in spite of the odds, Evie has made a life for herself. She has a job. She has friends. She's content. Then a man shows up out of the blue, claiming that her long lost love, Leo, sent him to check up on her. The attraction between them is undeniable. But, should she trust this sexy stranger? Or is he keeping a secret about what his connection to Leo is really all about and why Leo disappeared all those years ago?

THIS IS A STANDALONE SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY LEO. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Cover:  Simple but for some reason I'm just drawn to it.

I read Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan last year, and it instantly became a favourite.  Then earlier this year I picked up Stinger.  I enjoyed it- but ti didn't quite reach Archer's Voice.
So I decided to pick up Leo (I had already decided after reading Archer's Voice that I needed to read everything Mia Sheridan ever writes).
And I loved it.
Evie and Leo were the closest of friends.  Helping each other through the foster system.  As they grew up, it became something more.  Until Leo was fostered, moving away.  But he promised to return for Evie.
Years later- no sign of Leo.
I love Mia Sheridan's writing.  She just sucks me write into the story.  Until I don't want to put the book down.
This was another great New Adult book by her.  And I loved it.
I did wish that we had both protagonists points of view, but I can see how it may have spoiled the suspense a bit.
I also love how her books are all connected by being based on star signs.
4/5 stars.

Read from September 19 to 21, 2015

October 2015 Reading Wrap Up

Booking Through Thursday 05/11/15 'Damage'

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted byBooking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.

Have you ever damaged a book? Dropped it in the bathtub? Spilled a bottle of ink? Used it to mop up spilled wine? Or just broken its back (poor thing).

I love keeping my books in as pristine condition as I can.  I hate to see books that I love so much, damaged.  But in the years I've been reading, not all books have escaped unscathed, as occasionally, I can be clumsy.
I've dropped them- bending and creasing pages.
I've spilled drinks that have unfortunately gone on books.
I've been caught in the rain and books have accidentally gotten wet.
And I've caused I've creased and broken spines through reading.
No books have ever been harmed on purpose.

Waiting On Wednesday 04/11/2015 'Winter'

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.

This week the book that I'm waiting on is Winter by Marissa Meyer- the fourth book in the Lunar Chronicles. This has to be one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I'm so excited to see how this series wraps up. Equal parts scared, equal parts excited.
Released 11th November.

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

W...W...W...Wednesday 04/11/2015

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

I recently finished reading Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

My current read is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I think my next read will be Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

 

Teaser Tuesday 03/11/2015 'Me Before You'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read

- Open to a random pageShare two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page



- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from page 88 of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

"Because I can't possibly be expected to know anything about my own care?' 
'Do you operate the chair lift?' I said baldy.  'You can tell me exactly what to do, can you?'
He watched me, his gaze level.  If he had been spoiling for a fight, he appeared to change his mind.  'Fair point.  Yes, he's coming.  He's a useful extra pair of hands.  Plus I thought you'd work yourself into less of a state if you had him there.'
'I'm not in a state,' I protested."

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (15 Sept. 2015)
• ISBN-10: 0316298689
• ISBN-13: 978-0316298681

Three students: dead.
Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace. 

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere." 

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson. 

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it. 

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.


Cover:  I love the US edition of this book so much.  It's so beautiful in such a creepy way.

I've seen a lot of buzz about this book, and as this October I wanted to make an active attempt at reading more Halloween themed reads.  This was one of them.
And it's very different.
Told through diary entries and transcribed camera footage.
Two souls living in one body.  Carly and Kaitlyn.  It's always been that way.  Some people believe them.  Other people think they're result of a psychological disorder.  Which is it?  Even at the end of the book- I'm not sure.
This book is perfect to read this time of year- creepy, atmospheric and at times a little bit scary.
I'm not exactly sure what to rate this book- as parts I really enjoyed, and others I'm just not sure of- so I'll have to go for half marks.  I did enjoy it- but not as much as the hype let me believe I would.



2.5/5 stars.


Read from October 23 to 28, 2015