Image Map

Some Changes & A Giveaway


I reached 850 Bloglovin' followers!
Celebratory Supernatural Dance!

Not only did I reach a huge milestone in followers, but I also finally made some changes to the blog layout. I have mean wanting and needing to do it for so long but I really suck at design. This is where one really amazing blogger stepped in to help me! The amazing Amanda over at Book Badger. She recently redesigned her blog and I absolutely loved it. When I mentioned to her that I'd been trying and failing at mine she randomly emailed me a header she had worked on for my blog. See what I mean about being amazing? For the last few days she has designed side bar headings, headers, icons and so much more for me. She also got me designing things myself and working with code. I am really happy with what we have achieved on the blog in just a few days! Amanda is truly amazing, I am so happy to have made such a wonderful friend. Together we actually managed to update my blog, even with Blogger trying to stop us every step of the way!

Take that Blogger! 

So onto the giveaway! I have become addicted to giveaways, it's a real problem. But I get super happy when I email a winner and they get back to me, super excited because they won something! And how can I not celebrate the fact that I have reached over 800 followers, and that's just on BL alone. I am beyond happy and I adore you all, those who come and check out the blog and comment. I always try to visit you back and come comment too. Thank you all!

*High five blogosphere!*

I am sticking with the same prize as last month, which is one winner will get £30 worth of books from Book Depository. Good luck.


What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Review

What I Thought Was TrueTitle: What I Thought Was True
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Buy This Book: Amazon  / Book Depository


Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.(Goodreads summary.)

I'm actually finding it hard to think of words to describe the disappointment that I feel right now. I was looking forward to this book so much and I am beyond. I read My Life Next Door last year and it instantly became one of my favourite books. So you can obviously understand why I couldn't wait to get my hands on Huntley Fitzpatrick's next book. I was so excited to see what she came up with next and I was certain I would absolutely love it. Sadly, I really didn't and most of the time I was left feeling a little lost.


Gwen needed this lesson. 
This book is set out in a way that had me feeling disconnected from the story. I felt like I had started it half way through, like I'd arrived late to the party and had no clue what was happening. Gwen talks about her past summer a lot and all the mistakes she made, the biggest being Cassidy Somer's. But for the longest time you don't really understand what went on there. The flashbacks mainly taught me that Gwen slept with almost everybody and regretted each and every time. This led me to one important question: why keep making the same mistake over and over and over and over and over again? Learn from it! I started feeling like a horribly judgemental person... But honestly, keep it in your pants woman!

Front seat of a car?
Not even had one date.
At the very beginning, I actually really liked Gwen as a character. I thought she was a realistic female lead for a contemporary romance. She wasn't the virgin girl who's never done anything wrong. But I didn't really agree with many of her decisions. Some of them made me shake my head and want to shout at her. I just think that I couldn't get behind her, especially when she made the same stupid decisions each time and was such an impulsive person. She never seemed to learn from her mistakes, at least for the longest time. I didn't connect to her and I was so upset by that. I was just waiting for Gwen to have an epiphany. I wanted her to realise that guys weren't the problem, she was. I'm pretty sure she didn't have one real conversation with any guy before jumping into bed/front seats with them. You can't then go be miserable about it, that was your decision. Make better decisions!

Cass was a really sweet guy but I wasn't swooning for the guy. This book was advertised as a romance, but for me this really wasn't a romance. Cass was the nicest, sweetest, most wonderful guy... regardless of how Gwen acted toward him. I couldn't buy the romance, even with the flashbacks. I don't feel like I was ever shown that moment where Cass and Gwen fell for one another, developed feelings for one another or had a real connection. Especially in the flashbacks, where they actually began. I was just really confused by the whole thing.

I still love Huntley Fitzpatrick's writing. She gave another great insight into family dynamics and Gwen's family was one of my favourite aspects of the book. She gave me a lot of interesting characters that I wanted to get to know better. It's just a shame I didn't really feel that way about Cass or Gwen. If I am being honest with myself, I found this book really boring. My Life Next Door sucked me into the story, made me want to keep reading until 4am. But this book had the opposite effect on me, I found myself wanting to skip or skim most of it. I am so disappointed, I can't even explain it to you.

3/5 Stars

I struggled with rating this one. My Life Next Door was a 5 star favourite for me, it was hard to realise that I really didn't enjoy this all that much. I wanted to skip past parts at times. I just felt like the flashbacks made the whole thing feel disjointed and it made it hard to get into the story. I wanted to sympathise and understand Gwen as a character, but I just couldn't. I thought Cass was a sweet guy, but he was just there and didn't have any real presence for me. I'll be on the lookout for Huntley's next book and hope I do better with that one. 

Hand me My Life Next Door! I need to weep into it. 



*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Edelweiss in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.

My Weekly Book Haul: 29/03/2014

STSmall
Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week. All book covers and their summary come from back of book or Goodreads.
http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/fridayfinds_bringontheink.png


I had a little blogging break this week and didn't blog for four days. Doesn't sound like too much, but for me it kind of felt like a lifetime. I didn't get to do half the stuff I planned on doing, mostly because I was working a lot. I also got the Frozen DVD release day wrong and still have to wait till Monday! Noooooooooo!
I've been contemplating, for about the gazillionth time, redoing my blog design. But I am pretty certain that I will do way more harm than good. So for now, it will have to do. It's like my Ugly Duckling... one day it will be beautiful swan. That day just isn't today. 



The Spectacular Now
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Sutter's the guy you want at your party. He'll get everyone dancing. He'll get everyone in your parent's pool. He has no plans for university and will probably end up folding men's shirts for a living. But right now life's pretty fabuloso.
Until he meets Aimee. Aimee's clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help. It's up to Sutter to show her a splendiferous time and then let her go.
But Aimee's not like other girls and before long he's in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else's life - or ruin it forever. 

Yes... I did something naughty. I bought another version of a book I already own, just because of the pretty cover. I love this movie cover for the book, I think it's really beautiful. I really wish the movie was available over here, I want to watch it so bad. 

Fire & Flood
Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Tella's brother is dying. He's got cancer, and Tella is helpless to save him. Or so she thought. When an invitation arrives for Tella to compete in the Brimstone Bleed, a deadly competition that will lead her through treacherous jungle and scorching desert, she doesn't think twice. Because the prize is a cure to any illness. But Tella will be facing more than just the elements.



Mother, Mother
Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas

Meet Violet Hurst - sixteen years old, beautiful and brilliant. So why is she being accused of being a danger to herself and others?
Meet her brother Will - the smartest and sweetest twelve-year-old boy around. But does he really need all that medication he is being told to take?
Meet oldest sister Rose - the one who got away. She disappeared one night in her final year of school, never to be heard from again.
And then meet their mother - Joesephine. Perhaps it will then all start to make sense. 


The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence, #1) The Redemption of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence, #2)

For Kayden, suffering in silence was the only way to survive. If he was lucky, he could keep his head down, do as he was told, and make it through the day. But one night it seemed like his luck-and his life-might finally end . . . until an angel named Callie appeared just in time to rescue him.
Callie has never believed in luck. Not since her twelfth birthday when everything was taken from her. After the worst was over, she locked up her feelings and vowed never to tell anyone what happened. Now, six years later, she continues to struggle with the painful secret that threatens to consume her.
When fate lands Kayden and Callie at the same college, Kayden is determined to get to know the beautiful girl who changed his destiny. Quiet and reserved, Callie still fears letting anyone else into her world. But Kayden is certain that Callie has come back into his life for a reason. And the more he tries to be a part of her life, the more he realizes that, this time, it's Callie who needs to be saved . . .

I saw these at work and had to pick them up. I keep seeing this authors name crop up and now I am curious. 

Broken Strings
Broken Strings by Maria Farrer

It is the story of a brilliant young violinist, her determination and struggle to achieve her dreams and the discovery that she is at the center of an extraordinary secret that has pulled apart her family for two generations. Jess, a talented 17-year-old violinist, suffers from stage-fright as she auditions for a place at a prestigious music school. Her family do not have enough money for her to continue to study so when she fails, she vows not to play again. Until her wealthy grandmother - estranged from her family since Jess's mother fell pregnant - shows up at their doorstep and promises six months of tuition in exchange for Jess moving to live with her. Once ensconced in her grandmother's rich, but empty, life she starts to uncover the mystery of why her grandmother never spoke to her mother again, and the secret which tore her family apart.

Looking for JJ (Jennifer Jones, #1) Finding Jennifer Jones (Jennifer Jones, #2)

Three children walked away from the cottages on the edge of town toward Berwick Waters. Later that day, only two of them came back. Alice Tully knows exactly what happened that spring day six years ago, though it’s still hard for her to believe it. She’ll never be able to forget, even though she’s trying to lead a normal life—she has a job, friends, and a boyfriend whom she adores. But Alice’s past is dangerous, and violent, and sad... and it’s about to rip her new life apart.

I saw a review for this over at The Notebook Sisters, and it made me really want to read this one. It's the ten year anniversary and they've released a sequel too, so I am very excited for both. 

Send Me a Sign
Send Me A Sign by Tiffany Schmidt

Mia Moore has spent her life searching for signs. A sign she’ll fall in love. A sign she’ll make it into a highly ranked university. A sign that the summer before senior year will be the best one ever. But when Mia is diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, the only sign she wants to see is that she will survive cancer. Until she’s better—meaning no throwing up, no hospital stays, and definitely no wig—Mia doesn’t want anyone to know she’s sick. And she certainly doesn’t want to feel more than friendship for the one person who does know what she’s going through, her best friend, Gyver. But the sicker Mia gets, the more she realizes that not even the clearest signs offer perfect answers, and in order to discover what will happen in her life, she will have to find the courage to live it.



White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements, #1)
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 
Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 
Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 
But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.


And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 500 Bloglovin' followers!



a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway


What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick: Review
Five Friday Favourites: Book Covers
The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry: Review
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover: Review & Giveaway
#16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler: Review




Five Friday Favourites: Book Covers


Five Friday Favourites is a weekly event hosted by Book Badger, where once a week, a five favourites subject is posted and everyone is welcome to join in. You can find out more about Five Friday Favourites and the future subjects here.





I decided to stick with books that I have READ. Otherwise I would never be able to narrow this list down. There are far too many covers that I love, especially on books I haven't managed to get to yet. 



From doing this weeks Five Friday Favourite, I have realised two things. I like animal eyes and the stars on my covers. These Broken Stars is just one of the most stunning covers I have seen in a long time, I absolutely love it. Life of Pi is a movie tie in cover, but I don't care. That cover blew me away and I love it above every other Life of Pi cover, and there are so many. Glow is just stunning, it's a shame the rest of the series doesn't have covers that are this beautiful. The Sight, it's very simplistic but I absolutely love it. I love Larka! The Sky Is Everywhere is also a simplistic cover, but  I think it's brilliant. Purple is my favourite colour, so that helps. 


Honourable Mentions

See what I mean... More stars and more animal eyes! Alienated has a great cover and it looks so good when you are holding it in your hands. Fell is so pretty too, it is one of those covers that you need to see in person. The eyes shine, the castle looks magnificent and the swirls around Fell look so good. Maybe Someday has a lot going on but I love that about it. It's bright and catches your attention, and I love the couple kissing in the letters.


And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 500 Bloglovin' followers!



a Rafflecopter giveaway



The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry: Review

The Summer I Found YouTitle: The Summer I Found You
Author: Jolene Perry
Publisher:  Albert Whitman Teen
Buy This Book: Amazon / Book Depository

All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.
Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

I didn't really know what to expect from The Summer I Found You. I saw it a few months ago on Netgalley and it was for instant download. At the time it had 0 ratings or reviews on Goodreads and so I really, really didn't know what to expect. But I loved the cover and the synopsis sounded interesting, so I took a chance and downloaded it. Although the book had a few issues, overall I found it to be a really enjoyable read.

When Kate's boyfriend breaks up with her she is shocked and upset and didn't see it coming at all. Her best friend Jen sees it as the perfect time to introduce Kate to her cousin Aidan. He lost his right arm in Afghanistan and has been struggling to cope with the change it has had on his life and his future plans. Kate was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year ago and has found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it is something that will affect her for the rest of her life. When Kate and Aidan meet they seem to instantly connect with and understand one another. And so begins the start of a really adorable romance.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. It did have a lot of editing issues, to the point where Aidan's name was spelt about three different ways throughout the book. But I don't feel like I can mark the book down for that. It is an unedited advanced reader's copy. I can only hope that all the mistakes were spotted and changed before publication. But if I ignore the editing issues, I thought this was a really enjoyable read.

Kate, for me, was a really immature character. She is avoiding the issue of her diabetes altogether and putting her own life in danger because of it. She doesn't want to accept that this is something she has to deal with, but she needs to grow up and realise that it won't magically go away if she ignores it. She hides her illness from Aidan and it really got to me. He opens up to her about his life and all he asks is for her to be honest with him as well. And she just lies. I wanted to reach through my kindle and strangle her at times. You could really see the age gap between her and Aidan, he acted like an adult and she acted like a five year old.

Aidan was actually a really sweet character. He has his issues but he knows that and he at least tries to work through them. He was probably one of the most mature characters I have found in a young adult romance. He was the one who felt like they needed to actually talk to one another if they were going to have an actual grown up relationship. So Aidan, character who's name I can no longer figure out how I am supposed to spell thanks to it being spelled three different ways, I applaud you!

This was by no means a book that blew me away. I know it's a book that I will quickly forget. But it was an enjoyable, quick read. The romance was really sweet and I think the characters were ones you could understand. I thought Kate was immature but I understood why she was that way. And I also understood why Aidan seemed so much more mature; he'd been through so much more in his lifetime than she had.


3/5 Stars

I really debated with myself over whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. 



*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover: Review & Giveaway

Maybe SomedayTitle: Maybe Someday
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books 
Buy This Book: Book Depository / Amazon
Buy The Soundtrack: Amazon

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.
At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.
Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…
From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite. (Goodreads summary.)

FYI:
I shall break all the rules now!!! Muahahahahahaha
Okay, I am mad right now! No, not just mad but really damn infuriated (I really wanted to swear right then - starts with f and rhymes with ducking - but I shall refrain!). Colleen Hoover is clearly the tricksy woman I always knew she was. Do you want to know why blogosphere? Well, if you don't look away now because I am about to (For just the review, scroll down a whole bunch, past all the ranting.) She has made me come back and redo a review. This is almost despicable and something I have never done but I need to do it. It would be wrong of me not to do it. I read this book almost THREE WEEKS AGO and I still can't get it out of my head or off my mind.
I joined the discussion group because I needed to see what other people were thinking about this book. Were they still obsessively thinking back on it weeks later? Had they listened to the soundtrack over and over again? I realised I have a serious Maybe Someday addiction when I bought my ticket on StageIt to watch Griffin Peterson and his band sing live at the book launch. Now it might not sound too crazy but you have to consider the fact that started at 3:30am here. I feel like she may have actually ruined all new reading experiences for me. What, just a book? No soundtrack to go along with it? No music that perfectly sets the scene and describes how the characters are feeling? I don't think so, try again. Why don't you come back and see me when you are willing to give me a reading experience like Maybe Someday. Damn it, I think I am ruined! *weeps* No, I have not been ruined people, I have been Hoovered. I know I am not the first and I won't be the last. We should really get a support group up and running. In light of this, I'm breaking all the rules and redoing a review because reading back on it, it doesn't in any way, shape or form express what this book has done to me.


Review



I want to start out by saying that this was one of the greatest reading experiences I have ever had. Colleen Hoover explains on her website why she wanted a soundtrack to go along with her book, so you can read that if you want more information. She got the help of Griffin Peterson, who I believe was on the US American Idol, and who had previously been on the cover of her book Losing Hope. He recorded eight songs for an album that you can listen to online for free if you have the book. I decided to download it and pay for it because I got the eARC for free and wanted to support the album. It turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of my life or the worst depending on how you look at it. I have spent the last three weeks listening to that ONE album on repeat. I have listened to it so much I know all the lyrics. I've listened whilst trying to fall asleep, whilst brushing my teeth, walking to work, walking home from work, while blogging and so on. It added so much more to this book and to the experience as a whole. I want to send Colleen Hoover a truckload of chocolates, flowers, kittens and, depending on how well my kidnapping abilities are, The Avett Brothers as thanks. Maybe Someday was so much more than a book, so much more than a soundtrack; it was a truly unforgettable experience.

After finding out that her best friend and boyfriend are sleeping together, Sydney is devastated and in need of a place to stay. This is where it's Ridge to the rescue, the mysterious neighbour who she has watched from her balcony from quite some time. He offers her a place to stay in exchange for help writing lyrics to go along with the music he has been writing. As Sydney and Ridge begin writing together, their relationship grows and they realise they are developing feelings for one another. This would all be simple if it wasn't for the fact that Ridge has a girlfriend. A girlfriend that he has been with for five years and who he is madly in love with.

I know some may not like the fact that their is another girl involved in this story, but I honestly believe that it's handled so well. It's not just another pointless love triangle. It's used to show how complex love is, that it's not always easy and not always so simple. It's not just boy falls in love with girl followed by The End. It doesn't always work that way, in fact it rarely ever works that way. I applaud the fact that I was given two amazing women that I couldn't help but fall in love with. Yes, I picked a side but I could completely see and understand why Ridge would want to be with or choose either of these women. It was refreshing to find that I was struggling with the fact that I wanted Sydney and Ridge to be together so much. Wanting that meant Maggie would get hurt and that I actually struggled with.

Ridge was probably one of the most extraordinary male leads that I have come across in fiction. I won't spoil anything because there might be people out there who haven't read this yet. I will only say that it was a pleasant surprise to find that he wasn't your typical romantic love interest. There's more to him than meets the eye and I couldn't wait to find out more about his life. He plays guitar, writes songs, is attractive and super sweet and you would probably really struggle to find a guy like him in real life. But isn't that what fiction is for?

Music was such an important part of this storyline. It's the whole reason that Ridge and Sydney even come into each others lives. I loved being able to stick in my headphones and listen to the song they had just written together and hear it for myself. It helps that Griffin Peterson is really talented and has a beautiful voice. I am now a fan and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any new releases by him. I can't even thank Colleen Hoover enough for introducing me to his music. I honestly believe that the book wouldn't have been the same without the music. It's clear to see why she was so keen to get songs to go along with this book. They actually add so much more to the story than I originally thought was possible. When I heard this had a soundtrack I was intrigued, but I honestly didn't really know what to expect. It blew me away just how much the soundtrack and book worked together to make one amazing experience.

I honestly believe that Colleen Hoover is a tricksy ninja when it comes to writing New Adult. If you've seen most of my reviews of romance books or NA books, than you'll know that we aren't the best of friends. Most things other people find really romantic actually make me want to vomit up into my own mouth. (Seriously! I get it from my family. We never buy each other the overly sweet cards, we always find the funny yet insulting ones.) I don't really like sickly sweet kind of romance but Colleen Hoover does it in such a way that I actually crave more of it. How she does it, I do not know but she is far too good at it. I was rooting for these two the whole time.

I got really sucked into this story and I actually wasn't sure how this one would end. It kept me guessing which most NA doesn't because it usually seems pretty obvious to me where everything will end up. The secondary characters were really great, mainly Sydney and Ridge's other room mates. I think some romances can revolve too much around the main characters and it doesn't leave time for you to get to know and love anybody else. It was nice to see that there was so much more to this book than just Ridge and Sydney. Warren and Bridgette were the perfect secondary characters and gave me some much needed laughs. Bridgette was so hilarious at times that I snorted on public transport, that's not a good thing - people looked at me like I was crazy!

My one complaint is that Sydney is far too emotional for my liking. It felt like she cried almost non-stop throughout this book. I just wanted to give her a bit of a slap at times and tell her to get over it. At times she was completely justified in her weeping, but others... not so much. And this complaint about crying is coming from someone who can tear up at adverts, sob at Disney and become a weeping mess when a book kills off one of my favourite fictional characters.


 5/5 Butterflies

The music element of the book really added to my experience and it was honestly one of the greatest reading experiences I have had. I read this really quickly and couldn't concentrate at work because I wanted to go home and be able to finish it. I recommend doing what I did and not skipping ahead on the songs, I only listened to them when they came up in the book. Ahhhh thinking back on how much fun this was to read makes me wish I could do it all over again. I seriously want every book I read to come with it's own soundtrack! I know when I was reading this that I had a few complaints, but now weeks later I can't even think of them any more.

READ. LISTEN. ENJOY.





*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.



Giveaway

I gave away two pre-orders of the book just after finishing it because I wanted to share the experience. Now I want to give two more people the chance to win this incredible book. The giveaway is international, as long as Book Depository ships to you. I shall let the winner's choose which cover they want: UK or US.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm Not Dead, I Swear!

Sums me up right about now.
As I am sure most of you know, blogging can take up a considerable amount of time. It takes away from your reading time, which means you have less reviews to write and that means less to blog about. I have realised that I have kind of stopped doing anything other than read or blog. And now I feel like I kind of need a few days to relax. Plus all this time I'm spending on my laptop is making my head hurt far too much. My problem is so severe that I have yet to watch season 8 of Supernatural, which I OWN, and have always watched THE MINUTE IT COMES OUT!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?


So I plan to just take the next three or four days to read, relax, watch TV or game. I will probably be posting a review but won't be doing any meme's till Friday. If you leave any comments I promise I will get back to you when I come back on Thursday or Friday. For the next three days, other than work, I plan to do this ALL DAY:

And with Frozen coming out tomorrow, probably a lot of singing Disney songs at the top of my lungs and annoying the crap out of the boyfriend. And I might watch Catching Fire another nine or ten times...


Now it's just actually sticking to this and not coming on again tomorrow to blog! I must control myself. So if I seem absent this week I swear I haven't died. I am just curled up in the foetal position on my bed watching TV, playing Dark Souls 2 or reading a book. And if I don't seem absent at all then it's because I couldn't stop myself. Blogging is a serious addiction. 

#16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler: Review

#16thingsithoughtweretrueTitle: #16thingsithoughtweretrue
Author: Janet Gurtler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Buy This Book: Book Depository / Amazon

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

Every once in a while you find a book that takes you completely by surprise. A book that is so much more than you expected and makes you embarrassed that you judged it so quickly. For me #16thingsithoughtweretrue is one of those books. I had assumed it was going to be a sweet but quick and easy read without much substance but I was so wrong. This book surprised me so much because it was sweet and it was quick but it was so much more than that.

Morgan spends most of her time attached to her phone, posting tweets and talking to her friends online. Ever since her best friend posted a video of her dancing in guys underwear online Morgan has kept to herself. She hears people as they whisper about her and sees the looks they give her and so she hides. It's not until her mum gets sick that Morgan even begins to let people back into her life. Morgan has never known who her father is, only that he never wanted to be a father and left before she was born. But, fearing she may die, Morgan's mother reveals her fathers name and Morgan decides that she wants to track him down. Along for the ride are her boss Adam and another a girl from work, Amy. A girl who is so talkative and bubbly that Morgan can't figure out if she's cute or infuriating. This is a road trip story and along the way Morgan will learn more about herself in that one journey than she probably has in her entire life.

I really enjoyed this book, I felt like it was a lot of fun. Morgan is a character that I could sympathise with, it must be hard to go your whole life wanting something so bad that you can't have. Seeing other people with their own fathers and knowing it's something you won't ever experience. I felt bad for her and I was just as anxious as she was when it came to tracking down her father. Adam was a really sweet character and I loved how his and Morgan's feelings developed over time. I thought that romance was especially sweet to read about.

Amy just about stole the show when it came to this book. She was just so damn likeable! She's talkative and bubbly and she has absolutely no filter -kind of like me- and I admired that about her. She was never embarrassed to say what she felt or to just blurt out the first thought that popped into her head - she reminded me so much of Jennifer Lawrence in that sense. She was exactly the kind of friend Morgan needed and for me she was just the perfect character. She just sort of inserts herself into Morgan's life, determined that they will be friends and it was fun to see someone pushing Morgan out of her comfort zone. Sign me up any day to go on a road trip with Amy, she's clearly the best road trip buddy ever.

The journey to find her father doesn't take up the whole book, we get to see how they cope once they find each other. I liked how that was handled in the book and it felt very realistic to me. It wasn't all sunshine and flowers and hugs, it was hard to come to terms with everything that had gone on before. They couldn't just pick up as if they were daughter and father, it was something that they would need to work at if they really wanted to get to know one another.


I was completely thrown off and shocked at about 85% of the way through this book. It had actually been quite plain sailing till then and I was actually smiling at this wonderful read. But then it just gut punched me in the feels and my god it hurt. I was just not expecting it and I was on public transport at the time; my eyes welled up and I looked absolutely psycho. I just wasn't expecting this to be the kind of book that would do that to me. I thought we had an understanding, me and the book, it would be the nice light-hearted read I needed and I would write a lovely review as thanks. But nope, it betrayed me!

4/5 Stars


This was a really enjoyable read and so much more than I was expecting. I laughed at the book and I cried too. It blind-sided me at one point and left me totally devastated but I loved it none the less. It was a great read and I loved watching the characters develop. I will definitely be hunting down more of the authors work after this. 



*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Edelweiss in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.