Book Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Hey There!

"Suddenly, you edge your way to the end of your second ten years and BOOM. Your choices matter. Not chocolate or vanilla, bridge or pier, Sandy Claw or Abenaki. It's your whole life. We're suddenly this close, like Nic said, to the wrong move. Or the right one. It matters now."

4/5

So this was one of the books I took on holiday this year, so I can say I finished this book within 2 days. I'm one of those people where I cannot put a book down once I start reading it, and then I have to re-read it so I can fully review if I actually enjoyed reading the book. This is one of those books I definitely enjoyed reading. It is a typical Young Adult romance so if you enjoy that genre this book is definitely for you. 

This book focuses on Guinevere (Gwen) Castle and her summer in Seashell Island. She lives in a small house, needing maintenance, along with her Mum, her younger brother Emory, Grandpa Ben, and her cousin Nic. On the other side of the island, closer to the beach, there are more expensive houses where the people are much wealthier. Gwen spends this summer, instead of working for her Dad at his restaurant, Castle's Ice Cream, working for Mrs Ellington to "keep her company." Gwen also has to deal with Cassidy Somers, who we learn she has a history with, as he works for Island maintenance. Throughout the story we learn through Gwen what their relationship status is and what her backstory is, as she is perceived to have a certain reputation among the swim team at her school. 

One of the positives I found with this book was how Gwen managed to stay strong no matter what people were saying either to her, or behind her back. She has to deal with this reputation she has, which in fairness she has created herself. But the way she did not allow this to knock her back, but instead ignore what people were saying and come out the other side is something that should inspire other girls with potentially the same problem. As a girl, it is easy for what people are saying to get you and effect you in day-to-day life, but Gwen managed to take these words and throw them back in the faces of the people that were saying them. 

This book does not just focus on this issue. There is a focus on a class divide as well through Gwen's job, and the fact that Gwen wants to get off the Island but the responsibilities she has are holding her back. But going away from Gwen, we also learn about Gwen's cousin Nic, who happens to be dating her best friend Viv. We are able learn about their "perfect" relationship, but you learn that seeing relationship from the outside can be completely different to actually being in that relationship. 

I couldn't find many faults with this book to be honest. I guess I could just say I found it rather predictable. I don't know if that is through reading so many books and watching so many different TV shows, or if it was through the writing. But this did not stop me from enjoying the book at all! I mean, who can't love an ideal teenage relationship where everything seems all rainbows and unicorns (I'm up for it if there are any takers!!). 

I would recommend this as a summer read for everyone, even if you aren't going abroad. The way Fitzpatrick writes about the beauty of the island through the beaches makes it easy to imagine yourself there at a bonfire party. Having that vision of summer really lifts the mood (especially if you live in Britain where we have ONE day of sun) and makes you want to jump on a plane as quickly as possible!

Tell me what you think and other books you recommend for reading over the summer!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans 

xoxo

The Art of Loneliness...

Hey There!

So how is everyone doing?? I've been thinking about doing this blog post for a while now, but I guess it as just something I never actually wanted to complete. But now I'm here, writing this post, and hopefully some people will be able to relate. 

So when I started university in September, I knew it was going to be a struggle for me. I'm not a very outgoing person, I get nervous talking to new people, so going to a place where I knew absolutely no-one seemed like one of the scariest things in the world. Looking back on it now, I don't really know what I had to worry about. Everyone there was in the same boat, and we are all just stumbling through university. I've realised you need social support. You need people that you can moan to, and go out for lunch with, and just be plain stupid with. And if I'm being honest, I have very few of these people. I mean, I have one person. 

All but one of my friends moved away for university, but this last friend works most days now so it's hard to see her. As a group, we haven't necessarily lost contact, but we don't talk as much as we used to. When we are all around we have a really good time, and we do all really miss each other, but I can see now we all have our own separate lives. I miss this contact. Being so far away from everyone at uni, and living just with my parents, they are mostly the only people I talk to now. I miss the friendships I used to have. When people just lived around the corner and I can go and see them whenever. But now, I spend a lot of my time with my own thoughts. 

Spending time thinking to myself is not good for me. I went through a tough time a couple of years ago, and last year was tough again. I don't want to burden other people will my problems, so I keep them to myself a lot. I know this isn't a good thing to do. But until the summer, when all my friends come home, it will have to do. I'm not going to tell them my problems, I can push them aside for a couple of months and forget about them. It's not exactly a long-term solution but it gets me through day-to-day. Don't get me wrong, I am a loner. I like spending time on my own and listening to music and watching TV. But I miss being able to go for coffee with friends and actually go out, because that isn't fun to do on my own. 

I don't really know why I wrote all this to be honest. I have no idea how much sense any of this made, I just needed to get it off my chest. This is a sort of therapy for me and a way of accepting who I am. And I know that now. I need to use this blog more often. I need to get my thoughts across no matter how small or stupid. I need to just get them out there so I don't self destruct. 

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

Book Review: Gone Series by Michael Grant

Hi There!

'Welcome to the FAYZ. Wherever, whenever or whyever that is.'

I may be late on the bandwagon reviewing this series of books, but believe me when I say I had the first Gone book just after it came out, and since then got them on their release dates, but I've only now got round to finishing reading Light (the final book). I have no idea why it took me so long to read it, but I'm so so SO glad I finally got round to finishing the whole series! I would rate the whole series of books as 4.5/5 for sure! It would have been a 5, but I have my reasons. 

So getting on to a summary of what these books are about. Well. Where do I even start. In simple terms, everyone above the age of 15 disappears (poofs!) under a dome, so there are only kids left. Some of them have developed powers, others have stayed normal. These kids have to deal with struggles of power, food, and mutated animals. And it is definitely a true struggle!!

I loved in these books how action packed each turn of a page is. These are just normal kids whose lives have been turned upside down, and seeing how they deal with this great change of events is extremely interesting. Of course, I couldn't love this book unless there was a hint of romance. And of course there is! (Sastrid all the way!!!!). 

The one problem I found through this whole series of books is that it is sometimes very hard to keep up and picture everything that is being described in the books. For the first couple I was able to manage, but then I started to get more confused and these books became much more complex than I ever imagined!! That was the main reason why I couldn't give it 5/5! Hopefully a TV show might help me imagine these things ;)

So who would I recommend this book to? Well, it's aimed at young adults, but I would say fully grown adults will love this book as well! It will help them understand the struggles of the younger generation as they are also focused on in these books, but it will also explain that given their independence there are some younger children that can step up to the mark. You also obviously have to have a sort of sci-fi/fantasy mind as well because otherwise you would definitely get confused with this book. No doubt about it!!

If I could, I think I'd have the power to think of an item and then have it appear in front of me. What kind of power would you like if you could??

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

14 Days Later...

Hi there!

So two weeks have past since I last posted on here, and I need to find a way to change that. I want to try and find a way to blog every week to tell you what I have been up to, but if I'm honest, my life isn't too interesting so that wouldn't be much of a read haha. I don't really know where this post is going to go, but let's just see hey.

So what has happened, well Tuesday the 3rd of November 2015 I submitted my first bit of university coursework AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I have to admit, it was one of the scariest things to do. I don't know if it's because I'm just a constant worrier and I'm afraid everything I do isn't good enough, but if I fail that piece of coursework, I actually don't know what I'll do. I know you're all thinking, gosh just get over yourself and deal with it, but chill guys, it's scary for me. I only have 1 and a half weeks of waiting left to get a mark, and I guess that is going to take a long long time to go past.

What else, ooooo, my friend came back from university for just under a week and it was sooooooo good to see a familiar face! We went on a dinner date, saw some fireworks, it was so nice to finally see her again! We have never been apart so much so it's so weird not seeing her everyday. But my whole group of friends are coming home this week for a school thing, so it will be nice for the whole group to be reunited!

My auntie also had a baby!!! I guess that has been the big thing that has happened these past two weeks. I have always been the youngest in the family, and Saturday the 7th of November 2015 I lost that title. I'm so excited that there has been a new addition to the family, I'm definitely going to be on baby sitting duty for the rest of my life aha!

I guess that has been the past 2 weeks. In 14 days, this is all that has happened personally in my life! I guess in 14 days I really need to find a way to make my life more interesting! On a final note, I would really like to express my concerns to the people of Paris. It is horrendous what has happened these past couple of days. It is disgusting that there are people out there in the world you want to create chaos and petrify people. But horribly, that is the world we live in today. We should not have to accept this! As people of the world, we need to try and find a way to stand together and show that together, we can get through everything. My prayers are with you Paris.

Fille sans un plan, faire des plans

xoxo

Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Hey There!

'He kept making her feel like it was safe to smile.'

I loved a majority of this book I have to admit. I made me want to start reading lots of young romance novels, even though these are books that I normally stay away from. I would rate this book 4.5/5. 

If you haven't read this book, it is focused around 2 main characters; Eleanor, who is the new girl with big ginger hair and a random sense of style, and Park, who is the Asian kid at school who likes to keep himself to himself. They end up sitting next to each other on the school bus, and from here their relationship is able to grow through a mutual love of comic books and mix tapes. They both have issues to deal with, Eleanor more than Park, but these issues allow their relationship to build. It is through different point of views we are able to understand how both characters are feeling and how much we are able to empathise with them. 

For me, I really wanted to give this book a rating of 5, and within the first hundred pages I knew I was going to. But for me, the ending really let me down. It definitely came as a shock to me, but don't get me wrong, I still loved this book, and there is the possibility to read it again. I loved the way we were able to go on the awkward journey with these characters. We were able to be happy for them through certain parts, and then want to cry along when things were going wrong. The way this book was written was absolutely stunning. There were moments on nearly every page that you were able to remember, and be able to take a quote and feel something inside that just made you fall in love. 

I would recommend that every teenager and young adult read this book. It perfectly captures the awkwardness of falling in love at a young age, and the complexity of family life. And I can't stress enough, be prepared for a shock ending!!!!!!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

Book Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Hi There!

'You are all the colours in one, at full brightness.'

This book for me is definitely a solid 4.5/5   It was a wonderful read for me and definitely made me go through a whirlwind of emotions. There were moments when I wanted to laugh, and then moments when I wanted to cry and I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It has definitely made me want to wander and explore the town that I live in to find some hidden treasures.

So the basic outline of this story. It is written from two different points of view. Firstly, a boy called Theodore Finch who wants to kill himself, and secondly from a girl called Violet Markey who is suffering the after effects of the loss of her sister. They both meet at the top of a clock tower where Violet is debating taking her own life. Finch manages to talk her down and the story goes from there. There are ups and downs in their relationship and as a reader you feel as if you are third wheeling the whole way through as you are experiencing the same feeling as they are. 

The main focus of this story is mental illness, and more specifically on depression. The way that Niven describes the feelings of depression and people who know others who have depression show she has first-hand experience, and she is trying, through her writing, to help others who may be dealing with the same issues. One of the key moments of this book I found was Finch's chapter about 'Quicksand'. In this chapter Finch explains the 8 stages of trying to survive 'Quicksand', and this can be related to trying to survive the drowning feeling that you have when you are tackling an illness like depression. Being able to compare the two circumstances makes it easier to understand how, as a character, Finch is feeling. 

Overall, I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone. Not only does it highlight key issues to do with mental illness, but it has you hooked from the first couple of pages as you want to know what happens between Violet and Finch (and believe me, you need to know what happens!). 

Now everyone, GO AND READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

My Top 5 Summer Series...

Hi There!

Okay, so during the summer, I don't know about you, but I tend to spend a lot of time indoors. I mean, I go out obviously, but there are days that I do spend just sitting in front of the TV. Normally I will be engrossed in a new series and then I will just binge watch that series until I know everything that happens. I'm sure there are people out there that also do this, I mean, Twitter and Tumblr are just made for fangirls like me. So I've decided that I'm going to share with you some of my favourite series to watch. You may have already watched some of them or you may think you won't like some of them, but hey, you won't know until you try. Okay, so on to the series...

1) Gossip Girl

Now this was a new find for me (Praise Jesus for Netflix!) I know this is a relatively old series but it is still amazing. It is all to do with the 'Upper East Side' and trying to stay off of Gossip Girl's radar. This series is definitely aimed towards teenage girls I believe as one of the main focuses of the series is the romance, specially between the infamous Chuck and Blair, and the fact the boys that are in it are H-O-T. It is definitely a series that you can get involved with and it will have you shouting at the TV for your favourite couples to get together. The main focus (sort of) is trying to find out who Gossip Girl is, and I have to admit, I was rubbish at guessing who it was! Unfortunately, I saw a spoiler and it turned out all my guesses had been wrong, so if you want to watch this series, STAY AWAY FROM WIKIPEDIA!!!!!

2) The 100

This series is rather different from Gossip Girl. For one, it is much more recent, and secondly it is based in the future. It is based on the idea that everyone lives up in space because there was a nucleur bomb on Earth, and to try and save oxygen and see if it is possible for people to live on Earth, the President sends down 100 under 18 convicts. These 100 need to learn how to live off the land and survive in conditions they are not familiar with. I absolutely love this series!! There have only been 2 series so far, but a third has been confirmed to be aired in 2016 which I think is just too far away!! There is not a strong emphasis on romance in this series, but it is there (#BELLARKEFOREVER). It is a series for those who like adventure and a series that will just keep you guessing, because it is a series that you obviously can't compare to real live. I would recommend everyone watches this and falls in love :)

3) Dance Moms

I know this series is very controversial, but that is what makes me love it. I know it gets a lot of criticisim, but until you watch it, I don't think you can really have an opinion. It's quite clear what the series is about just from the title, and if the name Abby Lee Miller means nothing to you where have you been living!! This show is supposedly 'real life' but I think it is extremely dramatised (is that even a word haha?). There are so many arguments between the mums, and the mums and Abby it makes it so funny to watch. Lots of people think that Abby doesn't treat the girls well and it is abuse what she says, but it may be that a lot of what she does/says is for the show and she may be nice in real life, so we can't judge until we know for sure. This is definitely a watch if you want to watch something that is drama filled!!

4) Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Like Dance Moms, I know this is a very love/hate series, but for me it is definitely a love!! Again, the title is rather self-explanatory, and it is basically a reality series following round all of the Kardashians. There are so many series of this it will definitely occupy your summer haha. You get to see so much into their lives it is actually quite interesting because personally, I won't ever live a life like them, so seeing what they live like just amazes me. You may think after 10 series there can't be much left to see and it will get boring, but believe me, it doesn't! Their lives are so up and down it would make anyone sick on a rollercoaster. Definitely a watch if you want to see how the other half live!

5) Pretty Little Liars

This is by far my favourite series ever! I started watching it about 4 years ago (living in the UK meant watching it online so soooooooooo many odd websites!). Unless you have been living in a very, very dark hole, you will know what this series is about because Twitter and everything else goes ape when an episode has been on. This series is based on the fact a girl has gone missing, and then the 4 other girls in her friendship group started receiving threatening and blackmailing messages from a person called A. So far it is nearly half way through series 6 and I AM STILL WAITING FOR SO MANY ANSWERS I'M STARTING TO GO SLIGHTLY NUTS!! SO MUCH FOR SUMMER OF ANSWERS!!! This is a series that will definitely improve your patience as I have now been waiting 4 years for answers, but August 11th I will finally get those answers!! It will be extremely hard to ignore those spoilers so if you want to start watching this series, I suggest you start binge watching it now!

So those are the 5 series that I recommend you watch over the summer. They are series that will have you hooked and will make you want to carry on watching once you have started!!! Now, back to watching Pretty Little Liars, see you later!!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo