Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

Title: Again, but Better
Author: Christine Riccio
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication date: 7th May 2019
Pages: 373
Genres:  Young Adult, Contemporary
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

Maybe I was late to the game on this one but going in I had no idea what to expect and halfway through this book I felt like my head had exploded. What was happening? How had I not anticipated the next move?! Is this a secret to those who haven’t read the book yet? Was I just totally oblivious to the subliminal messages on the cover?

Needless to say, this book got me. It was so much better than I thought it was going to be. Even though I’m a huge fan of Riccio’s YouTube channel and I had high hopes that she would craft something any book lover would love, I was happily surprised by how well she tied everything together along the way. Every character had purpose, every joke was well written, and I really appreciated the nod to something outside of the usual contemporary genre. I was not expecting it. And just to quickly mention the lovely song lyric inspired chapter titles, they were great.

(And can I just say how hard I fangirled for Christine when I noticed Colleen Hoover wrote one of the reviews on the back of the book? Can you imagine!)

Okay, enough rambling about my initial feelings (I’ve literally just finished reading it and had to come straight here). Here’s what was so good about the book for me:

The books I read in 2018 and why I liked all ten of them

Hi everyone, it’s been a while! In fact, it’s been about six months- full of work experience, vet school, and other events.

I read a total of ten books this year (and 4-5 books that are still ongoing). At the beginning of the year, I set myself a goal to read 20 books for my Goodreads Reading Challenge, knowing that there was no way I could meet my usual goal due to the more demanding curricula I was about to endure. I didn’t meet that goal at all but I did meet an even better one. Because I had limited time, I only read books that really captured my attention and begged to be read. Every book was thoroughly enjoyable. 2018 taught me a lot about quality over quantity, and that somehow transferred over to my reading as well.

I can read again! Also, I wrote a guest post!

Hello everyone for the first time in MONTHS!

I am officially done with undergrad and will be starting vet school in the fall! I was sad to miss out on blogging for FOUR months and I’m even sadder to say that I’m not officially back yet. I’m doing a nine week wildlife rehabilitation internship this summer and don’t think I’ll have too much time for reading or blogging. However, I do have a few posts I want to make and hope to find time to do so!

In other news, I wrote a guest post back in January that’s just been posted on the Wanderer’s Pen! Grace has this really cool segment called ‘So Your Character is From’, in which she gets international bloggers to answer questions about their country so writers have a place to go for a local’s input on the country they may want to write about. I’m from an island in the Caribbean called Grenada- see what I wrote about it here!

It’s been a long school term but I’m ready to get back to my books and my book people! Even if I’m not posting much, I will definitely be catching up on others’ blogs and enjoying all the new content I’ve been missing out on 🙂  See you around!

 

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

Title: Speak Easy, Speak Love
Author: McKelle George
Published by: Greenwillow Books
Publication date: 19th September 2017
Pages: 432
Genres:  Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romantic Comedy
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

George’s debut novel, Speak Easy, Speak Love, was a complete bucket of joy with a side of jazz and champagne. It was unexpectedly funny and had me laughing out loud on many occasions, which was fun as I was often on public transport.

My Top Five Favorite Books of 2017

Happy New Years!

This year I read so many incredible books that had me on the edge of my seat, crying and laughing, sometimes simultaneously. I’ve challenged myself to limiting all the books I read in 2017 down to five favorites (in no particular order).

Unique Blogger Award #2

Thank you so much to Laura @ The Book Corps for the nomination! I really appreciate it, especially as I kind of went off the grid for a little bit this year! Laura writes really great reviews and her posts are almost always an instant read for me so I definitely recommend checking out her blog if you haven’t already!

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Title: One Dark Throne
Author: Kendare Blake
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication date: 19th September 2017
Pages: 464
Genres:  Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

“Who knows what happened to the queens who were thrown down into the dark? Into the heart of the island, where the Goddess’s eye is always open. Who knows how she kept those queens or what she turned them into.”

Trying to wrap my head around everything that happened in this stunning sequel is pretty darn near impossible. There’s death, betrayal, surprise and suspense at every turn- everything I expected from One Dark Throne. The Ascension Year is upon us and watching how each queen dealt with the matter at hand was delightful.

Winter Book Haul!

Hello everybody, it’s time for another book haul!! I went a little crazy this time after my long reading hiatus but so far I’ve been so impressed by the books here that I’ve read/am reading! Let me know what you’ll be reading over winter and which of these you recommend/want to read, etc.!

Things I learned from my time away from blogging

Hey everyone,

I took the last few months off to really focus on school and I learned some really important things about myself and blogging. I wanted to share these things with you because whether you’re working, studying or just aren’t happy with your life (or maybe you’re doing great and if so, this is just a cautionary tale and also, good job! I’m really happy for you!), you may find some of these really helpful. 

Not Your Sidekick by C. B. Lee

Title: Not Your Sidekick
Author: C. B. Lee
Published by: Duet Books
Publication date: 8th September 2016
Pages: 283
Genres:  Young Adult, LGBT, Fantasy, Superheroes
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

“We can’t just sit on our asses and not live our lives while trying to expose a corrupt government!”

There are so many things to love about Not Your Sidekick. It’s #ownvoices, it’s creative, it’s funny, it’s real, it’s full of love and adventure. I’ve never been a huge fan of superhero stories but this one felt different to me for some reason. This is the first book I’ve finished in the last four months due to university and I’m just glad I picked it up all those many months ago because it was such a sweet story and I’m very ready for the sequel!