It’s that time again, time to reflect on my reading from the previous week. This week has been a rollercoaster, cluster-fuck of emotions (shout out to all of you with seasonal depression, look after yourselves and stay hydrated). I forgot to post yesterday due to my bumpy rollercoaster, although I don’t know if I would have participated in a Christmas freebie for TTT because I’m not the biggest holiday book lover. That being said, I watched the Holidate last night and it was 10/10 wholesome and hilarious. Now, without further ado let’s catch you up on my reads.
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Love Is A Revolution, Renee Watson
Genre: YA Teen Romance, Family
Themes: Complicated mother-daughter relationships, family dynamics, mother wounds, first loves, black culture
★★★★.5
As previously mentioned in my last WWW, I have now completed Love is A Revolution and I assumed this would be a 5 stars but on reflection it’s a 4.5 star (still a top-notch rating!) I loved the family aspects of this book, especially between Nala and her grandmother and the elderly people at the care home. Nala’s estranged relationship with her mother is quite heartbreaking but it was extremely relatable and heart-warning to see it improve slightly throughout the book. As far as the romance goes, it was cute (as YA should be) but I expected a little more from Nala’s self love arc. Over all, I really recommend this when it comes out February 2nd.
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Smash it, Franchina Simone
Genre: Teen YA, romance & self discovery
Themes: POC, girl with a list, friendzone, love quadrangle
Olivia “Liv” James is done with letting her insecurities get the best of her. So she does what any self-respecting hot mess of a girl who wants to SMASH junior year does…
After Liv shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts—why, God, why?—she decides to set aside her wack AF ways. She makes a list—a F*ck-It list.
1. Be bold—do the thing that scares me.
2. Learn to take a compliment.
3. Stand out instead of back.
She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv’s heart is interested in three different guys—and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she’s not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?
In Liv’s own words, “F*ck it. What’s the worst that can happen?”
A lot, apparently.
I picked up Smash it on a whim after seeing it on Booktube one time. I am always here for the girl with a list trope. Hands down my absolute favourite trope. I’m literally on the first chapter and so far I’m enjoying the characters voice.
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After I Do, Taylor Jenkins Reid
This year has had it’s turbulence, but if I can express gratitude to 2020 for anything, it’s the new authors I have discovered. I read Evelyn Hugo back in September and picked up a few of Taylor’s other books (I also read Maybe in Another Life). This one is also highly raved about in the bookish community and so I am excited to pick this one up.
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And that’s a wrap. You are now caught up. If you’ve read any of these books don’t hesitate to share your feelings and thoughts in the comments sections. And as always, lots of love,
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together
There’s nothing better than cosying up with a delicious steamy beverage and an old favourite read. This weeks TTT is all about the books you would love to read again.
Share me with me the books you’d love to read again in the comments!
This will be controversial as I’ve only read but a snippet of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s highly acclaimed Daisy Jones & The Six, but Imagine Stevie Nicks reading as Daisy. I now can’t imagine anyone else reading it as an audiobook. Would you like to hear this or rather who would you pay to read DJ&TS to you?
Hello my beautiful souls, it’s time to reflect on the month of September and all the books I read in that month. Let’s begin with a life update – if I could rate my September out of 10 it would be a flat 7 because I got myself into my first program with the incredible Sara Longoria (Heal) and focused on healing my masculine energy. This program was super intense for just 7 days and had me reflecting on so much with constant light bulbs in my brain. Mental health wise, September was a rollercoaster, constantly up and down, never just on the middle ground.
I binge watched The Fosters and Good Trouble in the month of September, the Fosters always leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy and it was amazing to revisit this show I love so much and experience it’s spin-off – the two sisters take NYC after college – Good Trouble. I enjoyed Good Trouble WAY more than I expected to, spin off aren’t usually my thing post Ravenswood, The Originals and Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life). But this one was completely satisfying to see Callie and Marianna living their best lives in the adult world post college. It still hasn’t been announced whether we’re getting season three (Thank you Covid) but I would love to see more of these new characters, especially Alice and Darvia.
September was such a successful reading month for me. Here are my Stats:
⁃ Books Read: 10
⁃ 3 5 Stars
⁃ 6 4 Stars
⁃ 1 3 Star
⁃ 1 Middle Grade
⁃ 1 Historical Fiction
⁃ 6 YA Contemporary
⁃ 1 Graphic Novel
⁃ 1 Fantasy
⁃ 3 Adult Romance
⁃ 3 Own Voices
⁃ Readathons: 2
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September Reading Rating: 4.5 Stars
I participated in the Bratz readathon for September, although only completing 3 of the prompts, I feel rather successful and enjoyed the material I read. I came out with a 5 star, 2 4 star, a 3 star and one DNF.
Let’s get the DNF out of the way first and to name that book, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. I thought I would have nostalgic vibes but I was left feeling betrayed, as if Disney had done a better job of the story. I preferred Queen Clarice to the ‘Grandmere’ we got here. Not to mention, it was just frustrating being in Mia’s head.
Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
Genre: Middle Grade
Themes: Death, grief, car accident
★★★
I started by listening to the Audiobook of Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson, narrated by the talented Eve Best. This book fit the Chloe Prompt by the title and the cover. We follow Jade whose traumatised by the death of her best friend, Vicky who was hit by a car during an argument they were having on the way home from school. Jade’s grief manifests as the ‘ghost’ of her best friend, the only way her brain can make sense of the loss as she tries to navigate her life without Vicky. I rated this book 3 stars because it’s not my favourite Jackie by far and was really depressing and packed with trauma. Additionally, I really loved Eve’s effort to create all the different characters through alternating tones and voices. That alone made this more enjoyable.
Josh and Hazel’s Guide To Not Dating, Christina Lauren
Genre: Adult Romance
Themes: Blind dates, eccentric woman
★★★★
I then read Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren to fulfil the romance prompt and the gaping wound in my soul. Vice to say, this really satisfied. This is an adult romance centred around Hazel, self identified undatable-eccentric woman who rehashes a college friendship with Josh and they embark on a double-blind journey together. Even though this was highly predictable by romantic-comedy standards, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, it was exactly what I needed at the time. Hazel is one of my favourite CL characters and her growth throughout the book was incredible to witness. One of the things that stood out to me most is Hazel’s full acceptance towards herself and refusal to change for anyone. We also get treated to great pet names and Rory-Loreli relationship between Hazel and her mother. Over all, I recommend this for anyone in a reading slump who needs a little romance boost.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult Romance, LGBTQ+
Themes: Abuse, LGBTQ+, steamy sex
★★★★★
In addition to the Bratz readathon, I participated in the Mammamiathon, something I couldn’t let slide by because my favourite film of all time condensed into a 12 day reading extravaganza. My first 5 star of the month goes to my new favourite author, Taylor Jenkin’s Reid and her historical romance, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I am now unclear on my favourite book of the year because I’ve discovered many amazing books but this will be at least in my top 5.
We follow low-scale writer Monique as she interviews Ex Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo in a expose of her life and the seven husbands she had when she was taking Hollywood by storm. Evelyn’s one of those characters that you can’t help but be captivated and enchanted by, even when she makes questionable decisions. I’ll rehash what I said in my Maybe in Another Life review, Taylor writes realistic romances with lovable, flawed, human characters. Maybe that’s why I love her books so much? I feel seen and humanised by her writing. Not to mention, the life lessons in this book are worth setting in stone in your own life.
Bookish and the Beast (#3 in Fairytale series), Ashley Poston
Genre: Fairytale Retelling, Sci-FI, Ya Contemporary
Themes: Grief, book lovers, library
★★★★
My final book for the Bratz readathon was Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Postson of which I rated 4 stars and was my most anticipated read of the year. This is the third instalment in her fairytale with a Sci-Fi twist series and is inspired by Beauty and The Beast.
In this Beauty and the Beast meets Stars Wars fantastic, we follow Rosie Thorne, glorified book nerd whose grieving the loss of her mother and is yet another devoted fan of Star Field. When Rosie breaks into a strangers house after following a dog and destroys a first edition of a loved Star Field novel, she finds herself paying off the debt by organising the house owners library. But who other than Vance Reigns, the actor who portrays Rosie’s favourite Star Field character, Sond is on house arrest, no life arrest at the house when she’s working there. Vance has been exploited in the tabloids as the nortioros bad boy, presented as a menace and finds himself cooped up in a small town against his own wishes to lay low. What happens when sparks fly between two unlikely people?
Honestly, if I had to rank the books in order it would be Geekerella, The Princess and The Fangirl followed by Bookish and the Beast. I didn’t connect to Rosie in the same way I connected to Jess and Elle. I did however, connect to her love of books and I fell in love with the way Ashley described that bookish-heart feeling, the at home in the library. Cuteness factor is activated but not as much as the other two books.
Heart Stopper, Alice Oseman
Genre: Teen Ya Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Graphic Novel
Themes: Bullying, Coming out
★★★★
After Bookish and The Beast, I felt like reading in correspondence with my mood, and so I breached out of the two readathons and finally read HeartStopper by Alice Oseman. I have read two other graphic novels this year and by far this one is my favourite. Everyone and their mother has read HeartStopper by now, but if like myself you need an extra push to accept the rightfully earned hype…
This graphic novel is all about two secondary school boys called Nick and Charlie who form an unlikely friendship of which turns into a relationship. The illustrations are just so adorable and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other two editions.
From Twinkle With Love, Sandyha Menon
Genre: Ya Contemporary, Own Voices
Themes: Wallflower pride
★★★★
At the beginning of the year I stopped reading, From Twinkle with Love by Sadhya Mennon only to pick it up again and grace it with a 4 star rating.
Aspiring filmmaker Twinkle Mehra has important stories to tell and a burning passion for bringing those stories into focus through a camera lens. When an opportunity arises for Twinkle to bring a modern day twist on Dracula to screen, Twinkle welcomes it with open arms and vengeance. She is described as a wallflower, someone who exists in the background with big dreams of being somebody. But what’s a girl to do when you aren’t seen? She is also having email conversations with a secret admirer who calls himself ‘N’ and she fantasises about the mystery boy being her long term crush, Neil Roy. To make matters worse she’s slowly falling for Neil’s twin and her film producer, Sahil.
I love that book is told entirely through emails Twinkle sends to her favourite female filmmakers, that alone gives this book such a fun and creative twist. It’s very Ya-contemporary and perfect for anyone who loves this genre like myself.
I found myself appreciating this book, after my initial DNF and I’m really glad I gave it another chance.
THIS COVER THO!
Cinderella is Dead, Kalynn Bayron
Genre: Own Voices, Fairytale retelling, Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Themes: LGBTQ, death, violation of woman’s rights
★★★★★
Cinderella is Dead changed this readers perspective on fantasy. I was never a huge fantasy reader who felt turned on by fights for the thrown or vampires that fell in love with humans, but this book has made me excited to delve into more fanatical worlds. This book is set in a kingdom where all girls must conform to the kings rules inspired by his obsession with Cinderella. It’s been 200 years since Cinderella passed away, and every year the king holds an annual ball in her legacy where the kingdoms young ladies must dress to impress the young men. Failure to be chosen at the ball results in imprisonment or death. Sophia is passed the rules set out by the king and she is also in love with another girl who happens to be her friend. Sophia goes from dutiful daughter to fugitive overnight as she escapes the ball and attempts to flee the kingdom, only to return with a plan to take down the king and seek justice for all the citizens of the town.
I was enchanted by every word, every page. I could not put this book down for the life of me. It is so filled with action and twists and turns that you will not see coming. I had my own predictions for this book, and I was satisfyingly proven wrong by the incredible Kalynn Bayron. There was what looked like a miniature teaser for her second book, a second addition to this ‘series’ in the middle of the book and it sounds incredible. This book is worthy of all the hype it’s getting, although, in my eyes it’s not getting the justice it deserves. You will be sentenced as a forfeit if you don’t hurry along and get yourself a copy.
THE COVER MAKES ME HAPPY
I’ll Be The One, Lyla Lee
Genre: Ya Contemporary, Own voices
Themes: Emotional abuse, body shaming, awful beauty standards, plus size rep, bi sexual rep
★★★★★
Next up we have another own voices, I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee. This is book is all about a secret bisexual, plus size Korean-American teen called Skye who against the impossible K-pop beauty standards and her mother’s wishes, auditions for a reality show on the quest to find the next big K-pop star. Skye does succeed and finds herself in a whole new world where she is travelling for she is juggling being a high school student and reality show contestant, oh and she befriends a somewhat famous boy…
This book has all the feels of falling in love for the first time, find yourself and the trauma from emotional abuse of a parent. The way Skye’s mother treated her is heartbreaking, her lack of belief and support for her daughter just destroyed me and reminded me a lot of my own upbringing. On the plus side, Skye knows who she is and knows that she’s worthy of her place in the K-POP world. This really does bring to light the damage caused by the K-POP beauty standards and I feel for anyone who never felt like they couldn’t fit into that world, into that narrative. Body shaming is never okay.
Yes, No, Maybe So, Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Genre: Own voices, political romance, ya contemporary
Themes- slow burn romance, friends to lovers, Muslim rep, Jewish rep
★★★★
The second to last book I read in September was Yes, No, Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. We follow two teens, Maya, a Muslim American and Jamie, a wallflower Jewish boy as they canvas for a local election. This book is described as a Political romance but I would refer to more is VERY POLITICAL slow burn friendship turned romance. This is very political heavy, and I could’ve done with less politics as a non-political individual but it’s always inspiring to see young people take a stand and fight for what’s right to them. I enjoyed the friendship between the two characters and I found Jamie to be very sweet.
Maybe In Another Life, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Adult Romance
Themes: miscarriage, cute dog, car accident, rekindled first love romance, laws of the universe
★★★★.5
And finally, we have Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid, my second dive into TJR’s world. This book plays on the concept that every choice you make leads you down different paths hence the alternative-universe timelines we see Hannah go down based on the choice of leaving her welcome back to Los Angeles night-out with her high school love, Ethan or her best friend Gabby and her husband. Both of these timelines give Hannah extraordinary growth but my favourite timeline is the one where she leaves with Gabby and gets into a car accident. This book will make you wish you had a friendship like Gabby and Hannah, it will make you cry, laugh and believe in love. I loved this book. I don’t know how to put this into words but you can read my review of it
All in all, September was an amazing reading month for me and I can see myself revisiting Evelyn Hugo and Cinderella is Dead again. Thank you for reading this post, if you’d like to see more from me you can subscribe to my booktube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWHF5tISYj8rTDwIi3oIHng
“Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.”
– Evelyn Hugo (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo)
Taylor Jenkins-Reid blessed us with this raw and heartbreaking tale of the glamorous, enchanting and loved Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo. This book follows Evelyn appointing lower scale but up and coming journalist, Monique to write an expose on her life, and most specifically on her 7 marriages. Throughout this book, Evelyn shines the light on the blind spots of her life and her career and we come to see the real person behind the bleached blonde hair and her signature green attire.
SPOILERS 🚨 – – –
Words can’t express my feelings after wrapping myself up in Evelyn’s world. Much like Monique, I both have a hatred for her and the things she did, yet I admire her for being so unapologetically herself and raw. I felt her pain of losing those closest to her and having to conform to societies standards thus hiding her true self. I related to Evelyn’s Romeo and Juliet romance with every ounce of my being, my own past life wounds being forced open as I tried to navigate my own emotions. This book raises so many questions in the reader starting with “Which husband was the love of her life?” and “Why specifically Monique?” Both questions are answered beautifully.
“And taking pride in your beauty is a damning act. Because you allow yourself to believe that the only thing notable about yourself is something with a very short shelf life.”
Evelyn Hugo (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo)
One of my favourite parts of this book is the heartwarming friendship between Harry and Evelyn and I’ve never seen a friendship written so beautifully, it’s the type of friendship that has you wishing you were lucky enough to experience it. A friendship filled with such love and support, built on the foundation of equality. In fact, Evelyn makes you feel that way, wishing you were lucky enough to be in her presence, under her light. She is the type of person that lights up every single room she walks into, that leaves you satisfied but wanting just a little bit more of her. I felt enchanted by Evelyn Hugo, and at some points I wanted to be her. Taylor found a way to create a character that is unapologetically flawed and human yet fascinating and enchanting.
“I loved you so much that I thought you were the meaning of my life….I thought that people were put on earth to find other people, and I was put here to find you. To find you and touch your skin and smell your breath and hear all your thoughts. But I don’t want to be meant for someone like you.”
– Evelyn Hugo (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo)
I am a romance reader and nothing has ever come close to the love shared between Celia and Evelyn, a timeless love that could shatter the world and turn it into a more wholesome, beautiful place. It never came without it’s flaws, trials and turbulences. This isn’t a love story that feeds you unrealistic ideologies about love. Truly, the best part about this romance is the pain, trauma and beauty of it all. Evelyn loved Celia with every part of herself though she may have held back on giving her full self and Celia saw the woman behind the glitz and the glamour. That’s all we could ever want in love, to be truly seen for who we are, to be loved despite our flaws. Taylor didn’t feed us an unattainable fairy tale with Evelyn and Celia, she fed us true human love. This also shines a light on my own love life, I myself have found my Celia and I know many people will be searching for theirs.
What makes this book so captivating and brilliant is the different timelines we step through as Evelyn tells her truth to Monique and additionally we get Monique’s perspective and an insight into the depths of her experience with Evelyn and navigating her own divorce. We quickly see through Monique the strong impact Evelyn can have on a person as Monique stands up to her boss because of Evelyn and asks David for a divorce because of Evelyn. There are so many life lessons to be learned in this book about race, sexuality and self acceptance but the true meaning behind this story is to embrace those closest to you and not to lose insight on what’s really important in the darkness and light of life. If Evelyn Hugo has taught me anything its to be fully and unapologetically myself, to stand up to adversity and love the people I love unconditionally, flaws and all.
“I love you so much, sweetheart. So, so much. And it’s in part because of things like that. You’re an idealist and a romantic, and you have a beautiful soul. And I wish the world was ready to be the way you see it. I wish that the rest of the people on earth with us were capable of living up to your expectations. But they aren’t. The world is ugly, and no one wants to give anyone the benefit of the doubt about anything. When we lose our work and our reputations, when we lose our friends and, eventually, what money we have, we will be destitute. I’ve lived that life before. And I cannot let it happen to you. I will do whatever I can to prevent you from living that way. Do you hear me? I love you too much to let you live only for me..”
– Evelyn Hugo (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo)
Who was my favourite of her 7 husbands? Harry. He was a husband of true non-romantic love. He saw Evelyn before anyone else did. He loved her before anyone else did and he dedicated his life to fulfilling hers and their daughter Connor. Harry was unselfish and truly loved Evelyn for the person she was. If you have a Harry in your life, appreciate them. Overall, my favourite love of Evelyn’s was Celia. She was brave, optimistic and wanted to make the world a better place and for Evelyn at least, she did just that. Celia loved Evelyn unconditionally through the broken hearts and bad decisions. She loved her at her best and at her worst. We can learn forgiveness and unconditional love from Celia St. James. When you truly love another, you are fully open and embracing of who you are, shining light on all parts of you to the other person. You accept their flaws, you celebrate their wins. The love is built is on equality and mutuality. The love Celia has for Evelyn was pure, raw and everlasting.
“My heart was never in the craft of acting, only in the proving. Proving my power, proving my worth, proving my talent.”
– Evelyn Hugo (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo)
In conclusion, 5 Stars isn’t enough for the masterpiece that is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, it is much more deserving of the entire constellation and an Oscar.
Maybe in Another Life is such a cleverly articulated work of must read art for anyone who is spiritual and has a love for quantum theory much like myself. I went into this knowing that I would come out of it loving it and that is exactly what happened. Taylor Jenkins Reid writes realistic romance and characters, characters that own it, who are flawed and yet likeable all at the same time. I personally recommend her entire backlist to everyone and anyone. We follow two separate timelines in this story of events after a just returned back to hometown of Los Angeles night out. Hannah, a complex woman who can’t find her place in the world, whose spent years at pointless jobs and living in different cities returns back to her hometown of Los Angeles to begin again and find herself. She finds herself on a night out with her lifelong best friend Gabby and has a decision to make, go home with Gabby and her husband or stay out with her first love Ethan. We see both these scenarios play out in two separate timelines in alternating chapters throughout the book. My favourite timeline is the one where she returns home with Gabby and gets into an accident that leaves her hospital bed ridden. Both timelines allow her to grow as an individual and find herself and discover who Hannah is, but my favourite timeline is of course vastly different to the other. The most heart warming part of the book and is significant in Taylor’s other books is the wholesome loving friendship between Gabby and Hannah. They remind me so much of my own best friend and I (again, she writes realism) with having so much love and respect for another human being in a non-romantic way. This friendship is beautiful and exactly what I needed in both timelines. Sometimes the best love you can experience is the love shared between two best friends. My favourite love interest was Henry, I loved how he sought out Hannah even after she left the hospital as their relationship was meant to be completely nurse and patient professional in all aspects. Sometimes you find love in the most unpredictable places. Also, can someone love me and look at me as passionately as Hannah does with cinnamon rolls. I, a British woman has never tasted a cinnamon roll but it’s going on the bucket list now.
Bookish Rising 