BookTube-A-Thon 2016: A Big Fail

Hi everyone! As you know, I participated in this year's BookTube-A-Thon, like always. I did a blog post about my TBR for this year and it made me so excited that I was convinced I would be able to read a lot and to even post a few reviews during the week. However, it didn't exactly go as I planned, which you'll see in the summary of my reading challenges. I hope you enjoy reading it, and I'm sorry for the lack of blog posts!

Monday, July 18

On Monday, I was as motivated as anyone could be, so I tried reading a bit before I went to bed at midnight and I read while eating breakfast. I focused on Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross, since it's such a short book. I was working that day, even though I wasn't supposed to, so I didn't get that much free time after that.

Tuesday, July 19

On Tuesday, I was finally free, so I read as much as I could. I started reading Frankenstein, but only for about 50 pages. I finished reading Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross, which made me very happy. I gave it 3/5. At night, I started The Cinderella Pact, which I really liked from the beginning. 

Wednesday, July 20

Wednesday was my reading day. I read quite a big part of Frankenstein, but I also started listening to I Was Here. I continued reading The Cinderella Part as well, so although I didn't finish a book on that day, I did get some progress.

Thursday, July 21

On Thursday, I started panicking because I had only finished one of my seven books, so I almost finished Frankenstein in one more sitting. Then, I read Zenith in one sitting, because it's a lot shorter than I expected it to be. I gave it 3.5/5. Somewhere between Thursday and Friday, I finished The Cinderella Pact, which I gave 4/5.

Friday, July 22

On Friday morning, I finished reading Frankenstein. I didn't feel like picking it up one last time, but since I really enjoyed it, I gave it 4/5. I wasn't supposed to work that day, but I did anyways, so I didn't have time to read after that. 

Saturday, July 23

Things went downhill on Saturday, when I had a really bad day at work. When I came home, all I wanted to do was sleep, so after trying to listen to I Was Here for half an hour, I went to bed and didn't get out until my alarm woke me up the next day, instead of finishing I Was Here and starting to read The Story Girl like I had planned.

Sunday, July 24

Finally, on Sunday, I realized that I wouldn't be able to complete all the challenges. I did finish I Was Here, and I gave it 5/5, but I didn't touch The Story Girl or Matilda, since I wasn't feeling all that well and I simply didn't have enough time.

Overall, I'm happy that I read five books, even though I wanted to read seven. I wish I had completed more reading challenges though, because I only completed four of them. 

I've been extremely busy since then, so I haven't read much at all and I didn't have time to touch my computer, let alone write a review for one of the books I read during BookTube-A-Thon. I'm going on vacation tomorrow for one week, but I won't have my computer and there won't be any Internet anyways, so you guys won't here from me for a few more days. I'm really, really sorry about that, but I hadn't realized how crazy my life would be during this week. I hope to post again very soon though!

I wish you all a good day :)

Sapphire Blue (Precious Stone Trilogy #2) - Kerstin Gier

Goodreads summary:

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.


My review:

4/5

This is one of my favourite series, and it has been for a couple of years. It's at least my third time reading this particular book, so I feel like I've become some sort of expert on this subject - if I could be an expert in such a subject, obviously.

The first point I think is worth mentioning is the amazing narration. I've mentionned this when I was rereading the first book, but I don't the English translator does it justice. I have sadly not had the chance to read this series in its original language, because I simply don't speak it, but when I read it in French, I feel like the narration is smoother, lighter and therefore funnier. Gwyneth (or Gwendolyn in French - that's something I'll never get over, because why does the name of the main character change from one language to another?) is one of my all time favourite characters, because her internal dialogue is absolutely hilarious. This is caused by her amazing sense of humor, which can be quite dry at some moments, but also by the fact that she sees all kinds of ghosts and creatures that cannot be seen by other people, so her conversations with them are great.

My next point is definitely the characters, which are all extremely complex and well developped. Obviously, Gwyneth is fantastic, but her siblings are as well, just like her friends. Some people in her family are kind of horrible, but they're really well pictured anyways. I truly feel like they're real humans, which makes me love this story even more. Also, there's Gideon, which is absolutely swoon-worthy. Even when he's acting horribly, I can see why he's doing it, so I still love it with all my heart (and it almost hurts). He's one of my favourite love interests in books, to be honest.

This leads us to my next point, which is the romance. Oh, the romance! I absolutely love Gwyneth and Gideon together. They really haven't known each other for that long, which is a bit annoying in books, it doesn't feel like it to them, nor to me. I actually think that the whole story could have been stretched over a longer period, because it doesn't feel like the series takes place over two or three weeks (or something like that). Because it feels like they've known each other for longer than they actually have, the progression of their relationship is realistic and adorable. This book contains huge moments in their relationship, especially one that could seriously make you hate Gideon - I'm warning you so that you might hate him a little bit less, 'cause he's adorable.

Plotwise, I think this is the least interesting book in the series, because it doesn't have the interest of the first time travels. It's more or less the calm before the storm, because everything starts falling into place for the big finale (which I'm now really excited to read). I think that if we could see a bit of Lesley's perspective, it would be a lot more interesting, because she's the one doing all the research, while her best friend is lost in her Gideon contemplation - I don't even blame her, by the way. Sure, it's incredibly annoying, but Gideon does seem like the kind of guy who makes you lose all kinds of logic.


I would definitely recommend this book! However, after reading it at least four years later than the first time I read it, I think it's very clearly intended for younger audiences. That being said, it doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed by more mature readers!

Shuffle, Repeat - Jen Klein

Goodreads summary:

When Harry Met Sally for YA romance readers. This opposites-attract love story is perfect for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Perkins, and Jenny Han.

June wants high school to end and real life to begin. Oliver is soaking up senior year’s glory days. They could have coasted through high school, knowing about—but not really knowing—each other.

Except that their moms have arranged for Oliver to drive June to school. Every. Single. Day.

Suddenly these two opposites are fighting about music, life . . . pretty much everything. But love is unpredictable. When promises—and hearts—get broken, Oliver and June must figure out what really matters. And then fight for it.


My review:

4,5/5

If you guys didn't get to see my initial review for this book, you might not understand how much I loved it. It wasn't much, but let me tell you this: it was in all-caps, and I did restrain myself from using too many exclamation marks when I was typing it. The effort was there, but the results weren't.

At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this novel, because June seemed easy to judge and stuck up. The truth is that she is, but I started warming up to her as Oliver started to shake her inital opinions on high school and life in general. Then, I discovered that she's nice, funny and smart, which makes her a pretty good character, in the end. As for Oliver himself, I think he's pretty easy to like, because he seems a bit too perfect when you don't know him. When he opened up to June, I started liking him even more, because no one likes a perfect character. This is when things went downhill for me, because he became absolutely adorable to me and I didn't want anything more than to get him and June together.

Their relationship is really well written, especially when it comes to its pace. The fact that the story takes place over an entire school year makes their relationship realistic and even deeper, because they know each other pretty well after a year of carpool. I liked these moments between them, when they're talking about their lives, school or each other's bad music tastes. Although the playlist is a big part of this novel, I liked the fact that it didn't overpower the rest of the story, since it gets less important as the plot develops. It's a nice touch, especially since it's written at the end of the book, but there are so many more important things in this novel.

I liked June's group of friends, even though I don't think they are present enough in this novel. I wish we'd seen a bit more of everyone, because aside from Itch and Shaun, I don't feel like I know June's friends, so it's hard to understand their friendship.

When I became really invested in the story, June started acting like a big old idiot, which made me very, very, very mad. I almost didn't want to keep reading, but I knew (hoped) that things would get better, so I kept reading and I am very glad that I did. The fact that it made me feel so many emotions proves how much I enjoyed reading this book, which hasn't happened to me that often with books that aren't rereads this year. I was really happy about that! I hope this book truly takes me out of my reading slump, because even though I'm reading books these days, I don't feel as enthusiastic as I'd like to. Fingers crossed!

As you can imagine, I 100% recommend this book, because I think it's an amazing YA. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did!

Picture Perfect (Geek Girl #3) - Holly Smale

Goodreads summary:

"My name is Harriet Manners, and I'll always be a geek."

It's the hilarious third book in the No.1 bestselling, award winning GEEK GIRL series!

Harriet Manners knows more facts than most. She knows that New York is the most populous city in the United States. She knows that its official motto is "Ever Upward". She knows that 28% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon.

But she knows nothing about modelling in the Big Apple, and how her family will cope with life stateside. Or how to "become a brand", as the models in New York put it. And, even more importantly, what to do when the big romantic gestures aren't coming from your boyfriend...

Does geek girl go too far this time?

The laugh out loud follow-up to award winning GEEK GIRL and MODEL MISFIT will have you in stitches.

My review:

I honestly love this series! It's light-hearted, it's very funny and it's always interesting, even if it's for an audience younger than me. 

As a bookworm who's been called a nerd, a geek or any variation of those names, I can relate a lot to Harriet Manners, the main character of this novel. I just love her! She's so authentic and her biggest quality has to be the fact that she doesn't try to hide her nerdiness, no matter who she's talking to. This quality is challenged a lot in this particular novel, because she meets a lot of people who immediately judge her, which shakes Harriet up a little bit when she starts fearing that she might be alone in all of this. She makes bad decisions, but in the end, she stays true to herself, which I admire a lot.

Harriet's relationship with Nick isn't doing so well in this novel, since they don't really see each other and both of them start questioning it. I think it's realistic, especially since they have just had their little honeymoon. I love how they still trust and love each other, no matter what. They're young, but their relationship kind of feels like they're older than they actually are. Also, Nick is ADORABLE. His thoughtfullness is really touching and he sounds like my dream guy, from everything I've read about him. I wish we'd seen a bit more of him in this novel, though, but I could never get enough of him anyways!

A big part of this novel is about Harriet's loneliness when she is away from her friends and her boyfriend. I could relate to her a lot, since I overthink like her, so this was a bit harder to read, since it's not as lighthearted as the rest of the series. This gave the series a more mature turn, since it's so different from the cute and funny scenes.

Overall, I really liked this book. I can't wait to get my hands on the fourth of the series, even though my library doesn't have it yet. WHAAAT?!

BookTube-A-Thon TBR

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, I'm a big fan of the BookTube-A-Thon, which I think I'm doing for the third year in a row. Since I've had a bit of a reading slump recently, I'm really excited to start reading more. Also, I'm not working a lot during that week (July 18th-24th), so I'll have a lot of free time to read. There are seven reading challenges and I intend to complete all of them, so here's my TBR based on the different challenges!

You can find all the information about this year's BookTube-A-Thon here: http://booktubeathon.com/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1UucWZ0Ylg

Challenges:

1. Read a book with yellow on the cover

Hearts, Fingers and Other Things to Cross by Katie Finn

It's on my summer TBR, it's bright yellow and I almost started reading it the other day, so it's perfect!

2.  Read a book only after sunset

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

I'm scared of everything, especially at night, so I have to read lighter books after the sun sets. This one seems perfect!

3. Read a book you discovered through BookTube

Zenith (The Androma Saga #1) by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

I discovered this book because one of its authors is on BookTube (and a pretty big part of it, I would say), so this challenge is an easy one for me!

4. Read a book by one of your favourite authors

The Story Girl (The Story Girl #1) by Lucy Maud Montgomery

L. M. M. is by far my favourite author, but I'm guilty of not having read all of her books yet. This one has interested me for a very long time now, so it's about time I start reading it.

5. Read a book that is older than you

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I really hope that I'll like this book, because otherwise, I feel like it'll be really hard to read it during BookTube-A-Thon. It's a challenge though, so I accept it!

6.  Read and watch a book-to-movie adaptation

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Believe it or not, I've only seen Matilda once, and I can only remember one moment of the whole movie. Since everyone keeps mentionning both the book and the movie, I've been trying to remind myself to read it at some point, so it's the perfect time to finally do it.

7. Read seven books

Since there are only six books on my TBR right now, I'll choose the final one during BookTube-A-Thon. Who knows what I'll feel like reading?

If anyone has recommendations for me, please let me know! I also want to see who will participate this year, so I can't wait until it's July 18th :)

What You Always Wanted (If Only... #8) - Kristin Rae

Goodreads summary:

If only…he was the boy she’s been dreaming of.

Theatre girl Maddie Brooks has always had high standards for guys. But she has yet to find one who can live up to the classic Hollywood heartthrobs, especially the dreamy song-and-dance man Gene Kelly. When Maddie begins to carpool with Jesse Morales, her new neighbor and star pitcher of the baseball team, she’s struck by his wit, good looks, and love for his family—but a guy so into sports is definitely not her style. Then Maddie discovers that Jesse was raised as a dancer and still practices in the community theatre’s dance studio to keep in shape. Perhaps her perfect dream guy exists after all! But when it becomes clear that baseball—not dance—is Jesse’s passion, can Maddie find a way to let her dream guy go and appreciate the charms of the amazing guy in front of her?

This fun, high school theatre romance in the If Only line is for anyone who has ever wished for that impossibly perfect guy.


My review:

4/5

What an amazing YA! I've read a good amount of books from that genre by now, but some of them still truly impress me, and this novel was one of those!

The first aspect of this book that charmed me was the fact that it's so easy to relate to, especially for bookworms. In this novel, Maddie has extremely high standards because of all the movies she's seen, which all have perfect gentlemen in them. Is anyone here familiar with this? I am, but because of books. Since I can relate to Maddie very much when it comes to relationships, I learned quite a few pieces of advice from this novel.

I also loved the importance of theatre in this novel, since I'm a sucker for quirky hobbies and characters who are passionate about them. I actually don't know anything about acting, musicals or classic movies, but it was very interesting to learn about all of them, especially since Maddie has such big dreams created around them. If anything, I think there could have been a bigger place for Maddie's passion of acting in this novel, because it really gives the book a different style than most YAs.

A big part of the novel is centered around Maddie's relationship with Jesse - who is absolutely swoon-worthy, by the way, whether you like dancers or not. I loved how they grow closer and closer as time flies, because it's much more realistic than love at first sight. Their relationship suffers from Maddie's high standards and prejudices, but I have to admit that I shared her opinion more than once, maybe because we're a bit similar. I was very pleased with the ending, even though I didn't expect it to end that way.

Obviously, this book isn't perfect, but as far as YA novels go, I'd say that it's a pretty good one. Highly recommended!

17 Series I Have to Finish

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, I'm not the biggest fan of series. I usually prefer stand-alones, even though I do adore some series. Sometimes, it's just that it's hard to force myself to pick up the next book in a series, which is the case with most of the books in this post. I hope to finish them in the future, so maybe writing and posting this will help me. I'll write this as a list (who doesn't love lists?), but it's in no particular order, just so you know. I hope you enjoy today's blog post!

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

   

 

I've already read the first three books in this series, but even though the fourth one has been out for months, I still haven't read it. I hope to do so before Empire of Storms comes out (September 6th), because it's an amazing series.

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

 

I have only read ACOTAR so far, but I loved it. The only problem I have now is that I really don't feel the need to read A Court of Mist and Fury, for some reason, but I'll get over that at some point, because it is written by Sarah J. Maas, so I have to.

3. Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

   

Although I've only read the first book in this series, I feel like I can't just leave the rest of the series unread, so I already have the second book on my phone for whenever I have some free time.

4. Bloodlines  by Richelle Mead 

  

  

I've officially read half of this series and I loved every single moment of it so far, but when I read the first few pages of The Fiery Heart, it felt so different and weird that I didn't continue reading it at the time. I will, someday, but I'm hoping for now that the few pages I read were just a glitch or something.

5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

  

I'm really excited for the last book in this series, which I'm hoping to read this summer!

6. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

  

(Before I write anything, I just want to point out how much these covers match The 5th Wave's. CRAZY.) I've loved the two first books in this series, so I should really continue reading it!

7. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

  

  

I only have the last book to read in this series of six books, so there's no way I'm leaving it like that. Also, I really want to read Lady Midnight, but I have to finish this series first to understand what's happening.

8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

  

The second book is so big that I didn't even have time to start reading it when I first got it from the library, so I just never tried again. I should, though!

9. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

   

   

This series is the funniest one I've ever read, even though it makes me feel a lot of second-hand embarrassment. I can't wait to pick up the third book!

10. Slated by Teri Terry

  

I love this series (and its covers), so I should really pick up the last one in the future!

11. Geek Girl by Holly Smale

   

 

This is kind of childish, but it's the perfect kind of feel-good series! I am currently reading the third book.

12. Red Queen  by  Victoria Aveyard

  

I've only read Red Queen, but I truly liked it! I can't wait to pick up the next books.

13. The Half Bad Trilogy by Sally Green

  

Half Bad was a really good read, so I really want to finish this series!

14. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

 

I wanted to wait until I had watched to read After You, so now that I have seen (and loved) the movie, I have to read it!

15. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

   

 

Right now, I can't say if I ever will finish this series, since I've only read the first book and the entire series is huge, but maybe once the TV series is over, I think I'd probably like to finish reading it.

16. Inherit the Stars  by Tessa Elwood

 

I read the first book to review it and I absolutely loved it, so I can't wait to start reading the second book, which I actually just got from the publishers. I'm really excited about it, so you might see a review of it pretty soon!

17. La promesse des Gélinas de France Lorrain (en français)

  

J'ai lu le premier roman de cette série l'année dernière, mais je n'ai toujours pas lu les deux autres romans qui l'ont suivi. Puisque je l'ai beaucoup aimé et que je connais personnellement l'auteure, je sais que je finirai bientôt cette série. 

So that's about it! I really liked doing this list, because it reminded me of how much I enjoyed some of these books. Also, just so you know, this was a very dangerous post to write, in terms of spoilers! It's because I always put the Goodreads links with the cover pictures, so I had to try very hard not to look at the spoilery blurbs and reviews when I went on some of these books' Goodreads page... I even had to close my eyes at some point! I hope you liked today's post and you are having a great day!