March Wrap Up (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my March TBR (2023)! 

I've done slightly better than last month, because I finished four books, which is one more than in February. 

Here are my thoughts, I hope you enjoy it. 

1. As If On Cue, by Marisa Kanter

This was exactly what I needed from this book. A hate to love romance, from two different parts of the arts program. Musical references being thrown out from the first chapter, there was no way I wasn't going to love this book. I wish there were more romances like this, but I love this one so much that I'm not that frustrated about it. 

Honestly, I'm not sure what else to say about it. I had high expectations going into this, and also hoping against hope that it wouldn't suck or have any silly things added (or not- since some books tend to be without parents even when the protagonists are high school students) and it really didn't. Natalie's dad, and his inability to connect with her outside of the clarinet was actually one of the plotlines, which I really liked- especially as it was one of the main ones, but never took up all of the story. 

I just wish I could read this over again with fresh eyes. 

Guys, I need more musical theatre, hate-to-love stories. 

2. The Miseducation of Cameron Post, by Emily M. Danforth 

FINALLY! I FINISHED! 

About halfway through, I realised that if I was going to finish this when I wanted to, I needed to switch to audiobook. And the moment I did, I flew through about half of it in a couple of days. 

I'm not saying that picking up the physical book first was a mistake, cos it wasn't. But the audiobook was the one. 

I'm glad I finally read this. It was a good book, about figuring yourself out, standing up for your feelings, even in the face of adversary. I liked the book and I'm pretty sure I'll like the movie even more. 

3. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult 

Ah, one of my favourites. I was so happy to pick this up, and it's still a firm favourite. I'll never get tired of reading this story. For those of you that don't know, this is a story about Kate, a girl with leukemia. Her parents comprised a specific combination of genes in order to save Kate's life. Thirteen years later, Anna, the child born to save her sister's life, is suing her parents to the rights of her own body. 

From the time that she's filing the lawsuit, you jump from the POV of the family, and some side characters before, during and after the trial that will decide whether Anna has to donate her kidney. 

I love these kinds of scenarios where you're never sure what the right thing to do is: and Jodi Picoult is great at them. 

I'm sure this will always be a favourite of mine.  

4. Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens 

Hype where hype is due. So well- written. So lyrically written. Usually I don't like loads of description but, even when it did eventuate on the wordy side, I never felt like it was too much. 

I loved how smoothly the story glided along, like a bird, free. It never felt like it was going to fast, or was rushed at all. This story took it's time, and it was perfect. 

From the beginning, you're kinding of rooting for Kya to succeed- when the members of her family slowly leave, you see her struggle to just stay alive- in the only ways she can think to, as a seven year old girl. From that point, you see her mature into a young woman, and feel love, isolation, loneliness, freedom etc. 

I thank my colleagues for encouraging me to start this. 

Okay! Those are all the books that I've read this month! One more than usual, but I'm hoping next month I'll be able to finish a lot more (going on holiday where some of that time will be used to sunbathe and read). 

Okay! I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all very soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my first review of 2023! 

Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes! 

I have a lot of thoughts on it, as it's quite a big book. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Title: Grown Ups 

Author: Marian Keyes

Genre: Contemporary 

Release date: 6/2/2022

Status: Standalone 

Pages: 633

Blurb: "Meet Jessie, Cara and Nell. 

Married to brothers Johnny, Ed and Liam Casey. 

Three very different women tied to three very different men. 

Every family occasion is a party- until the day the secrets spill out. 

Playtime is over. 

But where are the grown-ups?" 

My Thoughts

I'm not gonna lie- this was a slightly intimidating book, going into it. But when you're looking forward to delving in as much as I was- it almost doesn't matter much, the size of it. Besides, I know that if I couldn't read a book that I was this excited about- what chance did I have of conquering the vast, epic fantasies I want to get to this year? 

At the start, it was a little difficult trying to differentiate whom was a parent, or cousin, or sibling of another character, seriously there were so many characters to get to know, but once I got past maybe the fifty page mark, I more or less had everyone worked out. 

Let me paint you a map. There are the three Casey brothers, Johnny Ed and Liam. They're all married, to Jessie, Cara and Nell (whose POV's your reading from for the majoritiy of the book); then there are the children, Ferdia, Saoirse, Bridey, TJ, Dillie, Tom and Casey. They're not all characters that you read from, because they range from about nine years old to twenty-one but it's easy to see why it took me a while to get to know everyone. 

From the outside, the Casey family just look like a close-knit family, living a life of luxury. That couldn't be farther from the truth. They all have their faults, but that's what sold this book for me. The imperfections, because those are what made the Caseys real to me. This was very much a character based book, and I had no problem whatsoever with that. 

One of my favourite aspects to this book was how many storylines took place within this book. There was so much going on in any one chapter, but I never once felt like I was overwhelmed, or there was too little/ too much of a storyline. There was perfect balance. 

Same with the characters. I had a few favourites (of course I had to) but nobody got lost anywhere, I never forgot who anybody was, or where they fit in the family. Flawless characterisation. 

Another aspect that I really loved to see were the family dynamics. It was great to see characters go from hate to love and back again. 

So, the book starts at a random dinner where the whole family is in attendance. At this point, you don't know the characters from Adam, and Cara has a concussion from something that happened earlier that day. Incidentally, she spills every one of the secrets within the Casey family. (Which at this point, the reader doesn't care about.) 

You're then thrown back several months, which is the start of the actual story. You jump from holiday to holiday that the Casey family go on, as the events unfold. I wish I'd paid more attention at the start to be honest, so I could theorise how certain conversations might make those secrets become the secrets they were, you know?

For example, Cara- at the start was always struggling with food portions, or Nell, marrying Liam whilst only having known him for a few months. Certain details that were either mentioned in that scene at the start, or the very start of the book, when you're at the earliest point in time. I wish I'd paid more attention to details like that. 

I've already written a lot, but it feels like I've barely touched on some things. But nope, that's it. 

Overall, such a great, great book. Wonderful characters, explosive secrets that come out in the best (or the worst) way possible, I wish I could read it again with new eyes. 

What an amazing read. To be honest, this book makes me worry about what kind of expectations I'll have for the rest of her books, cos it'll be sky high. 

All I'll say is that, if you're after a detailed, naunced story about a dysfunctional family, drama, relationships and careers, then this is the book for you. 

I loved this immensely. 

There, that's it. I'm done. 

Okay! That's my review for Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes. 

I hope you enjoyed it, and if you've read it, leave a comment down below! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

March TBR (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my March TBR! 

I did something a little different this month: I picked my book, and I had no idea what it was until I chose it! (Basically I turned all the books around, picked a pile and number, and had someone else pick up said book!)

When it came to series', I picked the first book, or the book that I hadn't read (if I wanted to re-read rhe previous books) and then added those on. 

Here's what I chose for my March TBR! 

Enjoy! 

1. The Miseducation of Cameron Post, by Emily M. Danforth 

A book I've carried through from February that I wasn't able to get to. But that's okay, because it's the next book on my list. I won't start the others until I finish this. 

After the sudden death of her parents, Cameron is shipped to her conservative Ruth and hopelessly grandmother, and as soon as she gets there, she knows her life is going to change. Survival in Miles City, Montana is about blending in, not drawing attention to yourself. Something that Cam is now an expert at. 

But then, beautiful cow-girl Coley Taylor comes to town, and her and Cam forge an intense friendship with room for more. But then Coley's boyfriend, and her aunt's idea that Cam needs 'fixing', shows Cam what the cost is of being anyone that isn't yourself- even if she isn't quite sure who that is. 

I need to stop putting this book to one side and get the fuck on with reading it. I know it's going to be amazing, so what am I waiting? 

This is why it's first. 

2. Dark Blue Rising (The Circle Trilogy #1), by Teri Terry 

3. Red Sky Burning (The Circle Trilogy #2), by Teri Terry 

4. Black Night Falling (The Circle Trilogy #3), by Teri Terry 

This was the last book that (Black Night Falling) I selected (if I hadn't, my TBR would likely have been all standalones) and although it adds a lot to my overall page count for the month, I'm kind of happy that it was chosen for this month, because it's one of the books that's been on my TBR the longest. 

You know what, I have no idea what the last book is going to be about, and that's because I really didn't take much of the second book in (I was a bit bored if I'm honest), which is why I'm choosing to re-read them both before I finish the series completely. 

5. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult 

Probably one of my favourite contemporaries of all time. I've read this book time and time again, and loved it each and every time. I love the film too, but this book always promises to pull me out of any threatening book slumps I might be in danger of stepping into. 

Born to save her sister's life, Anna seeks Alexander Campbell to help her sue her parents to the right to her own body. You jump from POV to POV, of Anna, her family, Alexander and Julie, the guardian ad litem enlisted, whom Campbell has history with. Each POV adds something to the story, that you just don't get in the film. I'm hoping I'll be able to knock this out in a few days, and with the excitement I feel at stepping back into the novel, I'm pretty sure I will. 

6. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell 

I'd been thinking about picking this one up again last year, but after reading about Reagan in one of the short stories in Scattered Showers in January, I knew I had to read it soon. Another of my favourite contemporaries of all time, this was probably the first book (other than the HP series) that featured a character that I was able to relate to. 

I have unconditional love for this book. Just the characters, the humourous banter, the way it discusses issues. How well it's written. I can't get over how well it's written. It's just a phenomenal novel and I can't wait to read it again. 

7. Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens 

Enough is enough. I want to watch the film so I bought the book after mulling over it for literal months. There's got to be a reason why everyone loves it so much and I'm excited to find out why. I know it's about a girl that's grown in the forest/ wood outside a town, she's known as the Marsh girl, that's brought back to the town to be a part of society. It's set in 1950s North Carolina and that they find a dead body in the marsh, which of course makes her look extremely guilty. 

It's a short book, with relatively small font so I'm hoping I'll be sucked into this book and that I'll be able to speed through it in a few days. I guess we'll see. 

8. The Book Eaters, by Sunyi Dean 

The Book Eaters. Shortest of the lot, just shy of 300 pages, about a mother in a long line of book eaters that fleas her family, to save her son, who has a hunger for human brains. Nominated for the best fantasy category last year on Goodreads, I'm intrigued. It sounds dark, and I'm curious to see when it's set, what the magic system is like (if indeed there is one), what the writing's like, if it's more of a jump scary type of book, or a creepy slow paced book (my money's on creepy and slow paced). I hope I like it. 

9. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton 

I read this a few years ago, and very much enjoyed the way the story unfolded, the way you jump from character to character to try and figure out the mystery of Evelyn Hardcastle's death. It took me over a week to read (and I'm hoping that I'll be able to read it quicker this time around). 

Basically, you have seven days to figure out what happened to Evelyn Hardcastle, and you're reading from, I guess a sentient being, that controls different guests that are stationed around the house. From where each character is at any point in the day, you have to piece together the mysery. And if you haven't figured it out by the end of the week, the week starts again, and you lose any and all knowledge that you learned previously. It's extremely gripping and mysterious, and I am very, very excited to merge back into this awesome book. 

And those are the books I'm hoping to read this month guys! Feel free to comment what it is that you all are reading this month and we can talk about it. 

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx