November Wrap Up (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my November Wrap Up! So relieved to finish my Goodreads reading goal this month,  so I can sit back and relax without worrying about it. (Thanks Saga.) 

So because I was committed to the immense series that is Saga, I read quite a bit. 13 books, to be exact. 

I hope you enjoy my wrap up. 

1. Safe (Flight #2), by Vanessa Harbour

After being thoroughly surprised and flying through the first book, I hoped I would do the same with the second. For some reason, the opposite happened. I genuinely struggled to read more than 20 pages at a time, and although I was enjoying the story, I never felt any motivation to pick it up. 

Safe takes place in the last days of WWII, and we see Jacob and Kizzy into travelling to dangerous territory. When they're attacked they find a hiding place in a seemingly abandoned mansion. Until they start to hear strange sounds. Upon searching the mansion, they find a number of lost children and their ensemble of horses. Setting out in unknown territory, can Jacob and Kizzy make the treachorous journey back to safety? 

2. Saga Volumes 1-9, by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

It was such a joy to go back to this world after nearly two years away. I loved each volume just as I had before, maybe even more, because I knew that I had a brand new volume to devour at the end of it. Highly recommend if you're looking for an engaging and vast series that will have you desperate for the next volume to be released. 

3. Saga, Volume 10 (Saga #10), by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

An awesome return to the series. Meet some new characters, a new direction to the story, and a total obliteration of a home for our beloved characters. Yeah, you could say this volume was explosive to say the least. And, Hazel is growing up! I can't wait to see what this mischievious child does next! 

4. Carrie Soto is Back, by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

I honestly didn't think it was possible for me to love a Taylor Jenkins-Reid book more than I loved Daisy Jones and the Six but boy was I proved wrong. I was so excited/ hyped up for this book and I am happy to say that my expectations were very much exceeded. There are so few intense, sports based books around and I am so happy that this will be one of the books to set the standard for this type of book. Absolutely faultless. Game, set and match for this book. 

5. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy 

I finished this yesterday and I'm still reeling from this book. It was honest, poignant and will leave a lasting impression on you for at least a few hours yesterday. If you didn't know, this is about the life Jennette McCurdy, famous for playing Sam Puckett on iCarly, when she was forced into child acting by her narcisstic and abusive mother, and how this affected her later in life. Trigger warnings for bulimia, anorexia, emotional and sexual abuse, and addiction. 

But if you think you can read about those themes, then I truly recommend this novel, especially as Jennette recorded it herself. 

Okay! That's my wrap up for the month of November! I hope you enjoyed it and feel free to comment what you finished this month! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you soon with my TBR for December! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

Off the Record, by Camryn Garrett

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my review of Off the Record, by Camryn Garrett. (I did say I'd be writing a review of this soon- and here it is!)

This was one of my anticipated releases from last year and when I noticed it in Waterstones on my booktrip round London, it was all I could do to put the book down until the following day. 

 I always thought this might be a five star read, but I didn't like to jinx it. 

Anyway, here are my thoughts. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Title: Off the Record

Author: Camryn Garrett 

Genre: Hard-hitting contemporary 

Release date: 18/5/2021

Status: Standalone

Pages: 307

Blurb: "Seventeen-year-old Josie is living a young journalist's

dream when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile

for her favourite magazine, especially once she meets

the charming new actor at its centre. 

But there's a dark side to the glitz and the glamour, and

Josie is suddenly in the perfect position to expose it. 

A young actress trusts her with a terrible secret, and Josie 

realizes she's in over her head. Is it her story to tell?

What if she lets down the women entrusting her with 

their secrets? And will revealing it jeopardize her 

writing career before it's even begun? There are so 

many reasons to forget what she's been told. 

But one secret is followed by another and another, 

until Josie needs to decide whether to step up-

and what she can bear to sacrifice for the truth."

My Thoughts

If I had to use one word to describe this book, the word I would use is powerful. There are so many hard-hitting themes within this book that I would definitely check the trigger warnings before picking this up. To name the main ones: mention of sexual assault, fat shaming, sexual abuse and harrassment. Never super graphic and brutally worded, but it was all graphic/suggested enough that you knew how serious the situation was. 

Josie feels like a lot like me when I was growing up. I imagine she's a character that everyone can see themselves in when reading this book, and that's a great quality to have. She has doubts, anxieties, as most teenagers do growing up, but there's her journalist side that you get to see too. This side of her is professional, passion, and in touch with her surroundings, in order to get the best profile she can (her task when she wins this journalism contest). 

And then, as the book goes on, the two sides of personality sort of merge, when she's approached with writing an article about someone's life, instead of just the profile she's meant to be working on. 

From that point is when the story really pulled me in. You can feel Josie's anxiety as if it's your own. Her worry that she's going to screw everything up, ruin her journalism career before it's even started, and make everyone hate her for either not coming out with the truth, especially when they've risked so much by reaching out to her, or revealing the article and facing the world (directors and producers, film companies, the whole lot). 

The story felt very mixed in to me- everything happening all at once. I actually prefered it to be like that, rather than slowed down. It definitely helped me to feel how Josie was feeling- completely overwhelmed and unprepared to deal with everything that was going on with her in this book. 

As emotional and hard-hitting as I'm making this book sound (I mean, it is all those things) there are some wonderfully funny conversations, some wow moments, and some discussions that would leave me thinking about for at least a couple hours after. The give and take between the seriousness, the humour and the way we get to see Josie is just constructed so brilliantly, it was what kept me engaged, not knowing what was going to happen next. 

The writing style never felt too wordy, and it was always easy to follow. Basically it was honest, straight and to the point. Not distracting at all, which is what it needed to be, so as not to distract from the story as it unfolded. 

All in all, a beautifully and brilliantly constructed novel that had me reading to finish with an urgency that I haven't had in a long time. I love Josie as a character, her story, all the other actors, and the romance that went with it (not overbearing at all). Such a compelling #Ownvoice story that I will definitely be picking up Full Disclosure in early 2023. 

Loved this book so much. 

Okay! Those are my thoughts on Off the Record, by Camryn Garrett. 

I hope you enjoyed them, and after reading this, think you might have an interest in it, I implore you to pick it up and give it a chance. 

Definitely a favourite of the year. 

If you have any thoughts on this review, or your own thoughts if you've read the book. 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

November TBR (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my November TBR (2022)!

Honestly, I don't have a concrete plan as for what I want to read this month (or just under three weeks I should say) but I'll be making a note of anything that I might want to pick up.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading about my TBR for the month. 

1. Safe (Flight #2), by Vanessa Harbour 

I have just under 100 pages left of this and I have a feeling that I'll be finishing this tomorrow. Safe follows two children, Jakob and Kizzy, at what they think is a simple rescue job, bringing a herd of rare horses back to safety. What they didn't know is that they were just a way to get over a border. In an unfamiliar place, they're attacked and only just escape. On a whim, they hide in an abandoned house. Only they soon find they're not alone... 

I'm so close to the ending of this novel, and honestly, I don't want it to end. The characters are fantastic, they feel as if they're real live people, the story is compelling, the feel of being in danger, but not at the forefront is second to none. If I didn't have something that I'm really looking forward to after this, I would be in a serious reading slump. 

2. Saga Volumes 1-9, by Brian K. Vaughan 

I recently obtained Volume 10 (yes, Volume 10) and I was so excited that I couldn't not re-read the entire series (I mean, it has been two years). I know I haven't forgotten the main points in the story, but I've definitely forgotten a lot of the finer points, which means that a re-read is definitely on the cards. 

(I'm going to be dedicating at least a couple of full days to these graphic novels in the near future. So excited.) 

3. Saga, Volume 10 (Saga #10), by Brian K. Vaughan 

FINALLY! 

I mean, I know I haven't been waiting half as long as some of the fans that have been with this series since the beginning, but that doesn't mean I'm not veryveryveryveryvery excited for this release. No idea what will be happening in this, but I'm so excited to find out. 

4. Nothing More to Tell, by Karen M. McManus

I purchased this a few months ago and I haven't even tried to pick it up. Time to change that. 

Nothing More to Tell is a story about Brynn, who left her high school four years ago, after the death of her favourite teacher. But when she gets an internship working at a true-crime show on television, she decides to take a closer look at the still unsolved murder of her favourite teacher. But the further she digs, the more mystery she uncovers... 

After the most recent Karen M. McManus book, which I enjoyed but didn't love, I decided to give her books a break or a bit. I mean, Karen produces books more often than I produce, so I was due a break. Of course I still bought the book though. For when I needed it. 

But now it's time. From what I've seen of the reviews, people have enjoyed this a lot more than the predecessor, and I hope I feel the same. Looking forward to catching up on her latest thriller. 

5. Carrie Soto Is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Out of all of the books that I've obtained in the past three months, this book is the one that I've been tempted by the most. It's been a while since I've read a Taylor Jenkins Reid book and although I was interested in her other works, I knew this was one I wanted to start with (when I heard it was about competitive tennis). 

Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say that there are no books about tennis, but I definitely don't remember hearing about any in the past few years. 

When Carrie Soto retired, she had smashed every record worth having. Her fierceness, her determination, and her attitude that she was entitled to every one has not made her popular. 

But six years into her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the 1994 US Open, watching her record be shattered by the ruthless Nicki Chan. 

In a last ditch effort to reclaim her title, Carrie makes the decision to reclaim her title, with her father coaching her back to victory, even if she isn't as sharp or as nimble as she once was. 

But for one last, epic season, Carrie Soto is back. 

6. I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy 

I always like to read books in the order than I received them, which would mean that I'd be reaching for the Mara Wilson autobiogrpahy before this. But right now I'm just going to let the chips fall where they may and be fine with it. This book is getting nothing but fantastic reviews and I'm excited to see what it's all about. The blurb reads "A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor- including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother- and how she retook control of her life." 

That's all I need to know to know that I need to read this. 

And that's all there is. 

Okay! Those are the books that I plan to read in November! 

(So glad to finally finish this.) 

As always, let me know in the comments what you guys plan to read this month (or if you're throwing caution to the wind and just reading whatever the fuck you want)! 

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

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx