Where have I been?

 Ok, so you may have noticed that it's been almost a year since my last update and the simple reason for that is that I haven't felt like or had the energy to read and have barely posted on social media about reading because of it

Starting last year, my reading year really went downhill and this year I've been reading shorter books as a way to feel accomplished about getting books finished

And I have to remind myself that that's ok, as long as I'm enjoying what I read and the experience, page count shouldn't matter

I should hopefully start posting reviews etc, but in the meantime, let me know if there are any other things that you want to see on here

MyFace by Kevin Landt Blog Tour Spot

I'll admit it now this is my first time taking part in a Blog Tour but I'm so grateful to Literally PR for letting me take part in this event. They sent me a paperback in return for reading and reviewing the book. However all views here are my own

This will be vague since I don't want to give too much away, it's such short book that I think part of the fun comes from reading it and finding out more yourself

Here's some details about the book:

Title: MyFace
Author: Kevin Landt
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, YA, Adult, Contemporary, Novella
Publisher: Ripland Publishing 
Publication Date: October 8th 2020
Availability: Paperback, eBook
ISBN: 9781735298108
Number of Pages: 121

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book in its simplest form focuses on Social Media, catfishing and the effects that it can have on different people

I originally requested this book on Netgalley after being intrigued by the synopsis of the book, I was then contacted about whether I wanted to be part of the blog tour which I agreed to 

Normally this isn't my kind of book, but the heavy focus on Social Media is what really drew me to this book and it's such a quick read

I will admit that at the start of this book I had no idea what I thought to it, mostly because I've never read a book that focused on Social Media before but after reading this I want to pick up more of its kind

One thing to know when going into this book is that it follows a lot of different characters, so if that's not your thing be warned. However, this was one of my favourite things about the book because it meant that we knew what the characters were doing

This book had a lot of cheating in it, which is something that bothers me in books, but it didn't affect my overall rating too much. This was something that bothered me towards the beginning and almost made me DNF the book but I found it so intriguing I couldn't help but carry on reading

Another thing that I enjoyed about this book was the LGBT+ rep in it which I wasn't expecting and so was a pleasant surprise

I also loved that this book was filled with characters that I didn't like but I still was rooting for, for different reasons

Overall, I recommend this book if you like any of the genres that it's in, want a quick read, or are interested in reading a book that is unlike any other book that I have read before 

Red, White and Royal Blue Review (Spoiler Free)

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

True Love isn't always diplomatic

I remember when this book first came out and everyone was hyping it up, I was intrigued by it. The First Son of America's first female president falling in love with the Prince of England

I tried listening to the audiobook, but for some reason just couldn't get into it. However after getting obsessed with Hamilton when they put the movie on Disney+ I was in the mood for more political romance and remembered this book

By the first chapter, I was hooked, Alex was such an amazing protagonist and the opening when they ruin the Royal Wedding is amazing

I wasn't sure what to think going into this and the beginning of their friendship felt odd to me but I think that is part of the charm, they're just two people trying to figure out their way in the world

I don't think I can say too much more about this book without spoiling anything else about it, but I will say one thing: Since Hamilton is what inspired me to get around to reading it, I loved the references that were made to it. The fact that Alex is named after Alexander Hamilton and they included my favourite quote ever:

You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent

Overall, this book was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read more LGBT+ Contemporary novels, though there are some smutty scenes in it 

5/5 stars without hesitation

24 in 48 readathon plans

The 24 in 48 readathon is tonight at 12am on Saturday 27th January until 11:59pm on Sunday 28th January

I usually try to participate in this readathon as much as I can and I always love the challenge, especially as I am someone who struggles to stay focused while reading for long periods of time (ADHD kicking in I think)

Luckily i do have the weekend off and the only thing that i may have to do is take my brother to a party so i may have some reading time there as well

As usual with my readathon TBR I have decided to make a pile that is definitely too big to get through but i make it this way so that I have a lot of choice when i am stuck for what to read next

Three of these books I have already started and I hope to at least finish one of them during the 24 hours

My TBR is:

1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare which i am already 196 pages in to
2. The Elite by Kiera Cass which i am already 114 pages into
3. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children by Ransom Riggs. Currently 106 pages into and i do own the audiobook in case i want to take a break from physically reading a book
4. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
5. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
6. The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
7. Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi
8. This Savage Song by V.E Schwab
9. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
10. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Selection Review

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date I read it: January 10th - January 14th 2018

Rating: 4.75 / 5 stars

Synopsis:

In a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels The Selection is the chance of a lifetime to compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's heart. But for America Singer it means turning her back on her secret love and leaving home for a prize she doesn't want

Then America meets Maxon and all her plans start to crumble. Can the life she's always dreamed of compare to a future she never imagined

My thoughts on the book:

I first started reading this book a few years ago but for one reason or another i never ended up finishing it, but recently I finally bought the full series off Amazon and decided to finally read the series

The main thing that I kept hearing about this book was that most people didn't like it because they thought that America could be whiny at times. I didn't think that she was one of the worst characters but i would say that I can see where people are coming from

The main thing that i would say i didn't like about the book was the way that some of the other girls acted, even though i know that it was part of the point, they all wanted the same thing and would do whatever they could to secure it

The main reason that I loved this book was Maxon, and he is definitely a book boyfriend for me. I loved how teasing his relationship with America was and that we could see him slowly falling for her, and the same for her

I would say that, even from the beginning, I wasn't a big fan of Aspen. I don't know what it was about him, but there was something that put me off him from the start

Overall i loved this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series

Do I recommend this book?:
Definitely, it is an interesting take on the dystopian genre and it manages to be a cute fluffy book, something that this genre doesn't have much of

My 24 hour readathon TBR and plans

Since one of my favourite readathons to participate in are the ones that last for 24 hours I decided to hold my own readathon

I didn't exactly have a very good start to this since i didn't wake up in time and started at 11am but decided instead to do it from 11am on 7th January until 11am 8th January

I knew almost immediately that I wouldn't be reading for the whole 24 hours but i would do my best despite this

My initial TBR:

• City of Bones: Starting on page 140
• Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Starting on page 106
• Six of Crows: Starting on page 216
• The DUFF
• The Selection

I have learnt from participating in previous readathons that i wouldn't end up sticking to this TBR but i made this as a guide to what i might end up reading 

2018 reading plans

2017 wasn't that great of a reading year for me and the thing that I was worst at last year was recording the books that I had actually read

That was why, this year, I have decided to participate in the #Theunreadshelfproject2018, where participants try to read as many of the unread books on their shelves as possible

I have a bad habit of starting books and then never finishing them and I am hoping that this year long readathon will help accomplish this task for me

I do have some other things that I would like to acheive this year reading wise that relate to this challenge for me:

• I would love to try and read 100 books this year or even more, as well as keeping better track of my reading 
• I would like to try and read more genres than just YA contemporary and in particular read more fantasy, both YA and adult, as well as try to read more New Adult books
• To try and buy less books, at least without reading more of the ones that I already own beforehand
• To finish as many of the series that I already own and have started before starting too many new series
• My main goal that I will hopefully achieve is to read as many Cassandra Clare books as possible, and try to at least read all the main novels in the Shadowhunter Chronicles