Saturday 9 July 2016

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven


 Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This book has been on my shelf for SO long but I had never gotten around to reading it, recently I have been hearing so many good things about it so decided it was time to finally pick it up, I'm so glad I did because I couldn't put it down. The story was something I just didn't expect, especially the ending, but it was so honest and real that you couldn't help but love it. 

The main characters, Violet and Finch, even though seeming to have un-relateable lives and stories, were so authentic and imperfect that you could easily find something in them to relate to because who's perfect? What I loved most was that there was a male and female lead meaning that anybody could relate and enjoy this book. Even the side characters had their own lives and struggles so you felt empathy towards them too, which you aren't always able to do. This is brilliantly written and makes you realise you have no idea what people you think you know are trying to deal with, the whole book has powerful messages throughout it which really make you think.  

Although it was such a sad story-line Jennifer has written it so perfectly that you just keep wanting more, the book is fast paced without losing you. It flows so easily and you can't believe it's over when you turn the last page. 

This book is a heartbreaking, emotional roller-coaster but you just can't get enough. It carries such an important message that a lot of the time people are scared of talking about. It is defiantly one to pick up and it won't be the last Jennifer Niven book I read!




Monday 7 March 2016

BLOG TOUR: Holding out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem

Hesitation-Wounds-2
Happy Tour Week to Victoria Van Tiem, author of Holding Out for a Hero.

HERO-US-COVER
Blurb:
Their love survived the 80s. She wished she hadn’t.
A funny, bitter-sweet romantic dramedy set to an 80’s soundtrack that proves first love never truly dies.
Libby London fell in love with the 80s, came of age in the 90s, and in the 21st Century is coming completely apart. Her New York fashion sensibility is more ‘vintage tragedy’ than ‘retro babe’ and might just be what’s holding her back in all matters of life and love…
At least that’s what her well-meaning friends think. They’ve staged an #80sIntervention determined to bring Libby bang up-to-date, but how do you move forward when the one you love holds you in the past? Between her dreaded birthday party, friend’s madcap ambush, and being forced to relocate her Pretty in Pink resale thrift shop, Libby’s at the end of her rope. If her therapist isn’t quick, it could be a literal one.
Buy the Book:
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Exclusive Book Excerpt:

Dr P.’s words rattle around inside my head relentlessly.

‘Describe what it feels like, Libby,’ Dr P. asked during one of our first meetings.
‘What depression feels like?’ I popped my eyes, at a loss for words.
He nodded. ‘Since I don’t experience it, how can I really know what you’re feeling?’
He had a point. But how do you describe something so dense? Empathy is recognizing 
another’s struggle, but true understanding only comes from personally living it. My eyes met his, and I shrugged.

‘Just try.’ He scratched under his fuzzy chin, waiting.
‘Well . . . it’s not like when you’re sad, or upset with a friend or anything. It’s not the same. It’s . . .’ I leaned back in the wingback chair and let it swallow me as I considered my words. ‘When I’m upset normally, that’s all it is. You get fired up about something or someone hurts your feelings and whatever, you get over it like everyone else, but . . . sometimes at night it’s like a switch is thrown. I can physically feel it happen and everything starts moving in slow motion.’

Dr P. sat up. He was really listening, interested. ‘How do you mean?’
‘Um . . . I can think rationally, but the emotions are blown out of proportion and get distorted. They’re super-heavy, and then . . .’ I stopped, not wanting him thinking my Crazy Train was completely off the rails.

‘This is a safe place, you can say anything. I won’t judge you.’
‘I judge myself.’ It slipped out before I could filter it, so I quickly tried to explain. ‘You know the saying, “the voice inside your head”? Yeah, well, mine has a nasty attitude and gets mean. Really mean.’

This was when I really fought for medication, anything to shut the voice up. I had been seeing Dr P. for a few weeks, and I was still not sleeping and beyond exhausted. ‘If clinical depression is when your hormones get stuck and go out of whack, and I have borderline episodes, why not just send me to someone who can prescribe something to get it back in sync? I’d be set and it’d be done.’ I was being stubborn, resisting his methods and really not seeing the point.

He rubbed under an eye and took his time to answer. Maybe he got this question a lot; maybe he was frustrated with me. ‘Sometimes the meds are needed, for instance in postpartum . . . this is a chemical imbalance from a major change in the body, not from prolonged stress or emotional trauma. Medication is used to reset things, and it’s temporary.’

My jaw clenched. Not what I wanted to hear.

‘And you are functioning in the day-to-day; otherwise it would make sense to consider it, but only alongside treatment. Medication should never replace therapy. That’s only treating the symptom of an underlying problem. If you stopped the meds and never worked it through, you’d be right back where you started the minute you came off them.’

My arms crossed. ‘But talking can’t fix the problem. Maybe it can relieve some of the stress, but what can it fix?’

‘You’re right. It can’t fix or change the events that led to the trauma, but it can change how your body processes it, and this allows it to heal and move on. But you have to deal with it, let it out.’

I drummed my fingers. I didn’t want to let it out. I wanted to bury it.

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Win the Book:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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About the Author:
vvt-biob
Victoria Van Tiem
Bio:
Victoria Van Tiem (pronounced ‘team’) is an international author of romantic comedy and dramedy novels, a former gallery owner and creative director with a background in brand development. She lives just outside of Indianapolis on a small hobby farm with her husband and two teenage boys.
Find her here:
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Check out all the stops in the Tour:
March 7th 2016
Literary Chanteuse - www.literarychanteuse.blogspot.ca – Review
Ali -The Dragon Slayer - http://cancersuckscouk.ipage.com/ – Review
Judging More Than Just The Cover - www.ambergreggbooks.com - Author Q&A/Review
Grass monster - https://twitter.com/Lost815_Oceanic – Review

March 8th 2016
A Thousand Lives - http://athousandlivesbook.wix.com/bookblog – Review
Boundless Minds - www.boundlessminds.org – Author Q&A
Emma’s Book Reviews - www.bookreviewsbyem.blogspot.com – Excerpt

March 9th 2016
Pretty Little Book Reviews - http://www.prettylittlebookreviews.com/ – Review
ItaPixie’s Book Corner - http://itapixie.blogspot.it – Review/Excerpt
Bookish Escapes - http://bookishescapes.weebly.com – Review

March 10th 2016

Hello…Chick Lit – http://hellochicklit.com – Review
Steamy book momma - http://steamybookmomma0.blogspot.com – Promo Post
BRMaycock’s book blog – http://Brmaycock.wordpress.com – Author Q&A/Review

March 11th 2016
Around the World in Books - http://www.aroundtheworldinbooks.ca/ – Excerpt
Book Groupies – http://bookgroupies2.blogspot.com/ - Excerpt

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This tour was scheduled and arranged by HCL Book Tours
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^click here to check it out^

Tuesday 23 February 2016

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell


On the morning of Lily’s twenty-fifth birthday, it’s time to open the very last letter written to her by her beloved mother, who died when she was eight.
Learning more about the first and only real love of her mum’s life is a revelation. On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie’s attentions.

Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily’s friends and family become involved. In the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again…


Thank you to Headline Review for sending me a copy of this book. I've been a fan of Jill Mansell's books for a long time, so I am always excited when a new one arrives. Every book I have read of hers is brilliantly written and even after so many books she still has the ability to get better and suck you in more and more with each one.

From reading the blurb I thought this book would be mainly based on the sadness surrounding Lily's mother's death and the last letter she was ever going to receive from her, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course it does have glimpses of sadness when we hear memories of Lily's mother, but the whole book has such a romance about it, it never makes us feel like we should be upset. Lily's mother died when she was eight years old and left her letters, one to open on her birthday each year, until she was 25, which she turns this year. On the same day, Lily meets famous actor Eddie Tessler who is hiding out in her best friends cottage. Straight away we get to learn about the main characters and a hint of which way the story might go. From this point, I was hooked.

All of the characters are perfect for the story. Lily is a kind, caring down to earth girl with a big heart. We learn how although not with her, Lily's mother plays a big part in her life and how the memory of her has shaped Lily into the woman she is today.
After learning more about Patsy and Coral I wished they were my best friends, their relationship with Lily is so heart-warming and the fact that they both took her under their wing after the loss of her mother, shows that family can be found anywhere.
Eddie is charming, kind and the perfect way for Lily to experience life differently, which is something she needs. Is something developing between her and Eddie? And why is her best friend, Dan, determined that she doesn't get in too deep with him?

This book is perfect for a warm summers day or a cold winter night. It is the kind of book that you can use to escape reality, wind down or if you need a bit of a pick me up. Full of laughs and romance, whether you have read a lot or none of Jill's books I can guarantee you will love this. If you haven't read a Jill Mansell book, I think this is the perfect one to start with as it will get you hooked and make you want to seek out more of her writing.