Isabella's Last Request by Laura Lawrence

"It’s been two weeks Isabella. How can you love him? This is going to be another Stuart again.’
I actually feel like I’ve just ripped her heart out. I hate to see her like this, but I feel as her best friend and sister figure, I should try and keep her grounded."

Olivia and her best friend Isabella are travelling the world completing their bucket list of 100 things to do before you die. The reason being that Isabella is seriously ill and doesn't know how much longer she has left.

Will they manage to complete their list in time or will they get distracted by cute boys and tourist spots? Join them on their mission and feel their strong friendship shine through at the hardest times.

Thank you to Laura for sending me a copy of this book for review. This is the first of Laura's novels that I have read but it definitely won't be the last.

From the title of the book, you can kind of guess what it is going to be about, but it took me a while to realise what the reason behind their list was, and just how serious it was.
Isabella's Last Request is based around two best friends, Olivia and Isabella, who have complied a bucket list of things to do before they die. They travel, meet boys, fall in love and have fun, all while ticking things off of the bucket list.

The way Laura has written this book just makes you want to keep on reading, you want to find out what the problem is but also want to join in on the fun the girls are having on their travels. Laura writes so beautifully and has the power to engage you right from the start.
I finished this book in a day because I couldn't put it down. You start to feel like you are with Olivia and Isabella on their journey and become emotionally attached to them.

This book reminds me of A Fault In Our Stars by John Green, which is one of my favourite books ever, so I think that made me enjoy it so much more.

After finishing this book I have noticed that there is a sequel, Isabella's Last Gift, so that will definitely be one to add to my list! I would recommend this book to anybody that love chic-lit novels with lots of emotion, I will warn you though, make sure you have tissues at the ready!

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Blue Tides by Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

Welcome home, lost fragile souls. Find solace in casting worldly troubles away to my blue tides…so sayeth the Ocean.

Attending the wedding of two close friends, as well as seeking to cleanse her troubled thoughts, Lauren is drawn back to her beloved beach house, just north of Cape Hatteras, by the lure of the ocean’s blue tides. Spellbound by the echoes of crashing waves and the unexpected sight of a soaring kite, she makes her way down to the beach. There, she encounters a message in a bottle in the form of a carefree younger man.

Drawn in by Brody’s free-spirited presence, Lauren forgoes her intended solitude by inviting him in. As their weekend together passes, to each other they reveal how carelessly they were “cast away” by those they loved. Their mutual attraction fuels cravings to be desired once more, yet the depths of a secret she initially withholds from him, clouds their future together.

Will she accept salvation from his message in a bottle…or cast him back to the blue tides?

Thank you to Jeffery for sending me a copy of this book for review. I read Jeffery's debut novel Clockwork Heart last year and loved it, so I was looking forward to the next installment from him and it did not disappoint.

I love how although Jeffery's novels are so short, you get to see so much into the character's lives as he straight away makes you engage with them, like and support them. By the end of the novel you feel like you have been on a 300 page long journey with them in just 40. Although this is essentially a love story, Jeffery touches on a quite difficult subject but such a powerful way that you don't feel sad, you just support the characters more and want them to get through it.

In a way I do wish the book was slightly longer as I hadn't seen enough of Lauren and Brody, but at the same time we see the perfect amount, we see their love beginning and we see events that shake them and how they recover from it. 

I don't want to give too much away as it is one of those books you just need to read and as it is so short even the busiest of people can find time to read it. I am already looking forward to ready Jeffery's next novel. 

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Read my review of Clockwork Heart here:

All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher

We all know that growing up is hard to do, and sometimes the only thing that makes it better are the reassuring words of someone who has walked that bumpy road just a few steps ahead of you and somehow ended up as a fully-functioning adult. Carrie Hope Fletcher is that person. Thanks to her phenomenally popular YouTube videos, Carrie has become an 'honorary big sister' to hundreds of thousands of young people who turn to her for advice, friendship and, most of all, the knowledge that things will get better.

Carrie has created a safe and positive space for young people to connect and share their hopes and concerns online, and now she will share her most personal thoughts and experiences in her first book, ALL I KNOW NOW. It includes Carrie's thoughts on some of the topics she's asked about most regularly: bullying, body image, relationships and perhaps the scariest question of all: what does the future hold for me?With warmth, wit and a sprinkling of hard-won wisdom, Carrie will provide the essential tools for growing up gracefully . . . most of the time.

Ok so after reading this book I am pretty sure that to write it Carrie jumped inside my head, pulled out my teenage years, my thoughts and my feelings and wrote them down. Her story of growing up is pretty much exactly the same as mine. 

Although I am not a teenage girl looking for answers for everything from school and relationships to the internet, I really do think that this book is the perfect companion for growing up, finding yourself and dealing with life. In writing this book Carrie is living up to her name of 'honorary big sister' and I think a lot of girls (and boys) will take comfort from this. 

I read this book as somebody who, like Carrie, has already gone through everything, but still with a lot of life ahead. It was interesting to me to see her thoughts looking back and whether they were the same as mine. They were. I think everybody that has now hit their twenties and beyond, and seen the light at the end of the tunnel they thought they would never see, we all feel the same feelings of anger, embarrassment and at times humour, when realising what we should have done in the situations we were faced with.

What I like about this book is that it is divided into 'acts' in reference to Carrie's theatre career. So if at a particular time you are having relationship trouble, you can find that 'act' and read that part. Carrie has also managed to get the mix of advise and humour perfectly balanced, which means even when reading the more serious stuff you always have a reason for a bit of a giggle. She has written this book completely honestly and as herself and that shines through every page.

I would recommend this book mainly to teenagers but also young adults that want a look back on their former years, as they will make you remember every aspect of them and probably give you a good giggle along the way!

Amazon UK | Amazon US

The Truth About Ellen by Sarah Louise Smith

It’s every girl’s dream to date a pop star...

When Ellen starts dating Tom, a member of the band she adored as a teenager, she can’t believe how lucky she is.

She neglects to mention that she's a huge fan because that just wouldn’t be cool, would it?

Ellen also keeps quiet about how she once spent an evening with Tom’s ex-bandmate/ex-best friend Jasper, her long-term celebrity crush. Tom doesn’t need to know about that, it’s all in the past.

That is until Tom and Jasper get back in touch… and the truth threatens to ruin everything Ellen has ever dreamed of...

Thank you to Sarah Louise Smith for kindly providing me with a copy of this book for review, this is the first of Sarah's novels I have read and it won't be the last. I loved it!

Every teenage girl (past and present) has or had a celebrity crush, whether it was a TV personality, a boyband member or a film star, we all had one! I was a huge fan of boybands and had a few crushes myself, so when I read the plot of this book I knew it was one I would love reading.

Even though not many of us will have been in the situation Ellen finds herself in, Sarah has somehow made this book so relate-able. By appealing to anybody that has had a celebrity crush she manages to draw us in right from the start. We are able to feel the way Ellen feels, lucky, star-struck and in awe of meeting Tom Green, a member of her favourite band Four Ape. Whilst she also realises she is an adult now and needs to 'play it cool', which is easier said than done.

I loved Ellen, she was a likeable character and one you are right behind from the very start. You want the best for her. She was a strong and independent woman and although she has had her heart broken, she doesn't let it hold her back from life.

With a few chapters of the book left I thought I had predicted the ending, but of course I hadn't, at first I was a little disappointed that it didn't go the way I was expecting but that disappointment didn't last long. I don't want to reveal too much about this book because I know if I would have read spoilers it would have ruined the excitement of the story for me slightly. So that is all I am going to say!

I would recommend this book to anybody that is in the mood for a light hearted, romantic novel that will take you back to being 13 years old. The perfect holiday read and definitely one that you will pick up again and again.

Amazon UK | Amazon US

The Definition of Icing by Aven Ellis

Kenley Hunter finally has everything sorted out. Fresh from studying chocolate making in Europe, she’s gambling everything on her new business, Confection Consultations.

All Kenley wants in life is people to take her seriously, to see the person on the inside rather than the blonde beauty on the outside. While pursuing her passion of chocolate, Kenley discovered people seek her knowledge. They see past the exterior and fall for the chocolate delights in front of them.

So with work as her focus, Kenley is ready to start her career in Dallas. Men are out of her recipe, because she fears that once they get past her looks, they’ll be disappointed in what they find. Kenley decides she’s all about the chocolate now.

Or is she?

Because a chance meeting with new Dallas Demon hockey star Nate Johansson might change everything. Sent to Dallas in a blockbuster trade, Nate is somewhere he doesn’t want to be, for reasons that have caused him heartbreak on multiple levels. Nate knows he will never trust a woman again after what happened to him in Minnesota.

But when he meets a woman with an intriguing name and a passion for chocolate, Nate isn’t so sure about his theory. And he might just learn a definition of icing other than the one used in hockey with Kenley as his guide…

As I'm sure everybody knows by now I can't get enough of Aven Ellis' novels. I love them so much that at the time of receiving an email from Aven, which included an ARC of her new novel, I hadn't read a book since March. This is for a number of reasons but mainly due to being so busy that I was in a major reading slump. Until now...straight away I had to start reading and I got it finished in two days!

This book was AMAZING, just like all of Aven's other books I was completely hooked from the minute I stated reading and got it finished so quickly because I just couldn't put it down!

I don't want to say too much about this book because I want everybody to read it without knowing too much, I hadn't even read the blurb before reading this but I knew I didn't need to. It is an Aven Ellis novel after all! This is another perfect romance story that you completely lose yourself in, the characters become like your best friends, I absolutely loved Kenley, she wanted to be liked for who she is inside not what she looked like outside. I loved this concept as you do see a lot of women being hit on and stereotyped for how they look only. She was somebody you could relate to no matter who you are, she had so many amazing qualities and you can't help but want her to be happy.
Nate was well, perfect! Kind, gorgeous and you knew from the start he would be the one to change Kenley's opinion of men and be able to see her for who she really is.
Kenley and Nate are those perfect book characters that you just fall for instantly and want to end up together.

I absolutely loved that Aven included Harrison and Kylie, the main characters from Waiting for Prince Harry, in the book as when I finished that novel I longed to see more of them. It was good to be able to see them as lesser characters but still a part of the story.

I would recommend this book to anybody that wants a romantic, easy to read story that you can't put down. This one would be a perfect holiday read for anybody that likes to jump into a book and experience life with the characters.

The Definition of Icing is released on 27th May, you can pre-order here:

Amazon UK | Amazon US

See my reviews of Aven's previous novels here:

Sorry for my absence...

It has been so long since I lasted posted and I am sorry! Life has taken over and become very busy! I recently got a puppy so he takes up most of my attention, then there is my full time job and I am also planning a wedding! Which is leaving little time for books and even less time to review them! I am going to aim to post something once a week, even if it is a review of a short novella for a while just to get myself back on track and I promise I will be back fully soon!

Happy reading! 

BLOG TOUR - Dare To Dream by Carys Jones

The world was going to end. Of that, Maggie Trafford was certain.

Fourteen-year-old Maggie Trafford leads a normal life. Well, as normal as being crammed in a three-bedroom house with four siblings and a single parent can be, anyway. But despite being somewhat ignored at home, Maggie excels, earning top grades, a best friend who would do anything for her, and stolen looks from a boy in Maths.

It’s not until the dreams start that Maggie realizes “normal” is the least of her problems. Every night, she lives the same nightmare—red lightning, shattered glass, destruction. But nightmares are just that, right? No one believes her when she says it’s an omen. At least, not until the already mysterious pillars of Stonehenge start falling.

No longer alone in her fear, Maggie and the world watch with bated breath as one after another, the historic stones tumble, like a clock counting down. But only Maggie knows what it means: when the last stone falls, destruction will reign. And when the world ends, there’s only one option left—survive.

Horrifying and raw, Dare to Dream is equal parts tragedy and hope, detailing the aftermath of apocalyptic catastrophe, the quest for survival, and the importance of belief.

I'll admit I said yes to this blog tour mainly because I saw the name Carys Jones, I have loved every one of Carys' books so far so I had to read her newest novel. After reading the book I honestly have no idea how to even begin writing a review. Like all of Carys' books Dare To Dream was incredibly well written, it had the ability to suck you in right from the first few words and keep you there until the very end. I read the book in a day because I just couldn't put it down.

The book starts with Maggie dreaming of what looks like the end of the world, this gets you so excited straight away. You get the feeling that her dream is real (or will be) as it feels like what she is talking about is actually happening and you get a little bit scared for her, before you even know her character properly. I loved how Carys switches between different characters when telling the story, we get to see so many different points of view. Not many books do this but I absolutely LOVE when they do, it helps you get to know the characters much more than hearing everything from one person's point of view.

I don't want to say much more because I want everybody to read it knowing as little as possible, Carys keeps you guessing the whole way through the book, it has a bit of everything like aliens and god, things you don't think could work together, but Carys makes them with her effortless writing.

Carys leaves you absolutely needing a book 2! Which I really do hope will happen because I have to know what happens next! I would recommend this book to anybody that want to read a book that is impossible to put down! This book is one of the best I have read for a long time and one I will be talking about for even longer. 

Amazon UK | Amazon US

__________________________________________________________________

Carys Jones loves nothing more than to write and create stories which ignite the reader's imagination. Based in Shropshire, England, Carys lives with her husband, two guinea pigs and her adored canine companion Rollo.

When she's not writing, Carys likes to indulge her inner geek by watching science-fiction films or playing video games.

She lists John Green, Jodi Picoult and Virginia Andrews as her favorite authors and draws inspiration for her own work from anything and everything.

To Carys, there is no greater feeling then when you lose yourself in a great story and it is that feeling of ultimate escapism which she tries to bring to her books.

Find more of Carys Jones on her website, like her on facebook or follow on twitter.

__________________________________________________________________

You can see my reviews of Carys' other novels here: