Month: Jan 2020

My Life in Books Tag

Francesca LucyLeave a comment

Hi readers!

I don’t know if anyone’s noticed, but I haven’t posted in a really, really long time. I started a new job last week (in publishing!!! I can’t get over it) and I’ve been too busy to read more than a few pages. Because of that, I don’t have a review to post right now and I don’t know when I will but I’m working through some exciting books as we speak.

Despite the lack of reviews, though- what I definitely always have time for is an interesting book tag. And I just stumbled across the My Life in Books tag. I hope you enjoy!

Find a book for each of your initials.

(I’m relieved they didn’t say ‘for each letter of your first name’ — 9 is tough)

F – Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr

L – Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman

D – Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

Count your age along your bookshelf – what book is it?

Sadly, my bookshelves are not where I am… Right now, I’m living off piles of books, scattered around the room. So, counting 21 through the piles, I reach…

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Pick a book set in your city/country.

Okay. I don’t know if this counts because they don’t mention my town even once in the book, and I’m sure its a fantasy world of some kind, but the town I’m from is built on Sherwood Forest, and that’s where Mist by Kathryn James takes place.

Pick a book that represents a destination you’d love to travel to.

Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood is set predominantly in a stunning villa in Italy and reading it made me crave a trip there so much.

Pick a book that’s your favourite colour.

My favourite colour is deep red, and the closest cover I can think of is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Looking up ‘YA books with red covers’ brings back a lot of results, though…

Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Yes, this book’s a little problematic (if you’ve read it, you get it), but I read it, got obsessed. and went to Paris the next month because I was so in love. I’ve re-read a million times and it’s always exactly what I need.

Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. This book is absolutely incredible and I’m so glad I pushed through it but, wow, it took a long time for me to get to the end.

Which book on your TBR will give you the biggest feeling of accomplishment when you finish it?

IT by Stephen King! I’ve had this 1200-page monster of a book for about six years and I’ll be so happy when I’ve finally got through it.

ARC REVIEW: UNEXPECTED LESSONS IN LOVE by Lucy Dillon

Francesca LucyLeave a comment

Unexpected Lessons in Love is a story that should really be a romance, but isn’t. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It follows Jeannie, beginning on her extremely eventful wedding day. First, she calls off the wedding via a voicemail to her fiancé, Dan. Next, her fiancé gets hit by a bus.

This book contains an incredibly unique portrayal of love. It’s a will-she-won’t-she story about telling Dan the truth if he ever wakes up and it has you trying to determine right, wrong and the best solution throughout the entire story.

Plus, whilst all of this is happening, Jeannie finds herself getting ever closer to Rachel, Dan’s new boss, and Owen, Dan’s best friend, complicating everything just a little more.

I did enjoy this book, mostly because it so neatly wraps everything up. Everything that you think has gone wrong or could go wrong is resolved to some degree by the end, or at least solved in a way that some readers would approve of. I am sure there are mixed reactions to this book and found myself asking whether or not I liked where the story was going, a number of times.

As a character, I was surprised by how much I liked Jeannie. She was incredibly real and had thoughts that many people would be too afraid to speak themselves. I wouldn’t consider her decisions throughout the book to be wrong, but it was very easy to doubt her at numerous points throughout the novel. Lucy Dillon wrote an incredibly believable woman with a decision that would be difficult for anyone to deal with. Unfortunately, though, I was not a massive fan of Dan. Much of what we find out about him is from Jeannie recalling moments in her relationship, but I found that these painted a picture that I didn’t like. I was conflicted throughout about whether I should feel bad about my dislike of Dan due to his situation, but now definitely feel that I would have preferred a more believably likeable fiancé for Jeannie.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. There are a number of other things going on in the main character’s life, besides Dan’s situation, and I found these to be more interesting than Jeannie’s primary storyline. It did take me a while to get through, but I would consider it to be an easy, thought-provoking read. It makes a nice change from the more predictable romance storylines I’ve read recently and I am impressed by the concept.

RATING: 3.5/5

My Most Anticipated 2020 Releases

Francesca Lucy1 Comment

Happy New Year! I want to start by saying that I hope you all have a wonderful year and achieve everything you hope to achieve (in life, and in Goodreads’ Reading Challenge!). There’s so much I want to get done this year, and reading an obscene amount of books is a part of that.

That being said, there are so many new books coming out this year that have jumped straight to the top of my TBR. Without further ado, here are my most anticipated reads of 2020.

A Throne of Swans by Katherine and Elizabeth Korr

I was gifted a copy of this book a week ago and I’m itching to start it. With dark fantasy elements, shapeshifters, royalty and revenge, I’m certain that this is going to be incredible. It comes out really soon and I’m excited to see how everyone else enjoys it too.

Release date: 09/01/2020

You can get a copy here.

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

I hadn’t heard of this book until I received it in a box from Book Box Club. Now, having looked into it a little, I’m convinced it’s going to be amazing.

This book is about cross-cultural romance and political activism, which are both incredibly important topics. This is definitely one of the books I’m most excited about this year.

Release date: 04/02/2020

You can get a copy here.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

If you follow me on twitter, or have ever read any of my other blog posts, this probably won’t come as a surprise. Marie Lu is my favourite author of all time and I’ve wanted a copy of this book since before I even knew it existed.

This book is a historical fantasy about Mozart’s sister. When she becomes downhearted about being overshadowed by her prodigal brother, she finds herself being swept into a fantasy world of her own creation. I cannot wait to read this book. Music and fantasy are two things I’m passionate about, and Marie Lu’s writing could make this story truly incredible.

Release date: 03/03/2020

You can get a copy here.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

This book kind of goes without saying. As someone who got hooked on YA in 2014, The Hunger Games was a staple on my bookshelf. Although my obsession with the series has definitely worn off over time, I owe it to my former self to read and fall in love with this prequel.

Release date: 19/05/2020

You can get a copy here.

Again, Again by E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart is another author whose books I will always buy. I’ve read We Were Liars a million times and I even got to meet her at a signing a couple of years ago, which was incredible.

Her newest book is Again, Again, about a girl who saves her brother from a suicide attempt, and how she deals with the emotional trauma of this in the aftermath. I know it’s going to be emotional, potentially painful and incredibly beautiful.

Release date: 11/06/2020

You can get a copy here.

I’d love to hear what your most anticipated reads of 2020 are so let me know down below! Otherwise, I hope you have an amazing year ahead.

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