June TBR

Welcome to June's TBR. How much I'll read over the summer is unknown but I'm sure I'll read something even if it is by the pool

• One Day 
• David Nichols 

I started reading it in May, as a replacement of The Last Song, and I am hoping to finish it in the first week of June. 

• Rules of Summer
• Joanna Philbin

I want to start the summer months of with a bang, 💥 and what better way then with a book that has summer in the title. It will be a quick read for me as it's one of those books that I find easy to read. And with the pool in my apartment building starting to be cleaned and open soon, it means summer is almost here 

• Since Last Summer
• Joanna Philbin 

Again because I know how quick I'll read Rules of Summer I am putting this book down  

Lauren

xoxo

Spice Girls Tag

Welcome back. Today I have a book tag for you. This one is a Spice Girls book tag.  

I was such a big Spice Girls Fan. They were aimed for my age group when I was a kid. Victoria was alway my favourite. So much so that I even copied her hairstyle years later.  And there is even a picture of me wearing a Spice Girls top, and having the same hair cut years earlier.  

Baby Spice: a book that made you cry like a baby

• Hate List by Jennifer Brown. If you haven't read it be sure to have a box of tissues next to you. 
  

Wannabe: a book that did not live up to it’s hype  

• To All The Boys I've Loved Before. So over hyped. Badly written. 

Posh Spice: your favorite classic

• The Great Gatsby. Considering it's the only classic book that I have finished. 

Say You’ll Be There: a book that you will turn to again and again

• Any books I've read by Dorothy Koomson. She can pull me in so easily. 

Ginger Spice: a book with a steamy romance

• It's not a steamy relationship but one that I like and it's Jase and Samantha from my life next door 
• Or it would be Ruby and Nate from Lock and Key, even though they didn't end up together 

Spice Up Your Life: a book that picked you up from a reading slump

• Marshmallows for Breakfast or the Devil Wears Prada are for sure the ones to get me out my reading slump. I love them. Even 

Sporty Spice: a book you enjoyed that involved sports 

• Harry Potter books. I mean quiddich would be a brilliant game if it were real and magic existed. 

Stop: a book that ate up all your time or caused you not to think about anything else

• the books I that I have read by Dorothy Koomson. It's something about her writing that jut draws me in and I can't help it. 

Scary Spice: a book with a lot of spunk and spark

• The Devil Wears Prada. Emily is one of my all time favourite female characters and I think she is just brilliant in the book

Who Do You Think You Are: a book with a character that made you want to slap them

• Lara Jean. My god I wanted to slap her so bad. I found her so bland and boring and as if everything has to be about her. For me she is a classic kind of character that can get me to roll my eyes. 
• Samantha's Mum from My Life Next Door.  She is such a bad example of a mother in my eyes. I know that not every parent will like their child's friends or boyfriends, and that everyone has different parenting styles but seriously get a grip

May Wrap Up

Welcome to May's Wrap Up 

• Scarlet 

✔️ read it. You can click here to see my review on it. Spoiler though I wasn't impressed with it to much, and looking over what I had written about it, it's a confusing mess but that's how I felt about the book 📚 

• The Last Song. Nicholas Sparks

⛔️❌ nope. I couldn't even start it. I don't think I will even properly start it ever. I can't even get into it. I'm done with the book that I may just donate it. 

Scarlet Book Review

Book: Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

Pages: 454

Publisher: Square Fish

Started: April 18th 2017

Finished: May 21st 2017

Goodreads: 4*

Review

Ok so I should have finished it way before I did but honestly for me it was one of those books that had the second book flop. I was confused at first why Cinder had such a big part of the book, but after a while unkind of understood. I didn't like just how much time was spent on Cinder considering that she had a whole book for herself to begin with. I would have liked some of her Chapters to be replaced with extra chapters about Scarlet. 

At first I didn't like Scarlet that much I found her a bit annoying. But over time I liked her more and more. 

One of my biggest pet peeves with books is short Chapters. I hate it. With that being said the chapters of this boook annoyed me even more because at some points in the book (every 100 pages or so) it would be split even further and it annoyed me no end. 

I know each book is a retelling of a Disney story I thought it would be a kind of series that you could pick up any of the books and it wouldn't matter what order you picked them up in it would all make sense. I thought it was a different kind of series that 

I gave it 4* because it wasn't great. It would have been better if Cinder's part was a lot smaller, and Scarlet's was longer. A lot of Cinder's parts could have been cut out of the final edit to be honest.  I much preferred Cinder in her own book, and if she didn't have as much of a part in this one I would have liked Scarlet a lot more. 

Regarding Wolf as I haven't really talked about him that much. It really confused me about if he was actually a wolf, or a human, or part of both. 

• How is Scarlet similar to the story of Little Red Riding Hood

Scarlet is similar to Little Red Riding Hood because her grandmother is missing and she goes looking for her, and who or traveling to look for her she wears a red top

• How's it different

Scarlet is different because wolf is a part of a gang of wolfs, who had kidnapped her grandmother. Even though there is food within the book it's different because instead of searching for it she is growing and selling it. There isn't a father figure in the original where there is in this one. 

• Do you think each of them would make a good role model for young women

Honestly are any of them actually role models for young women?  But if I am being honest I don't believe that Cinder is a good role model even though I like her a lot more then I liked Scarlet. 

Three Girls Episode Three Review

The final part of the three part series. 

Episode Three Overview

Ruby is shown around the court room. Amber wants nothing to with the court related things when her sister comes home after the day looking around the court as her evidence isn't being shown. Holly, is doing everything she can to get her daughter back. The next day outside the court there are group of people, and one of them shouts at the prosecution man who happens to be Asian, believing that he is involved.  Holly and Ruby both give evidence as do some of the men that were involved. Holly gets her daughter back and starts think about her future. The fall out after the verdict is harsh. The truth about why Amber wasn't called as a witness soon comes to light after the police officer that got her to talk about it found out. 

Because this is the final episode I don't want to spoil it to much for everyone. 

Episode Three My Thoughts 

Again it was so hard to watch.  The sheer fact that these three girls did what they did for the best. 

Watching it I was surprised at how many lawyers the defendants had. I knew there were lots of people on trial, but it just shocked me to actually see how many people there were.  It's one of those things that you know that it's a lot in your mind, but it's not until you see them all in the same room that it actually shocks you. It also shocked me over how many years the girls were abused by these men were, and how long it took to get to court. A common thing that I have said through the three posts about Three Girls is how heartbreaking it is and the third episode is no different.  It broke my heart for the girls that the series is about and others that were not shown, the families of those victims, people of Asian origin who had no involvement in it, and the extended family of those who did. 

Three Girls Episode Two Review

Ok so this episode is just as heartbreaking as the first episode. 

Episode Two Overview

Amber is arrested and her younger sister Ruby finds out she is pregnant and has a termination and Holly gives her statement to the police. Holly takes her exams, and the day she gets her results she also finds out that the CPS were not taking the case forward. Fast forward over a year and the police decide to take it forward and arrest people for the grooming of the young girls and there is massive fall out with Holly and Ruby and Ambers families when they find out. Holly kept her baby, moved out but is soon back at home after she is caught drinking. Amber also has a child and moved out. Ruby is still living at home. Amber and Ruby's mum starts helping the police and soon after so dose Amber and Holly. 

Episode Two My Thoughts

Honestly this episode was just as heartbreaking as the first. Yet it is bitter sweet. The unsung hero is definitely Sara who tried for so long to help the young women and with no help from the police. For the girls to talk to anyone months after what had happened are so brave. I found it so heartbreaking that they had to wait so long for the police to do anything about it. 

Three Girls Episode One Review

I had never heard of the show until my friend said she was watching it. So I looked it up online and started watching it. It is a theee part series and watching it was heartbreaking. I remember reading about the Rochdale Gangs and what they had done and even back then it broke my heart. What I will say is that the acting in this show was brilliant. I mean it must be a hard thing to try and act how, because of the nature of what was happening to the girls in real life, but it was done so brilliantly. And what I liked about it as well was the fact that they did a lot of research before doing it. 

Episode One Overview

 Holly meets a boy at her school, and after she had enough of being at home she goes to his house where she meets his cousins Amber and Ruby. In turn they introduce her to some older men. To fit in with her new friends Holly changes her appearance. After a while she is assaulted by a man because in his eyes he gave her all the free food and drink she owes him. When someone else attempts to assault her she smashes up the shop and rubs away but is arrested. She tells the police what happened and isn't believed. A sexual health worker try's to help the girls, and when she reports the crimes to the police and social workers it falls on death ears.  Holly goes back and forth between her home and family and the house where her friends are. The three girls are taken to another town by a man and then assaulted by another. (A lot more happens but I don't want to spoil it anymore)

Episode One My Thoughts

The first episode is absolutely heartbreaking.  The girls are in such a vulnerable state, and these men groomed them and they couldn't see it. And when people are trying to help, the people who should be helping aren't. It was heartbreaking to see how quickly it all went as soon as Holly met the men. It's heartbreaking to know that it not only effects the girls but their families. 

It was scary to think how quick 'Holly's' appearance changed when she got into being friends with the others, and then after the assaults took place. 

Summer Reads || Top 5 Wednesday || May 2017

Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday. This week is all about books that remind us of summer. 

• Rules of Summer/Since Last Summer

This is literally the perfect duo for summer - Summer is even in the title - but seriously though it has the perfect setting for summer, the romance, the beach, friendships, work.  

• Since You've Been Gone

Ok so it's not actually set in summer. But it is a YA romancey kind of book that reminds me of summer, the bucket list of things in the book have the summer element to them. 

• One Day 

Because One Day is set on a day in the middle of the summer it just reminds me of summer. 

• My Life Next Door

I really liked this book when I read it, and the reason it's on this list is because it reminds me so much of summer. 

• LA Candy Series by Lauren Conrad

This reminds me of summer just for the fact The Hills would be on at summer time and LA reminds me of  summer 

Lauren

xoxo 

Little Boy Blue ITV Drama Review

Little Boy Blue

ITV Drama Review

4*/5

Little Boy Blue is the four part mini series that was on ITV in England. I found it on YouTube and watched each of the four episodes. It's a drama braised on the real life death of school boy Rhys Jones. 

If I am being honest my heart actually broke 10 years ago when it happened at it was all over the news. This poor innocent 11 year old boy's life got cut short because of gang violence, and watching Little Blue Boy also broke my heart. 

I thought it was so brilliantly acted by all the actors. Even those who were portraying the guilty people. 

It is such a sad story and I think that the last episode is the one that got me the most. 

The one thing I will say that I didn't like about it is the fact that Christine Tremarco is in it. I am not a massive fan of hers anyway and I feel like she brought the scenes she was in down massively. She was in Waterloo Road and Casualty and I didn't like her in those either. 

Favorite Female Characters

Welcome 

To a post about my favorite female characters. This was a past post on Top 5 Wednesday but as I didn't cover it back then as I wasn't doing T5W, I decided to make a whole post on it. 

• Ginny Weasley
• Harry Potter Series

Ginny has been my favourite female character in Harry Potter since the very first book. In fact she is my all time favourite female character. 

• Kamryn. 
• My Best Friends Girl
• Dorothy Koomson 

Kamryn is one of those characters that I can see myself if. She likes to hide things deep down and not tell any one. But is also fun and can and will speak her mind. 

• Kendra. 
• Marshmallows for Breakfast 
• Dorothy Koomson

Kendra for me is one of those characters that I like reading about. She is kind and helpful to others but is so detached from letting people help her. 

• Mrs Weasley
• Harry Potter Series
• JK Rowling 

Molly is literally my all time favourite book mum. She is such a badass mum. Julie Walters is who I imagined Mrs Weasley to be played by and in the movies she is exactly how I imagined. 

• Poppy. 
• The Ice Cream Girls
• Dorothy Koomson 

I like Poppy for the simple fact that she could have easily just given up after being released from prison but she didn't. She keeps going even though she could have stopped. After everything that had set her back after being released she kept going. 

Ruby. 

Lock and Key

Sarah Dessen 

I really liked Ruby. She is different then most teenagers in YA books. She has her head screwed on a lot more then what most ya teenage girls do. 

Alaska

Looking for Alaska

John Green

Looking for Alaska is the forgotten book of John Green's, yet it's my favourite book 📚. Alaska is so flawed yet so brilliant. She is one of those book characters that I can see in a group of people in real life. 

Luna Lovegood

Harry Potter 

JK Rowling

If you don't love Luna then there is something seriously wrong with you. I mean Her quirkyness is so brilliant, and she makes no sense while making sense at the same time. 

Emily

The Devil Wears Prada 

Lauren Wiesburger 

I love Emily (not in the romantic way).  Emily is one of those characters that fits so well in to the fashion world with her bitchyness and love for fashion and its lifestyle yet there is something so kind about her that I like.  I love how brutally honest she is with Andy and then looses all sense of normality around Miranda. The Devil Wears Prada is honestly my go to book when I want out of a reading slump. 

Lauren

xoxo

Top 5 Wednesday || Books as Event Themes

Welcome back to another Top 5 Wednesday. This week is all about books as event themes. This was such a hard topic for me to do, that it actually took me a while to write it, (I am still writing it on the day I put this post out) and even with that I still only have four. I also kept reading and rereading what this weeks topic was all about and if I'm being honest I was confused by it. Yep that's how easy I get confused. 

Harry Potter

I know it's an obvious choose but because of the vast number of characters, events etc in each separate book 📚 there is so much to choose from. I mean do you can do a character party, or have a party like the Yule Ball, have feasts like they seem to have everyday. 

The Great Gatsby. 

Jay Gatsby has an amazing house, and holds massive parties. That time era as well would be a great party theme, wedding theme, 

Since You've Been Gone. 

SYBG would make a great summer holiday event.  Ok so I know it's basically a massive bucket list, but doing it for a bunch of your friends would be so much fun. 

Just One Day

I think Just One Day would be a great book to do as a party because you could theme it around different contraries (England, France) or different nationalities (American, French, English, Dutch etc) or theme it in Shakespeare

For me I also found it hard because I don't have a lot of books compared to other people but I have a fair amount where the same things tend to happen in them.  

Lauren

xoxo