So over the last couple of weeks, I've flown through three easy-to-read chick lits. If you're looking for the perfect holiday read, or even just something you'll fly through in a matter of days, these three books could have just what you're looking for. There's something for everyone: from a hilarious romantic to a heart-warming, life-assuring tale. Take a look at my three reviews below!
1. Just a girl standing in front of a boy / lucy-anne holmes
This novel will make you question every relationship you've ever had in your life. It follows the protagonist Jenny Taylor, aka 'Fanny' to her friends and family (get it? Genitalia? Funny), a reliable receptionist with pink hair. She seems to have settled for stable boyfriend Matt, who everyone disapproves of, especially best friend Phillipa. It seems Matt knows little about the real Jenny; the one who writes encouraging and lovely notes to unassuming strangers as a 'good deed of the day'; the one who lives by her 'Smiling Fanny Manifesto' in order to keep her out of her dark place. Matt is the kind of guy that will ask her to dye her bright her a more 'natural' colour and encourages her to act like more of a grown up. He's the sort that will one day marry her and provide her with everything she has ever needed, on paper, but is she sacrificing a part of herself in being with him?
The first thing to alter Jenny's perspective is the sudden arrival of her mother, newly separated from the father Jenny tries best to avoid, looking for a place to stay. Jenny rediscovers a relationship with her mother she was previously denied, but she comes carrying secrets that will break your heart and had me sobbing onto the pages.
And the second thing to ultimately test Jenny's life choices is Joe King, the aspiring musician that turns her stomach to butterflies. But is she willing to risk everything for someone that could make or break her? Is she willing to leave her boring, stable and reliable life for one that could be riddled with heart break or true love?
All in all, this book is heart-breaking, heart-warming and utterly hilarious at times, and I would recommend the read to anyone at a standstill, anyone looking for a laugh or even for a cry. It's a charming little gem filled with laugh-out-loud comedy and heart-wrenching love stories.
The first thing to alter Jenny's perspective is the sudden arrival of her mother, newly separated from the father Jenny tries best to avoid, looking for a place to stay. Jenny rediscovers a relationship with her mother she was previously denied, but she comes carrying secrets that will break your heart and had me sobbing onto the pages.
And the second thing to ultimately test Jenny's life choices is Joe King, the aspiring musician that turns her stomach to butterflies. But is she willing to risk everything for someone that could make or break her? Is she willing to leave her boring, stable and reliable life for one that could be riddled with heart break or true love?
All in all, this book is heart-breaking, heart-warming and utterly hilarious at times, and I would recommend the read to anyone at a standstill, anyone looking for a laugh or even for a cry. It's a charming little gem filled with laugh-out-loud comedy and heart-wrenching love stories.
2. The start of me and you / emery lord
If you've read any of my book reviews before, you'll know I absolutely adored Emery Lord's 'When We Collided', and so I had high hopes for this book from the start. I have to admit before I begin, I didn't quite love is as much as the previously aforementioned, but having said that, I again flew through this book in a matter of days and thoroughly enjoyed the read.
The novel follows the story of a girl called Paige, who is still adjusting to life without Aaron, the boyfriend she lost a year ago to a swimming accident. Now she's learning to exist again, love again and live in a world where she is not defined by the accident. She sets herself a plan consisting of 5 steps, devised to help her move forward. These steps include dating again, and she already has her sights set on Ryan Chase, a boy she's always had a little crush on. She also plans to bring herself to swim again, travel as much as she can with the encouragement of her beloved grandmother and force herself to become more social, including attending parties and joining a club, which is where she meets Ryan's geekier cousin, Max.
This book perfectly depicts what it means to be a good friend and creates a sense of sisterhood that I came to envy. It also made me feel more empowered to face my fears and push myself to do more, see more and be more. On the whole, I feel as though perhaps the book was a little young for me, which was maybe why I enjoyed it a little less than 'When We Collided', but I do somewhat enjoy the high-school-feel tales, cause I guess at heart I'm still that insecure teen trying to find myself amongst my peers. I do recommend this book for anyone searching for motivation or self-discovery. I feel as though my 16 year-old self would have appreciated the morals of the story even more as it encourages the readers to be true to themselves and find happiness.
See below for my review of 'When We Collided', also by Emery Lord:
The novel follows the story of a girl called Paige, who is still adjusting to life without Aaron, the boyfriend she lost a year ago to a swimming accident. Now she's learning to exist again, love again and live in a world where she is not defined by the accident. She sets herself a plan consisting of 5 steps, devised to help her move forward. These steps include dating again, and she already has her sights set on Ryan Chase, a boy she's always had a little crush on. She also plans to bring herself to swim again, travel as much as she can with the encouragement of her beloved grandmother and force herself to become more social, including attending parties and joining a club, which is where she meets Ryan's geekier cousin, Max.
This book perfectly depicts what it means to be a good friend and creates a sense of sisterhood that I came to envy. It also made me feel more empowered to face my fears and push myself to do more, see more and be more. On the whole, I feel as though perhaps the book was a little young for me, which was maybe why I enjoyed it a little less than 'When We Collided', but I do somewhat enjoy the high-school-feel tales, cause I guess at heart I'm still that insecure teen trying to find myself amongst my peers. I do recommend this book for anyone searching for motivation or self-discovery. I feel as though my 16 year-old self would have appreciated the morals of the story even more as it encourages the readers to be true to themselves and find happiness.
See below for my review of 'When We Collided', also by Emery Lord:
3. We are all made of stars / rowan coleman
This is my most recent read, and probably my favourite of the three. The story is split into a number of narratives, but revolves predominantly around Stella Carey, a nurse that consistently works the night shifts to avoid the shell that is her ex-husband, Vincent, who carries scars and secrets from his time in combat. As a result, he struggles to give Stella the love and affection she craves, and so she gives him his space by working nights at the local hospice. Here, she writes letters for her patients to their loved ones and promises to post them after their deaths. That is, until she comes across Grace, who wishes to send a letter to the son she hasn't spoken to for years, a letter that contains a life-time of heart-break and secrets. For the first time in her career, Stella faces the decision of doing what her patient has asked and delivering the letter after she is gone, or to do as her conscience tells her and give mother and son the chance of one last reunion. Between this and struggling to keep her marriage alive, Stella finds that over time, she has lost the woman she knew herself to be and begins a journey of re-self discovery in the hope of saving her marriage and doing right by the people she comes to care about.
The novel also follows the tale of Hope, a young girl with cystic fibrosis that struggles to determine whether she should risk living life to the full and potentially catching a life-threatening disease, or stay within the safe confinements of her home where her parents hope to keep her out of harms way. With best friend Ben always encouraging her to be the young woman she should have been, she comes into the care of Stella at the hospice and learns a few lessons of her own. During her time at the hospice, she meets Izzy, a desperately unwell young girl who encourages her to go out into the world and experience everything she wishes she could, and Shadow, the comforting little cat that always seems to know when someone needs some affection.
Finally, the book divulges into the life of Hugh, a historian that comes to care for his new neighbours: single mum Sarah and her son, Mikey, who's cheek and wit will have you laughing. But he battles some secrets and pain of his own, that ultimately lead to his obsession with death and abandonment. With both of his parents long gone, we discover that Hugh's previously empty life is lacking the affection not even he knows he needs, until he meets Sarah, the first person to seemingly care about him in any way for a long time.
This novel is life-affirming, heart-wrenching and realistic down to a tee. I love that the story doesn't shy away from the struggles romance novels and films often sugar coat and, as a result of that, we are left with real, raw emotion and a truly breath-taking novel.
The novel also follows the tale of Hope, a young girl with cystic fibrosis that struggles to determine whether she should risk living life to the full and potentially catching a life-threatening disease, or stay within the safe confinements of her home where her parents hope to keep her out of harms way. With best friend Ben always encouraging her to be the young woman she should have been, she comes into the care of Stella at the hospice and learns a few lessons of her own. During her time at the hospice, she meets Izzy, a desperately unwell young girl who encourages her to go out into the world and experience everything she wishes she could, and Shadow, the comforting little cat that always seems to know when someone needs some affection.
Finally, the book divulges into the life of Hugh, a historian that comes to care for his new neighbours: single mum Sarah and her son, Mikey, who's cheek and wit will have you laughing. But he battles some secrets and pain of his own, that ultimately lead to his obsession with death and abandonment. With both of his parents long gone, we discover that Hugh's previously empty life is lacking the affection not even he knows he needs, until he meets Sarah, the first person to seemingly care about him in any way for a long time.
This novel is life-affirming, heart-wrenching and realistic down to a tee. I love that the story doesn't shy away from the struggles romance novels and films often sugar coat and, as a result of that, we are left with real, raw emotion and a truly breath-taking novel.