Review: Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter by Louise Pentland

Title: Life With A Sprinkle Of  Glitter

Author: Louise Pentland

Series: n/a

Format: Hardback (paid for myself)

Rating: 4/5

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Goodreads description: Imagine you are in one of those glorious vintage shops where every surface is laden with treasure. Cut glass, pill boxes, old cameras, pendants, chests of drawers and stacks and stacks of books. This book is like that. Each chapter is one of those gem encrusted tins that you can open, peep inside and enjoy. You can either methodically wander the entire shop, looking at each individual item in order, or, you can dance around with wild abandon, opening and closing whatever you like, whenever you like. You can take in tiny bits of it at a time or you can devour it all in one go. I don't mind. I don't mind how you go about it; all that matters to me is that you take something from it. Divided into four sections: Glitz, Create, Need to Knows and All About Love, you'll find all my little tips and tricks, stories and insights and nuggets of advice. I want you to walk away from this book feeling uplifted. I want you to feel as though you are equipped to deal with something in your life and deal with it in the best possible, positive way. I want to show you how I find so much joy and enrichment in my life and how you can do it too, with just a Sprinkle of Glitter

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My review: Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter is like an all-round guide to life by YouTuber Louise Pentland, a.k.a. Sprinkleofglitter. I don't think I've actually seen more than three of Louise's YouTube videos in the past as I only really use YouTube to watch music videos, but I've heard of her from around Twitter and when I came across her book the other day, the blurb sounded so positive and lovely so I thought I'd give it a try.

Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter is divided up into sections on different areas of life such as body confidence and travelling tips. Louise's writing is so down-to-earth, friendly and at times, hilarious. I found myself giggling over her dating disasters and relating to embarrassments. Although the book covers a wide-range of areas from bullying to baby care tips, I think this book would be more suitable for a teenage audience - I personally found a lot of the advice to be a bit self-explanatory (I'm 23) but I'm sure as a teenager I would have found these tips very useful. So if you're looking for a gift for a teenager in your life, this could be a very good choice!

The book also gets an extra star for it's b-e-a-utiful presentation (I'm pretty much a magpie). From it's glossy pages, gorgeous endpapers and bright pink ribbon marker - this book is dazzling from cover to cover. A lot of thought has clearly gone into the presentation of this book which makes it that much more enjoyable to read.

I also wanted to address some criticism I've seen online about Louise's position as a YouTuber in her ability to be giving advice. I think that misses the point of this book. The author isn't claiming to be an expert on life, but just someone who has already been through a lot and wants to pass on her advice to help younger people make better and more informed decisions.  To me personally it very much reads as an older sister giving her younger sisters advice.

Again, like Zoella's Girl Online, I think I'm outside the target market for this book but I still very much enjoyed reading it. I'm all for any book that promotes positivity, happiness and self-confidence.

Currently reading: Jane Austen Cover To Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan

Currently drinking: Strawberry and Kiwi Tea by Charbrew

Currently listening to: Devil by Super Junior

Review: Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

Title: Fire Colour One

Author: Jenny Valentine

Series: n/a

Format: Paperback (I was kindly sent a copy by Maximum Pop! Books to review)

Rating: 4/5

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Goodreads description: A teenage girl will soon discover, there are some things which burn even brighter than fire. Iris’s father Ernest is at the end of his life. Her best friend Thurston seems like a distant memory to her. Her mother has declared war. She means to get her hands on Ernest’s priceless art collection so that she can afford to live the high life. But Ernest has other ideas. There are things he wants Iris to know. Things he can tell her and things that must wait till he’s gone. What she does after that is up to her.

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My review: Fire Colour One tells the story of Iris, a sixteen year old girl who has spent most of her life living in New York with Hannah, her selfish, money-obsessed Mother and Hannah's wannabe-actor boyfriend. Her only escapes in life are her best friend Thurston and building fires to let out her anger and frustration.

Iris has been told by her mother all her life that her father, Ernest, never wanted her so it comes as a surprise when Hannah calls up Iris's father in search of money that he requests to see Iris. When Iris finally meets Ernest the truth about her past starts to slowly unravel and Ernest's plans for the future come into play.

This was so unlike any other YA book that I have read before. Jenny Valentine's writing is beautiful and the characters were all so different and captivating; they felt so real that it was almost like reading Iris's memoir of the people in her life than a story at times. It was a really quick read, but like Iris's fires - while this book was short, it burned brightly.

My only gripe with this story was that the narrative is non-linear and it jumped back and forth between different time periods in the characters' lives. This meant that it would go from characters having met in one chapter, back to them having not yet met each other in the next which had a bit of a jarring effect on me. This was the only reason this book lost a star. Otherwise, this is definitely one of those books where the characters and story will stay with me for a long time to come.

Currently reading: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (re-read)

Currently drinking: Cranberry Green Tea by Twinings

Currently listening to: Might Just Die by History

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell [SPOILERS]

Title: Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Series: n/a

Format: Paperback (paid for myself)

Rating: 5/5

WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

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Goodreads description: When Eleanor first meets Park, she thinks he's obnoxious. When Park first meets Eleanor, he thinks she's weird. It is hate at first sight. But as they suffer each other's company in silence on the bus rides from and to home every day, Eleanor and Park realise that first impressions can be deceiving.

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Favourite quotes: 'Jesus. Was it possible to rape somebody's hand?'

"We're going to listen to music in my room." "Fine," his dad said from under the sink. "Just don't get anybody pregnant."

"I want to be the last person who ever kisses you, too... That sounds bad, like a death threat or something. What I'm trying to say is, you're it. This is it for me."

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My review: This book reminded me why I love to read although I was honestly a little worried whether I'd even like this book before I began it. I'd previously read two of Rainbow Rowell's books (Fangirl and Attatchments), both of which I loved and ended up being two of my favourite reads of last year, however the review from John Green on the front put me off a little. I was worried that Eleanor & Park might be quite upsetting and heavy going which are the type of books I usually avoid (sorry John Green). However, while some of the issues in this book were a lot heavier than Fangirl and Attachments, this was balanced out by the humour and the adorableness of Eleanor and Park's relationship. THEY WERE JUST SO ADORABLE. Rainbow Rowell does such an amazing job of creating characters that you fall in love with from the very first page. I loved all their quirks and the initial awkwardness of their relationship. They both felt like such realistic characters.

I also loved, loved, loved the ending. I was a bit worried when I saw how much of the book was left when Eleanor still hadn't made contact with Park but I think the ending was perfect for them. I don't usually like ambiguous endings but this seemed perfect for them. I started blubbering with happiness as soon as I'd read the last word!

Although I've currently got a TBR list as long as my arm I'm definitely going to make sure I get to Landline this year because if its anything like her other three books I know I'm going to love it.

Have you read any of Rainbow Rowell's books?

Currently reading: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angleini

Currently drinking: Mango and Passionfruit Green Tea by Tetley

Book cover image from Goodreads

Review: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Title: Girl Online

Author: Zoe Sugg

Series: n/a

Format: Hardback (paid for myself)

Rating: 3/5

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Goodreads description: Penny has a secret. Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog. But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.

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My review: I'd only seen negative reviews of this book before I picked it up so I didn't really have any positive expectations of it, however I was quite pleasantly surprised. Although this isn't the most original book of all time it was a really cute, fluffy and quick read. I really enjoyed the overall story and I felt like I could relate to a lot of the embarrassing, awkward issues that the main character, Penny, dealt with. The book also deals with some more serious issues like online bullying which I was not expecting but it does a pretty good job with them. 

The main issue I had with this book though was that it felt a bit immature at times. Although I'm probably outside the target market for this book (I'm 23) I read a lot of YA and I hardly ever feel like there's actually an age difference between the characters and myself. However I did get that impression with this book. This book also had a serious case of insta-love. While I actually don't mind insta-love as long as its done well, this just felt far too unrealistic for me so I didn't find myself enjoying the relationship between Penny and Noah as much as I should have.

Nonetheless I did enjoy this book overall and I think this would be a perfect read for younger teens. I'm also really hoping that Zoe decides to do another book as I'd like to see her perspective on some perhaps older characters.

Have you read Girl Online? What did you think of it?

Currently reading: Nothing! Finished all my current reads!

Currently drinking: Pineapple & Grapefruit Green Tea by Twinings

Book cover image from Goodreads

Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han [SPOILERS]

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Series: n/a

Format: Paperback (paid for myself)

Rating: 2/5

WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

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Goodreads description: Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she's ever loved. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control...

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My review: Oh books with pretty covers. You keep drawing me in with your loveliness like a moth to a flame. I'm not going to lie, I only picked up this book a) because of its gorgeous cover and b) because I've seen it hyped all over Instagram and Twitter but I have to admit, I was quite disappointed with it. While I did actually really like Jenny Han's writing style, from all the hype this book has been getting I was expecting a cutesy love story similar to Stephanie Perkins's Anna books but I found myself getting annoyed with it quite a lot:

1. Lara Jean kept going from being a sweet, innocent girl to this scatter-brained, self-centred, babyish person without any warning. 

2. As well as acting like she had two separate identities, I never knew what Lara Jean was thinking half the time and I don't think she did either! She spent years pining over her neighbour Josh (who is also her sister's ex...), then when Josh finally confesses that he does actually like her back, she suddenly decides that no, she has actually liked someone else (Peter) all along. Where did that come from? I'm not really keen on the idea of someone dating their sister's ex but it felt like the whole book was set up for Lara Jean and Josh to get together at the end so I was a bit thrown when she decides, seemingly out of nowhere, that Peter is the one for her.

3 The ending. Or lack of! There's no concrete ending to this story which is one of my biggest annoyances in a book. There isn't really any resolution to any of the character's stories.

*Le sigh*. I really thought this would be another Fangirl or Anna and the French Kiss but sadly it was not to be. I've not been put off Jenny Han's writing though so I think I'll have to try her other books to see if I like them any better.

Have you read any of Jenny Han's books? What did you think?

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Book cover image from Goodreads

Review: Austenland by Shannon Hale

Title: Austenland

Author: Shannon Hale

Series: Book 1 of the Austenland series

Format: Paperback (paid for myself)

Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads description: Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man-perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Predjudice." When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

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Favourite quotes: "Jane sat beside Colonel Andrews. He had a dashing smile. It nearly dashed right off his face."

"And here you are. Miss Erstwhile. You are infuriating and irritating, and yet I find myself looking for you."

"I suddenly had to see you again. I know that seems ridiculous, but I look at you, and I feel sure of something."

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My review: Austenland tells the story of Jane, a woman who has had a string of unsuccessful boyfriends which she blames on her love of Mr Darcy and the high expectations he brings with him. Her Aunt sees her unhappiness and leaves Jane a trip to Austenland in her will, a holiday destination in England where you can live like a Jane Austen character for a few weeks, which Jane's Aunt hopes will finally break her Darcy infatuation.

In the past, whenever I have read a book after watching the film adaptation first I have never had any problems with enjoying the book. However, sadly, the same cannot be said for Austenland. I'd seen the 2013 film several times before I decided to pick up the book it was based on. I fell in love with the film's comedy, it's Bridget Jones-esque heroine and its downright silliness. However while the book did share the same basic storyline as the film, it seemed to fall flat in comparison. The characters just weren't as hilarious and full of life as they were in the film - I felt sorry for the book's Miss Charming rather than wanting to laugh along with her like I did whilst watching the film and I even found it hard to warm to the main character, Jane.

However please don't think that my issues with this book come primarily from its comparison to the film. While I do love the general idea of this book, it just wasn't executed how I thought it would be. It had elements of silliness mixed in with serious which didn't work for me and left me cringing slightly at the end instead of swooning. However despite my disappointment, I still did enjoy reading this book. It's packed with many funny lines and was also a very quick and easy read. I especially enjoyed the description of Jane's previous break-ups at the start of each chapter (for example: "Boyfriend #7 Juan Inskeep, age twenty-five. Gay."). And the book definitely gets at least a few points for having the best dedication of all time at the front.

Before I started reading Austenland I was so sure I would be ordering the sequel, Midnight in Austenland, as soon as I'd finished the first book but now I'm not too sure. I think I'll just have to content myself with watching the film again. And again, and again, and again...

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Review: Where Rainbows End (Love, Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern

Title: Where Rainbows End

Alternative title: Love, Rosie

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Series: n/a

Format: Paperback (paid for myself)

Rating: 5/5

Goodreads description: Since childhood, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But they're suddenly separated when Alex and his family move from Dublin to America. 

Their magical connection remains but can their friendship survive the years and miles?

Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them apart – until now. But will they gamble everything – including their friendship – on true love? And what twists and surprises does fate have in store for them this time ... ?

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Favourite quotes: "Bethany wants a house in Martha's Vineyard. I've never met Martha and I don't know how she would feel about us moving onto her vineyard all of a sudden." 

"His name is Ted... He's overweight but then again so am I so who cares; we can bounce off each other."

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My review: I picked up this book in anticipation of the upcoming film adaptation, Love, Rosie. Where Rainbows End is a love story of two characters, Rosie and Alex, who have been friends since they were children but events in both of their lives keep getting in the way of them bringing their relationship to the next level. The book is written in an epistolary format of letters, emails, instant messages etc. between Rosie, Alex and their friends and family. I usually avoid books written in this format like the plague but the trailer for the movie looked so funny and sweet so I was curious to give the book a go. When I first started reading it, I did find the format annoying me as instead of directly experiencing the events of the story, you only really hear about them after they've happened (for example an important birthday party is described by a character in a couple of lines rather than 'experienced' and depicted in detail). This really did annoy me at first as it felt like we might be missing out on important information about the story but once I settled into the format, I found it a very easy read.

I kept picking up and putting down the book to begin with as I was reading about four other books at the same time (I really must stop doing that!) but when I picked it up again recently at about 60 pages in, I found myself breezing through the story. All of the chapters merge into each other so well that I would pass through several chapters at once without realising I wasn't on the same chapter I began with. The characters were all so lovable and funny (at least the nice ones anyway!) so it was very easy to become immersed in their lives. I especially loved Rosie as even though she'd been through a lot of hardships, she kept picking herself back up again and carrying on with humour.

The only thing I'd change about this book is that I'd like the ending to be beefed out a little more but otherwise I think I can easily say that this is one of my favourite books that I've read so far in 2014! I'd definitely recommend this book if you're after an easy, light-hearted and funny read.

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