Waiting On Wednesday||❤

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 This week is..........
One
By Sarah Crossan
Publication Date: August 26th 2015

 
(Goodreads)
Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins.

And their lives are about to change.

No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love?

But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined…

From Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this moving and beautifully crafted novel about identity, sisterhood and love ultimately asks one question: what does it mean to want and have a soulmate?

What Are You Waiting On This Wednesday?

Keep Reading,

Naomi...xxx

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Teaser Tuesday||❤

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

---

'He looked into my eyes and seemed to understand that I was only one step up from being a maid myself. That wasn't the reason for my worry, but it did seem strange that a lottery was the difference between someone like Anne and me.
~The Selection By Kiera Cass

What is your teaser?

Keep Reading,

Naomi...xxx

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The DUFF-A Film Review||❤

The Duff
When people said that this film would be different, I didn't expect it to be So different it was completely alien to me. Yes, I do understand, films can't follow the book but this wasn't really 'The DUFF' anymore. It was like they flushed the whole meaning down the plug hole and out of the tap came a wannabe mean girls film.

This film was about Bianca, a girl whowas the 'duff' in her friendship group (The Designated Ugly and Fat Friend). When she is told so at a part by none other than Wesley Rush, a childhood best friend, she decides to recruit his help along the way distancing herself away from her friends.

This film had everything you didn't want in a film, cheesy acting, a weird storyline, cricket worthy lines which made me want to puke and a mean girl/disney star who was as intimidating as an orange. Mix this all together and you will make my worst nightmare. Mae Whitman was who definitely saved the film. Her witty personality and brilliant acting made me love Bianca as a character in this film. But who really stealer the show was Ken Jeong. Although he did have a minor role, he did inject some fun into the film and I found myself smiling the most at his parts.

What I didn't like about the film was that the book was almost dumbed down to fit younger audience. What the film was missing was the rawness from the book. Everything seemed to fake and set up that I had to force myself to sit through it. If they did go along with the book it would have been a more diverse film and a mature film. The DUFF does cover mature issues but this film felt like it deserved to be at the front of Nickelodeon promoting God knows what.

Overall I would give the film a 2/5. It wasn't good but I did smile around twice so it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't advise you to waste your money to see it. The Duff is a no no for me!

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Waiting On Wednesday||❤

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 This week is..........
Extraordinary Means
By Robyn Schneider 
Publication Date: May 26th 2015

(Goodreads)

From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disnase fall in love on the brink of a cure.

At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.

There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.

But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down. Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.

Why Am I Waiting This Wednesday?

I am so excited for this book because I haven't actually read any book to do with tuberculosis and I just want to see what the life of a patient would be like. Also it looks like an exhilerating read I will always keep my eyes on!

Keep Reading,

Naomi...xxx

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The Selection-A Book Review||❤

The Selection
By Kiera Cass
Publication Date: April 24th 2012
Rating: 5/5 stars
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

My Thoughts...

*received in exchange for an honest review*

The Selection was not what I was expecting it to be at all. I thought it would be cliché, judging by the cover and the synopsis, but I urged myself to give the book a try because it seemed different and now I seriously dont regret it. We are plunged into a world of judgment meaning that if you are in a certain class your life has been mapped out for you. For example, if you were a 5 you would be an artist and if you were a 8, you were a criminal. Although the book was dystopian it did mainly concentrate on the romance between characters and less on the world they live in. It didn't really bother me that much because I wasn't expecting much on that side anyway and I wanted to really see development between characters which I did indeed see.  

Kiera Cass' writing style is casual yet not too laid back. It made it easier to connect with America as a character and I wasn't so confused that I was rereading each line so many times that I felt like continuously banging my head on a plank of wood. This meant that I actually finished this book in one sitting. I stayed up really late on a school night and ended up having 4 hours of sleep but I couldn't put the book down at all. I kept on finishing a chapter then saying to myself 'Naomi, you need to sleep...nah just one more chapter' another chapter led to another and I actually ended up finishing the book. I was sleep deprived that day but completely satisfied that I had finally finished it. Then I got really annoyed because the book ended on a cliff hanger and I just  kept on thinking about what would happen and it just stressed me out!

There weren't many main characters in the book to concentrate on which makes things even better because I am really bad at remembering names. I can barely remember The Hunger Games characters and I read the book THREE TIMES!' My favourite character would have to be of course Prince Maxon as he was an awkward character who didn't even know what he was doing. He was charming, sweet and was just a person who understood things and always listened even if it didn't really matter. America was a character who was fierce and wouldn't give up on anything. She fought for what was right, she didn't cower away in the corner and was always there to offer help to people who needed it.

I don't really want to talk about the romance as it is the main element in the book and I feel like if I talk about it then a whole load of spoilers will splurge out and I try to keep my reviews spoiler free. Overall, I do think this book was worth the read and I will be reading the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it!!

Keep Reading,
Naomi...xxx

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Creative Blogger Award||❤

Thank you to my beautiful friend Abbie @Afro Bee Beauty for nominating me for this! Thank you so much, love you!!

The Rules

• Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify all via their social media/blogs
• Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you (very important)
• Share 5 facts about yourself to your readers
• Pass the rules on to them

My Facts

1. I can play 4 instruments. My main ones are Violin and Voice which I spend most of my time doing and the ones I do not so seriously are the Piano and Guitar.
2. When I was younger my best friend flushed my hat down the toilet, I found it hilarious but my mum didn't think otherwise.
3. I have an obsession with butter. I will literally lather my toast in butter then spoon out some butter so I can dip my toast into it, I know it is sooo weird!
4. I am obsessed with Netflix and so watch around 4 TV series at once. I will literally sit in my bed all day finishing a series and I will only leave for snacks an food.
5. This blog is the longest blog I have updated regularly and used. I have had others years ago but I never bothered to use them, then my friend introduced me to booktube at first but I didn't want to do that specifically so I started a blog instead!

I don't like nominating specific people but I'm leaving this space open so feel free to do this tag and just comment below if you want to do it as I would love to hear about it!

Keep Reading,

Naomi...xxx

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Heist Society-A Book Review||❤

Heist Society
By Ally Carter
Publication Date: February 9th 2010
Rating: 4/5
When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took h on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birtscholatarina and her Uncle Eddie travelled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately , leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.
Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrioeve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.
For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Thoughts...

Katarina has always been a criminal. It runs deep into her blood and once she has escaped it it turned out that she always finds herself running back. Katarina lives the dangerous lifestyle and when a deadly criminal thinks her father has stolen one of the worlds most valuable paintings from him she is determined to get them back. But there is only one issue, she had two weeks to track down these paintings but all isn't easy. Her uncle has told her to step back and let the job be done but Katarina has to somehow gather these paintings and steal from one of the most surveillancesurveillanced art museums in the world. What could a group of teenagers do?

I'm a massive fan of Ally Carter and when I saw this in my school library I couldn't help but pick up the book. After enjoyed the Gallagher Girls series, although I havent finished the series yet, I was already quite used to Ally Carter's writing style which is more relaxed and is exhilarating. When reading this book I almost felt like jumping in with all the characters and joining in with their heists and zipping around Europe with her. I also liked how it was all But the action and I felt like I was on th edge of my seat when I was reading it. I enjoyed the book so much that I ended up finishing it in 2 days!!  

The characters are each different in their own way and I loved how Katerina was a character who never gave up even though people told her to step back. I also loved how she was always there to protect and help her friends even if it meant endangering herself. Hale, the main male character, and Katerina's relationship as friends is so sweet, they always do things together and are the leaders of the whole group of teenagers. They all knitted well together as a team and together bravely attempt to do something which could ruin their lives.

What stopped me from giving the book a full on 5 stars was that it was quite unrealistic. I doubt any normal group of teenagers however many years they have trained for would not be able to do anything of such a high level without being rattled out by someone. But hey, that's the beauty of fiction. Also, I felt like the villain in the book wasn't intimidating enough and didn't cause as much havoc to make the book exceptional and almost flawless. There just wasn't enough evil for me and I love a good villain to secretly take sides with!

Overall I thought this was a brilliant, action-packed book which you would enjoy if you are a fan of Ally Carter or a lover of thief based books.

Keep Reading,
Naomi...xxx

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The Raven Boys-A Book Review||❤

The Raven Boys
By Maggie Steifvater
Publication Date: September 18th 2012
Rating: 1.5/5 stars

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

My Thoughts...

I am going to skip the description for this book because there is nothing really to say as the synopsis basically covered everything. I must say that I have probably never rolled my eyes as many times in my life doing anything. To sum it up, this book just plain annoyed me. It was almost like most chapters were fillers, the main character  Blue was just naive and I felt like I wasted a whole lot of time after reading this book which is not nice. When I read a book I always want to feel like it wasn't a complete waste of time and something, even if I didn't enjoy it, I can learn from but this book just made me feel confused.

Blue is a crazy yet free-spirited girl with a family full of psychics. She isn't your average girl and I liked how she was quirky and didn't give in easily. Other than that she was a gullible little girl who talked a bit too much, always acted silly and was everything you wouldn't want in a character. Gansey was probably my favourite character he was just swoon worthy and he was so into his interests and he made sure nothing came in his way, he was funny and Kind hearted. Adam was probably down at the bottom with Blue, he didn't make decisions quick enough and he was just a bit too sweet and didn't speak up. I felt like pushing him forward all the time! Ronan, Ronan, Ronan. He was the dark, sexy and mysterious character who was known for his bad ways. He always had a smirk planted on his face and was definitely one of the best. Noah wasn't seen as much but he didn't really eat food (you will find out why) and was kind of like the fly on the wall.

The books pacing was quite slow and it dragged on a lot. Some parts of the book were just pointless which didn't help the book move forward meaning that it got a bit tiring. The concept of the book was brilliant but it definitely needed some work. It felt extremely cluttered and elements of everything was being attempted to be put it. For example there was some historical, romantic, fantasy, paranormal elements to the book and it just ended up being a hot mess.

 Overall, from my rating you can see that I didn't enjoy the book. I will be carrying on the series as the second book is said to be good and I Wang to see more of Ronan and Gansey and I want to see if they actually find what they are looking for.

Keep Reading,
Naomi...xxx

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Waiting On Wednesday||❤

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 This week is..........

Backlash
By Sarah Darer Littman
Publication Date: 28th April 2015

He says: You're an awful person.
He says: What makes you think I would ever ask you out?
He says: The world would be a better place without you in it.

Lara just got told off on Facebook.


She thought that Christian liked her, that he was finally going to ask her to his school's homecoming dance. They've been talking online for weeks, so what's with the sudden change? And where does he get off saying horrible things on her wall? Even worse - are they true?

It's been a long time since Lara's felt this bad, this depressed, this ugly. She's worked really hard to become pretty and happy - and make new friends after what happened in middle school.

Bree used to be best friends with overweight, depressed Lara, but constantly listening to Lara's issues got to be too much. Secretly, Bree's glad Christian called Lara out. Lara's not nearly as amazing as people think. But no one realized just how far Christian's harsh comments would push Lara. Not even Bree.

As online life collides with real life, things spiral out of control, and not just for Lara. Because when the truth starts to come together, the backlash is even more devastating than anyone could have ever imagined.

***
I am so excited for this book! It covers an issue which isn't talked about enough which is cyber-bullying. Although it does sound cliché I can't wait for this book.

What Are You Waiting On This Wednesday?

Keep Reading,

Naomi...xxx

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Geek Girls:Model Misfit-A Book Review||❤

Geek Girl: Model Misfit 
By Holly Smale
Publication Date:
Rating: 3/5 stars
“My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.”

Harriet knows that modelling won’t transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn’t necessarily a bad thing (even in a rainforest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.
What Harriet doesn’t know is where she’s going to fit in once the new baby arrives.
With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and her errant grandmother’s ‘chaperoning’. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes.
Because, this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like.
Can geek girl find her place on the other side of the world or is Harriet lost for good?

My Thoughts

Harriet is back again with yet another new modelling challenge but this time in Japan, With a sister on the way and feeling like she will be put aside, Harriet is more than happy to jet off  with her crazy grandmother! She has finally made some new friends in the modelling world but it still clumsy as ever and is hanging on her last string. She is featuring in a secret campaign and has been neglected by her grandmother and thrown into a flat filled with models. How will Harriet survive a whole summer without any of her friends? What hides behind the pretty faces and how far will the other models go see Harriet fail?

Currently, I am taking quite a long break away from fantasy and dystopian books as they are extremely complicated and would need my full attention to get through them. Also, I am not really in the mood to go through parallel universes and battle monsters! This is a perfect book to pass time and an easy series which could probably be finished in a fortnight. What I liked about this book was that it stayed true to its plot and there weren't too many changes, both the first and second book are similar in a way and didn't over whelm me. I also love how we travel around the world with Harriet and we are like her best friends and we experience what she experiences.

What was also really good was that this book was mainly to do with friendship and seeing how deceitful people can be and not everyone has the best intentions for you and we learn that too. Also it tells us how we should value the people around us because they might just save you from getting fired in this situations even if they do stalk you across the world!! I liked each and every character and thankfully it didn't get on my nerves! What I didn't get was that she was a famous model who was the face if a top brand but she was still being labelled as a 'geek'. 

Overall, I thought this book was alright like the first one. It didn't really a book which was blew my mind but if you're looking for a quick laugh then this is the book for you!!

Keep Reading,
Naomi...xxx

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Waiting On Wednesday||❤

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 This week is..........

The Stars Never Rise

By Rachel Vincent

Publication Date: June 9th 2015

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

What Are You Waiting On This Wednesday?

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