The Mid Year Book Tag

I was having a blog reading session last week and I noticed a post from Steph called The Mid Year Book Tag. As I've been SO into reading since the start of this year after really falling out of love with it for a long time, I knew this was a post I had to do. I've not read a huge amount of books this year but the ones I have read have all left with me with so much to say so I can't wait to get answering these questions!

1. Best book you've read so far in 2018?

It has to be Five Years From Now by Paige Toon. I feel like I haven't shut up about this on my social media since I finished it but it's just stuck with me and I want to re-read it already as it made me feel so much.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2018?

It's not really a sequel, but more of a follow on I suppose? Darker by EL James. I've personally always loved the Fifty Shades of Grey books as they're such an easy read, and can be picked up and left whenever really. I love that she's re-released them from Christian's point of view, I think I enjoy that side more actually. I'm looking forward to reading the final one from his perspective.

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to?

I'm desperate to get my hands on The Man Who Didn't Call by Rosie Walsh. I was having a browse on Amazon recently, saw this and now I can't wait to buy it. It's currently quite expensive in paperback so I'm going to wait a bit longer I think. The story sounds brilliant though and it's got great reviews.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

There are a few I've noticed that are out in the next few months, I Invited Her In by Adele Parks and The Plus One by Sophia Money-Coutts.

5. Biggest disappointment?

I'm not sure disappointment is the right word but the book I've been left underwhelmed with is Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens. I posted my review last week which will explain a bit more but basically I just felt like there was something missing. The twist became quite obvious and it seemed to end very quickly afterwards. It didn't grab my attention quite as much as others have recently.

6. Biggest surprise?

The Sisters by Claire Douglas. I picked this up on a whim as it was only £2 on Amazon and I am SO glad I did. I never really go for thriller books but this completely surprised me, I absolutely loved it and honestly couldn't stop reading.

7. Favourite new author?

 I don't think I've read any books this year from 'new' authors, but out of all the ones new to me, I'd have to say Claire Douglas who I just mentioned above. I never expected to love the book I read as much as I did so I'm excited to read more from her in future.

8. New fictional crush?

It has to be Van from Five Years From Now. Your typical, tall, dark and handsome male character in a love story. I loved the way Paige Toon wrote his character, he was just so smooth and charming throughout the whole book.

9. Favourite new character?

I loved Eleanor Oliphant from Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. The hype around this book is so deserved! I was rooting for her from the beginning and I found her really endearing.

10. A book that made you cry?

A few so far this year have made me a little emotional but again I have to come back to Five Years From Now. There are a few parts that really got me but there is one where her father is ill and he thinks he can see their family dog who passed away years ago and it was utterly heartbreaking. The author Paige Toon posted a video of herself online that her husband had taken of her, which showed her sobbing as she wrote that particular part and I totally get why, it's incredibly sad. Also the ending made me emotional too as it was very bittersweet.

11. A book that made you happy?

So far I'm reading Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella which I'm really enjoying and it's definitely more upbeat than some of the others I've read recently! Some Kind of Wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher was also a lovely read and I finished that smiling.

12. Favourite review that you've written?

Probably The Sisters. It was such a hard one to write as I had so much I wanted to say, the ending left me with so many questions but I'm really glad I posted it. I also really like my review of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine as it was my first book review in absolutely ages and the one that made me want to start posting them more often.

13. Most beautiful book you've bought?

I think the cover of Some Kind of Wonderful is absolutely beautiful!

14. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I think next on my list is How To Stop Time by Matt Haig. I've been meaning to read that for a while. After that I think it will be time to treat myself to a few that have been on my list for months!

Have you read many books this year? Have you got any favourites you recommend?

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Cadbury Chocolate Cake Recipe

It's been a little while since I last posted a baking recipe, in fact the most recent was my simple sponge cake with caramel icing, so today I wanted to share a Cadbury chocolate cake which I made last week! You can't really ever beat a classic chocolate cake can you? I didn't have all of the exact ingredients which I usually use for my Easter chocolate cake so I just went with what was in the cupboards to try and make something similar and it turned out so well. Soft, moist sponge with beautiful melted Cadbury sandwiched in the middle and on top!

Ingredients:

225g butter

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

200g self raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

30g cocoa powder

2 tbsp milk

200g Cadbury chocolate or whatever you prefer 

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees and grease and line 2 cake tins

2. In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy

3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one

4. Sift in the self raising flour and baking powder, mix in and then sift in the cocoa powder

5. Usually after adding the cocoa powder, the mixture can get a bit difficult to mix so this is where you can add in 2 tbsp of milk to loosen it up

6. Pour the mixture into your two cake tins and bake in the oven for around 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean

7. Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack for around 20 minutes then you can prepare the filling

8. To melt the chocolate, just add to a glass bowl and put on top of a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth

9. Once the chocolate has melted, pour half of it onto one of the cakes, spread evenly and then put the second cake on top. Add the remaining melted chocolate to the top, you can also add any decoration you fancy too

Whilst this might not be the best looking cake ever (I certainly didn't go to town on decoration) it tasted delicious and that's the most important thing. The sponge really did come out so soft and there is nothing better than smooth melted chocolate. Let me know if you give this recipe a go, it's a great one to use for when you just need a slice of cake but can't be bothered to make anything fancy!

Want to know how to get the best sponge everytime? Give my baking tips and hacks post a read!

Other recipes - Salted caramel brownies // Lemon Drizzle // Victoria Sponge

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Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens Book Review

After such a combination of feelings recently from reading 5 Years From Now which was an absolute heartbreaker to the shock I felt from The Sisters in such a short space of time I knew that reading Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens next would have a lot to live up to. So far this year I've enjoyed every single book I've read and there has been such a mix, but after loving the thriller that The Sisters was, I decided to stick with that genre and give this a go. George read it before me and actually flew through it, but I was actually left with very mixed feelings.

She thought she'd escaped him forever. But will he ever let her go? Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash fled into the night with her young daughter, leaving an abusive relationship behind. Her ex-husband ended up in jail and Lindsey started a new life. Now, Lindsey is older, wiser and believes she has cut all ties with the past. But when Andrew is released from prison, strange things start happening. Lindsey's new boyfriend is threatened, her home invaded and her daughter followed. Her ex-husband denies all knowledge, but Lindsey is convinced he's responsible. Because, after all, who else could it be...?

My review

Out of all of the books I've read this year, so far this is the one that's kind of left me feeling a little flat. I loved the idea of this book, similar to The Sisters in that it's a thriller and focuses around weird happenings going on and not knowing whose behind them but after finishing it I found there was more I was disappointed with than the things I enjoyed. This is told by both Lindsey and her daughter Sophie, and we also have flashbacks so there is a lot of toing and froing throughout. I've mentioned before that I'm not usually a big fan of a two person narrative as I find it can get a little confusing and this book kind of backed that up. I found myself having to go back several times to re-read parts and figure out how far on we had jumped as it did sometimes go from 2005, to 2016 and then to 2007 and so on, so it was definitely a little all over the place at times!

Despite this I do think Chevy Stevens has done a great job of writing about a sensitive subject like domestic abuse. It was very uncomfortable at times and really showed the impact that it had on Lindsey, her daughter and both of their futures, showing that no matter how long it's been, it's not something you ever really get over. Though I didn't love the story been told by both Lindsey and Sophie, I do understand why it was written like that and at times it did give detail that we'd not had previously and showed how both were dealing with their past.

Whilst I also understand why there was so much build up in the first half of the book, taking us back in time to show what Andrew and Lindsey's relationship was like, I do think it dragged on for a little too long. I found I was starting to lose attention about half way through and whilst I was sure it was going to pick and go somewhere, it took a while for it to gain some momentum. As Andrew had been released from prison when weird things started happening to Lindsey - emails being opened, indentations on her bed, keys being moved etc, you do think initially, well it must be him? He wants revenge for going to prison? If you've not read this I don't want to spoil it for you but as you can imagine it's not at all as straightforward as that and I actually think I suspected almost every single person Lindsey interacted with at one point as I felt it was just too obvious for it to be Andrew after just having got his life back.

We meet several characters in the book, Lindsey's new boyfriend Greg, friend Marcus, her employees, Sophies boyfriend Jared and at times I felt like it could have been any of them for some reason wanting to hurt Lindsey. When the twist was revealed and we finally figure out who is to blame I have to say, I don't think it was a massive shock. I mainly flitted between two of the characters, one seemed too good to be true and the other just a little creepy, but then when it was revealed, it was wrapped up very quickly and I just don't think there had been enough build up or tension to that moment. I didn't feel any sort of WOW moment happened in the book and whilst towards the end I did get stuck in and want to finish it to see how everything ended, I didn't feel anything like I did when I finished The Sisters which also had a big twist and really had me gripped throughout, and blown away by the end. Whilst this is in no way a bad book, for me personally there was something missing. It's actually got great reviews online mostly so I'm sure I'm just part of a small minority with feeling like this, but maybe it's just because I've read some really outstanding books over the last few months, that this just had a lot to live up to. It's currently only £2 on Amazon though so I would say it's worth a read whilst it's such a bargain. You might love it, it just wasn't one of the best books I've read recently.

Have you read Never Let You Go? What did you think?

Similar posts - Some kind of wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher // The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty

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Current Wishlist - Beauty, Books & Home

I do love a wishlist. It's not been too long since my last one but that was clothes so I think it's about time for another with a mix of all of the things I'm currently lusting over!

Beauty

The first thing I'm keen to get my hands on is the Asos Travel Essentials Box. At £12 this is an absolute bargain! There are lots of fab products included such as a mini Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, Emma Hardie Brilliance Facial Oil, Glamglow ThirstyMud Mask and more. These are all massive brands and ones I'd never be able to afford so this is such a great way of being able to try some of the products out. Next the Too Faced Melted Matte Lipstick has recently caught my eye in the shade Child Star. It's £19 so I'm extremely unlikely to ever buy it but I love the colour of it and it's exactly the sort I go for. Now for nail polish as I clearly need more to add to my collection. Essie are one of my go to brands and I actually never knew Asos had such a huge range of their polishes. I love the shades Angora Cardi which is a beautiful dusty rose, and Merino Cool which is a chic mauve nude. The final few beauty bits I'm interested to try are the Beauty Extras Foot Mask and Hair Mask. I recently tried a foot mask I picked up from Sephora in Paris and I loved it so I'm glad I've finally found somewhere here that does them too.

Books

I have got so many books in my Amazon basket at the moment! I'm trying to avoid buying them as I have absolutely nowhere to store anymore but I don't think one or two would be too bad!

Pictures of Lily - After loving Five Years From Now by Paige Toon I've been looking at some of her other books and this the one currently at the top of my list. 'Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really should't have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can't forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart - and the heart of at least one of the men who love her.'

I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella has been a favourite of mine for a long time so I'm desperate to pick some of her newer books up. 'A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. When she spots an abandoned phone in a bin it seems it was meant to be... Finders Keepers! Except the phone's owner, elusive businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. Can things get any more tangled?'

An Unwanted Guest - This is quite different to the other books I've already mentioned but after really enjoying a few thriller type books over the last month, I've started looking for others a bit similar and this one has such good reviews. 'We can't choose the strangers we meet. As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell's Inn, they're all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance. With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in - or out. And then the first body is found... and the horrifying truth comes to light. There's a killer among them - and nowhere to run.'

Home

We've just re-decorated the bathroom so I'm after a few bits to really complete it all. I can't believe how long it's taken us to get it sorted but it looks so much better now! A bit of a boring purchase but I really want to get some storage baskets and I love these silver wire ones. I love things like this for keeping my bath bombs and shower gels in. Also for the bathroom I love the look of these tumblers and soap dispensers. They have such a pretty copper design on them and I think they'd go so well. Now for the living room because I'm going through a real 'I hate everything' phase with it. I'm longing for Autumn now so I really want to get some mustard/yellow coloured bits in to just add something a little different. I'd love some new cushions like these velvet ones from Asda for the sofas. Also we have a little dish on the coffee table with pot pourri in and whilst I love it, we've had it for ages and it just doesn't look as good as it used to. I love this copper-toned hammered dish to replace it and it's only £5. I've been having a little browse recently on New Look as they're homeware just gets better and better, and one thing I'm always drawn to is their mugs. I really want to start replacing some of the ones we already have and have a bit of a mix rather than a set and I love this turquoise tile print one. I love the design of it and it also comes in a few other colours too. Something else that caught my eye is this black tile plate which might seem a bit random but I've been wanting something like this for ages for blog photos. I've taken a few recently where I've really needed something pretty like this so I'm definitely going to try and grab this whilst I can.

I'm aware this blog post is quite long but it's been a while since I last did a random wishlist like this so there was loads I wanted to include!

Have you picked up any of the things I mentioned?

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