One Day In December By Josie Silver Book Review

I'm sure you know by now, I'm a big fan of a soppy love story. I've read some absolutely gorgeous books this year like Pictures Of Lily and Some Kind Of Wonderful but one that caught my eye many months ago was One Day In December by Josie Silver. I ended up pre-ordering it because once I saw the synopsis, I was desperate to read the whole book and I didn't want to end up missing out. Well, I read this last month and it didn't disappoint. It's one of those books that will stay with me for quite a while I think.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist. After all, life isn't a scene from the movies, is it? But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away. Laurie thinks she'll never see the boy from the bus again. But at their Christmas party a year later, her best friend Sarah introduces her to the new life of her life. Who is, of course, the boy from the bus. Determined to let him go, Laurie gets on with her life. But what if fate has other plans?

My review

Okay, isn't the cover of this book absolutely beautiful? It's so simple yet so festive, making it a perfect read this Christmas. I think the reason I was so drawn to this book is because it seemed very similar to one of the best books I've ever read, Five Years From Now, with the story been very much about two people who are clearly meant to be but have an endless amount of obstacles in their way. Luckily I was pleased to find out it has a very different ending but let's go back to the start.

I've mentioned before I sometimes struggle with a two person narrative, if it's not written well it can be so confusing but this was really cleverly done, and it was told by both Laurie and Jack. In the books I've read before with more than one person narrating it's always been women so I absolutely loved that we got to hear Jack's point of view too. From the minute Jack and Laurie lock eyes, we know she's head over heels in love but often in books like this, you never really know properly how the man is feeling. It was so nice to find out Jack's feelings too and know actually he was just as mad about her as she was him, and what he was really thinking despite not letting it show to Laurie because of Sarah.

The love story of Laurie and Jack was never going to be plain-sailing but right from the start I was willing for it to work out. You really feel Laurie's anguish though as what can you possibly do in that situation? Risk her friendship with Sarah for this boy she actually didn't even know anything about for a long time, or chance it and possibly lose everything? She's in this massive dilemma so you really did never how it was going to end. It's made harder to know what to think as Laurie and Sarah's friendship is so lovely. I loved that this book was just as much about those two aswell as about Jack and it wasn't just a typical love story. It really does focus on everyone in Laurie's life.

Josie has written this in a way that you really do get invested in each person and you just want the best for them no matter what. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I genuinely picked it up at about 1pm on a Sunday afternoon and I read and read until I'd finished at about 4pm. It was that good. I was gripped all the way through. At the end I felt like I needed to just have a massive sob as I'd felt so tense throughout, desperate for everyone to be happy, by the end I just felt relief. It made me emotional several times throughout, there is a beautiful moment between Laurie and Jack about half way through where they realise it may never actually be possible for them to be together and I still keep thinking about it. Every single time you think it's heading in the right direction, something comes along to stop it, again very much like Five Years From Now so the ending isn't predictable at all. It's just heartbreaking at times but also uplifting and heart-warming too. It just has everything you could possibly want in a love story and it's definitely a contender as my favourite book of the year. 

If you want a festive read this December, please please please, give this a go. It reminds me a lot of Love Actually so if you're a fan of that film (who isn't?!) I think you'll love this.

Other book reviews - Never Let You Go By Chevy Stevens // Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman // The Other Woman By Sandie Jones

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Blogging Mistakes I've Made

I can't quite believe that I've been blogging for almost 5 years. Some days it feels like two minutes ago that I started all of this and published my very first post, and other times I can't imagine my life before it. As I've been been a blogger for quite a while now, I've made many mistakes. Some of the things I had no clue about 5 years ago, the list is honestly endless. As I had no idea what I was doing when I first started, I got a lot of things wrong so I thought I'd share some of those mistakes with you. Maybe it might stop you from making some of them in the future too!

Saying Yes To Every Opportunity

Whilst it can be so exciting to get emails from brands asking if you want to collaborate, it doesn't mean you have to take every single one. On a quiet month blog wise, any email coming through sparks a little bit of excitement in me but there are times when despite how low I might be on sponsored work or brand collaborations that it just isn't worth taking. It's only over the last few years I've really started making sure I'm only accepting campaigns that truly fit my blog and are fair because for a long time brands have been taking advantage of bloggers. A few years ago I didn't really know what I was doing so I was working for free sometimes, accepting insultingly low payments other times and bending over backwards for a small beauty product because I felt like that was the right thing to do and like I wasn't worthy of anything more. It was just amazing at the time that anyone wanted to work with me but now I can see it works both ways. Some brands always like to try and make you feel as if they're doing you a massive favour but they're not. Now I know what my niche is, I know what I'm worth and I'm not going to say yes to a brand who want everything for nothing. 

Undercharging & Underselling Myself

Following on from that point, I've been underselling myself and my blog for a long time. Despite bloggers and vloggers - all kinds of social media 'influencers' only growing in popularity, it can still a lot of the time feel like we'll just never be taken seriously. For a long time I've struggled when it comes to knowing what to charge when it comes to sponsored content because again, brands make you feel like them paying you anything is a good thing. But is £25 going to pay my rent? I don't think so. It can be difficult and uncomfortable at times to say actually, no that isn't enough, I charge x amount for x amount of work but we are well within our rights to do so. You charge what you feel you deserve, no one can criticise you for knowing your own worth. To be honest I still think I don't charge quite enough for the amount of time and effort I put into brand collaborations but I have definitely got better over the last year with really making sure things are on a more even playing field. Please, if you're new to this, or even if you're not, don't let people take advantage. If you don't know where to start with charging for content, a tip I picked up from other bloggers is to charge 4 x your DA, so if your DA is 25, charge £100. That's just a basic rough guide if you're unsure.

Following The Crowd

I actually don't think this is a major mistake I've made as for a long time, I've just done as I please with my blog but at the start, it was impossible not to try and follow the crowd. When I started my blog, I literally had no idea what I was doing. I was bored, had a lot going on and just needed to occupy myself. So, that's when Food and Other Loves started but I had no idea what I was going to talk about! It was only when I started talking to and following other bloggers on social media that I noticed the sorts of things that were popular. There were various tags I felt I had to take part in or be nominated in to get anyone to notice my blog, there were certain beauty products that everyone seemed to love and I didn't want to be left out. It's easy at the start to just follow everyone else and take inspiration from them because surely if they're doing well due to those things, you will too? but it doesn't work like that. Being different is a good thing! All of our blogs are unique, it would be boring if we all spoke about the same things, reviewed the same mascara etc. Now I genuinely talk and write about what I want despite what other bloggers are doing and it makes me happy. Don't be afraid to stand out.

Not Promoting My Blog

For some reason I thought people would just automatically find my blog without me really having to do anything. Thinking about it now, that's obviously ridiculous but it took a while for me to figure out that it takes a lot of work for your posts to be seen. Now I'm always scheduling tweets, it's the bane of my life but it works and on days I don't have any tweets going out, I really notice a dip in my views. Pinterest has also become a big thing for me over the last year, it's a brilliant way to generate blog views. I try not to be spammy when it comes to promoting my posts but I think I've found the right balance now, it just took me a while to figure out what was too much and what wasn't enough.

Putting Myself Under Too Much Pressure

There have been times in my past few years where I've been really hard on myself when it comes to blogging and sticking to a schedule. Whilst having a routine and posting on set days is useful for me for several reasons, I do think I've been a bit too obsessive about it before and I've put myself under far too much pressure. This year I've taken a real step back with it, allowed myself breaks if I'm away or ill, which I know sounds totally normal but before if I'd had a post planned, I'd be desperate to make sure I got it up regardless whereas now I just think, what's really going to happen if I don't? Absolutely nothing. Whilst I love posting so frequently because I have so many things I want to share, at times it can get a bit too much so I think it's really important sometimes to just take a step back and have a break. I find small breaks really help me re-focus too and I tend to come back to my blog with fresh ideas and more motivated than ever.

Have you made any of these blogging mistakes too?

Other blogging posts - 5 Must Have Apps For Bloggers // How To Get Out Of A Blogging Slump

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November Favourites - Bohemian Rhapsody, Christmas Markets & Baking!

I really can't believe it's my penultimate monthly favourites of the year! I've loved sharing some of my favourite products and places each month but hasn't this year gone so fast? I'm incredibly happy it's December now and we're getting closer and closer to Christmas day but I'm also a little sad that it will be over before we know it!

Manchester Christmas Markets - The first thing I had to mention is our lovely day in Manchester. It's a place we always love to go back to but even more so at Christmas time. They just do Christmas markets so well and I always leave feeling incredibly festive. In fact, within days of us getting back home this time, the tree went up and our flat is currently in full on Christmas mode. The main market at Albert Square is always so cosy and the stalls they have get better each year. We had some amazing food there this year and I kind of want to go back again before it's all over again.

Twist and Spritz Perfume Holder* - I love love love my perfume. I've got several bottles at the moment I can't stop using but the issue I have with that, is that I often can't take them away with me. Most perfume bottles tend to be quite big and bulky and it's just not possible to have them on the go with you so you can forever be smelling gorgeous. For that reason I've been loving Twist and Spritz. This enables you to enjoy your favourite fragrance wherever you are as it can easily fit into your handbag or coat pocket. It's easy to fill and allows for approximately 100 sprays, it's also available in loads of colours but I love the rose gold in particular. It's £10 at The Fragrance Shop at the moment so might be a nice extra Christmas present!

Christmas Baking - As we've been feeling very festive over the last few weeks, I couldn't resist one of the new baking kits when I was ordering a food shop. I definitely don't bake as much as I used to and George and I very, very rarely bake together so this little kit made such a nice change. It was such a nice way to spend some time together and whilst our biscuits didn't turn out amazingly well, it was so much fun and now I'm keen to get some of the other ones they have out at the moment so we can do some more baking together over Christmas.

Bohemian Rhapsody - This film. There is a reason it's all anyone has been able to talk about recently. Whilst I did like Queen's music before this film, I wouldn't have said I was a huge fan but as soon as I saw the trailer for this, I knew it was one to watch. Based on Freddie Mercury and Queen's rise to fame, it was so interesting to watch and to find out more about them all. Of course the music was brilliant and I loved how certain songs fitted into the story and the live aid recreation was insane. It feels like you're actually there when you watch it. All the actors that were chosen were spot on, incredible. Definitely up there as one of my favourite films of the year.

Source

Informer - I'm not going to lie, when I first saw this advertised on TV a few months ago, I didn't think it would be my sort of program or one that I'd get stuck into but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Whilst I didn't have high hopes, I did want to give it a chance as the queen herself Rachel Tucker had quite a big role as Sharon and I was excited to see her in something other than a musical. Well, I thought the whole series was outstanding. It's about Raza who finds himself in a tricky situation with the police in the first episode and how he ends up being coerced into informing for the counter-terrorism unit. It does start off a little slow as we're introduced to the characters and as Raza adjusts to this new life but it soon gets going and within a few episodes, we were desperate to see how it was going to end. We ended up watching it all within a few days and now I'm ready for series 2 already.

Source

Butter London Eyeliner* - I've always thought of nail polish when it comes to Butter London so I was surprised to find out they actually do several different beauty products such as bronzer palettes, mascara, lip gloss, and more. I've been trying out their Glazen Lustrous Liner over the last month and I've been really impressed. I always wear pencil eyeliner, it's such a staple in my makeup bag but it had been a long time since I'd used a liquid eyeliner so I was curious to see what this would be like. One of the things I love about it is how easy it is to use. It's a weightless liner with a fine tip so it makes for an effortless and precise line and I just love the finished look after using this. I've not been applying loads of this but I've found just a little really makes your eyes stand out. It's currently £10 at Feel Unique if you want to try too.

What have you been loving throughout November? Are you ready for Christmas now?

*Products marked with a * are PR samples

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The Wife Between Us By Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen Review

Wow, the last few books I've read have been absolutely mindblowing. I mean, I've read some absolutely brilliant books this year so it takes a lot to impress me but the latest ones I've picked have just been outstanding. The first of those books is The Wife Between Us by by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I love a thriller or mystery type book and this was both rolled into one. The second book that I loved for different reasons is One Day In December so look out for my review of that in the next few days.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions. It's about a jealous wife, obsessed with her replacement. It's about a younger woman set to marry the man she loves. The first wife seems like a disaster, her replacement is the perfect woman. You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships. You will be wrong.

My review

I was genuinely speechless when I finished this book. Compared to the ones I'd read before it, it took me far longer to get through but that's just because it's so complex, it requires some real thinking every few chapters! The first thing I wanted to mention about this book is that I found it really interesting that it's written by two authors. I've never read a book like that before and I've always wondered how it actually works and who writes what but whatever it was they did, it was a success. Together they have come up with an excellent story that grips you right from the very start and doesn't let you go even when you think it's all wrapped up.

The book mainly focuses on Vanessa, Richard's ex-wife, a very complex woman who is determined to get between him and his new fiance. We are only told in drips what had happened between her and Richard for them to end up divorced, you really do have to try and piece the puzzle together as you go along but as you can tell from the synopsis, your initial thought is supposed to be that Vanessa is this crazy woman who can't let go and her replacement is this perfect woman. It was never going to be that simple though that was it? I knew it wouldn't be as straightforward as Richard being this perfect man and all of the women around him from his past and current life all to be crazy but I never predicted it would get to the level it did for each of the characters.

I've read some great books this year that have had a few wow moments but this had about 5. Several times I had to put the book down and try and process what had just been revealed, and that's never happened with any other book before. There is a twist at the end of part 1 (the book is split into 3 parts and an epilogue) that I couldn't get over for a few days. I just couldn't work out how they had been so clever with it and it meant I really had to go back to the beginning in my head and try and see the story in a new way. It's one of those books that whenever you think you have it figured out, it completely turns on its head and you're left questioning everything again. When I finally reached the end and it seemed everything had been tied up, the same thing happened again as we then get to the epilogue. I'm not going to spoil it in case you haven't read it before but it's just fantastic. That short chapter takes you literally right back to the start and you start to see everything from a different light yet again. I've never known a twist like it and I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. I felt like I needed to lay down in a dark room and try and process it all!

So, basically it's an incredible book. I know I post a lot of positive book reviews, I've been quite lucky I've not read that many this year that have been a disappointment but this one really does top them all. It's a thriller that you just can't get out of your head afterwards. I hope Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen collaborate on more books together in the future because this really did blow me away.

Have you read The Wife Between Us? What have you been reading recently?

Other book reviews - The Sisters by Claire Douglas // The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty // Some Kind of Wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher

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