Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon Book Review

I've been in a bit of a weird mindset when it comes to my blog recently and writing has been the last thing I've wanted to do so when I've felt stuck in a rut, I've been letting myself have some time out. I find sometimes a break for a few hours does me the world of good so I've been really enjoying taking some time to just chill and watch a film whenever I'm feeling a little stressed, the perks of working from home! One film I chose recently was Everything, Everything. I love a good romantic drama and as I ended up absolutely adoring it, I had to get the book.

'Maddy is allergic to the world; stepping outside the sterile sanctuary of her home could kill her. But then Olly moves in next door. And just like that, Maddy realises there's more to life than just being alive. You only get one chance at first love. And Maddy is ready to risk everything...everything to see where it leads.'

My review

As soon as this arrived, I got stuck in and I ended up reading it all in one sitting. From the beginning it was very different to any other book I've read before. The way Nicola Yoon has written this is really interesting as it's in a way that just makes you want to just keep going. It's told in very short chapters, something I always like. I hate when chapters are ridiculously long and it drags to get to the next point but this was short and snappy meaning I was always wanting more and happy to continue. There were also diagrams throughout to explain a little bit more about Maddy and the illness that means she has to stay indoors, and even tiny book reviews within the book, as something Maddy has lots of time for is of course reading. The dialogue between Maddy and the new boy next door Olly was also really fun to read. The majority of their conversations are through email up until nearer the end of the book but I thought that was so unique and such a nice way to see their relationship develop as the book went on.

What I really liked about this book was that I really felt like I was inside Maddy's head. Everything felt so believable and it was incredibly easy to sympathise with both Maddy and Olly, neither of them having had the best lives for a number of reasons. Though I'd watched the film and obviously knew what was going to happen, I really wanted things to work out for them both, I just loved their relationship and I think Nicola got it so right with what young love can be like and how intense those feelings are when it's all brand new.

I think my only criticism with the book has to be that I felt the ending happened very quickly, if that makes sense. One minute one thing was happening and the next it was over and I just think one more chapter would have been absolutely perfect. In the film it's much more detailed so I do think it's worth watching after reading this as it does answer any questions you might be left with. I think if the film wasn't there to watch, I'd have been left wondering what happened next but apart from that I can't fault it. Having now read the book and watched the film several times, I can say that in my opinion they've done a fantastic job at translating the story to the screen. Any areas that you might want more of in the book, are filled in on screen and the actors they chose to play Maddy and Olly couldn't have been better (Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson). It's now genuinely one of my new favourite romance films and I'm sure I'll be reading the book again in future too.

Everything, Everything is a powerful story cleverly told, that will break your heart but put it back together again before the end.

I'd love to know if you've read the book or seen the film too? Let me know your thoughts!

Book reviews - One Day In December by Josie Silver // Tell Me A Secret by Jane Fallon

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3 Things On My London Bucket List

I've spoken about my love for London many, many times on my blog before. I am so at home in the city and whenever we get back from a trip, I'm always planning for the next one. We've had countless visits now so there have been lots of walks along the Southbank, many a Christmas market visited, several amazing musicals and generally we've seen a lot of the sights, but there are still quite a few things left on my London bucketlist. I've narrowed it down to 3 things that I'm hoping to get ticked off in our next few visits, but let me know if there is anything else you think we need to do!

Go On The London Eye

The majority of the time when we visit London, we stay at a hotel literally next to the London Eye, I don't think we could get any closer if we tried but we are still yet to actually go on it. It's getting to the point now where I'll happily go on it by myself if I get chance as I imagine the views are incredible and it's one thing I can't believe we haven't found time for yet. It can be quite expensive so I think it would be nice to get one of the combination tickets so we can also do the river cruise too, that way we can take all of the sights in. I think this would be perfect in the summer when hopefully the weather is a bit better!

Visit The Clink Prison Museum

I first spotted this years ago on one of our first trips to London, it's just around the corner from Borough Market (one of my favourite places, the food is insane) and it's something I keep meaning to book. I'm hopeful we'll get chance to do this when we're back next month and I'm so excited. I'm weird, I'm fascinated by prisons. The Clink Prison is one of England's oldest and most notorious prisons and this is built on the original site so this is right up my street. I actually really love a museum so I was thrilled when I first spotted this.

Take In The View From The Sky Garden

Apart from The London Eye, there are several buildings you can visit to take in the view of the city, one of those being the Sky Garden at the 'Walkie Talkie' building. This is a unique public space which spans three storeys, giving you 360 degree uninterrupted views across London. It's a perfect place to chill for an hour or so and see the city in all its glory. The best thing, it's completely free too! 

It's not long until our next visit so I'm already starting to plan! If you've done any of these things before, I'd love to hear about it!

Do you have any city breaks planned for 2019?

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Essie Surrounded By Studs Gel Couture Nail Polish Review

It's been ages since I last shared a review on one of my many, many nail polishes - seriously I have loads and it's becoming a problem. Though I've said before my nail polish collection is already huge, I can't help myself buying more and one that is a pretty recent addition is the shade Surrounded By Studs which is from the Gel Couture range by Essie.

I know we're kind of coming out of Winter now, something I'm not willing to accept, please can Spring and Summer hold off a little bit longer pleaseee, but I just love the darker tones when it comes to nail polish and in the colder months it's all I wear. I'm all for the red polishes, plums, black and now, blues like this one. I spotted this a while ago and luckily it was one of my birthday presents so I've got quite a lot of wear out of it since then.

The obvious thing I like about this the most is the colour. Whilst I have a lot of darker shades, I had nothing like this and I'd been after a pretty navy colour for such a long time. I'd spotted quite a few but none were quite right until this. It's a dark blue with a slight shimmer and I think it just looks beautiful on. It's a really sophisticated colour and a perfect choice if you don't want to quite go for a black nail polish but want something deeper for this time of the year.

Now onto the quality which for me is the most important thing. I absolutely hate buying a new nail polish to find it's streaky, needs coat after coat or chips within days but I've had no issues with this. It has quite a wide brush so it evenly coats all of the nail in one go and I find two coats is plenty. As this is part of the Gel Couture range, it's a gel nail varnish meaning it's supposed to last far longer than just a normal polish would, over 12 days in fact. There is a specific gel top coat that Essie do which I actually have because of the 2017 advent calendar and of course that helps with it's lasting power but I have used a normal top coat before too and that works just as well. When it comes to removing, for a gel nail polish it's surprisingly easy. I just use a basic remover and cotton pads and it does the job within seconds.

I really have no complaints about this which is part of the reason I wanted to share! It's a stunning colour, with longevity and the bottle is beautiful. I love that the Gel Couture range all come in a twist style bottle, just a little touch but it makes them stand out. I can't currently find this on either Superdrug or Boots, the two main places I usually buy my Essie polishes but all of the Gel Couture polishes tend to be £9.99 which I think is reasonable for the high quality of the products.

I'd love to know if you've tried anything from this Essie range?

Similar posts - Get summer ready with CND Vinylux Polishes // Butter London Nail Polishes

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The Last Piece Of My Heart by Paige Toon Book Review

I've spoken countless times about my love for Paige Toon's books so I'm sure it's no surprise I'm reviewing another of hers already. So far I've read Five Years From Now, Pictures Of Lily, One Perfect Summer, the Johnny Be Good series and the latest was The Last Piece Of My Heart, one that I had kept seeing good reviews of over and over.

'A successful travel journalist, Bridget has ambitions to turn her quirky relationship blog about the missing pieces of her heart into a book. But after a spate of rejections from publishers, she accepts an alternative proposition. Nicole Dupre died leaving behind a bestselling novel and incomplete sequel. Tasked with finishing the book, Bridget is thankful to have her foot in the publishing door, even if it means relocating to Cornwall for the Summer and answering to Nicole's grieving husband Charlie...'

My review

The first thing I really did like about this was that the story followed a different path to the other books I've read from Paige recently. I mentioned in my review of One Perfect Summer that they all tend to go down the will they/won't they route or there's some sort of love triangle but this was very different. It's very much about Bridget at the start, her career and life and for a long time that's what it's focused on as she is tasked with the job of writing the sequel to a bestselling novel, as the author Nicole died several months before. I instantly liked Bridget. I've said in other reviews that Paige always finds a way to make the characters so likeable, I don't know what it is but I always find I can relate to them in some way and I just always want things to work out for them, and Bridget was no exception to this. She was sassy, ambitious and funny, just a normal girl, trying to do her best. It's not long before we get introduced to Charlie, Nicole's grieving husband and at first I was a little uncertain of him, I wasn't sure if it was ever going to end up going down a romantic route with Bridget but I warmed to him, as he did to Bridget as the book went on. I also adored his daughter April, there are some really beautiful moments between them all and I enjoyed Bridget's relationship developing with her just as much as anyone else.

Though Paige's books always tend to be about romance in some way, this really was more about friendship for such a big part of the book. I loved that Charlie and Bridget's friendship went from an awkward start to not being able to imagine life without each other, whether that was as a couple or not. And I loved that The Last Piece Of Bridget's Heart didn't end up being a man after all. There's a few emotional moments but one towards the end where Bridget has a moment of realisation really got to me. Paige's writing always has a way to make you feel every possible emotion!

This book was just another brilliant read from Paige. I find each book so believable and no matter what is happening, it just always feels real to me. Her books are always such an easy to read, I finish them within days without fail each time, as I always get so drawn into each character and their story. The Last Piece Of My Heart was also so easy to picture as the story developed. I could set the scene each time and I had a really clear idea of what the characters were like therefore it allows you to create your own little movie as you go along. In fact, it would make a great film. It's a shame that none of Paige's books have yet been picked up as I think all of the ones I've read so far would appeal to so many people.

To round this review up as I feel like I've rambled on for long enough, this is definitely my new favourite from Paige Toon. It was captivating, engaging and had me smiling all the way through.

Have you read any books from Paige Toon?

Book reviews - One Day In December by Josie Silver // Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

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