Hello hello! Welcome back to my blog, if you’re new here, then welcome in general! In terms of my 2019 Reading Challenge, I think I’ve hit a steady average from now on. In the first month, I really smashed it by reading 3 books in a single month, that being said, It didn’t leave me much time for anything else! In the last few months, I’ve managed a steady 1 book per month, and I think this is a good number! Even by reading just 1 book per month for the rest of the year will mean I’ll beat my reading challenge pledge of 10 books – hooray!
This month, however, I managed to read the following 2 books…
Paris For One & Other Stories – Jojo Moyes
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Romance/Contemporary/Short Stories
Blurb
Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She’s never even been on a romantic weekend away – to anywhere – before. Travelling abroad isn’t really her thing. But when Nell’s boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone (including herself) wrong. Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?
I had heard so many good things about this book on the book group I am in on Facebook, this prompted me to go out and buy it and I’m so glad I did! I’ve never read a book before which contains a series of short stories, but I found I read so much quicker this way? I could dip in and out when I felt like it and could pass the time by reading a short story when I had a spare 5 minutes. The main story, ‘Paris For One’ was such a romantic, magical little story. Just reading it made me feel like I was walking the streets of Paris alongside Nell. I also really loved the other short stories in this book. They each provided little snippets into the character’s lives and I couldn’t help but think what a good idea they were! Sometimes, you just want something quick to read to pass the time and this was just perfect for that! I also found each of the stories uniquely uplifting? If you need a good pick me up, then I highly recommend that you read ‘Paris For One’ it has just the right mix of escapism, romance and humour. Jojo Moyes is exactly my kind of Author, her writing style is so easy to read and you can get completely lost in her stories. I love that she made this book into a variety of unique short stories, My favourites were; ‘Paris for One’, ‘Margot’ and ‘The Christmas List’ I did find ‘Honeymoon in Paris’ a little difficult to get into but still enjoyed it once I got the hang of the style, but out of all 11 stories, there wasn’t a single one I didn’t like!
Paris for One
Romantic, Magical and the perfect little dose of escapism! I felt as if I were walking the streets of Paris alongside Nell. Very well written.
Between the Tweets
I found the ending to this one both predictable and unexpected at the same time! I knew it was going to end how it did, but not in the way that it did!
Love in the Afternoon
I was a little bit confused by the ending of this one, The husband had made out that he was doing something nice and arranged the trip away specifically for his wife, however, it turned out it was just a freebie getaway courtesy of his workplace? Not that that’s a bad thing but it confused me that she was angry with him when she thought he’d arranged it all himself but when she found out it was a ‘corporate jolly’ she softened up to him? Confused.com
A Bird in the Hand
Good little short, I liked the classic ‘grass is greener’ approach, although, we all know that’s rarely true!
Crocodile Shoes
I like the idea that a different pair of shoes can give you a whole new outlook on life!
Holdups
This one was a nice contrast to the rest of the themes in the book, slightly darker, but a nice change!
Honeymoon In Paris
Found this one a little bit difficult to get into, to begin with, but still enjoyed it in the end!
Last Year’s Coat
We’ve all been there, completely falling in love with something that we just simply couldn’t afford! This short had such a sweet ending.
Thirteen Days with John C
I mean, this is what happens when you start to meddle in things that are none of your business, you get what’s coming to you!
Margot
One of my favourites, I loved Margot’s personality and spirit. This was such a great short and the perfect reminder to live every day to the fullest!
The Christmas List
Another one of my favourites, this short was so heartwarming from beginning to end. I love the message that this story provides in that if something in your life no longer makes you happy, then life is too short not to make a change!
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Five Feet Apart – Rachael Lippincott
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Contemporary
Blurb
Can you love someone you can never touch?
Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
I first heard about this book when I saw the trailer for the movie last year. Some of my favourite books are those that have been made into movies but we all know, the books are always better! I had tried to get my hands on a copy of this book and looked absolutely everywhere but nowhere seemed to have it in stock. I searched on Amazon which is usually cheaper but found that It was at the full price of £7.99! I decided against buying it as I only ever buy books if they are £5 or less (I get most of mine from supermarkets where they are significantly less or the very rare sales that my local WHSmith and Waterstones hold!) I happened to go into ‘The Works’ the other day to scope out any new books they may have added to their 3 for £10 deal and there it was, on the shelf in all its glory! I quickly picked up a copy and headed straight for the checkout, I was so happy to have finally found this book! I devoured it in 10 days. I know that doesn’t sound very quick but I do work full time during the day! I loved it. I would go as far as saying, although they are similar in terms of genre/theme, I probably preferred it to ‘The Fault In Our Stars’! The characters were much more relatable and their story has so much more heartbreaking, the fact that Stella tries so hard not to like Will for his sake but inevitably ends up falling for him anyway and that they had to stay six feet apart from each other at all times was so sad! I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet but there’s something that happens towards the end of the book that completely crushed me. You build such a connection with these characters throughout the book and then the author comes along and rips your heart out. Damn you, Rachael Lippincott 😭
One thing I do think wasn’t explained very well as the significance of Stella’s awkwardness around Julie being pregnant and her frequent visits to the NICU. I assume it signifies the fact that Stella is sad that she will potentially never have her own children, but it was never really confirmed that that was the case and just felt a bit lost on the story? Aside from that, I loved everything about this book, it was easy to read, had a great story and lovable characters as well as an important moral to live every day like it’s your last and make the most of life. what more could you want from a book? Now, to watch the movie!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Related
2019 Reading Challenge – March Edit
