February Wrap-Up

And here we go sailing into March. I didn't get a lot of reading done in February, I blame the month for being short, but I also took some time out of my home town to soak up some of the last of the summer sun at the beach for a few weekends.

Normally that would mean a whole lot of reading for me and my introverted self, but the friends we stayed with are pretty outdoorsy and always need to be doing something (unlike me who is quite content with plonking myself on the sofa and reading the weekend away). So that meant a lot of time swimming at the beach, paddle-boarding and just generally being social in situations where pulling out a book to read may have been interpreted as rude. 

A good time was still had all round and I definitely had a lot of fun (apart from my alabaster skin getting fried in the sun, which lucky with my genetics eventually faded into a nice tan). 

Finished 

  

   

Reboot and Rebel were a duology, which I was happily surprised by. It came out some time ago and I've had it on my TBR for a while now. I picked it up on a whim and was instantly caught up in the story. I'll have a review of both books out later this month. If you're looking for a diverse read, I highly recommend None of the Above. It was a greatly informational book while also being entertaining . You can find my full review here. 

I managed to read A Walk to Remember in a day. While I wouldn't say its the most fast paced book, there is something delightfully charming about its story. However, I do prefer the movie adaptation than the book, same with The Notebook. Coming up for Air, is an ARC I was lucky enough to receive. It was probably my favorite book of the month and I have to say it is my favorite of the Hundred Oak series thus far, and I enjoyed it immensely more than her last release 'Defending Taylor'. (My Review for Defending Taylor can be found Here)

Up Next In March

 

Other Favorites

So I built a fort in my living room, because you know I'm 26 and live with my fiance in our own home, so why not? I mean it was a little embarrassing when his auntie showed up unannounced at our house, as you know we're suppose to be adults and all but pfftt. Basically we built the fort so we could watch telly and play playstation in it and that's basically what we did all weekend. (If you want to see a short video of what our fort looked like, it's on my Instagam :P)

So now I'm back into playing GTA 5, and I'm pretty close to clocking the games main story line. I've sunk a lot of my reading hours into this this past week haha but it's been so worth it and it's also helped with my anxiety quite a bit.

I've also started back into watching House. M.D after taking a little break. While I love the show, I feel that the story lines may be different but they do tend to follow the same formula of "This person is sick, they must have this. Treats for specific illness/disease. Oh no, they're not getting better, they must actually have this, lets treat them. Oh no they've gotten worse. Amazing spin at the end, where at the last minute the mystery is solved". Don't get me wrong, I do love the show, but there's only so much I can watch at one time, hence the hiatus for a little while. 

Review- Defending Taylor (Miranda Kenneally)

Synopsis

There are no mistakes in love.

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that's what is expected of a senator's daughter. But one impulsive decision-one lie to cover for her boyfriend-and Taylor's kicked out of private school. Everything she's worked so hard for is gone, and now she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

                     - Goodreads.com

Review 

After a ‘misunderstanding’ in which Taylor takes the fall for her boyfriend, she is expelled from her boarding school. The fallout of her choice affects not only her and her future but her family, specifically her father’s senator campaign. Taylors world starts to collapse and everything she has worked so hard for starts to fall away… her future at Harvard is not as unquestionable as it once was. Not only has she lost her friends, boyfriend and the trust of her parents… add to that starting a new school.

Personally I couldn’t connect with Taylor as I have previously with the authors other characters. I felt she didn’t think things through properly and her rash decisions caused her to be in that situation in the first place. However, I did admire her dedication to her future, she was hardworking and a good team player when it came to soccer. Mostly I admired her ability to forge her own path and make the most of the situation she was in. She broke the yoke of her family’s expectation in regards to her future and chose to do what felt was right for her, instead of majoring in business which was expected.

However, the overall plot was somewhat predictable, along with the romance between Taylor and her brother’s best friend Ezra who she hasn’t talked to for many years, after a misunderstanding. While it was an OK read, it was not my favourite of Miranda Kenneally’s work and I feel she has much better books in her ‘Hundred Oaks’ series to choose from. 

My Rating 3/5