Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

It's the book that everyone has been talking about. An erotic trilogy apparently based loosely on the characters from popular book and film series Twilight. It was this that put me off reading the books as I can't stand Twilight, however, I don't feel this book reminds me of the Twilight premise at all.

I decided to get the free sample on iBooks to begin with, after reading yet more reviews online. I didn't know what to expect really as there are such mixed reviews out there. Some people say that the writing is awful and cringey and the storyline is pointless, where some people say the books are erotic and addicitive. I found myself finishing the sample within minutes and wanting more, bought the iBook for £2.99.

Having now finished the first book I would say I am a little in the middle of the spectrum. The book is a page turner and I have already bought the second and third books in paperback because I have really gotten into the story. However, I do agree to some extent that the author is really not very good at writing. She has poor grammar and tends to repeat phrases so often that it gets annoying (not to mention how many times the main characters say Mr Grey/Miss Steele).

On top of that there is the annoying 'subconscious' and 'inner goddess' she insists on going on about every other page which can get incredibly cringey to the point where I started to try blocking it out whenever the inner goddess would be mentioned. I would still recommend anyone who has yet to read it to give it a go despite these negatives as, like I say, I couldn't stop reading it so she must be doing something right. What I would say is that if you are easily shocked by sexual references then this might not be the book for you as there is sex in every chapter without fail and some of it is pretty explicit even for me, and I am not against experimentation.

Overall a good book and I will be starting the second one this afternoon.

Book Review: The Truth About Melody Browne

Ever since I finished the I Heart and Shopoholic series I have been on the lookout for books I can't put down. I didn't hold out much hope for this simply because I hadn't heard of the author before, and because it was on offer in Sainsbury's- two for £3. However, I found this book absolutely amazing and finished it in a day because it was literally impossible to put down. The story centres around its main character Melody Browne, a single mum living in Covent Garden in a council flat with her teenage son. She was in a house fire when she was just nine years old and lost all of her childhood memories from before that night meaning she has always felt like she was missing something. A chance meeting with a hypnotist leads to her starting to regain her memory piece by piece and she begins to uncover some disturbing truths about her life before the fire that slowly makes her life make sense. You totally feel for Melody throughout the story and the author writes the book from the childhood Melody's perspective which is really interesting. I was almost in tears throughout parts of the book but it definitely has a happy ending. I would recommend to anyone!

5/5 Amazing, very well written and captivating storyline, will be looking out for other titles by this author!

Confessions of a Shopoholic Review

I had heard so many people say how amazing the Shopoholic series of books were that I decided I had to give them a read. I never thought I would get sucked in as quickly as I did. The books, much like the shopping they are based around, are addictive! I read the first one within a couple of days and am now into the fourth one of the series and cannot put it down (which I have to make myself do as there is still so much left to sort out with the new house!).

The writing is amazing and the author Sophie Kinsella really draws you in right from the start and makes you love the main character Becky Bloomwood (although I must admit, I also find myself getting annoyed with her a lot as well when she justifies spending something with ridiculous excuses!). The main attraction to the series for myself was how worryingly similar I am to Becky. If I had a full time job and didn't have Cameron I am sure that I would be shopping as much as she was in the first book. The books have actually made me finally stop and think and curb my spending as it is. I hadn't realised how bad my spending habits had become (for example, just getting food when out and about and clothes every now and again was costing me more than I could afford).

Reading the first book, knowing that there were several sequals, I wondered how the author would be able to spin out Becky's shopping habit, however, each book has been just as good, if not better, than the one before and I cannot wait to read the remaining two books in the series!

The first book introduces you to Becky, a young woman in her twenties working in a job she finds boring but which pays the bills (and helps her with her crippling addiction to shopping for pretty much anything you can think of). The second book Shopoholic Abroad sees Becky take to New York and follows her new life with her boyfriend.

In the third book, Becky is planning her wedding but manages to mess it up more than you could imagine and, in typical Becky fashion, buries her head in the sand and makes things a whole lot worse.

It all works out in the end though and the fourth book (which I am currently reading), follows Becky's honeymoon trip around the World and her arrival back home to find everything has changed.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and would highly recommend them to anyone who likes a good girly read (think I Heart New York). Love them!

Book Review: I Heart Vegas

As you may remember me saying, I fell in love with the I Heart Series of books after I was recommended them by a few girls including Rachel from Life of a Sweetaholic. I read the first three books in record time as they are just impossible to put down. Lindsey Kelk is an amazing author.

I got the latest in the series I Heart Vegas for Christmas and the effect was the same. I have been exhausted the last few days where I have stayed up into the small hours reading the book and getting totally drawn in to the adventures of main character Angela and her friends.

Without totally giving away the plot, this book follows on from I Heart Paris and sees Angela still living in Brooklyn with her boyfriend Alex and desperately trying to find work since being let go from her magazine blog. Angela soon realises that things have gotten serious on the job front when she receives news that she is facing imminent deportation. Her friends rally round to try and come up with a plan to keep Angela in the country but, in typical Angela style, things are never easy. A trip away to Vegas seems like the perfect plan, but it only leads to more chaos and drama.

The book took me into Angela's world once again, and although she is often annoying in how she doesn't see the obvious, you feel for her and want things to work out in the end...

I loved this book and now cannot wait for the next to come out! If you are anything like me (aka an emotional wreck) make sure you have some tissues handy as you may well need them...

Rating:      

5/5 an excellent girly chick lit read