“I’ve played with my childhood heroes and some of the greatest artists in the history of music; I’ve played with people who were so hopeless they had no business being onstage and I’ve played with a group of male strippers dressed as Cub Scouts. I’ve done gigs dressed as a woman, a cat, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, a Ruritanian general, a musketeer, a pantomime dame and, very occasionally, I’ve played gigs dressed like a normal human being.”– 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: fatherhood, extravagant clothes, contracts, friendships, rock and roll, drug addiction and a lot of drama.

In his only official autobiography, music icon Elton John writes about his extraordinary life, which is also the subject of the film Rocketman.

Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three, he was on his first tour of America, facing an astonished audience in his tight silver hotpants, bare legs and a T-shirt with ROCK AND ROLL emblazoned across it in sequins. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.

His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with song-writing partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation. All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade.

In Me Elton also writes about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father.

Elton John sure is a character. He has a very unique personality and attitude, and I admire him as an artist because he is always true to himself and his music. Authentic is the word I would use to describe him.

I’m not a huge Elton John fan in the sense that I don’t really listen to his music – I think he’s a very good artist, but I just don’t listen to his music because it’s not for me. With that being said, I really like to read memoirs because I get to see how other people live through their perspective. So I decided to pick his book! I wasn’t surprised he lived a very typical rock star lifestyle, but it was still interesting to read about him and his road to stardom.

I have to admit I wasn’t feeling this book at first, but the second half of the book was way better! The first part of the book is just him talking about music and how he started and the shows he did. And to me, that wasn’t very interesting – but I personally liked the last chapters. In these last chapters he talked about how he changed, got clean and found a meaningful relationship and had children – which is something he never thought he would do.

I found the music stuff a little boring, and since a big part of the book talks about music I wasn’t super invested. Maybe I would enjoy this memoir more if I was an Elton John fan, so keep that in mind while reading my words. With that said, I’m sure this is a perfect book for Elton John fans!

“We carry those we love in our hearts always.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: feathers, songs, talents, alkonosts, islands, division, magic, swamps, friendships, soldiers, sinking sand and alligators. 

The Island of Morovia is shaped like a broken heart. The humans live on one side of the island, and the alkonosts – the bird-people – live on the other. But it wasn’t always this way…

Linnet wishes she could sing magic, like her father, Nightingale – and bring the two sides of her island together again. For her land has been divided by a terrible tragedy, and Linnet has been banished with her father to the deepest swamps, leaving behind her best friends, Hero and Silver.

So when her father is captured, Linnet must be brave and embark on a treacherous journey. Through alligator pools and sinking sands, she finds new friends. Yet without her singing magic, Linnet discovers something even more powerful. Something that could save her father, and heal the broken heart of her island once more…

With themes of grief, trust, love, and that we have more in common than that which divides us, this is a heartfelt book filled with adventure and stunning storytelling from bestselling Sophie Anderson.

Another great middle grade from the amazing Sophie Anderson! She continues to be one of my favorite middle grade authors of all time, and this beautiful book comes to prove me right.

This book in particular is very special because of the different topics it talks about. The main character puts her efforts on rebuilding the community and uniting the nation… while she is grieving her mother. There’s also a clear message to just be kind to one another and believe in yourself. See what I mean?

Once again, I loved the characters in this book. Linnet is a strong young bird-girl who is fighting injustice and discovering her true voice (no pun intended). The sidekicks are very kind and supportive and have her back at all times.

The writing was good, just like I was expecting it. There were a few moments where the pace slowed down a little, but it didn’t bother me that much. It was a very atmospheric reading experience full of magic and adventure.

But by far, my favorite thing about his book is its message. While I was reading this, I kept thinking of how different this book felt in comparison to her other books. And then I read the author’s note and I finally understood why. According to the author, the Ukraine/Russia war inspired this book. With all that’s going on with the world, Sophie Anderson created a beautiful story about unity, compassion and how we sing magic when we’re all together. We have more in common than what divides us. It was such a heartwarming and wholesome read, and I really appreciate the message behind it.If I were to recommend a book from her, I would probably say for you to read “The House With Chicken Legs” because it’s one of my favorites. This was good, but I just like some of her other books better. In conclusion: I will always read anything she writes and you should too.

3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: pigeons, babygrows, renovations, nurseries, Internet searches, swimming pools and a lot of lies.

Naomi seems to have everything. A beautiful daughter, a gorgeous house, a perfect life. Behind the scenes, though, she and her husband are drifting from one another and struggling to conceive their second child.

Then Naomi meets a parent at her daughter’s nursery. Sean understands her, or so she thinks. Looking for a connection, for a friend, she joins him at a swimming lesson with their children. That day, Naomi makes a terrible mistake.

Weeks later, when Naomi attempts to contact Sean, he has disappeared without a trace. But as she begins to piece her life back together, it becomes clear that someone else knows her secret. Someone who wants to make sure she never forgets what she did at the pool.

An intelligent, searing and addictive thriller about family, desire and the lengths people will go to for the ones they love the most.

I don’t have a lot to say about this book. For me, it wasn’t a bad reading experience, but it wasn’t a very memorable one either.

In this story we follow Naomi, who appears to live a perfect life. She has a husband, a nice house, a nice job and even a cute two-year old. She then meets a good looking man named Sean at Prue’s nursery, and makes a terrible decision. Her life quickly spirals out of control and a series of bad events start to happen.

The characters weren’t likable – all of them, to be exact – and I struggled with caring about them. Naomi was annoying and too demanding, and Charlie was always trying to run away. I still felt sorry for him at times, but I still think he should step up as a father.

The writing was okay. It was an easy book to go through for the most part, but there were a few confusing moments here and there – and I don’t think I understood the ending? The start was a little slow, but the pace picks up a little going forward. And even though there’s a creepy guy in this story, there weren’t a lot of creepy moments – I was expecting a little more. There were also a few twists here and there, but I was only surprised by one of them regarding Uggy and her relationship… if you read the book, you probably know what I’m talking about.

I would say this is more of a soft psychological thriller. To be honest, if I were to recommend a thriller, I wouldn’t even think about this one. For a mystery/thriller, it was a little underwhelming.

“Power does not transform you, he’d said. It only reveals you.” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: city lights, mythology, training sessions, good friendships, Greek Gods and hunters.

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

“Lore” had the potential to be a great story with a great concept, but at the end of the day it was just an okay read for me. Some people are describing this book as the Hunger Games with Greek Gods. I would say… that’s kind of accurate?

I think the thing that failed here was the writing, in my opinion. Greek mythology can be confusing as it is, but the writing in this made it way worse to keep up with. There was so much information at the beginning that I had to keep going back trying to understand what was going on and I kept wondering who was on which side. And not only was it confusing, but I still couldn’t feel attached to the characters or story. The setting and world-building was also not very captivating. It was a little dull and plain… and we’re talking about New York.

As characters go, Lore was a good character and her backstory made her a great heroine. I’m a sucker for strong female leads, and Lore is exactly that! But all the other characters were a little bland for me.

The romance also had potential, but it ended up being depressing. Castor was a good character, and I thought he was very compatible with Lore, but something was missing. I loved that they were childhood friends and they trained together, but maybe they should have had a little more space in the book to develop a proper romance.

I found “Lore” to be a little underwhelming and confusing. I’ve tried reading a Alexandra Bracken book before and it was very similar in writing style to this book. Which was also the reason why I stopped reading the other book.

Still, I really liked how the author incorporated mythology in this book and gave it a modern time twist. I also liked how the Gods were not romanticized in this – Athena, for example, was vile and very unlikeable. That was probably one of the best things about the writing.

It was entertaining, but it wasn’t the most enjoyable reading experience. If you like Greek mythology, I would say to try this one. Just keep in mind that this story happens in the modern world and the writing is a little off.

“Change isn’t about getting taller or changing the roof over your head. Change happens in your heart, in your way of thinking, of moving in the world.” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: Nature Gods, changes, siblings, kingdoms and dangerous bargains.

Merida goes on an all-new, life-changing adventure in this original YA novel set several years after the close of Brave!

What if you had one year to save everything you loved?

ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets— and her peaceful kingdom. But she’s frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge – maybe even, someday, love.

TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm – and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year – or suffer the eternal consequences.

THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all – herself?

FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH – OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.

I’ve been wanting to read more Maggie Stiefvater books, and when I found out she did this Merida retelling I thought this would be a good book to pick up!

So if you don’t know, “Bravely” is a book written based on the Disney movie “Brave”. It’s a sequel retelling that gets picked up a few years after the movie ended.

To be honest, I’ve watched “Bravely” once a long time ago, and since I knew I was going to pick up this book soon I tried watching it again. I ended up watching about 15 minutes before I gave up – I just don’t have patience to watch movies anymore -, so my attempt to revive my memory on what the story is about didn’t go as planned. In conclusion, I don’t remember a lot from the original story, so I can’t really compare the movie “Brave” and the book “Bravely”. 

The book was okay in the sense that it was entertaining but not super memorable. It was a little bland and the story wasn’t very interesting. I did like Merida and her crazy family, but the idea for the plot wasn’t great. The original plot was about her proving she didn’t need to marry, so this plotline could be picked up in this book by her finding someone who she truly loved and seeing love differently – at least that would make more sense than this “change” plotline.

With that being said, I understand how this book works as a fairytale because of the lessons behind it. Creation and destruction work hand-in-hand and are both necessary for growth and to give space for new things to bloom.

I’ve listened to the audiobook version and I was surprised that the narrator used a Scottish accent for the dialog. It was a nice touch knowing the origin of the story!

Also, just as a side note: they really did an amazing job on the cover because it’s truly stunning!It wasn’t bad, just okay. If you’re a fan of “Brave”, definitely read this one. I’m not sure I would still recommend it if you’re not really a fan of the movie?

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.” – 4.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: heavy capes, dark caves, discipline, war, royal guards, sacrifices, family disputes and new territories.

#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series Kiera Cass is back with her most epic novel yet—a sweeping enemies-to-lovers standalone romance.

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.”

Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.

Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people.

But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.

Kiera Cass brings her signature sparkling romance to this beautiful story of star-crossed lovers and long-held secrets.

I missed this Kiera Cass so much. She has the ability of writing the most perfect romances, and this book was proof of that once again. I’ll even say this is probably my favorite book from her after “The Selection” series – that’s saying a lot coming from me!

This book is filled with elements for a successful book. The romance is amazing, the main characters were very likable, and the story and writing were creative and unique!

I loved both the characters and the romance in this. Nobody writes princesses (and kingdoms) like Kiera Cass! This princess was one of my favorites that she ever wrote, right after America from “The Selection”. She was sweet and sacrificed a lot, and the boy was tough with a good heart – but what they have in common is that they’re both very strong and brave. I truly loved their romance and how they complemented each other perfectly! They made me swoon all the time – plus, I’m a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories!

The writing is also amazing! I was super invested in the story and it was hard to put the book down. It’s full of romance and action! The dual point of view is also a great decision for this story and worked wonderfully.

I guess the only reason why I’m not giving this 5 stars is because of the pacing. I understand this is meant to be a standalone book and that means there’s a bit of a limitation with the writing there, but I think it would be better if this was a duology or even a bigger book. The reason why I say this is because some of the moments were a little rushed. For example,(spoiler alert ahead!) I feel like when they left the cave they should maybe have a small doubt about if they like each other or not, instead of already confessing straight up they liked each other. I think things moved on a little too fast and the story would benefit if they had more of a slow burn romance. Other than that I absolutely love this book!

And just as a side note: I’m so glad she stuck to the theme of having a girl on the cover! It’s such a small thing but it truly makes me happy how she is keeping her signature covers! I just wished the publisher put the girl in the spine too.

I can only hope the author continues to write amazing stories like this one! Great job Kiera Cass, this is an A+ for me! I’m very happy with this book, I definitely recommend it.

“(…) when you give people a mask, that’s when they show you what they really are.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: guest lists, room service, bridges, inaugurations, mean owners, VIP guests and a very exclusive club.

Everyone’s Dying to Join…

The Home Group is a glamorous collection of celebrity members’ clubs dotted across the globe, where the rich and famous can party hard and then crash out in its five-star suites, far from the prying eyes of fans and the media.

The most spectacular of all is Island Home—a closely-guarded, ultraluxurious resort, just off the English coast—and its three-day launch party is easily the most coveted A-list invite of the decade.

But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point: the ambitious and expensive project has pushed the Home Group’s CEO and his long-suffering team to their absolute limits. All of them have something to hide—and that’s before the beautiful people with their own ugly secrets even set foot on the island.

As tempers fray and behavior worsens, as things get more sinister by the hour and the body count piles up, some of Island Home’s members will begin to wish they’d never made the guest list.

Because at this club, if your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out.

In a few words: fun, but confusing.

This murder mystery happens in a very exclusive celebrity club named “Home”. This club has hotels around the world, but a new one is opening named “Island Home” and the owners Ned and Adam are preparing for the inauguration – that is not doing very well due to the delays and budget issues.

This book is full of twists and surprises! I really liked the plot and the celebrity drama, and the characters were interesting and had depth. The setting was fun and the descriptions of the Club really made the reading experience very atmospheric.

The only negative thing I would point out is that I was lost and confused a lot. It was so confusing since there were too many characters and POVs, and it ended up being a little chaotic! It took me some time until I stopped mixing characters and knew exactly who was who. I understand the purpose of each one of them, but it made reading very confusing.

For a dark thriller, I really liked it. It just wasn’t perfect because I was lost at times.

“A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: forests, fungi, communication strategies, nutrient exchange, helping neighbors, age, growth and the beautiful canopy of trees.

In The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware. Much like human families, tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, and support them as they grow, sharing nutrients with those who are sick or struggling and creating an ecosystem that mitigates the impact of extremes of heat and cold for the whole group. As a result of such interactions, trees in a family or community are protected and can live to be very old. In contrast, solitary trees, like street kids, have a tough time of it and in most cases die much earlier than those in a group.

Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him. As he says, a happy forest is a healthy forest, and he believes that eco-friendly practices not only are economically sustainable but also benefit the health of our planet and the mental and physical health of all who live on Earth.

This book is a hidden gem!

As soon as I saw this book existed, I knew I had to get it. It’s not like I’m a tree enthusiast, but I’m very curious about nature and I’m always looking to read and learn more about it.

If you like trees or maybe you’re curious about trees, this is the book for you. In this book you’ll learn about how trees communicate, share nutrients, help their neighbors, grow, reproduce, protect themselves and live peacefully in community. 

It’s true that I learned a lot while reading this amazing book, but one of the best things about it is how you can feel the author’s enthusiasm through his writing. You can feel his excitement through the pages and how much he enjoys what he does. There is no doubt in my mind that this man loves trees and nature.

Even though I enjoy enthusiasm and I like nature myself, I was a little bored at times while reading this. It’s not that the book is boring, but it gets a little monotonous and repetitive. I guess I just don’t love trees to that extent!

At the end of day, I enjoyed this book and I learned a lot. I think this is a great option to pick up if you like to read and learn more about nature. Just keep in mind it’s a deep dive!

“Everyone’s got the potential to do the wrong thing – if we were measured that way, we’d all come up short. It’s about what you do.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: carpool, awkward moments, old lovers, gas stations, breast pumps, weddings and a very long trip.

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend’s wedding in the north of Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.

But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she’s avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they’ve totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with three hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can’t avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship…

Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly… is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

This was okay, but it’s definitely not my favorite book from Beth O’Leary. 

There were a lot of things I didn’t love about this book, but the main thing that bothered me was how repetitive it was. It felt like it was too long and the scenes were stretched to the max… and yet, nothing happened.

I also didn’t love the main characters. Addie and Dylan were boring and bland, and I didn’t care about them and their romance. The rest of the characters were okay and more likable. I especially liked Rodney for how mysterious and clueless he was at times! Marcus was an asshole and his attitude annoyed me the entire time, so I didn’t like him as well.

Other than what happened when they finally got to the wedding – which was actually funny -, and the little “Marcus plot twist thing” that happened also near the end, the entire book felt monotonous and boring.

For a romance, I expected a little more. I think this had great potential if the story wasn’t so repetitive and the main couple was a little more likable and had better personalities. But oh well, you win some, you lose some.Like I said, it was an okay read – not great but not unbearable. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re starting with Beth O’Leary. If I were to recommend one of her books, I would say to pick up “The Flatshare” instead!

“Everyone’s on the cliff edge of normal. Everyone finds life an utter nightmare sometimes, and there’s no ‘normal’ way of dealing with it… There is no normal, Evelyn.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: great friendships, OCD medication, movies, cleaning supplies, being normal, psychiatrist appointments, terrible love interests, washed hands and young spinsters.

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

I feel like I’m going through a reading phase where I don’t pick up YA coming of age stories anymore, but I still had this book on my shelf for a long time and I decided to read it before I give it away. So I read it, and surprisingly – I think this is a hidden gem!

Let me start by saying this is not a book centered on romance. I mean, this still has love interests and all, but it’s truly a coming of age story. It follows this girl named Evie who suffers from OCD and is on her path to become “normal” – or her definition of normal, that is.

It was an extremely funny, wholesome and simultaneously sad book. I loved the humor, the characters, the story and how honest it felt. Evie was a likable character and I can only imagine what it is like to be in her shoes. She was always hopeful she would get better and her medication dosage would diminish whenever she visited her psychiatrist, but sometimes it’s hard to get a hold on what we can’t control. It made me think about what people with OCD go through and how it affects their lives.

The other characters were good, but I had a bit of an issue with her parents and psychiatrist. The parents were really insensitive and the way they kept separating Evie from her sister so she wouldn’t “influence her” was absolutely terrible and made me feel icky. Also her psychiatrist had a really questionable way of thinking by forcing her to eat an expired sandwich. That felt super wrong.

Her friends were cool, but I personally didn’t love Amber. She just seemed a little too passive aggressive and manipulative for my taste, but she wasn’t the worst character in this by far. I really liked how they created their own spinster club and how they reinvented what the word meant! I thought that was really cute.

Also, like I said, this is not exactly a romance book but there are three – oh yes, you read that right – three love interests! Unfortunately the story takes a turn and it doesn’t end up like I think most readers would. The love interests were very interesting and different from what we normally see in YA romances, but I liked the role of each one of them and how they contributed to her growth. Again, this is a coming of age story, not a romance.

In the end, I liked this book a lot. And I kind of want to read more about the other girls of the Spinster Club! Maybe I should continue this series? 

Who knew I would enjoy a YA coming of age story again?