REVIEW: ONE OF US IS LYING – KAREN M. MCMANUS

 

Title: One Of Us Is Lying

Author: Karen M. McManus

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary

Format: Paperback

Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis: Goodreads

Buy book: Amazon

Review: I spent a lot of time picking this book up and then walking away from it for a good few weeks before finally deciding to take the leap and purchase it and I’m so glad I did!

Five students in detention however, only four leave alive. After the death of the school gossip, Simon, the four students that were in the room with him soon become suspects in the investigation into his death, turning all their lives upside down as secrets about their past start to come out during the questioning. Would Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy and Nate really go as far as to kill someone just to keep their secrets, well, secret?

‘One Of Us Is Lying’ is basically a modern day “The Breakfast Club” but there’s a death during detention which makes it that bit different. Each of the characters are similar to the characters in “The Breakfast  Club” but at the same time have their own uniqueness at as well. Nate and Bronwyn were my favourite characters in the book and personally I found them to be two of the strongest characters as well and couldn’t wait to read each of their parts. The rest of the characters I found to be pretty bland except Cooper who I was surprised about with his twist but at the same time also not surprised (if that makes sense???)

I disliked how much this book dragged on and the fact there were so many irrelevant characters that I just couldn’t connect with and felt like they added nothing to the story at all and because so many characters were being introduced and then brought up again every so often I found myself occasionally getting confused. Although I’ve said the book does drag a little, I must admit that there is plenty of things happening that makes it hard to put this book down. I really want McManus to do a book just purely about Bronwyn and Nate because they were two characters I adored and I loved Bronwyn’s sister as well as Nate’s Bearded Dragon, Stan. I loved how strong minded Bronwyn was and how she dealt with being investigated for a murder, she literally never let anything get her down and she tried to fix everything for everyone without actually harming anyone.

This book was exactly what I was expecting in almost every way, although I definitely didn’t see the twist in the book coming at all and the last 100 pages or so were a wild ride which I loved! If you’re looking for a new contemporary, murder mystery then I do highly recommend you check this book out!

If you’ve read this book already, then I’d love to hear what you thought of it so let me know in the comments!!

 

 

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My Dream Reading Space

Hey guys, so this is a very late post but I’ve been so exhausted the last few days I’ve not had time to post anything so I do apologise! I was contacted by Molly Kay from Arhaus and asked if I would do a post on ‘My Dream Reading Space’ so I was thrilled to finally be able to get out all the wonderful and fab ideas that I have in my head for my own reading room.

To start with I want a huge room full of bookshelves from floor to ceiling and each one to be themed or have a certain genre/colour on it. For example, I want one bookcase just completely dedicated to Harry Potter things so all my books, DVDs and Harry Potter memorabilia can sit on it. There would also be a bookshelf for my YA novels to be laid out in colour order or alphabetical order. I would then have a shelf for my vinyls and record player to sit on so that wasn’t actually in the way of anything.

Now as well as this being my reading space, I would also have it as my music room to keep all my instruments so I would have a space in the room where I can keep my guitars, bass guitars and CDs/DVDs. This would mean that everything I ever need would be all in the same place and wouldn’t be in anybody’s way (although I can’t promise there won’t be the odd book or five lying around elsewhere in the house).

In terms of what kind of bookshelves I’d like here are just a few examples of what I would love to have in my own personal library;

•  Vittoria Bell’ Arte Wall Unit: This beautiful piece is what I would love for my HP collection and books. It’s so vintage looking and I fell in love with it as soon as I seen it!
• Athens Modular Library: Now this is the bookshelf I’d have for all my YA books/classics. IT’S LIKE THE BOOKSHELF IN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!!! LOOK HOW NICE IT IS!!!!
• Spencer Bookcase with Panel Doors: I was automatically drawn to this bookcase when looking for one for my record player/vinyls/CDs etc. The panel doors are the perfect addition for an old vintage record player and I just adore the whole look of it.

Now for the general feel/vibe/look of the reading space, this is the sort of idea I’d like;

This would be the perfect reading couch, right by the window with all the natural light coming in, bookcase with the record player on it just next to it.

 

This would be the perfect little space to fit my bookshelves and chairs/desk in to. I could have it exactly how I want it to be.

 

This right here is another dream reading space. Just look at how perfect it is!!

(All these photos taken from Pinterest)

Trying to describe and come up with my perfect reading space/room would keep me here for days because I do have so many ideas and styles I’d love for it so I think I’ll leave it here and maybe do another one in the near future!

I’d just like to take this moment to thank Molly for getting in touch with me and asking me to do this post because I never would’ve thought to have done a post like this myself! If you do get a chance then please check out the Arhaus website. Their products and the style of them are just stunning and hopefully one day I’ll be able to afford all the things I want from the site!! The bookcases I listed in the post are from the site also so please do have a look!

Please let me know what your dream reading space/room/area would be like in the comments or even do your own post and send me the link so I can check it out!

If you don’t already know then you can follow me on twitter: @kirsty_reads and Instagram: @kirstyreads.

I’ll have another post up soon for you guys! 🙂

 

Harry Potter Moment Of The Week

Hey guys, so I don’t seem to be doing too well with this blogging thing lately but once I’m sure my mental health is in a better state then I shall be back regularly! Anway, on to the post.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone I’ve decided to do today’s HPMOTW topic as well as a few from the past that I’ve missed too. HPMOTW is a meme started by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows and basically the aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related!. To see the upcoming topics and to find out how to join then please do click on the links!

So, on to topic number one; If you could save only ONE character from death, who would it be?

I would definitely have to choose Sirius for this one. His death is one I’ll never get over. I really wanted to see where his relationship with Harry would go as the series went on and when I got to his death my heart completely broke. Not only because we wouldn’t see more of Harry and Sirius’ relationship but also because just as Sirius was finally finding his freedom, that all got taken away from him and that’s something that hurt me the most.

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Topic 2: Favourite moment from Book 1?

My favourite moment definitely has to be when Harry met Hagrid and found out he was a wizard and then goes to Diagon Alley to get all his school items. This is where the story officially starts and it’s where we see the close bond between Hagrid and Harry start to build. The relationship between both these characters is one of my favourites and I feel like it’s extremely underrated considering Hagrid acts like a father figure towards Harry and that’s something I really love about Hagrid.

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Topic 3; Favourite Molly Weasley moment?

Okay so this scene gave me life! I absolutely loved seeing a badass Molly Weasley. She’s such a beautiful, kind and caring character and seeing her being protective over her only daughter (like she is with all her kids) and standing up to Bellatrix was one of my favourite things. That woman has balls and it was genuinely one of the best scenes for me.

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Final topic; One thing you would change about the movies?

Okay, so there’s so much I would change about the movies but one thing that I’m still annoyed at is the fact they never showed Peeves through the movies. Peeves was such a great character in the books and I felt he added so much humour to the books that it was a shame to leave him out of the films. I especially would’ve loved to see the scenes where McGonagall encourages his bad behaviour. He was such a well thought out character and I feel like leaving him out of the films was a big mistake as it could’ve added so much more to them.

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So guys, that’s the end of my HPMOTW post. What are your guys thoughts on everything I’ve answered today? Do you agree? If not, what would your answers be? Let me know in the comments below!!

 

Mental Health Recs?

 

 

Hey guys, sorry it’s been so long since I last posted. I’m now working full time in a call centre and struggle to find the time to blog but hopefully that will improve as I start to get used to the hours and I’ll start trying to make more effort with the blog as I do miss posting reviews and updating you guys on what I’m doing/reading.

In a few of my previous posts I’ve mentioned briefly about my battle with depression and the struggles I have with this illness. Depression is just one of the many mental health illnesses that people suffer with and over the last few weeks I’ve been wanting to read more books with people suffering with these issues so I guess this post is just a way of looking for anything you guys could recommend to me. I’m looking for both fiction and non-fiction books and hopefully I’ll be able to review some of these books too.

I’m currently reading ‘Mad Girl’ by Bryony Gordon and have just bought ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig, ‘A Mindfulness Guide For The Frazzled’ by Ruby Wax and ‘The Hospital’ by Barbara O’Hare so if you have any books similar to these please do leave a comment and let me know what they are and I’ll have a look in to them!

I also want to say that if any of you are ever feeling down or anxious about anything and need to talk to someone then I’m here to listen to you all. You can reach out to me on twitter (@kirsty_reads) and I’ll listen to whatever you have to say and try and help you in anyway I can.

World Book Day 2017

HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY GUYS!!! 

This is one of my favourite days simply because it’s all about books! Working with kids too means I get to see them in all their wonderful costumes today as well which is just great as they all put so much effort into their characters!

This World Book Day, I’m currently reading The Warsaw Anagrams by Richard Zimler and so far I’m really enjoying it. Books have always been one of my favourite things and they’re the one thing that can keep me calm and help keep my mind off things. After being off work sick for 2 months I managed to get through a few of the books I wanted to read and I even went back to the library for the first time in years which was fun!

World Book Day is a day I love as it encourages children to read and let them see the fun and all the different worlds books can bring to them and that’s something I enjoy seeing as it’s so rare nowadays to find children who enjoy reading. If you’re looking for something to read, the World Book Day website has posted a list of “50 books that will change your life.” You can check that list out here.

I hope you all have a fantastic book day and enjoy celebrating it in whichever way you are! Let me know if you’re doing anything in the comments!! I’ll be going back to work unfortunately but after that I’ll be spending the rest of my night trying to finish my book.

It’s Been A While…

Hey guys, it’s been a looooong time since I last put up a post. In 2016 I lost all motivation for everything I used to love. In April my dad walked out and after that things gradually got worse and I stopped reading, lost the love I had for my job and although I pretended like everything was fine whilst making sure my mum and sister were alright, I was gradually making myself more ill until around November when things got too much and I had a breakdown. I’ve been off work now for over a month due to severe stress and depression and in a way I’m thankful for that because I’ve had time to sit and get back into reading whilst trying to make myself better. I’m still not 100% there, not even 50% there but I am getting better and I’ve rediscovered my love of books. The split of my parents has been extremely hard and the holiday season is probably when it hit me most as I didn’t have both my parents there for Christmas and New Year and that was always a huge thing for me.

Although 2016 had the bad moments, there were also good moments. In April, I passed my driving test first time which made me so happy because it finally gave me the freedom to go wherever I wanted without having to bother family members for a lift! I also met my boyfriend in July and without him I don’t know how I would’ve got through the last few months. He’s been absolutely incredible and he’s one of the most caring people I’ve ever met. I’m really looking forward to seeing what 2017 has in store for us. 2016 was also the year I turned 21 and I got to spend that day with the people who mean the most to me which was great.

This year I’m determined to get back into blogging and reviewing again as I have missed it and I’m hoping to read more books than I did last year (31). I’m also determined to find and do things that make me happy rather than always making sure everyone else is happy before me. Before I am able to get back into blogging regularly again, I may have to wait until we move house (god knows how long that will be) as we no longer have any wifi. But I promise to post as much as I can in the mean time!

I hope 2017 is a wonderful year for you all and brings you all happiness. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

March Wrap-Up

Hey guys, so it’s been a few weeks since I was last active due to work so I apologise for this post being so late. Although I’ve been working, the travel has given me a lot of time to read so I read most of the books I wanted to read last month!

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Personal Recap

As I was saying last month, I got a new job and although I’ve only been in it for a few weeks I absolutely love it! I never realised how rewarding it could be working with kids and how good it feels to help them with things. Also, I know this didn’t happen in March but last Tuesday I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!! I’m actually so happy that it’s over and done with and now I can go anywhere I want without having to worry about travel. I passed first time too!

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Bookish Recap

I mentioned at the start of the post I had read most of the books I wanted to read in March so I’m happy about that. The only ones I didn’t get to start was The Shadowhunters series,’ so that is going to take up all of April (I’m not going to make an April TBR post because of this reason).

Books I Read

• The Show – John A Heldt
• Burning Bright – Chanda Stafford
• Dead House – Dawn Kurtagich
• Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Bernard

Books I Recieved

• Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard x2 (one signed)

Books I Bought

• Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare
• Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
• Flawed – Cecelia Ahern
• Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard

Reviews Posted

• The Show – John A Heldt
• The Dead House – Dawn Kurtagich
• Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard
• Burning Bright – Chanda Stafford

So there we have it, my March wrap-up! Hopefully this month I’ll be able to finish all my Shadowhunter series books!

How did you guys do in March? Let me know in the comments or link me to your post! 🙂

Review: Burning Bright – Chanda Stafford

Title: Burning Bright

Author: Chanda Stafford

Genre: Young Adult

Format: E-book

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: Goodreads

Buy Book: Amazon

Review: This book surprised me in a good way. I wasn’t sure what to expect but after reading two of Stafford’s other books I knew it was going to be good either way.

‘Burning Bright’ tells the story of Sam Grey, a teenage girl who comes from a broken home with abusive foster parents who only took her in for the money. When Ben Ramirez’s family move to her town and open a cat sanctuary, she meets Solomon, the Bengal Tiger and soon finds out they have a lot more in common than people would think.

When I started this book I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to carry on reading as I wasn’t really gripped with the story but the more I read, the more I got attached to the characters and wanted to find out what the future held for them. Sam story is a heartbreaking one and the more you find out about her, the more you feel for her. Ben was a character I was very unsure of at the beginning but the more we get to know him the more likeable he becomes and it’s clear how much he cares for Sam.

Chanda Stafford did a fantastic job of developing the characters throughout the story and there wasn’t any time where it got too much. The only thing I didn’t really like was Emily, I felt she was pointless in the story because we didn’t get much background on her or how her and Sam became friends. Other than that I did enjoy the book.

I received an e-copy of this book from Chanda in exchange of an honest review. Thank you again for allowing me to read your book.

Review: Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard

Title: Beautiful Broken Things

Author: Sara Barnard

Genre: Young Adult, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction

Format: Paperback

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Goodreads

Buy Book: Amazon

Review: This book captures female friendships absolutely perfectly. You have the confident, outgoing one, the sensible one and finally the quiet, shy one. Now I know not all friendships have someone that fits these descriptions but for me and my friends, we did (I’m the quiet, shy one unfortunately).

I honestly can’t describe how much I loved this book. With what I had heard about it, I knew I was going to enjoy it but I just didn’t realise how much I actually would fall in love with the story and characters. Sara Barnard did such a fantastic job of creating such a realistic story about three teenage girls who struggle with new relationships and the strain it can have on lifelong friendships. One of the reasons I loved this book so much is because there was no cliché romances that you’d normally expect in a YA novel and it made me happy because I’m starting to get tired of reading the same kind of thing over and over again. Caddy was such a relatable character for me and I seen so much of myself in her. Although she was unsure about Suzanne at first she soon became the one Suzanne would turn to when she needed someone and when things were getting tough which is similar to something that’s happened to me in the past. At first I was unsure about Suzanne because like Caddy, I didn’t want the relationship between Rosie and Caddy to change but like any friendship you have, it does change as you grow up and meet new people plus the more we got to know Suzanne the more I got to love her and sometimes I could see part of myself in her too.

I loved how realistic this book was, especially when dealing with Mental Health. Suzanne comes from a troubled background and I felt that Miss Barnard did an amazing job of showing how a mental health illness can affect not only the person suffering but the people around them who love and care for them which is not often shown in a lot of YA books that do focus on Mental Health. As someone who suffers from mental health issues myself, it made me realise just what I put my friends and family through when I was at my lowest point and I know now that any time I feel like that again, I can think of this book and know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and I’ll always have people around me who love me.

‘Beautiful Broken Things’ is such a heartbreaking but stunning story about the complications and struggles all friendships go through. It will stay in my heart for a long time and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. If you get the chance then PLEASE get this book whether it be from a library or you buy it because I can promise you won’t regret it.

After buying this book, I came home to find a copy waiting for me that I had surprisingly won so thank you to Maximum Pop for sending me a copy to review! 

Review: The Dead House – Dawn Kurtagich

Title: The Dead House

Author: Dawn Kurtagich

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

Format: Paperback

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Goodreads

Buy Book: Amazon

Review: I’m so happy I finally got round to reading this book! It was much better than I thought it was going to be.

‘The Dead House’ is different from every other book I’ve read as it is told through, interviews, diary entries and camera footage. At the start I was slightly confused by everything but the more you get used to the format of the book, the more it all begins to make sense. All evidence in the book was used to work out who was responsible for the fire in Elmbridge High School, 20 years ago that claimed the lives of 3 students and injured many others and most of it is taken from Kaitlyn Johnson’s diary.

One of the unique things about this book is it is about two girls, Carly and Kaitlyn who share the same body. I was slightly unsure about how the story would go with the double character thing and would it ruin the book but Kurtagich went about it brilliantly. You could see just how much went into creating the characters in the book and each one had so much depth and helped to create something more real. I really did like the fact that we got to know each and every character in the book without it being too much.

This book keeps you guessing right until the very end who is responsible for everything that is happening which was exciting because it made me want to continue reading on. I think the biggest thing I loved about this book (in a weird way) was the fact you never know who to believe. So much is raised and you’re left with many questions about who done it? Is she possessed? Is it all magic?? WHO KNOWS??? You’re constantly questioning things making you become a detective for a while.

All in this book was creepy, frightening but also heartbreaking as you see Kaitlyn fighting with her demons and with how the story is told, it’s almost like you’re experiencing the exact same feelings she does. If you like creepy, psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this book to you.

I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of a review.