Happiness for Beginners by Carole Matthews

Happiness for Beginners by Carole Matthews
Pages: 464
Release Date: February 21, 2019 
Rating:💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Molly runs her farm as an alternative school for kids who haven't thrived in mainstream education. It's full on, but she wouldn't have it any other way. So when Shelby Dacre turns up asking to enrol his son Lucas, Molly isn't fazed. But Lucas is distant and soon Molly realises he might be more of a handful than she anticipated. And there's the problem that his dad is distractingly handsome. With all this excitement can she find her happy ending?

This book wasn't my cup of tea. I went into the book expecting a sweet romance about a woman trying to find her way in life and also get her man. And ultimately I did get that out of this book, give or take a few expectations, so really I should be satisfied.

But the writing style! Oh my god this writing style. I want to say that I'm sure it isn't Carole Matthews fault (at least not entirely) but this book was awful. There were spelling mistakes and typos and sentences that made no sense and it. drove. me. mad. I know I am in no place to comment critically on adult books, being a teenager who is in her first year of university, but man alive, the editor for this book sucked. I spent so much time mentally correcting mistakes in the book that I think I actually managed to miss sections of the book

Let's talk about characters. For the most part I liked the characters the appropriate amount; it was obvious who we were meant to dislike, who we were meant to like and who was going to go through some character growth. I did spend a lot of time being annoyed at Molly because she was made too perfect and I really needed her to be a little more selfish to be more likeable. (Weird criticism but just let me have it). All the children she looked after were charmingly broken in their own ways, and her friend (yes singular) was your stereotypical party friend that you find in all books like this.

So why give it three stars? It was a fun read, I enjoyed the story and I think that if the writing style was better I might have given it a higher rating. It's a same that the publishers decided to pull the publication date forward a year because if they'd taken that time to check through the book a little more they would have been able to edit it in a more successful way.

Series review: The Shadowhunters series (part 1 because it hasn't ended yet)

I did a post like this a while ago after I completed the Harry Potter series for the gazillionth time and I thought it could become a series on this blog. So I thought what better place to start than The Shadowhunters Series?!

Full reviews to all these books will be on my Goodreads, so if you want to find out more about my thoughts and feelings on each individual book you can check them out there.

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments 1)

I've read this book four times now and every single time I've had the same thought: Clary is such a bad heroine. I know that this book is only the introduction to her character but she could be a little stronger and less wishy-washy.

However I do love this book; obviously I loved it enough to want to continue on with the series. There was enough tension and plot-twisting that I feel like it was the perfect start to this story. 

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments 2)

This book is probably going to be one of my least favourites. Just saying.

I do not approve of the incest in this book. I don't care that it was only one or two kisses and that they called it off because honestly incest is incest. No arguments.
Also, of course Simon has to become a special vampire who isn't like the other vampires is legit enough to be able to hang out with the gang. Of course.
In conclusion, not a fan.




City of Glass (Mortal Instruments 3)

I actually enjoyed this book the most out of the trilogy; it was action packed and explored Shadowhunter politics (which I loved)!

It was a little boring at times but I think that was down to the fact that I had already read this book before, so I knew what was going to happen next. I was so relieved when Jace and Clary found out they aren't related because it meant the end of incest. Yay!




Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices 1)

I loved this book so much! It is set in my home country, which is a plus, it has shape shifting and it has a really cute romance. It was such a breath of fresh air from the original trilogy and I absolutely adored it.

It was a little boring in places but it was only because Cassie was re-introducing the Shadowhunter world to Tessa. However she also added lots of new information to keep the story going, which kept old readers entertained.




City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments 4)

This series is definitely picking up a bit, but I'm still not 100% impressed with it. There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and other parts that I found boring or annoying.

I can never get behind people cheating so Simon is not my favourite currently. However his relationships were not as disastrous as the mess that is Clary and Jace. Could they please just calm down and be together? Please?
Also I'm annoyed that Clary hasn't been allowed any character development. Seriously Cassie, stop making her so weak. She's a big girl now.


Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices 2)

This book is my favourite one so far, although I'm sure that will change when I read Clockwork Princess. I'm so glad that this series intertwines with The Mortal Instruments otherwise I would have given up on Cassie a long time ago.

I have so many emotions about Tessa ending up with Jem because I want her to but I also want her to end up with Will and I just can't human at the moment so I'm going to go curl up in a ball and think about everything Cassie is putting me through.


City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments 5)

I definitely rushed through this book, but that's only because I want to get my hands on Clockwork Princess. Due to the fact that I've never really enjoyed this series I was pleasantly surprised by this
book. Everything that I disliked about book 4 was fixed in this novel; all the characters seemed to gain common sense and basic human decency so they became almost likeable.

My one problem with this book was Maia and Jordan, not because I didn't like them together but because I honestly couldn't care less about them and they played such a major role in the story that it made the book less likeable.


Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices 3)
Yep, this series is officially the greatest thing that has ever happened. I adored all the characters, was invested in every single story line and was heart-broken by everything that happened.

Any faith that I'd lost in Cassie Clare throughout the Mortal Instruments was restored by this book alone. You can see how she has grown as a writer, especially as the trio in this book are basically the trio in her other book. One complaint- the ending seemed like Cassie tried to find an easy escape from upsetting anyone love-triangle wise. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and am so glad she did!


After reading Clockwork Princess I went into a Shadowhunter reading slump and didn't read any books from this universe for a while. During this time I started to watch the Shadowhunter TV series on Netflix (which I love) so my opinions about characters have developed and changed as the TV series portrays all the characters under different lights.  As a result my old opinions about the characters from the Mortal Instruments have changed somewhat dramatically.

The Bane Chronicles (novella bind-up)
I have always loved Magnus. He is witty and compassionate, with fabulous dress sense and the best cat names ever. It was always a bit of a let down that we hadn't seen more of his backstory, but being a however many hundreds of year old warlock it would have been hard to see his full story, especially when the focus of Cassie's books have been on the main bad stuff.

From this book we find out that Magnus has always been the dramatic party-lover that we know him as. It also explained so many of his actions in both series, especially when we discover how entangled he is with both downworlder and mundane politics. Honestly, these novellas only made me love Magnus more.



City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments 6)


This book was incredible, and definitely my favourite of the Mortal Instruments series. The character development from book one to this book was just phenomenal; in this book you could see the way that this group relies on each other and has begun to use each other's strengths in their own battle plans.

Everything that I didn't like from book 4 and 5 was now completely resolved, making this book by far the most enjoyable to read. It was clear where this story overlapped with others (especially TDA series, which I am reading next) Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better series conclusion.



Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (novella bind-up)

This book was massive and took me about 5 months to read, but I'm glad I pushed myself through it. I loved finding out more about the trials wannabe Shadowhunters have to go through and the place where they live until they graduate. It was also really cool to see the characters from TMI and TID and TDA interact with each other throughout this bind-up, and there were definitely clear indications of how Cassie was preparing herself to set up the next series.



And thus concludes my reviews. I'll be doing another one of these soon for TDA because I just read them but I have a LOT of thoughts about them so I think it would be best for me to do that in a seperate post.

Thank you so much for reading this far and listening to all my crazy thoughts. It took me about a year and a half to read all the Shadowhunter books but I've really enjoyed reading them all and I can't wait for the new books that are coming out NEXT YEAR!

So, yes, thank you once again for reading all of this and until next time, keep reading!

The Autumn Book Tag

Autumn is official here and I for one am so excited! It is my favourite season of the year, because everything becomes cosy again and people start getting excited for the Holiday season. I'm one of those people who enjoys the buildup to celebrations almost as much as the day itself so the Autumn season is the time that I thrive.

I decided to celebrate the start of the season with a book tag (as all good people do). I've done tags like this before, once in 2017 and once in 2018, so feel free to check them out as well. Also check out The Quirky Book Nerd because I saw this tag over on her blog.

1- What are your favourite things about Autumn?

I love everything about Autumn, from the hot drinks to the cold weather because it is perfect reading weather. When you're trapped inside from the rain what more is there to do than sit down with a good book and a cosy jumper?

2- What book reminds you of your school days?

I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say Romeo and Juliet because it seems to be required reading for almost everyone! I've lost counts of the amount of times I've read the play, acted out scenes or watched the movie adaptation but I do know it is far too many.

3- What cover reminds you of Autumn?

4- What is your favourite horror or Halloween story?

I don't read a lot of horror books (maybe it's a genre to get into?) but I recently read Lost Boy by Christina Henry and absolutely loved it. It is more of a retelling then a horror but there are definitely parts of that book that still haunt me now!

5- What is your favourite horror or Halloween movie?

The Nightmare before Christmas! I've been waiting for the Halloween season since about February so that I can watch it and get into the festive mood. 

Also confession: I've never seen Hocus Pocus.

6- What Autumn releases are you looking forward to?

Top of the list is The Starless Sea (which I think is at the top of a lot of people's list), closely followed by The Places I've Cried in Public. Both of these authors are in my top ten favourite writers so of course I am very excited that they are releasing books in the same month.

7- What Autumn movie release are you looking forward to?

I don't actually know too much about the movies that are coming out this Autumn, but I am looking forward to Joker. I love any story about a villain's background and the Joker is one of my favourite villains of all time.

8- What three books are you planning on reading this Autumn?

I just did a post about the top books I am planning to read this Autumn (which I'll link here), but three that I didn't mention on that post are Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Never Let Me Go and Just One Day.

What are you planning on reading this Autumn? What is your favourite horror story?

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Books I'm reading this Autumn

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Fall 2019 TBR

Autumn is my favourite time of the year so I am very excited at the moment! I love the reds and oranges of the leaves changing colour, I love the warm drinks and big jumpers, and if you're English you'll know that Bonfire Night is coming up soon, which I am eagerly anticipating. But my favourite part of this time of year is that it is socially acceptable to stay in and read books when it's raining and cold outside.

I try not to make plans for TBRs anymore because I never stick to them and then I feel guilty about the fact that I didn't read those books and it becomes a whole mess. However (!), I have decided on a few books that I want to read this season, mainly because I'm trying to complete a Halloweenathon, but also because I need to plan which books to bring back to university with me. 

Now after that very long explanation, onto the books!

Genre 1- Murder Mystery and Detective Books

A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Genre 2- Horror Books

Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas

Purge by Sofi Oksanen

Genre 3- Fantasy Books

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre 4- Halloweenathon

The Circus of Adventure by Enid Blyton

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Hobbet by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

That's 12 books in total, but I'll probably end up switching them around and reading other books because I am so indecisive and get distracted by other books on my shelf. 

What books are you reading this season? Have you read any of the books on my list?

Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
Pages: 330
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Aspiring filmmaker Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy-a.k.a. Sahil's twin brother? Dream come true x 2.


I've been reading a lot of fantasy books lately (which is weird for me because I used to hate fantasy stories) but with summer coming to an end I decided to pick up a couple of cute romances to see off the sun once and for all. I was lucky enough to get this book in an Owlcrate box so not only is it gorgeous, but it's also signed!

The story follows a girl called Twinkle as she films her debut film, whilst navigating her way through high school. There was plenty of drama, romance and film stuff which filled my heart with so much joy. It was nice to see that even with all the drama that was going on in her life she stuck to her dream of becoming a famous director, but it is too commonly in books like these for the main character to 'forget' about their passion for the boy drama that is going on (*cough* Anna and the French Kiss *cough*). Luckily Twinkle was so hopeless at seeing the signs from the boys in her love square (?) that she didn't get too distracted by the boys who were clearly pining after her.

The writing style of this book is quite unique as it is told through diary entries, emails, letters and text messages. I LOVED that we got to see what other characters were talking about, so we had other people's perspectives on everything that was happening. The mixed-media approach was fun to read (although the handwriting of the letters was a little hard to read) and I really enjoyed the fact that Twinkle's diary was written to various different famous female directors. It gave an extra layer to her personality that, although it didn't add too much to the story, reinforced the fact that she truly loves film and everything surrounding it.

The representation in this book was quietly magnificent, with all different races and sexualities getting a spotlight in this novel. Apart from the Indian-American representation all of the  other representation was quietly bubbling along in the background, much like it does in real life. There were several black characters, a gay couple, a healthy look at grief and many, many looks at feminism and the need for women in certain fields. All of these topics, races and sexualities were given their moments in the book, but none of it felt forced. Too often representation like this feels forced (*cough* Marvel Endgame *cough*) but this felt natural. So good job, Sandhya Menon!

Overall, I loved this book. I'd been hesitant about reading it because I'd heard some negative things about When Dimple met Rishi and wasn't sure if this book had the same problems. I wish that I hadn't been so worried about other people's negative reviews and just read it as soon as I'd got it because it is such a happy and inspiring book.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Pages: 370
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Rating: 💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Jude was seven when she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences.

I have been in a bit of a fantasy kick at the moment, which may or may not have been caused by reading the entire TDA trilogy in two months, but I've decided to just ride it out and read as many of my backlist fantasy books as possible. I got this book in an Owlcrate box a couple of months ago, so I've definitely taken my time getting round to reading this, but I'm glad I waited until now because I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much as I did.

This book had a lot of classic YA fantasy tropes in it so be warned! I'd recently read A Court of Thorns and Roses, and it there were definitely aspects of this book that was very similar to this book. There was a young girl who was taken to the land of the Faerie, a ruthless hunter figure, a mysterious faerie prince and a challenge that to be completed. However (!!), don't let that put you off. Holly Black has a way of twisting the expected into something completely unexpected, and this book was no exception.

Jude was the most likeable unlikable character I have ever seen, but I LIVED for it.  She was so focused on protecting those she cared about that she didn't stop to think about what impacts her actions would have. I feel like I have to go back and read the book again, knowing how it ended, to see if  Jude is actually likeable. You could tell that she is the kind of person who would do well in politics, because she does seem to be constantly scheming against people, and collecting information about all the people around her. Surprisingly, I actually quite liked her for most of the book because there didn't seem to be anything inherently wrong about her. Sure, she was a little grouchy and didn't always think about her sisters and what they felt, but overall she didn't seem too bad. And then everything went down.

The book is quite slow, so if you prefer your fantasy to be completely action-packed you may have troubles getting into this story. The main action scenes probably happen in the last 10 chapters of the book, but what really drew me in was the focus on constructing a court that would interest the reader. There were so many different rules and regulations that thrown at us in the first half of the story, and with all the different princes each getting a mention it was easy to see how complicated the court dynamics truly are. Luckily, there was no point in the story where I felt lost or intimidated by all the information that was getting thrown at me because Holly Black was able to construct a world that was simple enough for anyone to understand, but complex enough to be interesting.

Maybe it's because I'm new to the fantasy genre, or maybe it's genuinely because this book is so good but I had such a great time reading. I'd have to say that it is in my top 5 fantasy books (which isn't saying much but still) and I'm actually really excited to read the next two books in the trilogy!