Did I Mention I Love You Review and Dream Cast!

Estelle Maskame

A while ago I contacted the lovely Laura from Black and White Publishing about receiving a book for review. This was Did I Mention I Love You by Estelle Maskame, also known as DIMILY,book 1 in the trilogy. 

I was really excited to read this as I'd seen a lot of book bloggers putting pictures  up of the book,in its gorgeous packaging and I wanted to get in on the action! Laura sent me a copy of the book and I started to read it straight away! It was also signed by Estelle which was a lovely surprise to see.Laura spent ages on the packaging and making sure that it looked lovely and beautiful,and it certainly did. 

I'm already so excited for Book 2,Did I Mention I Need You which is set to be released on 3rd September 2015,this isn't too far away and you can already pre order here ! Did I Mention I Miss You is out in January 2016 and i'm also super excited for this,but sad because I don't want this story to end :(

As part of the release for DIMILY on 1st July,Laura decided to put together a blog tour and i'm super excited to be part of it! Today I am going to  review DIMILY and also Estelle is going to tell everyone who her dream cast would be if the books were made into films,( which I really really hope they are!)

You can follow Estelle on Twitter and have a look through her website for lots of cool exclusive content. Watch Estelle's video about  DIMILY here!

All of the beautiful covers together!

Summary of DIMILY
"When sixteen-year-old Eden Munro agrees to spend the summer with her estranged father in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, she has no idea what she s letting herself in for. Eden's parents are divorced and have gone their separate ways, and now her father has a brand new family. For Eden, this means she's about to meet three new step-brothers. The eldest of the three is Tyler Bruce, a troubled teenager with a short temper and a huge ego. Complete polar opposites, Eden quickly finds herself thrust into a world full of new experiences as Tyler's group of friends take her under their wing. But the one thing she just can't understand is Tyler, and the more she presses to figure out the truth about him, the more she finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn't her step-brother. Throw in Tyler's clingy girlfriend and a guy who has his eyes set on Eden, and there's secrets, lies and a whole lot of drama. But how can Eden keep her feelings under control? And can she ever work out the truth about Tyler? Did I Mention I Love You is the first book in the phenomenal DIMILY trilogy, following the lives of Eden Munro and Tyler Bruce as they try to find their way in an increasingly confusing world"

Information about DIMILY

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Black and White Publishing (1 July 2015)

The first thing about DIMILY that makes it so wonderful is that it's so addicting! It had me hooked as soon as I started reading it,I became engrossed in Eden's world and when I was reading,I was on the edge of my seat half the time,trying to predict what was going to happen chapter to chapter.

Estelle's writing style just flows perfectly and transports you into another world for a few hours. It's a perfect read for the summer,I love how all of the covers match and they're gorgeous,they match incredibly well with the story.

I loved the characters,in particular Tyler. He is the classic moody,mysterious yet gorgeous boy that we all adore and fall in love with in every YA romance book. Eden deserves to be with someone nice and appreciates her,yet we can't help but ship them madly every single chance we get.

Eden is a character that's likable,she is kind and it definitely helps when the main character is actually a nice person,it makes the story so much easier to read and to love. She isn't annoying or irritating,and she knows her own mind,she is smart and has her own individual voice,she is an incredibly strong character.

As DIMILY only came out on 1st July,I've tried to keep this review as spoiler free as possible,as I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone who is planning to read the story anytime soon,which I really recommend. To sum DIMILY up,it's a perfect YA romance novel to get stuck right into,it'd be great to kick your summer off!

As soon as I received this book,I knew it would be right up my street and I was really going to love it. I feel really passionate about this book,it's truly incredible and I'm so excited for the second installment in less than two months time now! I've never actually read a book where the love is seen as forbidden,even though step-sibling love is not illegal,it is immediately looked down on in this novel,and it was wonderful to see Estelle deal with the issue delicately,and showed just how much the issue strained Eden and Tyler's relationship.

When I like a book a lot,like really really like it,I have a tendency to get obsessed with the book,and start recommending it left right and centre.This happened with We Were Liars and The Jewel,I get obsessed with the world and the characters and the book becomes all that I talk about. I think this is slowly happening with DIMILY. I can already tell this book is going to become extremely important and dear to me,and is definitely already one of my favorite books of this year.

You can pick up your copy from Waterstones here and also order it online from Amazon here.

Estelle is only 3 years older than me,and if at 18 years old she can be an author of three amazing books,this inspires me and gives me confidence to know that I should not be intimidated by age,and I can achieve amazing things right now even if i'm only 15. Age shouldn't hold someone back and people shouldn't be looked down on because of their age. Whilst I do not aim  to have a career in writing,it is incredibly wonderful to know that authors as young as Estelle have the power to pull people into their world of writing and make them sit up and listen.

Blog Tour Schedule

Now onto another exciting section of my part of the blog tour!

A lot of people have done interviews and guest posts from Estelle,but Laura put forward to me the idea of finding out Estelle's dream cast for the book,and why. This sounded like an excellent idea,so I contacted Estelle to find out the all important information.

Estelle emailed me back saying that she has the two main characters in her mind for her perfect dream cast,Selena Gomez for Eden and Drew Roy for Tyler.

"Selena's appearance is how I picture Eden's and she's such a great young actor who I've grown up watching. She's handled a variation of different roles over the years and she'd be able to do Eden's attitude and stubbornness  justice. Selena's also capable of great dramatic acting!"

Selena Gomez

"Again, Drew is exactly how I imagine Tyler to look and he's been one of my favourite actors for years now. He's incredible at intense scenes, from argumentative scenes to upsetting scenes, and is equally as amazing at lighthearted, comical scenes. He even has the jaw clenching down to a T!"

Drew Roy

A huge thanks to Estelle for her dream characters and to the lovely Laura at Black and White Publishing for sending me this amazing book! I can't wait to read Did I Mention I Need You! 

Lauren xx

One-Sarah Crossan Book Review/thoughts and feelings

Final Cover

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I posted.

 I've been really busy with revision so my blogging time has been limited. However,I finished reading One by Sarah Crossan yesterday so i'm back with a book review!

I was sent a copy of One from Bloomsbury for review and i'm so pleased I finally get to share my thoughts with you on this truly wonderful book.

This is more of my general thoughts on the book than a review as I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone,so I wanted to just express my feelings about the book.

One by Sarah Crossan

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens (27 Aug. 2015)

 What does it mean to want and have a soulmate?

Proof Cover

One is about two characters,Tippi and Grace,who are conjoined 

twins. We are told the story through Grace's eyes as they go through life changing decisions together and meet people who will change their lives forever.

Tippi and Grace have never had to go to school throughout their lives,until now. Their parents can't afford to home -school the both of them anymore so they've decided that they're going to have to face school whether they like it or not. Where they'll have to finally be around other people,they won't be able to hide away from peoples stares and questions,and will they even make any friends during 

their time at Hornbeacon High?

One will make you laugh,and make you cry. It is heart breaking,yet you can really feel the humor from certain characters in their personality. Whilst I do not want to spoil the ending,or any major events in the book (as I want everyone to read it) One is not predictable,it is a page turner and will leave you feeling speechless when you've finished reading.

I would recommend this book to everyone ( if you're prepared to have your heart ripped out!) 

Also,the WHOLE story is told in poem verse which I think makes the book so much easier,and quicker to read. It just flows so easily,and I really think Sarah's writing style is similar to E Lockhart's in We Were Liars. They are completely different books,but I love how simple,yet so strong.

I've never read anything by Sarah Crossan before,and in a way I'm really glad

that One is the first book I've ever read by Sarah. One is so beautifully written,

so pure and full of emotion that I couldn't help but fall in love with it from start to finish.

You can pre order the book here by clicking on the link.

Also go follow Sarah on Twitter here!

Lauren x

An Interview with Bryony Pearce

Hi! 

It's Lauren from LaurensBookLife and i'm thrilled to bring you another exciting post today!

I've never participated in a blog tour before and now I've been  part of two major tours in the space of,yes two days!

I was sent a copy of Phoenix Rising by the lovely Jessie over at Stripes Publishing,so I could read it in preparation for the amazing release of Phoenix Rising blog tour celebration  that's over two weeks! 

Phoenix Rising is an explosive new YA series,the first book came out on the 1st June 2015 which you can buy from Amazon here

I'm a proud member of the #BansheeCrew and I've pledged my allegiance to them! I will not show weakness and I'll survive at all costs. I'm feared and I'm FEARLESS. There's no way the #PhoenixCrew will get to the island before me!

For my part of the blog tour,I thought i'd bring all of my readers an interview with Bryony and get some answers to my burning questions!

My first question would have to be,where did you get the idea for Phoenix Rising? What was your inspiration for the book?

As with all my books, the character comes first. I always wanted to write about pirates and Toby appeared in all his bright, curious, bravery. He didn't fit in the past though, and so I came up with his world, a dystopian future with an environmental message so important to me.

I'm really loving dystopian adventures at the moment and this book didn't disappoint! What is your favorite genre to read and why?

I'm a huge fan of the genres YA, science fiction and fantasy, but I'll generally read anything and everything, except historical novels about war, I hate historical novels about war, they really upset me.

I'm also really intrigued by the cover,I think its lovely! What are your thoughts on it?

I adore my cover, I was really lucky to have an amazing designer who has absolutely captured the soul of the book, and I love how the more you look at the cover the more you see - the fact that the image is carved into the side of the ship, the flames at the bottom, the landscape in the skulls mouth, Toby and Ayla in his eyes. Its really arresting.

I'm sure you get asked this a lot but i'm always looking to collect more and more advice as I too would love to write my own book one day. Do you have any tips for upcoming writers? How do you stand out among the crowd?

I believe the best way to become a writer is to read everything you can and write whenever possible. It's always worth joining a critique group or an organisation such as SCBWI, who are hugely supportive to new writers and have a lot on. How do you stand out from the crowd? Develop your own unique voice, be technically excellent (by which I mean avoid basic errors like spelling, grammar, punctuation and so on) and finally, finish what you are writing. There are a lot of aspiring writers out there with half finished manuscripts, you can stand out by being one of the few who can finish what they start. Half of being a published writer, in my opinion, is persistence.

Is there any characters in the book that are based on people you know? Or are they all entirely made up?

There are inevitable aspects of people I know in the book, because a writer does not live in a vacuum and I am constantly getting ideas for characters and quirks from those I see around me, but I would never take someone I know and fully transpose them into a book, I'd be far too afraid of the consequences! There is a lot of my son, Riley, in Toby and my daughter's stubborn stoicism went into Ayla.

Do you have a favorite character out of Phoenix Rising or a character that you enjoyed to write about the most?

I think Ayla is brilliant. There are few people I wish I'd had the guts to head butt on first acquaintance. She is the part of me that does the things I wish I could!

Can you sum Phoenix Rising up in three words?

Sail. Salvage. Survive.

Could you possibly give us any information/exclusive about the second book Phoenix Burning?

Phoenix Burning is more of a heist novel. The crew has one more thing to find before they can reach the island and Ayla tells them where it is. But she needs Toby to complete her plan. There are crosses and double crosses, the return of someone they thought long dead and lots more action and adventure.

What do you hope people take away from reading Phoenix Rising? Was there any important messages you wanted to get across?

The main theme of the book is the importance of trust in any relationship, but the message is environmental. I want people to think very hard the next time they decide to throw something away.

What inspired you to become an author? Was it someone,or something?

I've always wanted to write and can't remember a single event or individual who propelled me in that direction. My Dad however, has always been very interested in my story ideas and encouraged me to achieve my ambition.

When I started to read the book,I was really pleased that it  jumped straight into action,it was fast paced and wasn't slow.Do you think that this is something a book needs to be good? Or can a good book also start slow and build?

Not at all, slow burning books can be wonderful, some of my favourites are slow burners - Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Five People you Meet in Heaven, Captain Correlli's Mandolin, the list goes on. But I also love fast paced action. It's certainly a lot of fun to write.

Finally,for those that haven't read the book yet,(and I really recommend you do!) can you give them a brief summary of what the book is about?

A young pirate searches for a way to survive in a post-apocalyptic, junk filled future.

For more information and a sample from the first chapter, do check out my website www.bryonypearce.co.uk 

Chat to Bryony on Twitter 

check out the lovely posts coming up next week!

Catwalk Criminal Blog Tour Review!!

  

Hi!
it's Lauren from LaurensBookLife and i'm bringing you a very exciting post today!

Today is my first ever day of being part of a blog tour! It's also the last day of the tour and I've loved reading everyone's lovely posts over the last week!

 I was sent a copy of Jessica Cole- Model Spy Catwalk Criminal as part of the blog tour celebration  of release week  and I'm really excited to share my review with you all today. Hopefully after reading,you would like to pick up a copy for yourself! I'm really pleased to be a part of the launch week for such an amazing UKYA book!

 I met Sarah at the UKYA Extravaganza in February where she signed my copy of Jessica Cole Model Spy Code Red Lipstick,Sarah was lovely to meet and to chat to.

I've read the Code Red Lipstick and Fashion Assassin aswell and loved them!  The books are fast paced,with likable characters and great plot twists.

Also,as a big part of what draws me into books is covers (don't judge books by covers I know,but some covers are so gorgeous that it's hard not to buy them based on the covers!) I was so looking forward to Catwalk Criminal because I knew I could add a great new book(and cover)  to my shelf. I personally like the Catwalk Criminal cover the most,the colors are lovely and go together really well.I'm obsessed with  it! Sarah  tweeted me saying that she think's she likes this cover best also.

I'd like to say thank you to  Faye Rogers  for sending me the media kit over for my post,it helped so much and makes everything a lot quicker and easier!and you don't have to search around for all the links yourself! I really appreciated it.


There's a competition to win a set of the Model Spy trilogy!!!!! Don't miss out as it ends soon and gives you the chance to have all three books straight away!!
 Enter here  https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/320ab7e454/ 

check out everyone's lovely blog post from the week!

                                    

Author: Sarah Sky

Title: Catwalk Criminal (Jessica Cole: Model Spy #3)

Genre: Contemporary / Crime YA

Publisher: Scholastic http://www.scholastic.co.uk/ 

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Published: 4th June 2015

                         
Put Catwalk Criminal on your to read list! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24916719-catwalk-criminal

 buy Catwalk Criminal here! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Catwalk-Criminal-Jessica-Cole-Model/dp/1407140191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432718288&sr=8-1&keywords=catwalk+criminal

You can find out more about Sarah on her website  http://www.sarahsky.co.uk 

and chat to her on social media! 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarahsky23

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8526263.Sarah_Sky

Here is the blurb/brief summary of Catwalk Criminal

"Models, spies and lipstick gadgets in this fast-paced teen series. Jessica Cole has been recruited to Westwood, MI6's secret division of supermodel spies. Her first official mission seems simple at first, until it turns into the biggest cyber-attack ever known, threatening the security of the whole country. Then it emerges there is a traitor in the midst at MI6 - and suddenly Jessica herself is being accused. With no one believing her innocence, and the country on the verge of chaos, Jessica has no choice but to take matters of national security into her own hands and catch the culprit - fresh from the catwalk."

Now we finally come to my review/thoughts on the book!

* as the book came out on Thursday 4th June, (so only three days ago!)i'm keeping my review spoiler free as it's a new release so I don't want to ruin the plot!*

I hoped that Catwalk Criminal would be an amazing addition to the Model Spy books 1 and 2,and I was not disappointed. Catwalk Criminal is jam packed  with excitement,plot twists and new interesting characters! I was happy that there was still characters from the first two books also. 

When i'm about to start a book,I really like it when the story starts straight away and we don't have to wait around too long  for the action to start. Catwalk Criminal is exactly just as I like it! We're thrown pretty much straight into it,so if you read Fashion Assassin a while ago,you're reminded straight away of the world and Jessica Cole's life! 

 The first mission doesn't go to plan at all! There's an attack on MI6 HQ which therefore leads to extreme consequences for everyone around! Could someone be after Jessica and want to bring her and the rest of the team down? Read the book to find out! 

The plot kept building,and I felt even more involved in Jessica's world than before. She had to juggle all the different parts of her life,personal,work etc and still try and stay on top of everything,this was something that really drawed me to her character aswell. She had to cancel plans with her boyfriend and best friend when her commitments were work,so  it was interesting to see how she handled this.

I love Sarah's writing style,it hooks you right in and transports you into a world full of model spys,and cool gadgets! Sarah pays attention to detail and knows what she's talking about,she comes up with new and interesting idea's that bounce off the page and make you want to read all of her books over and over again! Some of the new gadgets introduced sound so cool! My favorite are the taser trainers.

There's a new character we meet called Zak who you can't help but swoon over at times! ( if you've read you know and if you haven't yet read,you must!) he's arrogant and everything that Jessica is not supposed to like,and she already has a boyfriend,doesn't she?

Code Red Lipstick and Fashion Assassin were amazing books,and I feel like Catwalk Criminal has just smashed the bar even more!


I was thinking when I was writing this post,how much of a credit the Jessica Cole Model Spy trilogy is to UKYA! It's fresh and exciting,and something for everyone! I'm so glad I picked up Code Red Lipstick a while ago now and read it as I'd never of come across such a great trilogy and lovely author like Sarah!  

Hope you've enjoyed this post,feel free to check out my unboxing video of lovely goodies from Michelle Toy ! 

Lauren x 

Starbucks Meet Up and Bookish Swap!

I contacted Michelle Toy about a month ago now,about  the idea of doing a book swap,where we each put together a box full of lovely bookish stuff,along with book swag,and we would meet up and exchange boxes! I had this idea as my blog is fairly new,and I wanted to get people interested in my blog and what I'm writing about,and I know how much I enjoy watching unboxing videos,so I thought that many others would like to see this too!

Michelle was really interested in my idea,I was so pleased! 

We both put together a wish list of books,some of our likes and hobbies,and then we went away for a few weeks to put together these lovely boxes!

I really enjoyed putting together Michelle's box,she told me that she was a Harry Potter fan so I mainly themed the box with Harry Potter stuff. Michelle also told me that she had recently discovered adult coloring books so I got her one,there was so many amazing books it was really hard to choose one! They were all so pretty! Other gifts that I bought Michelle were Lush bath bombs (non bookish yes,but still extremely cute!) A cute trinket box which I included some bookish wristbands in. I have a similar box as I think their really cute. As a huge fan of stationary myself,I bought Michelle two vintage notebooks,everyone needs one!

The books that I bought Michelle were 

Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira 

Tape by Steven Camden

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

As I was sorting out my shelves the other week,I discovered that for some reason I had two copies of some of my books,due to either competitions or just being bought them by two different people. So I also put 5 other books in the box.

Me,Michelle,and three of my friends met in Birmingham City Centre yesterday to have a mini meet up to discuss all things YA! We talked about our author experiences,events/signings we've been to,our favorite books,school.. It was so lovely to see everyone,and just to have a nice chat and catch up! 

I said to Michelle that I was going to film myself unboxing the parcel,and I did! You can check the video out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2KYY7krP_Q and see my reactions for every gift! 

I was honestly so grateful for all of my presents,they were all so lovely,personal and thoughtful. Michelle clearly spent time carefully selecting my gifts,making sure that everything was meaningful. I'm really glad that I asked Michelle,she was so kind with her gifts,and hopefully we can do something like this again in the future! I watched my video back and realized that I didn't really say thank you at the end in the video,but due to my tweets you know that I was extremely grateful. I kept saying OMG at everything,because I was so shocked!

I really feel like i'm becoming a part of the blogging community and I think some of this is down to Michelle,and her participation in this swap! So another big thank you because of that.

Follow Michelle on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChelleyToy 

My lovely gifts from Michelle



Lauren X

( Twitter https://twitter.com/ChelleyToy ) 

( Blog http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/ )

Review Books and Blog Tours

Hi everyone!

So today I thought i'd do something different and just tell you  about some of the review books I've been sent and i'm also participating in two blog tours soon which is really exciting!

The first book I am currently halfway through is One by Sarah Crossan.
This book is out 27th August 2015 and is being published by Bloomsbury.

I've also been sent two lovely books by Scholastic,

Final Cover

PS,I still love you by Jenny Han 

Final Cover

 PromTastic by Liz Elwes
both of these books are out in June 2015.

I was also sent by the lovely Christina Banach a copy of her wonderful book Minty,i'm also running a competition,giving away a SIGNED copy of Minty till the 31st May! You can  find the details on my Twitter @_itslauren_JLS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

I was also very surprised the other day to come home to three amazing books from Pan Macmillan/My Kinda Book! 

These books were:

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend by Eleanor Wood

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie

Final cover

(from MyKindaBook)

(from MyKindaBook)

(From MyKindaBook

Final Cover

(From Cinnamon Press)

Blog tour book

blog tour book

I'm always really grateful for the books I receive,

whether its from a publisher or the author themselves,

I always believe in giving a honest review and what I feel

about the book.

I also recently met Sarah J Maas on 21st May in Birmingham and she was so lovely,

she was really funny and sweet and I got my copy of A Court of Thorns

And Roses signed! 

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and found it interesting! (hopefully!)

I'll be back soon with a review of One by Sarah Crossan.


I'm meeting up with @ChelleyToy on Friday with others also,we are meeting  up in Birmingham and going to discuss things all YA! Me and Michelle have put together a box of lovely bookish stuff for each  other and we are going to swap boxes with each other on Friday! I'm really looking forward to this.

The blog tours i'm participating in are Phoenix Rising by Bryony Pearce and Catwalk Criminal by Sarah Sky. My day for Catwalk Criminal is Sunday 7th June where i'll be reviewing the book,and i'll be interviewing Bryony for Phoenix Rising on Monday 8th June. I'm really excited to be on these blog tours as they'll be my first ever ones!

Lauren x 

(From Cinnamon Press)