Goodreads Challenge 2023: Pt 1 :)

This year my Goodreads challenge is to read 50 books which seems like a hell of a lot but I have managed to do it before so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best! So far this year I’ve managed to read 6 books which means I’m on track to reach my goal if I continue to read at the same pace 🙂 For the last few years I’ve written posts about the books that I’ve read with a rating and a bit of a review/summary which I’ve always really loved to do so I thought I would do that again this year 🙂

Before your Memory faces by Toshikazu Kawaguchi- 5/5: This book is the third book in the Before The Coffee gets cold series which I have absolutely loved 🙂 The books from this series are 4 short stories per book which I really like 🙂 This book is set in the sister cafe the cafe Donna Donna but includes some my favourite characters from the previous books and also has the same charm as the others 🙂

Sunrise by the sea by Jenny Colgan- 4/5: I actually borrowed this book from my friend Hannah and I absolutely loved it 🙂 Its a cute romance which I love and deals with the subjects of grief and also mental illness. Its the fourth book in the Little Beach Street Bakery series however I haven’t read the others but could still enjoy the book 🙂

She and her cat by Makoto Shinkai- 3/5: I saw this book in a video by Carrie Hope Fletcher and actually read it on the train on the way to meet my friends in London 🙂 Its a story about cats and their owners and is super cute 🙂

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton- 4/5: I downloaded this book on my kindle ages ago and then forgot about it until early this year my friend Hannah read it and recommended it to me 🙂 I absolutely love the concept of this book and I think it is super clever however I did feel like it was slightly rushed at the end and it was quite hard to keep things straight. I was not expecting a lot of the twists and turns in this book so it did keep you gripped and overall I really enjoyed it 🙂

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata- 3/5: I saw this book while I was shopping with my friend in Foyles and I had heard a lot about it beforehand so decided to download it on my kindle when I got home 🙂 I did enjoy it and it reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine however it wasn’t my favourite.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson- 5/5: My friend Hannah recommended this book and I’m so glad she did because I absolutely loved it!! The amount of times I audibly gasped or went NOOOO during this book is ridiculous! There was so many twists and turns and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I was read it so quickly because I couldn’t put it down 🤣🤣

Let me know in the comments what books you’ve been read so far this year

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New Year’s resolutions 2022 recap 😊

I realise this post is a little but late however I always take a little break from blogging in January but still wanted to look back at my 2022 resolutions and share my progress with you guys 🙂 I always love writing New Years Resolutions/goals and try and work through them throughout the year but sometimes it doesn’t work out however I did manage to finish some of my New Years Resolutions last year 😊

1. Read 2 books a month: I actually managed to read 42 books last year instead of 24 so managed to majorly surpass my goal which is pretty cool 😊 I have actually upped my reading goal to 50 books for the coming year 🙂 Some of my favourite books that I read last year include: Carrie Soto is back, Where the Crawdads Sing, Book Lovers and With This Kiss.

2,3 and 4. 2000 followers on my blog, 50,000 views and post 6 times a month: These ones I didn’t actually complete because I have been back at my full time job this year which has taken up a lot of my time but I’m hoping to reach them pretty soon and have included them in my 2023 resolutions 🙂 Thank you to everyone that follows, likes or reads one of my posts 🙂

5, 6+7: Have a pamper evening once a week, drink 2000ml of water per day and make more time for self care: This past year I have been for a few spa days with my Mum which were all so lovely and then have really tried to work on my skincare routine and also drinking more water which I think has gone pretty well 🙂

8. Post on Instagram more: I have actually posted on Instagram lots this past year as I was also posting regularly on Mayas Instagram as well which was a lot of fun 😊

9. Do something nice for Maya once a week: I actually surpassed this goal and I spent a lot of time with Maya in the past year through taking her to our caravan by the beach quite a few times and celebrating birthdays and Christmas and taking her to Brighton as well 😊

10. Cook something once a week: I definitely cooked more than once a week because throughout this year we have received Hello Fresh parcels which include 3 different meals to cook which has been so much fun and is my responsibility in the house so I am cooking about 3 times a week 😊 let me know in the comments if you guys are interested in my sharing some of my favourite hello fresh recipies.

11. Reach 450 on my bucket list: I actually managed this pretty easily due to travelling a few times this past year and going to lots of concerts and theatre shows which has been so much fun 😊

12. Go to 5 theatre shows: I actually went to a lot of theatre shows this past year…… ooops! I went to both MusicalCon and West End Live but also to 14 individual shows which included: Frozen, Lion King, &Juliet, Choir of Man, Bring It On, Hex, Jersey Boys, Tina, Drifters Girl, Les Mis, Moulin Rouge and a few more 😊

13. Write a letter to my 30 year old self: I actually did this just after my 25 birthday which was a lot of fun!! I think in maybe 2 years time I might look back at this post and see how my life has panned out compared to the post and see what has changed 😊 I always find these letters to future selves so interesting 😊

14. Dye my hair: I started 2022 with blonde hair and ended it with Red hair but in between I actually had a bit of a mix of the two which was a lot of fun 😊 in March I dyed my hair the mix of red and blonde and then in December I dyed my hair fully red ❤️

15. 365 project: I actually completed my 365 project which I found so much fun 😊 It gave me such a good excuse to make memories and document them and take more photos 😊

16. Travel somewhere: I actually travelled to a few places this past year including: Brussels + Bruges, Barbados, Edinburgh and Oxford 😊 I’d only ever been to Oxford before so it was amazing to explore the other new places and I had some absolutely amazing experiences 😊

16. Make Monthly Playlists: I actually really really enjoyed doing this! I managed to make a playlist of at least ten songs from each month of the year which was so fun and a great way to remember the year 😊

17. Watch all of the Marvel Projects released in 2022: I am a big Marvel nerd so I always watch all of the new releases which last year included: MoonKnight, Ms Marvel and She Hulk on Disney+ and then Thor Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness and Black Panther Wakanda Forever 😊 I think my favourite of this list were She Hulk, MoonKnight and Doctor Strange Multiverse of madness 😊

There are also a few more resolutions that I have worked towards that aren’t included in this list which are: Save Money and Declutter and organise my room 🙂 Another resolutions that I had was to reach 75 things on my 1001 things list however I haven’t actually updated that list in a while so there may be some stuff that I have completed but just haven’t written down. The final resolution on my list was to do some sort of workout twice a week but I will admit to failing miserably at it.

I have written down all of my resolutions for 2023 and have been slowly but surely working my way through them so far 🙂

Let me know in the comments what your resolutions are for this year 🙂

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New Years Resolutions for 2023 :)

1. Read 30 books in the year
2. Post on my blog once a week
3. Go to 5 Theatre shows
4. Reach 500 on my bucket list
5. Do something nice for Maya once a week
6. De-clutter and organise- 1 part of my room a month
7. 365 project
8. Make monthly playlists
9. Reach 50,000 views
10. Cook something once a week
11. Post on Instagram twice a week
12. Travel Somewhere
13. Watch all of the Marvel projects in 2023
14. 2000 followers on my blog
15. Save Money
16. Complete my assignments for college and be on track
17. Get back into Yoga/a workout routine
18. Spa Day!!
19. Develop a good skincare routine
20. Get to 75 on my 101 things to do
21. Write down one thing I’m grateful for every week
22. Grow Something
23. Buy myself a new laptop for my new role at work 🙂

Let me know in the comments what your New Years resolutions are 🙂

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GoodReads Challenge 2022 Part 7 :)

My goal for 2022 was to read 24 books this year which correlates to 2 books a month however I actually ended up reading 42 books by the end of the year which is absolutely incredible and I’m shocked and pleased by how many books I have actually managed to read!

The Lido by Libby Page- 9/10: I read this book whilst on holiday in Barbados and I absolutely loved it 🙂 This is the second book by Libby Page that I have read and I really enjoy her books 🙂 This book definitely tugged on my heartstrings and it was really funny reading a book about a pool whilst sitting in front of the pool 🙂 The two main characters are so cool and I love their friendship and all of the other side characters as well 🙂

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 8/10: This is the second book in the Inheritance Games trilogy and I think this was my least favourite of the three books however I did still really enjoy it 🙂 This book I also read while in Barbados and it was the last book I read whilst on holiday 🙂

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- 9/10: I read this book on the flight back from Barbados and in the two days after I got back and i absolutely loved it 🙂 I think this book might have been one of my favourites of the three books HOWEVER I do feel like you really had to concentrate as there were several storylines converging at once.

Beach Read by Emily Henry- 8/10: This is the third book that I’ve read by Emily Henry and I feel like its actually my least favourite of all of her books so far but I did still enjoy it 🙂 There were some components that I wasn’t too fond of but overall its a very cute romance book and I also love the literary work element to her books 🙂

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone- 8/10: I really like the few Julie Murphy books that I have read so far so I was excited to see that she was writing a Christmas book. Pre-warning this book is Spicy so definitely not for everyone but it was good and there were definitely some cute parts 😊

Just for December by Laura Jane Williams- 9/10: I have read a few of Laura Jane Williams books and I absolutely love them 😊 they are always very cute Rom-coms and the added element of Christmas makes for an amazing book 😊 I also love an enemies to lovers trope.

Let me know in the comments what books you have been reading recently 🙂

Barbados 2022 :)

On the 27th of October my parents and I flew to Barbados for a 10 day holiday in the sun and it was exactly the reset I needed 🙂 Barbados is an absolutely beautiful island and we managed to do a little bit of sightseeing and also chilling and relaxing by the pool/beach which was lovely 🙂 We arrived in the afternoon of the 27th and went straight to the bar for some food and then dipped our feet in the pool before going to our room once it was ready 🙂

We even made a little friend while eating dinner who we actually nicknamed Bacon for the remainder of our trip because he kept trying to steal the bacon from the breakfast buffet 🙂

The 28th and 29th consisted of exploring the hotel and in the evening of the 29th we went to a place called Oistins which is a fish market/restaurant that is quite famous on the island. I had the lobster and chips which was absolutely fantastic 🙂

The 30th consisted of chilling by the hotel pool and then going to the Italian restaurant next door to the hotel which was delicious 🙂 It was right on the beach which was lovely and the food was amazing 🙂 I had truffle prawn risotto and then beignets which was so good!

On the 31st we wandered along next to the hotel where we found the Sandy Lane beach which is where all of the celebrities stay and apparently in the month of December Simon Cowell is often seen wandering along this beach 🙂 Something that I found out and love about Barbados is that all of the beaches are public meaning that anyone can walk along any stretch of beach 🙂

On the 1st of November some of my parents friends picked us up in their car and drove us around the island 🙂 We first went to Cherry Tree Hill which was such a spectaular viewpoint! We then headed to Bathsheba which has some dramatic rock formations and it was very cool to see the differences in the two sides of the island with regards to the sea.

We then headed to Huntes Gardens which was really cool and is an amazing garden which has palm trees that reach up into the sky and some amazing plants. We also found a cat called Nelson who ended up following us around the entire garden which was so sweet 🙂

On the 2nd we went on a Catamaran where we went out into the sea on a small boat and then snorkelled around in the sea- we saw turtles, so many fish and a few shipwrecks as well! We saw a few turtles early on in the snorkel which was really cool and then as we were swimming back to the boat we spotted another turtle who swam right up to us! We then sat on the front of the catamaran eating snacks and drinking while watching the coast go by and also watching the sunset 🙂

Our final day out was to go to Harrison’s Cave which was so much fun and such a different experience- the cave was so beautiful and something that I know I will remember for years. After the tour of the cave we then had some lunch which was followed by a rum tasting which was pretty cool 🙂

The other days near the end of the trip were spent soaking up the sun, reading, walking along the beach and finally on the 6th of November we flew home! It was an amazing trip that I will not forget in a hurry!

Let me know in the comments if you have ever been to Barbados and if so what was ur favourite place that you went to.

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Goodreads Challenge 2022 Part 6 :)

My goal for 2022 was to read 24 books this year which correlates to 2 books a month however I then changed that goal to 30 and then 35 which I have also already reached so now I’m going to go for 40 books by the end of the year which I think is definitely achievable 🙂 I have definitely been reading more since joining TikTok because I keep seeing books on Booktok that I want to read!

• You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry- 8/10: I absolutely LOVED the first book I read by Emily Henry so I decided to read another one of her books and actually started this book whilst in Brussels with my friend Hannah and we decided to do a buddy read with this book which is super fun 🙂 I really enjoyed this book as I loved reading about all of the travel destinations however I felt like the side characters weren’t as flushed out as Book Lovers
• Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover- 7/10: I really enjoyed Finding Cinderella so when I found this book in The Works I decided to grab it and couldn’t wait to read it 🙂 I’m fairly sure I finished this on one of my lunch breaks as it is a Novella and it was a super cute ending to this story 🙂
• The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling- 9/10: I absolutely loved The Ex Hex when I read it last Halloween as I get very into the Halloween spirit so combining Halloween and a romance book into one was always going to be a big hit 🙂 I really enjoyed this sequel and I might even prefer it to the first book…….
• The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas- 8/10: I have heard so so much about Elena Armas books including this one and The Spanish Love Deception so I purchased this book on my kindle before I went to Barbados so this was one of the books I read on holiday which was so fun 🙂 I really liked the two main characters in the book and was really invested in their experiment and loved their friends Lina and Aaron who I know are the main characters in The Spanish Love Deception so I’m excited to read that as well 🙂
• Paybacks a Witch by Lana Harper- 9/10: I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! This was my favourite book that I read whilst on holiday and I think there was two more books in this series so I’m so so excited to read them next Halloweentime 🙂 I really loved the concept of this book and a book about a magical competition, revenge and romance is always going to be a hit 🙂
• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- 8/10: This book has been all over BookTok especially the third book in the series which I believe was released recently? I loved the concept and the characters were so fun however I did feel like the story got a little bit chaotic and convoluted so it was hard to follow at times however that might be because I was reading it on holiday so was probably less focused that usual 🙂 Overall a good read and I’m excited to see how the rest of the series plays out 🙂

Let me know in the comments what books you have been reading recently 🙂

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Midnights by Taylor Swift :)

I am a big fan of Taylor Swift and have been eagerly awaiting news about a new album or re-record and then she surprised us all at the VMAs by announcing Midnights 🙂 I have had a tradition with her last few albums and re-records to write a post about some of my favourite songs and lyrics from the album so I thought I would do the same with Midnights 🙂 I don’t actually think there are any songs from this album that I dislike so it has been really hard to narrow it down 🙂

Favourite songs:

• Lavender Haze
• Anti-Hero
• You’re on your own Kid
• Midnight Rain
• Vigilante Shit
• Bejeweled
• Karma
• Mastermind
• The Great War
• Paris
• Would’ve, Should’ve, Could’ve
• Dear Reader

Some of my favourite lyrics:

• Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguised as altruism, Like some kind of congressman- Anti-Hero
• She needed cold hard proof so I give her some, She had the envelope, where’d you think she got it from?- Vigilante Shit
• Draw the cat eyes sharp enough to kill a man- Vigilante Shit
• Didn’t notice you walking all over my peace of mind, In the shoes I gave you as a present, Puttin’ someone first only works when you’re in their top five- Bejewled
• I hosted parties and starved my body Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss- You’re On You’re Own Kid
• It’s me, Hi I’m the problem, it’s me- Anti-Hero
• He wanted a bride, I was making my own name- Midnight Rain
• Did all the extra credit, then got graded on a curve- Bejewleed
• Do you really want to know where I was April 29?- High Infidelity
• You drew up some good faith treaties, I drew curtains closed, drank my poison alone- The Great War
• Turns out it was that guy you hooked up with ages ago some wannabe Z-lister, And all the outfits were terrible 2003 unbearable- Paris
• What if I told you I’m a Mastermind?- Mastermind
• And I keep my side of the street clean You wouldn’t know what I mean- Karma

Let me know in the comments your favourite lyrics from Midnights 🙂

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Decorating for Halloween 2022 :)

I have always loved decorating for Halloween and this year is no different- this year I have been slowly but surely adding more and more Halloween touches to my room until I felt like it was finally finished a few days ago 🙂 There are lots of Disney touches, some Harry Potter and of course lots and lots of pumpkins 🙂 I always feel like decorating for the different seasons always helps to get me into the spirit of the season whether thats decorating for Halloween or Christmas or summer 🙂 I haven’t purchased too many bits this year because I am trying to save money and also I already had quite a few bits 🙂

Let me know in the comments how you have decorated for Halloween 😊

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September Favourites 2022 :)

This month has been a bit all over the place as I have been travelling for some of it and also I have been really busy with work so I don’t have too many favourites for this month but there are a few that I have on my list 🙂

Fate Season 2: I absolutely LOVED the first season of this show when it was released last year so I have been waiting for this second season since then and it was so worth the wait!!! I absolutely loved the addition of Flora to this season and this is the perfect start to my spooky Halloween watching 🙂

She-Hulk- I have been a big Tatiana Maslany fan since watching Orphan Black so when I found out that she was joining the MCU I was very excited and during the show I have absolutely loved it 🙂 I really enjoy the little asides to the camera and also am very excited to see what happens if/when DareDevil makes an appearance!

Carrie Soto is Back by TJR- I was already a big Taylor Jenkins Reid fan so was eagerly awaiting the arrival of this book but when it actually arrived it was so much better than I thought! The moment I shut the book I wanted to start it again from the beginning and I have written more about it in my recent post about the fifth part of my goodreads challenge 🙂

Married at First Sight- I recently started watching Married at First Sight with my family as we were scrolling through trying to find a show to watch all together and we thought this show would be a good pick as it would be easy watching however we absolutely loved it and I’m hooked! Its so interesting seeing how all of the different couples interact with each other and also watching them learn to compromise and find out about this stranger that they married! I would highly recommend for any fans of reality TV 🙂

Let me know in the comments what you have been loving this month 😊

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Goodreads Challenge Part 5 :)

My goal for 2022 was to read 24 books this year which correlates to 2 books a month however I then changed that goal to 30 books by the end of the year but I have now managed to achieve that……. ooops! I am now hoping to read 35 books by the end of the year 😊 I am about 13 books ahead of my original schedule having finished 30 books so far this year 😊 I thought I would do a little rating and review of the books so far.

Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover- 8/10: This was actually the first book/novella that I have read by Colleen Hoover and I actually really enjoyed it but think I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read the other books connected first so was more invested in the characters 🙂 I actually read this novella while sat on the beach which was really nice and one of the reasons that I took it with me was that it would be quick and was light in my bag 🙂

Little Fires Everywhere bu Celeste Ng- 7/10: This book I picked up from a charity shop in Selsey when we were there for the weekend because I had heard lots of people talking about the TV show so thought I would give it a go. I did enjoy the book however I doubt that I will read it again because it was just a bit meh tbh.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid- 10/10: OMG I FRICKIN LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I am a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid so when I heard about this book I was so excited and I definitely wasn’t disappointed 🙂 I think this might be one of my favourite books that I have read this year! I already love Tennis as a sport but she made it sound so interesting, the character of Carrie Soto had so many layers that got peeled back throughout the book and I laughed and cried and felt all of the emotions! Throughout the final quarter of the book I couldn’t put it down and wanted to finish it but also didn’t want it to end in equal measure 🙂

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister- 9/10: I absolutely LOVE a thriller/murder mystery so by having a book where you already know who has been murdered and who by is a very interesting concept and I loved the idea of a mother having to go back in order to save her son from making a big mistake 🙂 There were so many different twists and turns in this book as well which kept you guessing until the very end 🙂

Book Lovers by Emily Henry- 10/10: This book was part of the book club that I have with my friend Hannah and was her choice for this month 🙂 I really really liked this book and was very excited that she picked it because I have heard so much about it on TikTok and other forms of Social Media 🙂 It reminded me slightly of The Hating Game as it is an Enemies to Lovers however I feel like the characters have a lot more depth and I found the sisterly relationship between Nora and Libby so interesting 🙂

Before the Coffee Gets Cold Tales from the Cafe- 9/10: I really loved the first book of this series which I actually started on the Eurostar to Belgium and had finished it by the time I was on the train back from the holiday 🙂 It is a series of four short stories about different people who wish to return to the past whilst in the cafe and why and is so very heartwarming and sweet 🙂 I always end up laughing and then crying and then doing both simultaneously while reading these books which for me always indicates a good book 🙂

Let me know in the comments what you have been reading recently 🙂

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