Girl Online Review

Hey guys!



I wasn't really planning on reading Girl Online since it is directed at a much younger audience, but I found it on Amazon for just under £2 so I decided to download it.

 

 

 

As I am sure you are aware, Zoe Sugg, the author of Girl Online, has received a lot of criticism regarding the book after she admitted that it was ghost-written. However, this did not stop me from reading Girl Online. A lot of books by celebrities are ghost-written - it's a fact. I'm not saying that having someone else write your book for you is a good thing, but I don't understand why Zoe in particular is receiving so much negative attention about it. She seems like a genuinely nice person and her book is a bestseller - not bad for a debut. Who cares if Zoe wrote it herself or not? Her fans love Girl Online so leave them - and Zoe - alone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, onto the review...

 

 

 

Girl Online is about Penny, a normal teenage girl who just so happens to have a blog. She lives in a seaside town called Brighton and suffers from anxiety. If that sounds familiar, you are correct. Zoe also lives in Brighton and has anxiety. Penny is a very clumsy character, as we find out at the beginning of the book, but this does not stop her from being likeable. I immediately felt sorry for Penny after an embarrassing video of her was uploaded onto the internet for everyone to see. Unsurprisingly, Penny feels utterly humiliated and does not want to go back to school. I would probably feel the same if I were in her shoes.

 

 

 

Fortunately, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Penny's parents are offered a job organising a wedding in America and Penny is whisked away to New York, where she spends Christmas. She overcomes her fear of flying, with the help of her best friend Elliott, and meets Noah, her dream boy, in the hotel. Penny has a secret blog where she posts about her daily life, and more recently, Noah. The two teens soon fall in love and everything is going smoothly for Penny...until she finds out that Noah has a secret too. I won't reveal what that secret is a I'm sure you don't want any spoilers! With Noah's secret out in the open, Penny's followers suddenly shoot up an her blog is not so private anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I liked the way in which Girl Online deals with real-life problems such as anxiety and cyber bullying, I felt that it was full of clichés. In real life, Penny wouldn't have fallen in love with Noah so quickly, and she wouldn't have been so forgiving after he hid something major from her for so long. Penny is also extremely childish. She is supposed to be 15 but seems a bit younger. Despite this, Girl Online is a sweet book and I'm sure that any 12 to 16 year old would enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read Girl Online? What did you think?

 

 

 

 

Hasta luego!

 

 

 

Serena

 

 

 

 

 

March Favourites

Hey guys!


My posting schedule for this week hasn't really gone to plan but anyway, here are my favourites for this month:



1. Pretty Little Liars

 

Season 5 of Pretty Little Liars has ended and it is so sad. :(  I was so far behind for aaaaages but then I FINALLY caught up and now I have to wait for the next season to come out. Apparently it will be aired in June or something so hopefully I'll be able to watch the episodes on Netflix the same time they're shown in America. In the mean time, I might deactivate my Netflix account (though I am tempted to start watching 90210 again, though it's no where near as good as Pretty Little Liars).

I'll be honest and say that I wasn't really satisfied with the season finale. I was hoping to see A's face, not their name. Seriously, WHO IS CHARLES? I have a feeling he's Jason's twin brother, but if he's actually a character we've seen already, WHO IS HE? It could be ANYONE...Ezra (please no!), Caleb, Lucas, Toby, Wren...but Andrew is my biggest suspicion. I'm hoping it is Andrew.

I'll be disappointed if it ends up being one of the other five guys I've mentioned, especially Ezra, Caleb and Toby. They're just so sweet and it wouldn't make any sense. A has to have a really good reason for doing all these things to Aria, Emily, Hannah and Spencer! It must be someone from Radley as the 'Liars' keep going back there and knowing the director, that must be a clue or something! I'll just have to wait and see when the next series comes out!





 2. Seeing an old friend

 
During the first week of my Easter break in London I met up with an old friend I met just before starting uni. We went for a lovely walk from Marble Arch to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It was nice to see a friend again after having not seen them for almost two years. Too. Long.



So those are my two favourites for this month! Sorry it's such a short post, this March hasn't really been the best of months.



Hasta luego!


Serena

Forgotten Review

Hey guys!


I finished Forgotten on Thursday morning. It's a book written by Cat Patrick. I ordered it from Amazon a while ago since the synopsis sounded interesting. Here's the blurb at the back of my edition of the book:

Here's the thing about me:

I can see the future in flashes, like memories.

But my past is a blank.

 

 

I remember what I'll wear tomorrow, and an argument

that won't happen until this afternoon

But I don't know what I ate for dinner last night.

I get by with the help of notes, my mom and my

best friend Jamie, and the system works...

 

Until now. Everything's falling apart.

Jamie's going off the rails.

My mom is lying to me.

And I can't see the boy I adore in my future.

 

But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much...

Review

As you can see, Forgotten has an unusual and original premise. I have never read a book like it before. Forgotten focuses on London Lane, an American teenager who forgets the past but remembers the future. She writes notes before she goes to bed so that she can remember what happened when she wakes up.

Near the beginning of the book London meets Luke Henry. They start chatting in the middle of a fire alarm and instantly click. Unfortunately, London doesn't see any signs of Luke in her future and therefore wants to find out more about him. There are a few shocking twists during the course of the novel that make London realise why she is unable to remember the past and why Luke does not appear in her future.

One thing I like about Forgotten is the fact that London tries to live a normal life despite her condition. She goes to school every day and completes all her work without any problem, which is quite brave of her to be honest. However, while London and Luke have a sweet relationship, it is also a bit monotonous. I'm surprised London keeps forgiving Luke after she reads how he has hurt her in her notes. I was also not too keen on the ending. Forgotten has potential but Cat Patrick seems to end the story in a rush. I felt the final chapter should have been better-written - there were still some unresolved issues. Does London get reunited with her father? Will her memory ever go back to normal?

Overall, I would have to say that I was quite disappointed with Forgotten. It didn't quite live up to my expectations. On the contrary, I did feel some sympathy towards London - it must be awful to constantly forget things and have to read notes every morning in order to remember them. Taking the above in account, I would give Forgotten 5 out of 10. It's a nice book if you're looking for something different, but it's not very realistic and can be a bit confusing at times.

Have you read Forgotten? If so, what did you think?

Hasta luego!


Serena

Whitworths Berry & White Chocolate Shot Review

Hey guys!


Tonight I will be sharing with you my opinion on Whitworths Berry & White Chocolate Shot. I saw this new snack in Sainsbury's a while ago and didn't think to pick them up. However, I ended up buying the Berry & White Chocolate Shot on the weekend, to make myself feel better after purchasing a Lindor egg and Creme egg. I also missed receiving my Graze boxes every so often and needed something to fill the gap.

As you can see, the product is described as "A ready to eat hit of cranberries, raisins and white chocolate." It comes in a thin, light packaging that is perfect for popping in your bag before leaving for work or school. With only 59 calories, Whitworths Berry & White Chocolate Shot is a great alternative to calorie-infested sweets that are all too tempting to snack on when in a rush. On the contrary, there is no reason to feel guilty about eating Whitworths products.

 

 

 

I enjoyed this snack. The white chocolate goes really well with the dried fruit. It adds a creamy, sweet sensation to the tangy flavour of the cranberries, which I'm not a big fan of when on its own. One downside is that I ate it too fast and I was left wanting more. I will definitely be buying this again in the future!

 

 

 

Have you tried any of the products in the Whitworths Shot range? If so, what did you think?

 

 

 

Hasta luego!

 

 

Serena

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking For Alaska Review

 

 

Hey guys!


I FINALLY got round to reading Looking For Alaska about a month ago. It's a book that had been on my To-Read List for aaages. I bought it a while ago, in September, but only recently decided to read it, as a break from my essays.


As I loved The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, I was eager to embark on another book by John Green. It's undeniable that John Green is an amazing author - I can't believe I've only just got into his books. The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favourite books. It's realistic, relatable and funny. These three characteristics also apply to Paper Town and Looking For Alaska. Although these two books don't live up to the awesomeness that is The Fault in Our Stars, they are still fantastic novels.


Looking For Alaska is bound to be a book you've heard of - it's arguably one of the most popular young adult books of this century. According to Amazon, Looking For Alaska is "The unmissable first novel from bestselling and award-winning author of The Fault in Our Stars." It is definitely a book you should read if you get the chance. The story focuses on teenager Miles Halter. He is bored of his not-so-exciting life as an outsider and decides to attend Culver Creek boarding school to "seek a great perhaps". It is here that we realise that the Alaska mentioned in the title is an actual person and not the place. Miles also becomes acquainted with Chip, otherwise known as the Colonel, and receives his new name, Pudge. Chip and Alaska, along with fellow student Takumi, introduce Pudge to their crazy antics, involving cigarettes and booze. He starts behaving rebellious, getting caught up in the Colonel and Alaska's pranks.

As with The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, John Green has yet again successfully captured the way in which adolescents think. Alaska is a mysterious character that instantly enthrals Miles and makes him want to find out more about her. I found it interesting how Miles is fascinated by people's last words - it makes him a unique character and relates to the catastrophic event that separates the first part of the book ('Before') from the second part ('After').

Although I also liked the characters of Alaska and the Colonel, I wasn't so keen on their obsession with pulling pranks. They seemed to want to get in trouble, smoking and drinking all the time. I also think that their nickname for Miles is a little rude. Alaska doesn't seem like a very nice character - she can be moody and keeps saying how she won't cheat on her boyfriend, though that is unlikely.


That being said, Looking For Alaska is a brilliant coming-of-age story that deals with tragedy, loss and first love. Looking For Alaska is the perfect read for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Before I Die, If I Stay and John Green's other novels.

Food Box

Hey guys!


I received a food box from my grandparents earlier this week so I thought I would upload the contents tonight.

I love Tilda rice. It's so delicious! 

I now officially have enough pasta to last the whole of next term and possibly the one after too. 

Makes a change to red pesto and homemade tomato sauce. 

I love pineapple! 

Lovely box! 

I would be receiving my next Graze Box on Monday but I've cancelled my subscription for the Easter hols. #sadtimes

Hasta luego!

Serena