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You Slay Me (Aisling Grey #1)
You Slay Me (Aisling Grey #1)
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jim!!! (0 more)
So funny
<strong>So funny</strong>

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I laughed several times Him is now my new favourite dog!!! Sailing is refreshing I'm looking forward to following her. I did feel it was rushed in some parts but in a while a really good start to a series. Love a good Dragon too.

Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.




  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Another lacklustre Smith film
I feel a little sorry for Will Smith. He had some big hits back in the day but with the exception of Concussion, most of his recent efforts have been pretty poor. And sadly Gemini Man is no exception.

This didn’t appeal when it came out at the cinema, but as it’s now on Sky Cinema I figured I may as well give it go... and it turned out to be the longest and dullest action film I’ve seen in a long time. The action scenes are pretty decent in all fairness and has some impressive fight choreography (without the dodgy shaky cam that rubbish choreography is plagued by). The CGI is good in parts and the younger version of Will Smith is well done, although some of this CGI does look a bit dodgy when it gets a little close up. The overall look of the film though is quite good and there is some good cinematography but it does give off a premium tv show feel rather than a proper film.
The rest of this film though is rather poor. The script is terrible and the entire thing is very lacklustre and dull, I’ve never seen an action film so boring before. Even the plot feels like it’s been done many times before (except for the clone thing) and isn’t anything new. So glad I didn't watch this at the cinema as I probably would’ve fallen asleep.
  
Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I don't usually read cheesy YA romance novels, and very rarely do I enjoy them much. This was kind of an impulse read, and I probably wouldn't have read it usually. But I'm glad I did.

It is pretty cheesy, and the voices of the characters are maybe over-exaggerated and trging-too-hard. But something about the writing was just really good, and I often found myself not wanting to put it down. Even though it was about love and sex and brain tumours. 

Jango is an interesting character, who seems like a plain old bully/idiot at first but actually turns out to be pretty good. His home life is complicated, and his friendship with Matt is more valuable than he lets on. But near-death experiences bring out the truth - and Jango's affectionate, kind side.

Like I said before, it does all feel a bit too artificial - the "teenage" lingo is just not right, and the events are maybe played out to be more dramatic than they needed to be. I'm not actually sure how much I liked either of the main characters, but the telling of the story was great and made up for any dislikes I had.

It is a bit of a feel-good, cheesy romance in the end, which is nice to read sometimes. It's got a lot of twists - bad luck, bad tempers - that make it a bit more unique than similar YA romances. 4 stars.
  
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Possession (Possession, #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I haven't figured out how I feel about Possession. I'm not sure if it's a 5 star book or a 1 star book.

Short story: It's really good.

Long story: well, that's a bit more involved.

Reasons this book was really good:

1. Pacing: Excellent. One thing leads to another, it's almost impossible to put down, and the tension never really goes away.
2. Good dialogue, good but concise descriptions, catchy interior monologue.
3. Good characters.
4. Jag is really sexy.

Reasons I wanted to slam my head against a wall while I was reading it:

1. Jag is awesome. Vi is awesome. Their relationship? Extremely dysfunctional. They are freaking bi-polar. One minute they're having a decent conversation, the next someone jumps to a conclusion and gets emotionally hurt and storms off, twenty-four hours and a hot shower later, they're sorry and cuddling and making out. THIS IS NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A RELATIONSHIP. Oh my word.
2. I got lost around Chapter 30. Stuff started happening, I could never tell if Vi was Vi or if she was dreaming, sometimes something would happen and it was a little cryptic, and confusing, and one thing stacked on top of another until by chapter 40 I was like "what the crap is going on?" I seriously closed the book and wasn't going to finish but I just HAD to know what happened. (I really should have quit while I was ahead.)
3. I got to the point where I couldn't tell who was the good guy and who was the bad guy, and I kind of stopped caring.

Reasons why the ending pissed me off:

1. The only bad guy who could have become good, didn't.
2. Then, the bad guys won.

Honestly, now that I've finished it, I really wish I hadn't. Luckily I checked Goodreads and found out it was book 1 in a series. Because THAT'S NOT AN ENDING. That was worse than The Hunger Games and Catching Fire endings!!!

Content/Recommendation: Some language and kissing, ages 16+
  
The Roanoke Girls
The Roanoke Girls
Amy Engel | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.0 (14 Ratings)
Book Rating
A well written book with a dark theme.
This book is one of those that's not going to be for everyone. The subject matter is heavy, and for some may well be triggering.

It features child abuse, incest, suicide and murder. It's deeply unsettling and at times made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't think there's a character in this book who isn't very messed up.

However it is very well written, I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word to use but I was completely drawn in, I had to stick with it. I liked the way the author interweaves the flashbacks with the current story. Often, I don't enjoy flashbacks in books, they can make a story feel too disjointed for me, but it worked in The Roanoke girls.

I don't feel like it sensationalises the subjects it deals with, it sets them out as the stomach churning matters that they are.
It's definitely a story that will get you thinking.

I don't usually read the reading group questions at the end of a book, but I did with this book because I was curious, and I feel that there's definitely plenty for discussion, so perhaps it would be a good book club book.

An example of the reading group questions.

"Do you think gran is right when she says mothers are judged more harshly than fathers? Why do you think that might be? Is it a fair standard?"

Overall I enjoyed this book.
  
Feel It - Single by Gia Woods
Feel It - Single by Gia Woods
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Gia Woods is a 22-year-old Persian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Not too long ago, she released a sweltering pop tune, entitled, “Feel It”, produced by Jordan Palmer.

“I got it so bad but I guess I got it so damn good. Your eyes are bloodshot red. Keep lookin’ at me look at you. Got your body on my mind. No, no, not logic, it’s emotional. So put your body right on mine. No, no, don’t make sense, it’s irrational.” – lyrics

‘Feel It’ tells a sensual tale of a young woman who intimately explores the feeling of infatuation for her girl crush.

Eventually, she undergoes that blissful experience when her lover’s lips and body are pressed against hers. That electric connection sends shivers down her spine.
‘Feel It’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lovely instrumentation scented with a commercial pop fragrance.

“To me, this is one of those perfect moments where the sound of the song sounds like the feeling in the lyrics. It’s slinky and seductive. It sort of creeps up on you. You can dance to it, but it’s not aggressive. It’s sensual and fun—just like the beginning of a heavy crush.” – Gia Woods

Gia Woods possesses an exotic presence and her sex appeal translates beyond music. So far, her songs have amassed over 37M streams via Spotify.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/gia-woods-feel-it/
  
I hadn’t watched many of Carrie’s videos on YouTube. I saw her live one year when she was in The War of The Worlds, and that was the first I had heard about her. I think I actually saw more of her videos after reading the book!

This is a self-help/memoir with a bit of everything in it. It gave me a good laugh and was definitely entertaining throughout. Carrie reflects on her teenage years – the mistakes that she made and the fun that she had. She actually had a pretty normal life other than Tom Fletcher being her brother!

I did love all of the nerdy puns she used! It definitely gave me a good laugh.

The book is full of little anecdotes. I didn’t really get along with the form because it didn’t seem to flow very well. Each chapter (or ‘act’ as she puts it) jumps around a lot throughout Carrie’s childhood which made it a bit hard to follow. I would rather she had just written about her childhood than categorising everything and making it into a bit of a confusing mess.

My main problem with this was that parts felt forced. The writing didn’t always flow or feel natural and I feel like that fits in with the theme of YouTubers bringing out books. They often seem rushed and not quite right, and this one was another of those.

This didn’t stop me from enjoying it, but I feel like it could do better.