Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

 

    I was so excited for Girl Online by Zoe Sugg aka Zoella to come out on November 25 that I bought it the day it was released so why did I wait till now to read it? I'm not sure the answer but I can say it was worth the wait. I stayed away from spoilers that were online from people tweeting Zoe or commenting on her YouTube page luckily. To me, Zoe is such a creative genius. She's basically doing it all with her YouTube channel, a blog, her own line, and a book. One of my favorite things I like about her is that she chose to write a fiction book instead of a beauty guide type. I'd rather read fiction over a beauty book. I'm not here though to talk about how much I enjoy all of Zoe's creations I am here to talk about Girl Online.



 

    The inside cover reads:

    "Penny has  secret.
   
    Under the alias Girl One, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her quirky family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse at school, her parents accept an opportunity to whisk the family away for Christmas at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. There, Penny meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly she is falling in love-and capturing every moment she spends with "Brooklyn Boy" on her blog.

    But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny's cover- and her closest friendship-forever."   

    I loved the book so much! I really liked the character Penny. She was vulnerable but not weak. There were times when she was supposed to be perceived as weak but I thought she was strong because she was being so vulnerable, if that makes sense. The inside cover of the book talks about a fling with Brooklyn Boy aka Noah. I wish I could have a fling with Noah because he sounded so dreamy and the description of him was so detailed, love it. There were parts of the book where I was mentally yelling "shady" but after the plot twist I knew why. Don't worry I am not giving it away but I was surprised by the plot twist which is always good. It was very creative.

    Last thing I want to add is how descriptive she was of NYC. Since she is from England you would think she wouldn't understand NYC but I thought she described it beautifully. I've been there tons of times and I'm assuming Zoe has been there too to be able to write certain details like she did. Great job Zoella, now please, write another? Thanks!

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo

 

Austenland by Shannon Hale

    I have been very bad. I have been caught up in reading and such that I have forgotten to blog about them. Since I've read a couple books I'm going to start blogging about them with my favorite one first which is Austenland by Shannon Hale. There is a movie and a book which came out years ago so you might have seen or read Austenland already. I saw a preview for the movie and thought it looked so good so I looked it up and saw there was a book so I decided to read it first before I watch the movie. I have to be honest and say I haven't read many Jane Austen books, I know I know, that needs to change.

    I loved the book so much. I'm glad how the character Jane was not like a crazy single woman who fell in love with every guy she meets. Ok she might have a little bit of the falling for every guy she meets but she is also an independent woman who isn't looking for a guy to complete her. The author could have wrote the character Jane as a woman who throws herself at everyone and can't do anything for herself. I'm just glad she wasn't written like such.

    The ending of course was my favorite part. I had thought the book was going a different direction and I was surprised by the ending. I want to go into more detail and explain every little thing I loved about it but if you haven't read it or seen it I don't want to ruin it for you.



    This is the overview for the book:

    "Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

   

    Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen--or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?"

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo

 

 

 

Have you seen the movie? I haven't yet so I was wondering if it's a good movie.



Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison

    "Ten years ago, Quinn Barton was on her way to the altar to marry Burke Morrison, her high school sweetheart, when something derailed her. Rather, someone derailed her- the Best Man, who at the last minute- and with shocking revelations- begged her to reconsider the marriage. Quinn, stunned, hurt, and confused, struggled between ignoring what she was told- or running away.
    She chose running. With the Best Man. Who happened to be Burke's brother, Frank.
    That relationship didn't work either. How could it, when Quinn had been engaged to, in love with, Frank's brother? Quinn opted for neither, and instead, spent the  next seventeen years working in her Middleburg, Virginia, bridal shop, Talk of the Gown.
    But when the two brothers return to town for another wedding, old anger, hurt, and passion resurface. Just because you've traded the bad guy for the good guy for no guy doesn't mean you have to stay away from love for the rest of your life, does it? Told with Beth Harbison's flair for humor and heart, Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger will keep you guessing and make you believe in the possibilities of love."

 

 

    I received this book in a package and was so intrigued after reading the back of the book which is written above. It seemed like the book would have a lot of twists and turns and it did. It wasn't all that predictable and there were definitely things Quinn did that I wanted to yell, "no! Don't do it!"

 

    In the beginning though I wasn't really into it but then it got really good and the end was amazing. I may have shed a few tears at that part, isn't that a sign of a great ending? There were certain parts where I was a little confused on where the author was heading which was probably at the parts where I wanted to yell no to Quinn.

 

    This is the first book by Beth Harbison that I have read. Of course I have seen her books before on the shelf in the stores but I have to say I really enjoy her writing. She is very detailed which makes for a great story because you can picture every little detail of what's going on in the story perfectly. I will definitely be buying other books of hers. The most disappointing thing about the book was that it ended and I wanted more.

 

 

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo 



Giving Up the V by Serena Robar

     

    I felt like a teenager when I checked this book out of the library. I was actually looking for a certain book but this one kept catching my eye so I decided to get it. I started to read it in the library and made sure the cover was blocked by something. Not only was I feeling like a teenager I was acting like one too. The opening scene is a 16 year old girl at the OBGYN doctor. I was embarrassed for her. After the doctors her mother was talking to her about sex and losing your virginity. I was reading  this part in the library and I'm sure my face was beat red. I'm 25 and the thought of having a conversation about sex with my mother makes me want to die of embarrassment. Yup I'm that kind of person.

    Overall this book was really good. It completely summed up the emotions of a high school girl. A lot of changes happen in high school and it can be a very confusing time. I would recommend this book to any girl 13 and up. I think it could help answer some questions. I know that you are thinking and yes this book is a work of fiction but some of the issues in the book relate very well to young girls. And of course the ending was my favorite. I closed the book with a big grin on my face.



 

 

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo

 

 

 

**If you noticed/read two previous posts about Christmas they were suppose to be for another blog. They have since been deleted on this one. If you would like to read my Christmas blogs you can at http://misslcstew.blogspot.com/. 

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

    At first I was a bit confused by the book because it was not as funny as I had assumed it would be. However instead it was a  book with a life story and a sprinkle of humor. It showed a whole other side of Amy Poehler. We all know she's hilarious, beautiful, and smart but now we know why she is that way. I love how she is yearning to learn more and interested in the world. She loves her sons with everything she is. She is a true person with a gentle heart. I have always loved and enjoyed Amy Poehler's work but now I feel like its in a deeper way. I wish I could be her best friend even is she is bossy and could possibly send a text message about me to me. Keep being you Amy.

  

The back of the book was pretty funny. It's hard to read in the picture so I guess you will have to buy it for yourself to read it!

 

 

     I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who knows Amy Poehler. It's her life story and it has some great advice in it. From what I can gather from Amy's work and speeches is that she cares for the world, is someone relatable, and down to Earth. Like Poehler I enjoy hearing people's life stories and finding out their backstory. I think that really helps you get to know why they are the way they are plus you see what they have overcome. Great book!



 

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo

 



Drinking and Tweeting by Brandi Glanville with Leslie Bruce

    In honor of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills return I decided to read Drinking and Tweeting by Brandi Glanville. Yes I watch the Real Housewives shows on Bravo, it's totally a guilty pleasure of mine. Brandi is one of my favorites on the show because she says whatever the hell she wants to. She doesn't have a filter and she's admitted it on more than one occasion but I enjoy that realness in a world that is fake. I've wanted to read this book for a while since I like Brandi but never did.

 



   I thought the book was okay. I knew it had a lot about her divorce but the whole book was about it. I have seen people divorce due to cheating and it is never easy especially with kids involved but she whined too much. I am the type of person who gets over crap the next day while most people don't so I don't understand the whole dwelling on the past which is probably why I couldn't really relate so much.

    The book though had lots of laughs like where she talked about getting vaginal rejuvenation surgery. Yes you read that right, crazy huh? That was such a great chapter and definitely a way to renew yourself after a horrible break up. Brandi was completely honest about everything including her DUI. There was just one chapter that rubbed me the wrong way. She came across like she was just using her fans to make money which I know is what happens with that sort of thing but it came off so rude. It almost made me regret buying the book. I want to support her by buying her book but she just made me feel used, it was weird. Have you read this book and know what I'm talking about?

 

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney

    The Heffley's are at it again and this time they are taking it out on the road. Greg Heffley was looking forward to a relaxing summer but when his mom decides that the family needs a road trip full of wholesome fun he knows it's going to go down hill. Trouble find it's way into the trip through a bad bathroom stop, crazy seagulls, a pig, and a fender bender. This is one adventure that the Heffley's will remember forever.

 

 



    I am probably way too old to be reading these books but they are so funny! I think I mentioned before that my grandmother read a bit of one to see what I was reading and she just cracked up. The problem I have with reading these is that since I'm old it doesn't take me very long to read it at all. I don't want the story to end!
    The movies are great too but I guess they can't really make any more since the actor is too grown up to play a middle school boy. It's a shame because they were hilarious but it's life. These books are obviously super easy to read and would be a great Christmas gift for a young one in your family. I can't wait for the next book!

 

Thanks for being here,

Curious Reader xo