Carry On

                Happy 4th of July readers!  I hope you all have a good day be it celebrating, working, or relaxing just stay safe.  I finished a book the other day I've been dying to read since before it even came out but sadly I was so far behind I just got to it but now I've read it and can discuss the all my feels.  More important I can stop avoiding all the reviews I've seen posted scared they would spoil anything for me.  That book is Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.  This took me back to Fangirl (review) in the best way with the characters we never got closure for and I am beyond thrilled to have finished it.

Rating: 5 Stars

                If you don't know by some miracle Carry On follows the characters we grew to love in Fangirl, the fictional series that Cath was obsessed with and wrote fanfic for centering around Simon Snow, the most powerful mage there is.  At the school for magicks he is surrounded by his best friend Penny, his girlfriend Agatha and his roommate and nemesis Baz.  The world is being tormented by the Humdrum who is sucking magic out of the world and it's up to Simon to figure it out.  No relaxing in your last day of school when you're the chosen one and savior.  This book is slammed full of everything from magic, ghosts, love and kissing (duh Rainbow Rowell book here), mystery and so much more.

                This book.  I can totally see the obsession behind it and how people would re-read as soon as they finish because it just evokes all the feels!  Seriously!  First it has a vague Harry Potter feel and that alone is enough to make one nostalgic.  Then add in Simon and Penny and Baz and you have a wonderful time.  The way it is written just makes you laugh so hard at times while 'awing' or worrying at others.   

                Carry On is told from several different POVs and it swaps throughout giving you insight from different perspectives.  From the start I loved Simon.  He is easy to love and while we only get to know Baz through him for the first part of the book it was so very different.  I was conflicted because in the Carry On sections of Fangirl I adored Baz and just hearing everyone talk I knew I would adore him but in the start I didn't much like him but I could tell things were fluid and easy to change in both Simons opinion and my own.  I also loved his relationship with Penny.  This is the perfect relationship for me they are friends no matter what but they never have romantic feelings for one another.  Grant it at one point I was wishing him with her over Agatha just because I never liked her character at all. 

                Baz…when Baz shows up in the story oh do I quickly love him.  I loved his perspective so much.  While I loved Simons questioning and random spacey thoughts I also equally loved Baz's rather darker at times view. He is so interesting from the start and he comes in with a bang for sure.  I don't even know when I or Simon went from disliking him to liking him it just happened so naturally that it's impossible to know.  Watching them bicker and banter as they room together forever being on opposite sides and finally having something to work towards together, a mystery to solve was perfect. 

It even has a map!

                 There is so much happening in this from the character dynamics to the war between the old families and the mage, the Humdrum and his threat to the world, and the mystery of a death  and how they all wind and blend together into one cohesive story is amazing.  I LOVED this book.  When I finished I was so filled with so many emotions it was insane.  I wanted to burst to tell people about this book so badly.  The romance involved in this book had all my favorite Rainbow Rowell trademarks that just make me jump with joy.  I also appreciated some aspects that could be drawn out and made a whole story on being easily resolved!  While there were a few lose ends left that have me dying to know more, I was so full finishing this I feel it had everything I could have wanted or needed to make it a beautiful and perfect book for me. 

                So basically I LOVED it.  I would love to hear your thoughts and feels on this down below in the comments.  Tell me what your favorite part of the story was?  Let's discuss it down below, please!  Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of the 4th and also to enjoy reading and watching reviews I've put off for this beauty.  Enjoy.

                Until next time…

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell = LOVE

                Hello happy readers!  I have a review for you today of a book that I will start you off with knowing I just loved!  That book is Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.  I still have two books of hers  I haven't read yet, Landline and Carry On, I know I'm behind, but given how much I've loved her other work I can't wait to fall in love with them. 

Rating:  5 Mix Tapes

                I LOVED THIS BOOK!  So so much I don’t know if I can put it into words.  I went in open and a bit unsure since I’d been told it was ‘okay’ and others who flat out loved it.  I figured it was one that could go either way and after adoring Fangirl (review) and Attachments (review) I was trying hard to keep my expectations level so as not to get over hyped.  I also went in not knowing much about it just that two kids find a love story in an 80’s setting.  I think it’s the best way to go in really.

                I listened to the audiobook and wow!  Let me say I highly recommend it even though I’m sure I would have finished the end a bit faster reading it but after starting it and falling in love with listening to it I had to finish it that way.  First can I just say wow for the time and looking at kids today this is insane.  Kids have some insane ideas of what to do and how they want to act but this was before all of that where parents weren’t reported to social services for spanking you for being bad or play outside unsupervised.  They didn’t even get called when there was clearly serious issues happening in the household.  The batteries!  Yes do I remember going through tons of them in the 90’s and they were ‘improved and longer lasting’ I can only imagine. 

                I felt for Eleanor.  Her life was not by any stretch easy.  She has an attitude and her own issues sure but given her living conditions the fact that she managed at all was beyond a miracle.  Her step-father was such a dick. No sugar coating it at all.  Come on no bathroom door?  Seriously?  That many kids in one room.  I have siblings but I could never imagine not having a single ounce of space to myself.  Still even in her dark moments and doubt of anything good being capable in her life she keeps pressing on.  I also related to her moments of happiness and her fear that they would be taken away from her, so sure nothing good could ever last for her.  I just loved her. 

                And speaking of love, Park.  I just don’t have words for him besides, I want one.  He just made me all warm and fuzzy inside even when he was saying the wrong thing he made me happy.  He was a jerk at first but you see why, he is just trying to survive under the radar and she was drawing attention to him.  Then he started to see her, the real her.  The way he slowly became her friend working on bringing down a small chip of her wall at a time and being pretty much completely understanding with her and her horrible lack of being able or willing to explain things properly and sounding like a nut half the time.  He is what I think so many of us, anyone who is or has ever been insecure, wanted.  Someone to see the real us and make us feel like that. 

                And the writing!  I was pulled back and forth between the two seeing things from both sides and how the other reacted to the other and never a dull moment.  The relationship between these two was so beautiful for all the right reasons.  There are so many beautiful and wonderful lines from this book I could go on and on and on with them.  I’ll just share a couple instead. 

Eleanor was right.  She never looked nice.  She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.

The first time he'd held her hand, it felt so good that it crowded out all the bad things.  It felt better than anything had ever hurt.

And when Eleanor smiled, something broke inside of him.  Something always did.

He tried to remember how this happened—how she went from someone he'd never met to the only one who mattered.

She couldn’t repay him.  She couldn't even appropriately thank him.  How can you thank someone for The Cure?  Or the X-Men?

                See!  Beautiful and awe-inducing!  Well that is all I have to share with you today.  Please tell me what you thought of Eleanor and Park down in the comments.  What did you think of the story and the writing?  What were some of your favorite quotes or moments?  I'd love to hear and discuss.

                Until next time…

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

                Hello and welcome back.  Some of you may know I was super excited for the release of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell this month, totally fangirling about it really (haha Fangirling…totally meant that).  Well it wasn't pre-ordered like I thought and then some other things like travel but yes I finally got to order it the other day and it should arrive later today.  In anticipation for getting to read that, while I'll have it I do have some other books ahead of it on my TBR pile.  With that and my absolute LOVE of listing to the Eleanor & Park audio book, I'm almost done I am wishing my commute time was longer so I could finish already, and getting the newest book in my possession I wanted to go ahead and review another Rainbow book I have and have finished—Attachments.

Rating: 5 Hilariously Inappropriate Work E-mails

                                Okay so I just adored this.  I went in not knowing much about it.  I had heard Kat talk about it on her channel and someone mentioned the hardcover was hard to find (I didn't have trouble there though) so when I saw it I got it.  Then when it came I put my little seal in the book (I have a "Library of..." embosser that is amazing) and went to slide it into place on my shelf next to Fangirl (review) and Eleanor & Park.  I looked at the book in my hands and it was rather short compared to the others and I realized I didn't remember what it was about.  I went to read the description and then next thing I know I'm still standing in front of my bookshelf and I'm 50 pages in.  So at this point the logical thing was to just sit down and finish it.  That's what I did.  This one never made it my shelf before it was read.

                For those of you who don't know though Attachments follows the life of Lincoln, Beth, and Jennifer.  Beth and Jennifer are best buds at work and love to e-mail back and forth, oh yeah its 1999, and they don't know who Lincoln is.  Lincoln is the guy reading everyone's e-mail, internet security, everyone knows someone is reading it's policy but they don't really believe it.  Much like life.  Lincoln didn't see this as his life.  Beth and Jennifer's messages keep popping up in his file but as he reads their stories he finds he just can't help being entertained and captivated by them.  By the time he realizes he has feelings for Beth, it's a bit late.  How do you introduce yourself, "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail and also, I love you…"  Maybe a bit random.

Pretty much!

                The whole idea of the story was super interesting and kind of creepy at the same time.  I remember 1999 and everyone freaking out as Y2K came around.  The whole time I read I thought about what people would think if they read my e-mail or other forms of communication what they must think of me.  I'm sure my Google history alone would make anyone think I'm a new type of insane.  I've looked up just about everything under the sun.  I thought about all of this as I read and while there was a small part that found it a bit stalker-ish (in today's standards) I also remember my youth (okay so I was 12) and the way it was played out and just enjoyed it.  If you are told someone is reading your e-mail and you put personal information in your e-mail then that's on you. 

                The e-mails.  I just adored the way that Beth and Jennifer chatted.  Their conversations were hilarious.  I have similar tone conversations with my friends in all formats so this was refreshing.  Also I really enjoyed that Lincoln didn't like his job.  His enjoyment in their banter was the highlight of his day and he did feel bad about it.  But my favorite aspect of the book—that Lincoln fell for Beth by e-mail.  By who she is as a person without knowing anything about what she looks like.  I think that is the difference.  It would have been creepy if he'd seen a pretty girl and then stalked her e-mail.  He got to know her but after so long how do you come clean?  How can you when you get in so deep?

                Overall this was a cute fun and quick read.  I'm glad that I took the time to get swept back to 1999 for the day.  It was so much fun to read and I still think fondly of it, especially when I type in some random search in Google or send off a hilarious and spastic e-mail to a friend.  What anyone scanning my data would think…I swear I'm not crazy.  Well not completely anyways.

I can't wait to hold it!

                That is it for today.  I can't wait to hold Carry On in my hands and then to be able to start it.  I can't comment on that, other than to say everyone I know is addicted to it, but what I can say is that I highly recommend Attachments.  Tomorrow I will have up another fun blog tour for Portia by Christina Bauer with my author interview, review, and other goodies so stay tuned for that.

                Until next time…

Keep Calm and Fangirl On...

It’s almost Christmas!  We only have a few days left and I know I for one am so far behind.  I have a ton of baking to do in the next couple of days that my apartment will be insane.  I hope you all are having a fantastic time enjoying the season and all the joys it has to offer.  Before I disappear for the next few days into the land of cookies, I wanted to send well wishes to all of you who take the time to visit and read my little blog, and of course share my next review Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

Fangirl is a standalone contemporary story; one that I have heard nothing but praise for.  The story is that of Cath and her journey through starting college.  Oh and she is a Simon Snow fan, more than a fan, being a fan is her life.  It’s what she knows.  Cath has a twin, Wren, and this is the first time they have really went their own ways, same college but not roommates. Simon Snow got them through most things growing up, reading the books in the series, hanging out in forums, writing fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for the movie premiers, that was life.  But now she is on her own as Wren pulls away from that part of their childhood. 

Cath gets a roommate whom she is sure hates her and with her, her constantly there charming boyfriend, a fiction writing teacher whose hard to impress and oh yeah thinks fan fiction is horrible, a classmate who only wants to talk about writing, and her goal to try and finish her fan fiction, which has become one of the most popular out there.  Oh and worrying about her dad.  The question becomes can she do it?  Can she live her own life, write her own stories?  And does that mean leaving Simon Snow behind?

I will start out saying I give this book 5 Stars.  I LOVED THIS BOOK.  I fell in love so easily with Cath, even though the name was a bit odd at first, though it grew on me.  Cath was me.  I write fan fiction.  I have had plenty of people look down their nose at me for doing it and it took a lot to finally realize that those people are simply stupid and don’t matter.  To watch her go through this journey was so nice, and her dedication to her story and keeping it true and constant.  The way she was able to lose herself inside the series and her own story was beautiful and true.  I love that aspect of it the best.  I can lose myself when reading or watching a good show/movie, sure but there is something different about being the master behind it. 

The journey continues through the book as each thing seems to pop up and just like in life you have to adjust to overcome.  Trial and error.  Like adjusting from having your twin as your constant companion to branching out to make new friends, like with your new roommate.  Cath’s roommate, Reagan, reminded me of a good friend of mine in some ways.  She can come off as angry and bitchy at first but she’s sweet as can be, it just takes some time to get to know her blunt honest opinion is who she is nothing personal.  It just takes time to get to know someone and take the time to do so.

There is also romance.  Cath is strong and sure about what she likes and who she is but with romance, in person and not on the page, she is unsure.  A novice really.  I think this was something else that rang true with Cath and why she was so easy to relate to for me personally.  Being new and the least bit shy, the act of putting yourself out there only to be hurt is hard to move past.  You may not want to hold onto it, you may way to forgive and move forward, but it leaves its mark.  Much like many firsts, the first heartache sticks around.  She is blind at first, to Levi, not seeing or knowing what is clear to others.  Again easy to relate to.  I’ve been there.  Never noticing if/when a guy is interested when you aren’t expecting it.  If you are out at a club and someone comes over to you and starts chatting you’re expecting them to be flirting, right.  Out of context sometimes it’s hard to notice when you live with your head in the clouds.

 She has real things to contend with as well, aside from school, finding herself, romance, and writing, she has family struggles that are real and take their toll.  Rainbow didn’t shy away from them and really drove home many of the struggles that happen on a college campus, I know I work on one.  Cath is also the center for her family, she is the care taker and stepping away from that roll and trusting that everyone will be okay and not fall apart without you holding them together is hard.

This book was beyond relatable.  I read it in about 2 days, probably would have finished it in one sitting if I didn’t have pesky things like work, and cooking.  I wanted things to work out for Cath because I felt personally connected to her in a way I normally don’t.  I will recommend this book to pretty much everyone.  As is becoming a theme in books I’ve been reading, the open ending was in Fangirl.  It wraps up the story but it also leaves it in a way that allows the reader to draw their own conclusions, both with Cath’s story and her fan fiction we become a part of throughout.  After my first few moments of shock and wanting more…of course…I decided I understood and it fit the book very well. 

She was super nice!

I’ve also been able to dedicate a bit more of my own time to working on my fan fiction, I admit to slacking off as of late with life and such.  And it brings me such joy to work on it, so thank you Fangirl and thank you Rainbow Rowell for reigniting that spark. 

That’s all I have to say for now!  Become a fan and check out Fangirl as well, it would make a great last minute Christmas gift.  Just saying.  Please take a moment to share your thoughts below and tell me what you thought of Fangirl, other Rainbow Rowell books, fan fiction, and your holiday plans; I would love to start a conversation with you.  

Merry Christmas!  I hope to get another review in before then so stay tuned.