Thursday 1 March 2018

Wrap Up & Haul | February 2018

Oh February, what a month you have been! February has been a really hard month for me in my personal life but somehow I still managed to keep reading. Despite the obvious lack of books featured in the image below, I actually managed to read 7 books in February! That's even more than January so I'm really happy with that, even though most of them were ebooks and audiobooks and my goal for 2018 is to reduce my physical TBR. There's always next month for that though, right?



City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare -
I finally continued The Mortal Instruments series! I read the first book back in 2016 and then, for whatever reason, never picked up the second book. I'm definitely glad I finally continued with the series, after rereading the first book last month, as I really enjoyed this second instalment. There were a few aspects of the story I didn't enjoy, like the annoying love triangle, which meant I didn't like the second book as much as the first. Hopefully the aspects of the plot I didn't love will not be as much of a focus as the series continues.
Rating: 3.5/5 | Review

The Last Laugh by Tracy Bloom -
Tracy Bloom is an author who has been a bit hit or miss for me in the past, having really enjoyed one of her books and really not enjoying another. This is her most recent release and very different to the other books of hers I have read. This book follows a woman who finds out she has terminal cancer on the same day she discovers her husband is having an affair. However, rather than face up to these things, she decides to throw a party. It was quite a strange plot, not something I have ever read before. Generally, it was nothing special, with pretty average characters, but enjoyable enough.
Rating: 3/5 | Review

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll -
I picked this book from my library's audiobook selection, as it was one I had previously been interested in, and I must admit I'm glad I didn't spend my money on it. I really wanted to enjoy this book, especially since it is compared to Gillian Flynn's works, but sadly did not. This book is mystery/thriller about a woman who spent much of her adult life trying to reinvent herself following a traumatic event as a teenager. I found this pretty boring and very predictable. It definitely did not live up to the Gillian Flynn comparisons, in my opinion.
Rating: 2/5 | Review To Come

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera -
This book has such an interesting premise: two boys receive a phone call from informing them that they are going to die today. This instantly made me want to read this book and I'm glad I did. I found the idea of knowing the day you will die really interesting and I think the whole 'living your last day as best you can' concept was done very well. The only thing I didn't love about this book was the relationship. I always have a hard time with relationships that develop over one day and this one was, sadly, not the exception.
Rating: 3.5/5 | Review To Come

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda -
I'll be completely honest here, I had no intention of reading this book until I saw the trailer for the movie and then decided to give it a go in order to go and see the movie. Whatever my reasoning behind it, I'm so glad I read this book. It was completely adorable. It follows a boy who has an online email relationship with an anonymous boy in his school, but has yet to come out to his family or friends. However, his emails are discovered by a classmate who threatens to make them public. I loved Simon and his relationship with Blue, especially what we got to see through their emails that were included in the book. I had a couple of issues with some of the other characters, but overall I really enjoyed this story and the ridiculously adorable relationship.
Rating: 4/5 | Review To Come

The Initiation by Chris Babu -
I had heard nothing about this book but as soon as I read the synopsis on Netgalley I was so intrigued. This is a YA dystopian about a young boy who enters a dangerous test within the abandoned subway tunnels of what was previously Manhattan. I enjoyed this book for the most part. I really enjoyed reading about the Initiation itself but there were other aspects of the book, particularly the main character, that I didn't enjoy.
Rating: 3/5 | Review

Weightless by Sarah Bannan -
This is a book I picked completely at random from the selection of audiobooks available through my library. I had never heard of it before but decided to give it a go. It's about a new girl who had moved to a small town in Alabama and shakes things up at her new school. It is essentially a story of bullying and how teens treat each other. I really enjoyed the way this book was written, it was told from the perspective of 'we', yet we never find out who 'we' are, and the reader is made to feel like they are involved in the story. This makes the overall message seem even more poignant. It was a good, powerful read, but nothing that blew me away.
Rating: 3/5

As well as managing to read 7 books in February, I'm also super proud of the fact I didn't buy a single physical book! I am trying to reduce my book buying again this year by only allowing myself to buy any physical books after reading 5 books. Despite reaching that second lot of 5 books, I didn't buy any! I did, however, take advantage of the Kindle Valentine's deals and treated myself to three ebooks.

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines - I'm really wanting to read more New Adult books this year and Abbi Glines is an author that is always recommended.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - Everyone I know that has read this book has absolutely loves it! It gets raved about constantly, I want to see what the fuss is about.

Instructions For A Second-Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray - This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2016 but I never picked it up. I'm excited to get to this one!

I didn't have the best reading month in February in terms of ratings but I did read a good amount for me and even picked up some books I had never heard of. Here's hoping March will be an even better reading month.

What did you read in February? Any new favourite books?

Sophie :)

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