The Book Catch-Up - March

There are many things I love besides makeup, one of those being books and reading. It's something I don't typically do all the time. There's different parts of the year where I get really motivated and can read countless books, one after the other. And that's the case for March. I really got back in to it and don't see myself stopping anytime soon. For the month of March I managed to finish 8 books. Which is a pretty good amount. I spend about 20-30 minutes at the least each day reading. I have a little reading nook going on in my room at the moment and I love just sitting there and getting lost in the storyline of a book. These book catch-up posts are all going to be about the books I've read in the past month. A look into what I enjoyed and what I may have not enjoyed.

We Come Apart - Brian Conaghan & Sarah Crossan

Jess would never have looked twice at Nicu if her friends hadn't left her in the lurch. Nicu is all big eyes and ill-fitting clothes, eager as a puppy, even when they're picking up litter in the park for community service. He's so not her type. Appearances matter to Jess. She's got a lot to hide.Nicu thinks Jess is beautiful. His dad brought Nicu and his mum here for a better life, but now all they talk about is going back home to find Nicu a wife. The last thing Nicu wants is to get married. He wants to get educated, do better, stay here in England. But his dad's fists are the most powerful force in Nicu's life, and in the end, he'll have to do what his dad wants. As Nicu and Jess get closer, their secrets come to the surface like bruises. The only safe place they have is with each other. But they can't be together, forever, and stay safe - can they?

First read of the month and I loved it. One of the best books I'd read in such a long time. I loved it when two different authors come together on a book. You get two different perspectives within the book which makes it much interesting. I will say that I ended this book with tears in my eyes. I don't want to give anything away but to me it has a sad ending. Or at least one that made me cry. So much so that for a good week after finishing the book, every time I thought of the ending I felt like crying.

Skylarks - Karen Gregory

When she was little, Joni used to have dreams that she could fly. But these days her feet are firmly on the ground they have to be when money's tight and her dad can't work and the whole family has to pull together to keep afloat. Then she meets Annabel. Annabel is everything Joni isn't, and yet there's a spark between them. Though Joni barely believes it at first, she thinks they might be falling in love. But when Annabel's parents find out about the relationship, it's clear they believe there are some differences that are impossible to overcome ...

I can't remember too much what I thought about this book but I do know I liked it. I'm a sucker for a YA romance novel and this what that for me. It got a 4 out of 5 stars from me on Goodreads so I know I was a fan of it in some sort. That's the thing with reading constantly. Some books I remember a lot about and some just go to the back of mind for me to forget about.

Fierce Fragile Hearts - Sara Barnard

Two years after a downward spiral took her as low as you can possibly go, Suzanne is starting again. (Again.) She's back in Brighton, the only place she felt she belonged, back with her best friends Caddy and Rosie. But they're about to leave for university. When your friends have been your light in the darkness, what happens when you're the one left behind?

One of the first books I read when I'd first got in to reading was Beautiful Broken Things which this book is the sequel to. I remember quite enjoying that book and the same goes for the sequel. I feel like with sequels it's hard not to like them as you already have an idea of the characters. And even after it being two full years since I read the first book I was able to dive straight back into the characters and the storyline I love.

Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow - Siobhan Curham

Fourteen-year-old Stevie lives in Lewes with her beloved vinyl collection, her mum ... and her mum's depression. When Stevie's mum's disability benefits are cut, Stevie and her mother are plunged into a life of poverty. But irrepressible Stevie is determined not to be beaten and she takes inspiration from the lyrics of her father's 1980s record collection and dreams of a life as a musician. Then she meets Hafiz, a talented footballer and a Syrian refugee. Hafiz's parents gave their life savings to buy Hafiz a safe passage to Europe; his journey has been anything but easy. Then he meets Stevie... As Stevie and Hafiz's friendship grows, they encourage each other to believe in themselves and follow their dreams.

This is a book I'd had on my bookshelf for a couple of months and had forgotten about it. Though I wish I hadn't. I ended up really enjoying this book. It gave an insight in to a refugees life in a way that was interesting. It makes you really think about what they must be going through and how bad they have it. But at the same time there was a romance involved which is something I enjoy in these books.

We Are Ok - Nina LaCour

You go through life thinking there's so much you need. . . . Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother. Marin hasn't spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she's tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that's been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

I loved this book. I'd decided to read it on a lazy Saturday and in doing so managed to read the whole book within three hours. And that says something. It's a storyline that I just kept wanting to get lost in. It's a beautiful story of friendship and shows that even after all this time apppart people still can mean so much to someone.

The Summer Of Us - Cecillia Vanesse

American expat Aubrey has only two weeks left in Europe before she leaves for college, and she's nowhere near ready. Good thing she and her best friend, Rae, have planned one last group trip across the continent. From Paris to Prague, they're going to explore famous museums, sip champagne in fancy restaurants, and eat as many croissants as possible with their friends Clara, Jonah, and Gabe. But when old secrets come to light, Aubrey and Rae's trip goes from a carefree adventure to a complete disaster. For starters, there's Aubrey and Gabe's unresolved history, complicated by the fact that Aubrey is dating Jonah, Gabe's best friend. And then there's Rae's hopeless crush on the effortlessly cool Clara. How is Rae supposed to admit her feelings to someone so perfect when they're moving to different sides of the world in just a few weeks?

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It's such a nice story about friendship and how they'll make it work after high-school. It makes me wish I had a friendship like there's where I could travel all over Europe. It has a nice amount of romance added in as well. Just an all round great read.

Izzy & Tristan - Shannon Dunlap

Sixteen-year-old Izzy, a bright aspiring doctor, isn't happy about her recent move from the Lower East Side across the river to Brooklyn. She feels distanced from her family, especially her increasingly incomprehensible twin brother, as well as her new neighbourhood.

And then she meets Tristan. Tristan is a chess prodigy who lives with his aunt and looks up to his cousin, Marcus, who has watched out for him over the years. When he and Izzy meet one fateful night, together they tumble into a story as old and unstoppable as love itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was another one of those where I just couldn't stop reading it and ended up finishing it a lot quicker than I had first thought I would. This book for me really showed what it's like to live in a neighbourhood with a different ethnicity. And how different someone will be seen for not looking or being the same. It has a sharp ending in my opinion. I didn't see what happened coming and then the book was over a couple of chapters later. Still though I enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who loves a good YA book.

Things That Will Not Stand - Michael Gerard Bauer

Sebastian is at a university open day with his best friend Tolly when he meets a girl. Her name is Frida, and she’s edgy, caustic and funny. She’s also a storyteller, but the stories she tells about herself don’t ring true, and as their surprising and eventful day together unfolds, Sebastian struggles to sort the fact from the fiction. But how much can he expect Frida to share in just one day? And how much of his own self and his own secrets will he be willing to reveal in return?

This is another one of those books that I'd bought a couple of months ago and never got around to reading. I bought it then thought I wasn't going to like it so I never read it. I needed a bit of an in-between read for before I went to Sydney and this was that book for me. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would but it still isn't that great of a book in my opinion. It filled the reading gap I had but I wouldn't have read it otherwise.

So there you have all the books I read in March. I'd love to know what you've been reading or if you're thinking of reading any of these in the future.

Until next time...

Brooke