MOVING BLOG!!

Hey there internet, so...i know i posted saying that i was excited to blog more on my little blog again but there's an issue. I hate blogger. HATE IT. and i have somehow fallen in love with wordpress. SO, i've started fresh over on wordpress because i reallllly wanna get back into this properly, i just hate the way this blog works. i hope you come join me over there! 

notquitealicereads 

all the love, meghan xx 

Guess who's back, back again...

Hey there internet!

Wow it's been a while since i've written that down! But hey there!! I'm back, and this time it's for good!! 

So i kind of fell off of the map last year, but now i have more time. More time to read, to write, to blog, to binge watch things on netflix...its a good time all round over here! 

So, hey. I'm so happy i'm back to blogging. New and exciting things are coming soon, and i CANNOT WAIT for them!! 

I'll be sure to keep you updated! 

I missed you. 

See you soon!!

All the love, Meghan x

An Update

Oh boy has it been a while....

Hey there internet!

So yeah...been a bit of time since i had time to sit down and write something. Sorry about that. But it has been a hell of a year!

I got promoted at work, got engaged, started planning a wedding...it's been a lot. But i want to get back into this little blog, because i miss it!

I'm going to write up a little post about a few of the books i've read since i've been gone (not all of them because oh boy that'd take a while) so that should be up soon :)

I've missed you little blog

Meghan xx

Anna and the French Kiss | Series Review

Hey there internet!

 

Today i'm here with a review of the 

Anna and the French Kiss Series!

 

This review will may contain spoilers, so consider yourself warned!!

 

Anna and the French Kiss 

 

4.5/5 stars

 

I changed my mind so many times when reading this book. At first i didn't really care about the story, or the characters. In fact the only character i liked at all was Rashmi. But by the end i was so engrossed in every aspect that i didn't want it to end!

 

I really loved the development of the friendships, especially Anna and Rashmi, and that surprised me, because going into the book it didn't seem like a story that cared about friends, more that it just cared about the hot boy. But i loved how real the friendships felt. They weren't all easy and great from day one, all of them had problems, and that's what kept me so interested in the plot. It felt like i was reading about a real group of friends.

 

The opinions that changed the most however were the ones i had about Anna and St Clair as individual characters. Anna was an odd one for me. At the start i didn't really care for her, then she really grew on me, then she lost me completely, then i was her biggest supporter. I honestly couldn't stand her at the beginning, she just annoyed the hell out of me, but by the end it was like i had literally seen her grow up. It was very odd.

 

Then there's St Clair. Oh St Clair. What a turbulent relationship we had. I truly hated him at the beginning. I couldn't understand why everyone who had read this book was so in love with him - i just wanted to punch him! But then i wanted to hug him. Then i loved him. Then we went back to the "i hate him i want to punch him" feelings. Then he was my favourite person in the entire book. His story was really interesting to me. I loved seeing his relationships with his parents - even if they were just snapshots through Anna's eyes. He was just someone i wanted to hang out with all the time.

 

I hated Toph. Ugh i don't even want to waste time talking about him, but him and Bridge were a big part of me coming to love Anna, so here we go. What they did was awful and it sucked so much. But i could see where Bridge was coming from, Toph - not so much. He was such a douche i just hated him instantly. Ugh let's move on.

 

There was one scene in the book that i still don't understand why it's there. And that's the scene where Anna attacks Amanda. Now don't get me wrong the actual "attacking a girl who's saying mean things about friend" is something i can 100% get on board with. What i hated about it was the particular insult that Stephanie Perkins decided to use. This book was written in 2010...there are 1000000s of different insults she could have used and i'm just really not okay or comfortable with the one she decided to just throw in there.

 

Overall, i thought this was a super great, fun contemporary and as soon as i finished i had to read the next one!!

 

(also a big thing i learnt - american's say banana different to english people. who knew....well...except literally everyone else!)

 

Lola and the Boy Next Door

 

5/5 stars

 

LOLA! MY GIRL! 

 

Lola is my favourite of the series. I love the characters, the plot was my favourite, the setting was my favourite, and i just loved every aspect of it!

 

This book had me gripped from the very first page, which was so nice after taking so long to get into Anna, and even though i hated Max with a passion (more on this in a second) the whole story was just so perfect i read it in one sitting.

 

Now. Max. Ugh. I have one thing to say. 22 year olds should not date 16/17 year olds under any circumstance. It's so wrong and i just hated it so much. I don't care that Lola kept explaining that she "lied about her age when we met" because as soon as he found out she was 16 he should have ended it. He shouldn't have slept with her. He shouldn't have treated her the way he did. Max was the ultimate awful, terrible boyfriend character. And oh boy did i hate him.

 

Cricket however is a whole other story.

 

Cricket is the kind of boy that makes reading contemporaries fun. He was interesting and funny and exciting and so clearly cared for Lola that it made me care even more about her. He was so different to St Clair, and i loved him instantly. I even loved his twin sister Calliope. 

 

One of the things i really loved about this book were the family relationships. Both Lola and her two dad's relationship, and Cricket and his family's relationship. They just added so much to the story and to the individual characters. I also loved the fact that both Lola and Cricket had two, normal, caring, loving parents - which never happens in YA! 

 

I loved how Anna and St Clair were incorporated into this book as well. I thought having them both work with Lola while St Clair was also going to school with Cricket was fantastic, and i loved seeing all their little friendships grow and change and deepen. Plus i just loved getting to see Anna and St Clair all happy and in love!!

 

Overall this book was probably my favourite YA contemporary i have ever read, and i am so glad that i decided to pick up this series!!   

 

Isla and the Happily Ever After 

 

5/5 stars

 

 Oh Isla. Isla. Isla. Maybe i should have lowered my expectations.

 

It took me at least half of this book to actually get interested in it! But man as soon as i was interested i literally couldn't stop reading!

 

I loved Josh as much as i did in Anna, but it took me SO LONG to like Isla. She just seemed really annoying and whiny. I don't know exactly what it was about her, but there was something that just made me hate her.

 

One of the big issues with this book were the sex scenes. Now i'm all for adding sex scenes to books, because hey it happens in real life why shouldn't it happen in books? But the ones in Isla were so awkward, and cliche, and cringey that i just wanted it all to go away.

 

Another issue i had was the feeling that Stephanie Perkins literally just chose two characters that were left and that didn't really do anything to be together in this book, and until about 70% of the way through i just didn't understand how they would ever work as a couple.

 

I did love how at the end he gave her the finished version of his graphic novel and then waited out in the rain for her. It was ridiculously cute, and honestly that graphic novel was the only thing that sold me on their relationship. But i'm glad it did.

 

But let's be real. The best thing about this entire book was the Anna and St Clair proposal! I cried. Like actual tears came from my eyes when i realised what was happening. I just love them so much. That moment was so perfect and so THEM that it made this whole book seem so wonderful to me.

 

Overall i did love this book, and honestly i think my running order of favourites is Lola, Isla, Anna....it's because of that damn comment that i just can't get over i'm sorry!! 

 

But Isla was the perfect ending to this series that i was looking for, even with all of it's faults i did love it and i was rooting for everyone in the end.

 

Meghan xxx 

Favourite Love Stories | Valentine's Day 2016

Hey there internet, happy valentine's day!

Today i thought i'd just do a quick little post telling you a bunch of my favourite love stories.

Let's go!!

Something Like Summer (and the whole series)

Anna and the French Kiss

Lola and the Boy Next Door

 A Midsummer's Nightmare

Everything, Everything

The Duff

Alec & Magnus in The Mortal Instruments

 Finding Audrey

 Boy Meets Boy

Know Not Why

Meghan xxx

Bookish Fangirl Tag

Hey there internet!

So i was sick last sunday and didn't get to make a post, so i thought i'd do this little extra post today!

I saw a few people on BookTube doing this tag and thought it looked like fun, so here we go!

Who is your book OTP?

 Alec and Magnus from The Mortal Instruments. My babies.

What is your favourite book fandom?

Probably Harry Potter...mainly for nostalgia.

Who is your book girlfriend/boyfriend?

Isabelle Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments.

Nathan from Midsummers Nightmare.

Which book have you read the most fanfiction about?

Harry Potter is the only book i've read fanfiction about...i think...

Which book has given you "all of the feels"?

George

Which book made you go "i can't even"?

Shut Out

Which book has made you go "nope"?

Anna and the French Kiss

Meghan xxx

The Book Blogger TMI Tag!

Hey there internet!!

I was stuck for a blog idea for today, and i was almost, almost, tempted to just forget today's post and just post again next week.

But that's not what 2016 is about!

So as i was reading through a whole bunch of old posts from various book blogs i stumbled across the Book Blogger TMI tag and thought it was a perfect fun little post for a day when i just have no thoughts left in my brain.

So here we go!

How old are you?

I'm 23 and i am not looking forward to turning 24 this year.

What book are you reading?

Currently i'm reading Death Note Black Edition Vol.6, Anna and The French Kiss, and Nine Stories. All very different.

 What are you wearing?

Black jeans, star wars tshirt, and an american flag gap hoodie. Really the height of style here at Not Quite Alice.

Blogger or WordPress?

Blogger. Everyday. I could never get on board with WordPress, i have no idea why, but all the blog's i've ever had are run through blogger so.

 What is the last book you read?

Death Note Black Edition Vol.5. Great book. 5/5.

What is the book you're going to read next?

When i finish the three i'm currently working through i think i might pick up My Life Next Door, or maybe Room....I'm not sure yet.

eBooks: yes or no?

Yessssssss. I love the ease of eBooks tbh.

Where do you prefer to read?

On my bed. I can get all comfy with cozy blankets.

Who is the last person you tweeted?

Probably my friend Marygrace tbh.

Whose blog did you look at last?

Ashley's, which is a personal blog you need a password for so i'm not going to link it, but it's a great blog.

Who is your favourite book-tuber?

Raeleen. Ariel. 

What do you do when someone tells you reading is boring?

Say they're reading the wrong things, but also you do you.

Who is the last person you text?

Stephen, it was about a 5sos song. As always.

Who is your all time favourite book character?

Holden Caulfield

UK YA or US YA?

I think i actually end up reading more US YA than UK YA. I think i just love reading about somewhere that isn't all that familiar to me?

What is your preferred drink whilst reading?

Water is almost always my preferred drink so.

If you hated reading, what would you be doing instead?

Watching films 24/7. I love films, but i'm usually reading more than i'm watching them so if i didn't like reading i think i'd definitely be watching more films.

How many bookshelves/bookcases do you have?

I have two bookcases and then like two shelves on their own?

Insta-love: yes or no?

No.

Favourite author?

Stephen King, J D Salinger, Kody Keplinger.

What is the number one book on your wishlist?

The classic cover edition of Catcher in the Rye. It's just so beautiful and i need it in my life.

Do you prefer books with male or female protagonists?

I don't really care tbh.

What is your favourite book-to-film adaptation?

Peter Pan (2001)

What is the last song you listened to?

Body Parts by Courtney Act

Which do you enjoy reading more: positive reviews or negative reviews?

It depends on the book. If i love the book or i'm excited about it then positive reviews all the way. If i don't like the book or i'm not that excited about it then i'm all about the negative reviews.

Meghan xxx