Review: Shut Out

Hello there internet! I'm back today with one of many overdue reviews! This one is of a book i loved and i think it's just a super great read...Shut Out by Kody Keplinger!!

As always, i do try to keep my reviews pretty spoiler free - however spoilers happen and i am sorry, so read with caution :)

*I was sent a free copy of Shut Out to review - however all thoughts are my own and 100% honest*

Shut Out follows a girl named Lissa and how she is fed up with the constant rivalry between the Football team and the Soccer team, as are all the other girls at Hamilton High. To finally put an end to this rivalry Lissa comes up with an idea which she shares with all the other girlfriends of the boys on the teams - go on a sex strike. The girls all decide that they will have no sexual contact, including kissing, with any of the guys until they finally end the feud that none of them were around for the start of.

What i really love about this book, is that it has the cute, funny romance that i love about contemporary YA, and excellent character developments which i sometimes find missing in these kinds of books.

Lissa is such a great perspective to read from, and seeing her friendships develop, break, and rebuild is really lovely, and not to mention her romantic relationships during this no-hookup plan!

There are two guys in Lissa's love life - her boyfriend, Randy (perfect name choice) and the ever present rival on and off the field, Cash Sterling. Now Randy is the guy that i hated during this book, and we are definitely meant to. He is the epitome of crappy boyfriend and Keplinger has done an amazing job in making him easy to hate. However Cash is the opposite of Randy, he is lovely, caring, funny, and cute as hell. However, as in real life, there are moments when Randy is likeable, and there are times when you question how nice Cash really is...but it all works out perfectly.

I adored this book. It hit on really important ideas. There is a certain section where the girls are fighting about who is the biggest 'slut' and telling the virgins that they need to 'give it up' to their boyfriends. And then comes the greatest moment i think i have ever read in a YA book...They call out how stupid all of this is. Keplinger wrote such an amazing speech about how girls need to stop shaming each other on whether or not they've had sex, or how much they have sex, or (and this was the best, unexpected moment) on whether they even enjoy having sex! If i could get all girls to read that section at least, i would be so happy, because it is the most important thing that i think i have ever read in YA. 

I love this book, and i hope that everyone goes out and reads it, because my gosh is it a good one!

Meghan xx

A-Z YA Book Tag!

Hello there internet! I'm here today with a super fun tag that i found flying around on the blogging world, and thought i'd give it a go - the A-Z YA Book Tag :D

Here we go!

A book you wish you owned.

Salinger. It looks like such an amazing and fascinating book!

Best YA book cover?

I am a massive fan of the cover of Panic by Lauren Oliver. I think it looks so great.

Could you ever see yourself with any of your favourite fictional characters?

I mean me and Draco are forever. Also, me and Jace have got a good thing going on.

Do you ever wish you could live in a fictional world?

Who doesn't?! 

Epic battle or love story?

I mean i love both, but i will always be a sucker for a love story.

Favourite YA title you have read so far this year?

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington. I ADORE that book.

Ghosts or Aliens?

I'm not a big fan of either...sorry! But if i had to choose, i'd probably go with aliens?

How do you choose which books to buy?

If i like the author, if it sounds good, if it has a nice cover...that's pretty much it.

If you could be a fictional character for a day, who would you choose?

Isabelle Lightwood. I don't even have to think about that one.

Judge books by their covers?

Totally. If it's a nice cover, i'll pick it up and read the blurb!

Killing characters in YA books - should it be allowed?

Definitely. As long as they're not being killed just for the sake of it, but if it helps with the story, 100% do it.

Least favourite YA book you've read?

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. I hated it so much.

Male or Female protagonist?

Both.

Name a YA book you're desperate to read.

Panic, i can hear it calling me from my shelf!

One YA book you want everyone to read?

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It's one of my all time favourite books.

Pick 3 fictional characters you'd want on your side in the apocalypse.

(It would've been so easy to just have TMI characters...) 

Isabelle Lightwood, Draco Malfoy, Finnick Odair.

Quick read or Long read?

Usually i prefer a long read, but recently i'm into shorter reads.

Reading is essential to a happy life - agree?

I think it depends on the person. For me, if i couldn't read i know i wouldn't be as happy as i would be with reading. However, i know people who would happily go through life without reading, and i don't think one of us would have an advantage/a happier life than the other.

Series or stand-alone?

I'm a sucker for a good series. Although i do love stand alones!

Tell us the most recent book you've read.

I'm currently reading Something Like Lightning by Jay Bell - it's fantastic!

Vanquish which YA series with a magic wand?

Vanquish as in get rid of? Noughts and Crosses.

Vanquish as in defeat by reading? Divergent.

What do you love most about YA fiction?

A lot of things. I think one of the main things is that with YA i'm closer to the ages of the characters, or i've already been that age, so i just feel more connected to them - even if their world is completely different to ours!

X marks the spot! - Where is your favourite reading spot?

My bed.

Your house is on fire! - Which three YA books do you save?

Harry Potter series. The Mortal Instruments series. Thirteen Reasons Why.

(and yes i am having the entire series'!)

Zombies or Vampires?

Vampires. Every time.

Meghan xx

Top 5...#13

Hello there internet! As today is National Coming Out Day i thought i would celebrate it by looking back at my favourite LGBT books/characters. This was easily one of the hardest top five's i think i have ever done, but i love all of the books mentioned SO MUCH.

Here we go!!

5: Boys: An Anthology by Various Authors

This book is something new for my top five series as it's a non-fiction book, and my gosh is it an amazing one. This book is made up of different stories by different guys in the LGBT community, all of them true, and all of them wonderfully written. I cannot stress how much love i have for this book.

4: Alec and Magnus (The Mortal Instruments series) by Cassandra Clare

The relationship that develops between Alec and Magnus, as well as  the individual character developments of them both, are basically my favourite parts of this whole series. I adore Alec. I love Magnus. And my gosh am i the number one supporter of their relationship! They make me laugh, make me cry, and make me go awwwwwh far too many times. I love them and i hope more 'popular' YA series carry on to have equally amazing LGBT characters. 

3: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

I love, love, love this book. I love Paul. Noah is as cute as hell. Tony breaks my heart. And Infinite Darlene was everything missing in YA. I adore how this book isn't set at a school with a few LGBT teens who are struggling with their sexuality/bullying (as pretty much all of the LGBT books i had read before were) but rather it was the classic, funny, heart warming contemporary romance YA we all love, but everyone is LGBT...and it's fantastic!!

2: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

I bloody love this book. I love the differences in the characters, i love Tiny, i love everything. This book is truly one that just warms my little heart, and is easily my favourite thing either author has ever done. The way this book mixes the classic YA boy likes best friend who is a girl and the great boy meets another boy online and weird friendships and romances appear, alongside slight Holden Caulfield vibes from one of the Will Grayson's...it's fantastic.

1: Something Like Winter by Jay Bell

*Insert all of Jay Bell's books under this heading* Seriously though, Jay Bell is the king of LGBT books, and the king of my reading heart. He can do no wrong. Something Like Winter is my favourtie book of his, but in all honesty it's pretty much the same as asking someone to pick their favourite child. All of Jay Bell's books have a special place in my heart, and the relationships in SLW are just perfect. Every character in this book i love. Every relationship warms my heart and stresses me out in their own way, and it has everything i want in a book. So if you're ever in the mood for some good writing with excellent LGBT characters - Jay Bell is your man!

Happy Coming Out Day.

Stay Happy. Stay Safe.

I love you.

Meghan xx

Book Haul!

Hello again internet! 

Today i actually had time to sit down and make another YouTube video. Finally! I am so glad that my degree has finished so that i can get back into the swing of things when it comes to my blog and YouTube :D

I thought i'd ease myself back into the YouTube world with a book haul! Most of these books probably shouldn't have been bought seeing as i put myself on a book buying ban...but oh well! 

Here we go! 

See you next time!
Meghan xx

Taylor Swift Book Tag!

Hello there internet!

If there is one thing i love more than books, it's Taylor Swift's music! So when i saw there was a tag combining the two, i knew i had to get in on that!

I am so freaking excited about this, so let's get started!!

1 -We are never ever getting back together - pick a book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with.

I'm going to go for The Distance Between Us by Kasie West. I really did enjoy this book while i was reading it, but then it got to the end and it seemed like everything just went down hill, so i think i'll have to break up with it.

2 - Red - pick a book with a RED cover

This is pretty much the only Red book i could think of.

3 - The Best Day - pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic.

This is the bear by Sarah Hayes. My dad used to read this to me every night before i went to bed when i was little, it makes me very nostalgic.

4 - Love Story - pick a book with forbidden love.

Is it too obvious to go with Forbidden...nah i'm going to go with Forbidden, it has a love story between a brother and a sister...

5 - I Knew You Were Trouble - pick a book with a bad character you couldn't help but love

City of Heavenly Fire, i bloody love Sebastian, and he is so horrible but i can't help but love him.

6 - Innocent - pick a book that someone ruined the ending of.

Allegiant. I think most people had the ending of this ruined, but seeing as i found out about it before i had even started Divergent, the whole series just kind of got ruined.

7 - Everything Has Changed - pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development.

I'm going to go through Alec from The Mortal Instruments. Alec <3

8 - You Belong With Me - pick your most anticipated book release.

Sway by Kat Spears, oh man am i excited for that book!!

9 - Forever and Always - pick your favourite book couple.

Isabelle and Simon or Alec and Magnus from TMI. <3

10 - Come Back, Be Here - pick the book you would least like to lend out, for fear of missing it too much.

Harry Potter. Any of them, especially Chamber of Secrets because that one's signed by Fred and George, but i don't think i could ever lend those books out.

11 - Teardrops on my Guitar - pick a book that made you cry a lot.

Between the Lives. Oh man did that book make me cry.

12 - Shake it Off - a book that you love so much, you just shake off the haters.

Catcher in the Rye. A lot of people slag this book off, but i absolutely love it!

Meghan x

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My Stephen King Mission

Hello internet!

So you might notice link at the top of my blog that says 'Stephen King' and i thought i'd write a little post explaining what that's all about!

You might know (you might not) that Stephen King is pretty much my all time favourite author! I absolutely adore his writing, and i just think the man is incredible. So i've started my own little mission - to read every book he has ever published.

To complete my mission i am starting from scratch. Which means that all the books i've read by him so far don't count, i have to re-read them all.

Starting today (September 7th 2014) i am going to read all of Stephen King's books. I'm currently reading Mr Mercedes and LOVING IT, and after i think i might do a re-read of Carrie or Misery, as all of the books i already love have to be read again in order to count towards this little project!

I am so excited about it, because i know that by doing this i will fall in love with even more books, because Stephen King doesn't do bad writing!

I am including EVERYTHING in this mission. Fiction, non-fiction, books published under a different name - everything. I am so excited, and although this is going to take me a very long time, it's something i know i will never get tired of!

If you want to recommend which books to read first, or feel like joining me in reading any of them, let me know! I think it'll be nice to involve some other people!

Meghan x

Update!

Hello again internet! It's been so long since i sat down and wrote on here, and oh man have i missed it!

I thought i'd give a little update on what's happening these days.

So on Friday i finished writing my thesis for my Master's degree, and when i hand it in tomorrow i will have officially finished my degree!!! I'm really happy with how it's turned out, and hopefully so will the markers!

This basically means that i have my life back, so i can read anything and everything i want and not worry about reading things that will help with my thesis, so back to fiction i run!

I'm currently reading Panic by Lauren Oliver and Mr Mercedes by Stephen King. I'm only a little way into both, but i am absolutely loving them!

I'll see you next time!

Meghan x