Book Review: Big Bones by Laura Dockrill

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Content Warning: Mentions of food in detail and one scene that describes induced vomiting.

This was awesome! I was worried when I saw it had a plus-size main character, would it be focused on dieting and wanting to lose weight? How wrong I was to worry!

Bluebelle or BB to her friends in the fat positive (screw this thin person only 'body positive' bullshit) heroine that teen girls need! Even her thin younger sister Dove doesn't fit conventional feminine stereotypes of boys and make-up either. Instead she is a badass free-runner.

The side characters were an interesting bunch as well, Alicia was a nightmare, exactly the sort of person you don't want as a friend or boss. Max was a sweetheart. Dad seemed kind of useless but at least he was there for his daughters.

I loved that the book focused on the joys of food, both preparing and eating it. I thought the fact that it wasn't in traditional food diary format was a good thing. I feel like for a book about weight acceptance that the traditional format (e.g. breakfast - cereal etc) might be triggering for some people. I guess the mentions of food in general might be but at least it was pretty much all positive. There were maybe one or two foods that Bluebelle mentioned she didn't like but that was it. Oh the walkthrough on how to make yourself vomit in a childhood flashback was highly problematic in its detail.

Otherwise I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of numbers talk in general and Bluebelle's eventual gym attendance is for strength not, I repeat NOT weight loss. In fact on a return visit to the nurse at the end of the book Bluebelle is told she has lost weight and she replies that she doesn't care or that it doesn't matter, a scene that I absolutely love!

Laura's writing is fabulous though, it flows well, is beautifully descriptive - even foods I don't like/haven't tried I wanted to - and so so funny! Be careful reading the post Shepherd's Pie scene in a public places, you'll probably laugh out loud, it certainly had me grinning like a Cheshire cat.

5/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Book Review: Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

This book was so cute but it had serious and important stuff too! How often have we all read novels and got swept up in the romance wishing we were dating the hero (or heroine in my case)? Well this book takes a look at what happens if you do date the hero, from both the good and bad sides actually.

I absolutely love Merrilee and how small but strong she is, not necessarily physically but emotionally, she had the strength to realise that something wasn't right and to do what needed to be done. Monroe was a jackass who needed way more of a comeuppance. Eliza was a great friend and I felt sorry for her with her parents being constantly absent.

Toby was a sweetheart and the perfect example of how to act when you have a crush on your friend that isn't reciprocated. That is, no differently to normal and if you have that much of an issue (which Toby didn't) then break off the friendship. Fielding was an interesting character and I loved the way he developed over the course of the book.

All the characters were well-developed and I really wanted to know more about Mrs. Gregoire, did she have some kind of magical powers? The whole life imitating fiction thing was fascinating as well, I'm just gutted we didn't learn Trent and Lilly's 'bookish' story. Small plot gaps like that are what knock off half a star, it was so so close to being 5 stars and on the web where halves don't exist it'll be rounded up rather than down.

4.5/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Song of the Week #12

So I wasn't originally going to do a 'Song of the Week' this week because I just couldn't think of anything but then a song just popped into my head: 'The Misty Mountains Cold' from The Hobbit soundtrack.

I haven't even watched the film in a while to recall it in an instant but I'm sitting here listening to a documentary narrated/presented by James Nesbitt who plays Bofur in the trilogy (I did have to look that up, getting the Dwarves' names straight is almost an impossibility for me) and thinking that he has a good storytelling voice (hence the whole actor thing I guess) and then the song floated it's merry way into my mind and I thought that'll do for this week's post 😄 it's a beautiful song and it fits the film perfectly, honestly all the Middle Earth films have had fantastic soundtracks.

Oh if you're curious the documentary is about British (I think) disasters, this one is the Paddington train crash in 1999, commonly known as the Ladbroke Grove rail crash which killed 31 and injured more than 500.

Stef Out x

Book Review: She, Myself and I by Emma Young

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

This was an interesting take on identity and what ifs. The story was well-written and drew me in and I loved the concept. Everything was really well researched and while not possible at the moment everything seemed plausible.

I really liked the characters, Rosa in particular was interesting in her lack of identity and introspection, she's intriguing in the nature/nurture context as well, how much does memory and experience shape us? I also loved Elliot's musings, particularly near the end.

Joe was nice but going across country when you've only known someone for a couple of days was not a sensible idea or one to be encouraged. The whole plotline around Joe and the instalove with him was the main reason stars were dropped.

I felt like the scene with Althea was too brief after so much build-up, I think that more could have been done there. Also a small niggle but Rosa's internet friend in Japan seemed a useless plot-point. Why mention lying to your internet friend if nothing is going to happen, I expected a scene later with Rosa coming clean about everything, especially as it's implied she's going to leak the truth anyway.

3/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Song of the Week #11

Welcome to another song of the week. I really need to start planning these out or something because I was a little stuck today but then 'Badman' by Newton Faulkner popped into my head and I thought "that'll do" so here we are.

I don't think there's an official video, the caption on Blogger's YouTube finder made it seem like this one is fan-made. The thumbnail is a little odd though, I must admit, a floating head with shoes LOL! It'll probably also get a few scowls because Newton Faulkner is a white guy with dreadlocks, and a ginger one at that. But dreadlocks and my thought (irrelevant as they may be) are another post.

As for the song, I think it has a good rhythm and flow and has a nice simple feel but with a strong message: "Cities built on battlefields and shopping malls from meadows, Rivers redirected there's no red greens blues or yellows, Take a little time to find a better place away from all the noise and the drinking, We could run away and find a better day not watching while the ship is sinking." It's talking about deforestation and the ripping down of nature and destruction of green spaces for development. It's hard to strike that balance. People need homes but so do animals. And some of the people that need homes the most are constantly ignored yet there are already so many empty office buildings and shops that could be used as temporary shelters but people won't agree because it would cost them money but with no profit. And big bosses are all about the profit.

Well this got more serious than expected... Back soon with either a book review or the next 'Song of the Week', whichever comes first.

Stef Out x

Book Review: The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

OMG this book! So current, so important, so so needed! I was just constantly going "Yes! This!" throughout. I have never read a book that hits the mark so completely and it was just brilliant and incredible!

I loved the characters, Izzy is fantastically written, as is Ajita. I even liked Danny - at the start - Laura's characterisation is that good! Carson was sweet, Grandma Betty was awesome and I would have loved to have seen more of Meg, she seemed lovely. I loved the flow of the story and the way everything develops, it all felt so real!

This book seriously needs to be a must read in schools, the discussions around consent, slut-shaming, the friend-zone, double standards, revenge porn and race (mainly regarding Ajita) are so important to have.

5/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Song of the Week #10 Album Special #2

Trigger Warning: Talk of suicidal feelings.

This is my tenth Song of the Week so it's time for another album special. I fully admit I haven't really thought that far ahead with either songs or albums but there was at least one other album I wanted to feature: The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance!

First up is the song that spoke to my depressed, bullied teenage heart. Before this I was still mostly into pop music: Britney Spears, Steps, S Club 7 and oddly Shania Twain were my usual fare but in the early to mid 2000's things were bad at school and getting worse and I had no one to hang out with outside school (the few friends I had didn't live local and the one that did I couldn't trust by this point) so I would spend a lot of time at home watching the music channels. Most of the time it was the usual pop with a bit of dance and R&B but around 2005/6 the 'emo' movement started to become popular which meant more alternative songs being shown and 'Welcome to the Black Parade' spoke to my soul instantly. The music grabbed me and I found the video a complete feast for the eyes. Soon after I bought the album. I believe it was around this time I bought my Maroon 5, Green Day and Coldplay CDs so My Chemical Romance were really my true introduction into rock and alternative music.

My other big favourite on the album was 'Famous Last Words'. It was another one that spoke to my suicidal teenage self, I wanted to die. I didn't think things were going to get better but I was scared. The line: "I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone" really resonated with me (so much so that even all these years later I want to get it tattooed) almost because I felt the opposite, I was afraid of the future - still am sometimes at 27 - and I didn't want to do it alone. The only reason I didn't kill myself then was because I didn't want to hurt my mum and leave her alone, and with one almost moment because I hadn't left her a note.

Things did eventually get better, then they got worse and the thoughts re-surfaced, I fought back against those thoughts and things slowly started to improve again and now I haven't had any solid suicidal thoughts for a few years. That's not to say there aren't some moments in time that I think maybe things would be better if I weren't here but there's no action to them.

Thinking back it looks like I've probably had depression but I hate going to the doctors so it has obviously never been diagnosed, same with the likely anxiety I have that makes things like phone calls absolutely crippling and makes me hate confrontations of any kind.

So yeah, a bit of emotional outpouring there... The Black Parade supported and saved me through some of my toughest teenage years and for that I am incredibly thankful, I'm just sad that the band themselves are no more. :(

Stef Out x

Book Review: Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

My first NetGalley review!

Beautifully written and poignant this is the story of half-Japanese Kiko and her emotionally abusive, manipulative white mother who constantly criticizes Kiko and her looks. Apparently she can do nothing right and this has given Kiko a severe case of anxiety and co-dependency, initially leaning on best friend Emery she switches to childhood friend Jamie after Emery leaves for college.

Two shy brothers, and a father I'd like to know about, plus a fascinating Japanese artist round out an interesting cast of characters. The character development was brilliant and I loved how Kiko matured and grew up and learned to handle her anxiety and become independent.

I absolutely loved the story and I thought it flowed very well. I was drawn in and I couldn't put it down, I loved Akemi's writing style and I can't wait to read more from her.

5/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Book Review: Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine

Engaging and intriguing. I loved the characters, Jazz and Lucia's relationship was brilliant and as nice as Borden was I kind of wish they could have got together (top tip writers: make it more gay), but even if they couldn't I liked the fact that Jazz and Borden's relationship was more of a slow burn over time.

The backstory was interesting and I wanted to know more, especially since the title is 'Devil's Bargain' yet there is no explicit mention of the devil and everything seems very morally grey.

It's certainly a testament to Rachel's writing ability that everything - even the side characters - is so well-developed.

4/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Book Review: Death Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Content warning: rape.

The story drew me in from the first couple of pages, I liked Ari and the initial backstory was absorbing.

I liked the world-building, loved the characters - Violet is adorable - though a couple of them were less distinct e.g. Dub? I can't really remember anything other than their name. The mythology was an interesting blend that worked really well and is something I hadn't seen before.

There were a couple of things that caused a star to fall: firstly the instalove, you met this guy a matter of hours ago and you're already snuggling?! Secondly the rape, witnessed rather than experienced but maybe more descriptive than necessary. Also some passages seemed unnecessary at the moment. Ari's past in foster care and a sudden mention of her father at the very end of the book.

4/5 stars.

Stef Out x

Song of the Week #9

Time for another song of the week and this week it's another double video feature with the tear jerker 'How to Save a Life' by The Fray.

It's one of those songs that I'm sure we can all relate to. The angst of losing a friend or a relationship, we may not want to but sometimes it can't be avoided. The 'best' exits are the quiet ones, this is talking about the other kind: 

"As he begins to raise his voice

You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came"

It's a scene fraught with tension and emotion and it just gets to me and I can really visualise it happening.

It was also one of the best performances in the Grey's Anatomy musical episode 'Song Beneath a Song', their voices all just blended really well in this scene and I thought it was beautiful. A must watch in my opinion.

Stef Out x