Book Club: The Girl You Left Behind

Before I go into the book review, I just wanted to let you know that: As we are now officially in Spring (even though it feels like Winter), I decided to give my blog a bit of a spring clean. I changed my layout a little using a fantastic tutorial from Gillian (here), which was easy to follow and great for html novices like myself. I feel like it's now more aesthetically pleasing and less 'blocky' after getting rid of the black header backgrounds. I also made a new header using a font that I recently downloaded (and am obsessed with) and rejigged a few things around. What do you think of it? I hope you like it as much as I do!

Moving on to the main blog post: Today, I am reviewing "The Girl You Left Behind" by Jojo Moyes. I finished this in a few days, which is a feat for me as it usually takes me ages to finish a book. Like the other book I read by Jojo Moyes, I absolutely loved this book.

The book is split in two parts. Part I is written through the eyes of Sophie in occupied France in 1916 and tells the story of Sophie and her family working in their hotel, while their husbands are at war. The story has a nice pace to it and leaves a bit of a cliffhanger at a crucial point in her story, which made me want to read part II quickly to see whether or not you find out what happens to Sophie. I personally really liked Sophie's character and thought all the characters were well written.

Part II is set in modern day London and we are introduced to young widow, Liv, and Paul Cafferty, her new love interest. I found the story dragged a little in the middle of this section, but the story reaches a point where you can't read it fast enough as you want to find out what happens. The last quarter of the book leads you to a satisfactory conclusion and I felt rather emotional reading through the last few chapters of the book.

The two parts of the book are tied together by a portrait of Sophie, which was done by her husband before he left for the war and hangs in their hotel in the first portion of the book and is owned by Liv in the second portion.

I thought this was beautifully written and I enjoyed the dip into WWI history in part I. I have loved both of the books that I have read by Jojo Moyes and am looking forward to starting the next one.

RATING: ★★★★★

Have you read this book? If you haven't, read it!

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Book Club: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe & Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe (Jenny Colgan)

I read Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe on my Kindle at the end of last year and was thrilled to find Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe at my local library and I thought I would do some mini reviews of them. These books are your typical, easy reading, chick-lit books.

The Cupcake Cafe

I have to admit, I was drawn in by the girly, pink cover of this book. It is a well written book, with a nice plot and a happy ending. I found the storyline was partially a typical chick lit, with a few twists thrown in. The characters are well written and have a realistic air to them. I especially warmed to Izzy's character and found her to be relatable.

Rating: ★★★★

Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe

You do not need to have read the first book to understand the second as it doesn't build too much on the first one and you get a short introduction to the characters at the beginning of the book. I know I'm reviewing this way past Christmas, but it's a lovely festive book, which would be perfect for reading over the holiday period and makes you want to bake all sorts of Christmas goodies. I enjoyed the book, but found it to be a little dragging in places. The storyline was quite predictable and I felt it ended quite abruptly.

Rating: ★★★

I enjoyed both books and would happily read another book by Jenny Colgan. I loved the inclusion of recipes at the beginning of most of the chapters in both books. I wish I had given them a go, but I am a lousy baker. Naturally, the recipes in Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe are all Christmassy and makes me wish that Christmas was around the corner. These books would be brilliant for anybody that loves chick-lit and cake.

Have you ever read any Jenny Colgan books?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Book Club: Makeup The Ultimate Guide (Rae Morris)

This book by Rae Morris has been my bedtime reading for the past week or so and I thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you.

I think this book is great for anyone, whether you're a beginner, a makeup fanatic or just want some inspiration. I found the book easy to read and really enjoyed reading it. There are chapters that talk over all the basics that you could possibly want to know about and has sections with tutorials and eyeshadow combinations ranging from neutrals to glittery, colourful looks. The tutorials seem easy to recreate, as there are step by step instructions and clear pictures to correspond the instructions. I think it's great that there is a section for Asian eyes and over 40's, as they are often harder to find information about how to flatter them and I am excited to try out a few of the Asian eye looks. While I enjoy watching Youtube videos, sometimes it is nice to have a book to read and written step by step instructions to follow.

What makeup books would you recommend?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Book Club: A Girl Like You (Gemma Burgess)

I was hooked on this book from the beginning and loved it! I found Abigail's character is relatable. She's just come out of a long term relationship and is clueless about dating. I really like Abigail and Robert's relationship, their interactions were the ones that made me laugh the most and it was written in a realistic manner. I also like the way Abigail's friendship dynamics with her best friends, her sister and their other halves are written, as they kind of remind me of the 'Friends' group.

The story was a little predictable, but certainly enjoyable. It kind of reminded me a little of the film, 'The Ugly Truth' with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. I was engrossed from the beginning and kept wanting to know what Abigail was up to - a bit like a nosy friend hearing another's gossip. At the beginning the prologue describes an event, which the first 2/3s of the book leads up to. I was expecting that to be the end and there to be a happily ever after there, but the story develops more and leads up to a lovely ending, which left me with a goofy smile on my face.

I liked that there was specificity in some of the makeup and products that the characters used. For a beauty junkie like me, seeing the author name MAC blushers and lip glosses, Chanel Glossimers, Benefit Hoopla (I laughed at the typo, as it's called Hoola), REN face masks, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, Philosophy microdermabrasion kit etc. is like giving a fat kid cake. If you enjoy chick lit books, then this book will definitely be a winner for you!

Rating: ★★★★★

Have you read any of Gemma Burgess' books? I already have her first book, 'The Dating Detox' downloaded onto my Kindle!

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Book Club: Me Before You (Jojo Moyes)

Since I got my Kindle a month or so ago, I have read a lot of books (probably more than the past few years!), especially as I am commuting to and from London every day.

I'm not great at writing book reviews, but I thought I might start doing reviews of some of the books I read. I won't include any spoilers and the reviews will be fairly brief to be honest, but I thought it would be nice to let you know what I think of some of the books I read, in case any of you are thinking of reading them. I also have a goodreads account, but only really use it to rate books I have read and get recommendations. If you use goodreads too, then let me know your username!

Today's review is of 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes. I started this book earlier this week and finished it yesterday.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the book, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The book was easy to read and the characters were generally likeable and easy to relate to. I would classify this as a chick lit book, but it is definitely not your typical chick lit. It has the romance aspect (boy meets girl, etc etc), but it doesn't happen in a typical way. It also addresses a difficult situation, which has actually been in the news recently, which makes you think about some rather controversial and ethical issues.

This book really played on my emotions. There were some bits that made me laugh out loud (cue some weird looks on the train) and times where I would feel tears rolling down my face. The ending was expected, but unexpected - if that even makes sense. I really liked the pace of how the story progressed and the way the story developed.

The majority of the chapters were written from the perspective of Louisa, one of the main characters. A few random chapters throughout the book were from the perspective of other characters, such as Louisa's sister and Will's parents. I thought it was nice to get an alternative viewpoint from the less significant characters as it gives another perspective and in my opinion ties all the characters together. I was disappointed, however, that there wasn't a chapter from Will's perspective as I think it would have been interesting to know how he felt directly.

RATING: ★★★★★

I'm sorry if this review was terribly boring and I hope it wasn't too spoiler-ish. Have you ever read this book?

What have you read recently?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Winning

I was so excited to find out that I had won the lovely Tine of Beautyholics Anonymous' 4th birthday giveaway a week or so ago. When the doorbell rang this morning, I pretty much squeed when I saw the big 'AIR MAIL' sticker on the front! He must think I'm a complete loon. Oh well. I'm surprised how quickly the parcel arrived - Approximately a week - since Australia is pretty much the other side of the world!

I received:

'Lessons of a Lipstick Queen' by Poppy King
A lovely card from Tine and her business card
Anna Sui Face Color Accent in 301
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rivage
NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna
Kink Lip Lustre in Bella
Kink Lip Jewel in Pink Fling
Kink Eye Defining Pencil in Black
Calvin Klein Brow Definition Pencil in 204 Brunette
Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Rejuvenating Hand Therapy
A $50 gift voucher from Sweet Contemplation Accessories (Not pictured)

From L-R: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rivage, CK Brow Pencil in Brunette, NARS Laguna, Anna Sui Face Color Accent in 301, Kink Eye Defining Pencil in Black, Kink Lip Jewel in Pink Fling and Kink Lip Lustre in Bella.

I'm so grateful and excited to be able to try out all the products! The Chanel lipstick is definitely going to be my new go-to lipstick, the Anna Sui blush is such a beautiful colour and smells amazing and Nars Laguna is my first dip into the Nars pool... And definitely not my last!

Thank you so much again Tine!! If you guys don't follow Tine, I suggest you click on over and do so! Her blog is lovely and full of all sorts of good stuff!

xoxo, Joy