Book Club: Izzy's Cold Feet by Sarah Louise Smith

 

The gorgeous Sarah Louise Smith was kind enough to send me a copy of her latest book ‘Izzy's Cold Feet’ back in the summer, and I must send her a massive apology for not reviewing it sooner. Due to being super busy at work and one cold after the other I’ve been a bit disorganised and not had much free time. However being a massive fan of Sarah’s first book ‘Amy & Zach’, you can see my review here, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed with this read!

The Blurb

One bride to be, three ex-boyfriends.

Izzy is engaged to Greg, who is everything a girl could want.

The trouble is – all she can think about is the men she loved before she met him: sexy Ewan, the first love of her life; dependable Jason, who loved her more than she deserved; and irresistible Dexter, who broke her heart...

Then there's the fact that her sister has been missing since Izzy was twelve. After such a traumatic childhood, all Izzy wants is a normal, happy, settled life, but love is never simple.

In the week leading up to her wedding day, Izzy is forced to ask herself who she loves the most. And, given the choice, who would she want to spend her life with?

The Review

Have you ever thought about your ex’s and done the whole ‘what if....’ ? I think most of us have done at some point, and if so I suggest you read this book!

At first I didn't warm to the character of Izzy who is about to get married but has cold feet and starts to remember her past boyfriends. However as the story unfolds I eventually I did and I couldn’t put the book down!

At times I wanted to shake Izzy but you can also relate to her mistakes and terrible choices. Then in the next moment I felt sorry for her because she has huge dilemmas and a lot to get sorted in her head and in her heart. Izzy is really relatable as I think we all have self doubts and question ourselves.

The plot is great and really well thought out, Sarah has a talent for playing with the time line so you jump around from past to present. This way of storytelling can sometimes grate on me and make it hard to follow, but Sarah has done it seamlessly.

There is also an under plot involving Izzy’s missing sister, which added depth and emotion as well as  plot twists that I really didn't expect.

The ending was well structured and perfect, all the questions were answered and loose ends tied up. Luckily Izzy went for the man I was championing for!

Sarah has demonstrated yet again that she has a knack for seamlessly drawing together the past and present and creating authentic, imperfect heroines you adore and can relate to. I can’t wait to see what Sarah comes up with next! I am secretly hooping she will do a follow up to Amy & Zach, I want to see what happens next for those characters!

I was also lucky enough to interview Sarah a few months ago, you can find the Q&A here.

Motivational Monday #29

 

I had a weird old week this one just gone by. Works been super busy so I’ve not really stopped but I’ve been feeling a pretty mixed bag of emotions. I’ve been uber sensitive and feeling a bit lonely. I always find it strange how you can feel lonely when you have good friends and family around you, but that’s just how I feel.

Therefore this week’s quote is really fitting and ideal for my current mood. This week I am going to keep my head up, be confident, nit take things too personally and most importantly I am going to stay positive. I always find when I’m determined to act, be and feel upbeat and positive, only good things come from it.

Happy Monday!

P.S. When you read this quote are you singing it in your head like the song? Just me?!

The Perfect Rainy Sunday Afternoon*

 

I don’t know what the weather is like where you all are, but it’s been chucking it down most of the day and is pretty grey and dark outside. Therefore after a lovely early lunch and catch up at a local pub with two of my best friends, some may wonder what to fill the rest of their day with when the weather is only good for ducks. However I absolutely love a rainy Sunday as it means I can be a bit self indulgent! So I was a bit excited to get home and get my onesie on!

My favourite thing for a day like today, is to get super comfy on the sofa and have a Disney DVD session. I love pretty much all Disney films, the top ones for me are Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas... who am I kidding, I love all the classics! I have a worry thought that Disney has set my romance expectations so high and that’s possible the reason why I am still single! These movies make me feel all warm inside and are perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

To accompany a DVD session, it is all about picking the perfect snacks! My ultimate comfort food is Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Ice Cream, I have been known to eat a whole large tub in one setting, hence why I only buy the smaller tubs now!

Of course, popcorn is a must! Whenever I go to the cinema I go for ‘half and half’, half sweet and half salted popcorn. I LOVE it! I recently came across Darling Spuds ‘Darling Popcorn Sweet and Salty’ bags of popcorn, it’s so yummy! I really like the mix as I find having either sweet or salted I get a bit fed up of the taste. You can get this popcorn in small bags too, so if you’re like me and trying not to be too naughty it’s the perfect compromise for a nice treat! Definitely recommend them!

For my beverage, today I’ve gone for Cloudy Lemonade. I don’t tend to drink much fizzy pop so it’s a nice treat!

Finally, whilst I’m all snuggled on the sofa I give myself a bit of a manicure and paint my nails.

The Perfect afternoon! What do you guys do when the weathers not great? What do you do for a lazy afternoon?

 

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Hayley from 'Tea Party Beauty'

Here are my thoughts… I LOVE hearing other people’s views and reviews on pretty much anything especially books! Some of my favourite reads are ones that have been suggested by other people. So thinking along those lines,’ The Book Club Takeover’ was born! Hopefully each week I will bring to you a post from one of my lovely and amazing fellow bloggers who will in turn share with you what their favourite book is, why they love it and a review. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I do!

 

 

Hello. It seems a little strange saying hello to another bloggers readers, like I am cheating on my own :) I'm Hayley & I blog over at TeaPartyBeauty.blogspot.co.uk I mainly blog about beauty & the (un)interesting things that go on in my life. So if you ever pop on over you are more than likely to see beauty reviews, life updates & my general wittering. 

 

The lovely Gemma recently put a tweet out asking if anyone would like to do a book review of their favourite book. I got rather giddy when I saw this as I am a massive book nerd. I have over 200 books in my apartment, not to mention a kindle full too. My only problem was choosing a book. I love different types of books, but mostly ones that are real life stories dealing with the issues society faces. 

 

 

For my review I have chosen Alexander Masters - Stuart, a life backwards. I have read this book about 6 times & first picked it up shortly after it's release about 8 Years ago, each time I read this book it has me in fits of giggles & floods of tears. Each time I read it I discover something new; what more could you ask of from a book.

 

This is a true story written by Alexander about his time spent with Stuart over the course of a few years & how two opposite ends of society bond. What drew me in about this book is the fact it works backwards, you meet Stuart at the current time in his life & the story kind of works backwards to his childhood, explaining the way he is as an adult. At the start of the book, when Stuart is reading the first draft of the book by Alexander he dismisses it as boring, telling him to rewrite it  "Make it more like a murder mystery. What murdered the boy I was? See? Write it backwards."Although this wasn't the only element of the book that I was drawn to, Stuart has many problems in his life to tackle, disability, mental illness, homelessness & a criminal past. Exploring the age old question of 'nature or nurture'. 

 

This might all sound a little depressing, but I love books that give you a different view on the people you might normally judge, it opens you up & challenges your perceptions & the way you think. It also has some really heart felt moments between Alexander & Stuart, not to mention some wise words from Stuart. Plus quite a lot of swearing & funny moments. Here are a few quotes from the book, giving you an idea of the style & subject, without spoiling anything.

 

“I don't know, Alexander, sometimes it gets so bad you can't think of nothing better to do than make it worse.” 

 

“But one of Stuart's most personable (and most annoying) qualities is his refusal to judge strangers until he knows them, especially if they're peculiar.” 

 

“When life is this dull, you have to invent purpose. Collecting torn-up newspaper gives you a hobby, provides an anchoring intimacy with your surroundings, keeps the streets clean. Or so you think. Then one day you wake up and realise that it was all a con: what you had thought was an escape from madness was in fact the arrival.”

 

It is hard not to fall for Stuart, his wisdom, total disregard & the tragicness of him. He is an unlikely hero & you can see why he had such an affect on Alexander & the people he met. The book was later made into a film with Tom Hardy playing Stuart, it also won some awards. I have seen the film & have to say it is rather good, but as with most adaptations, it will never be as good as the book.

 

If this seems like your type of book, something that challenges your view of people, mental health & society then go get it. NOW. I cannot recommend this enough.

The Body Shop's Shimmer Waves

 

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Bronze is probably the longest standing piece of make up in my bag. I have been using it for years!

The reason I thought id share this product with you now is with Autumn now fully in force, I don’t know about you guys but I am feeling pale and pasty! Casper is not my style icon, so I have been using this bronzer to add a bit of colour to my cheeks.

It leaves a gorgeous tanned bronze colour on your cheeks. I have tried alternatives but find them either too dark, too glittery, too pink, too yellow. This trusted favourite is just the perfect colour for me and suits my skin tone. It’s also just the right consistency and the powder adds the perfect sheen and finish.

 

I also find it perfect for holidays, weekends away etc as it can turn multipurpose.  I use the individual waves as eye shadow, which I would highly rate for this purpose alone! Especially the gorgeous gold shade.

What do you use to avoid the washed out winter look?

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Blackberry

 

As you are well aware by now, I’m a little bit obsessed with the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint. This week I decided to give the shade ‘Blackberry’ ago, which is a dark navy colour. I thought a darker shade fitted into the change of season we are going through, Hello Winter!

I do love this shade, it goes well with pretty much any of my wardrobe choices and it suits my grungy look. As usual with this range it’s pretty good at not chipping and has a lovely shine finish.

What shade of nails are you sporting at the moment?

Motivational Monday #28

 

I sometimes get the feeling people think I can be a bit of a walk over. That ‘oh Gemma won’t mind’ attitude. Yes, I can be laid back but you don’t need to take the piss! Treat me like a friend and with respect please.

With this in mind, I LOVE today’s post, sometimes you just need to assert your inner bitch and look after yourself. It’s not being selfish its being protective of yourself and having enough respect for yourself to not let people take advantage. My aim this week is definitely to be more assertive.

Happy Monday!