August Mini Reviews

In August I managed to write a grand total of zero reviews for books which I read through out the month, so instead of just not talking about the books, I've decided to compile lots of little reviews into one post labelled 'mini reviews.' I hope you enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

My rating: ★★★★★

Hearing about this new Harry Potter play had me feeling a mixture of excitement and dread, having new Harry Potter content was something I never really expected to have. But I was worried that having it in a play form would lack depth and just feel like fan fiction. This book was definitely a completely different reading experience and it really surprised me with the direction that it took. But to be honest, I still haven't really made up my mind about this new installment, however I will say that I really enjoyed reading it. It brought back a whole load of Harry Potter emotions and it was definitely enjoyable to read. Yet part of me refuses to accept it as the '8th Harry Potter book' because the Deathly Hallows gave such perfect closure. To put it simply, I don't really know where I stand with this book, but the fact that I really enjoyed reading it leads me to give it 5 stars.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
My rating: ★★★★★
I'd been meaning to get to this contemporary romance for years, but it was never released properly in the UK. But back in December I was so excited when I saw it in the book store (I bought it immediately) then saved it for the summer because it seemed like the perfect beach read. I absolutely adored Fitzpatrick's writing style and story telling, for a contemporary book it was quite long but there was never a dull moment. Although the main character was a little bit frustrating, I loved how this book went deeper than just being a romance and really explored family values. I will definitely be picking up more by this author when I need my next fix of contemporary romance. 

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: ★★★✩✩

Being a massive fan of Bracken's The Darkest Minds trilogy, I bought this book to see if it would live up to her previous books. I had also seen rave reviews and the premise was really interesting to me. Time travel is always a really interesting subject to explore in books and I also adore History... But sadly I was a little bit disappointed. This book completely dragged for me and by the end I was so glad that it was over. I felt like the plot was so well thought out, but I didn't have any emotional connection to the characters so the book just ended up dragging. I flew through the first 100 pages and the book held real promise, but it took me the whole of August to finish the rest of the book and I felt that it was way too long for what it was. Like I mentioned though, I really thought that the plot was extremely well thought out- but I don't think I'll be picking up the next book.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought of them!

Wrapping Up August

The fact that August is over is a little bit scary; to me July only felt like yesterday. Soon the summer will be over and (for me at least) it will be back to school, beginning my last year before going off to university. So I am currently digging out my school folders and wishing it was still August. I had a great month of chilling out and making the most of these last few summer days...

Books
-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling- ★★★★★
-My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick- ★★★★★
-Passenger by Alexandra Bracken- ★★★✩✩
I spent the majority of the month reading Passenger which was a book which really dragged for me, I had high expectations so I was a little disappointed. But in between reading it I picked up The Cursed Child (of course) as well as My Life Next Door which I absolutely loved.  

Music
The songs I had on repeat this month-

• The Temper Trap- Fader
• Suga- Agust D
• Dodie Clark- 6/10
• Exo- Lotto
• The Vaccines- 20/20
• Lorde- Tennis Court (Flume Remix)
• Jungle- Busy Earnin'

Film/ TV

August was definitely the month that I fell in love with the film Dirty Dancing, so much so that I watched it twice in one day a few weeks ago. I am definitely one of those people who watches films on repeat (I can't tell you how many times I've watched Clueless), I wish my life was a rendition of Dirty Dancing.

I also went to the cinema to watch Suicide Squad. I am personally not a fan of DC, but was really intrigued by the premise of this latest film... The film fell flat for me and I feel that it wasn't very well made, but I enjoyed the characters of Harley Quinn and The Joker (yet without those two characters, I don't think the film would have had a leg to stand on).

I have two new TV obsessions this month which have taken over my life. The first is Community, I watch at least three episodes a day and I just can't get over how good it is. This show is so cleverly made and I can see it being a long term obsession. 

My other obsession is for the TV show Stranger Things (like everyone else on the planet), I finished it earlier in the month, but I still cannot stop thinking about it and I need season 2. I'm thinking of writing a whole post dedicated to this show because its truly amazing, (The best show I have ever watched?)

September for me is definitely going to be a quiet one, as of right now I have no plans, except school and work. I am hoping to make a few exciting plans for 2017 and to try some new things this coming month, making the most of the quiet time.