Top 10 Contemporary Romance Reads (Updated)

Due to the fact that its Friday and I have the whole weekend off, I thought I would get into the spirit and write about one of my favorite genres- contemporary romance... *swoons*
So last April I did this exact topic, but I feel like my list has shifted completely. 1) I now have a lot more experience in the contemporary romance genre 2) Last time I only did 5 books and I don't think it does the genre justice. 3) Although some of the books are the same, I really wanted to add some of my new favorites. I hope you enjoy!

P.S. This is in no particular order because how could I choose between them. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
One of my all time favorite books, beautifully written perfection which I am obsessed with. Plus Étienne St Clair.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Such an incredible trilogy by one of the my favorite authors, perfect for summer (or any time of year) Could not recommend enough!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
I was only going to put one Jenny Han book in but I couldn't decide which one. I love this one so much, a perfect contemporary romance. 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I read this in one night and it was a perfect, quick read. If you're looking for a book to read in one sitting then this is it, nothing too heavy but so enjoyable none the less.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
At the beginning of the summer I read this and fell in love. I loved everything about this book, it was seriously perfect. Morgan Matson's other two books are just as good but this is my favorite.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

This was my first Colleen Hoover book and I really enjoyed it, its beautifully written and the slam poetry in it is amazing... Recommend!

The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan

I really haven't heard much about this book, but I LOVE it. I honestly didn't expect that much from it but then I could not put it down (it was like 1am) sooo good!

Fangirl

There is a crazy amount of hype surrounding this, if you haven't got to this yet then definitely give it a go, its extremely funny and relateable!

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

This. Book. Was. Amazing. I am obsessed with Sarah Ockler at the moment and am gradually collecting her books. This has been my favorite so far- a lot of love for this book.

The Fault in Our Stars

I almost didn't put this in because its such an obvious one, but how could I not? Eventhough it made me shed an awful lot of tears, its just such a good book. Definitely read it if you haven't!

So there it is! My top 10 contemporary romance reads, I hope you enjoyed this post and got a few recommendations, they're all amazing books so I would definitely look into them! Thankyou for reading,

-Darcy

Books I want to read before 2016

The year is coming to a close... Already?

My last post on this blog was 2014, which I cannot believe. My blog has fallen into a state of neglect due to the untold craziness of 2015, exams and work and school and all of the things have just blocked me from doing something that I truly love. And that kind of sucks. But now I am determined to write on this blog as much as I can and make sure that I don't abandon it, because I truly love it. So today I thought I would do a TBR of sorts, with only just over a month left of the year I want to get as much reading done as possible; these are the books I would like to tackle first...

 Popular by Maya Van Wagenen

I started this memoir back in the summer and was loving it, but other books got in the way until I completely forgot about it! This is a non-fiction account of Maya Van Wagenen who finds an old fashion guide on 'how to be popular'; and so she decides to follow everything the book tells her to do. I absolutely loved reading Maya's story and so I really need to finish it before the end of the year! I really recommend this book, Maya writes so beautifully and I had to keep reminding myself that this actually happened. I have so much respect for Maya and if she writes anything else in the future I would be extremely inclined to pick it up. 

Winter by Marissa Meyer

I have waited all year for this book to come out and now I finally have it- the excitement is unreal. You have probably heard of the Lunar Chronicles, the wonderful sci-fi series by Marissa Meyer, but if not- you must read it! The first book follows Cinder, a cyborg mechanic. The series just keeps getting better and better as you go along! After finishing Cress, Winter became one of my most anticipated books of the year. From what I have read, I am seriously not disappointed. I'm 200 pages in and could not have wished for more, I will definitely be finishing this by the end of the year and will be crying when its over!

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

A book that everyone is obsessed with. I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read this, I bought it at the beginning of the year and its just been sat on my shelf waiting. Maybe its the sheer size of it that threatens me, but I just need to get to it! I want to read at least half of it before 2016, I guess we'll see. I can honestly say that I have not heard one bad thing about this series, I hope that I love it as much as everyone else! I don't know too much about this book and I don't want to try and give you a summary because I will probably make a complete mess of it. I can tell you this: Its high fantasy and it has a gorgeous cover... Cover love is real. 

So those are three books that I really want to get to before the end of the year. Its not a huge amount but obviously I will be picking up other books aside from these. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and thankyou so much for reading, I will have another post up soon!

-Darcy

Christmas Reads

So, the last time I blogged was in August... Which is a little ridiculous! I'm sorry, it has been super busy constantly... But enough of the excuses!

It is Christmas TOMORROW! That is right, tomorrow! I am buzzing with excitement. Family time and food and presents and super good TV, not to mention the Doctor Who Christmas special. Its fair to say I'm excited. Whilst on the subject of Christmas, a merry one to you! I hope you have an amazing day. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then I hope you have an amazing day just the same!

I could definitely talk about Christmas all day, but considering this is a book blog, I had better not... On to the reading!

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

So this is the second book in the 5th Wave trilogy. If you have yet to pick up this series, then I highly recommend you do. It is the perfect blend of action, romance and awesome characters. 

I have almost finished this book, so far it has been SO good, at first I found it difficult to get into, but once I was into it there was no turning back. 

I absolutely adored the 5th Wave and am currently enjoying this one just as much. Please look into it if you haven't read it already, the world, plot and characters are amazingly built by Rick Yancey. I am so excited to get the third book in this 5 star trilogy.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Once I have finished the Infinite Sea, I am extremely ready to start Angelfall by Susan Ee! This is a book that I have wanted to pick up since I first heard about it, since then I have seen the amazing reviews it receives. Finally I own it! Not only have I been highly anticipating reading this, I am in the mood for it right now. Before Angelfall, I hadn't really been interested in reading another angel book (previous ones had not been that good) but this one really intrigues me! I have heard it is quite dark... Interesting!

If you have already read Angelfall, let me know in the comments what you thought!

Wake by Amanda Hocking

I am nearly finished with this book. Wake is about sirens (basically like mermaids, I'm not sure what the difference is), it is quite a dark twist on mermaids which I wasn't really expecting going into this book.

I picked up this book a few weeks ago and since then have been reading small bits of it at a time. I know this is quite a popular book, but from what I have read, I am not liking it. I just don't really like the writing style and the plot is a bit lacking in my opinion. But I am definitely going to finish it over the next few days and see if my opinion changes. Its not really bad, but I'm not a fan from what I have read. If you have read and enjoyed this book, let me know! I would love the hear your opinion.

That just about wraps up my currently reading. I know none of these books are Christmassy (is that a word? It is now), but I don't seem to be a seasonal reader... I asked for a few books for Christmas so hopefully I can do a haul afterwards... Yay!

Again, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and you get all you asked for! Thankyou for reading, 

-Darcy

Reading Update

I'm back!

I haven't posted since May, after being extremely busy with exams and such, I just haven't found the time to write any new posts. Now I have time! Yay! So I wanted to do an update on what read in the last week, I hope you enjoy!

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

I finished this about a week ago and really enjoyed it. I bought this back in January and didn't pick it up because I wasn't sure about it. Some reviews said this book was 'absolutely terrifying', others said it 'wasn't even scary'. I'm not sure about the horror genre, as I'm personally not a big fan of that kind of thing. Anna Dressed in Blood wasn't too scary, slightly graphic, but it didn't affect me much. Overall I did enjoy it, the romance wasn't my favourite, but I liked Cas, the main character. The first half of the book was definitely more gripping to me than the second. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to try out horror.

Overall I gave it 4 stars.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

After waiting (not so patiently) for what felt like a life time, I finally read Isla and the Happily Ever After. This is the third book in Stephanie Perkins' companion novel series, the first being Anna and the French Kiss. Stephanie did it again, she made us swoon, made us fall in love with another book. If you haven't picked up these books yet, then I strongly urge you to, they are some of my absolute favourites.

Although Anna and the French Kiss is still my favourite in the trilogy, I loved this book. I didn't connect with Isla's character as much as the other two, but I still loved her. I could read Stephanie's books forever.

Overall I obviously gave it 5 stars.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

I finally read it! I have waited so long for it to finally come out in the UK, and I have devoured it already. Last night I picked it up and finished it this morning, I believe there will be another book after this (THANKYOU).

Lara Jean's character is so cool and quirky, I adored her and her story. After reading The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy and the two books that are out of the Burn for Burn trilogy, Jenny Han is definitely one of my favourite authors. To All the Boys I've Loved Before did not let me down, I highly recommend it, just so fantastic. Not to mention the cover, I love the cover alot.

Overall, another 5 star book from Jenny Han

So those are the books I read in the last week, I recommend them all. I have no idea what to read next, but I guess we will see... Thankyou for reading,

-Darcy

Top 5 books that make me cry!

The title explains this post... These are the top 5 books that make me cry!

To be honest, I'm not a huge crying person, but there are some books which get me. FOR EXAMPLE THESE ONES. Ofcourse, these aren't all the books that have made me cry, these are the ones that have made me cry most. All the books on this list are my favourite books/ series... Which I can't help, I guess its just how attached to the characters you get!

Also, the books are in no particular order! There will be NO spoilers.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Do I need to explain this? Was it the most obvious one?

TFIOS made me sob, I literally stared at the wall, just crying. You will know what I mean if you have also read it (which is most people), if you didn't show any emotion during this book, you are not human!

Eventhough I was spoiled, John Green still managed to make me sob. If you haven't read this book and have been put off because you know it is sad... Just read it, the sadness is worth it and is also such a huge part of what makes this read so beautiful. 

It is so easily one of my favourite books and many other peoples.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

*sighs* TID fans will know what I'm talking about...

I adore this book, this trilogy and honestly, Cassandra ended The Infernal Devices so perfectly... The rest of the book makes me so happy, but that one part... I was crying whilst reading, I needed to carry on reading! But I couldn't stop crying, it was a mess.

I got way too attached to this book, so for the rest of the day after reading it... I kept thinking about it and welling up. It got to the point where I had to stop thinking about it. 

I love The Infernal Devices trilogy, I think I slightly prefer it to The Mortal Instruments (I love both, don't get me wrong) so everyone HAS to read it.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Yup. Ofcourse this one had to be on here. 

I don't think it helped that I read the end of this at about midnight, I sat and cried for about 20 minutes- it wasn't good. I had to put the book down whilst I cried continuously. 

Allegiant was my least favourite book of the Divergent trilogy, it was good... But I much preferred the first two books.

Being a huge fan of the trilogy, when the 'thing' happened, I was distraught. It is genuinely really difficult talking about this without spoiling! But I will not spoil!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Do I really need to explain myself? The end of my favourite series, so ofcourse it makes me cry every time I read it. The Half Blood Prince also makes me cry, however The Deathly Hallows... ITS THE END. The end of the WHOLE series, the series that I, and so many others, grew up with! I cannot help but cry.

I remember finishing it and thinking, 'this is the end. There won't be another one.' That ofcourse broke my heart!

The Deathly Hallows and The Goblet of Fire are my favourite books in the series, definitely. 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Ahh. Mockingjay. Breaker of hearts, killer of feels.

Other than Harry Potter, The Hunger Games trilogy is my favourite series. It will be difficult telling you which parts made me cry without spoiling... Lets just say it was that part, that part and the end. I went into serious book after shock mode when finishing Mockingjay, 'this cannot be the end. No. This is not the end. It is not over.' It was a problem.

Even re-reading it, I had the same problems. When a series you love ends, it is very difficult to come to terms with that fact. I cried. More than I care to admit.

So! Those are the books that killed my feels, made me sob and tore out my heart. I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I am going to say now, if you have not read any of the books in this post: do it, do it now. 

Thankyou for reading,

-Darcy

This Weekend: What I'm Reading

This post is going to be a relatively short one about the books I am reading over this weekend! I hope you enjoy it.

The One by Kiera Cass
So, this book is not yet out, however, currently there is a website, Unlock The One, which allows the fans to unlock chapters from The One! Currently, the first 7 chapters are unlocked, so if you want to, you can go and read them! To unlock more chapters, just use the hashtag #UnlockTheOne on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram or Facebook. We have the chance to unlock a total of 10 chapters.
If you didn't already know, The One is the final book in The Selection trilogy. As it is one of my favourite series, I have been reading the available chapters on the website. Hopefully the last few chapters will be unlocked soon so I can read those!

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
The second book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This was on last weeks 'What I'm Reading', however it is a very long book, so I am still reading it this weekend! So far it is brilliant, I have no idea what is in store for the rest of the book... But I have heard it is even better than the first, which means it must be good.
Let me know if you have read this book in the comments as I would love to know your thoughts- but no spoilers!
I will also be watching season 1 of the show over the weekend, I am currently on episode 6, it truly is great! 

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
The second book in The Heroes of Olympus series.
I have been reading this one for ages! It shocks me that I haven't finished it yet, honestly, I am a huge fan of Percy Jackson. But this weekend I am going to pick it up and finish is once and for all. I have been loving it, however I kept on getting distracted by other books! There is only a small part of the book left for me, so I will finish it and definitely have a review up soon, I adore this series..
If you have not read any of Rick Riordan's books yet, I don't know why, but you really should! He is a fantastic author with a writing style that I personally love!

So, that will be the end of this post, it was quite short but I will have another post up extremely soon! Thankyou for reading,
-Darcy

My Top 10 Most Influential Books

Hello! This is going to be my post about the most influential books in my life. I am not going to go into much detail at all about why, just a brief sentence. I hope you enjoy it! These are in  no particular order!






Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
1) Quite an obvious pick, a huge part of my child hood.










The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
2) Taught me a lot, heart break, life, love.











Divergent by Veronica Roth
3) This one showed me choices, fear and so many feels.










The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4) A book that I fully invested myself into, I cannot describe my love for it. It influenced me in so many ways.










Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
5) What can I say? This one affected me in so many different ways.










Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
6) It taught me a different kind of love.











To Kill A Mockingbird
7) I love books that can teach me things, this one definitely did, the history element is also something I loved.










The Selection by Kiera Cass
8) This had a huge impact on the way I see books and how much I love to read... The book and the author, Kiera Cass, just make me want to write.










A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
9) Although I read this recently, I feel like it has given me a completely different perspective to BOOKS.

Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson
10) When I read this in middle school, it meant so much so me, as I was quite young it opened the world for me a little.






I really enjoyed making this post! It was so great looking back on the books which have influenced me. I hope you enjoyed this post,
-Darcy