Best Boots Beauty Gift Sets | Christmas 2020
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
This year, more than ever, I am so excited for Christmas - I think it's the feeling of really needing some joy and festivity in our lives! It might be only October, but it's starting to get closer and closer. So today I will be rounding up my favourite beauty gift sets on offer at Boots this year. Boots have really upped their game this year in the beauty world, with a ton of new brands to choose from, so from affordable treats to luxury gifts, there's something for every occasion and recipient.
The Classics
This year you can still find all the classic Boots Christmas brands - the ones that always have a huge shelf dedicated to them. Soap and Glory is one of my favourites of these, because their sets are always great value, especially if you know someone who has never tried them out before. For only £10, five mini bestsellers and a tin to keep them all in is a steal, as is this makeup set - the mascara is worth that much on its own!
I remember when Jack Wills Christmas sets first came to Boots, years ago when almost my entire wardrobe was from there, and still today I think they are great sets. This beanie hat and body lotion is perfect for winter time, as is this mug set which even comes with hot chocolate and marshmallows! For essential beauty at any age, this Ted Baker set is perfect.
With the mass of hand sanitiser we're currently using, a hand cream set is an ideal gift. This one from Joules is super cute, including a cream and a gentle exfoliator. I also love their foot care set including some very cosy fluffy socks - is it just me, or is one of the best things to get at Christmas fluffy socks?!
Nails
Luxury Beauty
MAC is now at Boots! That was probably one of the only good things to come out of 2020. Yes, I know, you can find these sets in MAC's own shops / every department store, but then you couldn't earn Boots points on it, could you?! I love their firework inspired sets this year, including a lip kit which comes in two shades, blush and berry, and a highlight and brush set to achieve the perfect glow.
I also love Too Faced's Christmas range in Boots this year - their melted lipstick set is perfect for any lipstick fan, especially if they haven't tried a Too Faced Melted Matte lipstick yet, because here you get four shades to try and choose from - spoiler, they're one of the best lipsticks around. This mini-sized palette is also super cute and the warm golden tones scream Christmas festivity!
Benefit Cosmetics' range of sets are great value and perfect for every price bracket - starting at as little as £13.50 ranging to about the £50 mark. This 'badgal to the bone' set is £28.50 and includes two full sized products and one travel size, but I also love the three miniatures for £13.50. Considering one mini sized product retails at about £12, it's fair to say this is a very good deal.
I also have to rave about Pixi Beauty's Christmas products, including a glow tonic in festive packaging, and a set of three toners to try out. Glow tonic is one of my skincare essentials, and I first tried it at Christmas a couple of years ago. This is the perfect way of trying a new skincare brand if you're not too sure if you'll love it - although, trust me, you will!
Brushes
Makeup brushes make a perfect gift for a beauty lover - it means they can finally get rid of those old grotty ones in time for the new year and replace them with some new ones, which, if you choose Real Techniques, will also be styled in Christmas sparkle. However, I also love Spectrum brushes' range this year, their brushes are great quality and the pale pink is so pretty.
Newbies
Time to celebrate a couple more new brands included in the Christmas shop this year! Boots released their 'Glow' range a few months back and it has been packaged into some perfect sets for Christmas. I am also excited to see cult brand Frank Body this year, there's a few different scrub sets to choose from. Christmas sets are the perfect opportunity to try out a brand new brand!
The Perfect Accessories
Skinny Dip are a great brand for beauty accessories and their ranges in Boots this Christmas are gorgeous. This navy 'cloud and stars' makeup bag is absolutely dreamy, while the bamboo travel cup is an on-the-go essential.
Let me know what your favourite sets at Boots are this year - which brands are you most excited about?
EG x
Pretty In Pink: The Charlotte Tilbury Eye Quad
Wednesday, October 07, 2020
Charlotte Tilbury's Luxury palettes are exactly that - a luxurious package of four gorgeous complimenting eye shadows. They have now been expanded into a variety of shades, from golds, purples, or even green tones, something to suit every eye colour and skin tone. There's also a range of finishes too; some palettes include four very festive shimmery shades, while some have four mattes, and some are somewhere in between.
I had become a little bored of the huge, everything-you-could-ever-need eyeshadow palettes, and fancied something a little smaller and prettier in my makeup bag instead. After looking at eye quads from different brands, it is little wonder that I instantly fell in love with Charlotte Tilbury's palette range. The burgundy and rose gold packaging is stunning, and every shade combination offered something different.
After much deliberation, I settled on the Pillow Talk palette. Charlotte Tilbury's 'Pillow Talk' range is her best-seller, so popular that one 'Pillow Talk' product is sold every three minutes! Starting with one gorgeous, cult-favourite lipstick, the collection has grown and includes blush, mascara, eyeliner, and of course an eyeshadow palette. The range is inspired by soft rosy-pink hues, which make up this palette.
As mentioned, as a quad the palette features four shades. This one has two shimmers and two mattes, which makes it perfect to create a look with this palette alone, you have everything you need!
Unfortunately, the shades don't have names, which I may have expected from a luxury brand, but because there's only four it's very easy to differentiate.
The shade in the top left is a really pretty champagne-pink shimmer, a very classic and wearable shade. I consider this the highlighting shade of the palette and use it in the inner corner of the eyelid. It's not an 'in your face' shimmer, more of a satin finish which makes it really easy to blend out.
On the top right is our first matte of the two. It is a blush, rosy pink that I blend into the crease with a fluffy brush to begin a look. I am all about rosy shades like this right now so I really can't get enough of it. It's quite a light and neutral shade, for a classic everyday look this could be blended all over the lid for a really pretty rosy tint.
Underneath that one is the second matte. This is a pink with more of a dusky brown tone, perfect for adding depth to the eye. It might be my favourite out of the four, it's very pigmented and easy to blend and I simply love this sort of shade, it's really pretty in the outer corner of the eye.
The fourth and final shade in the palette is a rose gold shimmer - this one is very sparkly and effective placed all over the lid with a little flat brush. This shade really makes your eye pop! It's much more glittery than the other shimmer shade in the palette, you can tell the difference between their two finishes, and how the one above it is definitely more of a satin.
The four shades compliment each other so well and work perfectly together to create a classic eye look, which can be taken from day to night with the addition of a bit more of the shimmer and darker matte, to add depth. All of the shades are very pigmented - they are really a dream formula! I also found the shades very long-lasting, as long as I used an eye primer, they're good to go the entire day.
The palette retails at £40, which is rather pricey as this evens out at £10 a shade. Thinking about the fact that you get triple the amount of shades in an Urban Decay or Too Faced palette for a very similar price point, is it worth it? For a treat, I would say so - it is the perfect travel palette that looks and feels very luxurious. It is a special item to have in your collection, and all of the four shades are super wearable. If you're often overwhelmed by a bigger palette, or feel like you won't get the use out of all the shades, this is definitely suitable for you.
Have you ever tried Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadows before? I have been won over by this palette and now I am eyeing up which one I want to try next - the orange toned Desert Haze is calling my name!
Purchase the Pillow Talk palette at Selfridges or John Lewis
EG x
An Updated Vinyl Collection
Saturday, October 03, 2020
I wrote up a vinyl collection over two years ago, when I had only owned my record player for a few months, but today I think we are long overdue an update. My collection has more than doubled in the time since my last post - which sounds like I've added quite a lot!
You will see a theme of mostly similar artists because generally because while I love a huge variety of music, usually it's just the odd track of an artist that I can find on Spotify - these are all full albums that I truly love. You'll also notice that I love vinyls that are a little bit different - translucent, coloured, picture discs - so will be sharing with you the best ways to get a hold of these! This is definitely going to be a bumper post, so get comfortable!
Let's start with my first ever vinyl, The Script's Freedom Child. We ordered this from their official store, so I love that it is signed. Their latest album, Sunsets & Full Moons (I really
recommend a listen, every track on this is incredible) is a picture
disc and I love how unique it is. I also ordered their #3 album pretty
cheap on Amazon and it sounds so good on vinyl.
I mentioned in my last collection that I really wanted Harry Styles' album on vinyl and now I have just that - twice! While I play the normal black vinyl a ton, I also have a pink version of the vinyl that my parents got me after A Level results, which was released to celebrate 2 years of his debut. It's so pretty! Speaking of funky vinyls, possibly the coolest design of my collection has to go to Fine Line, his most recent album. The black and white splatter print certainly isn't something you see everyday and I think it's amazing.
Speaking of One Direction members, I also have both albums by Niall Horan on vinyl. His Flicker vinyl was one of the first to enter my collection so when he recently released his new album, it only felt right to order it. The Heartbreak Weather vinyl is a limited edition green which is super cool and I have loved getting to know the album recently - his single Nice To Meet Ya is a firm favourite but I also love the title track Heartbreak Weather.
An artist I absolutely love is Taylor Swift and I have been slowly adding her albums to my collection. I finally got 1989 not so long ago, which I was really excited about because it is one of my favourite albums. I also love the translucent pink and blue of the Lover vinyl. One of my most played vinyls has to be George Ezra's Staying At Tamara's. It is still one of my favourite albums two years on; every single track on it is incredible.
Unsurprisingly my Coldplay collection has grown a fair bit - last time I only owned A Rush Of Blood To The Head, their second album and one of my favourites. I have now added A Head Full Of Dreams which might actually be my favourite album ever? The Butterfly Package is a live vinyl from their Head Full of Dreams tour - this was a pricey one, being three gorgeous gold discs, and two dvds (concert and documentary), but I was very happy to get this at Christmas and believe it is totally worth it. While that one is gold, their latest album Everyday Life is a lovely silver which perfectly matches their black and white cover. This album feels more like a masterpiece, with my favourite tracks being Orphans, Champion of the World and Everyday Life.
I'm very proud of the fact I own all four of The 1975's albums on vinyl, it feels like a proper collection. I still remember how excited I was the day HMV had their first two vinyls on offer for £19.75! Their most recent album, Notes on a Conditional Form is the latest addition to my vinyl collection and I love how its sleeve is made with recycled materials.
On the subject of The 1975, I also have to mention the 7 inch vinyls that have recently been added to my collection. Instead of the usual 12 inch vinyl, these tend to only have a couple of songs on which makes them a cute collectible. By The 1975 I own Medicine and Loving Someone; I picked both of these up at the independent record label day at Coal Drops Yard, just behind Kings Cross, for £5 each. This event happens twice a year and you can get some amazing vinyl - just be aware that for The 1975 stuff, you will have to queue!
T H E F U L L C O L L E C T I O N
12 INCH
The Script - Freedom Child
The Script - #3
The Script - Sunsets & Full Moons
Niall Horan - Flicker
Niall Horan - Heartbreak Weather
Ed Sheeran - +
Ed Sheeran - X
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay - A Head Full Of Dreams
Coldplay - The Butterfly Package
Coldplay - Everyday Life
Taylor Swift - Reputation
Taylor Swift - 1989
Taylor Swift - Lover
5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
The 1975 - The 1975
The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It
The 1975 - A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships
The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form
George Ezra - Wanted On Voyage
George Ezra - Staying At Tamara's
Harry Styles - Harry Styles (x2)
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles
7 INCH
The 1975 - Medicine
The 1975 - Loving Someone
Coldplay - Orphans / Arabesque
W H E R E T O B U Y T H E M
Back in the day, certainly when I wrote my last vinyl collection post, I used to buy the majority of my vinyls from HMV. This was because of their loyalty card scheme which meant I could eventually earn enough points to get one for free. However, since they went into administration, ending the scheme and closing a lot of stores, they no longer became my point of call.
I am a huge fan of collecting vinyl records in fun colours and prints and the easiest way to find these is usually the artist's official store. This is where you'll find the exclusives, usually at the same price as a standard black vinyl from other retailers. Often, exclusives are saved for independent record stores too, which are worth a look in if you're in a big city. If you're more accustomed to shopping online, The Sound of Vinyl's website has a lot of deals and exclusives of a huge range of music.
H O W I S T O R E T H E M
I think vinyls are too pretty to just be kept away all the time, so I love displaying them on shelves on my wall. I only had room for six vinyls up there so I change them around regularly. The rest of my vinyls are kept in a super handy rose gold storage box. They are so easy to sort through in there, and the handle means you can transport them anywhere - although because the box is nearly full, it is pretty heavy!!
W H A T N E X T ?
As you can see my record collection has grown quite a lot now so there aren't too many gaps that need filling. George Ezra's first album Wanted On Voyage was at the top of my list for quite a while, but I picked that one up last week! One of the next vinyls to come into my collection will be Taylor Swift's Folklore that I have pre-ordered. It's a long wait, from July until late November, but the limited edition style (I got the Into The Weeds edition with dark green vinyl) will be worth it. There's still plenty of Coldplay albums I want to add, but they can be quite expensive, so that will take some time!
I'd love to hear what is in your vinyl collection!
EG x
Read my original vinyl collection here.
How Can Theatres Survive In A Post-Covid World?
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 West End, London
On average, a theatre needs to hold performances at 70% capacity to break even. If it costs more to perform a musical to a socially distanced crowd, than to not bother at all, how will London’s famous theatre industry survive?
On 16th March 2020, a week before lockdown officially began, theatres across the country closed their doors, with no one knowing when they would re-open. As each month went on, more shows were cancelled, more runs postponed, and then postponed again. Eventually, some of the West End’s most popular shows, including Les Miserables and Hamilton, announced they would not be reopening until 2021. The industry seemed doomed; it’s difficult to socially distance an audience, but even more difficult to distance a large ensemble cast, in a musical jam-packed with energetic dance numbers. The idea of bringing these shows back while social distancing remains the norm may be hopeless. The time and effort required to rehearse a show revamped for social distancing measures, along with a highly reduced audience capacity, would lead to a greater loss than not performing at all.
Despite this, early attempts were made to adapt the theatre industry for social distancing. Back in July, Andrew Lloyd Webber organised Beverly Knight’s performance at the London Palladium, trialling an audience sat several seats apart and wearing masks. However, renowned stage producer Cameron Mackintosh described it as a ‘disaster’, with Webber himself commenting that the distanced audience was a ‘sad sight’. Venues are designed to be packed; a quarter-full audience does not have the same atmosphere, nor does a masked audience have the same cheer. Is it really possible for the industry to adapt to our new normal?
It’s worth remembering that turning off the lights of the theatre industry doesn’t just affect theatres alone. With over 15 million tickets sold for shows at London’s West End every year, theatres are at the heart of the capital’s tourism. The influx of theatregoers increases spending on other industries including travel and hospitality; many restaurants in Theatreland have a dedicated pre-theatre menu, demonstrating their reliance on show-business.
So, how can theatres survive? The government announced a £1.57 billion support package for the arts industry, but for many this seemed to be too little, too late. This money will go towards buildings and institutions that house the industry, but not the freelancers that make up its majority workforce. Instead, the theatre industry has had to adapt to the situation with creativity, turning the focus to the online world. From the comfort of their homes, theatregoers are switching to digital content, with many shows being streamed online. The National Theatre’s At Home series streamed some of their most popular plays, including A Streetcar Named Desire, for a free limited period on YouTube. With a similar approach, The Old Vic used streaming as a way to boost revenue, streaming a performance of Lungs starring Claire Foy and Matt Smith, with tickets starting at £10. A digitalised version of the theatre industry could carry on into the future, as this makes performances more accessible to all, even if it's not in the traditional theatre as we know it.
Contrary to Webber and Mackintosh's initial disappointment, physical theatres are now beginning to be adapted in accordance with social distancing guidelines, in order to kickstart the industry again. I visited Wembley's Troubadour theatre for the first large scale socially distanced performance - the musical Sleepless, starring Jay McGuinness and Kimberley Walsh. With an audience sat in bubbles and a cast tested daily, it became a prototype for what we may see in the future. With Nimax theatres announcing socially distanced runs of shows such as the popular Six from this November, it looks like we might be beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Will theatres return to their original glory? I certainly hope so. Socially distanced seating plans might not be the perfect long-term solution, considering the heavily reduced capacity and its finanical effects, but I'm happy to get used to the extra space and leg-room for now and wait out the storm until I can see my favourite shows again.
Have you experienced a digitalised version of theatre during lockdown, or perhaps are planning to attend a socially distanced show? I'd love to hear!
EG x
Liquid Matte Eyeshadows: Glossier VS Too Faced
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Liquid eyeshadows have been around for some time, from NYX's Lid Lingerie, to Stila's Glitter and Glows, but it's only recently that I've started to notice matte formulas popping up in the beauty world.
The idea of a matte liquid eyeshadow intrigues and excites me: this is a product you can swipe across the whole eyelid for a classic look with minimal time and fuss. It's perfect for travel - even if you carried a couple of these, it's a world away from lugging a big palette around. I've always liked shimmery liquid eyeshadows like Glossier's Lid Star, but find they can be difficult to blend out - a matte formula is so much more versatile.
The two biggest liquid matte eyeshadow releases this year come from two of my all-time favourite brands, so I had to give them a go. Glossier's Sky Wash, released in March, came first, but was shortly followed by Too Faced's Melted Chocolate eye shadows two months later. Today I'll be putting these two to the test, comparing formula, longevity and ease of application.
GLOSSIER SKY WASH:
Price: £15 (£4.28 per ml)
Packaging: The Sky Wash has Glossier's trademark simple but effective packaging. It's easy to see the shade of the product with the colourful lid, and the sleek design makes it the perfect travel companion.
Shade Range: Glossier's Sky Wash comes in seven different shades, from oranges and beiges to more out there shades like bright blue and yellow. Sky Wash is perfect if you enjoy a more creative and colourful look, but there aren't too many neutral shades to choose from.
My own shade, Valley, is a gorgeous burnt orange tone. It's a must-have for autumnal months, but because it's not too bold it can be easily worn all year round.
Formula: The Sky Wash is a very sheer matte, with a thin formula. This makes it buildable and suitable for every occasion, whether you prefer a sheer wash of colour, or bright pigment.
Ease of Application: The buildable formula makes applying the Sky Wash super dreamy. It's easy to blend out a little bit with your finger, and put more on as you feel necessary. It's easy to build other eyeshadows on top too.
Longevity: Even though Sky Wash is a light wash of colour, it's still visible for the entire day. I'm impressed that there's no difference whether or not I use my Morphe eye primer with it, it lasts all day without creasing too much either way.
Overall thoughts: Glossier's Sky Wash is perfect if you fancy a light 'wash' of colour all over the lid. It's a very on-brand product, and incredibly travel friendly. Your eyeshadow is easily complete with a simple swipe and blend of Sky Wash, or can provide the perfect base for powder shadows.
View Sky Wash on Glossier's website.
Read my full review of Glossier's Sky Wash in Valley here.
TOO FACED MELTED CHOCOLATE EYESHADOW:
Price: £19 (£3.87 per ml)
Packaging: Like Sky Wash, Too Faced's Melted Chocolate shadows are super travel and handbag friendly. They are all different colours corresponding to their shade, making it really easy to differentiate between them. They are very sleek and have a typically Too Faced style.
Shade Range: Being 'chocolate' inspired, the eight shades are all varieties of neutral brown tones. Some are more purple, red or bronze toned, but they are all based in brown. To some this would lack variety, but I think it means there's a shade for all skin tones and preferences.
The shade I own is Amaretto, a brown with a slight pink tint. Because the shades are all quite brown toned, they are very versatile and match with any sort of look.
Formula: The Melted Chocolates are PIGMENTED! You only need a tiny little bit to cover the entire lid. And yes, like the rest of Too Faced's chocolate range, it does have that dreamy chocolate scent, you'll be pleased to know!
Ease of application: It might just be something to get used to, but because of how pigmented they are, the Melted Chocolates are not the easiest products to apply. Unlike the Sky Wash, which you can blend with a finger, this definitely requires a fluffy brush to achieve even blending (and so your fingertips aren't stained!).
Longevity: They are long-lasting but not quite as well as Sky Wash - I think because they are more pigmented, there's more product on the lid and thus it's bound to crease easier.
Overall thoughts: The shade range of Too Faced's Melted Chocolates is totally up my street, it was very difficult to choose a shade! While pigmentation is a good thing, I think blending it is going to take a bit of getting used to.
View Melted Chocolate on Boots.
GLOSSIER VS TOO FACED:
Comparing the two by price, Too Faced's eyeshadow costs a little bit more, but you do get more ml for your money so I'd say that evens things out. Too Faced offer eight shades to Glossier's seven, so again, not much difference there. Personally, I prefer Too Faced's neutral shade range but Glossier's more colourful range has an appeal too.
The difference in formulas is where things get interesting - to say these are both matte liquid eyeshadows, they both have completely unique formulas! Glossier's is sheer and buildable which I find easier to apply. Too Faced's is thicker, more pigmented and more difficult to blend out, but it definitely makes for a more effective and eye-catching look. Where I may be tempted to add other eyeshadows to the Sky Wash to create depth, the Melted Chocolate requires nothing else.
Overall, both the Glossier Sky Wash and the Too Faced Melted Chocolate shadow are great items in my collection. I'd say that Sky Wash is more suited to everyday looks, but because it is so buildable you could perhaps add a little more to take you into the evening, if you so wish. Too Faced's is probably a product I would be saving for evening/event wear because it is such a bold shade, I'm not so sure I could pull it off everyday!
Have you ever tried a liquid eyeshadow? I would love to hear your thoughts!
EG x
A Socially Distanced Musical: Sleepless
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Wembley Troubadour Theatre
After many dark months for the theatre industry, with venues up and down the country unable to open, it was Wembley's Troubadour theatre that opened the first large scale show. Sleepless, a musical adaptation of the classic Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan rom-com Sleepless In Seattle, began a month long socially distanced run, becoming a show like no other.
As an avid musicals fan, I had, like many others, been sorely missing the theatre. The last time I visited was in March, to see Dear Evan Hansen only days before they all closed, and was longing to see a live show again. I was so excited that the producers of Sleepless, Michael Rose and Damien Sanders, had made this possible, because we all knew this was going to be a challenging feat. I had to go and see it, not only because the show sounded just up my street, but also to support the industry that has been overlooked and in serious danger the past few months.
The Theatre
Being a socially distanced event, I have to speak about the setup of the theatre as well as the performance. I had never been to the Troubadour and it struck me as very different to the classic West End venues I am used to, because of its very modern design and feel. The theatre has great indoor and outdoor seating areas to wait in before the auditorium opens - the amount of space makes social distancing a doddle. I realised this would be more difficult in an older venue, where I can remember waiting around, packed into small and uncomfortable corridors.
Inside the auditorium, the capacity had been reduced from 1300 to 400 seats. Cutting back so much causes huge financial challenges, so I have much admiration for the producers making it possible to run. Keeping distance was very easy inside the auditorium, seats are purchased in household bubbles, in groups of between 1-4 people. There are 'X's on many of the seats, demonstrating the distance between everyone. I had a whole row to myself, giving me some unbeatable legroom that I could really get used to!
Being such a modern venue, there's no stalls and circle but just one level on an incline, so you would have an excellent view wherever you sat - especially because there's no one directly in front of you, another social distancing perk!
The Show
Being an adaptation of Sleepless in Seattle, the story is already familiar - a love story between widowed Sam, who's son Jonah rang up a radio station talking about his wish for a new mum, and hopeless romantic Annie, who heard them on the radio. The musical starred Kimberley Walsh as Annie and Jay McGuiness as Sam, who both delivered stellar performances. I've read reviews saying their acting isn't up to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's standards, but I mean come on, they're not Hollywood actors! I'm sure Hanks and Ryan could not have delivered the same incredible vocal performances, if we're judging them like that!
The show flowed very well with never a dull moment, and even the supporting cast members had stand-out songs, including the memorable performance of 'Now Or Never' by Jonah and Sam's best friend Rob. All of the songs were brand new and original - it was Annie's songs that stood out for me, especially the Act 1 finale, 'Things I Didn't Do'. The creators of the musical have described it more of a 'play with songs' rather than a traditional musical, but the format worked very well, and a stunning dance number for the show's finale satisfied any traditional musical lover.
The set design was remarkable, with a revolving house in the middle. Screens came down around it to create an airport, and boards around it towards the end to create a very realistic looking Empire State viewing platform. The Troubadour is a large, wide theatre and they made such great use of the space available.
Sleepless is only on for a few more days at the Troubadour, but it has definitely paved the way for other socially distanced shows to come. Slowly the steps are coming together for live venues to open up again and I can't wait.
EG x
The Best Novels I Read In July & August
Saturday, September 19, 2020
Time for a book round up! I've read some really great novels in the past couple of months that I had to recommend to you. Three out of my four favourites have been released this year, so there's a lot of hype surrounding them right now and it's worth it! Also, I gave two of these books a whole five stars, so if that doesn't say get reading them immediately!!!, I don't know what will!
Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid 4 stars
Such a Fun Age was very well-written, a very-easy page turner, and is a really great and realistic exploration of race and class relations in modern America. I loved Emira's relationship with Briar, who were easily my favourite two characters of the novel. While the ending of the novel was powerful, it was missing a little something and felt very bitter-sweet.
Marian Keyes - Grown Ups 4.5 stars
Grown Ups is the sort of book that you're still thinking about a week after, it had such a strong impact. It's a long one, and yet I couldn't stop reading. I think I read about half of it in one day and it drove me a little bit crazy!
There's a lot of characters in this book - the beginning of the book even includes a family tree, which I found myself referencing a lot, at least to begin with! That means there's a lot of characters to get to know and get your head around. Surprisingly, the majority of them I either didn't like, or could really take or leave. Yet Marian Keyes' writing is addictive, I had to find out what drama was going to happen next.
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes 5 stars
Usually I like to read the book before I watch the book, but the opposite happened here. A few months ago, I watched the film Me Before You, starring Emelia Clarke and Sam Claflin, and absolutely LOVED it. Like, 5 star movie, absolutely cried my eyes out, kind of loved it. So, combined with the fact I've already read a couple of other Jojo Moyes books that I loved, I had high hopes for the novel. Fortunately, I loved it just as much as the film! The storyline is very similar, with additional moments between the characters that make the story even more impactful. I followed it with its sequel After You which didn't quite live up to it - I can't say too much without spoiling the first, but it felt a little dull and nowhere near as touching as the first.
Olive - Emma Gannon 5 stars
If you liked Anna Hope's Expectation, you are going to love Olive. The writing feels similar, as does its focus - an exploration of female friendship and womanhood, set in London. Olive and her three friends, Bea, Cecily and Isla, are all instantly likeable and relatable in different ways. The four of them are all very different personalities, with different priorities in their lives. Each of the women's triumphs and struggles were presented as equally valid, even though such contrasting issues were explored. Gannon explores how friendships are tested by situations such as not being able to have children, struggling as a new mum, and deciding not to have children at all.
The novel is a celebration of female friendship and being unique and true to yourself, being defined by what you want to do, rather than what you're expected to do. I absolutely loved Olive and cannot recommend it enough.
The four novels I mentioned were the best I read the past two months, and I would recommend them to everyone. They all kept me hooked, interested and invested in the characters. However, I read two other novels that didn't impress me quite as much. An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope was well-written, but unfortunately the characters were dull, selfish and constantly moaning! Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid had me feeling completely torn. The interview style format is an unusual choice and has caused controversy between many readers - did it work, or not? For me, it was a good idea in theory, but because it's all about a fictional band, we lacked context of knowing their songs or having any connection to them. With an unfulfilling ending to top it off, it didn't really work for me.
Make sure to follow me on Goodreads for all the book updates! Have you read and enjoyed any good novels lately? I would love more recommendations as we go into the autumnal months!
EG x
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