I’m struggling… // A very personal post about why I don’t enjoy blogging, my struggles with anxiety + why I need a BREAK (aka this is a rambly mess)

Do y’all know that video of the girl who got a speeding ticket and then she has a full emotional breakdown because “her life is going extremely downhill”. Because that is EXACTLY how I feel right now.

I honestly don’t even know how else to introduce this post.

This is basically just going to be me rambling about my life and everything that is going wrong at this very moment.

I’m in a pretty bad mental state, I could not care less about blogging right now, I lack any and all motivation to study for my exam and my reading mojo is off. I usually don’t talk about my struggles on my blog, but I’m tired and I just want to be honest with y’all.

So here we are.

I’m a little nervous to post this, but I just really needed to get these things off my chest and I hope you guys understand where I’m coming from.

Sit down and grab a snack because this is going to be rambly personal AF.

Review: To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo // enemies to lovers!! playful banter!! sirens and pirates!!

Finding the right book to read is hard.

There are people that are constantly talking about certain books to the point that they seem overhyped, mixed reviews are EVERYWHERE and you don’t know who to trust, the book might have cliché and overused tropes, bland characters or shitty writing—everything could go wrong.

But guess what? None of that was the case with the book I want to introduce you to today. *big sigh of relief*

I was delightfully surpried at how much joy I felt while reading To Kill A Kingdom. It even managed to land a spot on my favourites list which is something that rarely happens!

If you’re into pirates, sirens and the enemies to lovers trope, you won’t want to miss this.

February Recap // A successful reading month, actual (!) update on my WRITING, first ever physical ARC and RESTORE ME RELEASE!!!

Do you ever get that wholesome feeling after finishing a Wrap Up post when you realise how successful your month has been?

Because that’s how I’m feeling right now.

I feel so at ease because not only did I manage to read amazing books this month, but I also took care of my mental health and did a lot of things I enjoy but have neglected over the last few months (eg. WRITING!!!) and it feels so GOOD.

And as you can tell by the title of this post, I have some very exciting things to share with you guys!!!! Ahhh!!!

Thanks for being awesome @ February.

Batman Nightwalker by Marie Lu // mysterious gang members, lovable characters but not enough action

Do you know what it feels like to have your life together?

Usually, I don’t either but ohmygod guys I’ve been so ORGANISED lately!

I scheduled/drafted most of my blog posts for March, I’m slowly but surely making my way through my study notes AND I’m reading all most of my ARCs before their release date!

And… if you hadn’t realised, I’m back before my supposed return from my hiatus!!!!!

I said I’d be back on March 6th, but I’ve scheduled posts for the next 2 weeks and this review didn’t fit anywhere inbetween those posts dgjhdfj so here it is!

The day that this goes is up is when Zoe’s 24h Readathon is taking place so I’m probably in the middle of reading my 6th book of the day rn. Jk. I’ll be fully back on Tuesday (AKA RESTORE ME RELEASE DAY) tho!

AND ONE MORE THING BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE:

I’m celebrating my 1-year blogiversary with a Q&A so you can ask me any and all questions here. (pls don’t let this flop)

RANT REVIEW: Snowsisters by Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick // a pointless story, transphobic trash and one-dimensional characters

I have bad news.

I wish my first review of the year was a positive one, but this book was just.. very disappointing. And it made me extremely uncomfortable.

Spoiler alert: this is a 1 star book.

I honestly don’t give out 1 or 2 star ratings often because I’m simply too nice lol but after writing this sort of very RANTY review, I realised that there is nothing good about this book and I gave it 1 lonely star.

Obviously, this review is going to include spoilers of the book, but I honestly wouldn’t recommend any of y’all to read it anyway so I think you’ll be fine 😛

Debut Authors Bash // Introducing American Street by Ibi Zoboi: a book about family and Haitian culture!!

Guess what? I get to host ANOTHER stop at the Debut Authors Bash 2017—and this time it’s Ibi Zoboi!!!

Unfortunately, she was unable to do an author interview with me, but I’m still going to be talking about her book American Street which came out earlier this year!

The Debut Authors Bash is happening all month throughout December and there are PLENTY of this year’s debut authors featured on several blogs! SO GET EXCITED!

Feel free to check out the rest of the tour here because it takes place all month and there’s A TON of incredible authors on there (Amanda Foody, Nic Stone and MORE).

Debut Authors Bash // An Interview with the lovely Maggie Ann Martin + an INTERNATIONAL Giveaway!!!

Oh hello, let me just squeal for a bit because I’m doing an author interview!

This is only my second author interview EVER but I’m really excited that I got paired up with Maggie Ann Martin!

Her debut novel The Big F came out in August and I read and reviewed it too! It was a super cute and important read and perfect for the summer—but you can also read it this WINTER if you want, duh!

I am part of the HUGE GIGANTIC MASSIVE DEBUT AUTHORS BASH in which all debut authors of 2017 get to have the chance to be featured on someone’s blog!

Feel free to check out the rest of the tour here because it takes place all month and there’s A TON of incredible authors on there!

Now, let’s see what the lovely Maggie has to say!

Why Audiobooks are The Most Excellent, Brilliant and Magnificent Invention of the Century……. or are they??? // A Discussion

ERMAGAWD, MY FIRST DISCUSSION POST.

I don’t even know if you can call this a discussion. What even IS a discussion????????

Hennywayssssss.

In July, I finally decided to sign up for Audible after a long long long consideration of whether I needed it or not—and because they had a great deal on Prime Day (5€ a month instead of 10€???? HELLOOOO???).

Since then, I’ve listened to a total of 3 audiobooks. I know, I’m slow and everything.

BUT YES, I NOW CALL MYSELF AN EXPERT ON ALL THINGS AUDIOBOOKS. Or rather, I feel like I’ve formed a solid opinion about audiobooks and I think I can discuss the topic with expertise and wit.

So that’s what’s happening here.

What are the pros and cons of audiobooks? Would I recommend getting an Audible subscription? Or do I absolutely hate them? Are audiobooks the bane of my existence???????? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT.

Mini Reviews: Dear Martin (so impactful!) and Juliet Takes a Breath (so queer!) // two incredibly powerful and diverse books

Guess who’s back with another post about mini-reviews!

I’ve come to really like writing mini reviews because it takes SO MUCH LESS TIME AND EFFORT and it’s quicker to format.

And I also prefer READING mini reviews nowadays for the same reasons! Quick and easy to read through and more options to comment on!

GO MINI REVIEWS.

Today I’ll be talking about two diverse novels who deal with very differing topics, but overall are both incredibly impactful, educational and SO real.

Spoiler alert: I gave both of these books 5 stars.

NaNoWriMo Survival Guide // How to be The Most productive and not die of frustration during the holy month of writing!

Oh, look at me—the newbie writer who has never participated in NaNoWriMo before pretends to be an expert at giving writing advice! So reliable!

I am by no means a pro at writing, but I’ve compiled a list of things I want to keep in mind during the holy month of writing—and I thought why not share it with others!

Althrough the orange potato who’s currently in office would probably call this post:

Originally, I wasn’t planning on participating in NaNoWriMo because of my busy uni schedule (and the fact that I’m so new to writing). However, I was infected by the positive energy surrounding NaNo everywhere I looked!

Blogger friends started sharing their ideas for their NaNoWriMo WIPs, everyone and their mother was talking about it on Twitter and my brain wouldn’t let me rest when it came to one of my novel ideas!

SO HERE I AM. READY FOR NANOWRIMO TOMORROW (or as ready as I can be with almost no prepping and plotting done *oops*).

This post is my very own personal NaNoWriMo survival guide aka how to deal with all the stress, emotions, nervous breakdowns, anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks AND MUCH MORE.

If you’re like me, you’ll probably experience all of these things at least 5 times a day during the next couple of weeks of writing—HOW FUN—but you are not alone! Enjoy.