Review: Becoming Edward by Faye Meredith

Goodreads Summary: Rachel’s hooked on Twilight and is in love with Edward Cullen. Clive is obsessed with Rachel but he’s no Edward. Lewis is in love with himself until he meets Rachel. Both boys fail to win her until one of them has the bright idea of becoming Edward. Becoming Edward is a light hearted teen fiction novel for young adults who love paranormal romance, especially Twilight and Breaking Dawn.  There are no vampires in it but there is a boy who thinks he is Edward Cullen. The author is a huge Twilight fan and explores what it is like to be a Twi-hard when others just ‘don’t get it’.

**This book was kindly sent to me by the author for an honest review**

What I wanted from this book was a laugh and a laugh is what I got. The story opens well with Rachel, a Twi-hard, desperately wrestling a limited edition, signed copy of Twilight from her dog’s drooling bite. I really enjoyed Rachel’s character. She is sweet and funny and is struggling to find a real-life guy who is good enough to be her Edward. I think we all went through that when we finished Twilight! It was also so refreshing to have a protagonist who is beautiful and has guys falling at her feet. It is a break away from the not pretty, not ugly, nothing special girls that feature in so many young adult novels.

The thing I didn’t like about this book was the connection or really, the lack of connection, between Rachel and Lewis. It didn’t seem like there was a reason of them to be in to each other. Lewis saw Rachel one day in a book shop and immediately became obsessed with her. His personality did a complete 180 turn around for a girl he knew NOTHING about. It just didn’t seem real.

However, there were some funny situations towards the end of the story when Lewis stepped it up a gear and bought amber coloured contact lenses. The creepier he got, the more I enjoyed the story. I would recommend this book to any Twi-Hards out there or to someone looking for a nice fun read. 3/5 Stars

Review: Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas

Goodreads Info: Douchebag Roulette is the second release by bestselling author Marie Simas. Prepare yourself—this collection will have you laughing out loud! As one commenter said, “This is a small glimpse into some horrible universe, and I love it!” 

*Advisory: Mature humor, some adult content


*This book was kindly sent to me for a fair review by Defiant Press.


Douchebag Roulette is a short book (58 pages in all) that only takes about an hour to read.  Each story is a few pages long and Simas writes in such a blunt manner that it is sometimes shocking. This is very apparent in Gym Bush, which also happens to be one on my favourites. It was hilariously horrible, but being Irish, I have slightly crude sense of humour so it worked for me!


I particularly enjoyed The Smartest Douchebag and Scratch and Sniff Neil. Walmart Bingo was the perfect story to end with. It was amusing, involving a game that had me reading it out loud to my boyfriend, but was also a story about a random act of kindness that was lovely to read. 


While there were some funny moments in this book, there was also a darker, sadder side to some of the stories.  So I would remind you that there is an adult content and mature humour advisory. There were also a few spelling mistakes throughout the book which bugged me a little. 


Overall I enjoyed most of the stories. I think it would be hilarious to leave this book in your bathroom for guests to have a read of ;) I am interested in looking up Simas's first release "Do Tampons Take Your Virginity?"  3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon

Blurb: If you fall too fast... you might just crash. ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I have no intention of getting my heart broken again.’ Of course, I’m lying. I feel like Will is chipping a little piece of it away, day by day. It’s killing me... Daisy Rogers is in love – and that’s no good thing. It’s not that her very famous ex is neither out of sight nor out of mind, but that the man of her dreams, William Trust, has a girlfriend – a childhood sweetheart, no less. And as a Formula 1 racing driver, he puts his life at risk every day he goes to work. From Melbourne to Monte Carlo, and São Paulo to Singapore, Daisy and her best friend Holly travel the world as hospitality girls on the Grand Prix scene. But with more secrets between them than Paris Hilton has shoes, life promises to be nothing short of a whirlwind.


Do not be fooled by the cover of this book. it may seem like your typical glittery chicklit novel, but it is so much more than that. I was truely moved by this book. It is an easy read; I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down. I am having trouble putting how much I loved this book into words. I just want to go all fan girl crazy on this review.


The story follows Daisy Rogers, a hilariously offensive individual, who is running away from her family and a very famous ex boyfriend. Daisy works as a 'bun tart' or front of house girl for a Formula 1 racing team. I had no prior knowledge of F1 and had no desire to learn about it. However, Toon provides the perfect amount of detail to help the reader understand the world of F1 while still keeping the storyline interesting. She also does a wonderful job creating the exciting but nerve-wrecking atmosphere present at big races like F1.


 As you can imagine, Daisy soon falls head over heals for Will, on of the drivers on the team. But poor Daisy had to fight these feelings as Will has a long-term girlfriend. To make things even more exciting, enter Luis, the second driver on the team. After an explosive run in with the infamous Luis Castro, Daisy can't seem to stay out of his way. Both drivers are the complete opposite to each other, bringing out two very different sides of Daisy. I was laughing out loud at the hilarious fights between Luis and Daisy and then swooning over all the little sweet, awkward moments between her and Will. 


And just when you think you know what's going to happen BAM, there is the mother of all twists. I was completely gobsmacked. Daisy is such a likeable character. I felt that I knew her and when her heart broke, so did mine. It is a tale of secrets, glamour, drama, romance and heartbreak. It had me laughing one minute and crying the next. I have read a few reviews where people have said the ending is a bit predictable but franky I think being able to predict something comes as a bit of relief after the crazy curve ball in the middle!


I absolutely adored this book and I just can't do it justice. Like my emotions through out the book, my review is all over the place! But anyway it's a book that I will be reading again, which is saying a lot because I rarely reread books. There is just not enough time to go backwards!


5 Stars!

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

Annie’s put fifteen years into safe, slightly obsessive Duncan and now she’d like her money back, please. It’s time to move on. But she lives in Gooleness, the north’s answer to a question nobody asked. Is she really going to find real, proper, feel-it-deep-down-in-your-boots love on a damp and windy seafront? Or perhaps she should follow her heart and pursue Tucker, the reclusive American rock star, who keeps emailing her his smart advice.

But between Annie and her second chance lie a few obstacles. There’s Malcom, the world’s most judgmental therapist, and Barnesy, the north’s most extrovert dancer. There’s what men and women will do and won’t do for love. And, of course there’s Tucker…

Well the synopsis pretty much explains everything so I’ll keep this short and sweet. Annie is a fan of the reclusive musician Tucker Crowe while Duncan is a little more than obsessed about him. The story begins with Annie and Duncan going on a tour of places associated with Tucker Crowe including the public bathroom where he allegedly decided to pack in his career as a rock star. The story focuses on relationships, ageing and kids.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book and there were moments when I laughed out loud. The characters are well developed and a little wacky. The story touches on regrets and what a person should do when they find that they have wasted the last 20 odd years of their life. This may sound depressing but it is told is the humorous fashion that is Nick Hornby. It’s a light but meaningful book. An easy and enjoyable read. 3 ½ out of 5

Describe it in two words: Funny and Honest