How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Series: No
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: November 30th 2004
Source: Bought

“Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives.The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy. 

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary.

But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

To be honest, I actually only picked this up because I wanted to see the movie. I always try to read the book before I watch the movie, so that's what I did. I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book that much and I didn't. It wasn't a terrible book, I just didn't connect with the characters or the story.

Daisy has been sent to England to live with her Aunt and her cousins, but there is a war brewing. A few days after Daisy's aunt goes away on business, the first bombs hit London. Daisy and her cousins are all separated and they vow to find each other again. 

The main thing that put me off reading this book was the cousin relationship. Daisy hits it off with her cousin Edmond, and it just made my skin crawl. I know you're allowed to marry your cousins, but that doesn't make it any less creepy. Their relationship definitely wasn't one that I enjoyed reading about.

For some reason, I just didn't connect with any of the characters in this book. It was like I was just watching all of these events unfold, but they had no emotional impact on me. I did like Daisy's character though. She was extremely determined to get back to her cousins (well, mainly Edmond) no matter the cost. She pushed through and suffered a lot just so that she could find them again, which I really admired that about her. But Daisy has her own personal issues going on as well and I did like seeing her overcome them.

I can't say I hated this book, but I didn't particularly enjoy it either. It didn't bore me, but there just wasn't anything special about it.

The ending was strange and weird, and I'm still slightly confused about what happened to Edmond. But I'm not too bothered about finding out.

Overall, this book was... OK. That's really the only way I can describe it. It wasn't good, but it wasn't terrible. It was just OK. I'm still going to watch the movie though, maybe it'll be better than the book.

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey
Series: No
Publisher: Ebury Press
Publication Date: February 12th 2011
Source: Library

All Lydia's ever wanted is a perfect Christmas...

So when her oldest friends invite her to spend the holidays with them, it seems like a dream come true. She's been promised log fires, roasted chestnuts, her own weight in mince pies - all in a setting that looks like something out of a Christmas card.

But her winter wonderland is ruined when she finds herself snowed in with her current boyfriend, her old flame and a hunky stranger. Well, three (wise) men is traditional at this time of year...

So I decided to pick up The Night Before Christmas on December 24th (since it's the night before Christmas). I thought it would be the perfect book to read on Christmas Eve to get me even more excited for Christmas, and it was. This book definitely wasn't perfect, but I found it hilarious and I enjoyed reading it.

Lydia has never had a perfect Christmas, so when one of her oldest friends invites her to her hotel in the Lake Distric, Lydia accepts and she feels like this might be her chance for a perfect Christmas. But Lydia is having second thoughts about her current boyfriend and when they all get snowed in, Lydia is stuck between three guys and she has to figure out her feelings and what she really wants.

So although I said this book wasn't perfect, it did make me laugh. There were so many hilarious moments that I found myself laughing throughout most of this book. Lydia was a hilarious character. There were times when I liked her, and times when I didn't. Lydia came across an engagement ring in her boyfriend Stephen's sock drawer and has started to have second thoughts about her relationship with him. An old boyfriend turns up at the hotel with one of her other friends and there's a very hot handyman that comes to the house to help fix the electricals/fix up the hotel. Lydia finds herself torn between all three of them and that slightly annoyed me. I couldn't believe that she would even consider making a move on Jackson (her ex) since he was with one of her friends. She should have told her friend right from the start about Jackson but she didn't. She also should have been straight with Stephen when she started having second thoughts. Also, I thought she moved in on Will pretty fast as well. But Lydia was hilarious and bad things kept happening to her which had me laughing.

The story line basically followed Lydia and her three best friends spending Christmas together since one of her friends owns a small and quaint hotel. It allowed them time to spend together and hopefully have the perfect Christmas. Which, of course, doesn't go to plan. There are a lot of hilarious things that happened in this book that kept me interested. I was also interested in seeing what happened with Lydia's love life even if I wasn't a fan of her stringing along 3 different guys. 

The ending was really sweet (even if it was a bit rushed) and I was really happy that Lydia finally got her perfect Christmas.

I did start to notice spelling/grammar mistakes about half way through the book, and there were a lot of them. It started to slightly annoy me, but it didn't take away how hilarious I found this book.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It wasn't the best, but it was hilarious and a perfect light Christmas read.

Let it Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson

Let it Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson
Series: No
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: September 5th 2013
Source: Bought

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.

Thanks to three of today's bestselling teen authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle - the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Let it Snow has possibly became my all time favourite Holiday read. I was in the mood for something light and Christmassy, so I bought myself a copy of Let it Snow and decided to pick it up. It was definitely one of the most adorable books I've ever read. All three authors have their own story and each of them intertwine with each other. I loved getting to know these characters and then have them turn up in the next story!

I had a definite favourite story in this book and it had to be The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson. I absolutely adored the characters in this one and their story was my favourite. Jubilee has the perfect Christmas planned. She's going to her boyfriends for Christmas Eve (which is also their anniversary), and they're going to spend time together since it's been a busy year for the both of them. But Jubilee's parents are thrown in jail for being present at the Flobie riots, so Jubliee is shipped off to her Grandparents in Florida. But, things don't go to plan since Jubilee's train brakes down just outside of Gracetown. Jubilee decides to get off the train and head to The Waffle House for some warmth and food. While she's there she meets a boy called Stuart who convinces her to stay at his house for the night instead of The Waffle House and Jubilee decides to take him up on his offer.

I adored both Jubilee and Stuart. They had a connection straight away, but of course, Jubilee couldn't act on anything because of her boyfriend Noah (who is a complete jerk). Even though they barely knew each other, their relationship never felt forced, it just seemed natural. Stuart helped Jubilee realise that Noah was a complete ass who didn't deserve her and I just loved seeing Stuart and Jubilee's romance blossom. Their story was sweet and adorable and got a 5/5 stars from me.

The next story, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green was actually my least favourite of the three. I never really connected with any of the characters in his story and I wasn't too fond of the characters.

Tobin was a complete ass and I wanted to smack him throughout the whole story. Him and JP were both asses and I wasn't fond of either of them. The Duke annoyed the hell out of me too, so yeah, I didn't like any of the characters in John Green's story.

The story was pretty ridiculous as well. Tobin gets a phone call from their friend Keun telling him to get his ass down to The Waffle House with a game of Twister because there are cheerleaders practicing their movies in the restaurant. Keun and his two friends have each called a group of their friends and whoever gets their first with Twister will be the only group allowed in. So, of course Tobin, JP and the Duke all pile into a car and drive in the snow to play Twister with cheerleaders. It was just so stupid! I never got into the story or the romance in this one and I was pretty disappointed with it. I ended up giving this one a 2/5 stars.

The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle wasn't great either, but it was better than John Green's story.

Addie had met the love of her life Jeb, and one night after they'd fought, she kissed another guy and then told Jeb she couldn't be with him anymore because it wouldn't be fair on him. Addie has been heartbroken over what she did and decides that she wants to get Jeb back. So she wrote him an email and poured her heart out, asking him to meet her in Starbucks where they first met. Jeb replied with 'we'll see'. So Addie goes to meet Jeb and he doesn't show up. Addie is heartbroken and her friends try to cheer her up.

So Addie wasn't a character that I liked, but I didn't hate her either. She basically only thought about herself most of the time and forgot about other people. The world revolved around her and she had no time for anyone else. But, Addie did start to change during the story. She'd already begun to change because she was desperate to get Jeb back, but she was a completely different person by the end of the story than she was at the start. 

Addie's friends weren't really great friends. Sure, Addie thought the world revolved around her but they didn't need to constantly point out how self absorbed she was because it was just mean.

I did really love the story in this one though. I loved how all of the previous characters from the other two stories all showed up in this one and all of their lives intertwined. They all became a big part of the end of this story. The end of this one had me smiling and it was just so adorable. I ended up giving this one a 3/5 stars.

Overall, this was a really great Christmas read. There was only one story that I really loved but I did enjoy the fact that they were all related to each other.  I should probably have only given this book a 3/5 stars, but the first story was just so amazing that it ended up bumping this book up another star. I definitely recommend Let it Snow if your looking for a really adorable and cute Christmas/Winter read. It's perfect.

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Series: No
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: January 7th 2014
Source: For Review From Publisher [Edelweiss]

Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.

Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.

I was super excited for No One Else Can Have You because it sounded like it was going to be such a brilliant mystery novel since Friendship is a very small town where everyone knows everyone, but one of them is a murderer. Unfortunately, I ended up really hating this book. It was a mixture of things really. The writing style wasn't that engaging, the dialect used made me want to punch most of the characters and the plot was actually really predictable.

No One Else Can Have You is set in a small town in Wisconsin called Friendship. Everyone thinks they know each other pretty well in this town, until a young girl is found hanging from a tree in a cornfield. Someone in town did that to this girl and it sends the whole town into a panic. The police in Friendship aren't used to dealing with something so major so they make their decision and try to sweep it under the rug while Kippy realises that there might be more going on so she decides to investigate on her own.

There were a lot of things that pissed me off in this book and led to me really not enjoying it. There was nothing in this book that I could take seriously and I just found it ridiculous.

Reason number 1, the main character. Kippy annoyed the hell out of me. There was nothing likeable about her. She didn't have much of a personality and she was just pretty boring overall. Also, she had some of the weirdest nicknames ever: Cactus, Pimple, Pickle and the worst one of all, Chocolate Bum. Her dad calls her Chocolate Bum... what the fuck? Who calls their kid Chocolate Bum? 

Reason number 2, the constant use of 'Ooft', 'Geeze Louise' and 'Sex Relations' had me wanting to punch every single character in this book. 'Ooft' was the worst one. It didn't even make sense at the start of half of the sentence! And then Kippy could never just say sex she always had to say 'sex relations' and it grated on my nerves. I have no idea why it annoyed me so much, but it did.

Reason number 3, the writing. There were some sentences in this book that just made me want to punch someone. They were so ridiculous and half of it was stuff I've never heard anyone actually say, ever.

"Fuck your mother, Libby, hows that?" Davey takes another sip of Beast. "Sex her right in the butt."

"Your daughters a hoochie mama," I blurt.

'Sex her in the butt'? 'Hoochie mama'? I was basically killing myself laughing at most of this book because of the writing. I just couldn't take it seriously when there are characters coming out with stuff like that.

And reason number 4, this book was extremely predictable and boring. I ended up guessing the murdered right at the start. I was just sitting thinking 'Haha, imagine if that person was the killer. That'd just be hilarious.' And I was right, which completely ruined the big reveal at the end for me. The other thing that ruined it for me was that I found most of this book boring and ended up skim reading most of it just so I could find out who the killer was. That was all I really cared about in this book. I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't give a shit about their lives or their relationships, I just wanted to know who killed Ruth. And that was it.

Ruth's diary entries that were occasionally shown throughout the book just showed how much of a bitch her character was, and I had no sympathy for her. She was constantly insulting Kippy and saying how clingy she was. I kind of felt sorry for Kippy, but not really because I didn't like her.

So overall, as you can probably tell, I really didn't enjoy this book. It definitely wasn't for me. I know there are people out there who have enjoyed this book, but I definitely wasn't one of them.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
Series: Between #1
Publisher: Dial
Publication Date: August 15th 2013
Source: Bought

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was one of my most anticipated releases for this year. Ever since I heard about it I'd been dying to get my hands on a copy and then the reviews started coming in and they were mixed. That put me off buying it straight away, but I couldn't ignore how much I wanted to read this book so I eventually caved and bought a copy. This was one of this book that let you constantly questioning everything that had happened. There were secrets, mysteries, extremely weird/creepy parts, but I loved it all.

Violet and her twin brother Luke are living by themselves in a run down manor house because their parents have abandoned them to go and paint. They're running out of money so Violet decides she's going to rent out the guesthouse to bring in some money. Enter River West. A dark and mysterious stranger who sweeps his way into Violet's life. Violet can't ignore the fact that since River moved to town, strange and creepy things have been happening to the people in Echo. But she's too caught up in River to figure out what's actually going on.

This was one of those books that took a bit to get into. The start was intriguing enough to make me want to read (since I was very interested in River), but there was just a turning point for this book that had me completely hooked - and it was the cave scene. As soon as all the creepy stuff started happening in town I was drawn right into the story. I was desperate to see if it was River behind all of the weirdness or whether it was something else.

Violet was a strange and quirky character, but I really liked her. She's lives in her dead Grandmothers room and she wears her clothes sometimes. I never really found that creepy because it was just Violet. That's who she was. She was an intelligent, inquisitive character but River manages to sweep her off her feet and leave her confused. Violet is constantly questioning River and is hunting for letters that her Grandmother Freddie left behind, in case they hold any answers. I really liked Violet though. She had a great sense of judgement (even if she didn't listen to it half the time) and she was a pretty brave and likable character.

Oh, River. What can I say about River? Well, my feelings towards him were basically the same as Violets. I hated him, but I loved him at the same time. River was an... interesting character. There's a lot about River that I can't talk about because it'll spoil a lot, but he was definitely and intriguing and mysterious character that I loved learning about. Nearly everything that came out of River's mouth was a complete lie. He's a serial liar and does it because he thinks it's funny. River likes to think of himself as a God and ends up doing a lot of stuff that made me want to slap him. But there were times that River was himself and I'd find myself forgetting about all of the horrible things he'd done (just like Violet). He just had this thing about him that meant I couldn't hate him, no matter how horrible the things he did were. And then when we found out about his past my heart broke for him.

Luke (Violet's twin brother) and Sunshine (Violet's best friend) were quite a big part of the book too. Luke was a complete asshole and I wanted to hit him most of the time. He was chauvinistic and was always making sexists remarks and it pissed me off. But, that's just Luke for you. Sunshine wasn't really much of a great best friend. She was constantly throwing herself at guys and was all over Luke right in front of Violet. She seemed to be more interested in getting boys to notice her boobs more than anything else. But I still liked her. And then we had Jack who was a young and lonely boy that Violet befriended. Jack turned out to have a bigger part in the story and his life intertwines with the White twins. And then we had Nealy. I can't say much about who Nealy is because it'll spoil parts of the book, but I loved Nealy. He's such a nice and sweet guy, but he's got an uncontrollable temper. I adored Nealy though and I'm looking forward to finding out more about him.

Violet and River's relationship was an interesting one. Violet instantly finds her self attracted to the mysterious and charming stranger. River has something about him that just makes Violet want to be with him. She doesn't trust him, but she finds herself falling for him. I actually really loved River and Violet together. Although, when I found out what River had been doing I wanted to hit him, but he redeemed himself and now I'm firmly on River's side and I love him and Violet together.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea had one of those really weird and mysterious story lines that pull you in because you just have to know what the hell is going on. There was a lot of weird and creepy stuff going on, some of it left me in shock because of how horrible it actually was. Plus, this book had one of the best and super creepy twists ever at the end. I was all for getting out my pitchfork and chasing River out of town right up until that twist that was so completely unexpected and shocking. So we'd learnt a bit about River and his family/past but what happened at the end was jaw dropping. And I'm not kidding around when I say that, my jaw literally dropped. I was frantically reading the last couple of chapters because there was so much going on and so many twists that I wasn't sure how everything was going to work out in the end.

The ending did slightly break my heart because I love River, and I was starting to get used to his and Violet's relationship. But, I still have hope for them in Between the Spark and the Burn and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there won't be a love triangle. As much as I love Nealy, he's got nothing on River for me. 

Overall, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was a thrilling, mysterious, jaw dropping read packed full of amazing twist and turns that keep you hooked. This is one of those books that I'm going to be recommending to everyone now. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet, I definitely recommend grabbing a copy because it was such an amazing read.

2013 Wrap Up

2013 has been a pretty great year for me reading wise. I've read a lot of amazing books (some not so amazing); discovered some new authors (that I now love) and learned how to work Edelweiss properly. Other than reading, 2013 has been pretty great for my personal life too. I decided to quit university because I wasn't enjoying it; I got a job working as a Library Assistant (which is awesome!) and there was a lot of other stuff that happened that I'm just too lazy to list.

I've also saw some pretty amazing movies this year. There were so many book to movie adaptations out this year and if I had to pick my two favourites they'd have to be Catching Fire and The Host. Those were the two that I felt stuck the closest to the book and even when they didn't, I still loved them. Man of Steel is definitely my favourite non-book related movie (I'm not counting comic books here). I'm a massive Superman fan and always have been, so I knew this was going to be my favourite movie. There's still so many movies that were released this year that I haven't seen yet, but I'll get around to them next year.

2013 has also been a pretty great year for TV. Some fantastic new shows started this year that I'm completely in love with. Orphan Black and Bates Motel are the two main new ones that I can't get enough of. I was always dying to know what was going to happen next in both of these because you could never tell! Vampire Diaries has been my favourite show that I discovered this year though. It's been on for a couple of years, but I've always avoided it up until March when I should have been studying for Uni. I spent almost 2 weeks working my way through the show and getting caught up in Season 4 and now I'm wondering why I didn't start it before. Oh, and I'm definitely Team Delena. Right from the start <3.

The best book I read this year would definitely have to be These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner. I didn't expect this book to be as good as it was, but it completely blew my mind! I've even bought myself a physical copy of the book because it was just that good! The worst book I read has to be The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler. This book was so bad that I didn't even finish it. I gave up 24% of the way in because it was just completely ridiculous and the main character was extremely stupid.

I set myself 4 reading challenges this year and I only completed two of them. I completed my Goodreads Challenge to read 200 books this year (209/200) and I also completed the Dystopia Reading Challenge (36/24). Technically I did complete the Out-do Yourself Challenge, but I haven't linked up any reviews since June so I'm counting it as a fail. And I definitely failed the Paranormal Reading Challenge. I think I gave up in August because I just wasn't in the mood to read about mermaids. Oh well. I've set myself some challenges for 2014 which you can check out here if you want.

So overall, 2013 was definitely a brilliant year. I'm really looking forward to 2014 and hopefully it will be even better than 2013!

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Series: No
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: October 3rd 2013
Source: Bought

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair...

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

Tiger Lily was another one of those books that I was unsure of whether I was going to enjoy it when I first started reading it. At first, I wasn't really enjoying it and I didn't see what all the fuss was about, but that quickly changed. I couldn't even pinpoint when I fell in love with this story because it happened so quickly. One minute I was considering giving up and the next I was so invested in the story. 

Tiger Lily is such a unique story. It's narrated by Tinker Bell who is a fairy that observes everything that happens in this book. Fairies are mute in this story so Tinker Bell isn't really an active participant in most of the story, but she's always there. The fact that Tink was unable to interfere or help any of the characters in this book really broke my heart. Tink cares deeply for the characters in this book and it was horrible having to see her not be able to help. Tink never knew if her presence was noticed by Tiger Lily or Peter, but she cares for both of these characters and loves them deeply. She had a special bond with both of them, but her bond with Tiger Lily was my favourite. Her bond with Peter broke me.

Tiger Lily was an interesting character. She was kind of an outcast in her tribe and people were slightly scared of her. Tiger Lily is so different from all of the other girls in her tribe. She's not interested in sewing or boys. She'd rather be out hunting and fighting which makes her even more of an outcast. But I admired Tiger Lily. She stayed true to herself throughout the book and I loved her for that. 

Peter Pan was intriguing and mysterious in this book. He was nothing like the Disney version of Peter, but this Peter is definitely my favourite. He's just a young boy who saved young boys from the pirates and they created their own family. Peter and The Lost Boys were my favourite part of this book. I always found myself anxiously awaiting Tiger Lily's next visit to them because I just loved how they treated her as an equal and she got to be herself with them. 

Tiger Lily and Peter's relationship almost killed me. As soon as they started meeting I wanted them together so bad. Peter and Tiger Lily just had this amazing bond that showed they were perfect for each other and I loved the moments they had together. But, of course, Tiger Lily and Peter never stood a chance together because of Wendy. I always liked Wendy in the original Peter Pan story, but I hated her in Tiger Lily. She comes along in her fancy ship with her pretty face and pretty dresses and sweeps Peter off his feet. Not only is this hard for Tiger Lily, it's also hard for Tink. Tink also loves Peter but she was willing to ignore her feelings for him for Tiger Lily. But seeing Wendy with Peter makes Tink angry so she tries everything she can to get rid of Wendy and I actually found myself cheering her on. I always hated the way she acted in the original story, but I cheering her on and hoping she'd do something even more awful to Wendy and get rid of her for good. So Tink/Peter/Tiger Lily made me cry so many times. Mostly it was Tink that had me in tears. Since she was narrating the story it was her emotions and thoughts I was reading and seeing her heartache over Peter and her heart breaking for Tiger Lily made me lose it. 

There were also a few inter-twining story lines that played important parts in the book. The whole story line with Phillip and the English coming into the tribe was a very important part of the book. At first, I really liked Phillip, but then he started spouting religious shit and confusing the people in the tribe. They became determined to make themselves better so that God would like them. This led them to outcast Tik Tok because he dressed like a woman. That whole story line was heartbreaking and the way it all ended had me bawling my eyes out. I'm even tearing up again just writing this. Captain Hook, Smee and his pirates were also in this book which I really enjoyed. I've always liked Hook and his pirates so I'm glad they were part of the story line. Hook was determined to get rid of Peter (like he always is). I really enjoyed the parts with Hook in them and he wasn't as awful in this re-telling as he usually is, but he's still a pirate.

I cried the most at the ending. That letter just tipped me over the edge. I was already slightly teary because of what had happened before and because my heart was still broken for Tiger Lily and Tink. But the letter was the tipping point and I just sobbed. 

Overall, this is one of the most beautiful books I've read this year and definitely one of my favourite re-tellings. I'm so glad I listened to all of the amazing reviews for this book and decided to pick it up. It's now going to be a book that I recommend to everyone because it was unbelievable and I think that everyone should read this beautiful story.