June

Hello (:

It's been a long time, eh? This new job lark has really been doing me in.

So, June! I started my new job on the 1st. I've never had a full time office job before so the past month has been a lot of getting to grips with things and adjusting to getting up really early and having a lot less time to be sat around the house. I can't say it's been the most thrilling time of my life, but there has been some really good weekends.

I had to work on the first Saturday I started. It was a bit of a kick, but I needed the Saturday I was originally scheduled for swapping as that was the weekend me and those two in the photo above were going to Thorpe Park.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

I'm sure I've said those words X amount of times about X amount of weekends (Download Fest '13, anyone?) but it really kept me going when work got tougher. All expectations were lived up to.

We booked Thorpe Park back in January and planned it around my friend's 24th birthday. We managed to get a seriously good deal, it was around £200 for four people to stay in the Shark Hotel with two days entry to Thorpe Park. The weekend we'd chosen fell on an event as well, so we got free tickets to the Ministry of Sound party that was taking place on the Saturday night.

We arrived on the Saturday and headed straight to the theme park and managed to get around it all two or three times. I think we went on The Swarm the most over the whole weekend. If you do go to Thorpe Park, definitely get yourself onto the backwards seats on it, it's probably one of the best rollercoasters I've ever been on. We were all quite surprised with the layout of the park, we're all so used to walking miles around Alton Towers so we were quite pleased to find out Thorpe Park is much more compact. Combine that with the fact it was fairly quiet, meaning less time queuing proved for a successful day.

The Shark Hotel is really interesting as well. It's just off to the side of the theme park and it's really small, we had a room for four with one double bed and a set of bunk beds. Our fourth person dropped out at the last minute though, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the room was a little claustrophobic at times. Especially when we were all trying to get ready for the event! The event wasn't for me at all. I'm not into Ministry of Sound, the music and the atmosphere of it really isn't my thing. Because we'd not brought our bags into the hotel when we checked in (we left site for a Nandos) we ended up being subjected to really invasive checks where security went through all our things and I almost had my backcomb brush taken off me because they thought it could be used as a weapon!

The Ministry of Sound event was for want of a better word, pants. It's not my thing at all and security was really tight and there were rumours flying round that people were taking drugs in the toilets and all sorts. No. Just, no. So, we bought a double vodka Slush Puppy each for £8 and went on The Swarm in the dark (rides were open till 11) then called it a night around half 12.

On the Sunday, we had breakfast in the bar (seriously SO good!) I stuck to mini croissants and jam and chocolate spread, but those two went all out and had full English. We then went round the park again, and went on everything for the last time, as well as The Swarm a good four times! It was a really good weekend and I can't recommend Thorpe Park enough, we're already looking at going back next year.

Other than Thorpe Park, not much else has happened this month! We had a night out for my friend's 24th birthday, ate a lot of pizza, I went to Sheffield Hallam's open day and scared myself silly and still haven't made any concrete decisions about the future. If anything that open day has created more problems in my head. Then, last week myself and my mum went on a little coach trip across to Skegness. I haven't been since I was about sixteen so it was a nice little nostalgia trip including chips and donuts.

The only other big news I've got from June (although not really because we booked it yesterday) is that me and my best pal are going on holiday to Las Vegas in August 2016! We booked it on a bit of a whim last night, having spoken about it for a good year now. We're staying at The Flamingo hotel and I couldn't be more excited to get there.

I hope June's treated you well. I feel like summer's properly started this week with all the unbearable humidity and plenty of sunshine! Hopefully it won't be so long until the next post.

Starting Over

Hello (:

This post was originally going to be a bit of an advice piece, but where I'm alright at giving advice, I'm really bad at taking my own. If someone else was to say the things I wanted to say, I'd listen and take it on board, but if it's me, my brain rejects it. So, this post might be lightly peppered with pieces of advice, but it's not a 'do and don't' list.

I started a new job last week and I found the whole ordeal to be a lot less stressful than anticipated. I haven't started a job for a good three years, I had been stuck in my previous employment for that long I thought I'd never leave. I disliked it from the very beginning and despite applying for endless jobs and having strings of interviews I never got anywhere.

I never got anywhere for various reasons.

In some interviews, I was super nervous. I remember having an interview for a local newspaper not long after finishing my NCTJ and totally effing it up because I was too nervy. It was also quite awkward because there were three men interviewing me and I never knew who to look at when I answered their questions.

In others I found they weren't as good as advertised. Casual work, evenings, weekends only, to be fully flexible, zero hour contracts or just simply not enough hours to match or better what I was already contracted to.

Last Monday, I didn't feel like I'd won the lottery. I didn't feel happy or relived to finally be in a full time job. I came home and cried in the kitchen because I didn't like it. The work was dull and wasn't what I expected. The people were clique-y and one girl even tried to get me into trouble. No one had shown me around and I had to find out where the toilets were myself. I didn't know how to print things or where on earth I could find some new staples. I cried because I missed the familiar and my friends.

The week started off pretty hellish. I cried on Tuesday morning before I had to set off and then I had to do my make up on the bus. I hated this job and I missed my friends. I'm quite a quiet person when I don't feel comfortable around people and felt incredibly patronised when one of the girls told me I had to 'talk to people to pass the time on or you're just sat there doing work'.

So, I spent my lunch times and evenings texting my pals. Because, what better way to get through it and push away the loneliness than speaking to all your favourite people?

I find it very difficult to speak to people if I've got no common ground with them. I hate it when rooms are so quiet everyone can listen in to your conversation. I open up a lot more when I feel properly comfortable around others. So, no, I'm not going to be sitting at my desk mouthing off just yet, because I know that's the wrong way to go about things. I've spoken to people about cheese and people's hand writing and how annoying it is that people always think they're right. But, I don't feel like we're friends yet.

My best pal made a very good point the weekend before I started. She told me everyone there has been in the same position as me at some point. And I'd never thought of it that way before. Since speaking to the person who's been training me, I've found out most people on my team have only been there a couple of months maximum. It's made me feel a lot less alone in this, in the sense that we're all learning, we're just all at different stages.

It's been a horrible week, I'm not going to lie, but it's over with now and we're onto the next week. It can only get easier and better from this point on.

At least I've found out which cupboard the staples are kept in.

Have you started somewhere new recently? How have you handled it?

May

Hi, hello (:

I'm getting dead good at this blogging more often lark, aren't I? NOT! I don't even really have much of an excuse as to why it's been so inconsistent again. After I posted my Fine Hair Saviours post, I had a big list of make up and beauty bits and bobs to review and chat about, but I never really got round to it.

May started off quite badly. I wasn't having a good time at work and I had to drop out of going to see Twin Atlantic with my sister because of it. I was really unhappy and not in a good place. I had a job interview for a call centre and even though it wasn't what I wanted to do for work, I wanted a way out of retail. I didn't get the job.

Fast forward to a week later and I had another interview and was offered the job an hour later. I'd be mental not to take a full time admin role over my part time retail job. So I took it and waited for my offer letter to arrive in the post so I could hand in my notice. It had been squared at interview that I wouldn't be starting until the 1st June, due to having too many other things going on in the last week of May.

I can honestly say, I've worked at Primark for nearly three years and it's been some of the worst times of my life so far. It's been nothing but constant bitching, pressure, upset and anger. From word 'go', I hated it. I've talked about leaving for such a long time, that the longer it went on, the less I thought it would ever happen. After handing my notice in on the Monday, I was in such a daze for the whole week. I wasn't upset to leave the place, but I was upset to leave my friends behind. As much as I've loathed the job from the start, I can't deny I've made some incredible friends and met some interesting people along the way.

So, that right there is my excuse for not blogging. I was in such a daze after finding out I'd gotten the job, then handing my notice in, it was a couple of weeks of feeling like I was in some sort of dream world. I kept thinking I'd wake up and it'd all have been a dream.

My last day was really surreal. Because I never thought I'd get to leave, it felt very weird. I used to do the last shift of the day so when we go to the shop floor at six, the day shift staff start to leave. Saying bye to them was really weird, then the daytime manager coming to wish me luck was also a bit dream like. My friends from other departments popped down to see me, but I was kept separated from my friends on my department. Which, I wasn't best pleased about. That was until we all got called to the loading bay. Our manager and supervisor were acting really shifty and I just assumed we were about to be told off for something, but no. One of my best pals pulled a Build-A-Bear box from behind the boxes of stock and inside was a pink unicorn they'd all clubbed together to get for me.

I don't think I've done a happy squeal like that for a while, to be honest.

All in all, after that it was a pretty decent last day. I managed to speak to most people and got to say bye to my friends (not that I won't ever see them again, because I will) but it was just nice to feel appreciated and made me feel all fuzzy. Like sometimes I feel like so happy that my chest might burst and that's how I felt on my last day.

I had last week off completely and I'm quite glad I did. I'd booked two days off from Primark anyway, and we got bank holidays off by default.

On bank holiday Monday my sister and I made the journey down to Wolverhampton to Slam Dunk Festival. I've never been to Slam Dunk before and I can safely say, I'll be going again, albeit to Leeds. It was such a good day, despite the extreme queuing and our hotel being super unorganised. Unfortunately, we missed Set It Off due to the queue to get into the venue itself taking round about an hour. However, after that, we managed to see everyone we wanted to, highlights include You Me At Six playing songs from Take Off Your Colours. I've not heard some of those songs live for years, so it was something really special! Lower Than Atlantis were also really good, and I'll never tire of seeing Neck Deep live.

On Wednesday, myself and my gig buddy went over to Manchester to see Foo Fighters. I've loved Foo Fighters since I was about 14/15. I remember really loving Best Of You when it first came out and I've been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to go and see them. I stupidly passed up the chance in 2007 and then I've either not had the money to head to festivals or not had anyone to go with to the stadium shows. My sister saw them at Leeds in 2012 and so she was up for seeing them again. Fun fact: I'm the only one in my immediate family who hadn't seen them live till this year.

It was everything I hoped it'd be. They opened with Everlong, which is my favourite song of all time ever, so I was sold from the start.

Thursday was my mum's birthday, so we made a quick trip back to Sheffield for food and cocktails. We went to Smoke Barbecue, and the best bit was the dessert! I had smores and it was incredible.

My last week of freedom was topped off with seeing Heaven's Basement at Corporation. It was really good and the best way to end the week.

I want to say blogging will become less sporadic, but it probably won't. I need to settle into this job and get my hours sorted, it's going to be a shock to the system to have to be up early, but it'll be also nice not to have to wait for buses till gone 11pm. I'm hoping I can get one or two blog posts a week up, I've got plenty of ideas it's just finding the time and motivation to get things really going. May's been a bloody mental month, what started out really not great has ended in an absolute whirlwind.

I'm super nervous for starting tomorrow, but I'll try and report back next week.

Fine Hair Saviours

Hello (:

Something a bit different from me today. I've thought of venturing into blogging about beauty bits and bobs for a while and have a huge list of potential posts, so I thought I'd finally take the plunge. I'm not an expert when it comes to anything I'm gonna chat about, it's all simply opinions and my own experiences.

I've had fine hair for a long time now. When I was younger, my hair was really thick and as I've gotten older, it's just gotten a lot more wispy and flat. I never like cutting my hair really short and I don't like the idea of using hair extensions to make my hair look fuller and thicker - I know they can cause a lot of damage and they're really expensive for a decent set. I've tried a lot of products that boast volume and thickening ingredients and I've never found anything that's worked at all, or in the long run.

That was until I picked up this Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo in Superdrug. I've never tried Aussie products before, and it was on offer for about £2.30 or something really cheap. It smelled nice and the bottle said it was for fine, limp hair, so I was sold.

This shampoo is probably some of the best shampoo I've ever, ever used. It smells incredible, it's very perfume-y, but not overpowering. It does leave a little hint of scent in your hair afterwards too, which I really like. But, most important of all, it does actually work. If I wash my hair with the shampoo and the conditioner (I reverse wash, as well, which has helped my hair a ton) and then blow dry my hair upside down, it looks and feels a lot thicker and fuller. I've had a lot of people comment and say my hair looks thicker and much healthier, which can only be a good thing.

A lot of the time though, especially if I'm going out or going somewhere more exciting than work and want to give my hair a little extra oomph, I team the Aussie shampoo and conditioner combo with John Frieda Luxurious Volume Blow Dry Spray. I spritz this through the roots before blow drying, dry upside down as usual and it gives my hair an extra boost. 

I've used endless amounts of blow dry sprays and shampoos that claim to make hair thicker and fuller and I've been disappointed so many times. I invested in a shower comb from Superdrug and their own brand de-tangling spray as well in a bid to minimise hair fall out and breakage. Since switching to using the Aussie shampoo and conditioner, I've definitely seen a difference in the strength of my hair as well.

This little combination of Aussie and John Frieda really works and I'd recommend it to anyone who's fed up of trying volume sprays and shampoos and feeling like they're not getting anywhere with it.

Have you tried Aussie Volume Shampoo and Conditioner? What products do you recommend to give fine, flat hair a boost?

April

Hello (:

It's been a bloody long time, hasn't it? I've slacked so much on the blogging front. I feel dead boring and like nothing worth writing about has happened recently, so I've just not said much. I want to try and implement some sort of blogging routine, where I post on specific days. That might help things to be a bit more consistent on here and it should help motivate me to write a bit bloody more.

Anyway, April! Not the most exciting month of my life, not gonna lie.

It all started with a little trip across the pond to Dublin. In hindsight, I'd have done a lot of that trip a lot differently. As I've gotten a bit older, I want a lot more from my holidays. I love going on nights out and I like a good boozy holiday as much as the next person, but I like to do things as well. I like going on day trips and seeing things you wouldn't see at home. We didn't really do much of that in Ireland. The Guinness Storehouse left much to the imagination and my hopes of going to Dublin Castle were dashed by spending too long in the hotel faffing around.


Not long after Dublin, it was my friend's 26th birthday and we planned a day trip to Alton Towers to celebrate. She's not massively into big nights out anymore, so we thought this would be a fun alternative. I love Alton Towers. I first went when I was in year 9 at school and it was a post SATs treat, but no one got on any of the big rides all day and we were super miffed that the teachers had bought themselves queue jump passes and got on everything. Rita had just opened back then as well.

Fortunately, I've managed to go a few times since that disappointing day, and so I've been on all the big rides. It was a really decent day out, the weather stayed alright, which was one thing we'd been worried about. We ended up waiting a good two hours to go on The Smiler, but still managed to cram in most of the other rides before it closed. The only downside was how busy it was, and trying to keep up with ride times. My friend has the app on her phone but that wasn't updating so we often ended up in bigger queues than anticipated.

We also totally missed The Big Six Challenge. We saw the advert on our way down to Thirteen, and we had about an hour left to cram in that and Rita, so we missed out on completing the challenge. It's basically to ride all 'The Big Six' rollercoasters in a day (The Smiler, Oblivion, Thirteen, Rita, Air and Nemesis) we'd only missed out Oblivion!

In April, my sister turned 21, so we ended up in TGI Friday's eating everything and drinking cocktails before work (naughty). I bought us tickets for Slam Dunk Festival as part of her present, and that's two weeks tomorrow, which is really exciting! We're heading to the Midlands date in Wolverhampton. 

Apart from that, April's been quite dull. I've spent a lot of it trying to work as much over time as possible. There's been talks of potential holidays in October and so much stuff coming up that I need the money for. So, I apologise for abandoning my little blog, I really do want to try more with it in the coming months.

I'm not going to do a monthly 'reads' round up for April, as I'm still stuck in a reading rut and only read one book. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins was the perfect, slushy end to the trilogy, and one I'd definitely recommend if you're after a good YA book. If you have any good book recommendations for me, don't hesitate to leave them in the comments, the book I'm currently reading isn't engaging me at all.

On the blog, I talked about my trip to Dublin, created the ultimate cheer-up list and chatted about why everyone should've voted - I hope you did!

Here's to hoping May is a bit more exciting than April (although, I'm sure it will be)

Why vote?

 source

Hello (:

Look at me getting all topical and political. Let's be serious for a moment though. Voting might not seem like a big deal to you. Putting a cross on a ballot paper and hoping you get the outcome you want might not seem like you've had your say or have changed anything. But, you have and you need to take advantage of the fact that in the UK we all have the right to vote.

This will be the second time I have voted. The first time I voted, I was eighteen and had no bloody clue who to vote for or what to do at the polling station. My mum marched me up to my old primary school (where our polling station was that year) and told me who to vote for. All I knew at the time was that my family didn't back the Conservatives and that I probably shouldn't vote for the British National Party.

So, I did as I was told. The outcome wasn't in my favour. To say I thought I'd wasted my time and effort was an understatement. But my mum had hammered it home that women had died so I had the right to vote, so I ought to.

I understand why young people don't vote. I don't feel like some stuffy Eton educated forty-something man is in any way relatable. I don't feel like there is anyone in Parliament who represents me, a twenty-three year old woman, university educated, but my school and college's were far from private, surviving on minimum wage in a job I don't enjoy.

So, read up. Research each party's manifestos. Vote for what you believe in. But, do take these promises and claims with a pinch of salt. Things won't change over night. Just because you voted for X party, it doesn't mean there will suddenly be an influx of jobs, university fees will be lowered (or even abolished) or that the minimum wage will be increased. I know at the last election, a lot of my pals voted for the Lib Dems because good old Nick Clegg had promised to rid the country of tuition fees. Then he teamed up with the Conservatives and fees were tripled.

Register to vote, read up on policies, educate yourself. Vote because in this country we have democracy and so we have the privilege to have a say in who leads.

My friend made a good point at the weekend. She said she wasn't sure who to vote for, but if she didn't vote at all she didn't feel like she could complain further down the line when things weren't in her favour.

You can register to vote here, today is the last day you can, so please do it. Whether you've never voted before, or have, make sure you get to have your say this year.

The Happy List

source

I had started a post that was me banging on about how miserable I am and various reasons why. I don't want to post that. I have been really sad and down this week. It's possibly a combination of vicious female hormones and the fact I've had four job rejections land in my lap this week. My 2015 goals have never felt so far from happening, it's really getting on top of me. Instead of wallowing, I thought I'd put together a list of things I do to try and cheer myself up.

1. Listen to some happy music 
I've talked about this here, but if I'm sad I'll be there cracking out the ballads in order to make myself feel even worse. But, in anticipation of Slam Dunk next month I've been listening to a lot more pop punk. Pop punk just makes me feel like summer is well and truly on the way. I'd highly recommend treating your ears to As It Is' album stream of Never Happy, Ever After. But, definitely go and buy it when it comes out next week, too!

2. Watch something that makes you feel better 
And don't feel bad about wasting a whole day doing this. We have whole series' of 2 Broke Girls saved onto the Sky planner and sometimes I like to watch a couple of old episodes before work. I like watching 'reality' TV like Made in Chelsea, TOWIE etc. it's nice to escape into their little dramas instead of thinking about your own. Even starting to watch something new can give you a focus, especially if it's really good.

3. Read 
Similar to the above point, read that book you've been putting off. Or re-read something you love. I used to re-read a specific chapter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when I was younger, because it always made me feel better.

4. Paint your nails 
Or put on a face/hair mask. Do something to properly pamper yourself. I think if you feel like you look better, you'll genuinely start to feel it. Like everything else, it gives you something to focus and concentrate on. And, who doesn't like looking at freshly painted nails, preferably in a bright/pastel colour.

5. Buy yourself a present 
It doesn't have to be anything extravagant. Little pick me ups are a good way of cheering yourself up. A new outfit for a night out gives you an excuse to organise one. Buying some new books for your Kindle gives you something to do in your spare time. Or even something small, like a box of chocolates, it's all a little treat and it probably won't cure how you're feeling, but it'll banish it for a while.

6. Remove yourself from situations 
Don't put yourself in a position where you're going to feel low. It's difficult if work is making you feel down, as it is with me. But, try to put a positive spin on it. How many days are left before the weekend? How many jobs did you apply for recently? If you have interviews coming up, set time aside to research and plan some questions and answers. Try and chat with your work pals and organise something with them. Last weekend, I found myself leaving a pizza night at my pal's house earlier than usual because another friend was unknowingly upsetting me. So, I got a taxi home, had a Rekorderlig and watched a film.

7. Have something to look forward to 
Plan things with your family and your friends. Put all your holidays in at work and sort fun things to do on your days off. It can be lunch with an old friend, a holiday or festival, a trip to the cinema or theatre or a day out to the seaside. Put the dates in your diary and focus on what's coming up next. Whenever I feel low at work, I try and keep in mind the next time I'll be off or the next gig I'm going to. It gives you a point to work towards.

It's pretty self explanatory. You've got to do things for yourself. That's something I'm slowly learning. I'm feeling down and out this week, but next week it'll probably be a completely different story. This list isn't very original or thought provoking, but if it helps someone to feel a little bit better, then that's great.

What do you do to cheer yourself up?

Dublin

Hello (:

This post has been a long time coming, I was supposed to write it last week, but I ended up doing some over time and had a busy weekend going to The Deep and not doing much else. Without further ado, here's the lowdown on the trip I took over to Dublin with my two pals.

We booked this trip back in December after my friend found it on Groupon. I'd never used Groupon before, so I had no idea what to expect. In total it cost around £94 each and that included return flights and two nights in the hotel. We snapped it up pretty quickly and I kind of put it on the back burner, feeling a bit more enthusiastic about going to Amsterdam, as I've visited Dublin before.

Part of the deal was we had to fly from Birmingham, which wouldn't have been first, second or third choice of airport for us, as it's quite a trek. We set off super early, and my friend drove us there and back, opting to leave the car at the Airparks car park. This was a good idea, as we knew her car would be secure, as well as all the bits and bobs we left there. It was fairly cheap as well, and it includes a bus transfer to and from the terminal.

The flight was pretty uneventful, we flew with Ryanair, and I was expecting a lot more hassle than what we actually got. I've not had the best previous experiences with Ryanair! When we arrived in Dublin, we got a taxi to our hotel. We were staying at the Regency Hotel, which was a midpoint between Dublin centre and the airport. The hotel itself was a lot nicer than any of us were expecting, especially after reading some questionable TripAdvisor reviews.

It was early afternoon when we arrived, so we set about getting a taxi into town to buy some needed toiletries - we'd been told we could only take hand luggage, but ended up having our bags checked which was a tad annoying - and had a general look around. We ate at Eddie Rocket's, which is a 1950's style diner, and all the food comes in red baskets and the staff are dressed like extras from Grease. The food was amazing and we left feeling very full, but very happy.

Because of our flight times, we only really had one proper night we could use, so we decided from the moment we booked that we'd be going on a night out on the Saturday. Because we'd gotten so many taxis everywhere, we spoke to all the drivers and got a lot of opinions on where to go and which bars and clubs would be the best for us.

We were dropped off at Temple Bar, which is the big tourist hot spot. A lot of the pubs and bars have live music and it's very folk-y, and not really our thing at all. Back in 2012, I'd already been in the actual Temple Bar pub with my parents and sister and hadn't enjoyed it much back then. We avoided that and headed to Buskers instead, which played a lot more chart music and cheesy pop (still, not really my thing, but Desperadoes were 4 euros). It was a really lively atmosphere, but not the place to go if you want a more authentic Irish experience, as it was full of tourists. The club beneath Buskers, Alchemy, was pretty good too and we finished the night off in there. I've got to say, drinks are pretty expensive in Dublin. My friend had a double Archers and lemonade and it cost her just short of 14 euros.

On Sunday, we decided to take advantage of our hotel's facilities and headed to the pool. I was super hungover and was determined not to enjoy any moment of it, but was quite surprised. There's a rule in Dublin that in public pools, you have to wear a swimming cap. Which, as someone who goes swimming quite regularly, absolutely confused the hell out of me. A taxi driver had informed us, it was due to hygiene reasons. We sat in the jacuzzi for a while, before me and my friend managed a few lengths in the pool before it got really busy.

That afternoon, we headed across town to the Guinness Storehouse. It was interesting, but it was so busy. I'd recommend booking tickets, you get like 10% off if you book online and you get to skip the ridiculous long queue. Because it was so busy, it was difficult to properly take your time and look and read each piece of information. It also meant the queues to learn to pull the perfect pint and the cafe were really long, so we decided not to wait and press forwards. The whole Storehouse wasn't what I was expecting, I hoped it'd be a bit more interactive than it was. Good for beer enthusiasts though, as there are a few interesting facts along the way.

The main exciting point of the Storehouse was going to the Gravity bar at the very top, the walls are made out of windows and it overlooks Dublin centre and the view was incredible. It was such a clear day and you could see for miles. I can only imagine it looks even more incredible at night. You also get a free drink in the bar, Guiness or a soft drink.

We had a walk up to Grafton Street to look around the shops and I got a picture with Phil Lynott's statue to show my dad. As everything started to close, we headed up to Temple Bar to get something to eat, opting for an old favourite, TGI Friday's. We ate Jack Daniels chicken and drank cocktails, before stopping for a 5 euro cocktail in Buskers. It was a really chilled out evening, and the perfect way to end our trip before the 3AM wake up call on Monday morning.

I love Dublin. It's one of those places, like Amsterdam that I feel sort of drawn to. I feel like I could genuinely live there one day, if the New York dream never happens, who knows what will be the back up? I'd recommend Dublin to everyone, but if you have as little time as we did, definitely plan in advance what you're going to do. We knew we wanted to have a night out and my pals wanted to go to the Guinness Storehouse. There's plenty of other options too, of course.

Have you ever been to Dublin? What did you do there?

March Reads

Hello!

I decided to give the blog a little revamp before I posted anymore. So, here we have the results of my afternoon. I think it looks a lot nicer, still simple, but I definitely prefer the script font instead of what I used before.

Anyway, moving on. As I said in my March round up, I read some books that month that I wanted to talk about. I feel like I'm getting stuck in a reading rut at the moment. A lot of the books I choose are of the same formula and I love a good chick lit novel as much as the next person, but I find myself getting a bit bored with them sometimes. I often long for something with a bit more to it and a more complex, intricate story line. Unfortunately, I didn't find that last month.

Tied Up With Love by Amelia Thorne
Izzy is unemployed, she's got no direction and no idea what to do with her life. When she's wrongly 'kidnapped' by a company who specialise in staged kidnappings between couples, she see's this as an opportunity to gain herself a new job and some extra cash for her trip to Australia in a few months time. The only obstacle in her way is the boss, notorious womaniser, Ethan Chase.

I had such high hopes for Tied Up With Love. I bought it on a whim for my Kindle after reading a lot of five star reviews on Amazon. So, I was expecting a lot of greatness. It started off really well, the whole idea of the Kidnap My Wife (or KMW as it's often referred to) company was something new and exciting. It felt fresher than other chick lit I'd been reading. As soon as Izzy and Ethan get involved with one another that's when it really starts to drag. It all becomes a bit too smug, a bit too over dramatic and I often wondered why either of them bloody bothered. It's a decent, frothy read, but it ended up really lacking towards the end. 3/5.

Do You Remember The First Time? by Jenny Colgan
Thirty something Flora is having a life crisis. She should be happy with her long term boyfriend, Ollie, but something isn't totally right. At her best friend's wedding, Flora bumps into an old flame. A wish upon the wedding cake sends her right back to being sixteen. The only problem is, no one else has gotten any younger.

Another book I had high hopes for. I thought Do You Remember The First Time? sounded like it'd be quite funny, very light hearted. It wasn't, not really. I was initially a bit confused with the plot. I liked the thought of Flora going back to being sixteen and changing things so the future had a different outcome, but when I realised it was only Flora and her parents who changed back to how they were, it seemed a little off to me. Her pals Tashy and Clelland recognise her, as does Ollie, but no one else does. It's like a weird parallel universe that doesn't have any real explanation as to how or why it happened.

The story was decent, but I think it lost it's way a little bit halfway through. I wasn't rooting for Flora to get back to being thirty, and I didn't care what happened to anyone. There were some funny bits, and in places I did enjoy it, but it didn't ignite any inspiration in me. 3/5

I really, really, really need something new to read. I want something that will inspire me and make me think. I know I'm probably not choosing a genre that encompasses those things. I find it very difficult to read
a lot when I get stuck in one of these ruts and just end up slowly wading through book after book that I don't enjoy and find other things to do in favour of reading.

If you have any recommendations for me, please leave them in the comments below.

March

Hello (:

Monthly update time! I feel like March has been a bit all over the place, a bit dull and I've felt a bit lost and aimless. I started March having pizza night round at my friend's house watching Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and a ridiculous Ex On The Beach marathon. Now, don't get me wrong it's not that I don't enjoy doing this with my pals, because I really do, but not every single weekend. We tend to fall into patterns of staying in and doing this more often than not, and sometimes it gets on top of me a bit. After this weekend, I didn't see my friends for three weeks because of reasons that will be explained.

The first week in March I was a cripple. I trapped a nerve in my neck which impacted on my shoulder as well. I couldn't turn right (but I could turn left, so ha, Derek Zoolander!) at work I was having to move my whole body round to speak to people and I couldn't do what I'd agreed to do, because lifting my right arm was so painful. Fortunately now, it's fine and I've not needed the physio that the doctor threatened.

The week after that, I was struck down with a horrific virus. I could feel a sore throat coming on at the beginning of the week, totally wrote it off as part and parcel of having a cold, then I lost my voice completely. I felt drained and a bit floppy? That's the only way I can describe it. People at work took the piss out of me, which resulted in a lot of not very nice words croaked out by me. I was sent home from work after about an hour when I couldn't speak at all one Friday. I felt shocking and was really upset because the next night I was going to see Steel Panther with my sister.

Steel Panther were bloody good. I even wrote about it over here. They're a band I've loved for years now and I'd never seen them. I bought the tickets with my last £50 before we went to Tenerife last July. So I'd been looking forward to it for a while and having lost my voice I was gutted. I was determined for it not to totally ruin things and stocked up on peach flavoured Soothers and made sure I kept having a drink. I did find I couldn't even mime along as it kept drying my throat out, making it even more painful.

The morning after Steel Panther, I woke up in my sister's uni halls with my eyes gunged together. I knew what it was, I just didn't want to contemplate it. One of my biggest fears is anything happening to my eyes. If I see someone touch their eye, putting contacts in, anything like that it makes me want to be sick. I was the nightmare child that whenever I went to the children's hospital to have my eyes tested and had to have eye drops, I'd be pinned down on the floor and have my eyes prised open by my parents and the nurses. So, to get conjunctivitis as a result of that flipping virus was the icing on the cake of a fabulous week.

Because conjunctivitis is highly contagious, I had a couple of days off work. My voice was still gone, and my vision was blurred some of the time too. It was a right jolly good time for me.

After all of that, we boarded a ferry to hop over to Amsterdam. I had a fab fab time, loved every minute of it and really want to go back because I feel like we didn't have enough time to do everything I'd have liked to. No sooner had we got back to Sheffield, but my sister and I were getting a train over to Nottingham to see Papa Roach at Rock City. I can't say this was the most enjoyable gig of my life. We were squished at the back and couldn't see a bloody thing. I've never seen Papa Roach put on a bad show, but I got to a stage when I was waiting for it to end because it was uncomfortable, and not very nice. Rock City should probably look into lowering their capacity allowance because paying to see the back of someone's head wasn't my idea of fun.

Last week, I was back in Manchester, which is probably becoming my second home, to see The Blackout's Final Farewell Tour. I've lost count the amount of times I've seen The Blackout, and I knew as soon as this had been announced last year that we had to go. It was such a nostalgic, but appropriate farewell, and I enjoyed it a lot, but it is sad to see them go. The Blackout/Kids In Glass Houses reunion tour in a few years pls!

March was rounded off with finally seeing my pals after going to gigs/being ill/being in Amsterdam, having a big old catch up over a Nandos and we had a spontaneous cinema trip to see the new Cinderella. It wasn't bad, but the costumes were more impressive than anything else.

On the blog, I've been quite bad this month. Because it's been all work and not much play I've felt like I've not really had much to talk about. I rambled on about my love for Amsterdam and chatted a bit about being an over thinker and over worrier. I do have some March reads to chat about, and I'll be posting that next week.

Until next time!

Why worry?

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Hello (:

I thought I'd post something a bit different today. I've not had much to talk about this week, things have been fairly dull and just getting fully back into the swing of things post being ill and post holiday. 

I've had to deal with a fair amount of anxiety this week, and I can't pinpoint an exact reason why and it's done my head in. It all started at work last week when I had superior members of staff on my back about getting specific things done that I'd never done before in an allotted amount of time. Those tasks just weren't getting done. I was stressed up to the eyeballs and on Tuesday I had to stop myself from crying. It wasn't because of what was being said to me or how people were acting, it was because I couldn't convey how I was feeling or why I wasn't coping well with the situation. 

I'm one of those people who worries about everything. Over thinking and worrying is part of my daily routine. Sometimes it's small things, like I shouldn't have eaten that McDonalds because urgh what if I put on tons of weight from that one single cheeseburger and chips? And sometimes it's much bigger things, like if I'll ever be able to move out of my parents house, buy a car, have a nice place to live, go on holidays to exotic places etc. etc. 

Sometimes, all of these worries and thoughts get on top of me. Most of the time when I feel like this I can pinpoint why. It's often been because of an event coming up, like a job interview or an exam. I sometimes feel a bit anxious when I'm around a lot of people I've never met before. And sometimes it's because I've taken on too much, like last year when I was doing my NCTJ and working all the time. 

This time though, I can't tell you exactly why I feel this way. I don't have a demanding job. I don't feel low or lonely or upset. I'm not totally satisfied with life, but I'm going to make some changes to try and make myself feel more satisfied with the way things are heading. I worry about being stuck. I'm scared I'll never get a better job, never earn more than minimum wage, never be able to afford to move out, buy a car and run it, live comfortably. It's not all material things, it's just all the things I'd like in life, all the things that plenty of people out in the world have got. 

I worry a lot about other people. If my friends are having a bad time, I'm always concerned for their well being and happiness. I worry about my grandma, who's suffering with Alzheimer's - and then I worry about my mum developing it when she gets older. 

The worrying, anxiety and over thinking is like walking around with a black cloud above you. It affects my mood, and I can flip from feeling alright to talking myself into feeling miserable very quickly. It's not a mental health problem, it doesn't require medical help or assistance, it's how I've always been on and off over the years. It's difficult to convey exactly how I feel without feeling like I'd be judged, because how can I even dare to say I feel worried or stressed about things that haven't and might not even happen yet? How can I who has lived a good life, with a decent education backing me, with money and a job and parents who would help me out if I ever needed it, say that I feel anxious about anything, ever? 

I do try not to worry as much. Things that would have once gotten to me, don't so much these days. My worries mostly focus on my future and if it'll ever live up to the fantasy and expectation I have in my head. If it's not that, then it's about the people in my life. If ever I do feel like I have this week, when the darkness feels like it's trapping me in, I always try and speak to someone. Whether it be one of my pals or my mum, it often helps to say it out loud, it sort of releases it from captivity in your head. Alternatively, write it down. 

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of this post was. It's just me rattling on about how I've felt this past week. If you're like me and you over think and worry about everything, I hope this makes you feel a bit less alone. I know sometimes I feel like the only person who thinks the way I do, but I know deep down I'm not.

Until next time.

Amsterdam

Hello (:

Blogging has been very sporadic as of late. Between trapping a nerve in my neck and shoulder and then getting a virus that lead to conjunctivitis, March has been pretty unproductive and I've spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself! All that changed last weekend, as on Mother's Day, myself, my sister and parents took a little trip over to Amsterdam for a couple of days.

My mum decided that we would go across on the ferry, which is an eleven hour over night trip. We drove up to Hull to the ferry port and everything was so simple. Prior to this, I'd never been on a ferry before, I've always flown whenever I've been abroad so this was a whole new experience. There isn't the rigorous security checks that are present in airports and there's no luggage allowance (definitely a good thing with the amount my sister packed!).

The ferry journey itself was pretty uneventful. There was a buffet style restaurant, which wasn't overly appealing or tasty, and the bar and entertainment left much to the imagination. What was supposed to be a smooth crossing was super bumpy as well! It's difficult to sleep in a bed that feels like it's constantly moving around. The strawberry woo woos definitely made everything that bit more hilarious though.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Amsterdam. I'd had a look at a few travel blogs before we went and had a vague idea of things we could do. There's plenty of museums, some about the most random things (Museum of Bags and Purses, anyone?) Obviously Amsterdam is well known for the Red Light District and the coffee shops and cafes where smoking weed is legal, but I felt there was a lot more to it than just that.

On Monday, we docked in Rotterdam around 8AM and we hopped onto a coach to transfer us to Amsterdam. This took around an hour and a half, and I wouldn't recommend to anyone who is travel sick/wary of being on coaches for a long time. The roads are quite bumpy and it's very twisty/turn-y. The coach transfer stops outside the train station in central Amsterdam, and fortunately we'd driven past our hotel so we knew what direction to drag our suitcases in.

We stayed at the Prins Hendrik hotel, which was on the edge of the Red Light District and within walking distance of absolutely everything. It was probably the weirdest place I've ever stayed. The hotel itself is split into a few buildings, all very tall and narrow. We had two rooms in the same building, one on the first floor and one on the fourth. The stairs between each floor were so steep and narrow, the first time we went up was terrifying. My sister and I had the room on the fourth floor and mastered a way of walking down the steps without breaking our necks.

On Monday, we followed the advice of our very helpful and friendly hotel receptionist and went to the Amsterdam Dungeons. As someone who is scared of everything, I wasn't overly keen on doing this. We did have a long walk around the canals before we made our way to the Dungeons. I've never been to any Dungeons, ever. I won't even go in the downstairs dungeons bit in the Castle Museum in York. So being scared half to death wasn't my idea of fun.

Without spoiling it too much, the actors do a good job of messing with your heads by splitting up groups and picking on a single person over and over again. Both of my parents got picked on on separate occasions, but fortunately by that point I wasn't having such a nervy b anymore and managed to have a chuckle. It was very dark a lot of the time and there were a lot of flashing lights. If you are a very, very nervous person, I wouldn't recommend it. I'm not super nervy, but being thrown into darkness and having my senses messed with doesn't sit well with me. There is a mind melting hall of mirrors which was utterly confusing and frustrating, and the final room and story in particular was extremely spooky with a fair few jumps. Despite that, when we got out, I was saying I enjoyed it.

There's a lot to see when you walk around, we stumbled across the statue of Remembrant whilst seeking out the Hard Rock Cafe for Monday night's festivities. The buildings themselves in Amsterdam are incredible, everything is so tall and narrow and some even look crooked. It's so easy to get lost, as we did on more than one occasion, due to the canals all looking the same. There seems to be a cheese shop on every corner and the amount of bikes was insane. Bikes appeared to have right of way absolutely everywhere, and bikers will ring their bells at you if you're in the way. They even seemed to have higher priority than cars on the roads.

On Monday night, after trying and failing to find the Hard Rock Cafe on foot, we jumped into a taxi and headed there for tea. None of us had been to a Hard Rock since we went to Florida in 2007, so this was a nice treat. It might defeat the object a bit, heading to a chain rather than going somewhere more traditional, but it was still incredible. The food was big in portion and tasted amazing. I had the Big Cheeseburger, which was covered in thick slices of cheddar cheese. I wish I'd taken a picture, but was far too keen to actually eat it. For dessert, we shared a brownie sundae and once you got past the mountain of cream and ice cream, the brownie itself was so tasty, very rich and sticky.

After eating, we got a taxi back to the Red Light District and had a wander down a few of the alleyways. Fortunately, we didn't see anything too risque (not ideal when your with your parents!) before settling in a bar for a couple of drinks.

On Tuesday, we had to check out of our rooms in the morning. We jumped on the tram and headed for the Rijksmuseum. It was really busy, so we ended up not going into the museum itself. Even more so because our receptionist had told us you could spend the whole day in there, it was so big. Instead, we had  trek around the grounds and found the I Amsterdam statue.

Tuesday was spent having a good old nosey around, we had a peek in a few shops and ate lunch outside in Dam Square. In the late afternoon, we had a wander closer to the hotel, taking in the Red Light District in daylight and a walk through China Town. In true St Patrick's Day style, we opted to have a final drink in an Irish pub that was blasting Flogging Molly with plenty of four leaf clovers and Guinness top hats decorating the bar.

I enjoyed Amsterdam so, so much. Everywhere we went everyone was so polite, friendly and happy to help. There's a lot of culture and history and I only wish we'd had more time to do and see a lot more. If that's not an incentive to return, then I don't know what is! I wouldn't recommend the ferry though, as cheap as it is, it's not for those more susceptible to travel sickness.

Have you ever been to Amsterdam? What did you do there?

Until next time!

February

Hello (:

This is a lot later than I expected/wanted it to be. I've been really ill for the past week or so with a virus and then I managed to get conjunctivitis as a result of said virus and looking at screens has been a big no-no. I've even had to turn down the brightness on my phone screen.

Anyway, here we are, February in a nutshell. I'm not going to do a post on my February reads, as I only read one book. Fracture by Dani Atkins, if anyone is interested. It was super slow going and I didn't enjoy it, so rather than dedicate a whole post on how much I didn't like it, there we have a tiny snippet on what I thought.

Much like January, I often tie February in to the beginning of the year blues. It's still a recovery period post Christmas and New Year and I feel like things are never back in full swing. At this stage, a lot of people have given up their new years resolutions and ditched the diet and gym (neither of which I actually started) and everything is still fairly glum. The weather is still freezing, raining, hailing, snowing, icy, horrible, horrible.

I started February by staying in Manchester with my sister. We went to see Neck Deep at the Academy and they were so, so good! That was followed by a trip to the pub to watch the Superbowl. I'm no expert when it comes to American football. I've seen tiny bits and bobs from what my dad's been watching just before Christmas, but I've not much idea about the rules and regulations. Watching it in the pub gave the whole event more atmosphere and it felt more exciting, especially during the half time show where the whole place was singing Firework along with Katy Perry!

Valentine's weekend was spent with You Me At Six and All Time Low's co-headline tour, followed by the Kerrang! Tour. I wasn't as excited about the latter, but both were a lot of fun. After the K! Tour, we headed to Satan's Hollow in Manchester for the Bury Tomorrow DJ set. I'd never been to Satan's Hollow before, I'd heard about it, but it wasn't what I expected at all. Despite that, I still really enjoyed it and the Kerrang! Tour was a really good night.

February has been a bit of a dull month overall. There's been a lot of sitting around waiting to go to work, actual working, eating a lot of pizza and cheeseburgers at my friend's house, and planning more fun things to do this year.

2015 has had quite a slow start, but now we're into March, things are definitely going to start picking up.

Until next time!

Why I go to gigs

Hello (:

This post has spawned from another that I never published last week. On Valentine's weekend, I was in Manchester with my sister, because we had a couple of gigs (You Me At Six and All Time Low and the Kerrang! Tour)  and instead of writing a pointless, gushy post about how great it was, I decided to write this instead.

Music has always been a pretty important part of my life. My dad has gone to gigs since he was a teenager, back in the dark ages, and four/five decades later, he's still at it. It's a mentality that has been passed along to both me and my sister.

For me, it all started in 2007. I was fifteen when I went to my first 'proper' rock gig. It was Fall Out Boy. I had discovered them a year or two before the gig, and they were (and still are) my absolute favourite band. I can't remember the whole show, but I have this vivid memory of the couple standing in front of us singing 'XO' to each other rather passionately. I also remember the main support band being Cobra Starship and that kicked off my love affair with them.

It's been drummed into me that you go and see whoever, whenever you can. Plenty of bands miss out Sheffield on tours, opting to hit up Leeds or Manchester instead. When I was younger, I relied heavily on my dad to take me to see bands, and if he didn't fancy it then we didn't go. He did go and see a lot of things he deemed 'crap' for me, like when we saw All Time Low in 2008. But as my sister's gotten older, her taste has become very similar to mine and since we've both had jobs we've been able to afford tickets and travel, if necessary.

 I go to so many gigs, because I feel at home there. It sounds so cheesy, but there's not another way to describe it. I feel like it's an escape for a while. Festivals are an even bigger escape. When me and my sister went to Download in 2013, I didn't take my phone and it didn't bother me at all. It was refreshing to just be there in that bubble. It's become a way of forgetting real life and escaping any problems I have at the time.

I probably shouldn't illustrate such a strong point with this particular band and gig in mind, but it's the main instance that sticks out. In 2008, after dire AS level results, and many arguments with my parents, me and my friend hot footed it onto the bus into town to the Academy. In the couple of hours we were there, I wasn't worrying about what exams I should re-sit, or whether I was gonna go to uni or not, I was just there with my friend and when I got home, I felt like I could start to sort things out instead of being annoyed or upset.

I feel like it's important to see your favourite band live as well. My dad has taken me to see Fall Out Boy twice, so he's passed that along. Me and my sister are going to see Foo Fighters in May. So by the end of 2015, I'll have seen both of my all time favourites. A couple of years ago, I even bought an ex boyfriend tickets to see his favourite band, whom I loathed, just because I thought it was important that he have that experience.

Most of my friends don't have the same music taste as me, and most of them don't really go to gigs, so they don't really get why I spend so much money on tickets. I think everyone has their thing that they'll willingly spend money on. Some of my friends at university went to anime conventions and spent loads of money on their cosplays and hotels and travel, and that was fine, I didn't understand it, but I didn't question it. Because going to gigs was and is my version of that, in a way. 

A lot has changed since that night in 2007. A lot of the bands I've seen have broken up or faded into obscurity. I've seen farewell tours, break out tours, incredible tours and a few disappointments. I've stepped into stadiums and tiny, tiny clubs and trampled across festival fields. My music taste has developed even more so, although I do appreciate a good dose of nostalgia from time to time. I might not jump up and down like a maniac and leave drenched in sweat anymore, and I might spend my money several drinks instead of t-shirts and have to wear ear plugs these days, but it doesn't mean I enjoy it any less. I love going to see bands, and I think when you hear your favourite song live, that excitement, that rush, makes all the shitty hours you had to work, all the waiting to be there, worth it.

Do you go to a lot of gigs? Have you managed to see your favourite bands yet?

Until next time!

What am I doing with my life?

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Hello (:

I thought I'd take some time to reflect on a few things. I've been having a fair few 'OHMYGOD, WHAT ON EARTH AM I DOING?' freak outs recently.

In this post, I talked about my desire to go back to university and re-train to become an occupational therapist. I have been to one university open day and done some research to find out where I could do some work experience to enhance my UCAS application.

Over Christmas, I temporarily decided to take on full time hours at work. Between doing that, and the other universities I was looking at not having open days until mid-2015, the whole thought process was placed on the back burner.

Since January came around, I've yet to make any more concrete decisions about it. I'm worried about a lot of things. It makes me feel sick that if I went to university in 2016, I'd be 28 by the time I graduated. There's nothing wrong with that age, of course, but having already done university once, I'd have spent the majority of my twenties in education. That, for me, is not what I want from what is supposedly the best years of your life.

At the same time I worry that if I don't go now, I'd lack motivation, drive and the mentality. At the moment I could still discipline myself to do work and finish it way before deadlines, and revise and have notes and cue cards prepared well in advance. I'm still aware of how I learn and take information in the best. If I leave it any later, I worry I'll have lost all of that and the already hard course will be even harder.

Then, there's the memories. The first time around at university wasn't great for me. I often felt lonely and isolated. The final year was a, for want of using a better cliche, rollercoaster of emotions. I put a lot of pressure on myself to better grades from second year and fell totally flat, graduating with a 2.2 classification. It wasn't what I wanted, anticipated or worked for and the crushing disappointment almost destroyed me.

So, with all of that, the question begs. What am I going to do with my life?

I don't know. I know I'm not the only twenty something to feel this way. I know I'm not the only person who feels lost and like I'm not living to my full potential. I often feel like I wasn't put here to simply fold up clothes and clean up after people, I need to do something more worthwhile.

I look at other bloggers, and my friends and I feel slight pangs of jealousy. An ugly emotion, I know, but we all feel it. Other bloggers go on these amazing holidays and have all these opportunities and I'd love to have just one of those things, but they have all worked their arses off for it and I think sometimes we forget that when comparing our lives to others. I look at my best friend and she's got the job she's wanted for most of her life and part of me hates her for it. But then I have to mentally slap myself and remember she's done two degrees and endless hours of voluntary work experience to get that job.

I'm not totally sure I'm ready to give up on writing and journalism yet. I've loved writing since I was really young, and I feel the need to really pursue it. For the past few months I've become quite complacent and I've only got myself to blame for that. I've expected things to fall into my lap and I do myself injustice by picturing myself doing jobs I apply for. It's cruel and it makes it worse when I get a rejection or hear nothing at all.

What this post is, is it's a kick up the arse. To anyone in the same boat as me, we need to get it together. Apply for that job you've been putting off, look into voluntary work experience to enhance applications, or even go and see a careers advisor (I'm making an appointment to do this ASAP!) just keep on doing whatever it takes to get to where you want to be.

And, if you're not totally sure where you want to be exactly is, don't hesitate to ask for advice or help.

Until next time!

January Reads

Hello (:

In 2015, I decided I was going to read more. It's not that I never read, because I do. But I wanted to be more active about it and not fall into 'reading ruts' as easily. I figured the best way to document what I have read was to blog about it. So, here we are, January's reads!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Lola Nolan is a sixteen year old, living in San Francisco, attending school and working at the local cinema. She designs outfits and wears a different 'character' each day, opting for colourful wigs over her own hair. Her life has been coasting along just fine, until the return of her childhood next door neighbours. Calliope and Cricket Bell are back to stir Lola's life up once again in ways she had never even thought possible. Between the two of them, an older boyfriend, two dad's and an alcoholic mother, Lola's life is anything but ordinary.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the second installment in Perkins' interlinking novels. I didn't quite enjoy this as much as it's predecessor, Anna and the French Kiss. I found Lola to be a bit irritating in places and I found myself never fully rooting for her. There's a lot of build up surrounding the Bell twins, then it's a bit disappointing when you find out what really happened. It's a decent young adult novel, and the links between this and Anna and the French Kiss are subtle and quite clever. 3/5. 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Hazel's lungs don't work properly since she suffered with cancer as a teenager. She meets fellow survivor, Augustus Waters, at a teen cancer support group. From that day on, they become best friends and eventually, first loves, until after a life changing trip to Amsterdam, tragedy strikes and nothing is ever the same again.

I've had this book for a while, but I've been putting off reading it. I was worried I'd find it too upsetting, but I didn't cry at all! It's a bittersweet love story that is brought to a halt sooner than you'd like it too. I did like Hazel's character, and her support group pal, Isaac. It was easy to feel sympathy for each of the characters, and the trip to Amsterdam is written beautifully. Green has handled a difficult subject with sensitivity and tact, but I didn't feel a real connection with the characters. 3/5

I'll Take New York by Miranda Dickinson
In New York, Bea James has been stood up by Otis Greene once again, in front of her entire family. In San Francisco, Jake Steinmann is packing up his life after his wife, Jessica has filed for divorce. In the wake of their destructive break ups, Bea and Jake meet and forge a friendship based on 'The Pact' to be done with relationships for good. Only, things aren't quite as simple as they first thought.

I'm a sucker for anything set in New York. Dickinson has created a group of likeable characters, but none of them really make a lot of impact. It's a frothy, dreamy love story, with a beautiful backdrop. The descriptions are enviable in places and the overall story is good. It does drag a little in places and I found I was reading whole sections without feeling properly engaged. A good book for a touch of escapism, but not one that will stick with you for a long time after. 3/5

Out of the three, if I had to recommend one to you, it would be The Fault In Our Stars. 

I wish I was a faster reader, I really do! I tend to race through books I really like then put off reading if I'm not enjoying a book as much. If you have any recommendations please pop them in a comment, I love to know what others are enjoying reading at the moment.

Until next time!