Review: The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Title:  The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication date: March 22nd 2005
Publisher: Corgi Children's
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 4.5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description: 

Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it's unusual, but give her a break—she's had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she: 

• lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list)  

•  lost her best friend (Kim)  

•  lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket)  

•  did something suspicious with a boy (#10)  

• did something advanced with a boy (#15)  

•  had an argument with a boy (#14) 

•  drank her first beer (someone handed it to her)  

• got caught by her mom (ag!) * had a panic attack (scary)  

• lost a lacrosse game (she's the goalie)  

•  failed a math test (she'll make it up)  

•  hurt Meghan's feelings (evn though they aren't really friends)  

• became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)  

• and had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom (who knows what was in the boys'!?!). 

But don't worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists. 

My thoughts:

This was a seriously fun book, just like I thought it would be! I was first drawn in by the cute cover and the interesting title and I'm so glad I decided to read it as it certainly did let me down. I was expecting something along the lines of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (which I loved) and while it definitely reminded me of those books, this felt more mature and less silly. Ruby is a really awesome character and I loved getting to know her- which really do get to do as she spills her heart out in this book. She's had a crazy time lately and made lots of mistakes. She's been having some panic attacks so her parents refer her to a therapist who helps her work through what went wrong. I loved that Ruby tackled it head on but with humour. She never takes life too seriously and is fun and witty throughout the whole book. Ruby's a strong character and pretty easy to empathise with me. What I loved most was how her character grew and matured as the book went on. She didn't keep making the same mistakes again and again and doing nothing about them. Instead she talked about them and took a step back to see how she could make it better. She's really sweet and her stories are hilarious. And I ended up highlighting a lot of her parents' sentences... they were certainly an interesting pair. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book! If you're looking for a fun and easy book that still has some depth to it, I would recommend checking this one out!

Review: Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Title: Dreaming of Mr. Darcy
Author: Victoria Connelly
Publication date: January 1st 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (an imprint of Sourcebooks)
Age group: Adult
Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction
Cover rating: 3/5 stars
Content rating: 3/5 stars
Buy (pre-order) : Amazon

Description via Goodreads: 

Fledgling illustrator and Darcy fanatic Kay Ashton settles in the seaside town of Lyme to finish her book, The Illustrated Mr. Darcy, when a film company arrives to make a new adaptation of Persuasion. Kay is soon falling for the handsome bad boy actor playing Captain Wentworth, but it's the quiet screenwriter Adam Craig who has more in common with her beloved Mr. Darcy. Though still healing from a broken heart, Adam finds himself unexpectedly in love with Kay, but it will take more than good intentions to convince her that her real happy ending is with him.

My thoughts: 


I am crazy about anything even remotely Austen related so of course I jumped at the chance to read Dreaming of Mr. Darcy! Both the title and the gorgeous cover appealed to me, and the description didn't sound like anything I'd ever read before. I was quite optimistic about this. 

It did not really live up to my expectations but at the same time, it wasn't bad. I very much enjoyed the beginning and was excited to see what would happen. I thought the whole idea was pretty cute and the old lady who left the money was so sweet! I actually really wish we'd gotten to know her more- I would have enjoyed that. 

I quite liked getting introduced to all the film cast and crew. I wasn't really into the idea of the changing POVs and thought it really interrupted the flow of book! I didn't feel like I really got to know any of them through that and probably would have preferred if it was all just from one person. That's more of a personal preference than any actual flaw with the book itself, though. 

I thought their adventures were cute but not very interesting. It felt a bit flat at times and didn't really excite me. The romance was sweet though and I was definitely cheering on the characters! 

All in all, it was a good book and an easy, fun read. I will definitely be checking out more of this author's work.

I am currently reading...

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella