Recently Read #3

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
"Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was four. When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen (her nanny and housekeeper) is arrested and beaten, Lily is compelled to act."
I've always loved this book, ever since my mum read it years and years ago and told me I should read it too. We bonded over the story and went and saw the movie together when it came out (the movies not actually that far off the story for once). The version we read was a slightly shortened version that was included in a Reader's Digest compilation book so when I discovered it in the Salvation Army the other day for a whole $2 I had to pick it up and reread it with the little extras I didn't have before. I didn't actually notice what parts were missing so I guess they weren't that important. I highly recommend this book, it's not your average boy meets girl book but spoiler it does involve a little loving. There's action, fisticuffs, love, death, heartache, and of course bees!
9/10

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
"Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris." 
I've seen so many people on the booktube loving this book so I got it, and jumping into this book without really knowing more than it'll be a kissy young adult girl fiction I did enjoy it. I wanted a lighthearted easy read to read in the holidays to take my mind off the mountain of work I had to do. This lived up to expectations, although there were many cliche's and obvious moments in the book, (come on they're in Paris of course they'll fall in love) I did enjoy it and finished it in a day. I probably wouldn't read it again, much with most YA fiction, but I'm going to read the sequels and I reckon you should too!
8/10

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
"Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighbourhood."
After finishing Anna and the French Kiss I knew I had to get stuck into the second book right away, I haven't read a lot of YA type fiction lately and boy was I enjoying these easy reads. They sure do help you to relax when you have a whole pile of uni coursework knocking you down! Anyways I don't think I enjoyed this as much as the first as it was obvious from the first chapter what was going to happen and you had to wait til the last chapter for it to happen, but I still enjoyed it. The only thing I found annoying about it was the entire storyline just seemed the same as the first book, only from St Clair's point of view as a girl. I do like how the stories intermingle though, I'm assuming Anna and Lola turn up in the next book too!
6/10

Silence is Goldfish by Annabel Pitcher*
"My name is Tess Turner - at least, that's what I've always been told. I have a voice but it isn't mine. It used to say things so I'd fit in, to please my parents, to please my teachers. It used to tell the universe I was something I wasn't. It lied."
You know those books that you just feel like you've wasted hours of your life when you reach the end? This book was one of them, it wasn't that bad that I couldn't finish it but it still was just ergh. Tess spends about 80% of the book as a mute and will only talk to her goldfish torch imaginary friend in her head. Her Dad isn't her Dad and she spends the entire book convincing herself that this other guy is her Dad and then it all turns to custard. You may enjoy it but I personally feel there are so many better books in the world! Maybe that's just because I'm 21, this is probably aimed at younger teens.
3/10

Matilda by Roald Dahl
"Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world."
I know, I know, how have I not read this already in my lifetime? I just haven't okay, I've seen the movie loads of times but never got around to reading the book. Obviously it was very similar to the movie and it's such a lovely easy to read story about a fellow bookworm, it was just so heartwarming and took me back to my childhood. I really want to rewatch it now.
8/10

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
"Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined."
Yes I did happen to read the third one, and yes Anna and Lola turned up too! There was a moment in the middle of this book that almost had me hate it, but apart from that it's an almost favourite out of the series. I think Anna's story is just better as it's the first and you get the backstory of the school and characters etc, if you hadn't read the first two they'd be a few bits that were just confusing. But yes, if you've read the first two you may as well read this one - it's better than the second!
7/10

I really wish I had more time for reading lately, university was just piling up so badly that I barely had time to sleep and eat let alone read. Although I did read all these in the past two months so that's pretty good going seen as I had barely any time. Now I've got some free time though, I might get some reviews to you a bit quicker, and I have more of a chance to beat my 30 book Goodreads challenge!

*This book was sent to me to review but all opinions, as always, are my own.