Book | Friends Forever by Danielle Steele

Friends Forever by Danielle Steele
Published By: Bantam Press
Published On: July 1, 2012
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 380
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4

Five children meet on their first day of school, one bright September morning. Drawn by that magical spark of connection that happens to the young, Gabby, Billy, Izzie, Andy and Sean - each bursting with their own personality, all with strikingly different looks and diverse talents - soon become an inseparable group, known to everyone else as the Big Five. As they grow up, their seemingly perfect lives are altered by families falling apart, unfortunate mistakes, and losses and victories great and small. Throughout their adolescence, the five are able to turn back to their trusted group to regain their footing and steady their course. But as they emerge from school, their futures seem neither safe nor clear. As their lives separate, the challenges and risks they face become greater, the losses sharper, and it becomes much harder to know the right path to choose. But despite life's ups and downs, together they are able to face up to challenges with the help of the important bonds forged all those years ago. And the five realise just how lucky they are to treasure valuable friendships that last a lifetime.

Friends Forever follows five best friends – Billy, Sean, Gabby, Izzie and Andy – who met on their first day of school. As the Big Five grow up, they are each faced with the struggles and trials life throws at them and must learn to support each other as they continue through their journey in life.

Heart-warming story of love and friendship this is not. More like a heart-breaking story of tragedy and loss. This book broke my heart and had me in tears on more than one occasion. This is not the book to read if you are looking for a ‘pick-me-up’ kind of story.

This book was so confusing to begin with. There are a lot of characters in this book and the majority of the main characters are introduced in the first chapter. As you can imagine, this was very confusing. It took me about four or five chapters before I could keep track of every character and remember their storyline but after that it was fine.

It is predictable yet shocking all at once. Within the first few chapters I had guessed a lot of the big events but I really did not mind, I just thought it was going to be an easy read. However, when the main events began to happen, it was not at all as I had expected. Despite having predicted what was going to happen, I was in shock every time those things did happen. I am struggling to explain it; I think it is something you need to read the book to understand.

I loved the characters. I loved all of the Big Five, as well as their siblings, parents (well maybe not Larry) and everyone else in their lives. I love the bond between the Big Five, the family bonds, even the bonds between the friends and parents. Everything about the characters was just great.

Overall, I really liked this book. I picked it up expecting it to be something completely different and I did not expect to like it. However, I was very pleasantly surprised, despite the confusing start, and would highly recommend this book.

Book | In Stitches by Dr Nick Edwards

In Stitches by Dr Nick Edwards
Published By: The Friday Project
Published On: June 12, 2009
Genre: Memoir, Comedy
Pages: 275
Format: eBook
Rating: 3

Dr Nick Edwards is an Accident and Emergency (A&E) doctor working in the UK and a passionate believer in the NHS. However the reforms, political correctness and the Anglo-Saxon culture of binge drinking and fighting and the resulting A&E visits are a strain on his sanity. So to keep up his morale, he began writing down his feelings - a form of literary cathartic therapy - the results of which make up this book.
So join Dr Nick Edwards as he describes the frustrations and joys of working in the NHS. The traumas and tragedies, the patients and colleagues and most of all the successes and humour that make up life at the frontline of medical care.

Nick Edwards, an A&E (Accident & Emergency) doctor with very strong opinions about the NHS, shares both rants and anecdotes in his book documenting some of his experiences within the fast paced world of A&E.

Again, I love the insight into a career I could never have. I made this point in my review of Further Confessions of a GP. I am fascinated with the medical profession. I watch countless medical TV shows but, of course, the majority are fictional and don’t give a very accurate insight. Books like this, however, document the highs and lows of this profession through real situations.

I love the anecdotes and patient interactions. My favourite parts of books like this are the stories of patients that the doctor has come into contact with. This book contains some heart warming anecdotes along with the funny ones and a few sad stories thrown in as well.

I now see A&E in a different light. Never again will I set off for A&E before being sure I have either an accident or an emergency. Never again will I complain at how long I have waited to be seen. Never again will I be annoyed if a member of staff is grumpy or tired. I have gained much more respect for the A&E staff through reading this book.

There is just too much ranting. It is mentioned at the start of the book that the he is only writing when he has something to say, and most of those times it is because he is angry. For that reason, I was expecting some moaning throughout the book. However, I was not prepared for a political rant, or just any kind of complaint, almost every chapter. It was beginning to get repetitive and quite annoying.

Overall, I thought this was an average book. I enjoy this type of book but have definitely read better. I would recommend this book if you would like an insight into the trials of working in A&E, but only if you like a lot of political ranting.

Book | Reached by Ally Condie

Reached by Ally Condie
Series: Matched #3
Published By: Penguin
Published On: November 30, 2012
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 532
Format: eBook
Rating: 4

After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

Ally Condie’s Matched trilogy comes to a conclusion in the third book of the series, Reached. In Matched we see Cassia matched with both Xander and Ky. In Crossed we follow Cassia’s adventures in her search for Ky and the Rising. Crossed follows the journey of the Rising as they attempt to destroy the Society. After a plague has been introduced into the Society, it is up to the Rising, the only people with a cure, to step in and take over. However, things don’t quite go according to plan.

In general, I really liked this book. I love the details about the Society and the way these people are living. I love the history of both the Rising and the Society itself. These details are what make you realise that a society like that could exist in the future.

I feel for all the characters. I feel the pain and emotion of every one of the characters in Reached. I love all three of the main characters – Cassia, Ky and Xander – and I really enjoyed the introduction of some new characters in Reached, such as Lei, Anna and Oker. Unlike in the second instalment, Crossed, these new additions were developed more, as were those who had been introduced in Crossed, and added to the book. I also have to add, I love Bram!

I loved having the story told from Xander’s point of view. This was always something that I felt had been missing from the first two books so I was so glad to see Xander finally had a voice. I felt that it really added to the story to see things from his point of view as well as Cassia’s and Ky’s.

While much of the medical talk both confused and bored me slightly, the development of the Plague and the problems that arose in regards to it were quite interesting to read. These problems also meant that the story was not at all slow. In fact, I began to wonder what was happening as what appeared to be the main event of the book began very early on.

I was glad to see a lot of the lose ends were tied up in this book. Things that had previously seemed irrelevant in the first two books were proven to be essential to the story. The one disappointment for me, however, was the ending. While most questions had been answered and it appeared as though the ending would round off the trilogy nicely, the ending was abrupt and a little unclear, as if leaving opportunity for another book.

I did thoroughly enjoy Reached, and the trilogy as a whole, but do feel as though the last chapter of the book was missing, as if it needed just that little bit more. However, the last instalment of the trilogy did do a generally good job of answering the questions and ending things relatively nicely.

Book | Pop Tart by Kira Coplin & Julianne Kaye

Pop Tart by Kira Colpin & Julianne Kaye
Published By: Avon
Published On: June 5, 2009
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 397
Format: eBook
Rating: 3

An eager, aspiring make-up artist, Jackie O'Reilly has always dreamed of a high-profile Hollywood career—and now fate has made her fantasy a glittering reality. Filling in at the last minute for her boss, Jackie finds herself working with America's newest sweetheart—wild and glamorous Brooke Parker, who's on the brink of superstardom.
Jackie's right where she's always wanted to be: in the entourage of an "it-girl," a globe-trotting world of private jets, long white limos and all-night parties. Brooke is fun and real, but also impetuous and unpredictable. And when the pop princess begins to unravel, Jackie will have to decide where her true loyalties lie—or become a victim of the unrelenting chaos of the twenty-four-hour media circus.
A blistering, dazzling, and authentic novel written by two knowledgeable Hollywood insiders, Pop Tart is a high-speed roller-coaster ride through the treacherous playland of pop culture stardom.

Kira Coplin and Julianne Kaye’s novel Pop Tart is the story of an aspiring makeup artist, Jackie O’Reilly, who befriends a rising young pop star, Brooke Parker, after a one off job as her makeup artist. The story follows Jackie and Brooke through the highs and lows of their new found fame and the love, heartache, friendships and fallouts that come along with it.

Although on the surface this appears to be nothing more than a story of a newly famous pop star and her tag-a-long makeup artist discovering the problems of the paparazzi, beneath the superficial Hollywood story are some real life lessons and relatable circumstances.  It was those life lessons, and the way they were so seamlessly slipped into the story, that made me like this book.

It terms of the story, I have read better. It was very repetitive and I felt as though I was simply reading about party after party, concert after concert, boy after boy. However, the characters were, for me, what made the story. The relationship between Jackie and Brooke, although at times slightly strange, was heart warming. The way their relationship was written made me genuinely feel for both characters through the good and bad.

I was not greatly impressed by the way the romantic relationships were portrayed throughout the book. While Brooke and Jesse’s breakup should have been, I feel, a hard-hitting, emotional moment, I was rather unaffected by it. I did not feel that their relationship had been explored and built up enough before being torn down.

Another disappointment was the ending. I felt as though the story was leading to a great climax but instead seemed to build up before fizzling out. It seemed as though parts of the story and relationships between characters were not so much tied up neatly but rather came to a confusing, abrupt and messy end.

Overall, I was not a huge fan of the basic story of the book but the characters, life lessons and relatable circumstances made it an enjoyable read. It was more of an easy, beach read than anything else so I would recommend it if you are not looking for anything too complex or hard to follow.

(PS Another old review, new ones coming soon!)

Book | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Published By: Phoenix
Published On: May 24, 2012
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 515
Format: eBook
Rating: 3.5

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick’s wife Amy disappears. Her unexpected disappearance, and the circumstances surrounding it, leaves some of the people in Amy’s life looking very suspicious, Nick more so than the others.

This book is so freaking strange. I must have told my mum this about 100 times while reading it. This book has one seriously messed up storyline and some even more messed up characters. I really do not know how else to describe it.

I could not put it down. The mystery aspect of the book had me completely hooked and made it very hard to put down. I read it over a couple of busy days but found myself grabbing every opportunity to find out what happened to Amy and when I stopped reading to sleep, I was dreaming about it.

Not one thing about it is expected. I had expected this book to be quite predictable. I thought there were only so many things that could be done with a disappearing wife but I was so wrong. In this respect, Gillian Flynn is a genius. There were so many unexpected twists that I just could not see coming, which made for an enjoyable read.

None of the characters are at all likeable. It cannot be easy to write a book with no likeable characters and make that beneficial to the book. I loved the fact that most of the characters looked quite suspicious, with the other ones just being not that nice. The lack of likeable characters definitely added to the story.

The ending made me so angry. I know the ending is probably perfect for the story and the characters but it was definitely not how I wanted the book to end. It was not a badly written ending in any way, however I did feel like the story was building to a good climax but instead just ended.

Overall, I liked Gone Girl but it was just too strange for me to love it. It definitely had it’s great points and I enjoyed the plot twists but there was just something missing. I would recommend it if you are looking for something a bit darker but those who, love a good happy ending, like me, this is definitely not the book to read. I am really interested to see what they do with the movie, due to be released late this year.

Book | Further Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels

Further Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels
Series: The Confessions Series
Published By: The Friday Project
Published On: December 19, 2013
Genre: Memoir, Comedy
Pages: 327
Format: eBook
Rating: 4

Benjamin Daniels is back. He may be older, wiser and more experienced, but his patients are no less outrageous. Drawing on his time working as a medical student, a locum, and a general practitioner, Dr Daniels would like to introduce you to …
The old age pensioner who can’t keep his hands to himself. The teenager convinced that he lost his virginity and caught HIV sometime between leaving a bar and waking up in a kebab shop. A female patient Dr Daniels recognises from his younger, bachelor years. The woman whose mobile phone turns up in an unexpected place. A Jack Russell with a bizarre foot fetish. Crackhead Kenny. Not to mention the super nurses, anxious parents, hypochondriacs, jumpy medical students and kaleidoscope of care workers that make up Dr Daniels’ daily shift. Further Confessions of a GP is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling Confessions of a GP. With more eyebrow-raising stories from the world of general practice, Dr Daniels will once again amuse, shock and surprise. You’ll never feel the same about going to the doctor again…

Dr Benjamin Daniels, an English GP, shared many an amusing anecdote, with a few serious topics thrown in, of his first few years as a newly qualified doctor in his first book Confessions of a GP. Now a practice partner with a weekly A&E shift, Dr Daniels is back to share more of his experiences in his further confessions.

I love the insight into a career I could never have. I do not have the patience, qualifications, or tolerance of blood and needles to be in the medical profession. However, it is always something I have been extremely interested in. I admire those who work long days - like GPs - or unsociable shifts – like A&E doctors – to keep us healthy. I really enjoyed reading about the perks and downfalls of the job from someone in the profession and gaining the kind of insight I could not get no matter how many medical TV shows I watch.

It made me laugh out loud. The stories told throughout the book range from disgusting to slightly odd to downright hilarious. I will occasionally have a little giggle to myself when reading but very rarely do I find myself actually laughing out loud.

Dr Daniels seems like a genuinely nice guy. While this book is non-fiction and not one where a ‘character’ connection should be felt, I really started to like Dr Daniels while reading this book. People are always complaining about the GP, at least where I live, so it was nice to read about a GP who seems to really want the best for his patients.

There was a bit too much complaining for my liking. I understand that all jobs have their negatives and with the problems in the NHS there is plenty for doctors to complain about. I completely understand that in order to show a true idea of what it is like to be a GP, these things need to be addressed. However, I feel like a great balance between funny and serious was established in the first book while this one contained a lot more complaints.

Overall, I think this book gives a great insight into the life of a GP and has caused me to look at my GP surgery in a different light. The amusing stories make it a light, easy read while the more serious topics emphasise the problems with the NHS today. However, I do not think this lived up to the first book by Benjamin Daniels and therefore would suggest, if you only want to read one, go for his first book Confessions of a GP.