It’s April already! Can you believe it? This year has flown by! There are so many books to read and so little time. Anyway, onto today’s topic. What did I read in March?

March was quite a busy month for me, I started working at a new job and spent quite a bit of time getting this new blog organised. Not to mention the fact that I have been obsessed with the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seriously, how have I not watched it until now?! Unfortunately, reading went into the background a bit this month as I only read 3 books. But it’s still enough to do my first wrap-up, so let’s get cracking!

Uglies by ScottWesterfeld

This dystopian novel had been sitting on my shelf for a while now, so I decided to finally give it a read. I’m sad to say Uglies was my least favourite book of the month. Pretty soon after I’d picked it up, I wanted to put it back down again. While the concept drew me in (everyone is surgically turned “pretty”), the characters and format put me off. Chapters would start from the middle of the page and it made them feel longer than they actually were. Furthermore, each chapter is named after something an event within it, which can spoil what will happen. Halfway through, I read a review about Uglies and I couldn’t shake one of the comments they made. They said that they couldn’t  admire and support a main character who is a betrayer. I won’t go into a lot of detail (spoilers) but Tally makes quite a lot of mistakes that are pretty unredeemable. To top all of this off, whenever anything exciting happened, I read it like it was an everyday event.

I ended up rating it 3/5 stars. Although there were lots of things I didn’t enjoy, I did like the concept, descriptions and Tally does manage to somewhat make up for things at the end! I’m undecided on whether I’ll read the rest of the series. We’ll just have to wait and see!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

After finishing Uglies, I decided that I needed to read something romantic that I was certain I’d like. Having read three of Forman’s novels already, I had high expectations for this one. I’m glad to say that I wasn’t disappointed! Just One Day was like a breath of fresh air! Whenever I read a Gayle Forman book I forget about how long I’ve been reading or how far I am in the book, I savor the whole story from beginning to end. Forman’s writing is simple and detailed, her characters are always relateable and there are references to subjects that I love! This time it was Shakespeare. Who doesn’t love a good Shakespeare quote?!

Expect a review in the coming weeks. Just One Day was a full 5/5 stars!

High Stakes from The Mediator by Meg Cabot

Last but not least was a childhood favourite of mine. Last year I found out that Meg Cabot has released another book in The Mediator series so I have decided to re-read the whole thing. I was obsessed with it when I was younger so it’s not surprising that I’d still love it now. If you like Buffy then you’d love Susannah, she is the sassiest ghost whisperer in town and never lets anyone push her around. Someone could say that this book is too corny as it’s full of cheesy lines, but who cares?! It’s a little bit silly and fun! Not to mention that it’s a quick read and the male protagonist is Spanish and ridiculously hot! Well, in my imagination. Unfortunately, I did find that it wasn’t quite as exciting as I remembered but it was still a great past time.

Overall, I gave this one 4/5 stars. Looks like it’s still got that pizazz!

So that was all that I read in the month of March. I’m looking forward to seeing what April brings. Now you’ve heard about my reading month, I’d love to hear about yours. What did you read? Any favourites? What are your plans for April?

Let me know in the comments down below!

Last month I finished reading Gayle Forman’s JustOne Day and loved it! Once again she succeeded in inspiring me in many different ways. Read on to find out more!

Just One Day is about Allyson, a girl always used to holding herself back on opportunities and keeping organisation and structure in her life. That is until on a class holiday, she meets Willem who whisks her away to Paris, where she spends the day experiencing wonderful delights and making impulsive decisions. It is a beautiful coming of age story which is well worth a read.

The moment I started reading Just One Day I knew I was going to love it. Who wouldn’t love a main character who likes Shakespeare?? However, during the first section of the book I did think that Just One Day could end up being like any other romance book. Girl meets Boy, they magically fall in love, the end. With that in mind, I was very excited when certain events in the first section took the story in a direction that I didn’t expect. That really sold it for me! Just One Day isn’t just about love. It’s about self-development; learning to love yourself before you love other people. Striving to be the best person that you can be.

Gayle Forman always writes characters who are both likable and relatable. Her characters are never perfect, they always have flaws that are frequently brought to the reader’s attention. Allyson’s flaw is that she holds herself back due to being anxious and negative while also letting family members control her life instead of standing up for herself. She also overthinks and constantly tells herself she is not good enough. I was struck by how similar she was to me. Being an over thinker myself, I could definitely relate. Therefore, it was an inspiration seeing her develop and grow as a person. She learnt to fulfil herself, face her fears and create her own happiness. It was lovely to read!

Willem actually frustrated me for many different reasons. I found him too unreliable and closed off. I can’t wait to read Willem’s side of the story in Just One Year to understand him more. All the other characters in the story are realistic and lovely. They all have their own little quirks, which makes them very interesting to meet!

My praises don’t stop with the characters and plot, the themes also shine through in this book! The main theme from Just One Day is self-actualisation. By choosing taking risks and taking opportunities that interest her, Allyson realises her full potential. She becomes brave and strong by putting herself in situations that are challenging. It was wonderful seeing a character climb to the top.

I also loved the travel element in this book. You are taken to so many different places, the main being Paris! I really enjoyed the references to different landmarks and travelling experiences. Now I want to go travelling myself.

Finally, I must comment on the lovely writing style. Gayle Forman’s books are nearly always set in first person. You get a direct connection to the main character’s feelings and can understand her really well. Her writing style is simple, but filled with small details and quirky references. Each line is filled with emotion, and are truly quotable. It is written to be relatable to the reader. Some lines I’ve even said myself!

My only criticism of this book is that I wanted to know more from the ending. There were a lot of questions unanswered, but luckily there’s a sequal! Hurrah!

Based on the Goodreads rating system Just One Day is a solid 5 stars! Even if the ending wasn’t quite what I wanted, I loved the journey of reading it. I didn’t feel rushed to end the story; I was immersed in every page! I’ve already ordered the sequel to find out what happens next.