The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight (Jennifer E Smith) Review

It was really hard for me to rate this book and I feel that 2 stars may be a little mean but it was such a let down and it failed to evoke any emotion in me what so ever. In fact whilst reading this book I just felt kind of nonchalant towards it.

The first thing I noticed was that this book is very thin with quite large font so it is definitely a quick read, which is something I needed after having just finished The Diviners which is almost 600 pages.

I wasn't expecting the worlds greatest love story but I suppose I had heard so many great things about this book that I expected more of it. 

First of all I didn't feel that passionate about any of the characters which bugged me, usually when reading I want to feel some sort of emotion be it love or even hate but this book failed to evoke any emotion in me. I honestly didn't care wether Hadley and Oliver got together or not. They were not enjoyable characters to read about and I found Hadley to be really annoying she spent the whole book being upset about her Dad re-marrying and got over it in like two seconds, another thing that bugged me was that she cried about Oliver a guy she has known a few hours and she didn't even cry about missing her Dad.

This book contained insta-love which is what I disliked the most, maybe I am cynical but I don't believe in love at first sight and I certainly don't believe that Hadley and Oliver are truly in love after knowing each other for less than 24 hours, in fact the whole idea was absurd to me. 

I will admitt I cried at one point in the book when Hadley was thinking about what she had with her Dad in the past and that is because I began thinking about my own Dad and how I'd feel if he moved away and it moved me to tears. It was the only part of the book that made me feel anything and part of that was because of my imagined scenarioof losing my own Dad.

To sum up my feelings about this book I found it to be incredibly boring, full of cliches and a little cheesy. The characters were two dimensional and dull and I will not be picking this book up to read again. Such a let down.

2 out of 5 stars.

The Diviners (Libba Bray) Review

Let me just start out by saying I was sent this book for review but that has not influenced my opinions on this book in any way. 

From the moment I picked up this book I was hooked. I was flicking through the pages with no intention of reading it until I had finished a book I was already reading but I was sucked in and dropped everything else. 

This book centers around Evangeline 'Evie' O'Neill. She is sent away to stay with her uncle in Manhattan after getting into a spot of bother in her hometown. She is a spunky flapper girl with bags of attitude and confidence, Evie has easily become my favourite character out of all the books I've ever read. However, Evie has a secret, one that has brought her trouble in the past. But when the police begin to investigate a series of murders Evie realises her gift could help catch the serial killer.

This book has a full cast of characters each with their own secrets and they are all interesting to read about, not once did I feel underwhelmed by a character. I devoured the pages wanting to learn more. For example, there is Theta the showgirl who befriends Evie and is running from her past. Memphis, who used to be able to heal people until the death of his mother and Isaiah, Memphis's younger brother who has the ability to see the future. There is Sam Lloyd who was easily my favourite character besides Evie, who can become invisible by willing someone not to see him. Mabel is Evie's friend and is the plain jane of the group opting to have long flowing locks instead of sporting a bob like Evie and Theta. Then there is Jericho who is hiding a secret of his own, he is serious and often looks down on Evie and her behaviour. 

Now let's just take a moment to appreciate the character of Naughty John. Bray makes this character so eerie and scary that I found myself sleeping with the lights on. He truly is the kind of character you'd find in your nightmares.

Aside from the fast paced action packed plot and the intriguing characters I also found I was completely in love with the setting of this book, 1926 New York. I enjoyed Bray's writing style and her use of the slang from this era. Whilst reading this book I felt transported back in time and when I would put the book down I would feel disappointed and yearn to be back within the pages of the novel.

This book has something very special about it, the character, the plot and the setting are all perfect that this book has easily become one of my favourites and I am eagerly awaiting book two. I will continue to re-read this book for many years to come.

5 out of 5 stars, althought if it were possible I would give it 6! :)

You Got To Be Kidding (Joe Wenke) Review

Let me just start out by saying that this is without a doubt the funniest book I've ever read. I sat with my parents and read aloud some of the passages and we all laughed a lot! 

It was such an interesting take on the bible and whilst I kind of always hovered between believer and non-believer this book tipped me into the non-believer category. This isn't a bad thing. It points out just how unfair, old fashioned, sexist and ridiculous some of the stories are, Noah's Ark for example. 

I highly recommend this book for those who don't believe or for those who aren't sure, it's very funny and very interesting. I don't think I'd recommend it to devout Christians though as it may cause offence.

5 out of 5 stars.

#FridayReads (16.11.2012)

Hey guys, so it is that time of the week again, it's #FridayReads time! As you probably know by now #FridayReads is a hashtag that explodes over on twitter every Friday. Hundreds of people share what they plan on reading at the weekend. I decided to bring it over to my blog from my Youtube so you guys can keep up to date with what I am reading.

This weekend I am reading 'The Diviners' by Libba Bray. I was sent this book for review by the publisher and it arrived in the post today. I picked it up to flick through the pages and was hooked straight away I am currently on page 53 of  578, because it is such a long book I don't plan on reading anything else this weekend.

Let me know what you plan on reading this weekend :)

Emma

xoxo

And The Winners Are...

As you guys know I hosted a giveaway over on my Youtube Channel. The giveaway was to celebrate me reaching 200 subscribers, which I still can't believe!

Anyway I had a draw and I picked two winners and they were:

Bunny Cates - http://www.youtube.com/user/bunnycates

&

Erin - http://www.youtube.com/user/wrathsqueen

So congratulations girls your chosen books are on their way to you! I hope you enjoy and thanks again to everyone who entered :)

Emma

xoxo

200 Subscribers Giveaway

Hey guys, in celebration of reaching 200 subscribers over on Youtube I am hosting a giveaway. I will be randomly picking two winners and they will each win a book of their choice.

There are of course some rules and they are:

• You MUST be subscribed to my Youtube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/EmmaHeartsBooks)

• You MUST leave a comment either on this blogpost or on my giveaway video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxk2uIA-mY4&feature=plcp)

• The book MUST be available over on the book depository (www.thebookdepository.com)

• The book of your choice MUST cost less than £15

Good luck guys and may the odds be ever in your favor ;)

Emma

xoxo

#FridayReads (02.11.2012)

If you don't know what #fridayreads is, it is a hashtag that explodes on twitter on Fridays. Every Friday, THOUSANDS of people from all over the world share what they plan to read that weekend! I also include my #fridayreads over on my Youtube Channel, so I thought why not share that on my blog too. 

I am inviting you all to play along! I would love to see what you are reading this weekend!

So this weekend I plan on reading Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, I absolutely love the Disney movie but I've never read the book. As you can see from the picture above I own a beautiful leatherbound edition of this book so I am excited about finally reading it. I began reading this book last night and I am already 50 pages in so I think I will end up finishing it rather soon as it is a nice fanciful read. 

What are you planning on reading this Friday? #FridayReads ... Get involved ;)

TEN review (Gretchen McNeil)

Where to start with this book? I was a little unsure at first as I am a HUGE fan of Agatha Christie and I was worried that the author would take a brilliant idea and ruin it but boy was I wrong. McNeil took a brilliant idea and made it her own. 

This book centers around a group of high school students who meet up on a remote island for a party thrown by one of the most popular girls in school. Shortly after they all arrive they come across a DVD with a label reading 'Don't Watch Me' the group watch the DVD and it appears to be creepy and sinister which freaks everybody out. The next morning they discover one of the group dead and the power is out, stranded on the island due to the storm they must figure out who the killer is before they are all murdered. 

This book was action pact and fast paced it completely sucked me in and I read it all in one sitting unable to put it down until I found out for sure what was going on. The characters were all flawed in some way so figuring out who was the killer was completely impossible, when it is eventually revealed I was gobsmacked I did not see it coming. Just when I thought I knew who was to blame something would happen and my mind would change completely, I guess you could say the plot kept me on my toes.

The main characters Meg and Minnie are two best friends who have a loving yet strained relationship, I loved how realistic their interactions with one another were and I loved them as a duo. Minnie was a little too erratic for me but I loved Meg she was calm and sensible and definitely the kind of girl you would want around in a crisis. 

There isn't a whole lot I can say about this book without giving away any spoilers so I will say this, the plot was fantastic,unpredictable and at times very spooky, the characters were great to read about and realistic and the setting of the Island was a perfect choice it was eerie and was the perfect place for this murder mystery novel to be set. I recommend this book highly to fans of Agatha Christie or anyone who is looking for something a bit creepy with a hint of mystery.
5 out of 5 stars :)