BOOK REVIEW: Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan @ClaireAllan @AvonBooksUK

Posted in Reviews, Thriller by

Format: ARC, NetGalley
Links: Amazon UK | Goodreads
Publication date: 28th June 2018
Blurb: Her name was Rose. You watched her die. And her death has created a vacancy. 

When Emily lets a stranger step out in front of her, she never imagines that split second will change her life. But after Emily watches a car plough into the young mother – killing her instantly – she finds herself unable to move on.

And then she makes a decision she can never take back.

Because Rose had everything Emily had ever dreamed of. A beautiful, loving family, a great job and a stunning home. And now Rose’s husband misses his wife, and their son needs a mother. Why couldn’t Emily fill that space?

But as Emily is about to discover, no one’s life is perfect… and not everything is as it seems. Continue reading →

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Simple ways I’ve made my anxiety a little more manageable

Posted in Mental Health, Reviews by

Anxiety sucks. There’s no two ways about it. It can be overwhelming, entirely consuming and completely life-changing and I’ve certainly experience all 3 of those feelings since I developed Generalised Anxiety Disorder in 2011. I wrote about my experience in more depth here but since then (goodness me, it literally does seem like a lifetime ago), my anxiety has chopped and changed quite dramatically. And it’s no surprise really because things change all the time. There was a point in time where I had to eat sort of, every hour because I was terrified I was going to faint. Which stemmed from an episode of the flu where I almost actually did faint and voila, I have anxiety and I’m terrified of everything. Funny how the brain works isn’t it?

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Why I’ve changed my mind about adult colouring books

Posted in Other, Reviews by

I did not buy into the adult colouring book hype, when it came into fruition a while ago. Of course when I was a kid I would use colouring books, painting by numbers and all sorts of fun, crafty things. But you know, I grew up. Like everyone else. I wasn’t interested in these things anymore. I wanted to listen to music, play video games, go out with my friends. Then I got even older (ugh!) and I had to do college work, find a job and grow up a bit. And now at the tender age of 25 I’m right back to where I started. 

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Stepping into Spring with xylondon

Posted in Other, Products, Reviews by

I think Spring is a great time to spruce things up. Whether that’s your blog layout, a new hair cut, a re-decorated bedroom or a new wardrobe, Spring is a great time to jump into things head first. New beginnings and all that jazz. I always feel super motivated and inspired as Spring hits (apart from the days that my hay fever is so bad that I can’t breathe or see), I want to do more, try new things, work harder – the works! And it’s a great feeling. Fashion is something I’ve never been overly confident with; I don’t tend to follow the crowd or follow any “trends” and I’m quite reserved when it comes to my choices. But even a gal like me needs some new items to spruce up their wardrobe every now and again don’t they?

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BOOK REVIEW: How To Be Happy by Eva Woods

Posted in Fiction, Reviews by

Format: Kindle, Bought
Links: Goodreads | Amazon UK
Blurb: Annie Hebden is stuck. Stuck in her boring job, with her irritating roommate, in a life no thirty-five-year-old would want. But deep down, Annie is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she’d once taken for granted—and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard.

Bright, bubbly, intrusive Polly is everything Annie doesn’t want in a friend. But Polly is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. Because if recent events have taught Polly anything, it’s that your time is too short to waste a single day—which is why she wants Annie to join her on a mission…

One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy. Annie’s convinced it’s impossible, but so is saying no to Polly. And on an unforgettable journey that will force her to open herself to new experiences—and perhaps even new love with the unlikeliest of men—Annie will slowly begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, there’s still joy to be found in the world. But then it becomes clear that Polly’s about to need her new friend more than ever…and Annie will have to decide once and for all whether letting others in is a risk worth taking. Continue reading →

Advice for first time skiers *

Posted in Lifestyle/Travel, Reviews by

I’ve tried to incorporate travel and holiday type posts on my blog a lot more recently because holidays, trips and even short weekends away mean an awful lot to me. They leave us with some of the best memories and photos to look back on and by writing about it, I get to reminisce all over again! My most recent trip was a weekend away in Shropshire on the Severn Valley Railway, which I’ve done twice now and thoroughly enjoy and back in March, I also wrote a post about some of my favourite holidays. You’ll see that one of the holidays I included in that post was skiing, which is what I’m chatting about today!

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My favourite Disney movies

Posted in Disney, Reviews by

I know this topic has been done to absolute death on blogs and when I started writing more Disney related posts a couple of months ago, I thought I wouldn’t bother writing about my favourite films because like, does anyone really care? But after I put a poll out with a couple of Disney-related options on it, it turns out, that people do actually like reading these posts. If you’re a Disney fan, you’re going to be interested in what Disney things other Disney fans like – I assume! 

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How I cope in times of stress

Posted in Mental Health, Reviews by

I blog about mental health a lot and I’m totally open about my anxiety and how it affects me. Which is bad. Sometimes. I think during my anxiety journey, I’ve learnt a lot about how to deal with both anxiety and stress. I’ve probably learnt more coping mechanisms with anxiety than I ever would have if I didn’t develop it in the first place. Which, thinking about it, I suppose is one benefit to come out of having my mental health disorder. Of course we all need coping strategies when we’re stressed. Because we all get stressed and we’ll all have periods of more stress than others. You know how it is, everything’s fine for months then 12 problems come along at once. I’ve recently had a bit of a episode like that, which I’m not going to go into but it’s important to reiterate the point that everyone goes through it. It can help to know we’re not alone, if nothing else. 

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6 things to do in London for the ultimate tourist experience

Posted in Lifestyle/Travel, Reviews by

London; you’ve probably been there. If you haven’t been there, you probably want to go there. And if you want to go there, there’s no doubt that you’ll wanna see the sights and famous attractions that London is so well-known for. I live in Essex, approximately 20 minutes on a train from Liverpool Street Station – a hub to get almost anywhere you want in London. As a kid, I was often taken to London on days out with my parents. I saw all the sights and attractions that brochures and websites always tell you to see by the age of about 10! And well into my teen life, I continued to venture into London with friends almost on a weekly basis to explore and just see where the day took us. 

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