Friday, 1 January 2016

After You


By Jojo Moyes

4/5

After reading Me Before You over the summer I had very high expectations for this sequel and I was not disappointed. Me Before You is one of my all-time favourite books (any book that can make me cry is my favourite) and I was so excited when I heard there was going to be a sequel because I didn’t want Lou’s story to end. Although it didn’t make me cry as much as Me Before You, After You was exactly what I had hoped for and a huge surprise as well. I was not expecting a certain character to exist (no spoilers) and I didn’t think a character could get herself into as much of a mess as Lou did. Despite all the disasters, the romance that blossoms between Lou and Sam is heartwarming, and the surprise character, although rather irritating for most of the novel, held a special place in my heart towards the end. It was lovely to be reunited with some familiar faces from the previous novel such as Will’s mum and dad, along with Lou’s family (in particular her mother who turned out to be quite the character). I don’t want their story to end!

I would recommend Me Before You and After You to anyone who isn’t afraid to have a good cry and anyone who likes a story with a more serious undertone.

The Night Circus


By Erin Morgenstern

5/5

Enchanting. Magical. Breathtaking. These are some of the adjectives used to describe this book and I completely agree. This book is everything I imagined and more. Beautifully descriptive with an uplifting, yet sometimes heartbreaking story of love, loss and friendship. The characters are vibrant and alive, ensnaring the reader into the mystical world of the circus. The love between Celia and Marcus is passionate though heart wrenching, whilst the friendship between Poppet and Bailey is endearing. I can definitely see myself picking up this book up again over the summer and again after that. It is a story that will never get tired and has become a close contender for my favourite book.

The only thing I did not like is the time jump between chapters; one minute you’re in 1886 and the next you’re in 1902 and it can get a little complicated making sense of what is happening and what has already happened. However, this does not distract from the magic of the book and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone, no matter what genre of book you like.