Month: April 2020

What I Watch on YouTube

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In light of everyone having some extra time at home lately, I have been loving the many TV and movie recommendations, YouTube included. My relationship with YouTube has definitely changed over the past few years. Like many, I was absolutely obsessed with YouTube in my middle school and high school days, falling into many BookTube rabbit holes and other popular YouTube channels. Blame it on college and adulting life, but I’ve definitely become more selective about what I watch on YouTube- don’t worry I still fall into many binge sessions. I typically now watch YouTube while baking or doing homework, but there are definitely some videos that I like to sit and watch without any distractions. Since I’m always on the hunt for recs myself, listed below are my favorite BookTube and other YouTube channels and why I love them so much.

BookTube

Super Space Chick – Kristin of Super Space Chick’s blog and YouTube channel was recommended me by one of my TAs freshmen year, and I’ve been following her content since! Super Space Chick features a mix of YA, new adult, and adult book recommendations across many genres, with plenty of other fandom topics mixed in. As someone who is a pretty recent fan of Star Wars, I’ve loved jumping into Krisitn’s Star Wars book videos, explaining how to read through the canon, and her hauls. My favorite series on Super Space Chick is News & Stuff, in which Kristin recaps the latest news across books, television/film, fandom, and more.

PeruseProject – Regan of Peruse Project was one of the first BookTubers I followed back in 2014. I still watch almost all of her videos, but I especially love her reading vlogs. They’re such a nice blend of her reading & reviewing while also sharing her everyday life, plenty of clothing hauls, food, TV, and her adorable pug included. She primarily does weekend vlogs, but has also started vlogging during the week, showing the balance between work and reading life.

Peace Love Books xo – Jessica of PeaceLoveBooksxo is my latest BookTube discovery. She also runs the book blog,Peace Love Books. A huge romance reader, her channel has definitely matched my increased interest in new adult and contemporary romance She also reads YA. I really love her recommendation videos, reading vlogs, and vlogs dedicated to reading favorite or ranked (like the Goodreads Choice Awards).

PolandBananasBooks – Christine of PolandBananasBooks was the first ever BookTube channel I watched and subscribed to. I don’t watch all of her videos like I used to- I really don’t follow her Book Writing series or watch too many hauls- but I still enjoy her sketches and especially love her monthly-wrap ups.

Non BookTube

Delish – I am here to admit that whenever a Julia Tries Everything or Iconic Eats video hits my subscription box, I almost always immediately watch. My sisters and I both love these series and sometimes wait to watch them together (if we have enough patience and can hold ourselves off from watching them on our own). Julia Tries Everything follows Julia trying all or the most popular menu items from chain restaurants. In Iconic Eats, Tess tries the most popular food items at amusement parks.

Zoella/Zoe Sugg – Zoe Sugg of Zoella, who now really just goes by Zoe Sugg nowadays, was one of the first YouTuber channel I ever subscribed to. Back in 2015, I used to follow so many British/UK bloggers, but she’s the only one I still really follow. Although she doesn’t really post on her main channel and as much as she used to, I still really enjoy her vlogs.

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What do you watch on BookTube or YouTube? Any of the same? Any recommendations for me? Share in the comments!

HONEY READ ME: The Honey-Don’t List Review

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Summary (from the publisher):

71qWViPHwYLCarey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

 

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

If you’ve been keeping up with my current contemporary romance quest, you’ll know that I’ve fallen head-over-heels in love with Christina Lauren’s books. And the latest book of this writing duo’s that has caused my feels is their latest release, The Honey-Don’t List. I’m also seriously in love with this book’s cover! The Honey-Don’t List follows Carey and James, two personal assistants to one of America’s reality TV, home improvement couples, the Tripps. One thing America doesn’t know about the Tripps? They can’t stand each other. On the eve of the Tripps’ book tour, James and Carey are forced to join in on their West Coast adventure to keep the peace – and their jobs.

Regardless of its synopsis, I will pick up any Christina Lauren book, but I was especially sold on The Honey Don’t-List’s premise. It must be something about being in your twenties that makes me want to watch a HGTV show or three (and take a trip to Waco, Texas to visit an IRL home improvement couple’s market and bakery). And don’t forget the extra bookish bonus points this one gets for taking place during a BOOK tour.

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The Honey-Don’t List has been receiving some mixed reviews, but this book was a near-perfect fluff read for me. The only ‘complaint’ I have is that I don’t really understand the  reasoning behind the book’s title. There’s maybe a handful of references to Mel’s infamous ‘honey-do’ lists for Rusty, but they’re never really explained. They didn’t necessarily need to be, but I feel like they should’ve been since they allude to the title. I interpreted then the ‘don’t’ in the title as the fact that there’s a lot Rusty and Mel can’t do on tour and things Carey and James can’t risk in fear of losing their jobs.Read More »

SWEETEST YA: What I Like About You Review & Inspired Cupcake Recipe

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Summary (from the publisher):
whaThere are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash.

He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything…

Except who she really is.

Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash.

That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue.

Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels.

If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

 

 My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I firmly believe that What I Like About You is the YA contemporary meant for my bookish soul. Main character who shares the same name as me (albeit, spelled differently from yours truly), blogs about YA books, loves books and baking, and dreams of a job where she can share her love for books? Marisa Kanter’s debut novel literally has made my bookish dreams come true in the best way possible- in the cutest YA contemporary book that is!

What I Like About You follows high school senior Halle Levitt. By day, Halle is adjusting to spending her senior year in Connecticut and dreams of getting into NYU and landing a job in publishing. But by laptop and phone screen, Halle is Kels, the creator and blogger behind One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs YA book covers with cupcakes. Halle loves just about everything about One True Pastry, but especially loves talking to Nash, fellow blogger and her online best friend. Things get extremely complicated for Halle IRL when she meets Nash face-to-face at her new school and must figure out how – and if – she’ll reveal herself as Kels to him.

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What I Like About You is my favorite bookish YA contemporary. I have no problem at all relating to nearly any character who loves books or books that take place in a bookish setting like a library or bookstore. However, What I Like You steps up the bookish book game up so much for featuring a protagonist that runs a book blog. Halle’s platform is absolutely huge, but I was able to relate to her so much for not only her love of books and turning said love into a bookish career, but really having to balance blogging with IRL things like family and school. From drafting and editing posts to checking emails to scrolling through Twitter, blogging definitely takes a lot of time and I loved that we got to see Halle do all of these things. Halle finds herself in so many important conversations about book blogging and YA books, Twitter and who YA is for included, and so much of our everyday lingo, from ARCs to TBRs. Both Kels and Nash are vying for spots on a blogger panel at Book Con, and I loved all and any talk surrounding my favorite bookish weekend.Read More »

The Prediction Book Tag

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Let be honest- I really enjoy doing all kinds of book tags, but especially love ones that encourage me to talk about my TBR! The Prediction Tag is all about talking about our predictions about upcoming reads. I was nominated to do this really creative tag by Norees of No Reads Too Great. The Prediction Book Tag was created by Mandy and Sha of Book Princess Reviews.

THE RULES:

  1. Pingback to the creator of the tag, @bookprincessreviews 
  2. Tag the person who tagged you
  3. Find an answer to match each prompt
  4. Have fun!

All of these prompts are your predictions for your…

Next Read

I have a TBR set for April but I’m not sure what book I’ll exactly pick up next. I’ve been on a Christina Lauren kick, so I know I’ll be reading Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating within the next two or three weeks.

Next 5 Star Read

I know I’m going to absolutely love Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams, the second book in The Bromance Book Club series. I’ve seen a lot of people say this sequel was even better than the first book and I loved one of its protagonists, Liv, in Bromance Book Club.

Next 1 Star Read

I rarely rate books 1 star because I usually DNF by then, but I think one book on my TBR that I might not exactly love or like is Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher. This is another one on my April TBR because of my deep dive into contemporary romance, but I’ve recently seen more and more meh reviews for this one. I’m definitely going to give it a chance because I’ve been in the mood for any type of contemporary lately.

Next Love Interest (or Character that Seems Really Cool to You)

I’m not sure if he’ll necessarily be a love interest, but I’m interested to see if Elle Kennedy’s The Play makes me reconsider my feelings about one of its protagonists, Hunter.

Next Book You’ll Be Buying

I’ve been buying more books than usual lately to help support the industry while my county library is closed. I think I’ll be buying You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle next!Read More »