Hey my lovelies, welcome to this weeks Monday (which is slightly delayed, sorry guys) post, and there has been a little bit of a change in plan, my original planned post is being swapped over to the 31st, and this weeks post is now my booktubeathon TBR & (mini) Haul. The booktubeathon is an annual readathon, that was created by Ariel Bissett on Youtube, with the idea that as well as celebrating the booktube community, everyone bands together to read as many books that they can in the week, whilst trying to complete the 7 challenges. This year it runs from today (July 24th) to Sunday (July 30th). All of the books included in today's post, were bought for the purpose of reading in this readathon, so lets get down to it...

Thankfully when buying for this, I had the good sense to only pick relatively short books, so I won't be overpowering myself by trying to read 7 500+ page books in 6 days.

Challenge #1 ~ Read a book with a person on the cover

Now this one wasn't a very difficult choice to make and that's because it is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, I first read this book around four years ago, and I remember really enjoying it, however with the series recently coming out on Netflix, I decided before watching it I would reread the book. If you don't know what Thirteen Reasons Why is about Clay who receives a set of tapes, only they're from his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide two weeks earlier, and claims to explain the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide, the only thing is Clay is one of them.

Challenge #2 ~ Read a hyped book

This next book I've had on my TBR for quite some time now, and from the reading of various others TBRs it is clearly a priority to get this one read, especially after the film came out last year, so A Monster Calls is joining my list.  And for this one I am pretty much going into this blind, only knowing that it is about a young boy and a monster (who my mum thought was Groot, when she saw the trailer on TV). But can you deny that this is a super hyped book? Patrick Ness has been so popular with both bloggers and booktubers a like in the recent years.

Challenge #3 ~ Finish a book in one day

And for this challenge (although one of my other picks, will probably cover this one) I have chosen the official Booktubeathon read! Which is of cause Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel, and all I know about this one is that it deals with someone coping with the grief of losing their sister, and how they deal with allowing themselves to get over the loss.

Challenge #4 ~ Read about a character that is very different from you

For this one I wasn't really sure what to choose, as it was such an open ended challenge, so in the end I simply decided to let it go and see what happens, whilst the readathons on.

Challenge #5 ~ Finish a book completely outside

Now bar challenge #7 this is one I feel I'm most likely to fail at, as you never really know what is going to happen with British weather, but in the spirit of it being summer, I have chosen to read Lying about Last Summer by Sue Wallman. Similar to Juniper Lemons Happiness Index, this deals with the trauma from losing a sibling, however with a mystery/thriller edge, as Skye starts receiving texts from someone claiming to be her dead sister. Pretty Little Liars much?

Challenge #6 ~ Read a book you got because of the cover

For this challenge, I picked a book my mum got me in the last two weeks, which I adore because of the cover and it is The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid, as well as it being the only science fiction book on my list, it is also the only hardcover I plan to read. But honestly how cool is that cover? A butterfly turning into knives, what could be better? This is another one I'm going into blind.

Challenge #7 ~ Read 7 books

And for the final challenge I have chosen the booktubers collaboration Because you love to hate me, I chose this one, because what is better than finishing of a booktubeathon with a book inspired by booktubers writing prompts?

I know I shouldn't but when buying for this haul, I couldn't help myself. So I bought a swapping books, meaning that if I change my mind on what to read I could try this instead. So we have another book by Sue Wallman, See how they lie, which is another ya thriller. 

Thank you for reading my lovelies, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you're taking part in the Booktubeathon let me know what your reading below in the comments!

Previous Book Review: Pigeon Blood Red by Ed E. Duncan
Previous Bookish Post: May/June Wrap Up & July TBR
Next Book Review: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

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Hey my lovelies, this month has been an extremely busy month for me, from theory tests to personal issues. So I have been unable to post many (if any) reviews this month, however this is going to be rectified in the coming month. As in August I shall be going on holiday for just over a week giving me plenty of reading time, and you will be happy to know I already have 3 scheduled reviews written and ready to post. So there shall be at least 5 reviews posted in August. I was supposed to take part in the Booktube readathon this month and my goal was to read in 7 books, however I did only end up reading 2.

July TBR

The first book I read in the month of July was My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, I ordered this as I decided it was summer and I needed to read a light hearted contemporary and even though it did end up having some angsty moments, it was exactly what I needed, and I really enjoyed it. However, for most of this month I have either not been in a review writing mood or the books I have reviewed have a specific date by which they have to be posted, which is why My Life Next Door does not have a review.

The second book I read in July was Deeper by Allyn Lesley, I received this book in exchange for an honest review on the Deeper: Descent book tour in late August. I won't reveal much about this book due to the review coming out on the 19th August. Deeper is an adult suspenseful romance novel following a young teacher and self proclaimed in King of New York Noah.

Shockingly, the third book I read in July was Deeper: Descent by Allyn Lesley, I also received this book in exchange for an honest review and the review shall be posted on the 26th August. Descent is the sequel to the above mentioned book and further follows the story of Avi and Noah, although now they have even bigger enemies going against them.

The fourth book I read in July was The Departed by Kristy Cooper, this was a very interesting book and followed the idea of what if the rapture happened, or what if it didn't however everyone beleives it did. When Gwens best friend goes missing in one night along with thousand of others around the world, she's convinced that her best friend can't really be dead.

You may have seen my booktube readathon tbr, and I am happy to announce in that week I read a grand total of 3 books, whilst rereading one of the books 3 times(this shall make more sense below). 

The fifth book I read in July was Idol by Kristen Callihan, if you've been reading my blog for awhile then you will know that I first discovered Kristen Callihan back in January and fell in love with the Hook Up series, so when I heard about this one I wanted it right now. This also fell into my favourite author challenge, so how could I not? So I picked it up and I really enjoyed it, the only criticism I have is that the ending went far too fast for my liking. But what can you do?

This ofcause lead to me having to reread The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan, yes, I just had to do it, I simply couldn't help my self and in the midst of revising I read it. I am happy to say it was just as good as I remember and shall firmly stay on my favourites list.

The seventh, eighth and ninth book I read in July was The Highway Code, I had my theory test in the middle my readathon, so I didn't get to read all of the books I wanted as when I went to read it made me feel guilty that I wasn't revising. Does anybody else have this? Usually I can put it to the back of my mind, however this time I simply couldn't.

The tenth book I read in July was Real by Katy Evans, you may remember that I read Manwhore back in January, and when I saw Real was available for me to read, I simply had too. I have to say though I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected too and in my opinion I preferred Manwhore to Real.

August TBR

Hey my lovelies, this part of the post is going to be very short, as I have decided to not have a tbr in August. However I should hopefully be able to read a lot this month, as I am going on my second holiday of the year and shall be doing plenty of reading on the plane and the beach. 

Well, that's it for this month, hopefully you had a better reading month than I did, even though looking at my list I did read quite a bit, I just feel like I did no reading. 

Thank you for reading, To keep more up to date with what I am reading, you can check out my Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram. 

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Hey my lovelies, this weeks monday post is a little different to my normal ones mainly because it is a tbr, but not any old tbr, the BookTube-A-Thon Reading Challenge TBR. The reading challenge takes place every year in one week, in order to help readers take a few books of their tbr, this year it is taking place from July 18th to to July 24th. You can find out more about the challenge here. Now I have chosen 7 books to read this week (a lot I know), in order to reach the each of the seven challenges.

Challenge #1 is to read a book with yellow on the cover, this one seems pretty easy until I actually look at my bookshelves, I do not actually own a lot of yellow books, but I still managed to find one. The book I have chosen is Landline by Rainbow Rowell, I tried to read this last year, however something stopped me when I was about half way through and then I never picked it back up again. 

Challenge #2 is to read a book only after sunset and when I say after sunset this basically just means you can't read the book during the day, which sounds reasonable enough especially for me considering I do not usually go to sleep until around half past one, however sunset is not actually till 9:31pm, so I do not have much time to ensure I read it, however I have done it multiple times before, so this one should be pretty easy to do.

Challenge #3 is to read a book you discovered through booktube, I have been watching various booktubers for over two years now, so there are not that many books I have read that have not come recommended via booktube in some way. So the book I have chosen is Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, I originally heard of this from the booktuber Jessethereader, and have wanted to pick it up since then. And now I do actually have a copy of it, why not?

Challenge #4 is to read a book by one of your favourite authors, this challenge sounds a lot easier than it is, as I have far too many favourite authors, so for this one on the day I am just going to go for it and pick up a book of one of favourite authors shelves (I have individual shelves for Cassandra Clare, Richelle Mead, Sara Shepard, Suzanne Collins and Meg Cabot, because I love their writing so much) 

Challenge #5 is to read a book that is older than you, I recently watched the Pride and Prejudice movie for the first time and really enjoyed, so I have chosen this as the book that is older than me. And it is always good to read a classic, which I have yet to do so far this year.

Challenge #6 is to Read and watch a book-to-movie adaptation, I have decided that this is the challenge I am saving till last, mainly because of the book I have chosen and that is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I read the Philosophers Stone earlier this year and enjoyed it and have just been putting off the rest of the series until now.

Challenge #7 is to Read 7 books, hopefully I will be able to read all of the above, and then one random choice of my bookshelf.

That's it for this weeks Monday post of books that I plan to read in the Book-Tube-A-Thon Reading Challenge. You can check out my last Monday post of Books that lived up to the hype here. 

Thank you for reading, To keep more up to date with what I am reading, you can check out my Twitter, Goodreads and Instagram. 

EnglishBlonde

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Hey my lovelies, this weeks book review does not include any spoilers and it is Zero by Morgan Dark, I received Zero for free in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Rubiños 1860. The first thing I have to say about this book is that it was not what I expected. At all. It was far better and well exceeded my expectations. 

Title: Zero
Author: Morgan Dark
Publisher: Rubiños 1860
Pub. Date: June 28th 2016
Date Read:  27th June 2016
Pages: 378
Rating:4.75/5 stars
Goodreads Summary: A baffling robber. A mystery hidden for years. And an elite boarding school where no one is who they say they are. Kyle Bradford is the envy of Drayton College, but everything takes a turn when a dangerous shadow, hidden in the darkness, starts to stalk him. From then on, his life falls apart. Unjustly accused of being the main suspect behind the robberies terrifying high society, he is forced to prove his innocence. And to do so, he has to find the real culprit: Zero, an infallible criminal who keeps his identity hidden under a silver mask. What Kyle does not know is that his enemy is keeping a secret. A secret he would sacrifice everything for. A dizzying, heart-stopping thriller you won’t be able to put down.

Overview

This book definitely grips you from the start, as straight away we are thrown into the middle of the action with the notorious thief Zero robbing a necklace at an Opera house, with him/her barely escaping from the police. At this stage nobody knows who Zero is or why he is stealing, what he is stealing. Then in the first chapter we meet Kyle Bradford our main character and antagonist, it follows him returning to the elite boarding school where he lives, there he begins to be antagonised by the one we know as Zero, who is setting him up by ensuring robberies begin taking place in Kyle's classes, making him look like the prime suspect. So it also deals with Kyle attempting to find out who Zero is and why he possibly could be framing him. The book then delves into the secrets of all our main characters pasts, leading you on some unexpected journeys. 

This book went nowhere near where i expected it to go. As at four different stages I realised that it wasn't the story i expected it to be at that point and the book just kept me hanging on the edge of my seat. Not gonna lie I guessed one of the plot twists quite early on, however I believe that it was intentional that we guess and find out that one, as I believe it was working on the strategy that if you think you've found the major plot twist, which is a very clever thing to do in order to get a upper hand on your reader. And trust me some of these plot twists, make you sit there and think wow. How did we get here?

Writing 

I enjoyed the general writing and the only fault I found with it was that at the very beginning of the book the writing came of as slightly middle grade, however I found this developed more as the characters themselves developed, which makes me think this could have been intentional, So do not let the very beginnings writing, put you off, even though I am unsure of how that could happen as you pretty much get sucked in straight away. The actual book is split into four parts, with the first three parts split into finding out who Zero is and the final part revealing who Zero really is and why he/she does steal and the motives behind everything. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, this book totally blew my mind, and I did not expect that ending at all, and if you want to read a book that will completely blow your mind read it now. It was so amazing and I am now excited to read the next book in the series (I assume there is going to be more books as there were some questions left unanswered). This review is slightly shorter than my normal reviews, however due to spoiler reasons I cannot give an in depth analysis of the characters, however trust me when I say nothing is ever what it seems. 

Recommend ....

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys good fast paced thrillers with plot twists at every turn. 

Book Links

Goodreads ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes&Noble ~ Ibooks ~ Kobo ~ Rubiños 1860

Another huge thank you to Rubiños, 1860 for allowing me to read and receive this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Thank you for reading my lovelies, this is it for this week, if you would like to see more of what I am currently reading you can check me out on Goodreads, Instagram and Twitter. 

Previous Book Review: Sweet Liar by Debra Doxer

Next Book Review: Diamond Bonds by Jeff Kish

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Hey my lovelies, I am going on holiday to Majorca on the 16th July, so I am having two separate TBRs. So lets get started...

The first couple of books I plan to read are the rest of the Percy Jackson series, I have already read the first two and are around half way through the third book. So I plan to finish the series whilst I am over there. They are already downloaded onto my Kindle app and are ready to read for at the airport.

The two single books I plan to read are Miss Peregrine's Home of Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

I also plan on starting the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead, as I loved the Vampire Academy series.

Please also note that all books mentioned above are on my kindle app, so they are easier to take on the plane and I won't have to lug around a bag of ten or so books, as I find I tend to read a lot more when I am relaxed and on Holiday.

EnglishBlonde

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