August Wrap Up 2018

I did really well this month. Nine books, eight movies and a TV show, I had a lot of time on my hands but sadly, that free time will be short lived because college starts again next month...yay.

BOOKS
A Bad Boy Stole My Bra- Lauren Price
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I loved this book so much more than I thought. I was sent this ARC through Netgalley and I'm so happy I read it because it was exactly what I needed. It was the perfect rom-com read and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough.
Review to come!

The DUFF- Kody Keplinger (Re-read)
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As I was in a rom-com mood and had limited reading choice because I was on holiday with only my kindle, I decided a re-read of the DUFF was in order because it's one of my favourite contemporaries and rom-coms don't get much better than this.

Operation Prom Date- Cindi Madsen (Re-read)
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On a re-reading roll, I went back to this yet again because it's just too cute and quick and easy to read. You fall in love with the characters from the very first page and the fandom references make my heart swell.
Operation Prom Date Book Talk

Antman and the Wasp MOVIE TALK

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Surprise surprise, I loved this movie! I thought the first one was brilliant and the sequel managed to magnify that ten times over! It was funnier, more entertaining and enjoyable than ever and Marvel never ceases to amaze me with their beautiful story-telling skills.
I've always had a soft spot for Paul Rudd (Friends bonus points will always be given) and along with Evangeline Lily giving epic female representation, this movie exceeded all my expectations.
And I'm not even gonna start on that post credit scene cliffhanger because... it broke me.

TRAILER

AMAZON

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
Starting with characters, I have to say that Cassie is one of my favourites. She's the cutest kid ever and she has such an adorable relationship with her dad. The whole 'world's best grandma' trophy thing was hilarious and she's just such a funny and awesome character to watch. I love Scott's dedication to his daughter, especially as we don't really see the other Avengers having that kind of relationship. Cassie is also the coolest daughter because she covers for her dad on so many occasions and... I just want her to have more and more screen time.

Naming Pets After Fictional Characters?

I'm fully aware this isn't really a tough debate because I'm sure everyone thinks it's a-okay to name pets after their favourite fictional characters and, if I'm being brutally honest, this post is just an excuse for me to show off my family's adorable new kittens and their names are the only way I could link it to fiction.

We've named our kittens Arya and Sansa (after Game of Thrones characters) because my whole family loves Game of Thrones and they were the only names we could agree on. Honestly, I was trying to push Marvel names like Scarlet (Scarlet Witch) or Carter (Peggy Carter) but I'm still happy with what we settled on.

And the best thing is that they're character names fit very well personality wise. Arya is very much the more hyper and energetic one while Sansa is more reserved and content to just sit and be left alone. Arya is very much as daring and physical as her namesake and Sansa is just as reserved, quiet and contemplative as Sansa in Game of Thrones. They're both so adorable and, like I said, this post is just an excuse to show you guys how cute they are!
They look super alike but they're actually not related at all. They were just odd kittens from their litters than nobody else wanted and they became best friends that did everything together.

Arya

Sansa

And I have to say, having kittens is like having kids. Whenever you hear a noise in the other room, you have to check to see if they're okay. They constantly want food and attention (Arya more than most). But they're super adorable and I love them to pieces already... let's just hope they don't destroy any of my books, though.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe

Game of Thrones 4x09 'The Watchers on the Wall' TV TALK

Episode nine of every series is always the epic, 'stuff-goes-down', episode of the series and while this episode was no different, it wasn't as good as the previous ones we had. While the fight was awesome and chaotic to watch, not much really happened.
I will also say that the music was ace- it built up all the fighting and worked really well behind every scene.

TV TALKS:

Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10

Season 2:  2x01  |  2x02  |  2x03  |  2x04  |  2x05  |  2x06  |  2x07  |  2x08  |  2x09  |  2x10

Season 3:  3x01  |  3x02  |  3x03  |  3x04  |  3x05  |  3x06  |  3x07  |  3x08  |  3x09  |  3x10

Season 4:  4x01  |  4x02  |  4x03  |  4x04  |  4x05  |  4x06  |  4x07  |  4x08

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
The wildlings finally attack. It's been a long time coming.
It's complete and utter chaos- we spend most of the episode simply watching people be decapitated and cut open.

Heathers the Musical: Act 2 Synopsis

I started with the first act of the Heathers the Musical so, obviously I was gonna finish with the second act. Act 2 is arguably my favourite but honestly, my opinion changes every other day so don't take that too much to heart. Both acts of Heathers are amazing because the musical is a masterpiece of epicness and dark comedy.

I'll link the Youtube playlist I'd recommend listening to here as it has the lyrics and even includes a couple of songs that aren't officially on the soundtrack.

Heathers Act 1 Synopsis | Heathers Act 1 Soundtrack Review | Heathers Act 2 Soundtrack Review | Heather Book Tag

Act 2

We start Act 2 with Ram and Kurt's funeral. Veronica is distraught and reflects that Ram and Kurt could have grown out of their immaturity but they weren't given the chance before their lives were cut short.

Teen Wolf BOOK TAG

Since I've been binging Teen Wolf lately, re-watching all the seasons before watching the final sixth season for the first time, I thought it was fitting that I do a book tag for it!

Scott McCall- the character who evolved the most in a book
Juliette- Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
I love the transformation of Juliette throughout the Shatter Me series. She begins as a terrified fawn depending on others to protect her and keep her safe. But by the end, she has complete control of her powers, can speak confidently and passionately, and knows exactly what she has to do to make the world better for herself and others. She knows exactly what she wants in life, what she's capable of and what she needs to fight for. Such great character development.

Heathers the Musical: Act 1 Synopsis

The annoying thing with musicals is that, if you don't watch it, you miss a lot of the story and can't follow the plot so easily (with exceptions like Hamilton). It's easy to miss the plot points that happen between songs so I've decided (with a lovely suggestion pushing me into this direction) that I'd write a synopsis of the whole plot so you can follow the story while you listen to the songs for the first time. Sure, you could just get this somewhere else on the internet but... I love Heathers and want to do it myself anyway.
If you didn't know, Heathers the Musical is based off the movie Heathers released 30 years ago. The musical is actually really faithful to the original movie and the plot is essentially all the same. To describe it, I would say Heathers is like Mean Girls but with psychopaths and murder rolled right in. Who wouldn't find that interesting?
I'm gonna go through the whole plot of Heathers (with some help from Wikipedia) and point out where all the songs go throughout. Hopefully, you'll love Heathers as much as I do!
I'd recommend listening to this playlist on Youtube because it has the lyrics with the songs, meaning you can tell who's singing and it also includes a couple of songs that aren't on the soundtrack!

Heathers Act 1 Soundtrack Review | Heathers Act 2 Soundtrack Review | Heathers Book Tag

Act 1
We start the play being introduced to all our main characters on the first day of high school, September 1st, 1989. Our main protagonist, Veronica Sawyer, is beyond frustrated with the social hierarchy and cruelty at Westerburg High School and dreams of a change and leaving Westerburg for good. We're introduced to the school jocks/bullies, Kurt and Ram, as well as Veronica's best friend, kind and overweight, Martha.

Game of Thrones 4x08 'The Mountain and the Viper' TV TALK

This was such a great episode! With an all-time low of characters I don't particularly care about, so much stuff happened that I'd been anticipating for a while. And, as always, twists and turns are a given in every single episode of Game of Thrones.

TV TALKS:

Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10

Season 2:  2x01  |  2x02  |  2x03  |  2x04  |  2x05  |  2x06  |  2x07  |  2x08  |  2x09  |  2x10

Season 3:  3x01  |  3x02  |  3x03  |  3x04  |  3x05  |  3x06  |  3x07  |  3x08  |  3x09  |  3x10

Season 4:  4x01  |  4x02  |  4x03  |  4x04  |  4x05  |  4x06  |  4x07

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
At the Eyrie, Baelish nearly got caught red-handed with killing Lady Arryn but, luckily for him, Sansa saved the day (I never thought I'd say that....) She lied about Baelish killing her and she's finally growing a backbone! I've waited so long for her to become bolder and stronger (she's been a bit pathetic overall) and now, she's finally making it.... along with dying her black- because that's how bad-ass she is now.

Every Last Breath- Jennifer L. Armentrout BOOK TALK

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This book did not disappoint which is hardly surprising because Jennifer L. Armentrout has never written a bad book in my opinion. This was a brilliant finale to the trilogy and was wholly satisfying from start to finish.
This trilogy is full of action, epic romance, supernatural fun and sassy characters (which JLA specialises in). As always, her characters are lovable, her prose is effortlessly hilarious and her stories all-consuming. I honestly can't say a bad word about Jennifer L. Armentrout's books because she's a writing goddess.
The most interesting thing about this book is that the fans had a huge say on the outcome. Jennifer L. Armentrout held an online vote to decide which guy the protagonist ended up with. She's writes a love triangle so well and, as an aspiring writer myself, I can't imagine giving up such creative control. (It also helps that my ship won the vote :) )
White Hot Kiss Book Talk
Stone Cold Touch Book Talk

GOODREADS

AMAZON

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The first thing I loved about this book was how quickly the love triangle was resolved. I was expecting it to stretch throughout the whole book but it was settled in the first 100 pages. In most books, it drags out through the entire book and it makes you dislike the protagonist because they're leading two guys on and frustratingly can't make a decision. Layla was definitely not a coward and knew she had to make a tough a decision but didn't sit around and mope. She listened to her heart and did what was fair for all of them. (Though, I wouldn't be this enthusiastic if she'd picked Zayne).

Game of Thrones 4x07 'Mockingbird' TV TALK

These last few episodes have been amazing and they just keep getting better! The end of this series is going to be amazing- I can tell.
I particularly loved Sansa in this episode. She's been through so much already and I really love seeing her character grow and develop so naturally. I think she could be a great ruler in the future... here's hoping.

TV TALKS:

Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10

Season 2:  2x01  |  2x02  |  2x03  |  2x04  |  2x05  |  2x06  |  2x07  |  2x08  |  2x09  |  2x10

Season 3:  3x01  |  3x02  |  3x03  |  3x04  |  3x05  |  3x06  |  3x07  |  3x08  |  3x09  |  3x10

Season 4:  4x01  |  4x02  |  4x03  |  4x04  |  4x05  |  4x06

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
I'm going to start with the events that happened in the Eyrie because these are the scenes that are entertaining me the most at the moment (despite my extreme dislike of Lady Arryn and creepy little Robin- mainly, I just like watching Sansa and Baelish).

Stone Cold Touch- Jennifer L. Armentrout BOOK TALK

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This was such a solid and entertaining sequel. Jennifer L. Armentrout's books are all-consuming and take over my entire life. All of her characters are as bad-ass, sassy and hilarious as always and I fall into the story so easily. She writes with such effortless humour and I'm grinning from ear to ear the whole way through.
Jennifer L. Armentrout never suffers from a second book slump. Ever. This book was just as fast-paced, sexy and exciting as the first and I can only imagine it'll get even better for the finale. Reading JLA books for the first time is such an amazing experience for me every single time and this trilogy was no different.
If you love supernatural, gargoyles, demons, action, romance or general epicness, pick up this book immediately. Or scratch that. Pick up any Jennifer L. Armentrout book in existence. You've got a good 50+ books to choose from...
And, as I always say with JLA books, don't be fooled by the cheesy romance covers!!! These books are so much better than the poor covers!
White Hot Kiss Book Talk

GOODREADS

AMAZON

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
It's difficult to decide whether I preferred this book to the first one. Jennifer L. Armentrout is really fair with her books because, when there's a love triangle (as there tends to be), she splits their time equally. White Hot Kiss was Roth's book where we got to see the romantic relationship between him and Layla grow, while Stone Cold Touch was Zayne's chance to get some intimate and sexy page time. As I'm Team Roth all the way... book one is obviously gonna be my favourite in terms of this plot line.

White Hot Kiss- Jennifer L. Armentrout BOOK TALK

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Jennifer L. Armentrout slays me, she truly does.
If you don't know, Jennifer L. Armentrout is my all-time favourite author and this book is a great example as to why that is. Her books have the perfect amount of humour, romance, action and epicness to make me fall in love with each and every word. I have a smile on my face through the entirety of every one of her books because her writing style is so funny and easy and comforting and flawless. The only problem with Jennifer L. Armentrout books is that they're horribly tortured with cheesy romance covers... Listen to me now, don't judge the book on the cover! It's a super epic and cool and a supernatural romance book... not an erotica.
White Hot Kiss follows Layla who's half demon and half gargoyle. The two races are sworn enemies and she's stuck between the two- never truly belonging with either one. She finds out that she's the reason for an all out war and is the key to start the apocalypse... which makes her a very popular target on both sides.
This book was just as amazing as I expected it to be and I'd definitely recommend picking it up.

GOODREADS

AMAZON 

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
As a protagonist, I liked Layla a lot. She wasn't someone who sits around and waits for things to happen and I like how her confidence grew. A lot of things had been kept from her and, seeing her discover everything and find herself was seemingless and enjoyable.
Now, let's talk about ships because there's an obvious love triangle in this book and I am unashamedly obsessed with it.

August Releases and TBR 2018

RELEASES

Books
Catwoman: Soulstealer- Sarah J. Maas
These Rebel Waves- Sara Raasch
Nine- Zach Hines
Heretics Anonymous- Katie Henry

Movies
Ant-Man and the Wasp
The Darkest Minds
The Meg
Alpha


TBR
Caraval- Stephanie Garber (Book of the Month)
For August, me and Kaitlin have chosen to read Caraval! There's so much hype around this series and my brother absolutely loves it so, I figured it was about time to read it. I don't know much about it but know that it's been compared to The Night Circus which certainly has me intrigued...