July Wrap Up 2019

This month was brilliantly productive when it comes to reading and TV (which you can see from my bullet journal spread for this month)! At the beginning of the month, I was a little behind on my Goodreads challenge (which has never actually happened before), so I was eager to catch up.
But now... I'm super behind on reviews. I've really been struggling to keep up with blogging lately so, hopefully, I can get my ass in gear, and catch up on some reviews next month!

BOOKS
The QB Bad Boy and Me- Tay Marley (ARC)
* * * *
I was sent this ARC through Netgalley and it pleasantly surprised me! I love a good romance and this one had a nice progression from 'friends' to 'more.' I liked the characters and how they challenged gender norms and double standards. Overall, I think the story was a little too long and dragged towards the end but, on the other hand, this created a nice slow burn that I really enjoyed.

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)- Jennifer L. Armentrout (Re-read)
* * * * *
Ever since I finished reading this trilogy last year, I immediately wanted to start reading it again. It's no secret that I love Jennifer L. Armentrout with all my heart and this series is yet another reason why. If you ignore the tragic romance covers, this series is an epic story about demons and Gargoyles and it's amazing. There's that effortless humour that JLA excels at and sassy characters like always. I cannot recommend this series enough.
White Hot Kiss Review

Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2)- Jennifer L. Armentrout (Re-read)
* * * * *
This is actually my least favourite book of the entire trilogy and I still rate it five stars because I love it... that should tell you something about this series. It's not that this book is awful (because it's definitely not awful). The only reason this book is my least favourite is because there's more time given to the love triangle guy that I don't root for... He's kind and lovely and hot, sure, but I want more of my snarky and arrogant book boyfriend.
Stone Cold Touch Review

Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3)- Jennifer L. Armentrout (Re-read)
* * * * *
And then we have this perfection for a finale. What I really love about this specific trilogy is that Jennifer L. Armentrout had readers vote for which half of the love triangle would be endgame... that concept is just awesome to me (especially as it ended with my preferred half). This book is full of fun, romance, sass and epic fight scenes- everything I want in a book.
Every Last Breath Review

Storm and Fury (Harbinger #1)- Jennifer L. Armentrout
* * * * *
This book was released this year and is a spin-off series of the Dark Elements trilogy. I was a little sceptical going into this one because, when it comes to spin-offs, I sometimes find them a bit lacklustre because I don't want to read about new characters- I want to go back to everyone I know and love. But I didn't feel like that at all with Storm and Fury! The new characters were great- especially the protagonist who I fell in love with instantly. I also really appreciate that the protagonist has the same eye disease that JLA has- it was a great element added into the story to raise awareness.
Review to come!

Carpool- Noelle Adams (ARC)
* * *
I was sent this ARC through Netgalley and I really enjoyed it. In the summer, I tend to gravitate more towards romance and contemporary reads and this was exactly what I needed. The plot wasn't overly intricate but I liked the simplicity of these two characters gradually growing closer and closer until they realise their feelings for each other. It was a simple plot structure but very effective.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It- Trista Mateer (ARC)
* * * 
This was another ARC sent to me through Netgalley and I generally liked it but there were definitely some poems that I liked more than others. The poems that revolved around Greek mythology and Aphrodite were amazing and I loved every word. The other poems.... I read and I enjoyed but there wasn't anything special about them- the Greek poems were the ones of genius.

T-Minus- Shannon Greenland (ARC)
* * *
Yet another ARC from Netgalley! I requested this book without even looking at the blurb because, as soon as I saw Shannon Greenland's name, I knew I had to read it. I have read and loved other books of Shannon Greenland's (namely, Shadow of a Girl and Watching You) so I'm always up for reading more of her work.

Normal People- Sally Rooney
* * * *
I've constantly seen this book around and know there's loads of hype so I decided to pick it up and read and... it's not what I was expecting in a really interesting way. The style of writing itself is super unique and throws you a little in the beginning but I quite liked it. The characters are also some of the most interesting, intricate and unique characters I've ever read. They were both massively flawed but fascinating. I also loved how they had such contradictory personality traits because that's realistic! Humans aren't one-dimensional and this book really explored all the different shades of humanity.
I will say, though, that the ending disappointed me a little because it was quite open and didn't tie things up nicely- then again, that reflects the raw reality of this book as well which is pretty cool.

Three Dark Crowns- Kendare Blake (Book of the Month)
Me and Kaitlin (Liber Amoris) have brought back Book of the Month! We had a little hiatus over the last few months because of super busy schedules but we're back and better than ever!
I'll be honest, I haven't even finished this book yet (*slaps wrist*) but I'm a good half way through! For me, this book is just a little slow starting and I'm struggling to find motivation to read it.
Next month, our book is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid so look forward to our thoughts on that in August!


TV and MOVIES
Hamilton the Musical- West End
* * * * * 
I forgot to add this into my June Wrap Up so I'm just shoving it in here quickly. I'm also planning to do an entire post about it but I've been procrastinating so badly when it comes to blogging lately!! (Sorry, not sorry because I'm doing super well with writing at the moment).
This was my second time seeing Hamilton and it was just as amazing as the first. This is my ultimate favourite musical and I fell in love with it all over again. Last time, we were sat at the very front of the stalls so got great views of facial expressions but not the full effect of the choreography. This time, we were sat in the front row of the first tier and it was amazing! Seeing the choreography was breath-taking and I loved every second.


Two Guys and a Girl (Season 3)
* * * * *
I binge watched the first two seasons last month so it just made sense to continue watching through this show. I absolutely love this show and season 3 was no different.

The Cat in the Hat (Re-watch)
* * *
During July, my best friend came round for movies and pizza and why wouldn't we watch an old classic like this? I hadn't seen this movie in years and I'd forgotten most of what happened but it was super fun to re-watch.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand
* * * *
We continued the movie day with some more X-Men and this is maybe my favourite so far. I loved the premise of there being a cure for mutants (it gave me major Archenemies by Marissa Meyer vibes) and it was just the most entertaining X-Men movie I've seen so far.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
* * *
This was another pretty good X-Men movie. I think it's safe to say that Wolverine is one of everyone's favourite X-Men and it was cool to see his origins. I also love how we see a glimpse of Deadpool/ Ryan Reynolds in this movie (though, it wasn't really the Deadpool we all know and love).

Spider-Man: Far From Home
* * * * *
As soon as this movie was out in theatres, me and my brother were out to watch it. Far From Home was the exact movie we needed after the emotional turmoil that was Endgame- it was fun and light but also held a nice amount of emotional weight. The whole story basically revolved around Tony Stark which was brilliant because I need as much of Tony as I can get in order to work through this... mourning period. I only cried once during this movie (which I'm really proud of, by the way) and, after that post credit scene, I can't wait for the next Spider-Man movie in the MCU!
Review to come!

Two Guys and a Girl (Season 4)
* * * * *
I finally made it through the show!! The majority of season 4 was a re-watch for me because I'd seen the majority of these episodes but I'd purposefully left the last couple of episodes so that I had a surprise of the ending! Season 4 is maybe my favourite season of this show but I will say that the finale was a little lacklustre- there was a lot of loose ends and I think it should've been a longer episode.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (Re-watch)
* * * * *
Is anyone surprised that I went to see Far From Home again? Because I'm not.
I went with my best friend the second time and it was just as fun at the first. I love watching Marvel movies again because you can pick up all the finer details and appreciate everything a lot more. Plus, we're not getting another MCU movie until 2020 so... I'm making the most of Spider-Man until there's a giant wait for the Black Widow movie.
Review to come!

Big Little Lies (Season 2)
* * * * *
I binge watched the first season last month and I absolutely fell in love with it. The show is led by strong women and the twists and turns just keep coming. I will admit, I prefer season one to season two just because season two seemed to lag in the middle episodes. The finale of season 2 completely made up for any slow moments, though, because it was absolutely awesome and I was on the edge of my seat. I can't wait for season three!
Big Little Lies Season 1 Review

The Host (Re-watch)
* * * * *
I wanted to sit down and do some much needed catching up on my bullet journal and just wanted an easy, fun re-watch to play in the background. I've watched The Host so many times I've lost count and it's one of my favourite book to movie adaptations. I'm not saying it's the best movie in the history of the universe or anything but I find it super entertaining and fun to go back to.

Teen Wolf (Season 5- Re-watch)
* * * *
Throughout the month, I've been re-watching the fifth season with my brother and I've had so much fun. Teen Wolf is an easy watch and the characters are so lovable. It may be a teen paranormal show but it can get super dark and horror-esque which I love. I only have one more season of the show to watch and I've never actually seen season six before so it won't even be a re-watch! I'm so excited to finish this show and see Stydia as endgame!

Love Island (Season 5)
* * * * *
I'm not going to even start by saying that this is a guilty pleasure because I'm trying not say that anymore- I don't need to justify or be ashamed of anything I watch. In the end, I absolutely love this show and won't apologise for it. I don't watch too much reality TV show but I watch Love Island religiously, every night for two months straight. This season wasn't as good as last year but it's the only show that my whole family sit down to watch together and it's a lot of fun. It's easy, entertaining and now it's going to be on twice a year because they're making a Winter Love Island in January!

Killing Eve (Season 2)
* * * *
I finished this beauty of a season this month but I'm so gutted that I can't bring myself to rate it five stars! I love this show so much and Villanelle is one of all-time favourite characters but this season just wasn't as good as the first. The stakes didn't feel so high, the over-arching plot felt a little random and scattered, and the finale was a huge let down! I don't know whether this was due to the second season having a different writer, but it just wasn't the same. I'm hoping season three can bring up the quality again.

The Lion King: Live Action 
* * *
I went to see this film with my mum and brother and I enjoyed it but it's not my favourite. I like the Lion King but the plot edges on boring for me and I mainly just enjoy the songs. The effects were amazing, though, and it was a visually stunning movie.

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