Felix Love has never been in love. He wants to, but struggles to find himself worthy of such a beautiful thing. Despite being proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he's one marginalization too many- black, queer, and transgender - to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When someone in his school puts up a gallery wall of Felix's past identity and starts harassing the teenager online, Felix creates a fake Instagram account in a bid to find the perp. Through this, changes begin to happen in Felix's life. As the teen navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

This book was an eye-opening read for me. I can't comment on the rep for transgender teens, however, through Felix Ever After I was taught so many things about the process of transitioning and the issues that can arise after. The doubts, family problems, and decisions that come with going through such a huge life change. It has never crossed my mind that some people might question their choices after they've already made the leap in transitioning, now I realize how small-minded of me that was. So, thank you Kacen Callender for teaching me. I learned about deadnaming someone, which is a term I had never heard of before reading about it in Felix. I was shocked that people would ever do such a thing, but at this point, I shouldn't be surprised how brutal some humans can be. (Check out this article if you're interested in reading more on this) I guess what I'm trying to say is, this book was very educational and I think it's awesome that it's now out in the world for future teens to read and hopefully see themselves in Felix. Books should always offer comfort and this one is most definitely going to save someone's sanity. That's priceless. 

My main struggle with the book was that I often found it repetitive in the way that Felix explained the same things over and over to us. I wish the side characters had more page time as I think the story would've benefited from Felix interacting with them without it seeming to constantly be during a drama led day - especially with his dad. I liked the growth of their relationship throughout the book, but I so often wanted to yell at Felix to ask how his dad is doing during their one-sided conversations. Felix clearly had so much heart, but it never felt like he let the reader all the way in. Was that intentional by the author? I don't know. But it left me wanting more. More conversations, more pages, more of Felix.

This book had so many layers to uncover that we'd be here all day if I gave you my individual thoughts on all of them. It was a beautiful YA novel about an issue that we should all be more educated on. Does this book have the potential to save someone? Yes. What more can you say about a book like that?

Read this and be in awe of it's brutal honesty, candid beauty, and heart. Felix is a great protagonist who reads as a rainbow of colors. He will ink his way onto your heart.

Is this on your TBR?

So, I kind of went on a book series binge. Shocking, I know. September was a rough reading month for me. I was fighting off a reading slump for most of it and I had absolutely no motivation to pick up books. So I did the only plausible thing to do when that happens and picked up a book that I knew was going to be kinda trashy but fun to read. I was hoping to be swept up into a YA dystopian novel that kept my interest long enough for me to actually finish something. And guess what? I ended up reading the entire The Selection trilogy! Who am I? 

The Selection series by Keira Cass is basically The Bachelor in a dystopian world. It is mandatory for Prince Maxon to choose his future wife through a competition 'The Selection' wherein thirty-five girls from different backgrounds are prepared to fight for his love. For America Singer, a poor girl with her own true love at home, this is an opportunity to get her family higher up the social ladder and send them much needed money. What America doesn't expect is to slowly fall for the misunderstood prince.

I won't discuss the entire events of the sequels as it's pretty obvious from both the covers and titles where the story goes. As mentioned above, this is a cliché story that you will likely guess the order of. However, and that's a big however, this was so much fun. I've never watched an episode of The Bachelor but if it's anything like this trilogy, golly gosh. The Elite follows on with The Selection itself as the competition goes down to six girls. The One has four girls. I actually didn't expect the entire trilogy to be about the competition, I figured the prince would choose America at the end of the first book and from there we'd read about America's time adjusting to being a princess. Instead we had a lengthy Selection with, not one, but two love triangles. 

The main love triangle is between America, Maxon, and Aspen (the boy from home). In the first book it was actually done alright. I didn't feel a personal tug to either 'team', but it was an overall understandable triangle. It surprised me. However, then we got to book two. More to come on that soon.

As a YA protagonist America was.. okay. I liked her in The Selection. She seemed to have a strong head on her shoulders and showed compassion to so many of the "lesser" characters. I enjoyed her interactions with her personal maids and her friendship with one of the girls grew very strong throughout the duration of the book. Basically, I liked that her story didn't start and end with the prince. However, in The Elite she was insufferable. I've never read about a more flippant character in all my life (and I've read Sarah J Mass and Stephenie Meyer!) It felt like the chapters were out of order as she'd be so certain in her choice and then suddenly at the beginning of the next chapter she'd be aching for someone else. It didn't make sense, at all. Have you ever read a YA contemporary written by two different people? Like What About Us? or Yes, No, Maybe So? It felt like that. Almost as though two authors were silently battling as to who America would end up with so they kept changing the story. I hated it. 

Negative, right? However, then I started The One. This was the superior book of the trilogy by far. All the characters seemed to shine in this one. There was so much growth that it confused me as to why Keira Cass didn't do it sooner. Her writing was much, much better and there was a lot of depth in the story without it being just a black/white love story. Throughout the series you're told about rebels who break into the palace and plan to overthrow the kingdom. That story seemed to be the front and center of The One which made for a better book. America's biggest relationship in The One is with her family and, I mean, when don't we want to support a family driven girl? 

The highlight of trilogy for me was the relationship between America and her Father, a kind but intelligent man who you wanted to hug. (side note: I also really liked how America seemed to have a healthy relationship with her family throughout the entire series. Her older brother was a jackass but was out of their lives. Her mum seemed to care about America's wellbeing, her dad was her rock, and her sister was a pure ray of sunshine. It's a very rare thing to see that in a YA romance.) My other favourite thing (and my favourite character) was Celeste. What an utter bitch but in a Blair Waldorf/Petra Solano way. A #queen!

All in all, I'd give the series a 3.75 out of 5 rating. It was a lot of fun and the three books really did read like one long novel. 

If they're on your TBR, give them a try. If you enjoyed The Selection but want to DNF The Elite, stick with it. The One is worth it. I know the series continued with two more books surrounding a new Selection but I'm going to keep them aside for my next reading slump. I already know it'll work wonders. 

Convenience Store Woman is about a.. well.. woman who works at a convince store in Japan. She's middle aged, single, and doesn't fall into the stereotypical life that those around her expect her to lead. In a way, she lives a hermit lifestyle that only consists of work and forced interactions with old friends. She likes the routine of work, as it helps her feel fulfilled. Her family shun her in a sense, for being different, which led to a very interesting look at the expectations that are put upon different women in different cultures. Her family - mother especially - view life as a failure if she doesn't marry or have children. This was also a heavy theme in the authors next book Earthlings. After a new guy begins working at the store, Keiko starts to wonder whether she ought to force herself into a life of normality. 

I adored the first half of this novel, it was quirky and I grew very fond of the wacky protagonist. She reminded me heavily of Eleanor Oliphant from Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (one of my favourite books), however, the last few chapters of this book infuriated me in a way that I haven't experienced in a while. It wasn't confusing, it was just.. not well done. I hated the choices the characters made, as it made them all seem rather flippant and it backtracked the entire characteristics of Keiko. I wanted this book to be more 'slice of lifey', without the drastic life changes for the main character. (spoiler: especially when it didn't lead anywhere)

As I read Convenience Store Woman I couldn't help but notice how similarly the writing was to the works of Sylvia Plath. I feel like if you enjoyed this novel, you'd very likely enjoy Mary Ventura and The Ninth Kingdom - a quirky short story written by Plath that was recently published for the first time. Both books were small, but mighty strange in the best way possible. I may not of enjoyed the second half of Convenience Store Woman, but I devoured the first in a single sitting and that was enough for me to immediately request the authors next translated book Earthlings which has just been released in English. 

All in all, this book did disappoint me but if it's been on your TBR I would recommend picking it up. It's definitely an experience, and as it's so short you won't waste a lot of your time if it turns out to not be your cup of tea. If you hate the ending as much as me, we can discuss it! 

1. I prefer paperback books over hardcovers. They're easier to read and though they wear quicker, they look more loved on your shelves. I remember being a child and always reaching for my paperback copy of Matilda over the hardbound collection of Roald Dahl.
2.  I'm 24 years old but have the personality of a woman who enjoys reading in bed surrounded by her cats, ideally with a peppermint tea. Or a G&T, a girl has to have choices.
3. I have a phobia of grass. Read more about that HERE.
4. Coffee is life. Give it to me in an IV and call me a Gilmore.
5. Talking of TV shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favourite and has been since I was around 6 years old. Not only do I think it was beyond it's years when first released, but it's also aged incredibly well. The characters stand alone as well as in a group setting and Buffy is still the female heroine we need in this modern day world. I can't wait to introduce my future children to this empowering world.
6. I've been bullet journaling for over a year now and love it. I went in expecting it to help with my mental health, but it also brings me joy, which was a lovely bonus. 
7. I've tried therapy twice, and it didn't work for me either time. You can also read more about this HERE. (Shamelessly plugging my own posts? Yes, yes I am.)
8. When stressed I bake or meal prep until the fridge is full. I find the kitchen very therapeutic, which I think relates to when I was younger and me and my mum would have so many lovely nights together spent in the kitchen.
9. My favourite kind of movie is a late 90's/2000's slasher flick. Halloween H20, New Nightmare, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, No Vacancy, The Strangers, House Of Wax, etc. They all make me nostalgic for my childhood. 
10. I'm a Taco Bell fiend. 
11. Clothes used to be a huge passion for me. I had a overstuffed closet, dressed like I liked in Manhattan, and made a pretty good sum selling vintage/cosplay pieces on Ebay. But when I moved, my closet stayed behind and so did the charity shops. I miss it a heck of a lot. 
12. My worst habit is nail biting, especially when I read. 
13. Fibromyalgia has been a constant in my life since I was in my early teens. It's a chronic pain condition that really limits my day-to-day life. As I'm getting older some symptoms are lessening while others are getting worse. At this point of my life, I really don't know where I'll be in 5 years and that's absolutely terrifying. 
14. I'm a Gleek and will go down on many ships saying that the cover was better than the original. Sue me! (heh.... heh.... Glee pun.)
15. I've donated my hair twice and urge you to do the same! Read about that HERE.

Buying a planner can be challenging, especially nowadays when you're unable to see them in person. Will the pages be thick enough? Does it offer you various ways of organization? Is it pretty? Since my early teens I've been on the hunt for a planner that will mesh well with my needs and desires. Up until last year, I'd never found something that ticked all the boxes. I'd tried the cheapest in a store, up to some that were priced over $30. But there was always something lacking (Or they were sold independently, so the P&P made them out of my budget). Then, during one magical day spent in Marshall's, I stumbled upon the 18-month-planner by FRINGE. And yes, all the yes. 

I recently purchased their 2021 edition which goes from 08/20 - 12/21. Yes, you'll have a month or two wasted but for it's attributes, worth it! (I just cut out August, and am going to use the scrap paper for shopping lists and such.) Let's take a empty planner tour. 

The cover is a sturdy but flexible cardboard, while the pages are thick and matte. I'm really impressed with the quality of the pages as not even sharpies bleed through, which was always a problem with past planners I bought. I want to be able to use a variety of pens without worrying about bleed through or the dreaded paper tear when I inevitably doodle on each page. (We all do that, right?) Each month is tabbed on the side, with a thicker grey paper announcing them. At the start of the journal is a pocket, so you can keep any papers or, if you're me, things I need to do each months. (birthday cards I need to send, bill's to pay, etc.)

At the start of each month you have a monthly goals page, which includes categories for 'goals', 'to-do', 'birthdays', and 'anniversaries'. (Personally, I don't have that many anniversaries to remember so I change that to "books I want to read"'). There's also a box at the bottom for 'additional notes'. Great variety! With that, you have a monthly boxed overview which is really perfect for school stuff or blog scheduling. As with any journal, each day of the month has it's own little box which I use to write reminders and to-do lists. 

There's also your usual contacts page, holiday dates page, and an overview calendar. At the end of each month you have a few 'notes' pages, which I use for trackers or blogger tasks I want to complete throughout the month. 

So how to know if this journal is the right one for you? I'd say that the Fringe 18 month journal is perfect if you're a creator of daily to-do lists and want an overview of each month to see where you're at. This is a hefty book, that offers you a variety of ways to track your progress/dates/lists. Whether you need something for school, blogging, or even as a reading journal.. it's great. The quality is sublime for the price range, and as a bonus, it has a beautiful design. It's available to buy on Amazon, which is a huge bonus. 

Do you have a favorite planner brand? Let me know!