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Waiting on Wednesday #26. 
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Waiting on Wednesday #25. 

That's right! What's Hot? was created a whole three years ago!! I've had my ups and downs over the years but I've loved every second of it. Unfortunately, the frequency of my posts has declined over the past few months as I've started university and I'm finding it hard to find time to blog during term time, but I've still got a few blog posts lined up until my next holiday :) In order to say thank you to all my followers I'm giving away a selection of books, of your choice, from the Book Depository, up to the value of £20/$30! You can pick any book you like but here are a few of my recommendations (click the links for my reviews):

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey - The film rights have already been sold to this YA craze!
The 100 by Kass Morgan - The TV series is coming out later this year!
Ink by Amanda Sun - Want a story that's not set in the USA?
Tampa by Alissa Nutting - Deeply disturbing, but oh so good
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - A real tear jerker

These are just a few books that I read and really enjoyed in the latter half of 2013, but there are loads of other books to choose from! Pre-orders are fine too :)

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Waiting on Wednesday #24. 

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.


Title: How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: 2013
Goodreads Summary: “Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary.

But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

{ Review }

I was a little reluctant to start reading How I Live Now as I was convinced that at 18 years old, I had already passed the prime age for reading a novel such as this. I had listened to friends ranting and raving about this novel since I was around the age of eleven so I expected to find a really good novel, but one that perhaps I wouldn't be able to entirely relate to as I was too old. Fortunately, I was completely wrong and I greatly enjoyed the book.

How I Live Now is written from the first person perspective of Daisy, an American teenager forced to move to England by her new stepmother as there's a new baby on the way and the move is deemed what's 'best' for her. Thrust into an unknown world where she is surrounded by animals, nature and family as opposed to the cold city blocks of Manhattan, Daisy begins her new life in England. Whilst things seem to be going great for Daisy at first, war is brewing across the nation and her life gets turned upside down once again by its devastating effects.

Although this book is classified under 'teenage' fiction, I would highly recommend this to people of all ages. It is a touching story and the feistiness of Daisy, our protagonist, makes it easy to forget that she is only fifteen years old when these events take place. Daisy writes in a stream of consciousness style and there isn't a single line of reported speech in the entire book which takes a bit of getting used to. It's a little hard at first to figure out who's saying what and some sentences are so long that I feel like I'm running out of breath just reading them, but this is all part of the style. The writing is so naturalistic that I really feel like I'm in Daisy's head and her narrative is definitely what I would say the shining feature of this book is.

Something that I found incredibly confusing whilst reading the book was the time period in which it was set. Whilst it seemed fairly authentic in terms of its war setting there were references to Friday 13th (1980) and Lassie (1940) which made me question which war this book is set in. I firmly believed that this was set during WWII but having just looked the book up on wikipedia, it turns out it's set in a fictional third world war. This was not clear at all. As far as I can remember there weren't any references to the Internet or modern technology so there wasn't really any indication at all that the story is set in the twenty-first century. In retrospect, perhaps there were some clues when Daisy describes her old life in the States, but the majority of the scenes of this book could've been taken straight out of WWII England in my opinion.

The trailer for the film adaptation of How I Live Now, as well as the movie book cover will make you believe that a large chunk of this novel is about teenage romance, which it isn't really. There are a few elements of romance between Daisy and one of her cousins, which, now that I know this book is set in the 21st century, seem a little creepy. When I believed this book to be set in the 1940s, it seemed so much more normal for cousins to maybe fall in love, but in the century we're currently living in, it is a topic that would most almost certainly be considered inappropriate in a young adult novel such as this.

All in all, How I Live Now is a brilliantly written novel that isn't exactly filled with 'action', but it's a story you grow fond of and it touches your heart. When I finished reading it I was really quite happy with the story and thought it was an excellent book, but in retrospect, the fact that I didn't pick up that this novel is set in the 21st century makes me question it a little, as does the slightly incestuous relationship between Daisy and cousin. I shan't let these things tarnish my opinion of the story now but they certainly would've had a bigger impact on me if I had known about them prior to reading this novel. Perhaps it is the fact that I'm a slightly older reader that made these things stand out to me now, as I never heard any of my friends mention these things when they read this story years ago. So in conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to all readers as it is a fascinating portrayal of how a teenager's life is affected by war though, in my opinion, it is more likely to appeal to young-mid teens.

Written by Laura Hartley

Dress First - a dress for every occasion!

If you've been following my blog and my continued apologetic posts, you'll know that I recently started university, hence my lack of posting, and I have discovered that my University loves balls! And do you know what that means? New dresses! (Lots of them).

When looking for inspiration, the first place I turn to is the internet. First I look up all my favourite brands, but more often than not I find that the dresses currently on sale aren't to my taste, aren't appropriate or are just pretty darn expensive so then I started searching elsewhere. This is where Dress First comes in.

Dress First is a website that sells wedding dresses, prom dresses, evening dresses, ball gowns, homecoming dresses etc. It has a huge variety of different dresses be they long, short, classy, sexy - whatever the occasion, Dress First has the right look for you. My first thought when I looked at Dress first was - YAY DRESSES GALORE!! My second, slightly less happy, was - dammit, why do I live in England, everything on here is in dollars. But never fear, fellow international dress buyers, for Dress First offers free shipping on all dresses. Perfect!

There is quite literally a dress for everyone on this site and the ability to customise each one so that you can have it exactly as you want it means that you don't have to worry about turning up to prom wearing the same dress as that girl you secretly hate. Each dress is available in over 30 colours so they'll almost certainly find a dress in that particular shade of navy you've spent the best part of a month searching for.

Not only do Dress First sell dresses, but they also stock accessories and shoes so you can find the perfect outfit, all in one place! They also sell all sorts of bits and bobs that you'd need for your special day be it your wedding or just a damn good party, for example, cake toppers, toasting flutes, a ring pillow and more.

So, you're looking for the perfect prom dress or perhaps a nice dress for your graduation. If you're looking for inspiration, head straight to Dress First. They have just about every style under the sun, there's no way that you're not going to find what you're looking for. What's more, many dresses are currently on sale with free shipping! Don't miss out on these great offers, available to you, wherever you might be. Here are some of my favourites:




This post is sponsored by Dress First. All opinions are my own. 

Salvage by Keren David.
Title: Salvage
Author: Keren David
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Atom
Publication Date: 16th January 2014
Goodreads Summary: Aidan Jones was my brother. But I couldn't really remember his face. I couldn't remember talking to him or playing with him. He was just a gap, an absence, a missing person.

Before she was adopted by a loving family and raised in a leafy Home Counties town, Cass Montgomery was Cass Jones. Her memories of her birth family disappeared with her name. But when her adopted family starts to break down, a way out comes in the form of a message from her lost brother, Aidan. Having Aidan back in her life is both everything she needs and nothing she expected. Who is this boy who calls himself her brother? And why is he so haunted?

I glance at the paper. There's a big picture on the front page. A girl with dark red hair. A girl with eyes that might have been green or they might have been grey. I sit down and stare at Cass, and it is her, it is. My stolen sister.

Aidan's a survivor. He's survived an abusive step-father and an uncaring mother. He's survived crowded foster homes and empty bedsits. His survived to find Cass. If only he can make her understand what it means to be part of his family. . .

Pitch Perfect. 


I'm back! Sorry for my prolonged absence. I have been incredibly busy what with starting university etc. and when I got back home for the Xmas holidays, I went straight into a full time job! Busy. Busy. Busy. Anyways, I'm back now and will be bringing you lots of book and film reviews for things I've read and seen over the past few months. Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and Happy New Year!

I started watching this film with very high expectations. My friends and many critics had raved about how good this film was and I was excited to finally see the film from which the infamous 'cup song' had originated. Unfortunately, with every passing minute of this film, my expectations dropped lower and lower until the point where I was thoroughly bewildered by all the praise this film had received. This is, by no means, a bad film. It is; however, full of clichés with a poorly developed plot line that tries to pack too much in to too little time.

Pitch Perfect is the story of two a cappella groups from Barden University: The Barden Bellas and the Treblemakers. The treblemakers are seen as the best of the best, consistently winning the southeastern regional competition and while the Barden Bellas are good, they've faced a few hiccups along the way. New freshman Beca, played by Anna Kendrick, is a rebellious teenager who just wants to move to LA to pursue a career in music and DJing but she is forced to endure one year of college before her father will let her go. Seeing that Beca has not made any effort to make friends or join any societies within the first month at Barden University, her father says that she must join at least one society or the deal is off. Caught singing in the shower, Beca is recruited into the Barden Bellas but her rebellious nature grates on the Aubrey, the leader of the Bellas. At the same time, Beca's friend from the college radio, Jesse, becomes a Treblemaker, but the Bellas are strictly forbidden by Aubrey to have any sort of relationship with the Treblemakers lest they should lose their place as part of the group.

This film is labelled as a musical comedy, though, whilst it was very funny at times, I could never quite figure out whether I was laughing because the film was genuinely funny or because I was incredulous at how bad certain moments of this film are. Rebel Wilson is a brilliant actress who really stands out and basically single-handedly carries the 'comedy' of this entire film. She is hilariously funny and confident and was probably one of the most realistically portrayed characters in the film despite how ridiculous her character is. There's nothing particularly wrong with anyone else's acting, however, there isn't anything particularly noteworthy about the other actors and actresses. Anna Kendrick plays the standard teenage rebel with Daddy issues and whilst she does it fairly well, there just wasn't anything fresh or exciting about her character or Kendrick's performance. The same goes for pretty much every other character.


Insta-love. My (and everyone else's) pet hate seems prevalent in this film. Beca, turns very quickly from the alternative girl with far too many piercings to a sweet and confused college freshman who's fallen for a boy , Jesse the Trebletone, she is forbidden to date. Whilst the two interact whilst they volunteer at the college radio station together, there are very few scenes in which the pair are alone and in which you can see any sort of relationship forming. You know from the very beginning that something is going to happen between the two and suddenly the chemistry is there, but there is no build up whatsoever which is frustrating. Although this isn't a romance film, I would still expect the romance to be developed properly and fully alongside the singing drama.


Perhaps the film's one saving grace is that at the very least, the singing was genuinely really impressive. All the actor's and actresses in this film have amazing voices and there were some really cool covers and mashups throughout the film. A large majority of this film is spent singing and dancing which is good because it's entertaining but also bad because it meant that the plot and the going's on behind stage were not fully developed. With just a little bit of singing time cut, I'm sure that the rest of the drama in this film could've been properly executed which would have made film excellent instead of just 'good'.


All in all, I found Pitch Perfect to be an entertaining film that was downright hilarious at times. The problem is that it is an incredibly over-hyped film, thus prospective watchers have very high expectations, which in my case, were not fulfilled. If you're a fan of Glee then you'll probably love Pitch Perfect because the whole setup and the way the sets are performed pretty much mimics the way they are executed in Glee. If the drama that wasn't directly related to the singing parts of this film, i.e. romance, friend, family etc, had been fully developed, then this film would've been much more enjoyable. However, I can't help but feel that a better title for this film would've been - Glee: The Movie.


I feel like the majority of people reading this post won't agree with me about this film, so, if you've seen it - what were you thoughts? Comment and let me know below!