Review: But Then I Came Back by Estelle Laure.

Title – But Then I Came Back
Author – Estelle Laure
How I Got It – From the publisher
Pages – 320 pages
Publication Date – April 6th 2017 by Hachette Children’s Group
ISBN – 9781408342541
My Rating – ★★★/5

“Before the accident, Eden had life planned out. But when she comes back from a coma, the world is stranger and more magical than before. 

And when she meets Joe, with the melting chocolate eyes, she suddenly doesn’t have a plan at all.”

I received a copy of But Then I Came Back from Hachette New Zealand to review. C-SmSyvV0AAqQjc

This is not what I was expecting at all but I still enjoyed it. I liked that it sort of had a twist to the story and what happened to Eden and Jasmine. I’m not going to say anything else about it because spoilers.

I thought Eden’s family and friends gave her a hard time after she came home, expecting her to just jump back into where her life was before the coma when so many things had changed, including her. Yes, maybe she did stay in her room too long but there’s no need to be an ass about it. Eden wasn’t even sure the future she had planned out before was even possible now so I guess she was depressed and struggling to figure things out. I also think they were expecting too much out of Eden too soon.

I liked that the romance in But Then I Came Back wasn’t the main focus of the story. And I especially liked that Joe wasn’t bought into Eden’s life to fix her and put the pieces back together. I mean, I liked Joe. I just don’t like when it’s girl’s life is a mess, girl then meets boy, he’s apparently prince charming and fixes everything. It’s just not realistic. We don’t live in a Disney movie. People need help, I get it, but new relationships and hot guys aren’t necessarily the solutions.

Anyway, enough of my rant. I think this is a contemporary but don’t hold me to it. But Then I Came Back isn’t the kind of book I usually read but I did like it. I think it’s good to change things up every now and then. This is also the first book I’ve read by Estelle Laure. I might look up her other books one day.

*Thank you Hachette New Zealand for sending me a copy to review*

– Aimee.

WWW Wednesday [May 3rd 2017] –

This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the Comments over at Taking on a World of Words.

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading – C-222H0WAAAADoV
I’ve been reading The End of Oz for the last three days and I am determined to finish it today. It’s not a very big book but I keep getting distracted by social media and TV shows…

Ugh, I literally just noticed that the books aren’t even in order in the photo. That’s going to annoy me.

Anyway, I’ve liked the series so far. I haven’t read the novellas yet though. I’ll get to them soon. I think they’ve been a little predictable at times and cheesy but that’s okay. I still liked the story. I don’t want to say too much because this is the fourth book in the series and I don’t want to spoil it for people who haven’t read these books yet. C-c7Y-IU0AE1nNc

Recently Finished –
I have finally re-read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I think I said this in my last WWW Wednesday post but I’ve wanted to re-read the Harry Potter series since I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them.

I don’t know when I’ll pick up Goblet of Fire but I’m hoping in the next couple of month. My TBR is too big at the moment.

Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book in the series. Closely followed by Deathly Hallows. Obviously I won’t be reviewing this because I’m so biased and have read it so many times. 6

I also read But Then I Came Back in the last week. It wasn’t really what I was expecting at all but I still liked it.

I’ll be reviewing But Then I Came Back sometime this month. I’m not exactly sure when but I’m hoping it’ll be up this month. I’m still really behind on my review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Estelle Laure and I’m thinking of reading her other book. I don’t know when but if I find a copy I’ll check it out. 11

Reading Next –
I’m going to be reading Finding Nevo next. This follows Nevo as he transitions and focuses not only on what Nevo went through but also family, friends, bullying, weight issues and well as other topics.

I posted a Q&A yesterday with Nevo if you want to read it. You can find it here.

I’m really looking forward to reading this.

What have you read lately?

– Aimee.

 

April Wrap Up & May TBR.

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I’ve finally got my May TBR together so I decided to share it and my April wrap up today. I did forget one book in my wrap up photo but it’s so hard to get back into the box set that I couldn’t be bothered getting it and taking a new one. So I’m just going to jump right in.

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The Roanoke Girls by Amy Ewing – 4/5 stars
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling – 5/5 stars
Black by Fleur Ferris – 4/5 stars
What Girls are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold – 3/5 stars
Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton – 4/5 stars
The Silent Invasion by James Bradley – 3/5 stars
Front Lines by Michael Grant – 3/5 stars
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins – 4/5 stars
But then I Came Back by Estelle Lure – 3/5 stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling – 5/5 stars

For some reason I’m having trouble with WordPress on both Google Chrome (it won’t load at all) and Internet Explorer. For some reason it won’t let me post the stars that I usually use as my ratings in my wrap ups. I tried Firefox or whatever it’s called but that was slower to load than the computer and I just could not be fucked with that. So if anyone can tell me why it won’t load on Chrome it would be great! I’ve uninstalled it and re-installed it and still have the same problem.

Anyway, onto my May TBR.

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I started reading The End of Oz yesterday. I didn’t get a lot read because I kept getting distracted but I’m hoping to read more today. I’ve already picked what I’ll be reading next, Finding Nevo. This sounds so good and I can’t wait to pick it up.

What’s on your May TBR?

– Aimee.

April Book Haul.

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It’s that time of the month again when I post my book haul. I did forget two book in my photo (above) but I will include them in the post. By the time I realised I just couldn’t be bothered getting all the books back because I’d already put them away.

So, onto my haul. I got a total of 21 books in April and I’ve only read three. I have started another one from this haul today though.1

The first book I got was sent to me from HarperCollins New Zealand. Perfect is the sequel to Flawed, which came out last year and I loved. These are Ahern’s first YA books.

I haven’t read this yet but I am hoping to read it in May. I was hoping to get to it last month but I couldn’t fit it in.

I can’t really talk about Perfect without giving things away for those that haven’t read Flawed yet. If you haven’t read Flawed then I definitely recommend finding a copy. I couldn’t put it down when I read it.

The second book I received this month was a surprise from Pan Macmillan New Zealand. 2I was not expecting this at all. This is one of the three books I read this month from the books I hauled.

This is about an alien invasion and takes place in Australia. The invasion has a virus type thing that changes not only people but also plants and animals into this alien species? I don’t know. But they aren’t themselves anymore.

So when Callie finds out her little sister has started Changing she runs away to find this Zone to hopefully find help but what she does find will change her life.

I liked the story and I also want to know what’s next after the ending. That was a bit of a surprise. You can read my review of The Silent Invasion here3

The next three books were sent to me from Bloomsbury Australia to review.

I read When We Collided by Emery Lord last year and really enjoyed it so I’m looking forward to reading The Names they Gave Us soon. I don’t think this is out until June so I’m hoping to get this read soon but it’s not high on my TBR right now.

I can’t actually remember what this is about now but I liked the sound of it when I read the synopsis a couple of month ago.

I also think The Possible comes out in June so I’ll be reading this around the same time as 4I read The Names they Gave Us. I also can’t remember what this is about I did like the sound of this too when I read the synopsis.

Anyway, I’ve never read a book by Altebrando before but I did want to read The Leaving when it came out last year. I never got around to getting a copy. Maybe I will after I read this.

I love this cover though. My photo doesn’t really do it justice. It definitely looks better in person. If you can’t tell I’m just rambling now because I have no idea what to say. I really should get these done with the synopsis.5

The last book Bloomsbury Australia sent me to review was The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. This is another book I’ve actually read from this haul.

I will have my review of this up soon so I don’t want to talk about this too much. And I think I’ve got to be one of the very few people who haven’t read this series yet so I’m not going to go into what this book is about because I’ll probably just bore everyone.

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read The Mime Order. I’ll have to get a copy of that soon before I forget what happened in this one. 6

Hachette New Zealand sent me a copy of But Then I Came Back by Estelle Lure. This is the last book I’ve read from my April haul. I’ll also be reviewing this soon so I don’t want to say too much about it here.

This follows Eden whose been in a coma and wakes up to a different life. Or, she feels different, like a part of her is still in the ‘in between.’ I didn’t really know what to expect with this but it did enjoy it. It’s a bit weird in places but I think it just added to the story. Anyway, you can read more when I post my review.

7HarperCollins New Zealand also sent me a copy of The End of Oz to review. This is the last book in the Dorothy Must Die series. I think.

I started this today. I’m not that far into it yet, because I decided to post my book haul and this takes me forever, but I have liked what I read so far. I especially like that Madison is in this one more. I liked her in Yellow Brick War and am looking forward to seeing what happens to her now.

I’ve enjoyed this series, even though I have found the storyline predictable at times. I’m looking forward to seeing how the story ends.

I bought a hardback copy of Fangirl, which I haven’t read, from Book Depository because 8I saw it on there for $16 and I couldn’t resist. So I’ll be passing on my paperback copy so I have more room on my shelves.

I’m not in a huge rush to read this. I’ve had the paperback edition for a couple of years now and haven’t felt a real pull to read it but I will get to it one day.

I’ve heard good things about Fangirl but I’m not sure I want to read Carry On. I’ve heard mixed reviews on that one… Maybe I’ll see what I think when I actually read Fangirl. I did see a copy of Carry On for $5 but I didn’t get it. 9

I received a copy of Silver Stars from Hardie Grant to review. This is the second book in the Soldier Girl series. I read Front Lines in April and really enjoyed it. I’ll be posting a review of that soon.

These books take place in an alternate universe where young women have been called to fight in WW2. It’s a really interesting idea and I have really liked reading this. It’s a little frustrating with all the crap the girls have to put up with from men at that time and all the racism, sexism and prejudices of the 1940’s but it has to be included to make the story more real… I guess.

Allen and Unwin New Zealand sent me a copy of Avenged by Amy Tintera to review. This 10is the sequel to Ruined which I read and reviewed last year. I wasn’t sure if I’d like Ruined or not but I loved it and I cannot wait to read Avenged. Although I can’t stand the AU covers…

I’m hoping to read Avenged sometime in May. I’m not sure when yet but it’s definitely on my May TBR.

If you want to read my review for Ruined you can here. I think I might have to re-read Ruined before I can get to Avenged, which will really annoy me, but I might try to read my review first. 11

The next two books were sent to me from Walker Books Australia to review.

Finding Nevo follows Nevo as they come to terms with their sexuality, themselves as a person and transition. I’m going to read Finding Nevo this month but I did flip though it to find out which pronouns to use when I talked about Nevo and their book. Nevo prefers they/them and he/him pronouns so I’ll be using the they/them pronouns.

Fining Nevo sounds really good and I cannot wait to read it. It’s on my May TBR.

The other book Walker Books Australia sent me was Release by Patrick Ness. I can’t 12remember what this is about but I’ve really enjoyed most of the books I’ve read by Ness so I wanted to read this one too.

I think both Release and Finding Nevo are out at the start of May. Or even out today. I’m not really sure. But I will be reading both of them this month.

I have two other books by Ness sitting on my shelves that I haven’t read yet. I don’t know when I’ll get to them but hopefully sometime this year..

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This is the second book I bought in April. I saw a friend share that she bought a copy of The Bone Witch on Book Depository for $18 so I quickly found it and bought a copy too. I don’t know when I’ll read this but I’ve heard really good things about it so I’m hoping to read it soon-ish.

I think I need to mix up my reading a bit. Throw in some of my books in with the review books. I get into really bad reading slumps sometimes so I think if I read a book that’s been sitting on my shelves for years may help. It might not but there’s only one way to find out I guess. I hate reading slumps.

I also bought a copy of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. I saw this in a clearance 14bin for $5 and I couldn’t resist. I love this edition, the cover and spines are gorgeous. Now I just need to buy the first two books to have the trilogy.

I have read these books before but it’s been years. I’d love to read them again. I loved Will!!

I still don’t know if I should read the new series. I can’t even remember what it’s called. I was excited to read it when the first book came out last year but I never got around to it and now I’m just like “meh, I can’t be bothered.” If you think I should read whatever the new series is called let me know.

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Penguin Random House New Zealand sent me a copy of The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan to review. I loved The Hidden Oracle when I read it last year and cannot wait to read this one. I loved being back in Percy’s world and back at Camp Half-Blood.

I don’t want to say anything about The Dark Prophecy because it is a sequel and I don’t want to spoil anything for those that haven’t read The Hidden Oracle yet. And if you haven’t read The Hidden Oracle and are a fan of the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books then what are you waiting for?? You need to find a copy!

The last four books I received last month to review were from Bonnier Publishing 16Australia. I think two of these books are released this month, Fatal Crossing and The Hot Guy, and The Student is release in June? But I’m not 100% sure. And I don’t know when Resurrection Bay was released but it will be the first one I read out of these.

I’m really looking forward to reading Resurrection Bay ad Fatal Crossing, although the other two sound good as well, but these two are definitely high on my TBR.

I wanted to thank all the publishers (again) for sending me these books to review. I’m always grateful that I get to review books. Untitled

I wanted to share this last month at the end of my March book haul but I forgot. I got a Book Sac last month with left over birthday money and I love it! I’ve always wanted something to put my books in when I take them out in my bag because I have damaged a few.

I’ve wanted a book beau or whatever for ages but the shipping is always so expensive to New Zealand so I’m really happy that I found Book Sac. They’re located in Australia so the shipping isn’t that bad and was really fast.

My Alice in Wonderland Book Sac is so pretty and looks so much better in person. If you want to check out their store you can here. They open every Monday and Friday Australia time. I cannot recommend their products enough.

What books did you haul in April?

– Aimee.

 

WWW Wednesday [April 26th 2017] –

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This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the Comments over at Taking on a World of Words.

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading –  6
I picked But Then I Came Back as my next read. I haven’t started yet but I will at some point today.

From what I read on the back of the book this is about a girl, I’m not sure what her name is, who wakes up from a coma and her life is different. I don’t know how different but I guess I’ll find out.

Then there was something about her meeting a guy. I hope this isn’t about a guy fixing whatever’s changed with her…. I hate those stories. But I’ll find out soon I guess.

Recently Finished –c5o3sy3uoaavvim
I finished Into the Water yesterday and it was sooo good!!! If you loved Girl on the Train then I’m sure you’ll love this.

Into the Water reminded me a lot of Broadchurch, where everyone is a suspect. Except in Broadchurch I’ve never suspected the police of committing a crime, but in Into the Water even the local police were suspects for me. There were two characters I didn’t think killed anyone and that was because they were out-of-town. But that’s all I’m going to say because I’ll be posting my review of this soon. Probably around the release day in New Zealand. C9u-sTvUMAAQLQp

I read Front Lines recently. This is the first book in the Soldier Girl series and I actually enjoyed it. I mean, there were parts that annoyed me because of the time it was set in and how some people back then thought but it had to be included in the book because it was set in WWII.

But this was an alternate world where women were allowed to fight on the front lines of the war against Hitler and his allies. It was an interesting idea and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

Reading Next – 3
I don’t have a recent photo of my next read so I had to go and find this. I’ll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I put it on my April TBR and I haven’t got to it yet. I don’t think I’ll actually finish it in April though.

I’ve wanted to re-read the Harry Potter series since I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them last year so I’m excited to finally start.

I read the illustrated editions of Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets so I’m continuing the series with these editions. I love the new covers!

What have you been reading lately?

– Aimee.

WWW Wednesday [April 19th 2017] –

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This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. All you have to do is answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the Comments over at Taking on a World of Words.

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading –  9
I started reading Front Lines this morning. This is the first book in the Soldier Girl series. Front Lines is set in an alternate world where women were enlisted to fight WW2.

There are four-ish main characters in this book. Four young women in the army. They are suffering the prejudices, not only with their sex but also race and religion, as they become soldiers.

I’m really enjoying this so far. It’s an interesting idea and I can’t wait to see where their story is going. Obviously to war but I meant individually. 5

Recently Finished –
I finished The Bone Season yesterday and I loved it! This edition included the prequel, The Pale Dreamer, but I haven’t read that yet. I want to read it before I review The Bone Season but I’m not sure if I’ll remember to.

I’m sure most of you know what The Bone Season is about so I’m not going to get into it here. I’m kind of late to the part with this series.

I want to review this soon but I’m so far behind with my reviews at the moment.

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful didn’t take me long it read. I was hooked from the start and 9really wanted to know what was going on.

This book follows a family not only dealing with the grief of losing a son and brother but also mental illness and the different ways it affects them all.

I though this would be another book where a girl meets a boy and he saves her. Which I have read a lot of but this isn’t like that. Yes, she meets a boy and falls for him, but there’s so much else going on in her life. And I’m just going to stop there because I still have to review this and I don’t want to give it all away here.

Reading Next – 6
I received a copy of But Then I Came Back to review from Hachette New Zealand.

I don’t really remember what this is about other than a girl in a coma, waking up and what she does from there…

I’m sure it sounds better than that but that’s literally all I can remember.

I don’t know when I’ll be picking this up because I don’t know how much reading I’ll be doing tomorrow but hopefully it’ll be sometime this week.

What have you been reading lately?

– Aimee.