I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk Review

Another book done and dusted. Honestly, I’ve been getting through this book series a lot faster than I thought I would but I’m not complaining.

So this time, Angela is headed back home, can you believe? After avoiding everything she left behind for two years it was time for her to come back and face the music.

But never in my mind did I think that coming home to England would mean Angela deciding to get married in her back garden last minute.

I mean that seems to be Angela’s style, just kind of going along with things because it’s easier than to actually plan them and execute them right. But who needs to when you have Jenny Lopez planner extraordinaire by your side?

Honestly though, if this book didn’t have wedding planning as a theme it was going to be super boring. Literally, everything about this book had to do with the wedding and it didn’t even end up happening, at least not how it was planned.

I guess it’s not the worst thing in the world but I feel like I wanted more out of the characters this time rather than them running around because Angela was getting married.

I thought maybe there would be more fallout with Angela’s parents because she running away, that and I didn’t expect them to take to Alex as quickly as they did. I was expecting there to be more work involved in winning them over.

Not to mention the war between Jenny and Louise, I needed more of that. I mean sure they had a big blowout but it resolved quickly. I wanted to see more of them together and trying to make it work. If only because I thought it was kind of interesting.

Plus Angela and Mark LOL. Technically Mark got what he deserved but I don’t get why this wasn’t made more of a big deal. I mean thank God Angela actually stood up to him but I feel like she and Alex shouldn’t have dropped their serious conversation about kids so quickly…

Everything in this book just seemed to go by too fast, nothing had time to properly flesh out and so it was kind of a hot mess. I mean Jenny’s whole situation with Jeff is still messy, and she thought running away to London was going to solve it but next thing you know she’s getting together with Craig and planning a wedding…not exactly ideal.

I hope Jenny actually gets over her Jeff situation, it makes me sad to see her get this way and I don’t want things to magically resolve for her either. I want her to take her time.

But yeah, despite the hot mess that this whole thing was I did enjoy the slight comic relief of James, you gotta love him. As well as Cici getting what she deserved, and Mark getting his hand broken. You know things that were a long time coming lol.

Not really sure what’s next but I can only imagine. Though I do have to say, this book does kind of seem like the end of the series. Even though there’s like three more books. So we see comes our way next.

Overall this book was okay, still a fun read but I still felt like it was missing a lot. I just felt like everything resolved itself way too quickly but that seems to be a theme with these books. And of course, Angela throwing up and drinking too much is also still a theme…and I’m still not a fan.

But anyway, onwards we go. The next book is actually I Heart Christmas so I guess this will be a bit of a change from Angela jetsetting off somewhere. It might actually be nice though I have to get ready for festive Angela, which is probably more annoying than the ‘world is ending’ Angela.

~ Courtney x

I Heart Vegas by Lindsey Kelk Review

This is hands down the best book in the series so far. I really enjoyed this one.

The fourth book in the ‘I Heart’ series sees Angela out to Vegas on a girls trip before Christmas. Sure she is weeks away from being deported, but when did that ever stop a girl from having a good time?

I don’t really know what to say about this book other than this is the cheesy chick flick movie I would love to see. Like it was fun, it had fashion, it had romance, it had friendship…it’s just one of those things that click and everything is great.

Honestly shocked at how the series has turned around from the last two books haha, I was for sure ready to give up on the series but it’s all turned out for the best.

I even appreciate James, the celebrity Angela interviewed in Hollywood, more than I did before. He’s fabulous. I’ll admit written in as that stereotypical gay character but do kind of love it.

So yes, girls trip to Vegas, I’ll admit this story is super far fetched but at this point, what hasn’t been in this series. I think I’m just jealous that Jenny and Angela are able to score amazing designer clothes no matter where they are in the world. (A moment of silence for the clothes lost in the airport incident in Paris)

But I have to say this trip is probably one of the most successful trips Angela has had since coming to New York. Sure she is still drinking away her problems, but this time it wasn’t so terrible reading about them. I think it’s just the effect of Vegas, that and the fact that instead of reading about Angela curled up by the toilet throwing up, it was less about the hangovers and more about her actually dealing with crap that happened the night before. So yay, growth.

That being said, I feel like Angela wasn’t the one in this book that actually made the worst decisions. Jenny Lopez, I expected better for her. I was shocked when I found out she got married to Jeff. Ridiculous. She needs to forget that boy. He is trash.

Not that Angela wasn’t considering a walk down the aisle of her own, but only so she could keep her visa…

It’s safe to say that didn’t go well and obviously, she and Alex have a fight about the situation because that seems to be a common theme in the books. They fight, and makeup, just like Jenny and Angela fight and makeup. At least this time she and Jenny were fighting for valid reasons, unlike the previous book.

One thing that was annoying though was Angela’s love of Christmas. Ugh. Did not expect her to be super festive, but I did think it was annoying. I don’t have anything against super festive people it was just something I didn’t care to read about.

At least she didn’t mention her Marc Jacobs bag as much, even though it did end up in a fountain at one point.

That being said, I think we are moving from the Marc Jacobs worship to Apple worship. Angela is obsessed with iPhones…which is fine but like does it have to be a big deal every time she mentions them, is there some sponsorship I don’t know about? I feel like it was more obvious in the last book…but still not a big fan.

The other thing that I thought was crazy, was that Angela suddenly won a bunch of money at the end and suddenly put a good plan together to get her visa together. I mean of course the end of the book was going to be cheesy and cliche but it was almost too cheesy. Like I expected everything to work out in the end, but I don’t know one too many details and it ended up going a bit too far but eh can’t complain too much.

I even got excited when Alex proposed. I didn’t think it was going to happen, I felt like maybe it was too soon after the whole fight they had and everything but then he had the box in his hand. I was excited, it was the perfect storybook ending, and I ate it up like the sap I am.

So overall, a great read. It brought the series back to that light fluffy kind of place so I enjoyed it. I’m interested to see where the next book takes us though as I have no idea what happens, I just know Angela must be going back to London based on the title. But what takes her there? I’m excited to find out.

~ Courtney x

Jenny Lopez Has A Bad Week by Lindsey Kelk Review

My Kindle made this book seem a lot longer than it was because at the end there were big samples from the first two books in the ‘I Heart’ series and another book by Lindsey Kelk. Which is sad because I would have liked this to be longer.

It was a cute read, something that was different from reading about Angela’s life which was nice.

The story follows Jenny through a week of disappointing dates and possibly a new career venture. I feel like it’s so short I don’t have a lot to say about it.

I was expecting more for Jenny though, I don’t know what it is but I wanted more about her and more thoughts? I don’t know, I think I wanted more in-depth about Jenny as we only know her from the eyes of Angela, and in Angela’s eyes, Jenny seems to just be the best. Which isn’t bad but at the same time it would be great just to know Jenny as herself.

I also don’t like where this story ended for Jenny, it seemed like things had just begun looking up for her again and I want to know more of what happened, I mean I know we will probably find out in the next main series book but it won’t be focused on as much because we will return to Angela, though at this stage I would much rather hear about Jenny.

Oh well, guess we can’t have everything.

Like I said before I think this is a cute read, though way too short because I feel like I was just getting into it only to find it was ending. Here’s hoping we find out what happens with Jenny and her new career and possibly her new boyfriend(?) when we return to the main series with I Heart Vegas.

~ Courtney x

I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk Review

After Angela’s not so fun adventures in LA, she is jet setting it off to Paris with her boyfriend as his band is performing in a festival.

Cute.

Or so we think…

Angela also has a job while she is in Paris to write an article for a fancy fashion magazine and she better not screw it up otherwise her job would be on the line…again.

I want to start off by saying that this book was definitely better than the last one. At least this time Angela actually liked Paris and was embracing it like she did in New York. Sure there were lots of other things to be freaking out about but she took time to take in the city and enjoy it so that was nice.

That being said, it’s not like this trip was going much better than her LA trip as Angela is still worried she might ruin her job by writing a terrible article because she’s not actually a proper journalist. Which, is annoying because Angela came to New York to be a writer and now when she gets opportunities she basically doesn’t want them. Can’t she just accept how lucky she is? Nope, she has to mope about it just a little bit.

Then there came a twist and Angela discovered that the French assistant that has been helping her, hadn’t actually been helping her at all. Eh. Was a little surprised but I mean with the way things go in Angela’s life is it that big a shock?

I am also kind of over Angela just deciding to drink her problems away – I am done reading about how she drunk too much and is throwing up and looking like crap and how that didn’t solve her problems. Although it happened a lot less this time around it still is getting boring to read.

Aside from that, Angela has also been dealing with insecurity over her relationship with Alex. This time though I guess I don’t blame her, I mean finding out that your boyfriend’s ex is French and beautiful and wants him back? I’d be freaking out too. Especially because Alex seems to be keeping to himself and not talking to Angela very much, I know they both have work but communicating might be nice.

Oh, and Angela and Jenny end up fighting over basically nothing? They always seem to jump down each other’s throats for the tiniest of things which is also getting a little bit old. I mean I know that the clothes Jenny sent her were ‘blown up’ but it’s not as if Angela could do anything about that…

Though things seemed a bit dull in the beginning with Angela wandering around Paris with her French assistant doing the bare minimum of actual work, things did pick up towards the end.

Angela’s decision making hit an all-time low as she decided to take the Eurostar from London back to Paris after realising running away this time was not going to be the best solution, so I guess that was some kind of growth.

Of course, in the end, things with her and Alex ended up working out and she and Jenny were fine too once they realised they were fighting over nothing. Not surprised on either front.

The only thing currently up in the air is Angela’s job. So the article for Belle hasn’t been written and she was fired from her writing at The Look. I mean, I totally see her getting her job back or another chance or something, there is no way that her visa just gets cancelled and she gets deported. Especially when the next book in the series is ‘I Heart Vegas’ – now I know there is an ‘I Heart London’ but we ain’t there yet.

So I’m interested in seeing where that goes.

Side note: also really enjoyed reading about Angela and Solene having that fight on the stage at that festival and then Angela spilling all the T about her and Alex’s relationship to everyone too. That was enjoyable.

Overall I would say this one was an okay read, things definitely picked up towards the second half of the book which I was grateful for after how the last book went. I was definitely concerned about this one especially with the absence of Jenny who actually makes Angela seem tolerable because Jenny doesn’t take her shit.

But the series has definitely redeemed itself a little bit after LA. And as the first book in the series that I didn’t read previously, it was enjoyable.

Next up is to read in the series is actually a novella about Jenny which I did read before – not knowing what order to read the books in – but I forget what happens but I am excited because I do love Jenny. She’s pretty great. So look out for a new blog post coming about it very soon as I seem to be reading these books at an amazing pace.

~ Courtney x

Animal Crossing: New Horizons!

After waiting half a year Nintendo has FINALLY given us some new news about Animal Crossing Switch.

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First of all, the name of the game is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In this game, we are not in a town but the resident of a deserted island. It’s just us, a tent, and of course, Tom Nook.

I assume the general idea for the game is to build up the island and make it your own, we still don’t know a lot about the game but here are the things we were able to learn about from today’s E3 announcement and Nintendo’s Treehouse presentation.

Our Own Island

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So like I said, we start off out on an island, just us and a tent. It’s a bit rough looking in the beginning but we can turn it into whatever we want! It looks like we can place furniture items pretty much anywhere we want, including right on the beach! We can even live on the beach if we want to.

The style of the land is a bit similar to the island in Animal Crossing: New Leaf in the way that the land flows directly into the beach, there are no slopes or cliffs like in precious Animal Crossing games.

Crafting Things From Scratch

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Another feature of the game is that you can craft furniture using materials collected around the island. It seems there is finally a use for the weeds that grow everywhere! That and you can gain different types of stones from the rocks on the island and different kinds of wood from the trees.

I imagine you can unlock more items as you progress throughout the game, but not to worry you can still buy things from Nook such as flowers and tree saplings. I’m not sure how split furniture items are between crafting and buying but it will be interesting to see what the game has to offer.

Who Needs Bridges?

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I’m not really sure if this is the only way to cross the river in the game or if we will get the opportunity to build bridges but you know I would be totally okay with it.

One of the most shocking things about this new game is that we can pole vault ourselves over the river. I don’t know who decided this was going to be a thing but I am a fan.

Making Paths!

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Another new feature in the game is making our own paths! They look super cute and add to helping shape up the island. A lot easier than having to place floor tiles and cringing when they aren’t placed in the correct place.

A Handy New Gadget

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Another thing we get from Nook when we arrive on the island is a NookPhone. It contains quick access to options such as a camera, Nook Miles, a recipe book for crafting items, the town map and you can also use it to phone a villager.

You can use the regular screenshot button on the joycon remote to take photos but you can also use the new camera feature on the phone which will allow you to zoom in, zoom out and add the perfect filter to your photos.

Nook Miles

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Nook Miles is a reward scheme program where you get ‘miles’ by completing tasks in-game. They haven’t revealed what kind of things you can use the Nook Miles for yet but I imagine they will be exclusive items. I guess this means Phineas will no longer come around to give you badges?

Call An Islander

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This feature kind of made me think of Stardew Valley. So apparently you can have up to 8 characters on your island and everyone gets their own house. And this ‘Call an Islander’ feature allows you to have local multiplayer functionality by using up to four joycons.

In local multiplayer one person is the ‘leader’ and the other people help you collect materials to build items in the game, the downside to this is that because it is local play everyone has to stay on the screen and so you can’t wander off on your own. As well as that, I think that only the leader can access their pockets and if you choose a tool then everyone has that tool.

As for online multiplayer, we don’t know too much about that yet but the fact you can have up to 8 people in your town at once is exciting. Finally, no feeling bad because your town is full so one of your friends can’t come over to hang out.

Weather Settings Depending on Location

Animal Crossing is a game that uses real-time and so the weather in the game is affected by the time of year. This will also be true for New Horizons but with an added feature.

We will now have the option to play in the northern or southern hemisphere. This will affect the weather within the game so the example they gave in the Treehouse demonstration was if you played in the northern hemisphere in June, it will be summer but if you were to play in the southern hemisphere it would be winter.

Not really sure where the setting for this is or anything yet but it will be interesting to see the differences in game based on which hemisphere you choose.

Fishing Bait

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Something else that is new is that we have the opportunity to make fish bait! There wasn’t a lot of information about this but it was thrown in at the end. I imagine this is a feature that hasn’t fully been fleshed out yet but I’ll be interested to see what kind of fish we can collect with bait.

Other Small Things!

To finish off this list of features here are some other small things that I noticed while watching that weren’t officially mentioned.

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Cloud shadows! Now when it is cloudy in the town you will be able to tell by cloud shadows on the ground, this is a small feature but I got excited about it because it just adds more detail to the game. As well as that, something that was mentioned was that the leaves on the trees will move depending on how windy it is within your game. Another cute touch.

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Villagers carrying logs! So we didn’t see a lot of villagers today but I did notice that one was carrying some logs, and also they walk a lot slower than before. I like the new walking style, though your character still keeps the fast pace which makes us seem like we are always rushing around while the villagers are chilling and enjoying the island life.

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In terms of communicating with players through online play, we have not been given any information on that yet but I imagine it would be similar to how it has always been done through chatboxes. But one thing we always have in Animal Crossing is emotions! This game looks like it reverts back to only giving us a limited number of emotions to choose from unlike Animal Crossing where you got two full pages of emotions for characters, including the Shrunk Shuffle which was a favourite of mine.

I’m sure there are lots of other little things that I missed within the game but I shall leave it here for now, otherwise, I think I would be here all night talking about Animal Crossing.

I am super excited for this game to come out, I have been waiting for this since I bought my Nintendo Switch. One thing I am bummed about though is that the game’s release has been delayed to March 2020. Though I am grateful we got any kind of release date after waiting so long.

I’m hoping that Nintendo will keep giving us regular updates for the game though to help us get through the waiting period. I think it was bad enough we went nine months without anything at all since they gave us the announcement of the game. I mean there was a chance they might not have shown us anything at all today which I did think about earlier…

Anyway, I’m off, let me know in the comments what you are excited about in the next Animal Crossing game, I’m honestly excited about everything. It’s all so new and shiny and I can’t wait for it!

~ Courtney x

P.S If you guys want to see my live reaction to the new Animal Crossing game please see the video below, it is definitely not as composed as this blog post was lol:

I Heart Hollywood By Lindsey Kelk Review

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Following up Angela’s adventures in New York, she is headed to Hollywood to interview a major Hollywood star, and of course, she couldn’t go without BFF Jenny.

I gotta say, this book was…annoying me.

I mean the first one was fine with Angela exploring her life without her fiance and finding her feet in New York and dating around but in Hollywood? Angela is more whiny and annoying than ever.

I guess she was always kind of annoying in the beginning in her indecisiveness in what to do when choosing between Brooklyn and Wall Street but like it was not nearly as bad as her choices in Hollywood.

It’s clear from the beginning that Angela is not taken with Hollywood as she is with New York. Which is fine because you don’t have to like everywhere in the world that you travel to but she seemed to want to find flaws in everything which just got on my nerves. I mean Jenny was having fun and trying to include Angela but she just kind of dragged things down.

I think I much would have rathered hearing about Jenny’s Hollywood adventure compared to Angela’s.

That being said I know not everything that happened in Hollywood was totally Angela’s fault. I admit that a lot of it had to do with the actor she was interviewing, who of course was flirting with her and being super charming. Because in what book world does the main character who is a plain girl not get the attention of every guy that she sees?

Even though the actor turned out to be…playing for the opposite team which honestly wasn’t the most shocking thing, I mean sure it meant things with him cleared up kind of nicely but eh, wasn’t fussed.

I am definitely being more critical with this one than I am with the first one lol. I think just in the first book Angela made everything about New York and what she was doing seem so exciting and glossy, but as soon as she went somewhere else…well…she didn’t like it very much and it showed which meant that reading it was kind of meh.

Not to mention the fact that she had just gotten herself a boyfriend which meant that being away from him for even a second she was paranoid he was hooking up with every girl in New York…I mean I get it, I’ve definitely been the girl who has been worried when her boyfriend doesn’t text me for some time but at the same time, you gotta give the guy some space.

Overall, I would say this book was not the best. I don’t really know what I was expecting from a sequel but this one was meh. This might have been the reason I didn’t continue reading the series (the first time around), the first one is a good fluffy read but this one is just a hot mess. I mean I know that it shows that not everything in Angela’s life is peachy all the time but this was just one disaster after another and it seemed highly unlikely that it would end in a neatly wrapped bow like it did…

That being said I will give the series a chance, so I will continue on with Angela as she travels to Paris, here’s hoping she actually likes this place a bit more than LA…

~ Courtney x