Wilde Like Me Book Review

 
 
I picked up Louise’s book one day at Tesco after I had just moved house. I thought I should get back into reading and so if I bought a book then it would encourage me to read. That was a lie.
It sat on my bedside table for months. And finally, at the start of the year, I picked it up to read.
For my first book of the year, I would say it was a good one. I enjoyed it. I think it’s great when a YouTuber decides to write fiction rather than a memoir. Mainly because a lot of them are still young and maybe don’t have a lot of stories/experiences to share that they haven’t already shared online. And I usually prefer fiction to reading about people’s real lives.
This book is about Robin Wilde, a single mum struggling with depression and also trying to be the best mum possible. Very different from my normal reads that consist of teenager/high school drama. But also a welcome change.
I enjoyed the story a lot. I think it was interesting to learn about the struggles of being a single mum. Obviously, I can’t relate because I haven’t had a child but I can imagine it’s not an easy thing. That being said I did find Robin very relatable and I think that’s due to Louise’s writing style. It’s very casual and conversational like most other YouTuber books.
That being said that’s not always a good thing. Because of the style of writing and the way Robin acted it was hard to picture Robin as her own character. Throughout the book, I was constantly imagining Louise. The storyline is very similar to things that Louise has been through in her life. And I know people say it’s better to write what you know but I feel like I was expecting something more.
I kind of felt similar vibes in Girl Online when I read it. Zoe does pull on her own experiences with anxiety for that book but at the same time, it’s very much more fiction than based on her life.
But aside from picturing Louise instead of Robin, I enjoyed reading the book. I thought it was fun to learn about Robin’s first experience with online dating and also found the way she talked about depression interesting. I think she described it well in terms of it being “the Emptiness”.
Though I do feel that things happened to turn around very quickly in the book. For the longest time, we saw Robin struggling with everything, parenting, depression, dating, her job and then all of a sudden everything just turns out all right at the end. I guess it’s not a bad thing to want a happy ending I just felt it came on very fast.
I do like that Robin is surrounded by a lot of positive and strong women in her life though. That’s something I can always appreciate. I’m all for girl power and this book has a lot of that.
As for the age group for this book, I wanna say young adults. I don’t think younger viewers of Louise’s channel would be interested in it and as for older people, I don’t quite know. I guess it depends on what kind of writing you like. But it is one of those books that you can read at any age. (Possibly not children as I just remembered they do talk about sex…)
And how it compares to other YouTuber books I think it’s somewhere in the middle. I think it’s a nice read, and in a way, you get to know a version of Louise. Though as most YouTuber books aren’t fiction it is hard to do a real comparison.
Overall I did enjoy the book for what it was. Didn’t know what to expect when I jumped into it but I am glad I took a chance on it. Will I read a sequel if one arises? I don’t know. I might give it a go – it could be like Girl Online where I end up loving it. But I guess we shall see what the future holds.
But until then I am on to my next book which, funny enough happens to be the third book in the Girl Online series. I think it’s about time I got around to it, the book has been sitting on my bookshelf for over a year now. So hopefully I will have another book review for you soon.

 

~ Courtney x

Grace & Style: The Art of Pretending You Have It Book Review

It has been a while since my last book review. I have been really bad at reading lately but I want to get back to it.
So Grace & Style. I was really happy to find out Grace was writing a second book. I really enjoyed her first one. And after she gave us such great advice on how to be an adult I was super excited to see what style tips Grace would have for us.

Truth be told I did not buy this for the style advice. Although that being said Grace does give some great advice within the book. She shares helpful tips about what to do on bad hair days, how to cover up fashion faux pas and how to make plain t shirts more fashionable. And if that wasn’t enough there are also some great DIYs on her YouTube channel.
But anyway, I bought this book to see how it would compare with her first book. And also because I knew I was going to get some great stories in this book. It helped me learn more about Grace and how her own personal style came to be.
I thought it was really interesting for her to open up with something super personal from the get go. I had no idea Grace went through such a hard time growing up. Although I really admire YouTubers who are able to share their stories like that in order to help others. I also think it allows people to connect to YouTubers on a more personal level. Especially since some of them are not very open and personal online.
Aside from her personal introduction to the book the rest of it is a lot of light and fun. I enjoyed reading about Grace’s take on style advice. She definitely took her advice to the next level in this book. Even creating some very interesting scenarios for her Miss Mess column. She even gives us a flowchart to help us decide if we should really buy an item of clothing. The book came with everything.

One thing I didn’t expect in this book were the Sweatpants diaries. I honestly didn’t enjoy this part of the book as much as the rest of it. At the beginning I found it hard to follow and was just confused. As I read more throughout the book I began to understand a bit more. Long story short it is about a pair of sweatpants who attends school in the Mall of America and is about to bring back the Black Friday revolution. It’s insane. But very Grace.
If anything I think if Grace really wanted to, she really could release a fictional book series called the Sweatpants diaries. I feel like that could be something a lot of people could be into. I unfortunately am not a big fan. Although it definitely added something different to the book.

While I didn’t enjoy this part of the book I did like the rest of it. As I said before I really enjoyed learning about how Grace’s own style came to be through her stories and past experiences. I also enjoyed how she took famous quotes about style and made them her own. I feel like I related a lot more to Grace’s quotes than the others. I think celebrities/designers/models have a different view of fashion because they can 1. afford couture and 2. are around it all the time. The rest of us are trying to afford cute everyday fashion.
Another thing I enjoyed in Grace’s book were the photos. Just like her previous book this book was beautifully illustrated with photos of Grace rocking some interesting styles. Here are some of my favourites:

Overall I think this book was a really fun read. Although I think I preferred Grace’s first book over this one. Especially on the advice front. I feel like I need advice on how to be an adult more than I need style advice haha. I don’t regret buying this book though as it did allow me to learn more things about Grace. It also gave me a really helpful flowchart on how to decide how to clean out my closet. I wish I had seen that a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out my room.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this book review. I don’t even know if these book reviews are that helpful or useful haha. I just like sharing my thoughts on some YouTuber books. I promise I will have some reviews of some non-YouTuber books sometime soon but for right now, this is what I’m into. I have some more YouTuber books preordered for later in the year so I am excited to get them. But for right now, the next book on my list is It Gets Worse by Shane Dawson and I can’t wait to get into that. Look out for that book review (hopefully) coming soon!
~ Courtney x

Girl Online On Tour Book Review

My 7th blog post this month and my second 2nd book review. I’d say I’m on a roll.
Today I am reviewing Girl Online On Tour by Zoe Sugg. I wasn’t really sure if I was going to get this book because when I read the first one I was convinced that it was aimed at a younger audience and I didn’t enjoy the story. However, I decided to give it a chance Zoe had released a number of signed books you could preorder online and so…I gave in. I might have only done it for the signed Zoella book but I knew I couldn’t leave it unread. Especially when I know Zoe has so many fans and someone else would have appreciated the book a whole lot more. So I decided to see where Penny and Noah were headed and honestly, I really enjoyed it.

If you read my book review of Girl Online then you know it was probably the only YouTuber book I didn’t like so I wasn’t sure what to expect with the sequel. But Zoe definitely stepped up the game with this one. I tried not to have high expectations after the first one and I didn’t even really know much about the story. I hadn’t really thought much about what Girl Online On Tour actually meant. But it literally meant Penny was going on tour with Noah.
And I think that’s one of the things that really changed this book from the last one. Because life on a rock tour is so fast-paced and crazy the story had to reflect that. Which meant the pace of the book was a lot faster than the first one. There were things going on all the time and I just felt like I had to keep reading because I wanted to know what happened with all these things.
I feel like with Girl Online, Zoe was just testing the waters with her writing. And now, she knows what she can do and she wanted to showcase that. I could tell her writing had improved, which I was really glad to see. It still has the same style and tone as before but there was just something a little bit different. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s because there has been no ghost writer scandal with this one. Not that I was ever mad about that. Or I’m just getting used to the style of Zoe’s writing. Either way, I am glad to see Zoe is improving her writing skills. Because she can only get better from here and I love seeing that.
Okay moving to the actual story. So many things. Lots of spoilers ahead.
First of all, I totally related to Penny when she had to stop publishing her blog. Last year I had a similar thing go down where I basically had to stop something I was doing and it was awful. It feels like you are being told you aren’t allowed to express yourself like you’re being censored. And it’s not good.
You should always be allowed to express yourself as long as it isn’t offensive or hurtful to others. Although I know that can be hard now because people can get offended quite easily. But if you’re doing something you enjoy and you don’t intend for it to be offensive or to hurt people then you should do it. Although you should be careful if it’s personal or involves friends and family.
That’s what I have learnt about the whole thing and in this book Penny learns a similar thing so I think that made the book more enjoyable.
If you can relate to the character of the book it’s so much easier to read. At least, I feel that. Or if you have a connection with them.
Something else that kept me reading was the mystery. Who was sending all those messages to Penny? I have to admit I had my suspicions about Megan and Pegasus Girl. I would have loved if it was Pegasus Girl. Only because people online can’t always be trusted. That really would have been a twist.
However, that was a bit of a letdown. The reveal was still shocking because I never expected it but…then when it was revealed and the reasons behind it I kind of felt like it was cliche movie. I should have seen it coming. I think I’m more mad at myself for not figuring it out than the actual outcome haha.
Also, I’d really love a friend like Leah Brown. She really surprised me by being really nice. I think I’ve been watching too much Pretty Little Liars because I have to stop jumping to the conclusion that every girl character is secretly a bitch. I mean a girl should be able to take another girl shopping and give her a glam makeover without there being an ulterior motive right? At least, I’d like to think so.
As for Penny and Noah…well I actually liked how they ended. I think it was the right decision and I love that they are able to both pursue their passions. I thought that was a really great theme to the book. That you should pursue your passions because you could just end up living the dream.
It really inspired me. I remember being like Penny and not knowing what I was going to do with my life. I still haven’t got it quite figured out but I am piecing together things I want to do and going for it. One of them being my blog. I identify a lot with Penny and her blog, I’ve been blogging on and off since I was about 11 and I know how it feels to have a place to vent. It’s great.
Something else I loved about the book was Alexiot. I loved the ship name, I loved the big romantic gesture…I loved the whole thing. That was a love story I could totally get behind. It was so cute.
Another big thing in the book was the progression of Penny’s anxiety. Just like Zoe, Penny suffers from anxiety attacks and I really appreciate that Zoe was able to incorporate that into her book. I think it helps a lot of people who don’t have anxiety get an idea of what it feels like sometimes. It also helps a lot of people who do have anxiety and how to deal with it.
In the end, I’m so glad there was a happy ending. I feel like after everything that happened in what felt like a short amount of time everyone deserved the ending they got. I also couldn’t imagine a novel written by Zoella ending sadly.
I’m really glad I gave this book a chance because I ended up loving it a lot. And while yes, it’s a little cliche and predictable it’s a good read. I learnt I was way more attached to the characters than I thought I was too. I was happy, sad, and I even think I yelled at my book a few times.
I would definitely recommend this book to you if you loved the first Girl Online book. And even if you weren’t a fan of the first book, you should give this book a chance because you might end up liking it. I still think it is aimed at a younger audience than some of the other YouTuber books but that’s okay. I think if she did something for an older audience it would be very off-brand.
And so, those were all my thoughts on Girl Online On Tour! I hope that you guys enjoyed reading. Let me know what you guys thought of Zoe’s books in the comments below. I think the next book I am going to read will be Username: Evie. So look out for that book review coming soon (I hope. Depending how fast I read and if I actually have enough to say on it to write a book review.)
~ Courtney x

Binge Book Review

My first book review of 2016! Exciting!
Today I am reviewing Binge by Tyler Oakley. First of all, I love Tyler Oakley so I’m sorry if this comes across as biased. But technically all my book reviews are a little bit biased because I love all the YouTubers. And I can’t help if I also like their books.

Tyler’s book was a fun and quick read. I seemed to find myself getting through his book faster than some of the other YouTuber books that I’ve read. I think it has something to do with Tyler’s writing style. His writing style is similar to a lot of YouTubers as he writes as though he were talking directly to you. Like if you didn’t have the audiobook you could still imagine Tyler was reading it to you. Which is what I enjoy about YouTuber books they are casual and fun. Yet can still touch on serious topics without being too serious.
Which was Tyler’s book in a nutshell. He bounced from talking about the serious issues such as his eating disorder to talking about his favourite Disney princes.
I enjoyed this approach to the book because it made it fun. I think it was done in a way to show that life isn’t always bad and it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows either. It’s a mixture of both. And I’d rather have a mixture of happy and sad stories rather than just having a happy one or a sad one. It’s about balance.
Which is ironic considering Tyler’s book is called ‘Binge’ and it’s about bingeing on certain things. And in this book Tyler shares his experience bingeing on the good and bad things in life.
To be honest, I was surprised at how much Tyler was willing to share about his life with us. I know all YouTubers have been spilling the tea in their books but Tyler’s shocked me the most. I think it’s because I was seeing a different side to him. It’s hard to imagine him as anything other than the character he portrays online. I think it’s refreshing to learn about the person behind the camera. That’s another reason I like YouTuber books. They expose the real person and not the one we see on a screen.
Tyler’s book was very real. The stories he decided to share with us were personal and things that I never knew Tyler had experienced before. Such as his eating disorder or his first heartbreak. The things people typically don’t want to share on the internet. Reading these stories honestly broke my heart. I mean it’s hard not to feel sad reading about the hardships people have gone through. But reading about how they dealt with the problem or overcame it changes how you view a person. It also makes me feel proud of them because they have come so far from where they once were. And I’m glad that Tyler decided to open up about these things and share what he has learned from his experiences. I know it will help a lot of people who are struggling through similar things.
On the other side of things, you have Tyler’s comedic chapters which I enjoyed a lot. These were the ones where you got to see the Tyler Oakley we all know and love. This was him showing his character. In his book Tyler explains he is both @TylerOakley and Matthew Tyler Oakley. He is both the person we see on screen and this other person that we don’t see. And to see both sides of him is great. He’s basically like Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart.
I loved all of Tyler’s funny chapters. I don’t think I can choose a favourite. They were all so entertaining. One of the chapters I wasn’t expecting that made me laugh a lot was the one about Tyler’s unexpected Toemance. I don’t have much to say on the chapter other than the puns were ev-er-y-thing.
I also enjoyed the photos of foetus Tyler. But I’m a sucker for any baby YouTuber photos. They just add so much more to the book. Because if you’re going to tell embarrassing stories about your life why not throw in the baby pictures too?

Overall this book was a great read. And when I finished reading I was definitely ready for more. So I’m hoping Tyler announces book 2 very soon. I want more gossip. All tea, all shade, hunty. I also recently watched Tyler’s documentary Snervous which goes hand in hand with his book. So I definitely recommend Tyler’s documentary if you haven’t seen it already.
And so thanks for reading another YouTuber book review! The next YouTuber book I am going to be reading is Girl Online: On Tour so look out for that book review soon. Also, if you haven’t already, check out my review of Zoe’s first book Girl Online.
~ Courtney x

A Work in Progress Book Review

Hey guys,

Today we are reviewing A Work in Progress by Connor Franta.

Honestly, not my favourite YouTuber book. I feel like Connor’s was just…missing something for me. I feel like there is so much more we could learn about him.
However, his book was very…what I like to call “Tumblr” which means it’s very artsy and inspirational. These are not necessarily bad things, though.
His style of writing was more formal than most YouTuber books, it wasn’t as conversational as others yet he was still able to allow his personality to shine through in some parts of the book with his side comments. Very similar to the way he talks in his videos.

To me, Connor’s book makes him seem a lot older than he really is. The way he told his stories and the lessons he has learned through life really came across in an older and wiser way than most. I enjoyed learning about how he sees the world and what he takes from his experiences in life.
Throughout Connor’s book, there are lots of photos that he had taken and these were presented a lot differently than other photos in YouTuber books. They are sprinkled throughout the chapter and show off Connor’s photography skills and his creative style. I think that they help to illustrate his chapters in a very simple and beautiful way.

If anything, Connor’s book seriously made me think about life. Which, was kind of a shock to me. At the end of his book, he recites the words of his Life Doesn’t Wait video and it really just made me think about life. Am I doing what I want to be doing? It was kind of a wake-up call at 2 a.m. I remember watching the video before and thinking about it….but it really just…made me wonder if I am doing what I want to be doing in life.
At the end of the day, I think I’m doing what I want to be doing. I mean, it’s kind of hard to really decide right now because this time in my life is as stressful as it is but I know I’m headed in the right direction and that’s a good start.
To go back to Connor’s book, I think what I really would have loved were more stories. All of Connor’s stories he told were very short and he was more about making the point of what he learned from these experiences rather than the experience itself. Which, I think is fine, if that’s what you were looking for in a book. But for me, I mostly pick up a YouTuber book for the chance to know more about the YouTuber.
Plus, I am sad that Connor didn’t really talk about his time with his collaboration channel Our Second Life or really much about YouTube at all.
I think it’s interesting to see the different directions YouTubers take with their books though because even if I wasn’t fully happy with Connor’s book I do think that it was great that he stuck to his style of writing and creating. I think that’s one of the most important things.
It’s not as if this book was completely different from Connor’s style of videos or anything else he has created. So maybe I shouldn’t be that surprised with what the book contained. It’s just always interesting to see how much a person will share with you in their books or in their videos.
Overall I thought the book was good, and I definitely think there were things I could relate to in Connor’s book such as his fear of missing out and that there are a lot of things I can learn from Connor and his experiences.
I think Connor is one of the youngest YouTubers that has currently brought out a book and I think for a debut novel it was amazing. I am excited to see if Connor will write more books in the future, maybe with more stories, maybe with more lessons he has learned in life. Who knows? I’m just excited to see what he’ll come up with next.
~ Courtney x

I, Justine An Analog Memoir Book Review

Hey guys,
So I am back with another book review, this time iJustine’s, a.k.a Justine Ezarik’s, book I, Justine. Before we get into the actual review can we please talk about the title of this book? Genius. I know Justine was having trouble with naming her book at the time but I think this title is so smart and just so…Justine.

Another thing I wanted to talk about before I get into the actual review is that Justine’s book is a hardcover, and underneath the paper cover of the book it has iJustine’s signature, which is also on her limited edition So So Happy hoodies. When I saw this I freaked out because I thought it was a really great addition to the book.

My iJustine Limited Edition So So Happy Hoodie

Okay, so moving onto the actual review part…
I was really surprised when I started to read this, normally when you read a YouTuber book they are written in a very casual and conversational style, however, this one was not. But I’m not saying that as a bad thing, I think that as an older YouTuber (not throwing shade, I promise, she is older than other YouTubers I watch), Justine was smart to write her book in a more formal sort of way. I know that online, Justine comes across as silly, and energetic and pretty much crazy sometimes, and that doesn’t always translate over well when writing a book so I think it was better for her to write in a more formal tone. Besides, it was really nice to see another side of Justine, the side she doesn’t show to the internet.
Of course, it wouldn’t be iJustine without the occasional tweet thrown in there or emoji. I really liked that even though she didn’t choose a casual form of writing for her book, she was still able to let her personality shine through. I would also love to know how long it took them to dig up those tweets because I know you can download your Twitter archive now but still…it must’ve taken forever.

Something that I really enjoyed about this book was learning about how Justine became iJustine. I mean I discovered Justine back in 2011 when she had already pretty much established herself and her brand so I had no idea how she ever came to be. And I think it’s a really great story, as with most YouTubers, Justine didn’t know exactly what she was doing when it came to YouTube but she did know she wanted to be involved with the internet. This is something that I really related to, because I too, love the internet and social media so reading about Justine’s passion for technology and the internet I really enjoyed.
Again, with most YouTuber books this does help you understand a lot more about the person behind the camera. I know that Justine and many other content creators online often get accused of having it easy and that they don’t even really work and get paid. However, if you’ve ever tried to make videos yourself, or read any YouTuber book then you know that is not the case. These people have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are today and I have to say that Justine is one of those people who has probably worked the hardest to establish herself in the way that she has.
In her book, she talks of how she used to work for a lot of start-up technology companies and would essentially be working for nothing because these companies couldn’t afford to pay her. She also talks about how she took on lifecasting, which is the broadcasting of your life 24/7 with a camera on your head, I mean talk about commitment.
Another thing Justine talks about in her book is her love of Apple products and the time she almost met Steve Jobs. I really loved learning about how she actually came to love Apple and how it has inspired her to be the person she is today. As someone who has many obsessions, I can understand how she could come across a slightly crazed fan to Apple. I just think that it’s crazy Apple has never reached out to work with Justine before, I feel like she’d be there best spokesperson, even if she is a little overly obsessed.
One thing that I think Justine talks about more than other YouTubers have is the backlash she has received online over the years and it definitely makes you more wary of the things you share with people online. As someone who had been lifecasting her life for months, Justine has come into her fair share of haters online but to read how far people have actually gone as a “prank” is really scary. I couldn’t ever imagine being in that position. I think it really opens up your eyes to how terrible people can really be and that Internet hate should really be taken as a serious thing because even though people say it doesn’t mean anything…it really can lead to something worse.
Overall I really enjoyed reading Justine’s book because I got a sense of what the Internet used to be like, a time before YouTube was a major website and Twitter was only a start up company. It’s kind of crazy to see how far we’ve come in such a short time. I also enjoyed reading about Justine’s love of technology and how that has driven her and her career today.
I think the reason why I enjoyed Justine’s book more than a lot of other YouTuber books is because I feel like I could really relate to her. I mean no, I’ve never coded and created a whole website in one afternoon out of hatred for someone but I also love technology and social media and I can understand the want to share that with people, even so far as to pressure people into joining social media. If you’re passionate about something I feel like you just want to share it with people so that they too can also be passionate about it and maybe understand a little bit more about why you love it so much.
And if anything, I really see Justine as a huge inspiration. I think she’s one of the reasons why I feel so okay with loving social media and technology. She also really inspires me to keep doing what I love even if it doesn’t start to pay off immediately. I mean, this book just opened me up to a whole new understanding of how the internet used to be and where we are now, it’s crazy to think that Twitch.tv, a website for streaming games started out as a lifecasting website. I had no idea…
So I would definitely recommend this book because it’s so different from other YouTuber books, and it really does show you the reality of what it’s like to live almost your whole life on the internet, it isn’t as glamorous as most people would believe.
~ Courtney x

In Real Life my Journey to a Pixelated World Book Review

Hey guys,
Another YouTuber, another book review. This time we have Joey Graceffa’s book, In Real Life.

As always, I enjoy reading a good YouTuber book. I never usually have anything bad to say about them and I do think it’s because I really love the YouTubers that write the books. So maybe these aren’t the most unbiased reviews in the world…
Anyway, what I loved about Joey Graceffa’s book is that he was so open with us about things that he’s gone through in life. More open than other YouTubers in their books. He really went into detail about what his life was like before YouTube and I really enjoyed learning more about his life before he was on YouTube.
Again, it is one of those books where you learn more about the person behind the camera and I always enjoy this because it helps you understand them so much more. I had no idea that Joey used to be in special education or just how many problems he had with his mum growing up. Learning about the struggles that he’s been through in life really allowed me to see how strong he really is.
I mean it just goes to show that these people who seem to have the perfect life online don’t always have it so easy. I think it’s so important to remember that when you watch people online because it’s so easy to tear people down when you don’t know them. Like to me, the fact that people like Joey can daily vlog their life and be so open with us is so brave. Like I know I couldn’t do it, mainly because my life is not very entertaining haha.
My favourite thing about all YouTuber books is that they are written in a very casual style and so when you read the books it just sounds like the YouTuber is having a conversation with you. I really like this because it makes them easy to read, I would really hate to read a YouTuber book that didn’t sound like it was written by them. I like that they don’t put on a voice and are themselves and let their personalities shine through in their writing, it makes it more personal and Joey’s is no exception.
One thing I was really surprised about in Joey’s book was how open he was about his sexuality. I know for the longest time on his YouTube channel he never talked about it, and a few months ago he decided to come out to us before the launch of his book, in a YouTube music video that he had made. It was an amazing music video and I loved the message and the way he decided to come out. It was so creative and I was so happy he was able to do it the way that he wanted to.
In Joey’s book, he dedicates a special chapter to coming out. It’s literally just a page in the book where he says that he is gay.

I really wasn’t expecting that at all. I also wasn’t expecting him to go into more detail about when he was first dating and coming out to his friends. I really enjoyed learning more about that, mainly because it’s not like any YouTuber to dish all of the details about their relationships.
I was really glad that Joey felt comfortable sharing these things with us, I know that it must have been really hard to write about all of the things he went through with his mum from a young age and how he used to be bullied but I am so glad he did because I know he’ll be a huge help to people who are going through similar situations and a great inspiration.
Another thing that I enjoyed reading about was Joey’s experience on the Amazing Race. I kind of wished that he had talked more about the things he experienced while travelling that we didn’t see on the show. Before I read that chapter, I decided to actually watch season 22 of the Amazing Race, which is the season that Joey was on and I really enjoyed watching him and Meghan go through the challenges together. I was sad they didn’t make it to the final four but they put up a really good fight and I thought they did an amazing job.
I also really enjoyed that in Joey’s book he had advice at the end of each of his chapters, they were all relevant to things he had talked about in that chapter and I found some of the advice really helpful. I also enjoyed some of the photos that Joey added into the book because who doesn’t love cringey childhood photos of your favourite YouTubers?
Overall I thought that Joey’s book was a really good read. I think that it’s definitely something to pick up if you are a fan of Joey and want to know more about his life before YouTube and to learn about things he’s never talked about in videos before.
If I had to say anything about the book it’s that I do wish it talked a little bit more about life now and when he lived with Meghan and David or even when he used to live with Sawyer. But I’m sure that Joey is saving that for his next book.
And so, that brings us to the end of another YouTube book review! I still have some YouTuber books left to read, I have four more on my bookshelf to get through but I’m sure by then there will be about five more new books that I’ll have to check out, but until then I guess I better get back to reading.
~ Courtney x

Love Tanya Book Review

Hey guys, so I’m here with another YouTuber book review. These books seem to be all I’m reading lately but I promise I will have some reviews of non-YouTuber books soon.

So Love Tanya is written by British YouTuber Tanya Burr and as always I am happy to hear when a YouTuber is releasing a book. I feel like it’s a way to connect with them that more personal. Especially if they have written about themselves.
One thing I love the most about these books is that they are all different. While Grace’s and Tanya’s books both give advice they do it in very different ways and I love to see the YouTuber’s personality come out through their writing.
When I was reading Tanya’s book I felt like I was reading a fairy tale. There is something simple about her writing style and the tone she writes in that makes her life sound like a fairy tale. Especially in the chapter where she writes about her relationship with Jim.
That was probably my favourite chapter in the book because you can tell just how much Tanya loves Jim and how important he is in her life. I’m a total sucker for a sappy love story and Tanya and Jim’s is definitely one of my favourites.
Jim and Tanya’s relationship has always been one I have loved. Not only do they look amazing together but they way they work together and support each other is so adorable and I will definitely ship them forever. I wish them the best of luck with their future and their upcoming nuptials.
Anyway…sorry I let my inner fangirl/shipper get in the way there…
I really enjoyed learning more about Tanya’s life before YouTube. I started watching her videos in August last year I felt like I didn’t know her as well as other YouTubers, so this book was the perfect way to get to know her. Plus, who doesn’t love photos of people when they were babies?
This book also contains a lot of Tanya’s style and beauty tips which I appreciated a lot. Sometimes you don’t want to sit through a 20 minute video to find the right makeup brush to use and this book explains it quite well.
I also learnt a lot about skin care through Tanya’s book as she took us through her beauty routine. Sometimes in videos people may not give proper descriptions on how a product works with their skin but in the book Tanya was able to give a better insight into her favourite beauty products.
One section of the book I didn’t actually read was the baking section however I don’t think that is a section of the book you can read in one go. However I did flick through these pages and the photos make everything look amazing so I can’t wait to get around to using these recipes in the future.
Another part of the book that went unused were the sections that Tanya left for us to write in. I know that they are there for us to write in but I feel like it’s wrong to ruin such a beautiful book with my writing. Like I just can’t bring myself to write in it so I have left these pages blank…I don’t know if anyone else is like that or just me but I am sure you understand what I mean…
Another thing I really liked about this book were Tanya’s “top ten..”s at the end of each chapter. Again it was another thing that allowed you to learn a little bit more about her and the things that she has a personal connection with. I know that when you watch YouTube videos you often miss things like that, especially if you don’t watch every single video a person posts so it was nice to learn about the little things like what her favourite places are.
These were also great for learning tips and tricks that Tanya had for different aspects of your life. Some of her advice is quite simple but it is often the type of things people forget so I think it’s nice to be reminded of them every once in a while.
Overall I think this book captures Tanya Burr perfectly as she discusses personal issues such as her anxiety, lighter topics such as beauty and baking and everything in between. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking to learn more about beauty, fashion, baking, dating and of course Tanya Burr herself.

Girl Online Book Review!

It took me a long time to get around to reading it but I finally finished Girl Online!
Girl Online is a fictional book written by British YouTuber Zoella and I have to say I was so excited when I heard she was writing a book! I mean I have been excited for every YouTuber book coming out but I was very excited to learn that Zoe’s was a fictional book. Almost every other YouTuber is writing an autobiography/lifestyle type book so I was interested in seeing how Zoe’s was different from everyone else’s.
And before I get into the review of the actual book I just want to say that the cover of this book is stunning. The cover of the book is actually the whole reason I bought my own physical copy. I was originally going to buy a kindle version of the book because it was cheaper at the time but once I saw the cover I changed my mind and when I went to change my preorder the physical copy had went down in price so it was close to the kindle version’s price so I was very happy about that.

So I know that a lot of people were upset to learn that Zoe’s book had a ghost writer…and I just want to address my thoughts on that. I don’t really have a problem with the fact that she had one. I mean if she had help to make her novel she had help, there’s no shame in admitting that. Plus I think it’s a bit much to have high expectations for someone who has little writing experience to be a best-selling author right off the bat. Besides she’s not the first person to have a ghost writer…
However I do understand why people would get upset about the fact she didn’t write it on her own. I have to admit I was a little upset about this but only because other YouTubers that are writing books have done it on their own. The difference being that their genre of book is different from Zoe’s. Other YouTubers are writing about themselves which is easy to do but Zoe is writing fiction so it’s understandable why she would turn for help.
At least that’s just what I think about the whole thing. While I wish she hadn’t used a ghost writer there’s nothing I can do about it. I mean I know if I was in her position I’d probably do the same thing. So yeah…moving on to the actual story…

Penny has a secret.
Under the alias Girl Online, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her crazy family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love – and capturing every moment of it on her blog.
But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny’s cover – and her closest friendship – forever. 
– Girl Online Blurb (source)

As soon as I read the blurb I was interested in this story… and I was so excited to finally begin reading it and while I did enjoy the story I didn’t like it as much as I thought I was going to.
To me it felt like this book was written for a younger age group. The style of the writing is simple and the whole storyline turned out to be a tiny bit anti-climactic for me.
I thought that the beginning of the book was good, I liked the style of writing for Penny’s blogs and I found this aspect of Penny very relatable. As someone who also enjoys blogging and understands the need to put your thoughts out there for even one person to read I did enjoy this part of the book. I also found the reason for Penny going to New York understandable…
I have never had a video of me go viral before but if it did I’d probably flee the country too. Especially if it was that embarrassing.
Another thing I found relatable about Penny is her struggle with friendships. I’m sure we’ve all been there. When we have to decide when it’s time to stop being friends with someone or you’ve “outgrown” them. It’s something everyone has to do in their lives and I liked the way this is handled in the book. However not all fake friends are as easy to spot in real life as they are in the book.
Something that I wasn’t able to relate to is Penny suffering from panic attacks. I don’t suffer from a lot of anxiety but I do understand that a lot of people do. This book gave me an insight into what it’s like for someone who might be dealing with anxiety and I found this really interesting. I also liked that there was advice on how to deal with anxiety in the book. I thought this was important especially since Zoe has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks her whole life.
As the book goes on and Penny and Noah spend more and more time together I found the book was getting a little bit boring. I just thought that nothing really happened in that time she spent Christmas and New Year’s with him. And I know not every part of a book has to be exciting but I was just waiting for the time when Penny would finally learn about Noah’s secret…
Throughout the book I had my own ideas about what his secret might be. I think I was thinking too outside the box and have been reading/watching too many vampire things because I thought he was going to be a vampire or some other supernatural being….Or I thought he was going to find out about Penny’s blog or that he was actually a criminal or something really crazy and unexpected.
My friend Bryce actually came up with the idea that Noah was really gay and was going to end up with Penny’s gay best friend Elliot which would have been quite funny but also kind of mean.
But none of those things were Noah’s big secret.
I do have to say when I found out what his secret was I was a little bit sad. I mean I wasn’t expecting his secret to be what it was but I was expecting something a lot bigger. Which is why I felt like it was a little anti-climactic.
I was also surprised that we only find this out about 3/4s of the way through the book…I thought we’d find out sooner than that.
After that I felt like everything just happened in a blur. Which I guess is how it’s meant to feel but to me everything just seemed to be happening too fast. Faster than the rest of the book and I feel like it caused them to brush past some more important issues.
For example what Elliot was going through with his father. I feel like it should have been something that was put into more detail. I know that he’s not the main character in this book but if he is dealing with a serious problem like that I think maybe there should have been more about it…I feel like it was a little bit random to have in the midst of everything else towards the end.
However I did like the way that Penny took control of her situation and dealt with the cyber bullying. It also teaches you the lesson that while anyone can make up a rumour about you only you know the truth and that’s all that really matters. As long as you and the people you’re close to know the truth it doesn’t really matter what other people think and I think that’s a really important message to have. Especially if you are someone who does put themselves out there, on the internet or in real life.
As for the ending of the book…it was predictable. Which I didn’t mind because I do prefer happy endings more than sad ones. And for a book like this I didn’t expect there to be a sad ending. I also know that when two people go through so much together it does seem like a waste for them not to end up together. However sometimes that’s for the better but not in this case.
Overall I’d say the book was okay. I didn’t really hate it but I didn’t love it either…like I said before I really felt like the book was aimed at a younger audience just because of the style of writing and the way the story played out…I did however think the love story between Noah and Penny was quite cute but I’m a sucker for any type of love story.
Now the real question is…will I be buying the sequel? I wasn’t actually aware of the sequel until one day I was on Amazon and it came up as a recommended item for me. But I think I’ll have to wait to find out what the sequel is about before I consider buying it. Considering how I felt about this book I’m not sure if I will immediately jump at the chance to get the sequel but I guess we shall see when the time comes.
If you guys have read Girl Online please leave me a comment letting me know what you thought and also let me know if you will be buying the sequel when it comes out because I’d be interested to know.
And until the next blog post I bid you adieu 🙂
~ Courtney x

Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown Up Book Review

Hey guys so today I am going to be giving you a review of Grace Helbig’s book. I have been meaning to write this book review for about 2 weeks now and I apologise that it has taken me so long to sit down and write it.


The first thing I would like to comment on is the name of the book. It is very long. I don’t really have a problem with that other than when you try to post something on the internet talking about the book you usually have to shorten the title to “Grace’s guidebook”. Which is kind of sad because the full title of the book is one of the main reasons the book appealed to me.
For those of you who don’t know I am currently 17, in my last year of secondary school and currently have no idea what I am doing with my life. So the fact that one of the YouTubers I watch has released a self-help book on how to pretend to be an adult seems kind of perfect. I don’t know if it’s the best advice in the world but I think that it can be useful for the future. 
Anyway, you might think that it’s weird to read a self-help book all in one go, especially Grace’s which is split up into different sections. I have to say it was a lot of advice and information to take in at once but I wanted to get an idea of the type of advice she could give me so that if I ever did need advice on a particular subject I knew that Grace would be able to help.

Overall I would say that Grace actually did provide me with some helpful advice for the future. I mean I didn’t think she would give bad advice but at the same time I didn’t know if the advice would be suitable for me. Some of the topics Grace covered in her books I have yet to experience in my life and so I can’t put that advice into effect until these things happen to me for example, how to do the walk of shame.
Most of the advice that Grace gives in the book is actually quite simple. They are little things that you often forget while you are going through life and it is really nice to be reminded about them. For example when you are on the internet, don’t post your personal information such as your address, social security number, bank details…that kind of thing. 
To be honest I wasn’t expecting life changing advice from this book, if you know Grace then you know she isn’t a very serious person and she tends not to like to get too deep and meaningful – a perfect example of this is her podcast “Not Too Deep“. Not that I minded if the advice wasn’t that good. I was more interested in buying the book to support Grace (as a YouTube fangirl I will support YouTubers by buying their merchandise if it appeals to me even a little) and to learn more about her.
While the advice wasn’t completely life changing it was very helpful. As someone who is socially awkward and avoids being in public a lot I found Grace’s tips on how to host parties very useful. There are some things that she mentions in her book that you wouldn’t even begin to consider when you are preparing to do something, like when you are going for a job interview it is important to ask questions back rather than just answer your questions that way you seem more invested. I would never do that, but thanks to Grace’s book I will do it in the future.
As I mentioned before Grace covers a lot of aspects of being an adult in her book and at the beginning of each section of the book she will write an introduction and share a story or two of her experience regarding that particular topic. I really enjoyed these introductions as they allowed me to learn a lot more about Grace as a person which was really nice. It was nice to learn more about her real life and not just the YouTuber personality we see in her videos. Although as you read the book you discover that Grace doesn’t really have a YouTube personality and that the person you see in her videos is the real deal.
Another thing I really enjoyed about Grace’s book were the photographs, because who doesn’t love a book with pictures? They were very funny and adorable and just very “Grace”. Below are some of the photos within Grace’s book so that you can see what they are like:

Another enjoyable thing about Grace’s book is that at the end of each section she would have made an acronym for all of the advice that she gave on a topic. This means that it would be easier to remember her advice as well as produce random funny words at the end of the book sections. I have no idea how she came up with those acronyms but they are definitely memorable which means I won’t be forgetting any of the tips and tricks on how to decorate like an adult anytime soon.

And with that I think I have said everything that I want to say. The only thing to say is that the writing style is very casual and easy to understand, I noticed that the style of writing is in the style of how Grace would speak naturally so reading her book is just like watching one of her YouTube videos which I think made the whole book more enjoyable. It is surprising how well Grace’s sarcasm can come across based on the style of her writing. That or I have been watching so many of her videos that I can always tell when she is being sarcastic, even through written language.
Oh! That’s another thing that I enjoyed, Grace’s sense of humour. I don’t know if everyone enjoys Grace’s puns and bad jokes but I do. I might not laugh out loud at them but I do appreciate them and I imagine that if the book didn’t contain these puns or jokes that it wouldn’t have been Grace that wrote it.
And now I think that I have said everything I wanted to say. Overall I really did enjoy Grace’s book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Grace Helbig’s videos or is struggling to become an adult like myself haha. Will I ever use her advice in real life? I think I will. I might not follow it exactly to the letter but I will definitely think about it because like I said it can be useful. I just think it depends on the type of person you are and if you can apply the advice to your life.
And so yeah…I never really know how to end my blog posts. I just sort of drift off at the end and stop writing haha. I need to think of a better way to end them. But until then I hope you guys liked my thoughts on Grace’s book. Let me know in the comments below if you have read Graces book and what you think of it and I hope you will come back for the next blog post! Whatever that may be…
~ Courtney x