One Night Only by Catherine Walsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sarah prefers one night stands to actual relationships. Due to some past trauma, she has closed herself off to love and emotions. But when she wakes up one morning to see an especially good-looking guy in her bed- a guy who is interested in having breakfast with her- Sarah congratulates herself mentally on her catch…and then sends the guy away.
That guy turns out to be Declan, the best man at her best friend’s wedding.
Sarah is horrified but manages to pull through. After all it is her best friends’ special day. Sarah is sure that once the wedding is over she will have nothing to do with Declan.
However Declan keeps popping up in her life repeatedly and Sarah is forced to confront the fact that she might want to keep this one night stand for a few more nights.
This seemed more drawn out than “The Rebound” and honestly I didn’t care about the Ireland wedding. I did however love Declan and really enjoyed scenes that included him.
This was a fun read that I enjoyed. I am giving this four stars because while this was great, The Rebound is still my favourite!
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Fiction Friday: Book Review- The Rebound by Catherine Walsh
The Rebound by Catherine Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When Abby loses her fiancé, her house and her job, she escapes home to Ireland.
Shortly after her arrival she meets a mysterious and attractive stranger. Sparks fly between the two of them however it isn’t long until Abby realizes that the mysterious hottie is her neighbor, Luke. Luke who she grew up with. Luke who she barely paid attention to but who certainly remembered her.
Firstly this was an incredible well-written book. I’ve been struggling to get into reading again but within a few seconds of reading this book I was hooked!
Secondly I kept highlighting sentences because there were so many parts that I related to.
I loved the character of Abby and found her really relatable. All the characters here are incredibly well fleshed out. The plot is intriguing. I couldn’t put the book down. A little bit of rom com was exactly what I needed and I enjoyed myself immensely
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Welcome to the Real World: The Importance of Playing the Game
categories: Welcome to The Real World
If you’re new here, this is a pretty awful way to ease your way into my blog. “Welcome to the Real World” is a series detailing my early working years. The idea is to impart some wisdom and laugh at my mistakes.
You can find the full series here. However for a quick recap, I started my data capturing job and things were good. I was concerned about the fact that I was a temp on a 3 month contract but I worked really hard and I was sure that it would pay off. Let’s all laugh together.
I was young and had no clue that how hard I worked had nothing to do with my promotion. But I was about to. I was going to learn that lesson the hard way.
When I started in March, there were a few other temps. There was a man in his 30s, a girl who had just finished high school and a older female. The only person who worked at the same pace as me was the man in his 30s. However I started work at 7AM every day (my working hours were 8AM to 5PM). I felt like it could be seen that I was a hard worker. About a month or so after I joined, a guy around my age joined. He was able to keep up with my pace. But he did one thing I didn’t. He befriended the boss.
When it came time to renew our contracts, all of the people who started with me got their contracts extended for another 3 months. I was incredibly surprised when the same thing happened to me. I knew that I was faster than them. So why now were we given the same treatment?
When it came time to renew the contract of the guy who befriended the boss, he was made permanent immediately. I was furious. So I stopped working as hard as I did. I was called into countless meetings where management tried to figure out what the problem was. I replied with I didn’t understand what the problem was. I didn’t understand why now I was no longer as fast as the other guy.
But I knew what the problem was. I just didn’t know how to verbalize it. I didn’t know how to verbalize that I felt demotivated by what had happened.
Thing is, the working world is a game. Who you know matters more than what you know. I should have known that. After all, the main reason I got the job was because my aunt set me up with the interview.
The guy who was made permanent actually stole work from others (i.e everyone had an Excel spreadsheet assigned to them and he would go into these sheets, copy the information that he needed to capture and add it to his spreadsheet).
Management defended him and said he “took initiative”. I was shocked by I kept my head down and worked at my new, slower pace.
After my second round of 3 months, I was made permanent. A vacancy opened in a different department and the guy applied for it. He didn’t tell the manager who he befriended which brought me so much joy.
The manager had no choice but to let him go but he was not happy. The manager then came up with a new rule. If you’re applying for a job in another team or another department, you need to tell a manager.
I’m not sure what the point of this rule was but when the time came for me to leave, I made good use of that rule.
But that’s a story for another day.
September TBR
categories: Books
I haven’t done a TBR post in forever! I also haven’t picked up a book in forever. I hate being an adult. Anyway I have lots of great books- some from publishers and some that I have purchased myself. Here is my ambitious September TBR.
- The Subtle Act of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson- For reasons unknown to me, I ordered this journal from Jonathan Ball publishers. Two pages in, I was hooked and had to go get the novel itself.
- Twisted Love by Ana Huang- I requested this from Jonathan Ball publishers. I heard lots of great things about this book on BookTok but personally it has not grabbed my attention.
- When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill-This was another book from Jonathan Ball publishers but this one I love. I actually only read two lines but it grabbed me instantly. I haven’t finished it because I feel like this is the sort of book where you need to block out time in your schedule and sit down with snacks.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson- I have the entire boxset that was given to me by Jonathan Ball publishers. Again I feel this is a series to binge and I don’t the time for that. (Can I just quit my job for a month and read all the books?)
- Family of Liars/We Were Liars by E. Lockhart- These are books that look like they can be finished in one setting but at this point the hype is so great that I am terrified that I will be disappointed.
Have you read any of these books? What does your September TBR look like? Let me know below
categories: Uncategorized
I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I should. I started a new job and there was a health scare (getting older is not fun. Everything is an issue. I went to the doc for an ear infection and came back with a 24-hour blood pressure machine). I’ve also been feeling a little burned out.
So I did the responsible thing and booked time off work. I go on leave this week Friday and I cannot wait. Of course in typical me fashion I already planned a list of things to do, books to read, shows/movies to watch and I’m really excited to get started.
The idea is basically to immerse myself in all the fictional worlds in an attempt to escape the real world. I’m also hoping once this is done, I’ll have tons of blog content. Wish me luck
Fiction Friday: Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay
categories: Books
Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been having trouble paying attention to books (thank you, TikTok. Again).
Jane and Marnie have been best friends since high school. They tell each other everything. But when Marnie falls in love with a douchebag, Jane doesn’t admit that she hates him.
But this small lie eventually snowballs until Marnie moves in with and then marries the pretentious ass.
Jane wants to see her best friend happy but why him? (I asked myself this several times over the course of this novel. Marnie’s husband is a slimy pig. Never have I ever hated a fictional character so quickly).
Eventually, Marnie’s husband (sorry, he is not worth remembering. Not even for this review) dies and Jane feels guilty. Maybe if she had spoken up sooner things would be different.
Like I said before, I absolutely loathed this man. So hats off to Elizabeth Kay for making him so hateable.
This was a really well-written book that I read in one go. This was such a rollercoaster of a novel but I loved every second!
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Page to Screen Review: Along for the Ride
categories: Books
Along for the Ride, based on the novel by Sarah Dessen, tells the story of insomniac (and Type A) Auden who goes to visit her dad at a seaside town. While there she encounters the mysterious Eli. Eli is also an insomniac and it isn’t long before the two start to bond.
I definitely think this was worth a watch. I read the book as a high school graduate in that weird in-between phase where uni hadn’t started yet but the days were just a blur. I loved it. I loved the movie too and I think it stayed pretty true to the book.
My only issue (and honestly this really does feel like a “Me problem” is that I hadn’t realised that I had basically grown up to be Auden. Whatever. Go watch this movie if you haven’t already.
Fiction Friday: Book Review- The No-Show by Beth O’ Leary
The No-Show by Beth O’Leary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from Jonathan Ball publishers in exchange for an honest review.
So despite the cheery cover I assumed that this book was some sort of murder mystery.
It’s not. This is very much a fun little rom-com.
Siobhan, Miranda and Jane are three very different woman who are all involved with the same man.
Think “Tinder Swindler” but without the cash.
I found it interesting that whereas Siobhan and Miranda had actual romantic relationships with Joe. Jane’s relationship seemed to be more of a friendship.
Joe is an expert at becoming whatever the women in his life needs which leaves the reader questioning his motives.
How can a guy who seems so sweet be such a twisted liar? Or is he?
I read through this book desperate to hate Joe but I couldn’t. His actions just left me confused.
However things start to make sense in the end.
Simply put, this book BLEW MY MIND! It was well-written, the characters were fleshed out beautifully and the romance…amazing.
Never have I ever rooted for a guy dating three woman (and I really hope that this was the first and last time)
Definitely give this book a try. Beth O Leary does NOT disappoint!
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Fiction Friday: Book Review- A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I needed to track down “A Sweet Mess” after I finished reading “The Dating Dare”. I needed something light and fun and this did not disappoint.
Aubrey runs the bakery, Comfort Zone which she plans on expanding eventually. She has no time for relationships. But when she runs into Landon she decides there is no harm in a one-night-stand.
But Landon accidentally samples an experimental treat from her bakery that he hates and then writes a brutal review for.
When Landon realises that Aubrey is the owner of the bakery, he offers to make it up to her by giving her a spot on a celebrity cooking show.
Desperate to restore her business, she agrees.
But trying to remain professional after their one-night stand proves to be harder than either of them thought. (That’s what she said! I am sorry. The opportunity was there and I had to take it).
This was a read that I finished in one sitting and it was SO GOOD! If you are a fan of contemporary romance give this a try.
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5 Lead Magnet Ideas to Build Your Email List
categories: Blogging Tips, Content Marketing
I absolutely LOVE lead magnets. However I am yet to figure out if I like them because they are valuable or because they are free.
So what is a lead magnet? It is a piece of content designed to help expand your email list. You provide something of value to your audience in exchange for their email address.
This is an excellent way for you to expand your email database. However remember that whatever you are offering needs to be valuable and needs to be something that people will be interested in.
It is also a good tip to keep the sign-up process as simple as possible. You do not want people starting to sign up for your lead magnet only to leave halfway because you are requesting too much information.
Here are 5 ideas for lead magnets:
- A Guide: Search through all your blog posts for a theme or posts that relate to each other. You can use this to create a guide. For example, I could use my blog posts to create a guide on blogging (or a very outdated guide to uni).
- Printables: Printables are also another favorite of mine. These are just items that are helpful that you can print such as a checklist, to-do list, motivational quotes or even a planner.
- Free stock images: If your audience is the type to appreciate free stock images then go for it! Personally I am always on the look-out for free stock images.
- Workbooks: Have I ever used a workbook? No. Have I ever given my email address away in exchange for a free workbook? Every single time. Put in the effort to create a valuable workbook tailored to your audience and you are sure to get a great response when this lead magnet goes live.
- A resource library: Once you have a few lead magnet options, you can compile them all in an exclusive “Members Only” library that can only be accessed by those who have given your their email address. Resource libraries are full of valuable information and so this is an excellent bargain for your audience. Speaking of which, you can join our resource library for access to some great blogging freebies. Just fill out the form below.
Have you ever tried using a lead magnet before? What are your favourite type of digital freebies? Let me know!