All She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher Review| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- All That She Can See
Author- Carrie Hope Fletcher
Series- N/A
Published- July 13th, 2017
Page Count- 368
Publishing House- Sphere
Rating- 4/5 stars

About the Author

Carrie Hope Fletcher (born 22 October 1992) is an English singer, songwriter, actress (primarily in musical theatre), author and vlogger from Harrow.

As a child, Fletcher played small roles on television and appeared in musical theatre in London's West End. In 2011, she started a YouTube channel called Carrie Hope Fletcher (formerly ItsWayPastMyBedTime), which features music and vlogs. As of November 2017, she has over 651,000 subscribers.

Fletcher played Éponine in Les Misérables in the West End until 13 February 2016. In 2015 she published a book called: All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully, which was a Number 1 bestseller in the UK. Her debut novel On the Other Side was released on 14 July 2016. Her second novel All That She Can See was released on the 13th July 2017.

Taken from Wikipedia.

Plot

Feelings are part of life - feelings are life. If you take away what people feel, you take away anything meaningful. Wanting to diminish the evil in this world is a good cause, one I have fought for the majority of my life, but not like this . . . 

Cherry has a hidden talent. She can see things other people can't and she decided a long time ago to use this skill to help others. As far as the rest of the town is concerned she's simply the kind-hearted young woman who runs the local bakery, but in private she uses her gift to add something special to her cakes so that after just one mouthful the townspeople start to feel better about their lives. They don't know why they're drawn to Cherry's bakery - they just know that they're safe there and that's how Cherry likes it. She can help them in secret and no one will ever need to know the truth behind her gift.

And then Chase arrives in town and threatens to undo all the good Cherry has done. Because it turns out she's not the only one who can see what she sees . . . 

A story of love, food and a little bit of magic, All That She Can See is an enchanting and beautiful novel that's guaranteed to be the most magical story you'll read all year.

Taken from Goodreads.

Opinions

Having really enjoyed Carrie's previous novel, On the Other Side (click here to read my review), I was really excited for All She Can See, but for various reasons, I never got around to picking it up at the time of its release. But, at the start of 2018, I popped into my local Waterstones' as they were having a sale. I ended up paying £3.98 for two hardbacks as I had a ten-pound discount card. I read it at the start of 2018 and I really enjoyed it. I ended up giving it 4/5 stars. 

Carrie's writing style is really beautiful and whimsical, it's one of my favourite aspects of the books of hers that I have read. I've not read many authors who have quite the same whimsical style as Carrie. I think the reason I enjoy it is that I love the descriptive elements, I've always been a bit of a sucker for a beautiful descriptive passage.

The story had a really unique concept, I've never read anything where a character can control emotions through baking. I just had a really good time while I was reading it. The characters were well developed and the plot twists were really well done, I didn't see any of them coming. The portrayal of anxiety was done beautifully and didn't feel like it was included in there to tick off a box.

My only complaint is that the romance was somewhat predictable. Even before the book started, I knew the main characters were going to fall in love. It was the typical "I hate you, no I love you" relationship. This is the only reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5.

I am so excited for Carrie's next novel, When the Curtain Falls, and I will 100% be pre-ordering it and if she goes on tour, I will try and meet her.
Carenza x

November and December Favourites| CarenzaOnBooks

It's never too late for a favourites post, right? I know this is super late, but I think by now we've established that I'm awful at sticking to an upload schedule. Forgetting this, here are my favourites from the months of November and December!

November

I read two of my favourites in November and they were The Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. These are two of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. I enjoyed myself the whole way through and I would love to read more from both authors. I have been neglecting my book reviews, so I'm going to make a list of all the books I want to review and get them all prepared to go at some point in the next few months.

I saw an epic amount of movies in November. I'm pretty sure I saw a movie every single week in November, which is insane. But, there are three movies I really enjoyed. The first was Thor: Ragnarok. I really enjoy Marvel movies and this was a really good one. It wasn't my favourite, but I loved the soundtrack and the whole aesthetic of the movie. I'm looking forward to the Marvel film releases later this year. 

Another film I enjoyed was Breathe. It was Andy Serkis' directorial debut. I went to the cinema by myself and I was the youngest person in that room, and I cried. It had some really sad bits and I don't cry that much in the cinema. It was beautiful. 

My final film fave was The Death of Stalin. This was so funny, I genuinely couldn't stop laughing. I'm currently studying Russian History as one of my courses at college. It had an incredible cast and if you enjoy historical comedies, I highly recommend this.

I saw the Imperium plays at the RSC and I really enjoyed them. I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's based on the novels by Robert Harris, which I think I'm gonna read at some point in my life.

I got two new Pop Funkos in November and surprise surprise, they're Harry Potter ones. I got two of the Autumn Convention exclusives. I got the Boggart as Snape and Gellert Grindelwald. I love them both so much and I love seeing my collection grow.

December

It might seem obvious, but I really love the festive period. I love the dark evenings and wearing all the jumpers. I love having a Christmas tree up and the build-up to Christmas. We had snow this year, which was really exciting.

In December I FINALLY saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (part one only). It was amazing. I loved it. I'm seeing it again on my birthday. I spent a lot of money on the merchandise, but it was totally worth it. I had a whole day in London with my Mum and it was so lovely.

A TV show I binged watched with my family was Gotham (series 3). This was by far the best series of Gotham. It moved the story in an incredible direction and I'm sad that I have to wait for series four to be on DVD to continue watching it.

If I'm honest, those are the only things I really enjoyed in December, as December is just a crazy busy month. 

So that concludes my favourites for November and December. I'm thinking that I might start posting my favourites posts bi-monthly as I think I prefer it.
Carenza x

Best of Culture 2017| CarenzaOnBooks

Today's post is my final post in my Best Of series. Like last year, I am going to be discussing my cultural favourites for 2017. 2017 was an exceptionally good year for cultural favourites. I honestly have no idea how many plays I saw in 2017, but I saw a lot and I enjoyed the vast majority. I also saw a great selection of movies and tv shows. I got to visit some amazing new places, plus some old favourites and I listened to a lot of new music.

Theatre

Undoubtedly, my favourite play I saw in 2017 was Angles in America. I could rave about this until I turn blue in the face. It is the most epic (and I mean epic in the sense of it being an epic piece of theatre because it is about 8 hours long) piece of theatre I have seen to date. The actors were incredible and I went away feeling inspired to write. If I could, I would see it over and over again, but sadly the UK production has ended and they are currently performing it in the States. If you are a lover of theatre, then I highly recommend reading this. It's something I'm going to treasure for the rest of my life. 

Another favourite play I saw was Snow in Midsummer at the RSC. I saw this three times within the space of a week- I kid you not. In a similar way to Angels in America, Snow in Midsummer is an incredible piece of theatre. The whole production was amazing. I'm genuinely struggling to put into words how much I love these plays as they hold such a special place in my heart.

As a part of my birthday celebration this year, I got to see Hamlet with Andrew Scott. Hamlet has to be my favourite Shakespeare play. I think I've seen it five times (at least) now. But Andrew Scott 's (who plays Moriarty in Sherlock) was my favourite. Many of the productions I have seen depict Hamlet going mad, but this portrayed it as someone who was grieving. I adored this production and am so happy I got to see an incredible actor like Andrew Scott playing Hamlet.

While we are on the subject of Hamlet, I saw Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which is about Hamlet's best friends. I saw this with Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire as the lead roles. This was a really funny piece of theatre and definitely added to my experience of seeing Hamlet.

I really got into political comedies this year, so when I saw Labour of Love, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was one of the funniest pieces of theatre I have ever seen. Martin Freeman and Tamsin Grieg were hilarious and if you are into political comedies, I highly recommend.

Another favourite was La Ronde. I will be honest and say that I went to see it because it had one of my favourite actors in, Alexander Vlahos. But, the play itself was amazing. They had all of these interlocking plays and I really enjoyed how it performed.

Finally, I finally saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (only part 1). I now understand why everyone sees this a million times. It is incredible. I'm so excited to go and see it again for my 18th birthday later this year. It fulfilled my Harry Potter heart and I'm so happy to see how it branched out into a new performance style.

Film and TV

I saw a lot of amazing films and Tv shows, so here is a list of my favourites from 2017:

• Game of Thrones
• Lucifer (series 3)
• Poldark (series 3)
• Sherlock (series 4)
• Stranger Things
• Beauty and the Beast
• La La Land
• Loving Vincent
• Death of Stalin
• Amazing Spider-Man films
• Breathe
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Travel

2017 was a bit of a slow year for travel. Having moved house, I didn't really travel that much, but the places I did travel to were amazing.
I went to the Harry Potter Studios near London twice in 2017. Once with my college and once for my birthday. I love them so much. To have all the sets and props and be able to explore how one of my all-time favourite film series was made was a magical experience. I felt like a child exploring them and to this day, my friends all maintain that I cried at the studio tour- I didn't, I was just very emotional.

I went to the Edinburgh Fringe and Book Festival in 2017. I've been to the fringe religiously for a few years in a row now, but it was my first time attending the Book Festival. I went so I could meet Cassandra Clare and Holly Black. I was so excited to meet Cassie as I've been a huge fan of her books for years now.

Music

I listened to a lot of new music in 2017 and here are some of my favourites:

• Dear Evan Hansen
• Hamilton
• Movie Soundtracks (Harry Potter, Stranger Things and Amazing Spider-Man)

So that concludes my culture favourites for 2017. I really hope 2018 is as good of a year for culture!

Carenza x

November and December Wrap Up| CarenzaOnBooks

As I've already said on here, I am very behind on my blogging schedule with life being its crazy self and it dawned on me that I never posted my wrap up for November or December, so I thought why not post it now? In November I read 7 books and in December I read 7 books, so I thought I'd share with you what I read in the last two months of 2017.

November

I started off the month by finishing Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. This is the second book in the Grisha trilogy, which I still need to finish. I had really enjoyed Shadow and Bone, but Siege and Storm had the second book slump. I didn't enjoy it as much and found it a bit dull in places. I am going to finish this series as I really want to read the Six of Crows duology and the upcoming Nikoli book. I gave it 3/5 stars.

I then read a collection of poetry for my Creative Writing class called Into the Woods by Anna Robinson. As someone who isn't a fan of poetry, I really enjoyed this collection. It was very fictitious and had a story like element to it that I had never read in poetry before. I gave it 4/5 stars.

I then read another collection of poetry for my Creative Writing class called Grief Is A Thing With Feathers by Max Porter. This was something I didn't particularly enjoy as it just wasn't for me. I gave it 2/5 stars.

I read a script by the playwright Dario Fo called We Can't Pay? We Won't Pay! It's something I would enjoy seeing performed, but on the page wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be. I gave it 3/5 stars.

I have to read a LOT of books for my Creative Writing class, so it will come as no surprise that I had to read another book for it in November. I read Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello. I didn't enjoy this very much as it's really not my thing if I'm being honest. I gave it 2/5 stars.

My final read of November was Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This was one of my favourite reads of 2017. I adored it. I'm definitely going to read more of his books as I adored his writing style. I gave it 5/5 stars.

December

The first book I read in December was The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry. I really like Grayson Perry as an artist and he is also a really good writer. If you are looking for a non-fiction book about feminism from a male perspective, then check it out. I gave it 4/5 stars.

I then read The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. I picked this up in London in December and I'll be honest I bought it because it has a cat on it. It was an okay read, but I don't think it was the book for me. I have a similar book by a different Japanese author that's about cats that I think I'll read in the upcoming months. I gave it 3/5 stars.

I finished reading The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster. This is a script that I have to read for my English Literature class. I actually really enjoyed it and hopefully, I'll get to see it at some point in my life. I gave it 3/5 stars.

I then finally read The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien. I adore the movies, so I figured it was time to read the books. The books are so beautifully written and are super detailed. I am going to be continuing reading this series, I just need a bit of a break from it. I gave it 4/5 stars.

As I had met her in Edinburgh in August, I thought I should probably read the book I bought at the event and that was The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. I wasn't overwhelmed by it and having read it, I'm not sure what my feelings will be on The Cruel Prince which is her latest release. I gave it 3/5 stars.

Having received it as a Christmas present in 2016, I finally read Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki. I love Studio Ghibli so much and I think Hayao Miyazaki has lived a really interesting life. This book was mis-sold to me as a biography when really it is a collection of essays and interviews with Miyazaki. I gave it 3/5 stars.

The final book I read in 2017 was Sleeping Giants by Slyvian Neuvel. I am not the biggest fan of sci-fi books normally, but I really enjoyed this and I will be picking up the sequels to it. It's told in a really interesting style. I gave it 4/5 stars.

And that concludes my wrap up for the final months of 2017. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to be moving my wrap-ups to my other main social media platform, YouTube. I just don't feel as though they sit here well anymore and I want to free this space up for other content.
Carenza x

Best of Bits'n'Bobs 2017| CarenzaOnBook

I'm currently a bit behind on my blogging schedule as the first week back at college has been crazy for me, but I'm continuing my Best Of series today with Bits'n'Bobs. For those who are a bit confused by what I mean when I say Bits'n'Bobs, I'll quickly explain. Bits'n'Bobs are the random items that don't exactly fit into any other category. They're still valid and well loved, but you're often confused as to how you would categorize them. I will be honest and say that some of my favourites on this list were on last year's list, but that just shows how much I love them.

Pop Funkos

I think anyone who follows me on any of my social media platforms will know how much I love Pop Funkos. Those of you who have followed me pretty much since I started my blog back in 2015 will know that I used to collect Tsum Tsums. I will admit that my love for Pop Funkos overtook my love for Tsum Tsums and I am tempted to get back into collecting them. Pop Funkos are one of my favourite things to collect. I have made myself stick to Harry Potter ones for now, but there are so many more that I want to get. Having them displayed in my room makes me very happy as I can see them all no matter where I am. 

Redecorating My Room

If I'm being totally honest with you, 2017 was a bit of a flop of Bits'n'Bobs. Looking back through my favourites posts from 2017, almost all of them have featured Pop Funkos as my Bits'n'Bobs favourite. However, something else I have enjoyed in 2017 is changing up my room. Occasionally, I will change the way things are displayed in my room or buy a new set of bedding. As I spend almost all my time in my room, it is very important to spice things up or I can become bored. I know that at some point in 2018, I will be moving house and I can't wait to sort out my new room.

In all honesty, those are my Bits'n'Bobs favourites for 2017. I hope 2018 will be a better year for Bits'n'Bobs as if it isn't, I will probably stop featuring it on my favourites posts.
Carenza x

2018 Reading Goals| CarenzaOnBooks

I know I said that I wouldn't be making any resolutions for 2018, but I've been enjoying watching on YouTube people's reading goals for the year and I figured it was never too late to jump on the bandwagon. I've thought of a few reading goals plus some goals for my blog as in June I will be celebrating my blog's third birthday.

1. Read more frequently
2. Read more of the books I own
3. Be more sensible with my book purchases
4. Read more plays
5. Finish the series I've started
6. Hit 100 followers on here
7. Make more content about my other interests
8. Go to more signings

1) Read more frequently

While I had a good reading year in 2017 and read 68 books, I want to read more frequently. I developed the bad habit of watching YouTube before bed and now that I've stopped this, I want to use this time to read. I'm currently on my third book of the year and I am loving reading. I am not going to set myself a goodreads goal (my goal is 1 book, which I've already met) as I find it really pressuring. 

2) Read more of the books I own

I own a lot of books, but I know I've not read all of them. I want to start reading more of the books on my shelves as they are groaning with unread books. I probably have a lot of books to read on them, which means I don't need to buy as many books.

3) Be more sensible with my book purchases

I bought way too many books last year, so this year I am going to be sensible with the books I buy. I've decided to limit myself to 50 books this year. I know this may seem like a lot, but I used to be able to get 50 over a short period. I am definitely going to use charity shops more as you get books for a good price and the money goes to charity.

4) Read more plays 

As I want to be a playwright when I finish full-time education, I think it's time I started reading more plays. I think I read about 5 or 6 in 2017, but I want to read a lot more and I have a lot to choose from as my college library has a big selection.

5) Finish the series I've started

Not including the series that have books to come out, I have some series that I own all the books off and haven't finished. I think there is about 5 or 6 that I have to finish, so it shouldn't be that hard, but it will require some rereading as I've forgotten what happened in them.

6) Hit 100 followers on here

As I have had my blog for nearly three years, I would really like to get my follower count to three figures. This does mean some hard work for me and that I have to remember to tweet the links to my posts (you all know how terrible I am at this). But if I hit 100 followers this year, it would be a dream come true. 

7) Make more content about my other interests 

This has been something I've wanted to do for a while, but 2018 will be the year I do this. I want to talk about Harry Potter, Pop Funkos, Tsum Tsums, the theatre and all the films/ tv series I like. I also want to share more of the pieces I've been writing as writing is a passion of mine.

8) Go to more book signings

Last year, I went to three signings and while that is the most I've been to in a year, I want to try and go to more. I also want to go to at least one in London as I always see photos from them and they look amazing. 

So that concludes my 2018 reading goals, I think I'll do an update post for it in 2019 and I wish you all the best with your 2018 reading goals!

Carenza x

  

Best of Books 2017| CarenzaOnBooks

As it is now 2018, it is time to reflect on the things I loved in 2017, and as custom on CarenzaOnBooks dictates, I discuss my favourite releases of the year. This year I only have three 2017 releases that I loved, so without further ado, here are my favourite books of 2017.

1) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I'm pretty sure most people who read The Hate U Give have put it on their favourites list and rightly so. This book was amazing. I had the pleasure of meeting Angie as well, which definitely added to my reading experience. It tackles the very serious issue of how black people in America are treated by the police really well, but there are also some humorous elements in it. I am so excited for the movie that I believe is coming out this year. There are so many more books now coming out about the Black Lives Matter movement. I am really excited for Angie's next book, On The Come Up, as she is a phenomenal writer.

2) Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Another phenomenal writer is Jennifer Mathieu. I read one of her other books, so when I saw that this was coming out I was really excited. It is a really powerful YA novel about feminism and starting a feminist revolution. It's very empowering. I read it in one sitting and I would love to read more books like it in the future. I would also love if there was a movie adaptation because more people need to read this amazing book.

3) Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Is it even a surprise that Lord of Shadows is on here? I think not. I adore the Shadowhunter Chronicles, I'm actually participating in a readathon hosted by emmmabooks. I loved Lord of Shadows so much. It destroyed me. I don't know how I'll be able to wait until December 4th for the conclusion to this series. Cassie really outdid herself with this book and it makes me so happy to see her growing as an author.

So that concludes my favourite books of 2017, let me know what some of yours were!

Carenza x

2017- A Reflection| CarenzaOnBooks

As cheesy as it may sound, it does feel as if it was yesterday that I was writing my reflection for 2016. It was as though I blinked and here we are, welcoming 2018 in. I am someone who loves the New Year, I see it as a time to change and reflect on the person we were in the previous year. But, for the first time in my life, I am not going to be setting resolutions to follow. Why? Because I never do. The nature of my life is ever changing and I have a habit of setting unrealistic goals, so I am going to change it. I am going to let 2018 take me where ever it wants to take me.

It has to be said that I started 2017 in a much better mindset than in 2016. If you saw my post from 2017 about 2016, then you will know that 2016 started badly for me. Well, 2017 didn't. Unless you count catching a nasty cold 3 days into the year, my 2017 started well. I went to the Harry Potter studios for the first time with my college and had an amazing time. I also got back into my singing lessons and am preparing to take grade 6 in the New Year. January was a great month, I discovered what my passions were again and it made me feel much happier than I did in 2016.

Probably the biggest and most important thing that happened to me in 2017 was that I decided (finally) what I wanted to do with my future. I had been dancing around the subject of university for a while and while I was adamant to go, I had no clue what I wanted to do. Then I saw a phenomenal play called Snow in Midsummer at the RSC and it clicked. I want to become a writer. I fell back in love with the theatre and have lost count of how many shows I have seen this year (but I would guess it's probably not far off 100). Another incredible play I saw was Angels in America. The National Theatre production blew my mind away as I had never thought about theatre on such an epic scale. To know what I want to do with my life has really helped me channel my energies into my studies and help me get the good grades I need.

With making this somewhat huge decision, I went through the joyous process of applying to university. I sent my application off in November and by the end of term, I had all my offers back. Knowing I have something to look forward to is really motivating me to do well. I have found an amazing course at an amazing university and I can't wait to start there. A part of me knows it will be here before I know it and that I shouldn't wish 9 months of my life away, but I'm so excited to start. I've been that person that always wanted to go and to have it so close actually makes me burst with happiness.

2017 was a very good reading year for me. There may have been a few dips where I fell out of love with reading or when I was very busy, but I managed to meet my Goodreads reading challenge. As I am writing this before the New Year, I don't know what exactly my final reading target will be, but I imagine it will be between 66-68. I read some great books this year and began to move away from the YA. I still love YA, but I am really enjoying branching out. Something I have decided to do in 2018 is to be stricter with my book buying. I have set myself a limit of only buying 50 books in 2018. This may seem a lot, but between December 2016-February 2017, I got over 50 books. I am doing this because of financial reasons and because I don't have the space to store books anymore. I also have a lot of unread books that I can read, so doing this might help me narrow down my TBR.

For me, 2017 was a year of Harry Potter. I went to the studio tour twice (once with college, once for my birthday). I finally saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and it was amazing. Harry Potter has always been a safety blanket for me. Something to fall back on when I'm having a bad day or I need to feel better. I have made several posts about my love for Harry Potter and I know I will never stop loving something that taught me to love reading. 

2018 brings many exciting changes. It's the year I become an adult. It's the year I move out and go to University. It's the year I get my shit together and stop putting so much pressure on myself. It's the year I learn to balance fun and work. It's the year I get to spend with my family and friends. It's the year I get to do many amazing things.
Carenza x